Tomb Raider |OT| Lara's Misfortune

Loving it so far.
 
Diving in!

The bowl is packed with the freshest of greens and the tequila is chillin.

Ooh an update already eh? PS3 version..

Let you guys know what I think in a bit.
 
This puzzle with the wind flapping through the windows is making me feel stupid. And I even know exactly how to complete it I just can't... do it.
 
So stunning on PC.
I really dig it, sure it's a new kind of game, but it still has that Crystal Dynamics charm - there is also this Remedy quality to the environments to it, love the atmosphere.
 
In what way? U2 was great to me because of the characters, refined shooting and graphics/sound.

I think Tomb Raider has quite different strengths besides graphics.
It's a shame there's now the versus thread, because it splits debate, but I think it's better in virtually every way, with the exception of pure combat. I think UC2 is a better shooter, but the combat design, how you're able to move around the maps while in an encounter, and continue to pick people off, is just a lot more liberating. And while the game seems too easy on normal, there's still a sense of pressure in combat, probably because I'm moving all over the place, unlike in Uncharted where I have a much greater sense of where everyone is at any one time.

I understand the Uncharted comparison, of course, but it's a different beast, and I think those differences just make for a game I prefer. If it's 'better', from some objective standpoint, is way beyond something I could state, but it has mood, and mystery, and exciting encounters, and it's really beautiful.

There's probably also a nostalgia aspect to it, I've played through all the Tomb Raiders (I didn't finish one of the PS1 ones, five I think), but really I haven't cared about them since the second one. Tomb Raider holds an importance place to me, and I'm very happy to care about one of them again. Uncharted is cool, but I could never play it again, and never care.
 
The challenge tomb or the main story?

Would have to be the tomb. Remember me complaining about button mashing as a mechanic?

No? Well anyway fuck that bit.

It's a shame there's now the versus thread, because it splits debate, but I think it's better in virtually every way, with the exception of pure combat. I think UC2 is a better shooter, but the combat design, how you're able to move around the maps while in an encounter, and continue to pick people off, is just a lot more liberating. And while the game seems too easy on normal, there's still a sense of pressure in combat, probably because I'm moving all over the place, unlike in Uncharted where I have a much greater sense of where everyone is at any one time.

I understand the Uncharted comparison, of course, but it's a different beast, and I think those differences just make for a game I prefer. If it's 'better', from some objective standpoint, is way beyond something I could state, but it has mood, and mystery, and exciting encounters, and it's really beautiful.

There's probably also a nostalgia aspect to it, I've played through all the Tomb Raiders (I didn't finish one of the PS1 ones, five I think), but really I haven't cared about them since the second one. Tomb Raider holds an importance place to me, and I'm very happy to care about one of them again. Uncharted is cool, but I could never play it again, and never care.

That is all fair enough. I'll be interested in your thoughts when you finish it to see if your conclusion changes. I think as the game goes on they get more and more different and harder to compare.
 
I've run into some glitches, but I'm worried that this one may be very bad. Please help!

I killed a "mini boss" enemy with a large shield/machete. He dropped a "Weapon Part" but I wasn't sure exactly what it was, maybe a bow part? Anyway, the text went by quickly and I didn't see what that memo said.

So, I go to a campfire and I can't find out how to activate this "Weapon Part". It doesn't seem to show up as an option for any of the weapons. Did this glitch up and I don't have that item or is there a special place that I need to go to use it? Thanks.
 
Seems like the Steam numbers peaked at just under 30k concurrent for now anyway, that probably makes SE happy. It's not Deus Ex numbers but that's still an estimated 280-300k PC sales.
 
Yo.

Guys.

This game is fucking gorgeous (playing on a 55" LED)

I know Im only in this beginning cave but...

cot damn.

That is all.
 
Yo.

Guys.

This game is fucking gorgeous (playing on a 55" LED)

I know Im only in this beginning cave but...

cot damn.

That is all.
It gets a whole lot better, wait till you see all the rain, and lightning, it's obscene.
That is all fair enough. I'll be interested in your thoughts when you finish it to see if your conclusion changes. I think as the game goes on they get more and more different and harder to compare.
I'm sure I'll post when I'm finished.
 
Seems like the Steam numbers peaked at just under 30k concurrent for now anyway, that probably makes SE happy. It's not Deus Ex numbers but that's still an estimated 280-300k PC sales.
I'm amused that it's been selling less than the Arma 3 Alpha all day.

Outside of DayZ I didn't think that franchise had the selling power.
 
The Best Buy prologue comic is kinda cool, got me a little excited for the story. I know everyone here says the story isn't anything special, but I hope I enjoy it at least somewhat.

Wondering if I should pick up some beers on the way home or if I should play this sober. Decisions, decisions.
 
Wondering if I should pick up some beers on the way home or if I should play this sober. Decisions, decisions.
Absolutely some beer.
I played the first several hours after some decent hash last night and it was an incredible experience.
Playing sober today, still pretty awesome, as my running commentary throughout the day has displayed.

The lowest point of the entire game, so far, has been the second tomb puzzle, as I described above. The enemy AI is also notably bad.
Highest point has been... pretty much everything other than those two things.

The music is too sparse for my tastes, but when it does show up it's appropriately cinematic. The animation is outstanding on Lara, especially when she's moving around cover.

I haven't been running into all the same PC port issues as others have, thank God. With all settings near-maxed (including Post Processing, Tesselation, Exclusive Fullscreen, and whatever that other ridiculously named features is) and TressfFX off, I've been getting locked 60fps in the vast majority of areas without even a single crash on a GTX 590.
 
The AI can be convincing. Guy taking cover, climing up a building and then roping towards me - was cool to see but was the exception.

edit: drugs are bad :p
 
Absolutely some beer.
I played the first several hours after some decent hash last night and it was an incredible experience.
Playing sober today, still pretty awesome, as my running commentary throughout the day has displayed.

Very well, beers it is. Maybe I'll just go all out and order some pizza and just pig out.
 
It honestly does keep getting better in a way that many, many other games do not.

This game is pretty much the mirror image of what a graph would look like of my typical enjoyment level of a game.
 
I wish I bought the PC version now. The PS3 version is fine in single player but the multiplayer's framerate is horrendous. I guess it isn't a big loss seeing as the multiplayer kinda sucks anyways but I was hoping to at least get some trophies out of it.
 
It honestly does keep getting better in a way that many, many other games do not.

This game is pretty much the mirror image of what a graph would look like of my typical enjoyment level of a game.

The real question is, "Is it better than Spec Ops?"

...

imiGgIHk5anew.gif
 
The Play Arts figure from the CE is really nice looking. My only gripe is that the cool paint apps they used for the dirt didn't get put on the elbow or wrist ball joints.
 
Final thoughts (no spoilers). Keep in mind I'm from the old and jaded camp and this is not the tomb raider game I wanted. However I'm more than ready to enjoy a game if it is good. This one more or less is to a point.

Liked:

* The graphics are great on pc and I enjoyed TressFX. Plenty of variety in locations and lara looks great.
* The game runs really well (AMD). No crashes and was playable with high settings on a pretty old PC. Only glitch was occasionally a chain fence wouldn't render so I thought I was stuck on nothing.
* I normally hate pointless collecting but for some reason enjoyed it here. There is a bit of a focus on this, so if you do not like finding five unicorn testicles just because, then the game will grind on you as it opens up. The progression of new skills to find items is nicely balanced.
* Lara moves great, and platforming elements like the climbing gear keep that aspect fun enough.
* it is long enough but not "too long". It doesn't die after a strong start and then drag things out like Deus Ex or Sleeping Dogs.
* some of the elements like wind were integrated in nice ways (albeit very rarely and with one big exception)

Not so good:

* every character that wasn't Lara was more or less throw away. The story isn't all that good.
* Despite liking tressfx and the feeling I had something cool to play with on my pc, it was buggy and seemed to get worse the longer the game went on (pony tail vanishing etc). Eventually I turned it off.
* The ai on normal is completely brain dead. A lot of people have praised that enemies "lose you" but they should at least react when you shoot them after. Enemies do not take cover properly (they half do) and the dodge move (like in most games with a counter) is too OP. there is no skill in the timing at all.
* There is zero challenge in the game on normal. You should only die from QTEs and will always have massive amounts of ammo. Health regenerates way too fast meaning you can get through any combat situation pretty much the same way.
* You learn pretty quickly that the collecting and xp is conpletely worthless from a practical sense. This is ok the first time through, but kills any replay value for me.
* button mashing in QTEs is awful. Making it a regular mechanic for opening things? No no no.
* I didn't really enjoy the optional tombs. They were way too short and kind of insulting. Had they strung all of them together into one area? It would have been one of the best.

Overall? I really enjoyed the game and highly recommend it. However I also feel it is a bit of a throw away experience and doubt I will ever return to it. There just isn't enough depth or a good enough story to bring me back.

I would rent, buy cheap (pc) or be prepared to resell when you are done.
 
I'm really enjoying the game and would still be playing, but the game froze during a cut scene while I was
climbing the communication tower.
. Gonna go grab some ice cream and come back to keep on trucking. 360 version.
 
I finally completed the game: wow, just wow.

Easily one of my favorite games this generation and definitely my favorite Tomb Raider. I loved everything about it (except maybe that one gunfight level in the middle). The ending level was fantastic, the pacing and music was sublime during the last 2h. Seriously it's everything I hoped Uncharted 3 would be and I think as a game I might even prefer it to Uncharted 2.

I'm glad I took my time completing game (I guess 20h played over the course of 6 days) and I really hope there'll be a (new) Tomb Raider 2 in a few years.
 
This game is one of the most technically and visually accomplished games of the generation to the point it almost looks next-gen sometimes. I find it even more impressive than the Uncharted games. Bigger character models, seamless world, better lighting and physics, more of the geometry is actually climbable, the animation is on par if not better particularly the jump animation. Very impressed.
 
If I were to make a graph of Tomb Raider (up to this point), it would start somewhere in the middle, steadily rise up until the jumping puzzle of the second tomb, drop down to somewhere below 0, then immediately rise back up to where it was before and continue increasing.
 
How are people finding hard difficulty? Is it pretty easy?

Incredibly easy, it feels like easy mode in most games. I died once in the tutorial from a missed QTE prompt and haven't died again unless I chose to for experimentation purposes (this game does have some sweet death animations after all).
 
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