Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Tomb Raider Trilogy Dated, Exclusive To PlayStation 3

The PlayStation Blog recently announced the exclusive release of the remastered Tomb Raider Trilogy on PlayStation 3. Get ready to live or relive Lara Croft’s adventures in Anniversary, Legend, and Underworld this March 22.

Nostalgia’s been in the air, with all the talk on Game Rant about Lara’s reboot since Square Enix’s announcement last December, followed by Game Rant‘s covering the game in action. Now gamers will have a chance to play the three most recent retail releases at a price lower than Underworld’s MSRP itself: $39.99. While the going rate for PS2-only revives such as the Sly Collection and God of War Collection retailed at $39.99, the inclusion of current generation games seems to make this a steal even Ms. Croft could be proud of.

Lara’s most recent excursion was actually a digital-only release. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light hit XBLA August 18, 2010 as a timed exclusive, and Game Rant reviewed it with high marks. The game was starkly different than previous Tomb Raider entries, but its co-operative, dungeon crawling play seemed very fitting for Lara’s world. Platforming and puzzle solving elements helped the game retain its familiar brand; trophies, hidden items, time trials, and high scores forced gamers back to leaderboards constantly to race to the top.

Lara herself has often been considered a prize catch. Some gamers may fear that the reboot of Lara Croft will force her to shed some of her appeal (read: bustier proportions). While the dimensions of Lara undoubtedly must change for an earlier story arc, gamers get the full monty that is the adult Croft in this trilogy. For those that need even more Lara in their lives, Tomb Raider Trilogy includes an exclusive static theme pack, Lara Croft and Viking Thrall avatars, and behind the scenes looks at all three titles.

My question to fellow gamers is this: what do you think all these collections from only a few years ago say about games or the market today? While these remakes ride the success of their namesakes, is this a testament of a stale current generation?

Aside from making a quick buck, I thought HD remakes served a different purpose. I purchased The Sly Collection and plan on purchasing Beyond Good & Evil HD to make publishers aware that these are awesome games that deserve more love. An HD Trilogy of a game series that has current generation console releases is hardly in the same boat. Will you be purchasing this trilogy?

The Tomb Raider Trilogy releases exclusively for the PlayStation 3 March 22, 2011.

John Polson

No comments:

Post a Comment