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Tomb Raider |OT| Lara's Misfortune

C.Monkey

Banned
I said this a few pages back and still stands, with the game that they have built how do you guys see them going forward with this
They can't continue the "good girl turned survivor" in a sequel
They can't ship wreak her again
they can't have savages after her and her friends either, it will have to swing in a completely different direction, I actually understand this as a origin story, the original had it detailed
But it'll have to becomemore Uncharted themed if you will or Tomb Raider
Like I said before I'm excited to see where they go
I hope they do a DLC with a preview of whats to come( her first Tomb Raid etc )
yeah, I too wonder where they go from here. It's too bad because this game was really their opportunity to do a survival horror adventure. I hope in the next game they keep it gritty though. I dont want super hero Lara Croft with the silly one liners.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
yeah, I too wonder where they go from here. It's too bad because this game was really their opportunity to do a survival horror adventure. I hope in the next game they keep it gritty though. I dont want super hero Lara Croft with the silly one liners.
I don't think they need to go that route, look at Batman for instance
They can keep the dark tone and atmosphere while still keeping Lara's personality, she can still be a wise ass, I'm sure she is in this one ( no I haven't yet, its still in the post)
Less silly one liners more confident sarcasm
I do however hope her atheism makes a return
 
yeah, I too wonder where they go from here. It's too bad because this game was really their opportunity to do a survival horror adventure. I hope in the next game they keep it gritty though. I dont want super hero Lara Croft with the silly one liners.

I hope the sequel to this game opens with Lara dropping napalm onto a bandit camp from her plane before parachuting in firing an M60. Upon touching down she takes out twin Deagles blasting away any remaining fools + wolves, bears, and 3 baby seals before posing, putting on some sunglasses, quick one liner, and swan diving into a huge cave system filled with traps, puzzles, and wild animals. No more human contact for the rest of the game as she travels the world in search of artifacts.

Maybe one more shootout for fun right at the end since you guys can't get enough of that.
 
I've reached the point of no return. Does anyone know if you can go back after the credits to find all the secrets?

The game has been a mixed bag. There are plenty of lows, but the highs are really high. Definitely worth playing. It's no Uncharted though.
 
I have really been pleasantly surprised by this. It's like Uncharted with Metroidvania elements (if you will forgive the tired descriptor).

Most pleasant surprise of this kind of progression since Barman AA.
 
Yup, you can select continue after you've finished the game to go back and collect anything you've missed.

Thanks. I'll finish it tonight then. So far, the optional content has been a little disappointing. Most of the secret tombs have been no more than two rooms.

I do love relic hunting in this game though. Lara's commentary and the hidden details you can find by examining them are nice touches.
 
I said this a few pages back and still stands, with the game that they have built how do you guys see them going forward with this
They can't continue the "good girl turned survivor" in a sequel
They can't ship wreak her again
they can't have savages after her and her friends either, it will have to swing in a completely different direction, I actually understand this as a origin story, the original had it detailed
But it'll have to becomemore Uncharted themed if you will or Tomb Raider
Like I said before I'm excited to see where they go
I hope they do a DLC with a preview of whats to come( her first Tomb Raid etc )

yeah, I too wonder where they go from here. It's too bad because this game was really their opportunity to do a survival horror adventure. I hope in the next game they keep it gritty though. I dont want super hero Lara Croft with the silly one liners.

I don't think they need to go that route, look at Batman for instance
They can keep the dark tone and atmosphere while still keeping Lara's personality, she can still be a wise ass, I'm sure she is in this one ( no I haven't yet, its still in the post)
Less silly one liners more confident sarcasm
I do however hope her atheism makes a return

I hope CD is smart enough to try and not have a sequel based on everything going wrong on an exploration....again. I'm starting to wonder if they also painted themselves into a corner in making the next one.

If it doesn't checklist everything TR reboot 1 had, especially things like the violence and gritty, will it still be as popular, or will it always need that element? Can the sequel handle taking in more elements of the old games without alienating their new fanbase, making Lara not a superhero, but fit, experienced, and capable this time, still grounded in reality?

I would hope it would. Otherwise, it's going to feel like Lara has become another RE main character, stumbling onto a terrible situation and joining a cause that has her going right back into several more.
 

sleepykyo

Member
I hope CD is smart enough to try and not have a sequel based on everything going wrong on an exploration....again. I'm starting to wonder if they also painted themselves into a corner in making the next one.

If it doesn't checklist everything TR reboot 1 had, especially things like the violence and gritty, will it still be as popular, or will it always need that element? Can the sequel handle taking in more elements of the old games without alienating their new fanbase, making Lara not a superhero, but fit, experienced, and capable this time, still grounded in reality?

I would hope it would. Otherwise, it's going to feel like Lara has become another RE main character, stumbling onto a terrible situation and joining a cause that has her going right back into several more.

It isn't quite the same. Isn't Lara supposed to a sheltered, rich girl?

The RE characters were

Chris: Elite division (STARS) of the police department
Jill: Ditto
Leon Kennedy: Rookie cop.
Claire: Chris' civilian sister.
Rebecca: STARS medic.

Most of the RE gluttons for punishment were already serving and protecting.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Allison Carol, oh my. I'd be disappointed about the lack of Rhona Mitra, but she got stuck in some awful green vinyl top.
Karima Adebibe
karima_adebibe_0064.jpg


Best one by a long shot imo
 
I can't wait to play this game. Steam needs to do an early unlock. I've had this preordered since November. I honestly was not expecting it to be as well received as it was.
 
I said this a few pages back and still stands, with the game that they have built how do you guys see them going forward with this
They can't continue the "good girl turned survivor" in a sequel
They can't ship wreak her again
they can't have savages after her and her friends either, it will have to swing in a completely different direction, I actually understand this as a origin story, the original had it detailed
But it'll have to becomemore Uncharted themed if you will or Tomb Raider
Like I said before I'm excited to see where they go
I hope they do a DLC with a preview of whats to come( her first Tomb Raid etc )

I was wondering how they'd go about it as well. Perhaps facing off against rival archeologists/treasure hunters/thieves? Some sort of mercenary outfit maybe? I could see the game being more focused on exploration and puzzles with less enemies for a sequel (since I'm wondering how you justify more killing). It's justified in this game because they're savage cultists wanting to kill everyone. Uncharted 2 and 3 did the lunatic and his band of mercenaries and the secret society, but I'm sure Tomb Raider could do its own twist on that. Maybe it won't be quite survival, but exploration (still utilizing hubs and base systems) expanded.

yeah, I too wonder where they go from here. It's too bad because this game was really their opportunity to do a survival horror adventure. I hope in the next game they keep it gritty though. I dont want super hero Lara Croft with the silly one liners.

It has a survival horror vibe (not survival horror, but that sort of atmosphere and feel) from what I've seen.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
I was wondering how they'd go about it as well. Perhaps facing off against rival archeologists/treasure hunters/thieves? Some sort of mercenary outfit maybe? I could see the game being more focused on exploration and puzzles with less enemies for a sequel (since I'm wondering how you justify more killing). It's justified in this game because they're savage cultists wanting to kill everyone. Uncharted 2 and 3 did the lunatic and his band of mercenaries and the secret society, but I'm sure Tomb Raider could do its own twist on that. Maybe it won't be quite survival, but exploration (still utilizing hubs and base systems) expanded.



It has a survival horror vibe (not survival horror, but that sort of atmosphere and feel) from what I've seen.
it can be very much like this one, but controlled, Lara hasn't been put into this situation the second time she chooses it, she gets a kick of the danger
although they can do the Uncharted route, simple expedition that just go wrong because of second parties after the same thing or knows its important greater then Lara does
think Die Hard if you will, Lara just attracts danger
and because how much is left out in this one the sequel can add so much more & will feel fresh even if its origin is from the original games but done differently, I am truly excited for a sequel & I ain't even played this one yet lol
I just hope they don't take years to make it, this years E3 or next years will be great to announce a nextgen sequel.
 

dino1980

Member
Checked with a IP-adress from South Korea with flyvpn, and the game is also released there on march 5th. For me here in Sweden after checking steam the game can be unlocked tomorrow at 5-6pm instead of 2am on tuesday. So about 31 more hours of waiting :)
 

dreamfall

Member
Ready for that hair. Literally just finished Far Cry 3, and I think no matter how disappointing/great this will be, TR will at least have a better narrative. I shudder at how bad most of that was; ready for a change of pace with this game.
 
D

Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
If nothing else, this game is god damn beautiful.

Actually, no, scratch that. The real stars are the audio department at Crystal Dynamics. There's some top-shelf work in this game, some of the best I've heard in a game. Super impressive.

(Watching my housemate play, my copy doesn't unlock for another day.)
 

Creamium

shut uuuuuuuuuuuuuuup
For people still in doubt on which console version to get, this vid makes the PS3 version look a tad better. 1:05 in particular. Not that big of a difference, but I went for PS3
 
If nothing else, this game is god damn beautiful.

Actually, no, scratch that. The real stars are the audio department at Crystal Dynamics. There's some top-shelf work in this game, some of the best I've heard in a game. Super impressive.

(Watching my housemate play, my copy doesn't unlock for another day.)

Best sounding handgun ever!
 
It isn't quite the same. Isn't Lara supposed to a sheltered, rich girl?

The RE characters were

Chris: Elite division (STARS) of the police department
Jill: Ditto
Leon Kennedy: Rookie cop.
Claire: Chris' civilian sister.
Rebecca: STARS medic.

Most of the RE gluttons for punishment were already serving and protecting.

Not sure about sheltered; probably not exactly a thrill-junkie either, but you're right about the comparison with RE characters being too strong.
 
That's something to take note of but obviously will be sorely dependent on the person. I mean people still play mario games to this day and they all have very familiar feelings when it comes to gameplay, or any series that's long running for that matter. Now granted you could say well this is a new reboot and shouldn't have that feeling, and your right. Though I love the Uncharted games and still find the new Tomb Raider worthing of playing. Then again I can replay the Uncharted games over and over, along with many others.

Yep. I totally get that and that's fair enough. I mean, it's not like TR has taken cues from a shitty game; to the contrary, rather.

I guess it comes down to me being a bit weary of the 'cinematic action/adventure game' in general. It's a funny genre for me. I love the combat and the exploration aspects, but I'm finding myself hating the "cinematic flair" synonymous with these games a lot more nowadays. In what god forsaken world is QTE-ing up a broken bridge/ridge/wall/whatever for the 17th time considered "fun" or "suspenseful"? Why do I have to push ^ on the left stick for the next 15 seconds just to see Lara crouch-walk and look around pensively? Why is she falling down and screaming in pain ad nauseum? I get it; you've gone through a lot of shit. I don't care. NO! DON'T SQUEEZE THROUGH THAT TIGHT GAP AGAI- Oh, you bitch.

I fucking hate the filler. I detest it. UC is guilty of it, too, but UC has charm. And that's not to say that charm excuses this shit, but it mitigates it. TR has zero charm; it arguably has negative charm. I really cared for none of it thematically, character-wise, plot-wise... Trope central, really. So, when I partake in an awesome firefight only to be subsequently treated to some WICKED walking-simulator action, THEN a shitty cutscene with whiny whinersteins, ALL THE WHILE feeling the fatigue of having played this before in 3 other games and having ZERO motivation to empathize with the protagonist... The cynic inside me rears its ugly head.

Anyway, I just clocked it. It's a good game; a very good game, even. Were UC not to exist, it'd be a pretty stellar game, but hey, we've gone over that already :).

It controls well, looks fantastic and has enough variation. In terms of pacing, I wish it peaked a bit earlier and was even a tad shorter. The last couple of hours were fun, but it lulled in the middle a lot. Regardless, I'll never play it again.

If I had to sum it up, it's an excellent game held back considerably more than usual due to a very prevalent 'been there, done that' stigma and shitty characters. If you're not tired of the genre and can stomach excessive CINEMATIC BULLSHIT, jump in; you'll have a blast. If you're a bit jaded like me, you'll still have fun, but you'll not want to touch the genre again for a considerable amount of time.
 
Soon you will get [i presume] final piece of gear for accessing some fortified places of environment [if the known bug dont prevent you from playing further].

Thanks!

Anyway, I just clocked it. It's a good game; a very good game, even. Were UC not to exist, it'd be a pretty stellar game, but hey, we've gone over that already :).

So... its merits are diminished because there's something else on the market that's also good?
 

Omni

Member
Can you switch difficulty on the fly? I usually start games on Normal, and if I find it too easy I kick it up a bit

Yeap.

...

Just finished ze game. Started playing on Saturday morning and finished Sunday night (that's some intense amount of playing because I've been home sick haha). I really, really enjoyed it all. :eek:
 
Thanks!



So... its merits are diminished because there's something else on the market that's also good?

Not quite. Its merits are diminished because it takes that many cues that strictly from another game on the market that has a trademarked and somewhat formulaic style.

Think about it this way... If you play a new game and within 15 minutes you're thinking, 'holy shit, this is basically just X game', is this going to cast a negative or positive light on your impression?

Luckily for TR, it does enough right that ultimately, I can overlook its tendency to borrow and still appreciate it for what it is: a polished and entertaining game.
 

fuenf

Member
So,
I just got the Compound Bow
; how far from the end am I? To be honest, the game had begun to wear out its welcome at Shanty Town and I'm desperately wanting it to finish now. It's seeming very drawn out indeed.

I will with no reservations say that TR is a good game; it's mechanically sound and well-executed on a fundamental level, but when it's practically begging to be compared to "that other game" (UC2, to be precise), emulating it in so many ways, it unfortunately does come off as the lesser adventure.

Why? Well, in a nutshell, it is UC2 completely devoid of charm and comparatively lacking in mechanical finesse.

First and foremost, I do not like Lara - or rather, I do not like how she has been portrayed. I am sick of seeing her fall and moan and scream and gasp for air and twinge and cry, etc. Like I said, it's not really a reflection of her character as much as it is the developer's choice to show her be trodden upon over and over and over again, but it's still tiresome and annoying. I know they're trying to drive home the whole 'soft girl gone hard' character arc, but it seems very heavy-handed. And yeah, let's not forgot the complete over-doing of QTEs and "walking-simulator" sections that are seemingly integral in getting this across to the player. Lord, have mercy (Also, it does seem like TR indulges in the 'omgLara'shandholdjustbrokeomg' a lot more than any of the UCs have, which is arguably one of the the worst tropes of action/adventrue games this gen).

Secondly, I loathe the supporting cast. I've never met a more cliched, stereotypical and unlikable cast in a game. What's worse is that they're the reason why Lara is doing all of this; to save the old hardened yet endearing sea captain from the North and the confident, smart-talking black woman and the geeky geek... Ugh. Spare me. Not to mention, the main villain is offensively lame and the story on the whole I find to be completely uninteresting.

Sure, you may very well ask, "seeing as they're so similar, why do you like UC2 so much, guy?" For one, UC2 was more or less the first game to do "this" type of game and to such a degree of quality. Its core mechanics are also slightly more refined - jumping, shooting, traversal, all of that (though, I will concede that TR has a lot more going for it in terms of combat options). In other words, I think it's totally reasonable and not trivial to compare the two games.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, however, is that Drake and co. are fun and interesting and likeable and elevate a more or less stock standard, albeit very tight TPS into something special. I know TR is going for a completely different tone, but it also chooses to incorporate the inconceivably douchey side characters and tropes of the genre, so the comparison is relevant. It makes the core game far less tolerable and the same would apply to UC2 had it revolved around such grating characters and a bland story/villain, but UC2 came before and TR isn't doing that much to differentiate itself.

I dunno. I'm just kinda bored with it now. Don't get me wrong, it is a good game, but a good game that I'll probably have very little desire to revisit.

Less complaining protagonist falling down, more game and pacing refinement!

The "handholdjustbroke" mechanic was unbearable in U3 but thankfully they don't break nearly as much in TR. The QTE trigger only appears when your jumps arent clean and you are barely reaching the handhold / edge, as opposed to U3 where most of them were scripted.

While I don't agree with the rest of your impressions I can see where you are coming from. It's unfortunate and I don't blame you if you don't like the narrative / characters but I do think that the game pushes the genre foward:

Gameplay-wise it beats Uncharted on all fronts. There I said it. I like the jumping / shooting / cover and even the walking around mechanics far better than their Uncharted counterparts. Tomb Raider also features the more coherent & immersive game world. I'll be the first to admit that Uncharted beats the game on charme and characters but that's all there really is to Uncharted. It's a well constructed action-adventure soap opera with a lot of shortcomings. Uncharted 2 did a masterful job masking those shortcomings, Uncharted 3 did not.

The key difference between TR and Uncharted is that Uncharted plays like a fast paced Michael Bay movie and wants you to always push foward. If you play TR like that you are going to miss a good chunk of the game and most of it's magic. Sure there are many "Michale Bay" set pieces in TR too, but there are also more than enough sections where the game wants you to take your time and explore. It's actually fun to search for relics and hear Lara comment on them.
 
Gameplay-wise it beats Uncharted on all fronts. There I said it.

Well said. I can actually agree with you on this after proper and honest consideration. Like you said, ND struck quite the sweet-spot in terms of balance with UC2 and yep, they owe a lot to their character writing. And double-yep, UC3 is shit.
 

Nemesis_

Member
Not quite. Its merits are diminished because it takes that many cues that strictly from another game on the market that has a trademarked and somewhat formulaic style.

Think about it this way... If you play a new game and within 15 minutes you're thinking, 'holy shit, this is basically just X game', is this going to cast a negative or positive light on your impression?

Luckily for TR, it does enough right that ultimately, I can overlook its tendency to borrow and still appreciate it for what it is: a polished and entertaining game.

Are we pretending UC didn't borrow anything from other games either?
 

HiiiLife

Member
For the people that completed it, did you play through it on hard?

Does it remove the survival instincts feature or does it just lower your health?
 

Nemesis_

Member
Are we also pretending that TR hasn't done even a teensy bit more than what would be considered 'borrowing'?

I don't know why we're docking TR points for borrowing things from other games (ie. like UC) and then talking about how UC did the same thing as if it's a good thing.

I don't understand the reason why UC is held so high on a pedestal and to a different standard of rules when people critique it.

For the people that completed it, did you play through it on hard?

Does it remove the survival instincts feature or does it just lower your health?

Playing on Normal.

Still VERY easy to get gunned down quickly if you don't be stealthy.
 
Not quite. Its merits are diminished because it takes that many cues that strictly from another game on the market that has a trademarked and somewhat formulaic style.

Think about it this way... If you play a new game and within 15 minutes you're thinking, 'holy shit, this is basically just X game', is this going to cast a negative or positive light on your impression?

Luckily for TR, it does enough right that ultimately, I can overlook its tendency to borrow and still appreciate it for what it is: a polished and entertaining game.

Fair enough - but honestly...when a game like this borrows aspects from other games - mainly the Uncharted games, but does it this well (even better) - then I can forgive it. It's not a problem for me.
 

Replicant

Member
Gameplay-style wise, I like this a bit better than Uncharted. What I mean by this is that I like that it has less shooting and more puzzle and free-roaming (so far).

The actual gameplay mechanic is a bit wobbly though. Walking feels like controlling a drunken teenage girl. Shooting is a bit annoying and I don't like the weird QTEs implementation they have here.

Graphic, so far it's pretty dark/greyish. If I hadn't pay attention to the story, I wouldn't have known that this is actually set in Japan. Yes, there are temples and all that but the lack of colors really don't do them justice. Also, from what I remember of my travel to Japan, the temple looks rather different. It's like Western interpretation of Japanese locales. So far there hasn't been a standout "Wow, look at that place" moment that I often had with Uncharted.

Overall, however, it's a rather relaxing game, especially after finishing Dead Space 3. I quite enjoy it so far.
 

Nemesis_

Member
Gameplay-style wise, I like this a bit better than Uncharted. What I mean by this is that I like that it has less shooting and more puzzle and free-roaming (so far).

The actual gameplay mechanic is a bit wobbly though. Walking feels like controlling a drunken teenage girl. Shooting is a bit annoying and I don't like the weird QTEs implementation they have here.

Graphic, so far it's pretty dark/greyish. If I hadn't pay attention to the story, I wouldn't have known that this is actually set in Japan. Yes, there are temples and all that but the lack of colors really don't do them justice. Also, from what I remember of my travel to Japan, the temple looks rather different. It's like Western interpretation of Japanese locales. So far there hasn't been a standout "Wow, look at that place" moment that I often had with Uncharted.

Overall, however, it's a rather relaxing game, especially after finishing Dead Space 3. I quite enjoy it so far.

I agree with the relaxing thing. It's weird, but you've hit the nail on the head perfectly.

I do kind of agree with you on the whole Japanese setting thing - though this isn't EXACTLY Japan, is it? >_>
 
Gameplay-style wise, I like this a bit better than Uncharted. What I mean by this is that I like that it has less shooting and more puzzle and free-roaming (so far).

The actual gameplay mechanic is a bit wobbly though. Walking feels like controlling a drunken teenage girl. Shooting is a bit annoying and I don't like the weird QTEs implementation they have here.

Graphic, so far it's pretty dark/greyish. If I hadn't pay attention to the story, I wouldn't have known that this is actually set in Japan. Yes, there are temples and all that but the lack of colors really don't do them justice. Also, from what I remember of my travel to Japan, the temple looks rather different. It's like Western interpretation of Japanese locales. So far there hasn't been a standout "Wow, look at that place" moment that I often had with Uncharted.

Overall, however, it's a rather relaxing game, especially after finishing Dead Space 3. I quite enjoy it so far.

For a split second I thought you were Derrick because of your similar avatar. Nearly had a heart attack!
 

dreamfall

Member
walking around the Island was giving me Lost vibes it was awesome

I just hope there is enough variation on the island, to provide a sense of exploration. Far Cry 3's island was gorgeous for the first six hours, but then everything began to feel similar.

Bah, I need to wash that game out of my system. Lara and her hair, save me!
 

Nemesis_

Member
Should I play on Hard? Is the melee combat in the style of Batman/Sleeping Dogs?

Not really. The Melee combat is probably the same level of Uncharted, but mixed in with Alan Wake-esque mechanics. You can dodge, and doing so at the right time allows for either a debilitating attack or an instant kill depending on your timing.

You can also use the dodge move as a lead in to other attacks - Lara can throw sand up after a dodge to blind, or roll out of the way which has invincibility frames.
 
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