The Tomb Raider games, at least the ones I played starting from the very first, were never realistic. They were more like a 3D version of a platform game with added puzzles.
Yet, they could still be quite effective. I can't remember which game it was, but I recall walking down a creepy subway and a dog suddenly leapt out of a stairway to the side and almost gave me a heart attack!
I still have my copies of the original games up until I think Angel of Darkness, which would be the last one I played.
I've looked at playthroughs of the latest reboot trilogy, and while they aren't at the TLOU level of realistic world building, there's been enormous advances in that direction.
The idea of Lara transcended her game world as a character, and I considered her as the heir to Indy's throne since the beginning. So while I stopped playing the games, I never lost interest.
The MT 'extreme weather' expedition outfit covers two bases for me. Primarily it's Lara, but it's also an outfit that's evocative of films set in remote, lonely wintry settings...