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[ViewtifulJC]

When I was younger, I found EVERYTHING in Donkey Kong 64

everything

Every colored banana, golden banana, battle crown, DK/Nintendo coin, blueprint, Banana fairy, boss key, instrument....

everything

Not a day goes by where I don't ask myself, "Why?"

 

[Amir0x]

It took me around 9 1/2 hours to complete it at 78%.



If they had tied the upgrades for Lara and her guns into the collectibles instead of that silly skill point system, it would have been really nice looking for that stuff.

Isn't there some special secret unlocked if you collect everything? I thought I heard that. Might be incentive enough for many people...

Not a day goes by where I don't ask myself, "Why?"

Seriously that game still gives me nightmares.

 

[nckillthegrimace]

The animal crossing people are a special kind of disturbing to me.

"Disturbing" seems like strong language, especially given how easy it is to understand the appeal. Animal Crossing, like most games, consists of a series of repetitive tasks performed over a period of time. This mirrors the existence of most players, whose lives consist of a series of meaningless, repetitive tasks performed over a period of time until death. The lives of most people are defined by this adherence to dull routine, so I don't see the harm in someone adding one more.

 

[fuenf]

Tomb Raider's gameplay by its nature couldn't facilitate any fun sort of collecting, since it's all mindless, skilless nonsense. But I agree with you. I'm pretty sure the relics, as you say, are probably the best example you'll find of collecting shit that approaches something like 'fun' in TR.

I've got an interesting idea, just play the game instead of judging it by videos and impressions.

 

[RagnarokX]

Well unless that video you watched the guy was hauling ass. I've been playing for a good bit, at least 5-6 hours and exploring and such. If not longer. I'm estimating since there is no timer but I've had 3 good play sessions since starting.

They did some secret tombs, too, but those only take like 5 minutes each. They weren't speed running or anything, they were just going where the game told them to go. I estimated because I watched from multiple sources, but they were about 15 videos in at ~20 minutes per video, 300 minutes, 5 hours. The number of videos some people have uploaded seem to indicate there's quite a bit more to go, but maybe you can tell me how far where I stopped was after you finish so I know how much to be disappointed, or maybe testuo

 

[Raptor]

When I was younger, I found EVERYTHING in Donkey Kong 64

everything

Every colored banana, golden banana, battle crown, DK/Nintendo coin, blueprint, Banana fairy, boss key, instrument....

everything

Not a day goes by where I don't ask myself, "Why?"

Did someone forced you at gun point to get them?

The "why" is irrelevant if there some sort of satisfaction in doing it, maybe having fun in doing it because of the simple fact that playing the game was fun and doing mundane shit in it was fun.

 

[Omega]

Yeah.... sure. He basically lost all credibility he had to me. achievements/trophies are by far worse than any "modern game mechanic" he hates so much, it's funny how contradictory that is.

edit: it's late and my english is bad, I apologize.

not even close. go to sleep, you're obviously tired and not thinking straight

 

[Andrew.]

On normal? I plan on playing Hard as I don't expect normal to give me any challenge. That's such a low length for a game implementing so many features though.

Yeah but there arent any trophies for playing on hard, so don't bother.

 

[Necrovex]

There are people that to this day tell me Donkey Kong 64 was fun

because of the collecting you do

seriously DK64 was the fucking worst

i could see collecting being fun when the collectible is basically just a glorified goal and the whole fun is in getting to the collectible - lots of obstacles in your way, challenges, etc. Of course, that won't be the case in Tomb Raider with its nonsense platforming and skilless, challengeless gameplay, but collecting COULD be fun in that sense if a game tried at all.

Maybe it was because I was a lot younger when DK64 came out, but I loved collecting everything in it....Yeah, it's probably the child inside me who had nothing but time on hand who declared that. I couldn't imagine putting that much time in getting everything nowadays.

Like I am ignoring in Sly 4, I will be skipping collecting shit in Tomb Raider. If I find it, awesome. If not, I am not going to go out of my way or waste my time getting everything.

Edit: I almost wrote that I loved Animal Crossing, then I realized I haven't touched the series since the Gamecube era.

 

[Amir0x]

I've got an interesting idea, just play the game instead of judging it by videos and impressions.

I have played it in demo form, sorry to break the illusion. And read endless impressions, previews, reviews, etc. Every single issue I have is confirmed even in the 10/10 reviews. So, if for some reason playing the segment I played WASN'T enough to confirm all fears, every single detail ever released for the game would confirm it anyway.

Not that this is shocking: contrary to popular belief, one doesn't need to experience something all the way through to know if it's good or bad for them. One simply needs to educate themselves on what the title is about, and make a fairly simple conclusion based on what ones taste has been to date. Unless you're completely unfamiliar with what you think about on a daily basis, there's an extremely tiny chance of being wrong about it. Granted, it does happen less than 1% of the time, but it certainly has never happened to me for a game I researched (and played) this extensively before.

 

[Zeth]

Any news or impressions on the PC version yet? Hope we don't have to wait until release day..

 

[ViewtifulJC]

Like DKC2 has my favorite collectibles, because they're cleverly hidden and acquiring them actually does things(like, unlocking the Lost World), on top of being mostly ignorable if you just want to enjoy the fine platforming action and awesome music. DKC3 was like, "hoo boy, if people like collecting stuff in DKC2, wait until we give them TWICE AS MUCH STUFF, TWICE THE FUN RIGHT!?" No, Rare, it's starting to get a bit tedious, but at the least the actual gameplay is still charming and challenging, and actually quite pretty.

And DK64, the collecting IS the gameplay. It's a virtual shopping list. Collect-a-thon: da game. The ultimate form of Rareware's obsession with useless trinkets(and lest you forget, this is the same damn company that put a collectathon in a kart racer AND a third-person shooter).

 

[Derrick01]

Yeah but there arent any trophies for playing on hard, so don't bother.

I'm playing on PC so I don't have to worry about any of that stuff.

What I am worried about since it's a cinematic AAA game, is that normal difficulty is most likely what very easy was 10+ years ago. And due to excessive checkpoints as people here have already described, Hard will probably feel like an old Normal game at best.

 

[RagnarokX]

Did someone forced you at gun point to get them?

The "why" is irrelevant if there some sort of satisfaction in doing it, maybe having fun in doing it because of the simple fact that playing the game was fun and doing mundane shit in it was fun.

The problem with shitty collectibles is that I HATE to not 100% a game, but collecting shit that isn't really challenging and just monotonous is BORING.

 

[Mad_Ban]

Sorry if this has been asked; but are there any comparisons/impressions of differences between the PS3/360 versions?

 

[Andrew.]

What I am worried about since it's a cinematic AAA game, is that normal difficulty is most likely what very easy was 10+ years ago. And due to excessive checkpoints as people here have already described, Hard will probably feel like an old Normal game at best.

Yeah that's generally been the feel of most games nowadays. I always skip Normal. Normal is todays Easy. Hard is today's Normal etc

And do the TR collectibles unlock anything or is it just for XP and skill tree building?

"Camilla photoshoot unlocked!"

 

[Amir0x]

And DK64, the collecting IS the gameplay. It's a virtual shopping list. Collect-a-thon: da game. The ultimate form of Rareware's obsession with useless trinkets(and lest you forget, this is the same damn company that put a collectathon in a kart racer AND a third-person shooter).

Hehe, speaking of that...

This Penny Arcade comic sums up the Rare collectathoning shit pretty easily

 

[Baconsammy]

Sorry if this has been asked; but are there any comparisons/impressions of differences between the PS3/360 versions?

Nope. Just started seeing PS3 footage show up today via a French stream. Looked pretty good to me.

 

[Ninjimbo]

I got soured on collectables playing GTA3 way back when. The amount of stuff they had you do to get 100% in the game was insane to the point it made me realize that trying to complete a game is basically meaningless. You get nothing tangible out of it, so why bother?

To me, the games that do collectables right are pretty slim. The worst offenders are the Arkham games. I think Arkham City had like 200-some Ridley trophies. I could barely stand to get ten. I can't imagine what it was like to try and grab hundreds of them and considering the trials you have to go through to nab some of them, god, no thanks; I'm good playing the campaign and leaving it there.

Tomb Raider Legend did it right. The levels weren't big, and finding the important relics that granted costumes and weapon unlocks usually involved finding alternate solutions to the established puzzles. There weren't tons of relics and they were, for the most part, easy to find. You were in an out.

 

[dreamfall]

I kind of secretly love the collect-a-thon aspect. In some ways, it allows me to continue to explore certain areas just to ensure that I find that object, while also giving me more of an incentive to see so many in-game locations that I may have glossed over.

I loved Arkham City's Riddler challenges, and am one of those "let's collect all the secret packages" in every GTA title to just enjoy the open world. I hope this game has some good exploring/collecting of relics, even if the puzzle aspect has been diminished.

Edit: Crazy that we posted at the same time Ninjimbo, and our posts directly contrast! AMAZING!

Totally agree with you on older Tomb Raider games doing it right- the incentive to collect, for alternate outfits and level completion, just felt good. And it felt much more manageable than some of the other collecting hunts I've taken!

 

[RagnarokX]

Tomb Raider's gameplay by its nature couldn't facilitate any fun sort of collecting, since it's all mindless, skilless nonsense. But I agree with you. I'm pretty sure the relics, as you say, are probably the best example you'll find of collecting shit that approaches something like 'fun' in TR.

Maybe someone whose played the game can correct me, but I saw players collect relics in the youtube videos and they weren't all that well hidden. Plus, when you complete a secret tomb, which scream "THERE'S A SECRET TOMB NEARBY!" when you get close to one and have glowing paint pointing to them and (of the 3 I've seen) are pretty short and easy, your map gets updated showing you where the relics are.

 

[Andrew.]

This Penny Arcade comic sums up the Rare collectathoning shit pretty easily

lmao

 

[Raptor]

The problem with shitty collectibles is that I HATE to not 100% a game, but collecting shit that isn't really challenging and just monotonous is BORING.

I like collectibles in games that I actually love the gameplay of it, I agree that getting 100% in a game where the gameplay isnot that great could get boring real fast, but a game where the simple fact for running around, jumping, climbing, etc is fun to do collecting stuff is a lot of fun.

But Im the kind of person that enjoyed a lot getting 100% in RDR, picking up flowers was fun to me there lol.

 

[RagnarokX]

Hehe, speaking of that...

This Penny Arcade comic sums up the Rare collectathoning shit pretty easily

 

[Derrick01]

I got soured on collectables playing GTA3 way back when. The amount of stuff they had you do to get 100% in the game was insane to the point it made me realize that trying to complete a game is basically meaningless. You get nothing tangible out of it, so why bother?

To me, the games that do collectables right are pretty slim. The worst offenders are the Arkham games. I think Arkham City had like 200-some Ridley trophies. I could barely stand to get ten. I can't imagine what it was like to try and grab hundreds of them and considering the trials you have to go through to nab some of them, god, no thanks; I'm good playing the campaign and leaving it there.

Tomb Raider Legend did it right. The levels weren't big, and finding the important relics that granted costumes and weapon unlocks usually involved finding alternate solutions to the established puzzles. There weren't tons of relics and they were, for the most part, easy to find. You were in an out.

Arkham City handled it pretty well I think. Yeah there was a lot but not many were just sitting around in the open, serving no purpose. Most of them you had to solve some gadget based puzzle or skill based puzzles like carefully maneuvering the remote batarang in very tight areas. And then in both Batman games the more Riddler stuff you do in the campaign the more challenge rooms you unlock.

Speaking of GTA, San Andreas went overboard. There's something like 500 collectibles in that game spread out over several different items like oysters and graffiti tags.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

Hehe, speaking of that...

This Penny Arcade comic sums up the Rare collectathoning shit pretty easily

I think one of the funniest bits in BK: Nuts and Bolts was that collectathon intro

Now then, in line with Banjo tradition, your challenge will consist of collecting as many pointless objects as possible.

And I do really like the Arkham Riddler ones, since you usally have to solve a puzzle/riddle or figure out a way around the environment to get them. City is good too, but the place is just so damn big, I couldn't possibly find them all. I prefer Asylum's metroidvania style approach. Both great games, though!

 

[RagnarokX]

I like collectibles in games that I actually love the gameplay of it, I agree that getting 100% in a game where the gameplay isnot that great could get boring real fast, but a game where the simple fact for running around, jumping, climbing, etc is fun to do collecting stuff is a lot of fun.

But Im the kind of person that enjoyed a lot getting 100% in RDR, picking up flowers was fun to me there lol.

But the gameplay in inFamous is fun. Finding blast shards is not. GTA San Andreas is fun. Finding hidden packages is not.

Finding Riddler Trophies is fun, you have to solve puzzles to get them.

 

[DukeBobby]

What? You don't like coffee?

At least the manuscript pages were cool.

God, those coffee thermoses were the fucking worst. I managed to find 99 of them, but I could never find the last one.

I like collectables that give more insight into the story, such as the audio diaries in Bioshock. Glad to see them returning in Infinite.

Arkham City handled it pretty well I think. Yeah there was a lot but not many were just sitting around in the open, serving no purpose. Most of them you had to solve some gadget based puzzle or skill based puzzles like carefully maneuvering the remote batarang in very tight areas. And then in both Batman games the more Riddler stuff you do in the campaign the more challenge rooms you unlock.

Arkham Asylum handled them far better than City, in my opinion. Arkham City had too many annoying switch based puzzles (not to mention having to destroy balloons and security cameras) and not enough actual riddles to solve. Also, 400 trophies was far too many.

 

[Baconsammy]

But the gameplay in inFamous is fun. Finding blast shards is not. GTA San Andreas is fun. Finding hidden packages is not.

Finding Riddler Trophies is fun, you have to solve puzzles to get them.

It was fun.

 

[antitrop]

I think Riddler Trophies are pretty much the holy grail of collectibles of this generation.

 

[Raptor]

But the gameplay in inFamous is fun. Finding blast shards is not. GTA San Andreas is fun. Finding hidden packages is not.

Finding Riddler Trophies is fun, you have to solve puzzles to get them.

Getting all the Orbs in Crackdown was amazing, Those Batman AA/AC collectibles we incredible to get too, gameplay in this games is great IMO though.

I love that stuff.

 

[Frillen]

Might get the game on Saturday.

 

[dreamfall]

But the gameplay in inFamous is fun. Finding blast shards is not. GTA San Andreas is fun. Finding hidden packages is not.

Finding Riddler Trophies is fun, you have to solve puzzles to get them.

I like both- puzzles to gain collectibles and the pick up collectathons. I think in inFamous it provided something else to do while flying all over the environment. And I kept wanting to scour Empire City for more of them, to upgrade powers!

I think Riddler Trophies are pretty much the holy grail of collectibles of this generation.

Completely agree.

 

[dEvAnGeL]

Sorry if this has been asked; but are there any comparisons/impressions of differences between the PS3/360 versions?

yes there is, a video from CVG and by the looks of it the ps3 version has an advantage on image quality but some people here say that the site is biased and what not, other say they been playing the game on 360 and that it looks nothing like showed on the video, i for one don't mind since im playing it on the pc but you ask so here is the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svlHuWlAGvM&list=UUFiHjGyrJux8Rt4e6mUPU-w&index=7

 

[GMM]

Pre-ordered the game on Amazon. If i read it correctly i will get an activation key tomorrow so i can activate it on Steam and pre-load the game for the 5th?

 

[dEvAnGeL]

Pre-ordered the game on Amazon. If i read it correctly i will get an activation key tomorrow so i can activate it on Steam and pre-load the game for the 5th?

ive read something similar on another site, seems we will be able to preload this baby!

 

[Wasp]

To me, the games that do collectables right are pretty slim. The worst offenders are the Arkham games. I think Arkham City had like 200-some Ridley trophies. I could barely stand to get ten. I can't imagine what it was like to try and grab hundreds of them and considering the trials you have to go through to nab some of them, god, no thanks; I'm good playing the campaign and leaving it there.

You might have a point about Arkham City which was a bit collectable overkill but I loved the collectables in Arkham Asylum.

I liked how they all appeared on the map (after you've found the map) but the icons wobbled around a bit showing that there's a collectable in that general area but doesn't pin point exactly where. So instead of simply placing your player cursor directly on top of the collectable marker you still had to hunt around a bit which felt much more satisfying.

 

[Ninjimbo]

Arkham City handled it pretty well I think. Yeah there was a lot but not many were just sitting around in the open, serving no purpose. Most of them you had to solve some gadget based puzzle or skill based puzzles like carefully maneuvering the remote batarang in very tight areas. And then in both Batman games the more Riddler stuff you do in the campaign the more challenge rooms you unlock.

Speaking of GTA, San Andreas went overboard. There's something like 500 collectibles in that game spread out over several different items like oysters and graffiti tags.

I think it's because I don't find Batman's gadget abilities all that interesting. I gave some of those challenges a try, but it never felt as satisfying as taking a group of thugs or doing the faux-stealth game sections. The Riddler puzzles have always felt unnecessary to me. I don't rag on them too much though because the campaigns are just the right length.

And yeah, there's a reason why I haven't played a GTA since GTA3: too much periphery content with the same busted core. I can only play the game through the co-op of GTA4.

 

[-tetsuo-]

On normal? I plan on playing Hard as I don't expect normal to give me any challenge. That's such a low length for a game implementing so many features though.

Played on Hard.

 

[Amir0x]

Played on Hard.

You just opened a new level of Derrick01's brain melting lol

 

[SlasherJPC]

Maybe someone whose played the game can correct me, but I saw players collect relics in the youtube videos and they weren't all that well hidden. Plus, when you complete a secret tomb, which scream "THERE'S A SECRET TOMB NEARBY!" when you get close to one and have glowing paint pointing to them and (of the 3 I've seen) are pretty short and easy, your map gets updated showing you where the relics are.

Some are some are not. As for the secret Tombs. Yes pretty obvious from the three I did but the puzzles in each are mildly fun so far. What I do find funny is the atmosphere in the small tombs is pretty damn sweet as well.

 

[dreamfall]

For the best collect-a-thons, I think there needs to be a combination explorative rewarding experiences, puzzle based challenges and incentives to collect.

Both Batman titles had all three. I also like concept art unlocks, or in game weapon unlocks (like the old GTA games). But I mostly love unlockable outfits. Red Dead handled this beautifully too with their challenge system. Hell, the treasure maps were awesome as well!

 

[Eideka]

I hope Eurogamer will do a face off between the three versions. I'm eager to see what they have to say about the PC SKU.

 

[dreamfall]

Some are some are not. As for the secret Tombs. Yes pretty obvious from the three I did but the puzzles in each are mildly fun so far. What I do find funny is the atmosphere in the small tombs is pretty damn sweet as well.

Well, that is reassuring to hear, even if they are smaller. Anyway to turn off those Hud messages about the secrets being nearby?

 

[Andrew.]

Red Dead handled this beautifully too with their challenge system. Hell, the treasure maps were awesome as well!

Holy shit I completely forgot about how well RDR implemented the collecting. Now THAT was really well done.

 

[RagnarokX]

Well, that is reassuring to hear, even if they are smaller. Anyway to turn off those Hud messages about the secrets being nearby?

The 3 I saw were 1 room puzzles, and the rooms were pretty similar to each other with minor differences, with the same treasure chest full of XP and a relic map as the prize.

 

[antitrop]

I hope Eurogamer will do a face off between the three versions. I'm eager to see what they have to say about the PC SKU.

Considering this new TressFX bullshit, I would expect it.

 

[Eideka]

Considering this new TressFX bullshit, I would expect it.

Yeah, it makes a world of a difference I think. I was sceptical at first but now I'm freakin' ecstatic to see how it looks in motion.

That's a great addition to the PC version, thank you based Nixxes.

 

[Lime]

Played on Hard.

Is hard actually tougher in terms of enemy AI and puzzles or is it simply a "enemies do more damage pr. shot so you have to stay more in cover?" Just curious.

 

[dreamfall]

The 3 I saw were 1 room puzzles, and the rooms were pretty similar to each other with minor differences, with the same treasure chest full of XP and a relic map as the prize.

GAH! Shattering my reassurance in a heartbeat! The same relic map!? That sounds a bit lazy.

Fuck! Differing impressions from GAF, the only source I trust!