Where it all started.
The year was 1995. And while I can't confirm having a normal childhood, I owned a Playstation at one point either through secondhand/record shops and the like. It came with a Demo disc, and the demo had the first level of a little known pixelated game called Tomb Raider. Details were scarce, all that we knew that the tomb raider was a real tough cookie who was seeking to join the great archaeologists such as Dr. Indiana Jones, Dr. Alan Grant, and Gina Diggers.
Eventually more details came out as the game was hyped. Lara was going to be an orphan, but with lots of money at her disposal. And she wasn't needing just her looks to get by, her games required problem-solving, grit, and ruthlessness. And there were times for that. But Lara was not a cold calculating operator, not completely. She had empathy, showing the appropriate grief of the loss of friends from their deaths.
We were teenagers, we didn't think about that, we thought about bad triangular polygons made to look like female anatomy. Still, EIDOS was here to tell us a story about adventure in a way no one ever could. The IP expanded, with sequels, several comic books including a crossover with Witchblade, and movies, which, I have never seen. It sparked controversy and beyond, urban legends of a secret code that would let you see a more mature-rated version of her outfit, which never came to pass. Which even so much as inspired an amusing "joke" published by a video game industry magazine featuring a completely seperate fiery redhead parallel character drawn by manga artist Adam Warren. It was the 90s. It was a "Wylde" time.
Lara didn't just succeed, she endured. beyond the Trilogy, more versions released, remakes, but no less important. Lara wasn't just satisfied with joining the greats like Indiana Jones. She was going to fight for her spot as one of the toughest female leads in gaming history. And games are still releasing.
While these days, Lara's looking much different, being slightly different, she's being adapted to a new audience. And while the two versions are different, I find neither of them in the shadow of the other.
This version, while not being the most recent remake planned, is still rather good. It plays exactly as it used to, tank controls toned down, and adapted to modern control schemes. Graphics cleaned up and redefined. polygons rounded so Lara looks like an actual 3D model, instead of a "Child of Valheim." Traps are much more well-defined too, making dodging darts much easier. Combat is enhanced, so reacting quickly will reward you with cool bullet-time sequences as you dodge animal bites as you dispatch your enemies with your .45 ACP Pistols.
I can't stress enough how much dumping the PS1 graphics really changes the game for the better.
But like LeVar Burton has said, "You don't have to take my word for it."
