Tomb Raider IV•V•VI Remastered

Aspyr's renovation project tackles the three lesser Crofts, with intriguing results.

A modern control scheme and HD textures clash awkwardly with the boxy old levels of Lara's past, in three of her least interesting adventures.

With another generous set of remasters, we finally have the complete inaugural generation of a Playstation icon. The ports aren't perfect, but a generous selection of modern options balance out the imperfections of Tomb Raider: Last Revelation and its sequel Chronicles. Having The Angel Of Darkness in a good enough state to revisit might be worth the price alone.

Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered is an odd release in that only one of its three games can be considered a genuine classic. Yet despite this, it's still a collection we'd tentatively recommend checking out if only to appreciate how such an iconic video game series was almost completely derailed. The remastered visual upgrades – particularly in the fourth and fifth entries – don't always work, but the addition of 60fps performance alongside the retro aesthetics is very welcome indeed. If you're a fan of Tomb Raider or enjoy revisiting flawed curios from days gone by, this might be worth looking into, but this isn't essential like Aspyr's previous Tomb Raider collection.

Without a doubt, the Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered collection is the ideal way to revisit/relive Lara Croft's adventures.

These remasters maintain all the extra features from the previous collection – the visual imnprovements, 60fps + mode, photo mode and other tweaks – and ultimately are the best way to play these games, it's just the quality of games on offer here aren't quite as consistently good as the first collection.

Although Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered is the black sheep of the series, each title is unique enough to stand on their own, and offer a different gameplay experience along the way. The Last Revelation is tomb raiding at its finest, Chronicles is a more relaxed experience with self contained levels, and The Angel of Darkness is a crazy twist of a story, with classic PC adventure game elements mixed in with its stealth gameplay; none of them are bad games by far, and they each offer dozens of hours of content to complete. While some may prefer the original Trilogy over it, others might be surprised to learn the second half is their true favorite.

Tomb Raider Remastered VI-V-VI is an extension of the excellent work Aspyr has done in adding some modern shine to the games of yesteryear. Once an absolute powerhouse, Tomb Raider belongs in the pantheon of all-time video game franchises, and these faithful remasters only add to its legacy. The games themselves play rather like dusty relics that Lara might uncover in some dank old tomb. The lack of direction, excruciatingly slow pacing and frustrating gameplay loops are truly products of their time and feel entirely foreign when viewed strictly through a modern lens. But these games, and the Tomb Raider franchise overall, makes up an important part of gaming’s history, and these remasters now undoubtedly offer the best way to experience Lara’s adventures.

Obviously, if Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered hits your nostalgia just right, none of that matters, and you’ll enjoy getting the chance to play some old favourites again on modern hardware. But without that sense of nostalgia, you’ll be left with a trio of games that weren’t all that good first time around, and it’s hard to imagine you’ll find them very worthwhile.

A mandatory purchase, even only for the first two titles