A surprising lack of tomb raiding for the bulk of the game.

Obviously there’s still a bunch of climbin’ around and trippin’ off ledges, but also way more auto aim combat. If for some reason you play Tomb Raider for the combat, this game is for you, but almost every area had at least one very boring level. I appreciate most of the additions, including vehicles and ziplines, but as a whole I’m more of a Tomb Raider I guy.

My playthrough had occasionally buggy lighting in the classic mode, but worked flawlessly in the modern graphics style. I think this game lends itself better to the new art better than the previous one. I’d still recommend this, as it maintains the careful platforming gameplay and beautifully solitary atmosphere of the first game, even if it is significantly more tedious in the middle.

Right off the bat, TR2 feels a bit more fluid than the first game. Albeit, still using tank controls the game feels just a smidge more refined in that regard. I'm not struggling as much moving around through areas and crevices. That could be due to my playtime with these games as of late, but I think TR2 is just designed better and is more spacious.
There are some jumping with backflip switches added in this game which I had to learn on the fly, which didn’t bother me too much but I wish it was fleshed out better.

I think the heavy amount of variety in gameplay has improved the experience from the last, although it kinda feels like a different game entirely sometimes. Still HARD, but the puzzles aren't as complex. At least in the first half of the game. Also, this game gets insanely dark at times and I mean the lighting. Whether I switched between OG or remaster, some sections were pitch black or pitcher black. The addition of flares though, was neat and taught you to navigate with caution.

The hefty addition of human enemies keeps you on your toes and item management is treated with much more care. I liked this a lot, because it taught me to conserve certain weapons and use my medical kits more wisely.

I'm not sure if I'd say TR2 is favored over TR1, purely for nostalgia purposes. But I think the argument that TR2 is a better game is a fair assessment.

It took me just over 17 hours to finish, and I really loved the beginning and end of this game. The middle section with the rig is a bit of a slog, but a 2nd play through down the road might not be as painful.

As a direct follow up to the original, Tomb Raider II pivots so hard into action and gunplay that it's borderline absurd. The game suffers for it too. The sense of isolation and low-key spooky vibes are just completely stripped away when Lara has to stop to mow down 5 guys every 5 minutes or so. The combat of the original game was not tweaked to compensate for the increased enemy count so most encounters are just frustrating and serve to artificially inflate the difficulty.

The sense of scale is lost too. Environments feel way more cramped. This works quite well in levels like The Wreck of the Maria Doria but not quite so well in locations like Tibet and China. The emphasis on traps is something I'm not too fond of either. And the vehicle sections should really have been cut altogether. But I understand that you had escalate the gameplay somehow.

The story is also way more bland this time around. Marco Bartolli isn't as fun or memorable as Natla and Lara doesn't really interact with him at all. His transformation into a dragon at the end is pretty cool at least and I do like that his remaining men terrorise Lara's home in revenge after his death. Its a novel way to end the whole thing.

Other positives! The music still slaps. Lara's in game model looks so much better. She actually has her plait this time around which is very important. Traversal and platforming is as fun as ever. The art direction (in the original version of the game specifically) is super ambitious and, for the most part, looks lovely. I love Judith Gibbins as Lara. She's always been my favourite. She has the perfect dispassionate, aristocratic tone which suits Lara's new blood thirsty personality very well! And I'm a sucker for a costume change so I'm glad Lara gets a few of those.

Yeah, it's alright. I'm sad that the game leans so much into action and loses a lot of what made the original so special. But I appreciate some of the bigger swings with the level design and locations. Fuck those vehicle sections though, goddamm...