I really fell in love with the first PlayStation because of Tomb Raider. I had bought my PlayStation in March 1996. The first game that I bought, after playing with the demo disc for a few weeks, was NBA Shootout. And, while I enjoyed some other games in the summer and Fall, it was the Christmas gift of Tomb Raider that blew my mind.

I never really got into which console was better back then, I studied the consoles and bought the one I liked, but seeing the break down of how the various consoles and computer played Tomb Raider makes me very happy that in 1996 I was really playing the bets version you could get. The video below has a very interesting break down how how the gamers were rendered, in a way that I think only Digital Foundry would think to show people.

Its nice to know that people are still tinkering with the original Win95 code and making improved versions of the game. The original game was really special not just in its day by as a touch stone for an era when games were changing so much. It is undeniably that games like Myst sold everyone on including a CD-ROM in a computer, but when you look at 3D graphics right behind Quake you really have to list Tomb Raider too.

We might laugh that teh Lara Croft phenomenon of the mid-90s was sort of tacky, but the game was really good as well. Tomb Raider was evocative of what was possible with games, it showed a glimpse of the future where game character might be people, not just colorful animals hoping platforms.

My first Playstation game.

I remember playing the Peru levels over and over because I didn't know anything about memory cards. I remember shooting a raptor and having no idea what the hell I was looking at. Then the T-Rex thing... such a cool game at the time, and it still holds up outside of the controls and graphics.

Eventually, I got out of that first area thinking I beat the game. And there was a whole NEW environment? Couldn't believe how massive and neverending it seemed.

This was the very first Playstation game I ever saw. Until that point all I knew was my trusty Mega Drive, then I heard a family member had bought something called a Playstation. I went round to see, walked in with Tomb Raider being played and my mind was fucking blown.

This is my favorite Digital Foundry video series. Comparison videos and pixel counting are cool and all, but looking back at old games and analyzing their legacy as a whole is really fascinating.