Non-RPG General News - Tomb Raider has 25 Years

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@Xian; spotted the 25th anniversary of Tomb Raider, as reported by Eurogamer and VGC (quoting the latter below since I have a problem accessing the former).

Tomb Raider is 25-years-old today

LARA CROFT MADE HER DEBUT ON OCTOBER 25, 1996; SQUARE ENIX SAYS NEXT ENTRY WILL UNIFY TIMELINES

Although the adventures of Lara Croft didn't begin on PlayStation or PC (the formats she was most commonly associated with) until mid-November, it was October 25, 1996 when she first set foot on gaming soil.

On that date, the first Tomb Raider was released on the Sega Saturn in Europe, roughly a month before it came to other formats and regions.

The classic action adventure game had Lara travelling to Peru, Greece, Egypt and Atlantis in search of an ancient artefact called the Scion.

Reaction to Tomb Raider was extremely positive at the time, mainly thanks to its genre-defining gameplay and its impressive polygonal visuals.

The real star, however, was Lara, who was an all-guns blazing hero in an era where female protagonists were few and far between.

Lara became a gaming icon almost overnight, appearing on the covers of non-gaming magazines and appearing in sponsorship deals for products like energy drink Lucozade.

The success of Tomb Raider led to an inevitable slew of sequels, the first few of which were similarly well-received. The likes of Tomb Raider II, Tomb Raider III and Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation were praised for continuing to push the technology of the time while adding to Lara's lore. [...]
Thanks! :)

More information.
 
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I still remember that pixely ass. You could not avoid staring at it given the camera angle. Perhaps being in the early teens also contributed to the staring :lol: I'd not stare at such things any longer, no way…

I have not tried nor seen a Tomb Raider game since the first one. Pretty sure that the "hot lady in little clothes with camera focussing on the butt" concept is still there. (Although, one could argue how else is it possible to angle the camera in 3rd person games; perhaps not so low?).

Just out of curiosity, how do our women members perceive such portrayal of women? Positive or negative? Are males portrayed comparatively in Conan the Barbarian for instance?
 
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Just out of curiosity, how do our women members perceive such portrayal of women? Positive or negative? Are males portrayed comparatively in Conan the Barbarian for instance?

I can only speak for myself, but even though Lara Croft's physique was quite sexualised, I grew to see her as one of my role models in my own upbringing. There was a time in my teenage days when I fantasized about being a Lara Croft myself - she was cunning, well-read, and knowledgeable, as well as an example of self-betterment, with a tenacious approach to every hurdle she found, and a tendency to go against all odds to do what is right. She had a rebellious spirit and she wouldn't just back off just because of being outnumbered or outgunned. Most importantly, she was strong, independent, and didn't need an alpha male to fix her issues or give relevance to her life, which in 1996 wasn't as much of a mainstream ideal for women as it is in 2021.

Of course by the time the first game was out I was pretty much a toddler, so I may have missed some of the little details and tidbits of Lara Croft's persona as she became an icon for many gamers, but to me, she was always more than two well-placed boobs and a nice round ass.
 
I have to say the last game is very, very good. Probably the best of the modern ones.
 
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I actually loved the modern ones more then I liked the uncharted games. They are so good. Fun adventures.
 
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I have played the first by Core Design / Eidos, then later the 2013 version by Crystal Dynamics / Square Enix (which is still in my Steam library).

I liked the mix of exploration and puzzle in the original games, and the 2013 version was done with the same spirit but with an extra "psychological" level which tried to show the main character was an actual person and not just an acrobat.

The Indiana-Jones-like explorer theme works, not sure it grants such a long series of games though. It quickly becomes repetitive and there is no real depth, the fact one of the articles mention "Lara's lore" made me smile. Well, they even managed to get 3 movies out of the franchise, good for them.
 
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I loved the first Tomb Raider and even more the second and third one, because they were more story oriented than the first one.

Played most of the following ones but didn't like them. Also didn't like the first remakes/reboots (Anniversary/Underworld). So parts 4 up to 9 are not for me.

Absolutely loved the latest three installments since 2013, because they scratch my "Action Adventure with RPG-elements" itch. (Parts 10 to 13 in the overall count.)

Tried all of them again about a year ago and found that the first three have also aged better than the parts 4 to 9, which I find nearly unplayable now.
 
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I don't think any of the older titles have aged well tbh. I did like the 2013 reboot but haven't played the two games released since.

I always hated how her default pistols had that magical supply of unlimited ammo. :)
 
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I fondly recall playing the very first game, the day it released, for the original Playstation. I did get through it, yet not a game I'd be interested in these days, the style just isn't something I gravitate to. I do remember some folks literally being in awe of the game, though! Hard to believe that was twenty-five years ago, now.
 
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I can only speak for myself, but even though Lara Croft's physique was quite sexualised, I grew to see her as one of my role models in my own upbringing. There was a time in my teenage days when I fantasized about being a Lara Croft myself - she was cunning, well-read, and knowledgeable, as well as an example of self-betterment, with a tenacious approach to every hurdle she found, and a tendency to go against all odds to do what is right. She had a rebellious spirit and she wouldn't just back off just because of being outnumbered or outgunned. Most importantly, she was strong, independent, and didn't need an alpha male to fix her issues or give relevance to her life, which in 1996 wasn't as much of a mainstream ideal for women as it is in 2021.

Of course by the time the first game was out I was pretty much a toddler, so I may have missed some of the little details and tidbits of Lara Croft's persona as she became an icon for many gamers, but to me, she was always more than two well-placed boobs and a nice round ass.

Thanks :) Interesting to hear other perspectives on this. Nothing wrong with sexualization as such. I just hope people managed to better separate reality and fantasy. In the real world, you do not need to be sexually attractive to be those things you list, even though many (but not all) seem to think so.

Perhaps they'll make a new one that resembles the Witcher 3. That one I'd try. Would love to play a scripted bad-ass female protagonist in a more RPG setting than the original one.

EDIT. Didn't intend a bun in the last sentence. Noticed it after I had submitted…
 
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If all we had to show in 2021 for female representation in games was Lara Croft and her gravity defying boobs then it would be a negative. Womens representation in games was either victim needing saving, wise old crone or scantily dressed ornament to swoon over male hero.

Then along came Lara Croft.

Early Lara models were overly sexualised, exaggerated beyond the laws of ribcages, but undeniably a turning point. Lara Croft proved that men were comfortable with a female lead and weren’t going to boycott franchises. This led to further confidence in creating more representation, more choice.
 
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Womens representation in games was either victim needing saving, wise old crone or scantily dressed ornament to swoon over male hero.

Then along came Lara Croft.

Samus Aran (Metroid) was actually the first mainstream female protagonist. I think people tend to forget about her which is understandable since she's wearing a power suit 99% of the time. Croft was just the first with any significant degree of femininity.

Of course Ms Pacman might have something to say about that. ;)
 
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I doubt any other developer has put as much time into motion capturing the booty, leading me to wonder if Lara has the best digitized booty in gaming history? Critical topic to ponder, for sure.

Anyways.

2013 reboot to me is up there and one of those "amazing gaming experiences" that I recommend to just about anybody that likes gaming. (same way I'd recommend Portal to anybody with a pulse). At the time it felt fresh and amazing. But, as good as it is, and as good as any gameplay is, it starts to get old with enough repetition - I've dinked with the sequels but they all pretty much feel like the 2013 game with different visuals and don't pack that same punch as a result.

I also held off on that 2013 reboot until it was on sale for like because I always thought I wasn't going to like the game as I'm not much for shooters/action games, wasn't a huge fan of the originals, and I ended up loving it. So if you're at all interested in the more recent games I'd highly recommend them on sale - you may be surprised.
 
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If all we had to show in 2021 for female representation in games was Lara Croft and her gravity defying boobs then it would be a negative. Womens representation in games was either victim needing saving, wise old crone or scantily dressed ornament to swoon over male hero.

Then along came Lara Croft.

Early Lara models were overly sexualised, exaggerated beyond the laws of ribcages, but undeniably a turning point. Lara Croft proved that men were comfortable with a female lead and weren’t going to boycott franchises. This led to further confidence in creating more representation, more choice.

People are constantly deriding the exaggerated and sexualised nature of Lara Croft, but it misses the point entirely. I mean, pretty much every male lead character in any video game ever is a highly exaggerated and sexualised version of a man, but this topic only ever comes up when female depictions are scrutinised.

And this isn't anyone's specific agenda, as every person who's ever played a game that allows a character creator will make their character a highly exaggerated and/or highly sexualised character.

IMO, by making a fuss every time a female character becomes popular, the feminist lobby actually reduces the chances of there being more female leads, as it assumes an inhuman perspective on the human desire to create inhuman characters.
 
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Got it keep my negative opinion to myself. Man I love this place.:)

If only I had a dollar for every time you made a statement you yourself are aware is a controversial statement, get a reply of some sort, and then complain about the fact that people are replying to your obviously controversial viewpoint, man, I'd buy the site and give you your own sub-forum :lol:
 
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I saw the first TR on a friend’s TV when he was playing it on his Sega Saturn and I was stunned by the awesome 3D gameplay. Had to get that game and played it on my PC some time later in full Diamond Monster Voodoo 3Dfx glory :) .

I believe I played the original series up to part 4, skipped 5 and 6, then played Legend and Anniversary (liked both) and skipped Underworld, although I have it installed currently and a save early into the game (too many games problem).

I also played all of the reboots but have mixed feelings about them. They had great levels, level design, graphics and exploration/puzzles for the most part but abysmal writing and characterization (especially Rise). I lost a lot of sympathy for a very selfish Ms. Croft and don’t get me started on Jonah (part 2 RotTR sucked soooo bad). I found Shadow of the Tomb Raider to be by far the best game of the reboot series. It also had the most tolerable writing and screenplay.
 
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