Tomb Raider 1-3 Remaster

[mikeymikec]

Your screenshots don't adequately convey just how deeply you care about social justice in the Anandtech PC gaming forum. Maybe with a few more screenshots, you too can become a good person(tm).

I was arguing a pretty simple point which apparently escaped you. Maybe you're a tad preoccupied.

 

[Zenoth]

Just thought I would share this, since it's on the topic of the original Tomb Raider games (not the Remasters though, but maybe this could also be applied to the Remasters):

(Do note that RTX Remix is - for now anyway - limited to bringing the RT effects to DX8 and DX9 games only)

 

[BFG10K]

Just thought I would share this, since it's on the topic of the original Tomb Raider games (not the Remasters though, but maybe this could also be applied to the Remasters):

Like all RTX effects bolted onto games that never supported them, that looks absolutely awful and completely breaks the original art design aesthetic. And as usual, surfaces that are supposed to be rough & dull look like smooth wet marble.

Also they give Lara a cone of light and add torches to the walls which were never there, otherwise almost everything would be pitch black.

 

[Zenoth]

Like all RTX effects bolted onto games that never supported them, that looks absolutely awful and completely breaks the original art design aesthetic. And as usual, surfaces that are supposed to be rough & dull look like smooth wet marble.

Also they give Lara a cone of light and add torches to the walls which were never there, otherwise almost everything would be pitch black.

To each their own, to me it's very per-game specific.

Some prefer this, some are neutral and would play either way. It's about choices. And in this particular case this isn't a matter of "bolting RTX" with set-in-stone effects all across the game. It's RTX Remix, which comes in with a ton of options to adjust for the user, as you'd see fit; you can edit Materials, etc (have you... watched the video?). If, as you said, almost everything would be pitch black without the added torches, then how in the great heck would anyone get to appreciate the game's 'art design aesthetic' if I can't see shit Captain is the rule rather than the exception in a game made back when a single light source was already pushing the hardware it was played on.

So anyways, to each their own. In my case, I played the originals so I'm not missing on anything. To me this is just one example of what RTX Remix can bring to the table. It's very moddable by the person making the adjustments to their liking. It's merely a fresh new look at old games, that's it. Same with that original DOOM that came out some time ago with Ray Tracing added to it, it just adds to the visuals.

 

[BFG10K]

Some new leaked screenshots which look legit. Not long now, bois.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al2QPPyaMHw

 

[BFG10K]

Photo mode:

Explore the World Through Lara’s Lens with Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Photo Mode - Xbox Wire

Tomb Raider I - III Remastered launches next week, bringing enhanced visuals and polished gameplay to the first three iconic Tomb Raider games. Take a sneak peek at the new Photo Mode, which opens up even more ways to explore.

news.xbox.com

 

[BFG10K]

Here we are bois, first level playthrough from each game. Looks like they also ported some of the moves from later games, like the mid-air flip.

 

[BFG10K]

Game is out! They did a good job overall.

 

[AdamK47]

How much more mastered is this remaster? I would like to have this quantified.

 

[mikeymikec]

How much more mastered is this remaster? I would like to have this quantified.

IMO, I haven't played it yet:
Next to nothing done with cut scenes
No dialogue changes of any sort allegedly
Higher-res textures added throughout the game and extra flora (so a jungle isn't simply tree/ground-coloured blocks), Lara is higher-res'd too.
All three games brought up to the same standard of 3D content, presumably working properly on modern hardware and operating systems; pick-up objects are now rendered in 3D too. This is particularly notable for TR1 which ran in DOS with no 3D hardware acceleration. Presumably they're now all running in Direct3D or something similarly modern.
One other change of note is the option to change between the original control system and the TR2014+ control system.

Aside from the control system feature addition, this seems very much like what I'd expect from fan-made remasters. For example, I've played Tomb Raider 1 with 3D acceleration and higher-res textures; I expect some rough-edges.

 

[AdamK47]

I'll probably get it eventually. Not at $30.

Still remember playing through the first one in 1996 on my Rendition V1000. Vérité accelerated Tomb Raider.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

I enjoyed TR 2013 and have Rise of the Tomb Raider on my list of games to play but somehow the og franchise never grabbed my attention.

I remember I felt like I was fighting the controls more than playing the game.

 

[mikeymikec]

I enjoyed TR 2013 and have Rise of the Tomb Raider on my list of games to play but somehow the og franchise never grabbed my attention.

I remember I felt like I was fighting the controls more than playing the game.

I have a basic Logitech K120 keyboard for my desktop PC, but it's absolute rubbish for playing the original TR games with because it doesn't have n-key rollover (a feature that allows the keyboard to process multiple simultaneous keypresses). My K270 keyboard (which I use to connect customer PCs to) does, and it makes TR a lot easier. For example, without n-key rollover I can't do a jump and alter the jump angle in the air a bit. A running jump and catching a ledge can be problematic too. With TR4/5 there's an additional game mechanic that requires an additional key to be pressed to get Lara to pull herself into a crawlspace which is especially hard without n-key rollover.

I also tend to set TR games to the 'user keys' preset rather than default keys which concentrates the keys being used over to the cursor keys and numeric keyboard. Ever since I discovered the preset I found it easier to play that way, then I make one or two modifications to further concentrate the key usage over to that side of the keyboard.

I wonder if almost all of the complaints about the PC control system can be traced back to that keyboard feature.

 

[BFG10K]

News about upcoming patch and EGS controversy.

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft - Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Update 1 Announcement - Steam News

We thank the passionate Tomb Raider community for your continued support, shares, and feedback on Tomb Raider I-III Remastered. We’re overjoyed and overwhelmed with the response from the community. We currently are working on the first update, which we anticipate will launch in the next few...

store.steampowered.com

Aside from the control system feature addition, this seems very much like what I'd expect from fan-made remasters.

There are features not available in source-ports like 60+ FPS, redone models (not just texture reskins, the actual models have changed), improved level geometry (e.g. open ceilings, 3D vegetation), and rebaked lighting & shadows in the levels.

I'd recommend watching Footi's videos for full walkthroughs, he's one of the world's best classic Tomb Raider players.

https://www.youtube.com/@Footi/videos

 

[mikeymikec]

News about upcoming patch and EGS controversy.

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft - Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Update 1 Announcement - Steam News

We thank the passionate Tomb Raider community for your continued support, shares, and feedback on Tomb Raider I-III Remastered. We’re overjoyed and overwhelmed with the response from the community. We currently are working on the first update, which we anticipate will launch in the next few...

store.steampowered.com

There are features not available in source-ports like 60+ FPS, redone models (not just texture reskins, the actual models have changed), improved level geometry (e.g. open ceilings, 3D vegetation), and rebaked lighting & shadows in the levels.

I'd recommend watching Footi's videos for full walkthroughs, he's one of the world's best classic Tomb Raider players.

https://www.youtube.com/@Footi/videos

Fair point. My perception of the trilogy is complicated by the 'remasters' (so to speak) I've used before, so for example for me TR1 isn't going from software rendering 30FPS in DOS to Win11-compatible 60FPS.

 

[mikeymikec]

15 seconds into the game and I discovered that unlike the original games, I can't bind the numeric keypad's Enter key to 'Action' I've emailed support.

 

[mikeymikec]

TR 4 - 6 is going to be remastered as well.

Save 10% on Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered on Steam

Her legacy lives on! Play the next series of Tomb Raider adventures in this remastered collection of the Darkness Trilogy.

store.steampowered.com

I'm really surprised at 6 (Angel of Darkness) being remastered as the game had so many issues; people talk about 1-5 having control system issues and yet 6 seemed to say, "hold my beer".

I would have thought that 6 would need more work than 1-5 put together.

It will be nice to see the final level of 5 (Chronicles) with all the gameplay bugs fixed though. They're the reason that I've only completed it once despite owning it for >20 years.

 

[mikeymikec]

I've just completed TR1RM, and aside from not being able to bind the numeric keypad's Enter key to 'Action', it played fine. One thing I liked about the remastering though is that the artwork at times has this very 'brush strokes painted' look, like looking at a freshly-painted house with vibrant summer'y colours, I found it quite appealing.

Someone mentioned earlier about TR2 being difficult though - the final two levels of TR1 are very hard (definitely among the top ten most difficult, likely the most difficult) by the standards of the original games (TR1-5), I was literally save-gaming after every encounter. I had forgotten large portions of this game which made this playthrough more fun; I don't think I've played TR1 anywhere near as much as 2 or 4 simply because 1 being DOS and software rendered originally would have turned me off it until I discovered GlaDOS.

 

[mikeymikec]

Speaking of difficult moments, replaying this particular part of this level in TR5/Chronicles took me about 20 attempts. That's just aside from if you don't pick up the items in the correct order (and the game by no means steers you in any manner), you potentially have to pull off this jump multiple times:

In case the embed and time index doesn't work, the quadruple jump is 5 minutes in, pretty much on the dot.

I stopped playing TR5/Chronicles when I got to the final chapter in Von Croy Industries because it combines possibly my two most hated game mechanics: Long periods of having to do stealth stuff, and having to run away from impossible foes.

I really got the TR4-6 remastered version for TR4 (Revelations), though I enjoyed the 'young Lara' level in Chronicles, except this freakishly creepazoid bit in the cut scene:

If the time index doesn't work, go to 28:11 to get the context at the start of the scene, and the bit I'm talking about happens within 60 seconds from that point. The cut scenes were all from the original games btw. You have to wonder wtf the game makers were thinking.