Tomb Raider: Chronicles vs Tomb Raider II
Tomb Raider: Chronicles is an action-adventure game from Core Design (2000) while Tomb Raider II is an action-adventure platformer game from Core Design (1997).
Quick answer: Tomb Raider: Chronicles has the higher Metacritic, 59 to 53.
Tomb Raider: Chronicles
What each one is
Tomb Raider: Chronicles is filed under Action-Adventure. In contrast, Tomb Raider II under Action-Adventure and Platformer.
Tomb Raider: Chronicles is an action-adventure video game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. It was first released for PlayStation, Windows, and Dreamcast in 2000, then on Mac OS the following year. It is the fifth instalment in the Tomb Raider series. The narrative continues from Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation with archaeologist-adventurer Lara Croft presumed dead, and three friends recall adventures from her early career. Gameplay follows Lara through linear levels, solving puzzles and fighting enemies. Some levels incorporate additional gameplay elements such as stealth.
The second instalment in the Tomb Raider series invites you to join Lara as she travels around the globe to retrieve a precious artefact before it falls into the wrong hands. The legendary artefact, the Dagger of Xian, is said to give its possessor the power of a fire breathing dragon.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Following the events of The Last Revelation , Lara Croft is presumed dead, buried under the collapsed Great Pyramid of Giza . At Lara's home of Croft Manor, three former friends and associates—Lara's butler Winston, the family priest Father Patrick Dunstan and Lara's history teacher Charles Kane—reminisce over some of Lara's early exploits following a memorial service. The first story follows Lara's quest through the catacombs of Rome in search of the… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception The game received "mixed" reviews on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic . While reviewers were divided on specific elements they liked or disliked, all noted that the game had few new mechanics, with the series becoming stale and lacking innovation compared to other popular game series. Edge referred to the overall game as mediocre due to its underwhelming graphics and lack of new mechanics. (Wikipedia)
Plot
Lara Croft is searching for the Dagger of Xian, a magical weapon once used by an ancient Emperor of China to command his army; by plunging the weapon into its owner's heart, the weapon has the power to transform its bearer into a dragon . Having tracked the Dagger's chamber to beneath the Great Wall of China , Lara is accosted by a member of the Fiamma Nera, an Italian cult obsessed with the Dagger. Before killing himself, the cultist reveals that his… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Tomb Raider II received positive reviews from most critics. At Metacritic , which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100, the game received a score of 85 for the PlayStation version based on 13 reviews, which indicates "favourable reviews". The majority commented that while the differences from the original game are relatively small, Tomb Raider was a strong enough game that these differences and the consistent execution were enough to… (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Tomb Raider: Chronicles | Tomb Raider II | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | — | 7.2/10 |
| Steam rating | — | Very Positive (87%, 2,360) |
| Critic aggregate | 59/100 | 53/100 |
| Price | Unknown | $3.49 |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | Untested | unsupported |
| Released | 2000 | 1997 |
| Developer | Core Design | Core Design |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Tomb Raider: Chronicles vs Tomb Raider II, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Tomb Raider: ChroniclesAction-adventure gameTomb Raider IIAction-adventure platformer gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Tomb Raider: ChroniclesNo descriptive tagsTomb Raider IIAdventure, Action, Female ProtagonistThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Tomb Raider: Chronicles ✓Metacritic 59Tomb Raider IIMetacritic 53Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Content and scale
Tomb Raider: Chronicles—Tomb Raider II2,360 reviewsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Tomb Raider: ChroniclesUnknownTomb Raider II$3.49Read live from Steam and subject to change.
Tomb Raider: Chronicles takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The better reviewed of the two: Tomb Raider: Chronicles (Metacritic 59)
Where they differ
AdventureActionFemale ProtagonistClassicSingleplayerThird Person
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Tomb Raider: Chronicles is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Tomb Raider II is demanding, for players who want a challenge.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Tomb Raider: Chronicles and 0 for Tomb Raider II. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
If you like one, also try
Common questions
How different are Tomb Raider: Chronicles and Tomb Raider II in scope?
Tomb Raider: Chronicles lists little scope data. Tomb Raider II has drawn 2,360 Steam reviews.
Is Tomb Raider: Chronicles or Tomb Raider II better?
Neither carries enough reviews for us to score it reliably, so we do not call a winner. The table above shows what each does have.
Which is cheaper, Tomb Raider: Chronicles or Tomb Raider II?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get Tomb Raider: Chronicles or Tomb Raider II?
Tomb Raider: Chronicles has the higher Metacritic, 59 to 53. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.