• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Tomb Raider |OT| Lara's Misfortune

S

Sammy Samusu

Member
FIRST IMPRESSIONS!

So after two months of non-stop Monster Hunting, I'm finally at the point where I can share my free time with other games, so here I am, playing one of my most anticipated titles in 2013, Tomb Raidersus!

... too bad it's not living up to my expectations.

I just finished the wolf pack mission, and so far, this game has been nothing but a disappointment. What kinda Other M garbage ass shit? Lara is supposed to be fierce and iconic!

I don't like how puzzles are mostly outdoor and involving burning/exploding things. Is she really an archaeologist? Also, I can't help but feel like this is survival-horror, the story is very Fatal Frame like, lol. At least it's pretty and cinematic, I guess this is good right?

On top of all that, this is one of the few games that gives me a headache. >.>

It's still kinda fun, and by that I mean it's not a bad game, but it's also not a good game, it's just... playable. I sure hope it gets better.
 
D

DieH@rd

Banned
Sammy Samusu said:
FIRST IMPRESSIONS!

So after two months of non-stop Monster Hunting, I'm finally at the point where I can share my free time with other games, so here I am, playing one of my most anticipated titles in 2013, Tomb Raidersus!

... too bad it's not living up to my expectations.

I just finished the wolf pack mission, and so far, this game has been nothing but a disappointment. What kinda Other M garbage ass shit? Lara is supposed to be fierce and iconic!

I don't like how puzzles are mostly outdoor and involving burning/exploding things. Is she really an archaeologist? Also, I can't help but feel like this is survival-horror, the story is very Fatal Frame like, lol. At least it's pretty and cinematic, I guess this is good right?

On top of all that, this is one of the few games that gives me a headache. >.>

It's still kinda fun, and by that I mean it's not a bad game, but it's also not a good game, it's just... playable. I sure hope it gets better.
Click to expand...


The game stops being shitty after you finish wolf mission [that marks the end of the "tutorial" phase]. After that shit starts to hit the fan, and the game becomes great [IMO].
 
S

Sammy Samusu

Member
DieH@rd said:
The game stops being shitty after you finish wolf mission [that marks the end of the "tutorial" phase]. After that shit starts to hit the fan, and the game becomes great [IMO].
Click to expand...
I'm enjoying the game more now, just got the rope upgrade, more action and less boring sequences, which is still kinda sad because past Tomb Raider games were all about exploring ruins and solving puzzles.

And I even caught a glimpse of fierce Lara! "Yes! I'm STILL alive!" *shoots*
 
T

The Interrobanger

Member
Just beat the game 100%. Took probably close to 20 hours.

One of the best games this gen I think. Really blended the action and epic scale of Uncharted with the dark, gritty, moody atmosphere of Alan Wake. It's definitely better than Uncharted 3 in pretty much every area other than combat scenarios.

People don't seem to be talking about it much but I love the weapons/upgrade system in this game and wish more games did it this way. There's only 4 weapons in the entire game, but they all do so many things you never feel like you're missing anything. Fuck having 6 different pistols, rifles, shotguns, grenade launchers, etc.

I also loved how there was a huge emphasis on exploration and terrain traversal and less on killing things, even though the combat was very fun, brutal and awesome. Other than a select few "battle arena" moments most of the game just had you killing a few dudes and then letting you explore for as long as you wanted. I don't think I've killed this few enemies in an action game in years.

I could go on an on about things Uncharted could learn from TR, but the biggest one that I think this game nailed was having a very light fantasy/sci-fi element. Uncharted always seems to have a game grounded mostly in reality until the last level or so when you start fighting crazy nonsensical creatures with flaming heads or whatever which completely kills the story. Tomb Raider has a similar twist or element of this I guess but it felt like more of a logical progression and less over the top. The story wasn't told in the greatest of ways but it still felt fairly fresh to me.

There was a few things it could have done better like more worthwhile collectables, better animation linking, better writing and voice acting and maybe a little more puzzle variety since everything was essentially burn this or swing that but otherwise I was very impressed with the overall experience. I've never liked Tomb Raider before this game so count me in with the people who don't miss the old style TR games.
 
A

Alt183

Member
Tricky I Shadow said:
Anyone? : (
Click to expand...

It seems the leaderboards are broken. Looking for a personal rank resets to the top 10 for some reason. I'm not sure this mode will receive any more support, so I figure it will stay this way. Trials are things like killing 500 players and the like. The game conveys itself rather strangely.
 
T

Tricky I Shadow

Banned
Alt183 said:
It seems the leaderboards are broken. Looking for a personal rank resets to the top 10 for some reason. I'm not sure this mode will receive any more support, so I figure it will stay this way. Trials are things like killing 500 players and the like. The game conveys itself rather strangely.
Click to expand...

Cheers. I figured out what the trials were the other day. Complete brain fart moment. And I can't believe the leaderboards are broken. Weird. The fact that hardly anyone has mentioned it is weird too.

Anyway, a couple of days ago I finally got the platinum (curse you buying everything in multiplayer trophy!) So now I think I'm officially done with it. Good night sweet prince, you did well.....very well!
 
O

Owzers

Member
Just started playing the game today and i can't believe whoever is responsible for these qtes like video games or even the idea of video games. So terrible...otherwise i'm liking the game.

Edit.....are all the bubble qtes the same button? Weird and not as terrible if they are.
 
AgentP

AgentP

Thinks mods influence posters politics. Promoted to QAnon Editor.
This game is frustrating and not much fun. Can anyone tell me how close to the end I am?

I escaped the burning fortress after helping the friend "queen" escape.

This game has so much wrong it masks what they did right.
 
S

Sammy Samusu

Member
Finished!

+ Presentation
+ Combat
+ Story
- Lara
- Exploration
- Puzzles

Great game, but not a Tomb Raider title. I'll give it 8.5, reminds me of RE4 reboot but not as awesome.

I'm looking forward to the sequel, hopefully with a badass Lara and more focus on ruins and puzzles.
 
M

malfcn

Member
Close to completion.

Did they not learn the mistake made by Vigil and the Darksiders 1 upgrade system? Don't think I will have to farm much, but some people said it is hell.
Also, I am close to missing 2 achievements, and hope that I can spawn enough (which is supposedly few) due to no NG+ or re-playability.

I find the game fun, cleverly designed and interesting. Never played a TR game before, so no expectations..other than actual Tomb Raiding. None were difficult, and felt tacked on.
 
A

Apophenia Overload

Member
A fresh-faced archaeologist named Lara Croft is shipwrecked on Yamatai, a mystical island strewn with millennia-old ruins and boxes of spare gun parts. Cold and hungry, Lara is forced to hunt a deer to survive. As she prepares to cut open the carcass, she feels a sudden twinge of regret. "I'm sorry..." she says to the poor creature, "please forgive me for returning you to the warm embrace of Mother Gaia." The next morning she casually stabs a bunch of brainwashed cult victims in the face.

We learn that nothing on Yamatai is connected to anything else. The only route from point A to point B is a across the precariously perched wreck of a World War II fighter jet, or down a raging river lined with spikes, or through some other gauntlet of pain. Bridges exist only to snap when we're halfway across them. Trails exist only to dead-end at cliff edges. We wonder how all the men who live on this island could possibly get around. But of course they don't get around; they just stand in their predetermined places, waiting for "the outsider" to come up from behind them and shove them off a ledge.

At one point our heroine sees some of these men up ahead and asks, "How many of them are there?" The answer: there are around five hundred, and Lara Croft will kill every single one of them. She will also have the option of raiding a few tombs.

-from the guy who brought you this
 
W

Witchfinder General

punched Wheelchair Mike
I have to say I'm really loving this game. Despite the over-reliance of throwing waves of enemies at me the game feels really well paced, with a nice mix of action, exploration and the occasional tomb. Lara's a great character whose transition from survivor to hunter feels well realised. Oh yeah, the game looks amazing maxed out on PC. Best looking game I've ever played aside from some niggling problems I have with the lighting looking flat at times.

I have to say, I'm enjoying this as much as Uncharted 2.
 
K

Kambing

Member
So i just got to Shanty Town and am really loving the game. Aside from the beginning which i found to be quite lacking, i've been really impressed by it. However, there is one thing that really irritates me when playing and i was wondering if any of you found a work around for it. Basically, is there anyway to stop the camera from shaking each time lara runs? I sometimes purposely just "walk" her because the camera bobbing is frankly, obnoxious. If i had to review this game, no matter how much i will end up enjoying it, i would straight up dock a point for the camera =(
 
H

HitokiriNate85

Member
Just started playing this two days ago. I just
got out of the burning palace with Sam and the rest of the crew and gained control after the few minutes of cutscenes there.
How far am I?

I'm enjoying the game so far outside of the QTEs, which are just too much. There are just way, way too many over-the-top scenarios and moments. I'd much prefer a slightly slower paced exploration punctuated by the blockbuster moments, but I also knew what I getting into when I started. It reminds me a lot of RE4 but with a lot of this generations AAA mentality. While that makes for great presentation, it also takes control away from the player waaaay too often.

The combat is really good. Very tight controls and I like the upgrade and bonfire system. The melee counter is awesome. I hope there's a New Game+ for harder difficulty. Anyone?

I expected more animal-based combat and feel like it's really not being capitalized on so far. The beginning of the game really set me up to expect hunting to actually be important, or animals to be a threat, but those were really just ideas presented instead of used.

The story has been average at best so far. Hopefully it picks up a bit. The voice acting is inconsistant, with a good deal of it being decent, then particular moments/characters falling flat.

That said, it has still been a really fun roller coaster ride so far. I hope there's a decent chunk left.

Edit: I haven't played any of the Uncharted games, but this is basically what I've always expected them to be, both good and bad.
 
T

ThanksVision

Member
I just beat this game in a sitting (I have a lot of time on my hands) and I quite enjoyed it. I mean, I enjoyed it enough to keep playing, didn't I? Everything about this game is derivative as hell, but that doesn't stop it from being fun. The weapon upgrade system is great, and I liked sneaking around taking out guys with my bow. The combat was fine in my opinion, and platforming seems better than the Uncharted series. Yeah the characters suck but it sorta works for this cheesy origin story. Everything is scripted EVERYTHING, but that adds to that whole cinematic journey thing. So yeah, good game, and I'm glad I played it. I'll definitely look into Tomb Raider 2! Excited to see where they take things.
 
T

TheVampire

Banned
I just got to the part where
Roth
died.
I thought that was soon going to be the end of the game but there is huge chunk more to go!
 
T

Thrakier

Member
When I read about this game I read that it's all about rape. Now I'm playing it and it's all about rope. There is rope everywhere. I don't even know who put it there but if you find rope as disgusting as I do, this game is definitly not for you.
 
T

TripOpt55

Member
Thrakier said:
When I read about this game I read that it's all about rape. Now I'm playing it and it's all about rope. There is rope everywhere. I don't even know who put it there but if you find rope as disgusting as I do, this game is definitly not for you.
Click to expand...

Game is clearly making a statement about rope culture.
 
R

RedSwirl

Junior Member
Finished the game 100% in 15 hours I think.

They turned Tomb Raider into another goddamned shooter.

I just really don't like how they threw in EVERY motherfucking popular action game trope into the mix: cover, XP, skill points, a crafting system, challenges, multiplayer. And as an action game it's really just "okay." Everything works I guess, but it's nowhere near, say, Uncharted 2 in terms of set pieces or level design.

What generally pisses me off though is how everything having to do with exploring, puzzle-solving, or, y'know, tomb raiding, has been thrown into trite optional objectives. The idea of an open-world Tomb Raider game could've been, I don't know, a good Metroidvania or something. But no, I don't feel any real need for exploration in the main quest line. You're basically just waypointed from action sequence to action sequence.

The whole game is just a bunch of popular game design components thrown together in a derivative package that tosses the franchise's former identity to the periphery.

The only thing I can really appreciate here is that they managed to make a game storyline with some actual fucking character development. That's it.

And did turning Tomb Raider into another shooter make it sell enough copies? Nope.
 
SEGAvangelist

SEGAvangelist

Gold Member
Just finished this in 2 days after buying it on the GMG sale. I feel dirty for paying so little. Not sure why they pretend her boobs aren't big like before, though. They are still stupid large, but just more realistic looking in the shape department.
 
eot

eot

Banned
Goddammit.
This game is so well made, from every aspect of the presentation (animation in particular) to the tinest design decisions. You can tell they laboured over every detail and props to Squeenix for giving them the time to do it. There's small stuff like Lara's diaries playing at camps when you're just going through menus anyway, to the checkpointing being consistently amazing. But goddammit, they made a 3rd person shooter. Why did they have to do that? I think the combat is so out of place in this game that I enjoyed the scripted action sequences more than I did the combat, and those are among my least favourite things in gaming.

I had resigned myself to the fact that this wouldn't be a game for me a long time ago, but while playing it I can't not keep seeing the game it could've been, there's hints of it in there. These kind of resources and talent poured into an actual survival / exploration platformer would've been out of this world. The combat just ruins everything, it ruins it simply by taking the place of something else, it ruins it by fucking up the pacing, it ruins it by fucking up the mood etc. In some ways the game reminds me of Arkham Asylum, just with worse pacing, worse exploration and poor balance of different kinds of gameplay. AA was great because of the measured pace, but CoD style shooting segments ruin any chance for that in Tomb Raider.

I don't even know why I enjoyed the game as much as I did, because when I break it down I'm not at peace with it at all. It might just be on the back of how great of a job they did with the character.
 
T

Thrakier

Member
This game is like the perfect mix of uncharted, resi 4 and Zelda. It's so well made, amazing. So much talent right there. The only problem being that the story and the cars aren't believable at all with Lara killing thousands of thugs, bathing in blood and brains. Whatever. It's very gamey and I love it.

The graphics are amazing. At times the PC version looks like CG. Beautiful scenes. And it runs at 60FPS, being very responsive, it's a sheer joy to play. Changing back to Uncharted 3 feels like going back a whole generation.
 
M

Moz La Punk

Member
Played through the game in a few days time. What a ride! Definitely a lot of fun, although the constant switching between climbing and shooting got formulatic fast, also because I've experienced it in three Uncharted-games. Still, glad I've played this.
 
T

Tomodachi

Member
I'm at the last campfire I think, game said something about a point of no return. Can I still get back to the previous areas after I beat the game to get all the relics, journal entries etc?
 
Rhazer Fusion

Rhazer Fusion

Member
Team Vernia said:
Just finished this in 2 days after buying it on the GMG sale. I feel dirty for paying so little. Not sure why they pretend her boobs aren't big like before, though. They are still stupid large, but just more realistic looking in the shape department.
Click to expand...


Stupid large? Uhh...no they are not. They are average size. Not big at all imo and so what if they were large?
 
A

AusRoachman

Member
Wow, just finished the game and was surprised just how good it was, it never once got boring or dragged on despite being a fairly large campaign. Having just got through with crysis 3 and infinite , both of which dragged on and on this was an awesome surprise .

Having never played uncharted I was expecting something very linear in a similar vein but was so glad to see it had hidden treasures, tombs and everything else.

Can't wait for a sequel and an excellent way to reboot Lara croft. I hope they keep the upgradable weapons and items for new areas (underwater perhaps) and tone down the combat (though I still find that really enjoyable). No need for the brutal beat ups now.

Also got to mention the gfx which I think is one of the best looking Xbox games I've played in a long time, some of the vistas and backdrops were stunning. I especially loved the docks where you have giant warships stranded e.t.c

My game of the year so far at least in Xbox .
 
T

Thrakier

Member
Game is really great. Graphics, performance and mechanics are great, traversal is alot of fun. Characters and story are completly forgetable though and how brutally is slaughterin (!) their enemies is disturbing in the context of the game.

Played Last of Us and Tomb Raider neck to neck and I kinda wish a mix of both games. Atmosphere, Story, Chars and Setting from Last of Us. Everything else from Tomb Raider. Would be game of the forever probably.
 
Y

Yopis

Member
Finishing the game now and wow. Great game better than Uncharted imo. Only flaw, even on hard the game is super easy. Have every TR game going back to PS1 era. Don't mind the changes though I hope we get more exploration next time. Really cool for the series to get big production values in the reboot.

Really impressed by the sound quality blew me away in certain spots. Hats off to the team.
 
S

strafer

member
Yopis said:
Finishing the game now and wow. Great game better than Uncharted imo. Only flaw, even on hard the game is super easy. Have every TR game going back to PS1 era. Don't mind the changes though I hope we get more exploration next time. Really cool for the series to get big production values in the reboot.

Really impressed by the sound quality blew me away in certain spots. Hats off to the team.
Click to expand...

Yep, I noticed that too. Really not that hard.

And yeah, the sound is great. :)
 
S

ssowinski

Member
Not bad, not bad at all.

Just finished it, wife watched 80% of it while I played which says something. Very Uncharted-esque for sure but I also enjoyed those titles as well.

Bottom line - if you're looking for classic TR go play it instead, but I enjoyed it for the $40 price tag. If it was $60? Not sure. $30 or less go for it.
 
Arkos

Arkos

Nose how to spell and rede to
Jut started this game on 360-- I'm digging t so far, interested to see here it goes...

... but is it just me or did anybody else feel too "thrown into" the story? I just kind of wake up in the middle of everything (in a bad way) and am supposed to care about shit. I need to at least run Laras obstacle course before im ready to go. Hmm.

Also, whyy so many cutscenes. I just played TLoU and Bioshock Infinite back to back, and while I know not to expect that kind of story telling, I'm really noticing how the game keeps on using short little cutscenes that could just as easily be done with me still in control, and it keeps using canned animations that I feel like are a smoke screen to make the game and environment look and feel more dynamically interactive than it really is. Also I was really expecting to get to play the boat escape. So disappoint.

I'm assuming it will open up, probably just a little more negative than usual since I spoiled myself on great games recently (also finished Ico for the first time)

I did love how easy it is to accidentally knock bottles and shit over and make noise. Tense stealth upcoming? :p
 
D

DieH@rd

Banned
ctkayedisto said:
Jut started this game on 360-- I'm digging t so far, interested to see here it goes...

... but is it just me or did anybody else feel too "thrown into" the story? I just kind of wake up in the middle of everything (in a bad way) and am supposed to care about shit. I need to at least run Laras obstacle course before im ready to go. Hmm.

Also, whyy so many cutscenes. I just played TLoU and Bioshock Infinite back to back, and while I know not to expect that kind of story telling, I'm really noticing how the game keeps on using short little cutscenes that could just as easily be done with me still in control, and it keeps using canned animations that I feel like are a smoke screen to make the game and environment look and feel more dynamically interactive than it really is. Also I was really expecting to get to play the boat escape. So disappoint.

I'm assuming it will open up, probably just a little more negative than usual since I spoiled myself on great games recently (also finished Ico for the first time)

I did love how easy it is to accidentally knock bottles and shit over and make noise. Tense stealth upcoming? :p
Click to expand...

After you kill the wolf, tutorials [and QTE] are done, and after you finish next quest game will start to move quicker.
 
Arkos

Arkos

Nose how to spell and rede to
DieH@rd said:
After you kill the wolf, tutorials [and QTE] are done, and after you finish next quest game will start to move quicker.
Click to expand...

Yes, it definitely did pick up. I decided it wasn't for me though :( Its nice but it's not Tomb Raider-ey enough I guess.

Didn't care for the Lara model or voice actor (English), and it seemed to me like they went too far from OG Tomb Raider in terms of presentation and gameplay. I know it's a reboot, and it is a good game for what it is, it's just not what I was looking for out of the game.

But I only got a little past "A Cry for Help" so take that with a grain of salt
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered | Review Thread
Analysis Review
17
3K
winjer replied
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered – features detailed, new key art Revealed
News 2 3
112
8K
MonkeyClaw36 replied
Tomb Raider Series Adaptation Hires The Marvels Writer
News 2 3 4
167
8K
Negotiator101 replied
Lara Croft Crowned Most Iconic Video Games Character of All Time, According to BAFTA Poll
2 3 4 5
208
7K
ResurrectedContrarian replied
Amazon Games Will Publish Crystal Dynamics' Next Tomb Raider Game
2
53
4K
SmokedMeat replied
Top Bottom