Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Reviews
If you want to play using the original graphics, with optional modernized controls, at a high resolution, and with widescreen support, this is essentially perfect. But if you're looking for a remastered experience, Tomb Raider I-III is both an artistic mess, and a remarkable misunderstanding of some of the original visual game design. So come for the genre-defining original trilogy, but I wouldn't recommend staying for their remastered incarnations.
These classic games remain as ingenious, memorable and frustrating as ever.
No matter all this griping, nothing should take away from the most important thing: that this preserves three vitally important games from gaming history—in their original form—for at least another few years. The new art and controls can be switched off, meaning you’ve got those classic games on your latest console, and that’s not to be sniffed at. Every other aspect, however: sniff away.
A surprisingly good set of remasters, that present the original PS1 trilogy in the best light possible and with some very welcome options for modern controls and graphics.
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft is a superb collection of some of the PSOne's best adventure games. Whether you're a newcomer or veteran fan, the games remain hugely enjoyable and challenging, and the extra improvements really shine, particularly if you're new to the series and are intimidated by the old-school mechanics. Dive in and discover Lara Croft at her very best.
As difficult as it might be to go back and discover those games you once loved haven't dated as well as you might have hoped, Tomb Raider I-III Remastered is a wonderfully faithful and reverential collection of three classics, and nigh-on essential for new players and misty-eyed nostalgics alike.
Tomb Raider as a series is a beloved franchise and one that is sad to ever give a low score to. The problems encountered in this collection were painfully debilitating and would almost be better if one went and played the original game instead. Graphics are improved, but there is so much more that should have been updated that the original Tomb Raider 1–3 games should have had a full remake rather than remaster, or at least a bit more polish and attention given to the glitches and bugs.
However frustrating Tomb Raider I-III Remastered may be to modern eyes, there’s no denying that these games perfectly capture the spirit of the originals. Whether any of that is enough to appeal to modern audiences remains to be seen, but if you want a game that caters to your PS1 nostalgia, this is definitely it.
Tomb Raider I - III Remastered is a faithful recreation of the original Tomb Raider trilogy, however, its attempts to innovate and modernize the control scheme has left it in a weird state where it feels broken even though it isn't. In its current state, the game definitely feels weird, and until those issues are resolved, the game will remain an uneven remaster at best.
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft is a somewhat solid remaster with some interesting improvements, but the issues mentioned earlier can still cause what should be a fun experience to come grinding to a halt. While there are some interesting improvements and new features, it feels like this remaster could’ve been handled a lot better or instead turned into a remake to really reignite an old fandom that has long since moved on.
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft is a faithful re-release of the original games, although it lacks a lot of care and attention that is part of what made the original games so loved. While the game runs well, the controls are poorly explains, and very poorly modernized. The graphics are upgraded but there are some odd textures and a lot of clipping issues in both the new and old graphics.
Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered offers an appealing new visual style but retains all of the frustrating mechanics of the originals. Hardcore fans will probably enjoy it, but it's not for everyone.
It's difficult to give a score to Tomb Raider I-III Remastered. On the one hand, some of the improvements are quite good. The inclusion of extra levels for each game to make them more accessible is always welcome, and the improved modern controls are certainly welcome unless your muscle memory is attuned to the old tank-style controls. On the other hand, the very slight graphical improvements are overshadowed by the fact that the game design fails to keep modern controls in mind, and no other changes have been made to bring it up to modern standards. Considering the pedigree of the games, the result is a package that's fine but could've been much, much better.
Even with some issues, Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft still is a good collection that makes Lara Croft's origins more accessible in the current platforms, especially for those who already experienced these adventures before, and adds beautiful visuals. However, new players will still have to handle the difficulties of Lara's gameplay and the obtuse level design. For those people, Tomb Raider: Anniversary (Multi) remains a better entrypoint.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered is the best example of a remaster I think I've seen in years. Where some titles have played fast and loose, with full overhauls of their game mechanics or visual styles, Aspyr has taken a classic trilogy and revamped it as a love letter to its origins, bringing memories of old back to life. As more and more titles get the reboot or reimagining treatment, it is refreshing to see an old classic come back in a new style.
Nostalgia sells and playing with Lara again on current consoles is always good, even more so if it comes with playable and visual improvements. So if you like Tomb Raider and have never played the original games, or on the contrary, you want to relive its adventures with a renewed look, this compilation has everything you need by having the games and their expansions, which translates in many hours of fun and also frustration, especially if you are not used to the games of yesteryear.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The Tomb Raider I-III collection is faithful to the originals and is a beautifully mastered collection. While I may be incredibly biased, as Tomb Raider is quite literally the reason I’m a games journalist today, it still holds up so well, and you can choose whether you want a modernized or a dated experience.
Net of some lightness, which concerns both the technical and the playful sector, Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft is a valuable package, which will not fail to accompany fans of the first hour on a pleasant walk down memory lane.
Review in Italian | Read full review