Tomb Raider Collector's Edition (Australia)

The Tomb Raider Collector's Edition is the Australian-exclusive PS1 set that beats the US release on every front. Issued only for the AU and NZ markets, this premium slipcase set bundles Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider II, and Tomb Raider III in three DVD-style cases, each featuring Lara Croft pointing one, two, or three fingers on the respective cover, with the bonus implication of Lara appearing nude on the outer slipcase artwork.

Tomb Raider was the franchise that introduced action-adventure 3D platforming, the long-jump dive, the dual pistols, and Lara Croft herself. Tomb Raider II added the swimsuit costume and the Venice levels. Tomb Raider III brought the rocket launcher and the puzzle complexity peak of the original Core Design era. Three games. One slipcase. The original PS1 trilogy preserved in matching DVD-style cases nobody else got.

The Australian edition is the premium one. More adult artwork on the slipcase. DVD-style cases that age better than the cheap jewel cases the US set used. Lara as the centerpiece in three deliberately progressive poses. We get the visual gag. We also get that the AU/NZ release was the only version that took the design seriously.

PAL/AUS exclusive. Never reprinted. For Tomb Raider collectors, for PS1 trilogy completists, this is the only Tomb Raider CE worth shelf space. The shelf flex that beats the American version at every angle.