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Old 15-02-09, 20:08   #1
Munin Raven
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Default TR2: Then & Now (level by level nostalgia)

Having recently returned to the Tomb Raider series with the release of Underworld, and from there back tracking with Anniversary, I decided to dig out TR2 for a dose of oldschool raiding. I originally played the game on the PS1 upon release, and certainly remember re-playing the whole game at least once - followed by sporadic visits to favourite levels. Prior to the release of Underworld I had not played a TR game since TR4, and as I recall, I only managed a few levels of that game before becoming bored with the series and giving up; so this will be my first contact with that lovable old rogue of a game engine in roughly 8 years.

This is not exactly going to be a detailed level by level play-through/review, but rather a collection of thoughts on how I remember each level and what my feelings are during this replay. I'll split each post/level into two sections:

1997: Being what I remember of the level including nostalgic thoughts and what I anticipate during replay.

2009: Being what I think of the level after all these years and how my views may have changed.

So that's it. Time to dust off the old joypad and break out my best jumping abilities.

The Great Wall: 1997
I remember being very excited at the prospect of sitting down to another TR adventure after having thoroughly played and re-played the original - over and over again. I wanted to take my time with this game and get the most out of the first run - I completed TR1 the same day that I bought it and I was adamant about making this one last a lot longer. I remember not being too impressed with the CGI scenes but the premise was certainly interesting so when I dropped down into the first cave room I was right there in the zone. This first level didn't really gel for me, though.

The idea of a level set along the Great Wall of China was a very cool one for me. I imagined lots of dark, narrow corridors and pits running under long sections of wall. The level does indeed feature all the things I hoped it would, but on a very small and truncated scale. There is that extended series of timed traps I clearly remember grinding my teeth over (although after having played TR3 they should be a breeze this time round), and I even remember one of the secrets needing to be picked up in that section.

The T-Rex cavern seemed ill-placed then and even more so now. It was as if those in marketing decided that TR2 needed a dinosaur section (because it was so well received in the first game) and forced the designers to fit one in somehow. Like I said, the opening level seemed very small and truncated to me.

Let's see if anything has changed...

The Great Wall: 2009
Sliding down into the first area raises a little tingle of nostalgic excitement. It all comes flooding back: the sounds, the textures, the annoying but strangely lovable game engine quirks... My first concern is the fact that the game won't recognise the d-pad on my controller so I'm having to use the analogue stick. By the time I've danced around the tiger for a few minutes and proceeded up to the first gatehouse I have realised that keeping our Lara from falling to her death is going to be a little tricky with this over sensitive knob of crap.

Good timing on my part results in tiggy-puss getting a mouth full of grit


On the plus side, my brain starts digging out all those rusty old bits of useless information and I instantly know where the first secret is and the quickest series of jumps needed to get it and reach the gatehouse - I'm instinctively remembering the order of execution. Hmm... maybe I replayed this game more times than I originally thought.

At the first gatehouse it suddenly clicks that this was the first TR outside location and that Lara's hair blows in the breeze. All together now in your best Lara accent... "Ahah!"


The sky looks rather brooding here but it's actually quite a nice day. Surely I'm due a few bonus points for not killing the tiggy-puss' below!


Out onto the wall and I forgot about the vultures. The limits of the engine begin to show as the view distance is obscured in black. This actually suited TR1 as the levels were all underground in dark caves and ruins, but standing up here under the broad sky it really detracts. Then again, it still has a warm nostalgic quality to it so I forgive. *kisses cute little game engine* I already remember where the gatehouse key is - and the fact that a tiggy-puss will magically appear once I grab it. I also remember spending a long time down in the "key" area trying to reach different areas around the sides.

Never could get up on that bloody roof!


After the little spider enemies make an appearance it's on to the timed trap sequence I remember so fondly (yeah, right). It is actually a lot easier than I remember, although having to use the "Analogue Stick of Betrayal" certainly didn't help matters. I managed to grab the dragon statue, but there's no way I want to try for the ammo clips this time round (even if I am playing the PC version and can save where ever I want). The whole section is really a rather cheap design trick to make the level seem more fleshed out than it actually is. At the most it should have been included as a side path to grab the secret - not part of the course you have to take to complete the level.

Get in my backpack, you jade fiend!


Down to the T-Rex cavern and things are getting silly. I actually quite like this section as a stand alone area. It has the vast gloomy atmosphere that so many TR1 areas had, but like I said above, the dino thing was badly used. It also sports cracking examples of two very horrible (and recuring) TR design quirks...

That is either a very, very deep pit or I need glasses!


Firstly, after collecting the gold dragon secret, I return to the main cavern knowing all too well that a third T-Rex has suddenly materialised. I know I have a lot of this kind of thing coming up (I remember the Maria Dora being particularly prone to spawning thugs every time I flicked a lever), but here it is a bloody great big lizard suddenly appearing!

One word: Halitosis!


See... The poor dino passed out from the smell of his own breath. I didn't touch him. Honest!


Secondly, how do I get back up to the zip line? Oh I know, how about a very tall and very boring ladder climb. I remember reading a design note about such things in the original TRLE documentation. How ironic.

Hmm... How to get back up there? I know, let's use that 120 foot (yawn) ladder I saw earlier!


The end scene was a fun experience. I found myself mouthing all the dialogue as my brain sparkled into life remembering every word and syllable uttered. Haha... this nostalgia trip is fun!

Do an impression of a bull dog sucking a wasp or I'll shoot you with my "pew, pew" guns!


Plus Point & Minus Points
+ Climbing up from the initial cave into the daylight.
+ Traversing the Great Wall and diving into the water pit below
+ Stone textures still look nice
+ The hidden route down to the T-Rex cavern
+ Remembering the drop and grab technique to descend big ladders
+ The T-Rex cavern as a stand alone area
+ The end sequence

- Bad/limited use of setting potential
- Having to get used to living with dodgy (slow) transitions from shallow to deep water all over again
- Timed trap sequence too early in game
- No real flow within the level (truncated design)
- Poor opening experience for the game

End Notes
So looking back there doesn't seem to be much difference between how I remember the level and how it stands today. The little nuances that detracted from my initial experience are present and correct - just a little more glaring - and the same nuances that I enjoyed all those years ago are still there and were enjoyed. If I take away all the nostalgic glow the level really is rather bland and badly designed, but despite this it was still fun to play.

29 minutes and a bad hit ratio: That's what you get from trying to do screen captures along the way!
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Old 15-02-09, 20:37   #2
rickybazire
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An awesome idea for a blog-like thing. A good read too.
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Old 15-02-09, 20:59   #3
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Amazing, cant wait to read the rest.
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Old 15-02-09, 21:44   #4
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You can actually get upon top of those towers!!! doesn't require any cheats or bugs, just very careful jumping

Oh and great thread!

your right on many points about level design, never really noticed that in TR2, i always seem to notice it in later TRs.. there's an even longer lader climb in the offshore Rig, you can look forward to that! the actual great wall is very underused but being outside for the first time was amazing way back when!
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Old 15-02-09, 22:28   #5
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I really like this idea TR2 is my favourite game. I can't wait to see the rest of the levels.
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Old 15-02-09, 22:48   #6
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Can't wait for more!
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Old 16-02-09, 01:40   #7
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Well thank you everyone for your encouragement. I honestly didn't think there would be that much interest in TR2 anymore regarding comment on the game beyond questions and theories etc...

Quote:
Originally Posted by disapearing-boy View Post
You can actually get upon top of those towers!!! doesn't require any cheats or bugs, just very careful jumping...
No, no. I am absolutely not going to try to get up on that roof in any way shape or form ever again. No, I am going to post my Venice update and then I'm going to bed. That's right - straight to bed with not even a wiff of curiosity. It is rather late and I have work tomorrow, so straight to bed for me. Yes, no more TR today. Not in the least bit curious. No, not me!

Last edited by Munin Raven; 16-02-09 at 02:04.
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Old 16-02-09, 01:57   #8
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Venice: 1997
I quite liked this level when I first played it. The setting was a good choice for TR (canals and old buildings) and the textures were nice and warm. I remember enjoying the sewer parts with the beautiful green water, low slung crumbing stone ceilings and rats, traversing the balconies and cloth covers (or whatever you call them) and smashing windows. The timed boat run was also fun and not exactly taxing. As a Tomb Raider level it was the first to really branch off from the tried and tested traditional arenas of play. More would follow (some of which I took a real dislike to) but for now I remember enjoying the change of pace and the birdies singing.

Venice: 2009
The opening area is still very nice and compact. It includes all the elements that will inevitably define this level. The docked boat is indication that new features are in the air. Bartoli's thugs are very brutish and their limited animations, thudding steps, caricatured faces and low-poly models are actually a bonus here and work in their favour. They are only a few steps away from those fearsome yeti's I will meet later on.

As I play I realise that I don't actually remember much of the level ahead, but as I reach each new area something seems to click in place and memories come flooding back. Maybe I didn't replay this level as often as many others because, once you do the boat run a first time there is little to make you want to replay. Some of the sections, or rooms, that I thought were in this level must obviously be in the next.

Is this Venice? Sure looks like it!


The buttons or levers used to open doors are, more often than not, put in absurd places in relation to their function. As with many things, this can be overlooked in tomb/ruin levels but in modern day settings the game design really stands out as grating sometimes - maybe because we can directly relate to more modern settings? I'm still willing to chalk this up as one of the quirks of the series (at the moment), but my patience is not what it used to be. Better vent my frustration on any glass windows I come across!

Notice my rage-o-meter in the top left slowly going down the more windows I break!


Getting in the boat provides another refresher experience on just how awful every vehicle in a TR game (that I've played) is to control. Really, is this some kind of running joke? Again, the "Analogue Stick of Betrayal" (ASoB) comes into it's own (even using the keyboard/mouse combo I love for Underworld nurtured better results with the Mexico bike). Luckily this boat sure can take a beating.

Grr... damn analogue wheels. I hate modern nautical equipment!


The little sewer section that ends in you docking your boat and raising it to the canal level was actually much smaller than I remember - barely more than a room and two tunnels, so quite why I so fondly imagined a larger section evades me. But, in a rather ironic twist, this very (tiny) section had a lovely little surprise waiting for me...

Well I'll be damned. It leads out into the starting area!


Yes, after all these years I discovered that the hidden path to the first secret actually links up with the first tunnel leading off from the beginning section. How wonderful. I think the reason I missed this during previous play sessions is because of the blackness which is obviously there to try to get you used to the idea of flares, but I have always played TR games using minimal pick-ups and resources along the way; so I hardly use anything but the standard pistols and, as it happens, minimal flares (I used to use the pistols instead by repeatedly firing). I guess after I first discovered the secret I didn't bother using flares on additional runs and never actually explored that dark space beyond where the secret lies. Note to self: Explore more, you idiot!

Hmm... a bra on a washing line. Were Core Design obsessed with breasts, or am I obsessed for noticing the little graphic?!


The main section of this level is obviously the canal race to the timed door at the end, but first I have to clear the way, and this is a big concern with regards to the flow of the level: I'm given a speedboat yet, at every turn I have to stop and jump out to kill Bartoli goons. This is frustrating in itself, but coupled with the disembarking animation (during which you are continuously taking damage) and the fact that if you jump in the water you are looking at more delays, you end up using medi packs all too frequently. Some people might call this a challenge (of sorts) but I like to call it bad level design! Having said that, I did remember during previous play-throughs that I largely stuck to swimming from location to location so as to minimise damage. This time however, I decided to try the direct approach with medi-packs at hand. I always seemed to finish these old TR levels with tons of unused medi-kits so why not break with tradition... and caution!

Something tells me pulling this switch will not open anything remotely close to my current location. Better get my guns out as well becouse the tiny sound of a flicked switch seems to draw every goon within a 253 foot radius!


It was fun to attack the level (almost literally) in this new way as it really isn't my usual style of gaming - particularly regarding TR where the exploration is the main attraction. For someone playing the game in a regular fashion back on TR2's release, I can see how these initial stages didn't rate so well in the press. Giving the player a vehicle and then penalising them for using it is again, bad level design. At this point I can't help but think of the snowmobile sections later in the game and if my memory doesn't fail me, it's much of the same deal as here.

So going into assault mode was a new experience for me, and by swimming from rotten plank section to rotten plank section (still love the old textures) I was able to mop up the goons and dogs ready for my James (Octopussy) Bond stint in the speedboat and, by some odd stroke of coincidence; my boat handling skills (thanks to my ASoB) are as wild and unpredictable as Roger Moore's eyebrows!

Don't bother with tea, I'm just passing through!


Roger Moore eat your eyebrows out... I mean off!


Plus Points & Minus Points
+ Overall nice atmosphere but maybe due to mixed memories of the next level?
+ Still love the contrast between the decaying brick and plaster work and the green water
+ I remembered the trick of performing a roll once a switch is flipped so I am already moving in the right direction after the cut-scene ends (sometimes it's the little things)
+ Despite the handling, I did enjoy the boat ride
+ Smashing through gondolas and windows in a speedboat: Win!

- Overall blocky (modular) look to the level
- No single area was effective enough to define the feel of the level
- Flow was ruined by initial shortcomings of boat use
- Horrible switch vs effect locations that reek of lazy design
- After years away from the game engine I still suffer a small rage when Lara does a slight back paddle animation after surfacing (again, sometimes it's the little things)

End Notes
Reading the above, it may seem that I hated this level, but that is not really true. Yes, it does have a number of shortcomings but looking back on it after this latest foray I still get something from the experience. Hard to say exactly what it is, but maybe my feelings and nostalgia are mixed up with the next level and I still tend to see the two as one whole sequence - much like Talion and Ice Palace later on. The level does seem like a chore after completing it again - mostly because the speedboat just isn't fun, and now that I know one of my favourite rooms is actually in the next level and not this. I realise I've been deceiving myself all these years and there's not much here to make this part memorable. The build-up to the final run is just not worth the effort. Or to put it another way; the means don't justify the end!

Oh god, this is getting embarrassing. 5.5 health packs? The fun frontal attack way of playing sure takes it's toll. I also missed the gold dragon secret but I'll let that slide as I have already collected all the secrets years ago. Just pretend, OK?!


All this moaning, but I know I loved this game so let's press on and get to the awesome levels...

Last edited by Munin Raven; 16-02-09 at 02:09.
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Old 16-02-09, 03:47   #9
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I don't really agree about Great Wall; if it was later in the game it wouldn't work and the disjointedness would show much more but I think it works well as a fast-paced opening (in the way that many adventure type movies like Indiana Jones tend to have fast openings broken off from the rest of the film before moving onto the real story) to the game that introduces most of the elements of the game that will be expanded on in later levels (beyond exploration, as it's very linear, although the T-Rex pit sort of qualifies).

I've never been too much of a fan of Venice, so yeah (As a note, there's a way to do the level without ever touching the speedboat, and still being able to explore everything).

You should work out a way to fix the analogue thing; unless you somehow got lucky and managed to get an analogue controller that actually worked with the game I can't imagine using analogue controllers in the original games (at least not without making things much more difficult than they need to be).

Last edited by MMAN; 16-02-09 at 03:51.
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Old 16-02-09, 09:19   #10
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Quote:
One word: Halitosis!
Seriously. Are you aware of how dangerous the breath of a komodo dragon is? Now just imagine the bacteria that must have accumulated in my mouth! Even if my bite didn't kill you (and if, say, you were a hadrosaur or ceratopsid) the infection might. And unlike you guys, I don't have to worry about brushing my teeth or flossing, since mine grow back continuously.

Last edited by Tyrannosaurus; 16-02-09 at 09:20.
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