A quick chat about these beautiful games.
We decided to have a chat about these fascinating and playful parts of the Tomb Raider back catalogue.
The Lara Croft Collection
Chris:Hello!
Anyway, starting off simply, are you a fan of this style of Tomb Raider?
And how would you describe it?
Victoria:I think you pretty much nailed it.
I actually think they are all the more charming for this, especially when combined with their isometricity.
Even the twin-stick combat appealed to him more than he thought it would.
You really can ‘Spray and Pray’, as it were.
It seemed the perfect way to encounter them.
What’s interesting to me, I think, is how much flexibility there is in theTomb Raider series.
I feel like the action element is something the games are always struggling to balance.
And I always felt that the reboot series drifted a bit far towards being third-person shooters?
Why do you think that is?
I agree that some of the more recent games lost sight of that a bit.
You’ve made me realise something.
I’m not sure Tomb Raider has ever been quite what people think it is.
And it reminds me of Lara Croft Go.
Have you played that?
Victoria:You know, now you mention it, I am not sure there is.
Other games have tried, but I don’t think they have ever really had much staying power.
My mind immediately goes to the mobile Uncharted spin-off that I need to quickly google to remember its name.
That’s the one.
Anyway, that shut down last year.
I also remember playing an NCIS spin-off game, but that is a conversion for another time.
Perhaps some of the Nintendo games, but they tend to jump around to focus on different characters.
The Tomb Raider games and their spin-offs are all Lara-focused.
Am I making sense?
I am rambling now, so I will hand it back to you.
kindly regain control of this conversation.
Chris:It’s funny you say that about the co-op side of things.
God, those games were hard.
Which reminds me, I remember these two top-down affairs as being a bit of a delight.
Are they still delightful on Switch?
It feels like a natural home for them.
Victoria:Ha, I love that you played them that way.
I sometimes play games like that with my children, where they act like my co-pilot.
Let me tell you, they have got me into some pretty hairy scrapes (RIP, Ratchett)!
This genuinely seems like a really slick port.
Both storylines are a load of old hokum, and I mean that in a good way.
The visuals still charm and the gameplay, as you say, feels right at home on the Switch.
However, I can’t tell you how great it has been to share this experience with my husband.
Also, bonus points for the fact I can hear Keeley Hawes as Lara once again.
She really is the best Croft.
Chris:No disagreements there.
