RukBot
02-20-2024, 10:57 AM
https://www.destructoid.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/lara-sunset-remaster.png
I'm highly skeptical of remasters and remakes. They tend to either feel underwhelming or, worse, to actually do a competent job that ends up replacing the beautiful memories we had of the original. I didn't have either problem with the new Tomb Raider Remastered.
Originally, I thought that was just because the game gave me the chance to pick between a respectfully improved version of the old, and a beautiful new vision for the classic, but there was more to it than just that. Now I have the full picture (https://www.destructoid.com/tomb-raider-remastered-i-iii-is-a-nostalgic-walk-through-the-croft-museum/).
It turns out that the remaster had long-time fan Xproger at the helm, the person responsible for OpenLara (https://docs.libretro.com/library/openlara/), a multiplatform open-source engine of the OG games. Instead of sending this Xproger a cease-and-desist letter, Saber?the owner of Aspyr, the company behind the remaster?decided to just enlist XProger to get this thing running.
https://twitter.com/XProger_san/status/1757892574092636206
Moreover, XProger thanks Saber not just for getting hired, but also for getting the freedom to assemble a dream team to make the project in the way that they wanted.
https://twitter.com/XProger_san/status/1757892683039637820
I'm usually on the fence when it comes to giving fans the reins when it comes to helming pre-existing series. I'm always afraid that it will lead to a seemingly safe repetition instead of a bold new vision that is actually what a series needs to stay alive and relevant. Luckily, I was wrong about Sonic Mania (https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-sonic-mania/), about Black Mesa (https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-black-mesa/), and I was wrong here. This was the way to go from the get-go.
https://www.destructoid.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/18da0cc65ec22-screenshotUrl_805bae.jpg?resize=1024,576Screenshot by Destructoid
In my first impressions piece (https://www.destructoid.com/tomb-raider-remastered-i-iii-is-a-nostalgic-walk-through-the-croft-museum/), I commend the addition of a bunch of windows here and there that provide realistic sources of lighting to the inexplicably well-lit closed corridors we see in TR1. Anyone who's not a fan of the series may read such praise as the ramblings of an old madman, but they're just the words of an old mad fan. The lighting issue has been a running joke among Tomb Raider fans forever. I should've known that a true fan must have been behind such a small change that meant so much for such a considerably small amount of people all along.
One expression that I believe perfectly describes the remaster of the original three Tomb Raider games is "labor of love". I stand by the glowing praise I gave to this endeavor, but I honestly didn't know just how right I was when I first said that.
You can now enjoy the remastered trilogy on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and on the Nintendo Switch.
The post Tomb Raider Remastered development was led by a fan modder (https://www.destructoid.com/tomb-raider-remastered-development-was-led-by-a-fan-modder/) appeared first on Destructoid (https://www.destructoid.com).
More...
I'm highly skeptical of remasters and remakes. They tend to either feel underwhelming or, worse, to actually do a competent job that ends up replacing the beautiful memories we had of the original. I didn't have either problem with the new Tomb Raider Remastered.
Originally, I thought that was just because the game gave me the chance to pick between a respectfully improved version of the old, and a beautiful new vision for the classic, but there was more to it than just that. Now I have the full picture (https://www.destructoid.com/tomb-raider-remastered-i-iii-is-a-nostalgic-walk-through-the-croft-museum/).
It turns out that the remaster had long-time fan Xproger at the helm, the person responsible for OpenLara (https://docs.libretro.com/library/openlara/), a multiplatform open-source engine of the OG games. Instead of sending this Xproger a cease-and-desist letter, Saber?the owner of Aspyr, the company behind the remaster?decided to just enlist XProger to get this thing running.
https://twitter.com/XProger_san/status/1757892574092636206
Moreover, XProger thanks Saber not just for getting hired, but also for getting the freedom to assemble a dream team to make the project in the way that they wanted.
https://twitter.com/XProger_san/status/1757892683039637820
I'm usually on the fence when it comes to giving fans the reins when it comes to helming pre-existing series. I'm always afraid that it will lead to a seemingly safe repetition instead of a bold new vision that is actually what a series needs to stay alive and relevant. Luckily, I was wrong about Sonic Mania (https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-sonic-mania/), about Black Mesa (https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-black-mesa/), and I was wrong here. This was the way to go from the get-go.
https://www.destructoid.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/18da0cc65ec22-screenshotUrl_805bae.jpg?resize=1024,576Screenshot by Destructoid
In my first impressions piece (https://www.destructoid.com/tomb-raider-remastered-i-iii-is-a-nostalgic-walk-through-the-croft-museum/), I commend the addition of a bunch of windows here and there that provide realistic sources of lighting to the inexplicably well-lit closed corridors we see in TR1. Anyone who's not a fan of the series may read such praise as the ramblings of an old madman, but they're just the words of an old mad fan. The lighting issue has been a running joke among Tomb Raider fans forever. I should've known that a true fan must have been behind such a small change that meant so much for such a considerably small amount of people all along.
One expression that I believe perfectly describes the remaster of the original three Tomb Raider games is "labor of love". I stand by the glowing praise I gave to this endeavor, but I honestly didn't know just how right I was when I first said that.
You can now enjoy the remastered trilogy on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and on the Nintendo Switch.
The post Tomb Raider Remastered development was led by a fan modder (https://www.destructoid.com/tomb-raider-remastered-development-was-led-by-a-fan-modder/) appeared first on Destructoid (https://www.destructoid.com).
More...