History VideoGame / TombRaiderII

In 2023, it was announced that this game, along with the rest of the original ''Tomb Raider'' trilogy, would receive an HD Remaster for Platform/PlayStation5, Platform/NintendoSwitch, and Platform/XboxSeriesX.

** Obtaining the key to hut in Tibetian Foothills involves traveling to the far end of the level, setting off a small avalanche and then salvaging the key from under the rubble. There's no clue leading to the key actually being there except the same basic premise of searching every nook and cranny of the level hoping that you'll eventually find the key.

** Obtaining the key to hut in Tibetian Hightlands involves traveling to the far end of the level, set off a small avalanche and then salvage the key from under the rubble. There's no clue leading to the key being actually there except some basic premise of searching every nook and cranny of the level hoping that you'll eventually find the key.

''Tomb Raider II'' is the second game in the ''Franchise/TombRaider'' series. The sequel to ''VideoGame/TombRaiderI'', it was released in 1997 for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation and PC; a UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn version was planned but dropped due to technical limitations. The next year, another sequel was released, titled ''VideoGame/TombRaiderIII''.

In 2023, it was announced that this game, along with the rest of the original ''Tomb Raider'' trilogy, would receive an HD Remaster for UsefulNotes/PlayStation5, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, and UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesX.

* UsefulNotes/ColdWar: The actual event doesn't occur in the game, but this is the name of the first level. The mining base was run by Communist Russians, as the game not-too-subtly hints with massive hammer-and-sickles and Stalin mugshots plastered all over the walls.

* DifficultButAwesome: ''Temple of Xian'', technically the penultimate level, is the game throwing the gauntlet and saying "Show me what you've learned so far". It's exceedingly difficult and long, but if one was playing the game fair and square up until that point, it's also a ''very'' rewarding experience, for it tests every single skill players mastered up to this point. It's saying that ''Temple of Xian'' is often listed in various "top 5s" of the best levels ever made for Tomb Raiders, despite its infamy as pushing it to the limit.

* BonusBoss: [[spoiler: The two ''T. rex''es in The Great Wall level]].

Creator Toby Gard left Creator/CoreDesign during the development of this game, due to "CreativeDifferences" (he was unhappy with Lara's over-sexualization), and [[StartMyOwn co-founded Confounding Factor]]. Their first game was ''Galleon'', a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Tomb Raider'' which took about ten years to make. It was actually pretty damn good but bombed on release. Confounding Factor closed down shortly afterward.

* ShipshapeShipwreck: The Maria Doria is a sunken luxury ship containing a MacGuffin, which you explore to find the Seraph over four levels. Despite having been submerged for at least thirty years, and having been torn to pieces, with some sections of the ship upside down, and others in underground caverns, much of the ship is in good enough shape to have breathable air kept within the ship's interior, sometimes with only a bit of glass between it and the ocean depths. Switches still function to open doors within the ship, and the engine room still is functional enough to keep fires burning through vents.

* ShipshapeShipwreck: The Maria Doria is a sunken luxury ship containing a MacGuffin and there's four levels scouring the entire ship.

* UsefulNotes/ColdWar: The actual event doesn't occur in the game, but this is the name of the first level. The mining base is run by Communist Russians, as the game not-too-subtly hints with massive hammer-and-sickles and Stalin mugshots plastered all over the walls.
* DirtyCommunists: Averted, while Lara explores Cold War-era Soviet mines with walls textured with the hammer and sickle, as well as doors with giant portraits of Stalin for some reason, she actually fights A.V.A.L.A.N.C.H.E Mercenaries inside the mines.

* DirtyCommunists: The Soviet mines still contain soldiers who try to kill Lara. There are also walls textured with the hammer and sickle, as well as doors with giant portraits of Stalin, for some reason.

* PaletteSwap: Sasquatch is just a yeti model, but brown rather than white.

* PervertRevengeMode: [[spoiler: After annihilating the remaining Fiama Nera members, Lara is about to take her well-earned shower, when she spots the player attempting to take a peek at the corner of her eye before shooting the camera.]]

* AIBreaker: The massive birdy boss at the end of the Ice Palace level will stop chasing Lara if she stands on a ledge or platform that's too high for it to reach, which is normal. However, standing in certain places on the ground level will also achieve the same effect despite the boss logically being able to reach and attack Lara. It will still flee after you shoot it until you get back on its level.

* BigfootSasquatchAndYeti: Part of the game takes place in Tibet, so obviously yetis make an appearance. Then there is that birdy thing at the end of the Ice Palace level.

* EasyLevelTrick: The second level dubbed Venice is built around a reaching a timed gate in the motorboat before it closes. The whole thing is triggered by exiting the flooded cellar using a sloped ramp. However there's a small gap under the cellar door, which is just enough tall to swim through ... and exiting the cellar this way doesn't trigger the countdown, which makes half of the tasks[[labelnote:*]]to create a shortcut for the motorboat[[/labelnote]] in the level completely unnecessary. You don't even need said motorboat nor have to dispose of the water mines before the gate.

* GameBreakingBug: You can damage the [[LivingStatue frozen jade warriors]] before they come alive using your grenade launcher, but if you actually deplete their health points to zero before they come alive, it causes the game to crash.

* GoBackToTheSource: Lara journeys to the Great Wall of China to obtain the Dagger of Xian. Unfortunately, the door leading to it requires a special item to unlock. Lara then goes on a wild adventure taking her to Italy (to follow a mob boss and see if he knows anything), an off shore oil rig (meets a tortured monk who reveals that the item Lara seeks needs another item first before she can gain access), a deep sea wrecked ship (where said item is held), the mountains of Tibet (where she obtains the special item needed), and finally, back to the Great Wall with the required item to unlock the door. The item in question was likely created at the same time as the Dagger and was moved to a safe location after the artifact was returned to its source so that no one could abuse its power again.

* GroinAttack: Due to the engine limitations, instead of leaping and tackling Lara, the Dobermans just run up to her and bury their maw into her crotch. Ouch.

* MasterOfAll: The Uzis. Great range, best fire rate, plentiful ammo (it's possible to carry ''two thousand'' rounds in spare, while extensively using the weapon throughout the game), sufficient stopping power and possible to use while jumping and running around. The developers knew of this since every level from the Tibetan Foothills and later practically showers you with ammo for the Uzis. The [[VideoGame/TombRaiderIII next game]] considerably {{nerf}}ed them.

* DifficultButAwesome: ''Temple of Xian'', technically the penultimate level, is the game throwing the gauntlet and saying "Show me what you've learned so far". It's exceedingly difficult and long, but if one was playing the game fair and square up until that point, it's also a ''very'' rewarding experience, for it tests every single skill players mastered up to this point. It's saying that ''Templ;e of Xian'' is often listed in various "top 5s" of the best levels ever made for Tomb Raiders, despite its infamy as pushing it to the limit.

* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Not that glaring, since the entire game runs on RuleOfCool, but Lara would suffer from decompression sickness. First she dives for at least [[TitleDrop 40 fathoms]] (which is over 70 meters), then very quickly ascends from that depth and ''then'' hijacks a plane, flying at high altitude, all in very quick succession.

* BareYourMidriff: Lara, during the training level in Croft Manor wears a cropped tank top.

* GoBackToTheSource: Lara journeys to the Great Wall of China to obtain the Dagger of Xian. Unfortunately, the door leading to it requires a special item to unlock. Lara then goes on a wild adventure taking her to Italy (to follow a mob boss and see if he knows anything), an off shore oil rig (meets a tortured monk who reveals that the item Lara seeks needs another item first before she can gain access), a deep sea wrecked ship (where said item is held), the mountains of Tibet (where she obtains the special item needed), and finally, back to the Great Wall with the required item to unlock the door. The item in question was likely created at the same time as the Dagger and was moved to a safe location after the artifact was returned to its source so that no one could abuse its power again.