The official Tomb Raider Twitter account was just under attack with a simple yet nostalgic question: “What was your very first Tomb Raider game?” Of course, everyone poured in with their answers ranging from a 1996 classic to the new reboots: some stories of first contact with Lara Croft were heartwarming; others funny; and others just plain insane.
Let’s get it started with the original lineup. A majority of people started giving their statements that indeed Tomb Raider I was their first, back in 1996. @NecroAether shared a memory of playing it on a Packard Bell; on the other hand, from around the world, @MasterGamer2853 shouted in all caps: “TOMB RAIDER (1996).” Simple. Effective. No notes. Meanwhile, @baseqq775560 had a lovely story about Christmas being a memorable time in life when their mom gave them that very game at the tender age of 10.
Some came a little later. Other gamers got into the franchise through late entries. Like Tomb Raider II, which was “the first video game I’ve ever played too,” said @PhurbaDagger. Later on, @SabrinaRunsPop got hooked on Angel of Darkness: yeah, that one. Sigh; @LaveeneW admitted that they didn’t even really know what Tomb Raider was the very first time they played it. Mood.
And the weird memories? Well, @NeilNutbeam certainly took a different funny turn with the reminiscence about a certain fleshly nudity cheat: “At school that was the cheat code to get her naked. I was young and impressionable lol.” That’s 90s gaming culture for you.
Some had a fairly recent induction into the franchise. @WormSock tells first discovering their obsession watching their sister play Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and actually getting to play Rise of the Tomb Raider on Xbox Game Pass: “The scream I scrempt when I saw it,” they confessed. Relatable.
The emotional ones. @PCroftl4 said: “Tomb Raider Legend the game that means the world to me,” and @Albertt_MR kept it short and sweet: “Tomb Raider 2 ❤️.” Now, @gaymerhagstan really hopes theirs gets remastered: “I really hope to see it remastered this February.”
These conversations just further reinforce the family binding mechanisms over Tomb Raider across generations. @CollectionMik shared a pic of him playing Tomb Raider 3 with his dad, while @larashome remembered watching her big brother play TR2 before engaging in TR3 herself.
So, what do we really learn? Tomb Raider has been around for much longer than even 20 years. Starting with blocky PS1 Lara or the modern, more realistic visage, this franchise has really left an assortment of impressions on gamers. Some fell in love with puzzles; others with adventure; yah, and some with cheat codes…No matter one thing for sure, nobody’s getting the glare from Lara Croft nor the amazing memories she has brought with her into the lives of gamers.
So, if anyone will excuse me, I have to go take another 50th turn at Tomb Raider Legend.
