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Tomb Raider Media Blowout [IGN Week-long Coverage]
- Thread starter Larson Conway
- Start date
I won't lie, I'd like a Lara/Elena crossover game. Could be fun.
Ummm, try watching the video?
Relaxed Muscle
Member
What? You guys are crazy. Don't you think?
Yeah, they absolutly are.
I'm glad we agree on something.
Add another to the list lol
When climbing with the axe in this game, when you jump to another surface, you have to manual grab in time or else you'll fall.
Weren't people unhappy in the previous thread about auto-grabbing ledges so you can't fall? So isn't this good news that you must time a button press after you jump in order to reattach to surface? And in addition, you have to control your jump in air to angle it properly.
They could then have some trick-platforming in order to get to collectibles. That's just how the old TRs were: fairly doable platforming along the main path, and trick jumps and difficult sequences to get to out-of-the-way areas for secrets.
That's the best way to build the game because not everyone enjoys challenging 3d platforming. I just had a friend ask me yesterday if you could accidentally die while platforming in Uncharted GA as much as you can in the previous Uncharteds. When I said that it really is very rare to die from platforming because it typically doesn't let you walk off ledges and if it does you'll autograb and you are unable to drop from ledges when it'd be unsafe, my friend was happy to hear it. I think a lot of people feel the same way. So if devs demand skilled platforming and a keen eye for the extras and leave the main path to be somewhat straightforward, then everyone can feel satisfied.
Where did they say/show this? Because it looked to me like standard, leap towards the ledge, character auto-corrects, you press X at any point to grab.
ElfArmy177
Member
agreed. Allows you to hear what the character is thinking
SniperHunter
Banned
Man what is the point of looting, scavenging, and killing animals when Lara can't even make a simple winter coat for herself? It's freezing in that level and she is taking dudes out and climbing a icy tower with ease....
59:16 59:50
He talks about how you can steer her in mid-air to avoid falling to your death.
Hmm, video links aren't displaying the game at all. I must have missed it
I just hope the experience is more open world than linear, but I have a bad feeling it's not.
Supposed to be more hub world like Arkham, not single level based like Uncharted
Grassclipper
Member
Without having watched the video yet I can say that I'm probably gonna get the game. I think I'm the minority here since I probably enjoyed Anniversary the least out of CD's Tomb Raider games. Legend was way too combat focused though. In my opinion Underworld had a pretty good balance and even if it had its fair share of problems (the controls mainly, playing the games back to back really highlighted this) I liked it the most. And I have no problem with regenerating health since it was already immersionbreaking to find ammo and healthpacks in places no one had supposedly set foot in a thousand years or so.
It's a lazy narrative and game design method of conveying information to the player. You see how shitty the talk-to-themselves can be in the Uncharted games where Nathan Drake goes "oh I wonder what this huge, red puzzle element can do?" or "I really, really like that girl from that cutscene a moment ago.", just to get the point across to whoever is playing the game.
The way self-talk is handled in video games and the general low quality of writing make the method akin to yelling at the player for attention. It's shitty and lazy.
That actually sounds good!
insmileoutblood
Member
This restored my faith in the reboot.
It's amazing what simply showing some actual gameplay will do.
It's amazing what simply showing some actual gameplay will do.
Those busywork challenges are all the rage now. It plays into completionists' OCD.
Gotta fill those bars.
I'm sticking with this video until Happy Endings starts, but the animations are the least of my worries.
Oh, quick travel between base camps. I like where this is heading.....
edit: The best part of the video [1h10m in] is when the producer says: "We know there's no rationalizing with these scavengers, so if Lara's going to progress, she's going to have to take them out. With her character though, it's best for her to be silent--she still doesn't have all the skills yet. She doesn't have that combat expertise ...."
To which Lara proceeds to choke and break one dudes neck and then head shot three more with her bow from long range.
Ten minutes later, the same producer then claims that the AI knows how to react to the way the player is approaching these set combat pieces.
At the 1h26m mark, there's a guy that charges Lara with two machetes. Lara proceeds to shoot the guy four or five times as he relentlessly charges her. Seconds later the producer says that the AI knows that if they're a rusher or a melee guy (I'm assuming like the dual machete wielder) that they're going to try and take cover if they see you blasting your way into an area. They'll "adapt to your strategy". Ummm, what? The very next enemy then zip-lines right into Lara as she's taking aim with her bow. And yet another enemy follows him across the line and is also disposed of in the exact same manner.
Basically, they sound full of shit. And not just about what they're showing in the video, but about a number of things that they've shown over the last 20 or so months. The shooting and brain dead AI looks exactly like Uncharted. I hate to have to be another person to make the comparison, but it's unavoidable at this point. And more than anything, it's disappointing that this is the direction they've chosen to go with because we've already played that game four times.
I suppose this is just another case of what Ken Levine was talking about when explaining the box art situation with his game. It's just so deflating to see those ideals reflected so directly with how a game is designed and developed.
Shouldn't be too hard what with the treasure maps telling you where everything is!
Heh, I just got this image of my head of classic Laura uncovering some tomb that hasn't been disturbed in centuries and finding a detailed map showing where everything is inside.
Grassclipper
Member
So I watched the whole thing and it seems fun to me. It doesn't look like the Tomb Raider of old at all though so I can see why people would be pissed, doesn't bother me that much since I don't particularly care for the brand or character.
"Coincidence" the same way this game is guaranteed 85%+ metacritic rating. Mark this post, because it's basically how obvious game journalists are at this point
Well the NYCC 2012 demo was certainly play-it-yourself, but going a step forward the game director actually had a really painfully forced explanation for why Lara Croft is autograbbing ledges now to prevent her death, and to me it just was like a huge red five alarm five in my head: it said "This guy knows jack shit about what even makes game design compelling at all, let alone what makes a Tomb Raider game tick" and it seemed fairly obvious to apply his game design philosophy to the rest of the game as a whole, but we'll see. Because So far...
Reasons for Hope:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. Final post-BETA release comes out and we've all been tricked and it's actually totally like a Tomb Raider game... maybe? Please?
...I need a reason to hope
Reasons for Hope:
1.Playable Gameplay Demo @ NYCC 2012
2.Game Previews from various media outlets
3.The handful of game trailers we have seen
4.The gameplay mechanics as they have slowly been unveiled
5.The extended walkthrough video they just showed the other day
6. Final post-BETA release comes out and we've all been tricked and it's actually totally like a Tomb Raider game... maybe? Please?
...I need a reason to hope
____ will save the ps3.jpg
I think the only thing i liked was the rock climbing with the pickaxe part, because you actually have to press X to grapple on the rock, and it actually reminded me of Tomb Raider anyway.
sublimit
Banned
Where exactly did you heard this? Because people who've actually played the demo said she automatically grabs ledges and surfaces when she jumbs.
http://www.tombraiderforums.com/showpost.php?p=6548391&postcount=1
The only manual thing you have to do is that you have to press x when you try to grab climbable surfaces.
Also from that same post:
Relaxed Muscle
Member
You also fails jumps in AC when you try to jump to a ledge you have no chance to reach. Dosn't change the fact you don't need to time your jump or that the game automatically makes the character face the right angle....
You know what would've been cool? A Tomb Raider with really deep climbing and platforming mechanics, where on the d-pad, instead of weapons, you'd have, like, climbing gear.
Remember the scene from The Descent, when they have to cross the bottomless pit, hanging from the ceiling, and the girl rests one arm at a time, etc etc? That would've been cool, selecting the piton with the d-pad and fixing it on the rock to refill your gauge and shit.
And be alone, only you, wild animals and some supernatural shit later on; only being able to run, hide or lure said hazards into traps, to stay alive (no shitty combat nor QTE kills).
Remember the scene from The Descent, when they have to cross the bottomless pit, hanging from the ceiling, and the girl rests one arm at a time, etc etc? That would've been cool, selecting the piton with the d-pad and fixing it on the rock to refill your gauge and shit.
And be alone, only you, wild animals and some supernatural shit later on; only being able to run, hide or lure said hazards into traps, to stay alive (no shitty combat nor QTE kills).
Larson Conway
Member
Heart Attack
Member
"Coincidence" the same way this game is guaranteed 85%+ metacritic rating. Mark this post, because it's basically how obvious game journalists are at this point
Kane&Lynch.... never forget....
He said it in the demo and it was shown.
dummydecoy
Member
I'm really liking Lara's new look. Devs totally nailed the concept. Her physique, animation, outfit, face and even her voice feel spot on.
Edge_Maverick
Member
Stallion Free
Cock Encumbered
Interest renewed.
NullPointer
Member
The day has finally arrived.
And now I can't watch this on the off chance I do pick the game up. Exploration spoilers aren't my thing. Please somebody provide some general impressions.
Seventy_X_Seven
Member
I really like that they're going with the explorable hub-spaces with branching paths to each "level" route for singleplayer. Haven't played one of those type of games in a long time, in fact last game of this design I remember playing is I-Ninja on PS2. Always loved this approach and definitely fitting for this game's theme. Also really digging the moody art style and how there's not just one way to traverse through a section.
Still plenty of things that are looking ugly though. The abundance of arrows for one, they're painting this as a survival game yet keep the resources plentiful. Regenerative health can be tacked onto this complaint as well. Also found it funny how the one guy was shamelessly gloating on the intelligence of the AI, yet still you can shoot a guy in the back with an arrow and he won't cry out in agony alarming others and you can shoot a guy in the head with an arrow and the thump made as his body hits the floor goes completely unnoticed by the guy standing guard just a few meters away.
Overall pretty pretty pleased with the demo though.
Still plenty of things that are looking ugly though. The abundance of arrows for one, they're painting this as a survival game yet keep the resources plentiful. Regenerative health can be tacked onto this complaint as well. Also found it funny how the one guy was shamelessly gloating on the intelligence of the AI, yet still you can shoot a guy in the back with an arrow and he won't cry out in agony alarming others and you can shoot a guy in the head with an arrow and the thump made as his body hits the floor goes completely unnoticed by the guy standing guard just a few meters away.
Overall pretty pretty pleased with the demo though.
Canis lupus
Member
Hyped, the more I see, the more I want.
Stallion Free
Cock Encumbered
Physics based puzzles and optional tombs with more puzzles.
Also, certain areas can't be accessed till you get the tools to enter. The example in the video had these rock walls that lead into the optional tomb that required the pickaxe to climb.
paraphrase:
"today we're going to explore the tombs of tomb raider...
so here's a tomb like experience... a cave with exploding barrels"
:/
edit:
"more ancient organic tombs later in game"
"smaller bite sized challenge tombs not on critical path"
we'll see noah hughes... we'll see...
"today we're going to explore the tombs of tomb raider...
so here's a tomb like experience... a cave with exploding barrels"
:/
edit:
"more ancient organic tombs later in game"
"smaller bite sized challenge tombs not on critical path"
we'll see noah hughes... we'll see...
NullPointer
Member
Thanks, and boy that was general. ;P
Stallion Free
Cock Encumbered
Well I stopped like 2 min before the end for the same reasons you didn't want to watch it lol.
They show the guy climbing up to the optional tomb before he gets the axe.
"He can't enter the tomb cuz he needs the axe, so we'll go get that and come back."
They cut back to getting the axe and then climb the mountain AGAIN.
Finally they get to the tomb.
"We're going to skip passed the tomb now..."
WHAT?!
It felt like the Poochie episode of Itchy and Scratchy.
And what's the prize for raiding the tomb? A spoiler map!
"He can't enter the tomb cuz he needs the axe, so we'll go get that and come back."
They cut back to getting the axe and then climb the mountain AGAIN.
Finally they get to the tomb.
"We're going to skip passed the tomb now..."
WHAT?!
It felt like the Poochie episode of Itchy and Scratchy.
And what's the prize for raiding the tomb? A spoiler map!
doniewhalberg
Member
Haha, he spends so long and tries so hard to describe at length how "gear" works. I'm just sitting wishing he'd say "so it's just like Metroid, right?"
Good on them for skipping the puzzle, and seeing as you're none too happy that the treasure is a "spoiler map", you should be glad too, assuming yours and my definitions of the word "spoiler" are the same.
Should be a mixture of large and small puzzles. It's looks like some of the later ones will require a little more timing. Detective ~ er instinct mode is pretty noticeable. The tombs will provide a reward of possibly: xp, salvage points, a directions to another tomb.
That... would actually be a cool idea. A real cool idea, maybe, provided it's hide more like Amnesia and not like a lame run-away maze shit like Silent Hill Shattered Memories.
I think removing the combat except MAYBE for a few bosses and basic enemies but mostly having you avoid them and hide because they're extremely dangerous would allow the game a renewed focus on what the series has always been about. And because they have all this climbing specific gear, they can get a pretty complex and difficult with the climbing mechanics. Platforming hell >