Let me preface this opening post by saying that there is another perfectly fine official thread for this game created by Larson Conway which has all that you'd expect from a traditional official topic. For all the finer details, please visit this thread. It's filled with the type of nitty gritty fact sheets that will fill you in on the various gameplay details. It's an awesome official topic and it demands your attention.
But this won't be like one of those topics. My OP is going to exist for the sole purpose of trying to articulate why this game is so special and why it has inspired in me such a inner fire to get others to play it. Everyone knows how prone I am to hyperbole, but most of the time it's real tongue-and-cheek and I'm just being over the top because that's who I am. Yet there are a few games this gen that have really just done it for me, that have defined what I feel gaming is all about. Demon's Souls. Super Mario Galaxy. Bioshock. The Orange Box. And yes now, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.
There was a moment early on in Lara Croft when I knew the game was something special. It's in the first level, which is really easy. It finishes with this climactic little race over a pool of spikes and then some ever forwarding walls you gotta climb, and the last few are too high so you gotta throw your spear and use it as leverage. Now the very last platform can't take your spears, so you gotta throw up your grapple hook to reach the thing. But I didn't see that hook point the first time, so I'm frantically tossing spears at the wall like "W-T-F" and I'm almost out of floor space (so basically I'm gonna fall into the spikes) and at the last possible second I throw out that grapple hook and it grabs hold, as I hang perilously over the spikes. Heart pounding, I recover and finish the level.
Now, Lara Croft isn't a difficult game. It's got tons of weapons and tons of content, but whether on two player or single player, it's a fairly easy title. The fun in this game is derived purely from the cleverness of it all, the way the gameplay melds together to form this cohesive, arcade-like whole. Even though it was easy, there were many times I just grinned from ear to ear at how amazing it was nobody ever thought of this system or that system before. It flows and works together so well, it might as well be a Nintendo game. That's the type of polish this game has.
So what specifically about the gameplay separates it from any other arcade action game?
There are three main mechanics that really catapult this game into something genuinely special.
The Spear
It is a basic enough concept. You have a spear that you can toss anywhere, and it'll stick onto a wall. Using the spear, Lara Croft can jump onto it and reach higher and higher platforms. Lara Croft's jumps are "sticky" around the spears, so you won't find it hard to be surefooted. You get three spears you can toss around, and when you toss the fourth spear the first spear you tossed will disappear. This is a central mechanic in many of the games puzzles and obstacles.
In co-op, Totec is the only one with the spear, and so whoever is playing as Lara Croft must rely on his skill to get you where you need to go.
It sounds so simple, so why hasn't anyone ever fleshed it out the way this team has? Hard to say. There have been co-operative experiences before but none have replicated it quite like this. And when you throw in just how perfectly the isometric perspective seemingly helps these mechanics, it's alone in its feat.
The closest thing I can relate it to is LOST VIKINGS. If you like those games, you should really check this one out too.
The Grapple Hook
Lara Croft has had the grapple hook before, so what makes this so special? On single player, it functions much like it does in the main games. You can toss the grapple hook out at specific points to help you swing across gaps or climb up ledges. Additionally, the grapple hook has specific rope-like properties, so you can pull it taut around objects or corners in order to solve puzzles and whatnot.
It's in co-op that this mechanic becomes something truly amazing. And if you have the wrong friend, pretty much it's the most evil thing ever. Basically in co-op, only Lara has the grapple hook. And since Totec can't climb on his own spears, the other player must rely on Lara to toss the grapple hook down for Totec to climb up ledges that are too high. Or Lara must toss the grapple hook across a gap to create a rope bridge, and of course... should the first player feel devious... he might just accidentally "forget" to hold the button down. And then Totec might "accidentally" fall into a pit of spikes.
It just feels so PERFECT too. Like, everything about it from control to the properties of the rope itself unite to create this perfect fusion of gameplay joy. And the game knows just the perfect ways to capitalize on this cooperative symphony. If you see a hidden stat boost hanging down off of a cliff, someone is going to have to go down to get it... and who do you trust with your life? It's also a giver of life. If your friend happens to miss a jump, Lara can toss out the grapple hook and the other player will grab on at the last perilous moment. Brilliant.
There is this one co-op puzzle late in the game that I just wish I could describe here without spoiling one of the games best moments. It involves lots of lava and flaming raptors or some shit, and when I figured out the solution (and then pulled it off) the entire time all I could do was sit in the corner and giggle to myself like some hyper school girl saying "holy fuck THAT IS THE COOLEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN IN A GAME. EVER."
Shit like that is why this game is a masterpiece.
The Geometry Wars-Like Combat
In all Tomb Raider games to date, let's face it, combat has been one of those bulletpoints that it felt the developers knew they had to include, just they weren't quite sure how. Here, finally, is combat that isn't just good, it's amazing. You use the right stick to pull out your weapons and aim in any direction (since it's an isometric perspective game, this system works best) and use the trigger to shoot. It functions a lot like geometry wars, as I stated, and the sheer variety of weapons means combat never gets boring and there's always something around the corner to aim for. You have a gauge that fills up the more diamonds you collect and enemies you kill, and once it fills up as long as you don't get hit it'll stay active. Using relics, you can customize exactly what special abilities you gain when your gauge fills up.
It's so smooth and feels so good, and when you've got your scatter shot and power shot combined via the gauge, your bullets rain down on your enemies leaving behind a path of bones, splatter and destruction that is immensely satisfying in action. There's even certain specific weapons that you need to utilize to complete puzzles, which was an interesting thing to throw into the mix and was admittedly a bit underutilized for the potential it had.
The game is so polished it's incredible.
This leads me to the next reasons this game is one of the top ten games this generation...
It's a Fantastic Value Proposition (Dollars-to-Gameplay Ratio)
This game is filled to the brim with content. It's got like fifteen levels, the majority of them taking over thirty minutes in order to find all the secrets (red skulls, challenges, etc) and whatnot. Then the game drastically changes as you try to speed run the levels right afterwards. That's solo. Then, you have to do it all again co-op... which changes the flow of several puzzles and adds in unique gameplay independent from the solo game. That's another while to get through all the levels again. THEN, you'll speed run it through with your friend. ALL of this is ranked with extensive leaderboards.
And the best part? It's only $15. For that FIFTEEN DOLLARS, you get more content than many $60 games, and better gameplay than the vast majority of $60 games. Please, GAF, don't be cheap. Buy this game. Support developers which are willing to take risks and do something for the love of the game. You guys splurge over the latest content-less shallow "indie" crap, and overlook something like this, a true gem in every regard. Don't make this mistake, PS3 and PC fans. Only you can prevent Forest fires.
It's a Speed Runners Wet Dream!
It's rare enough to find a game that suitably rewards speed running (Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light literally rewards it by unlocking special weapons and other stuff for the "par times". And there's the personal reward of getting a high rank on the leaderboard, of course), but to find a game that rewards speed running WITH A FRIEND? I can count the number of games that do that on one fucking hand.
This game has fantastic level design. It's mostly linear, yes, but the good type of linear, where you can exploit gaps using bombs or ledges using a well placed spear, or whatever. It's simply phenomenal in every way. I rarely ever replay a game I just played and beat. With Lara Croft, I didn't just replay it... the second I beat a level, I would automatically replay it over... and over... and over... until I got a good rank. It's so addicting it defies anything I can possibly write about it here.
So that brings me to this contest. I want more GAFers to hear about this game, so the contest is as follows. From now until the release of this game for Ps3/PC, I want you to make a avatar that emphasizes in some way something in this game. It doesn't have to be clever, it can merely be striking or animated or whatever. Your choice. Keep it within the rules of GAF - 90x120, 150kbs - but go wild. The best entry will receive...
Either...
A $20 PlayStation Network Card
or
A 1600 Point Xbox Live Arcade Card
All entries must be submitted by Friday, September 24, 2010. When you change your avatar, please PM me so I know you're in the running. It's hard to keep track otherwise.
RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 28, 2010
BUY IT.
But this won't be like one of those topics. My OP is going to exist for the sole purpose of trying to articulate why this game is so special and why it has inspired in me such a inner fire to get others to play it. Everyone knows how prone I am to hyperbole, but most of the time it's real tongue-and-cheek and I'm just being over the top because that's who I am. Yet there are a few games this gen that have really just done it for me, that have defined what I feel gaming is all about. Demon's Souls. Super Mario Galaxy. Bioshock. The Orange Box. And yes now, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.
There was a moment early on in Lara Croft when I knew the game was something special. It's in the first level, which is really easy. It finishes with this climactic little race over a pool of spikes and then some ever forwarding walls you gotta climb, and the last few are too high so you gotta throw your spear and use it as leverage. Now the very last platform can't take your spears, so you gotta throw up your grapple hook to reach the thing. But I didn't see that hook point the first time, so I'm frantically tossing spears at the wall like "W-T-F" and I'm almost out of floor space (so basically I'm gonna fall into the spikes) and at the last possible second I throw out that grapple hook and it grabs hold, as I hang perilously over the spikes. Heart pounding, I recover and finish the level.
Now, Lara Croft isn't a difficult game. It's got tons of weapons and tons of content, but whether on two player or single player, it's a fairly easy title. The fun in this game is derived purely from the cleverness of it all, the way the gameplay melds together to form this cohesive, arcade-like whole. Even though it was easy, there were many times I just grinned from ear to ear at how amazing it was nobody ever thought of this system or that system before. It flows and works together so well, it might as well be a Nintendo game. That's the type of polish this game has.
So what specifically about the gameplay separates it from any other arcade action game?
There are three main mechanics that really catapult this game into something genuinely special.
The Spear
It is a basic enough concept. You have a spear that you can toss anywhere, and it'll stick onto a wall. Using the spear, Lara Croft can jump onto it and reach higher and higher platforms. Lara Croft's jumps are "sticky" around the spears, so you won't find it hard to be surefooted. You get three spears you can toss around, and when you toss the fourth spear the first spear you tossed will disappear. This is a central mechanic in many of the games puzzles and obstacles.
In co-op, Totec is the only one with the spear, and so whoever is playing as Lara Croft must rely on his skill to get you where you need to go.
It sounds so simple, so why hasn't anyone ever fleshed it out the way this team has? Hard to say. There have been co-operative experiences before but none have replicated it quite like this. And when you throw in just how perfectly the isometric perspective seemingly helps these mechanics, it's alone in its feat.
The closest thing I can relate it to is LOST VIKINGS. If you like those games, you should really check this one out too.
The Grapple Hook
Lara Croft has had the grapple hook before, so what makes this so special? On single player, it functions much like it does in the main games. You can toss the grapple hook out at specific points to help you swing across gaps or climb up ledges. Additionally, the grapple hook has specific rope-like properties, so you can pull it taut around objects or corners in order to solve puzzles and whatnot.
It's in co-op that this mechanic becomes something truly amazing. And if you have the wrong friend, pretty much it's the most evil thing ever. Basically in co-op, only Lara has the grapple hook. And since Totec can't climb on his own spears, the other player must rely on Lara to toss the grapple hook down for Totec to climb up ledges that are too high. Or Lara must toss the grapple hook across a gap to create a rope bridge, and of course... should the first player feel devious... he might just accidentally "forget" to hold the button down. And then Totec might "accidentally" fall into a pit of spikes.
It just feels so PERFECT too. Like, everything about it from control to the properties of the rope itself unite to create this perfect fusion of gameplay joy. And the game knows just the perfect ways to capitalize on this cooperative symphony. If you see a hidden stat boost hanging down off of a cliff, someone is going to have to go down to get it... and who do you trust with your life? It's also a giver of life. If your friend happens to miss a jump, Lara can toss out the grapple hook and the other player will grab on at the last perilous moment. Brilliant.
There is this one co-op puzzle late in the game that I just wish I could describe here without spoiling one of the games best moments. It involves lots of lava and flaming raptors or some shit, and when I figured out the solution (and then pulled it off) the entire time all I could do was sit in the corner and giggle to myself like some hyper school girl saying "holy fuck THAT IS THE COOLEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN IN A GAME. EVER."
Shit like that is why this game is a masterpiece.
The Geometry Wars-Like Combat
In all Tomb Raider games to date, let's face it, combat has been one of those bulletpoints that it felt the developers knew they had to include, just they weren't quite sure how. Here, finally, is combat that isn't just good, it's amazing. You use the right stick to pull out your weapons and aim in any direction (since it's an isometric perspective game, this system works best) and use the trigger to shoot. It functions a lot like geometry wars, as I stated, and the sheer variety of weapons means combat never gets boring and there's always something around the corner to aim for. You have a gauge that fills up the more diamonds you collect and enemies you kill, and once it fills up as long as you don't get hit it'll stay active. Using relics, you can customize exactly what special abilities you gain when your gauge fills up.
It's so smooth and feels so good, and when you've got your scatter shot and power shot combined via the gauge, your bullets rain down on your enemies leaving behind a path of bones, splatter and destruction that is immensely satisfying in action. There's even certain specific weapons that you need to utilize to complete puzzles, which was an interesting thing to throw into the mix and was admittedly a bit underutilized for the potential it had.
The game is so polished it's incredible.
This leads me to the next reasons this game is one of the top ten games this generation...
It's a Fantastic Value Proposition (Dollars-to-Gameplay Ratio)
This game is filled to the brim with content. It's got like fifteen levels, the majority of them taking over thirty minutes in order to find all the secrets (red skulls, challenges, etc) and whatnot. Then the game drastically changes as you try to speed run the levels right afterwards. That's solo. Then, you have to do it all again co-op... which changes the flow of several puzzles and adds in unique gameplay independent from the solo game. That's another while to get through all the levels again. THEN, you'll speed run it through with your friend. ALL of this is ranked with extensive leaderboards.
And the best part? It's only $15. For that FIFTEEN DOLLARS, you get more content than many $60 games, and better gameplay than the vast majority of $60 games. Please, GAF, don't be cheap. Buy this game. Support developers which are willing to take risks and do something for the love of the game. You guys splurge over the latest content-less shallow "indie" crap, and overlook something like this, a true gem in every regard. Don't make this mistake, PS3 and PC fans. Only you can prevent Forest fires.
It's a Speed Runners Wet Dream!
It's rare enough to find a game that suitably rewards speed running (Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light literally rewards it by unlocking special weapons and other stuff for the "par times". And there's the personal reward of getting a high rank on the leaderboard, of course), but to find a game that rewards speed running WITH A FRIEND? I can count the number of games that do that on one fucking hand.
This game has fantastic level design. It's mostly linear, yes, but the good type of linear, where you can exploit gaps using bombs or ledges using a well placed spear, or whatever. It's simply phenomenal in every way. I rarely ever replay a game I just played and beat. With Lara Croft, I didn't just replay it... the second I beat a level, I would automatically replay it over... and over... and over... until I got a good rank. It's so addicting it defies anything I can possibly write about it here.
So that brings me to this contest. I want more GAFers to hear about this game, so the contest is as follows. From now until the release of this game for Ps3/PC, I want you to make a avatar that emphasizes in some way something in this game. It doesn't have to be clever, it can merely be striking or animated or whatever. Your choice. Keep it within the rules of GAF - 90x120, 150kbs - but go wild. The best entry will receive...
Either...
A $20 PlayStation Network Card
or
A 1600 Point Xbox Live Arcade Card
All entries must be submitted by Friday, September 24, 2010. When you change your avatar, please PM me so I know you're in the running. It's hard to keep track otherwise.
RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 28, 2010
BUY IT.
