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Tomb Raider |OT| Lara's Misfortune

Spazznid

Member
no thinks.

Hopefully this Uncharted-style of games and Drake style of characters go away to the forgotten land of no return as soon as possible.

Some people in this thread seem to have come in here with the predetermined purpose of hating on the game even thought they knew they weren't into the style of game it is.

Like going into the Bioshock Infinite thread and saying, "I hate shooters, what's up guys?"

I find it hard to appreciate any of your opinions on this genre when you clearly dislike the genre in general.
 

-tetsuo-

Unlimited Capacity
Pretty sure if this game does well we are going to see more automated everything in games.

Tomb Raider didn't do a lot of unique stuff but it did successfully incorporate in AUTOMATIC COVER into a TPS. You can bet your ass people will be copying that shit. Not only that but the game automatically switches your weapon for you if you are low on ammo among other automatic actions like crouching when you need it so no need for a crouch button.

Compared to many AAA games last year that were garbage (RE6, AC3, D3), Tomb Raider is a decent entry in the cinematic action genre. I would rate it around 7-8 right now, I think I have like less than 20 minutes left in the game. I think a sequel has a lot of room for improvement and can instantly remove many of the issues in this game by establishing Lara as a bona fide heroine at the start of the next game. Not that this game doesn't establish it by the time you beat it... Lara's adventures and harrowing sequences make Drake look like an amateur. The girl's got balls of steel.

You slippin man. First, DmC is "quite possibly not even that bad really" and now Tomb Raider Lara Croft makes Drake look like a bitch.
 

Dahbomb

Member
You slippin man. First, DmC is "quite possibly not even that bad really" and now Tomb Raider Lara Croft makes Drake look like a bitch.
Regardless of quality between the two franchises (UC2 > TR right now, TR is about equivalent to UC3 maybe a bit better).... there is no question that Lara has bigger balls than Drake. Goes through absolutely harrowing and shitty experiences, doesn't even make a one liner complaint about it except for that "I hate tombs" line which like I said before anyone would've wanted out of that place if they were in that situation.
 
Finished yesterday, collected my thoughts today. Posted wordy version on Giant Bomb (https://www.giantbomb.com/tomb-raider/3030-27312/user-reviews/2200-25396), bulletpoint version here:
  • Recreating and humanizing the transformation of Lara from inexperienced and insecure to walking death machine was a mixed bag, but compared to Far Cry 3, it was masterfully done.
  • A lot of emphasis on survival for a game with no survival elements. Armchair developer in me says give her a health bar that replenishes via hunting and gathering if you're going to have hunting and gathering and survival talk. Otherwise, leave it out.
  • Metroidvania elements are nice, but not executed in a way that I find particularly rewarding. Lara ends up far more capable than she starts off, but I prefer power spikes and plateaus to enjoy them in to the steady rise/grind leveling up and equipment mods offer.
  • Combat is really good, but I wish I wasn't forced to do so much of it, particularly in the final third or so of the game.
  • Maybe flesh out the stealth a bit more. I liked stealth in this game--until I messed up and it became a generic corridor cover shooter with enemy waves. My guess is, they weren't planning on making a stealth game and maybe it was a happy accident, but Arkham Asylum style stealth optional gameplay would have made me very happy.
  • The game isn't as linear as many people were afraid it would be, which is great. The game and narrative doesn't encourage not playing linearly, and there is not reason not to, which is less great.
  • Tomb puzzles were pretty good, but take less time to solve than to get to, making them not worth it to me.

Overall, a solid game that can go some very interesting places with its sequel, but I'm not counting on it.
 

-tetsuo-

Unlimited Capacity
Yea I agree. She goes through hell in this game. The worst part I think was (mid game spoiler)
you were doing the bell puzzle just after escaping the Oni. You complete the puzzle and you are rewarded with her falling straight through the floor from the upper level and slamming into the ground, run down the burning hall and bust through 2 bridges
. Me and my boys watching me play just shook our heads and started laughing.
 

L00P

Member
I just found out that there are missing effects when playing in full screen in the PC version. WTF man how did this slip QA
 

Redhood

Member
So I ended the game with 85% status. and here is my review.

The graphics were amazing. I did not even notice the bad hair, 2d nails and boot buckle. The soundtrack was disappointing. It was just drums and pretty forgettable. Main theme is the only thing that stuck with me. None of the other music has left an impression. The story was ok.
My fav part would be when mathias is about to sacrifice sam and the wind blows and fire stops.
That was my wtf moment. The story did had supernatural elements [liar karl].The game had just the right amount of gameplay time. The hubs were large and fun. My fav would be mountain village hub and coastal hub. The enemies were a bit of a letdown. They were generic and didn't required much strategy. The AI was dogy sometimes. I would kill a guy and the person standing next to him will say "you hear something and will go on to investigate the sound. Ignoring lara and his dead "brother". Some rpg elements were lame. The optional tombs were a joke most of them. Why did they called them optional tombs? They could have said hidden tombs. Optional downplays there value. The tomb with the plane was good. The one with jerrycans was insulating. I missed the traps. There should had been some traps atleast. I hated the fact that each optional tomb only gave some salvage. They could had given some artifact in the inventory to view. The salvages were too much and generic looking. The bow is barrels of fun. I never used any other weapon. The QTE were a bit more, They could had dialed down them a bit. I loved
using the twin pistols in the end
. Lets hope there is dlc. All in all amazing game. 8/10
Lets hope cd adds more in the sequel.
 

Dahbomb

Member
Health kit reliant health bar in this game would've made the combat fairly difficult in Hard mode for the average gamer. I would be fine by it but most gamers would complain.

Off topic (or not really) but TR came out at the perfect time with that Tropes vs Women in Gaming video. At least TR keeps the tropes against women at a low in the game.
 

george_us

Member
I personally love the fact that Lara doesn't even bother to bandage that horrific
stab wound
she gets at the beginning of the game. Lara suffers through some demi-god levels of punishment with barely a scratch.
 
This game needs a crushing mode. I seriously feel like I must be playing on very easy mode. Everything feels automated and purposely easy. And why didn't they just implement a co-op mode a la UC2/3's survival mode??
 

Dahbomb

Member
I personally love the fact that Lara doesn't even bother to bandage that horrific
stab wound
she gets at the beginning of the game. Lara suffers through some demi-god levels of punishment with barely a scratch.
She does patch that up and in a later sequence in the game the wounds open up so you have to find a kit/get help.

I mean it's fairly loose but compared to the other stuff she goes through in the game the stab wound detail is fairly negligible.
 

Varna

Member
I just found out that there are missing effects when playing in full screen in the PC version. WTF man how did this slip QA

All I've seen is missing EFFECT. That awful lens flare. It's more then just that?

Still pretty terrible that it slipped past QA though.
 
Holy shit. Just played some of
unholy cave
part. INSANE. I jumped when
one of them popped up all crazy and trying to kill me when I was exploring the cave.

I mean SHEEEEEEEET. Just needed to post this cause damn.
 

DukeBobby

Member
Holy shit. Just played some of
unholy cave
part. INSANE. I jumped when
one of them popped up all crazy and trying to kill me when I was exploring the cave.

I mean SHEEEEEEEET. Just needed to post this cause damn.

My favourite area in the game. They totally nailed the atmosphere.
 
Absolutely LOVING this game. Uncharted 2 was my console game of this generation and this is right up in that same non stop exciting gameplay. I didn't really expect the developers to pull through with their vision but man am I happy to eat crow.
 
I mean it's fairly loose but compared to the other stuff she goes through in the game the stab wound detail is fairly negligible.

Lara walks off getting caught in a bear trap, falling flat on her back enough times to shatter everyone of her ribs and turn her spine into dust. Getting dynamite thrown at her constantly, walking through fire, hot steam blown in her face and enough explosions to make her go deaf and sear her skin 6 shades darker than it actually is.

The bums on the island never stood a chance
 
Health kit reliant health bar in this game would've made the combat fairly difficult in Hard mode for the average gamer. I would be fine by it but most gamers would complain.

I agree. The health bar idea is just my knee jerk response off the top of my head to all the game's very specific emphasis on the word "survival" and the inclusion of hunting and gathering mechanics that don't really adequately reflect what I associate with survival. Sure, she's surviving against the Solarii, but her motivations in the game aren't so much survival is it is rescuing people and feeling bad about being responsible for them being there in the first place.
 

spirity

Member
no thinks.

Hopefully this Uncharted-style of games and Drake style of characters go away to the forgotten land of no return as soon as possible.

I really like this style of game. Spectacular set pieces, likable protagonists, a dash of shooting, a dash of shimmying, a dash of adventuring. Uncharted and Tomb Raider are thoroughly enjoyable romps and long may game designers make them.

But I also like other types of games, ones where your imagination is required, where you're encouraged to be creative, where there's a difficulty curve to master.

There's room enough for both, and I can appreciate the qualities of both.
 
I personally love the fact that Lara doesn't even bother to bandage that horrific
stab wound
she gets at the beginning of the game. Lara suffers through some demi-god levels of punishment with barely a scratch.

I'm pretty sure she takes to it later on, or was that some other wound
in the helicopter
.
 

TheExodu5

Banned

This is pretty awesome:

tr_uncharted_by_oxxxxxashxxxxxo-d3fl739.jpg
 

Dahbomb

Member
See, more like "I hate Set-pieces, action movies, cheesy plots, violence, tanktops, LOST, and gunplay in third-person, what's up guys?"
I like set pieces, I love action movies, I can generally stand cheesy plots in games, I am fine with violence, I am OK with Tanktops, I loved first season of LOST and I enjoy good gunplay in 3rd person games (Vanquish, Gears of War).

Tomb Raider's weaknesses are beyond just these superficial things.

I agree. The health bar idea is just my knee jerk response off the top of my head to all the game's very specific emphasis on the word "survival" and the inclusion of hunting and gathering mechanics that don't really adequately reflect what I associate with survival. Sure, she's surviving against the Solarii, but her motivations in the game aren't so much survival is it is rescuing people and feeling bad about being responsible for them being there in the first place.
The developers of this game were sitting on a gold mine. They could've made a genuine survival game set on the island. Keeping this level of atmosphere, setting and presentation but changing up the mechanics would've made this game a true AAA title unlike other games out there. Add in Tomb Raider-esque puzzle/adventuring and you have a game that would be a solid reboot while adding unique stuff of its own.

Also another reason why the survival aspect of the game wasn't going to pan out is because the game takes place over a span of a couple of days at most (maybe 3-4 days max). There is no urgency to gather food and water in such a short time plus the island was well inhabited prior to their crash landing. Now if they were stranded for a month plus and there were fewer resources/human influences in the game the need for water/food would be greater. They could also have incorporated real RPG elements in the game by you having to make tough survival choices and those choices ending up affecting your relationship with certain crew members.
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
I do agree with a lot of this stuff, but the recent Fallout games have such dreadful shooting mechanics, that all of the weapon and ammo customization seems a bit pointless. Spamming VATS in every combat situation (let's face it, aiming down the sights was crap as enemies moved too quickly for it to be of any use) got incredibly boring after a while, to a point where I began to dread fighting some of the bigger enemies, that took an eternity to die. It also removed a lot of the challenge from the game. I could kill an enemy, hide until my VATS refilled, and then do the same thing again. This is not 'using your brain'.

It was no fun at all, and no amount of brilliant writing and great exploration could save that. Same with the Elder scrolls games. I still enjoy the games to an extent, but I do not understand what makes them so brilliant.

You're judging the game as a shooter. It isn't. It's an action RPG that chooses to portray its action elements through shooting. Very few action RPGs actually hold up in the "action" department compared to straight action games (in this case, shooters). Judging New Vegas on those merits is like judging Tomb Raider against... well New Vegas based on its RPG elements.
 

Gold_Loot

Member
Pretty sure if this game does well we are going to see more automated everything in games.

Tomb Raider didn't do a lot of unique stuff but it did successfully incorporate in AUTOMATIC COVER into a TPS. You can bet your ass people will be copying that shit. Not only that but the game automatically switches your weapon for you if you are low on ammo among other automatic actions like crouching when you need it so no need for a crouch button.

Compared to many AAA games last year that were garbage (RE6, AC3, D3), Tomb Raider is a decent entry in the cinematic action genre. I would rate it around 7-8 right now, I think I have like less than 20 minutes left in the game. I think a sequel has a lot of room for improvement and can instantly remove many of the issues in this game by establishing Lara as a bona fide heroine at the start of the next game. Not that this game doesn't establish it by the time you beat it... Lara's adventures and harrowing sequences make Drake look like an amateur. The girl's got balls of steel.

Resident Evil ORC did it the exact same way. Something good came out of that one. (It's rough , but not THAT rough)
 

sleepykyo

Member
Lara Croft is 10x manlier and tougher than Drake. It's not even close.

But these two really need a game together. Match made in heaven. I would play that game... co-op or otherwise.

I don't know. Uncharted has been a T game and Tomb Raider moved into the M territory.

I really hope Uncharted can respond to Tomb Raider without resorting to going for the M rating. Naughty Dog seems to be a competent studio and Amy Henning is superior to Rhianna Prachett.
 

george_us

Member
I wish CD would have done away with the
supernatural elements completely.
This plot is dumber than Underworld's despite the more realistic slant.
 
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