Assuming time proceeds with graphics trailing behind it, then there is one eternal element that refuses to surrender and change in Tomb Raider III Remastered: The fabulous-butler-moving-at-the-glorious-speed-of-two-frames-a-second-Winston. In the recent past, the official Tomb Raider Twitter account brought Winston to the limelight, which then led to a series of reactions from players who do not seem to be able to decide whether to love or hate this on-purpose throwback to the glitched animations of 1998.
This comparison, as it were, would say: some things never change, juxtaposing a side-by-side footage of Winston’s original movement on PS1 with that of the modernized version. While the appearance of her has been altered, behold the slow-motion shuffle of the butler-gone-and-gone! Many a Tomb Raider fan will testify otherwise. This is not oversight; it was a conscious decision made by developers to keep Winston’s original speed as a nod to the franchise’s roots.
This flash from the past saw little community celebration, though. The reply sections blew up with players clamoring for updates and patches on the remastered collection. @monstert_t expressed, “Where the fuck is patch 2 and 5?”, while @ItsMissCroft added, “We’re waiting for patch 5 for 1-3 and patch 2 for 4-6!” It was those patch demands that stole the spotlight and pierced through the passion the Tomb Raider community holds for these classic games.
Everyone started remembering their favorite Winston moments. @PixleNomad reminisced, “I used to make the butler get stuck in the swimming pool.” Referring here is to the infamous mansion glitch that is every Tomb Raider’s rite of passage. Meanwhile, @stuart_annett snapped, “At least he still fits in the freezer,” referencing yet another famous Winston moment from the originals.
Then the discussion made a left turn as @TRJTA and @baseqq775560 conversed about things they want in an upcoming patch, like “proper reflective water” and “redone fmv like other remasters did – Diablo 2 as an example.” That ignited debate about how much modernizing should be done on these remasters, as opposed to preserving the original experience.
Downside is, it was not all sunshine and rainbows. @Antoniscroft raised his voice to say how disappointed he is with the developers: “I hate what you are doing to the community… At this point we are mad not excited.” Here we have a few fans that have started to show signs of impatience as things carry on without an update or news on the future of the franchise.
Moving on from this, the Winston meme spawned a lot of creative output. @AnotherPlanetTV showed off costume pictures of PS1-era Lara and Winston under the caption “We love Winston!” with a perfect smattering of teapot emojis- a shout-out to Winston’s infamous serving tray. @JakubG63913 countered with yet another biting remark: “that’s faster than your game development tbh.”
If the show and tell from the replies mean anything, then these remasters matter a lot to all Tomb Raider fans, as depictions range from animation frames to sound effects (@Tristanthefreak even commented that those haven’t changed either). Some are for the nostalgia, others want it modernized-the emotion attached to this witnessed classic proves that these still resonate in 2024 and that these gamers won’t stop until they get to see some work done on these games. Until then, will Winston gain a few more frames of animation? It’s hard to say-but he’s certainly left a trail with his clunky walk along the way.
