Tomb Raider (1996 Video Game) User Reviews

A Great VG For It's Time

[waelkatkhuda · 7/10 · 11 April 2017]

The first time i played this game was in 1997 after playing TB2 i wanted to see the original one and it really attracted me from its opening scene which i found much better than the second one,but after that i found that TR2 was much more better in graphics,enemies and even in the story line. back then i couldn't continue the third level after beating the T-Rex, well eventually i didn't again and finished it through the PSP.

The PSP version is very much similar to the original one, but the only thing that wasn't good about this version is that they dropped the battles musics, which bore you a lot because most of the time you hear Lara's boots which made me in many times just play it in the silent mode.

The enemies were very few and easy some of them don't make any sense (Giant Rates) and some are great at the final levels of the game.

the cut scenes were very nice and funny at the same time (I couldn't stop laughing every time i heard Natala Or Larson).

As for the bosses the problem is like the same problem with Dino crisis (which are very weak) compering them with the hard puzzles.

Did i enjoy the game? Sure i did But is it a great one? Well it's hard to say especially after all these years, but if you like classic games of the 90s and you want to now how the TR series began i highly recommend it for you. But, if you want to play the best one of the TR classics i recommend you to try the second TR it has more enemies more fun and a great cut scenes.

The first and still one of the best of the series...

[Aaron1375 · 9/10 · 11 July 2007]

It is probably because you only do what the title of the game suggests, tomb raiding that still makes this game of the series one of the best. Later you would do missions not involving tombs...where you would raid military bases and buildings. However, Laura Croft always seems most at home in an underground temple searching for treasure and clues to disable deadly traps and unlock doors. Which is basically all you do here. Laura is hired to find pieces of a device by a mysterious woman and she goes to different tombs in order to find them. There are usually some animals to kill and even a T-rex to fight. For the most part you are not killing people in this particular adventure. Though there are a couple of people in this one to fight. The ending is a bit over the top, however, this does not detract from the overall fun to be had in this game. The physics and controls are rather easy to get used to, and no need to worry about ammo as your default weapons never run out. You can also pick up a different weapon here and there including a sweet pair of uzi's. So if going into mysterious tombs is your thing, this tomb raider adventure is still tops.

A Classic But Shows Its Age

[Fiplerrr · 8/10 · 15 January 2018]

Tomb Raider is a classic in the third-person 3D adventure genre. It is a really fun game but shows its age being 22 years old nearly. Let's get the negativity out of our systems to begin with. Three words. FIXED. CAMERA. ANGLE. One of my pet hates of many early 3rd person games. The number of jumps I have misjudged and times I have ended up a crumpled mess on the floor of a temple thanks to the fixed camera angles. They really annoy me. That was my only real gripe so on to the positives. YAY!!! This game is so much fun with its devilish puzzles to get you thinking in between shooting the hell out of wolves and demons. Some of the puzzles have had me stumped for weeks trying to work them out, puzzles in games these days just don't challenge your brain like this anymore. Secondly, this game encourages you to explore like a wannabe Indiana Jones. There are many secrets in this game, some are so well-hidden, not even I have managed to locate them yet. This game was revolutionary for it's time but does unfortunately show its age and the camera angles really get on my nerves. Aside from those two negative Nancies, this game is a must for any video-game fan and remains a classic in the adventure genre.

One of the greatest video game debuts of all time!!

[koffeenkreame41-1 · 10/10 · 15 May 2011]

For me, this is one of the great video games of all time. So many twists and turns, great villains and great characters, great scenery, great puzzles. To me, without a shadow of doubt, this game is a classic. You will not be disappointed.

Brilliant archagelogist and adventurer, Lara Croft is offered a chance of a lifetime to locate The Scion, an mysterious artifact said to have magical powers. So you play Lara and go through many hard puzzles, mercenaries who also want the artifact. Lara has weapons of her own, dual pistols, dual uzis, magnums and a shotgun. The music is spectacular and it really adds to the game. Sure there has been new Tomb Raider games by a different developer but they are very different in comparison, this game doesn't need to have the greatest graphics, it's plot and storyline along with the gameplay and cast of characters are enough to hold you over. It doesn't even matter if it's dated now, I still play it from time to time.

One of the greatest video games in gaming history for sure 10/10

The Beginning of a complex adventure

[TERMINATOR180 · 10/10 · 24 February 2002]

I suppose you could say the Tomb Raider games set the record for highest difficult in a Sony Playstation game, but the FMV clips,controls, and music make up for the game's almost intolerable difficulty. But most of that difficulty comes from the need for a Strategy guide, which you can find online or in a store.

*** 1/2 out of ***** Stars

Kudos!

[glamiss-1 · 10/10 · 31 July 2000]

I will admit that when I heard the hype of the game just after it came out that I didn't even want to SEE it, much less play it. One day, however, I saw a friend's roommate's friend playing the game and just watching I knew I had to play too!

This game is one of the best games out there (better if you have the cheats) and is very addictive.

It's not just action / adventure, though there's a lot of that. One needs to stop and actually take a look around, to THINK about where Lara is and where she needs to go next.

I suggest this for all to play.

Still Awesome

[Bluefly · 9/10 · 11 October 1999]

Tomb Raider is one of the coolest CGs of all time. At the time it was released, its quality was groundbreaking and it changed computer gaming forever. Its FX were literally the first and only of their caliber. That may not be true anymore, but it still rivals games that are coming out today. The plot is interesting, the levels are fun, and the weapons, puzzles and general gameplay is great. For once there's a game that's both hard and fun at the same time. And of course, Lara Croft just rules.

Really Excellent!

[PlayerSS · 24 January 2003]

This game has you do it all. You go through all kinds of different obstacles while fighting a different array of enemies. The story is not the greatest, but hey, what can you expect for the first game in the series. Tomb Raider also threw in a little something different with Lara Croft breaking normal hero boundaries. Almost all video game (and real) action heroes were men until she came along. Don't get me wrong, there were quite a few women trying to be everybody's saviour, but Lara is much better. Gameplay is great, looks good for its time, and is fun to play. My rating 10/10

Available on cell phones these days

[gelziabar · 7/10 · 14 November 2006]

Tomb Raider was a sort of a technological revolution in 1996 because it used a fully 3D environment and polygons when compared to most other games which used sprites. It also made many advances when it came to interactivity because a large portion of the environment was actually fully navigable. If one does not expect the blasting, weapons and gore from the traditional 3D-shooters of that time, Tomb raider would have delivered a very unique and enjoyable gaming experience. The environments were not really varied until the sequel to this title but it was still fun. Its also quite fun to play this game on your Nokia while your old computer at the time, had a hard time coping up with the polygons.

The First game in the series and is still one of the best!

[vivifan · 10/10 · 27 June 2018]

There are many gaming franchises out there that have affected people's lives and One of my favorite game series of all time is none other then Tomb raider. I remember back in the day my father had purchased the game and had loved it. He came home from work and would play it to death. As a kid I didn't see the appeal and I wasn't a fan of it's controls etc. But later in my life around my teen years I decided to give the game another shot. My father had bought me a walkthrough guide for TRs 1-5. I had played laras home which is a fun training level just to get used to the controls. I then played through the entire game and I was hooked. Fun puzzles, platforming, action and exploration. The games music is beautiful, the atsompshre is great, the graphics were great, sound effects solid and it had a solid storyline. The levels themselves are big, the games content is great for it's time. I simply love this game and After finishing it I wanted to play every tomb raider afterwards. I have finished all of the games and this is in my top 5 TR's for sure. The only flaws are due to the games age which are the controls and visuals. But other then that It's a masterpiece in my eyes.

Absolutely amazing.

[Josephpr1990 · 10/10 · 1 May 2023]

I always love that classic Tomb Raider game. I remember playing it on Sony PlayStation 1 when I was a kid. I also played it on Sony PlayStation 2 as a PS1 game when I was a teenager. In January 2016, I finally beat the same game on Sony PS Vita.

Tomb Raider is one of my favourite Tomb Raider games in the series of all time. It's absolutely amazing. The graphics and gameplay are both incredible and the music is amazing as well.

I knew it came out in 1996. It was developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive which is now known as Square Enix Europe.

It is probably one of the best video games of all time. It will never get old. It will always be a timeless classic.

Not the first Tomb Raider game I've played, but the first one I've finished

[amadeuseisenberg · 3/10 · 14 November 2021]

Still unique to this day! There's just nothing else like the PS1 Tomb Raiders out there. The mysterious feel and atmosphere of the original Tomb Raiders hasn't been replicated to this day. Can't say the same for the 2010s reboot games, which were already unoriginal and generic the day they came out. Not games you want to go back to again and again either, unlike these original Tomb Raiders.

Anyway, here are a few personal observations that I found funny:

1. The animations in the game are strange and funny sometimes. When you have to place lead bars onto the hand of Midas to turn them into gold, it looks like Lara sneezes them onto the hand, accompanied by a very feminine sound effect.

2. Throughout the game you'll be attacked by a man that will disappear when you've damaged him enough every time. He runs behind the nearest corner and disappears in a way that doesn't make any sense. It's like as soon as he leaves your sight, he despawns. If you keep chasing him, he will keep looking for ways to leave your line of sight, which is funny.

3. I also find it weird how the different animals attacking you don't attack each other, as they would in real life. Instead, they work together to hunt down Lara and EVEN team up with human enemies!

Sadly, I have to give this game a low rating, because while I do want to have all the PS1 Tomb Raider games in my collection and finish them all, I didn't really enjoy my time with this one. I started out throroughly enjoying this game, but by the end, the enjoyment had turned into an absolute chore. It gets quite awful by the end. If you have played this...don't you agree? I expect to enjoy the next ones more and give them a higher rating, especially with the ability to save anywhere I want, which should help. Plus I've always liked The Last Revelation and Chronicles more.

Anyone, who tends to get frustrated easily, please steer clear of this game. Make no mistake, this is one of the most frustrating games ever made. There's a chance you will hate this game by the time you're done with it. And if you're a Zoomer with a short attention span, don't even bother reading this review about this game, which you just finished reading. Then proceed to throw yourself into the nearest spike pit you can find locally.

Thanks for reading.

May the butler lock Lara in the freezer. Classic Lara must be preserved.

Original, and still the best

[yancy · 10/10 · 29 May 1999]

Tomb Raider, one of the best games I have ever played, and certainly the most original. Lara Croft's body isn't that good looking, her weaponry isn't very extensive and the graphics are very DOS'ish. But this is still the best game EVER! Also, the storyline is good. The characters (Natla, Larson and of course Lara) are all superb and the movies are good too.

It was good for me.

[Yelwaf · 10/10 · 28 March 2001]

This is one of the few games I made it all the way through. Once I started, I was hooked!! Some of the puzzles are extremely creative and I never had more fun dying in a game in my life.

The visuals are stunning and the ambiance is thick. I loved everything about this game from the ease of controls to the artifical intelligence of the creatures all the way up to the remarkable ending. And the cut scenes are awesome!!!

I bought the next 2 game sequels - if I only had more time... Can't wait for the movie.

Great game!!!

An Enduring Classic

[stekelmoll · 26 February 2003]

The first game in the Tomb Raider series is undoubtedly the best. Although designed to run under DOS and SVGA graphics the design of the levels retains a beauty and originality rare among games. (True devotees using a PC can download a progam called GLIDOS, which allows high resolution graphics in the game, and patches to allow the game to run under XP) The soundtrack, including the trademark theme, is also wonderfully atmospheric. Lara Croft was the first third person perspective videogame character to make a mark in the gaming world. Control of the character is relatively straight forward, and the game itself quite exploration rather than action orientated. In hindsight, the puzzle standards of pulling levers or pushing moveable blocks, have become a bit tired to today's players but there's still plenty here to challenge the intellect, and more than enough action at times to quicken the pulse. Lara's first adventure sees her explore the Andes, the Classical World, Egypt and finally Atlantis. Perhaps the plot is a bit derivative from Indiana Jones (after all Indy did Atlantis in videogames three years before Lara)but hey I'd rather Lara than some old smart alec with a whip anyday...

One of the most original games ever.

[Hikage-sama · 8/10 · 12 April 2001]

One of sony`s best games ever. The character Lara Croft, music & atmosphere in this game is fantastic. The enemies are cool to kill. Diving, climbing, running & shooting, it`s fun in this game. Tomb Raider is so good that Hollywood decided to do a 80m dollars movie out of it, with sugar babe Angelina Jolie. COOOOL.