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Tomb Raider |OT| Lara's Misfortune

Redhood

Member
Hey Guys I have one doubt in the story. Don't highlight unless you have ended the game!

We see Himiko's body in the grave in the chamber earlier in the game. Then again we see it in the end at the top of the tower.

How did that happen? Was the earlier one not the body of Himiko? Or was it the body of her last vessel?

Maybe the real himiko's body [the real himiko] was always at the top of tower where the vessels were brought for the ascension.

Its a bit confusing.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
You can go back in and do collectibles when you finish the game right?
Indeed you can, also I've noticed a lot of block paths, can't really see the point of blocking a cave unless its DLC?
 
I wish the secret tombs were a little more secret. I like how you get a little popup every time you get near one, and then there's these obvious markings all over the walls with bright white arrows pointing you to a path that wasn't all that hard to see in the first place. Kinda lame
 

Dance Inferno

Unconfirmed Member
I think this OT takes the award for "percentage of time spent talking about other games." I never thought I would see LA Noire being discussed in a Tomb Raider thread. Like, what the hell mang?

I played another few hours last night and while the combat mechanics are really fun, the lack of challenge does kind of kill the fun, which then kills the feeling of this being an epic adventure, at least for me. In Uncharted you at least had the threat of dying if you didn't play well, but here you can pretty much breeze through the game rather easily, so the gameplay has trouble maintaining the narrative's sense of danger. I'm still enjoying it mind you, but not as much as most people in here seem to be.
 
I wish the secret tombs were a little more secret. I like how you get a little popup every time you get near one, and then there's these obvious markings all over the walls with bright white arrows pointing you to a path that wasn't all that hard to see in the first place. Kinda lame
And the bell/chime whatever. "Secret" should never be put in the same sentence as these optional tombs. Dammit, I just did.

What gets me is that there are a few similar micro-puzzles in the story areas themselves, so I still don't know why the optional tombs even exist. Did they finish the main storyline and say to themselves that they needed a few more mini puzzles?
 
And the bell/chime whatever. "Secret" should never be put in the same sentence as these optional tombs.

What gets me is that there are a few similar micro-puzzles in the story areas themselves, so I still don't know why the optional tombs even exist. Did they finish the main storyline and say to themselves that they needed a few more mini puzzles?

Yea. I really like this game, but these "secret" tombs should have been large scale puzzles. It's the only complaint I have about this game. There's literally no difference between the secret tombs and the rest of the mini puzzles. If they were trying to do this to satisfy the hardcore TR fans, they should have at least done it right, and made the puzzles non-trivial
 

Totobeni

An blind dancing ho
I played another few hours last night and while the combat mechanics are really fun, the lack of challenge does kind of kill the fun, which then kills the feeling of this being an epic adventure, at least for me. In Uncharted you at least had the threat of dying if you didn't play well, but here you can pretty much breeze through the game rather easily, so the gameplay has trouble maintaining the narrative's sense of danger. I'm still enjoying it mind you, but not as much as most people in here seem to be.


it's a critical flaw,not kinda kills the fun, it completely killed the fun and turned the game into very repetitive non unenjoyable experience,because that what the game focus on now it's not a classic TR that do other stuff this game focus on the fights,it's what you do most of the time and with wave of easy fights with no challenge and enemies who got bad AI the core of the game just fall down and dragged the entire thing with it.
 

dreamfall

Member
50% completed. Taking it really slow, just exploring a lot of areas- not just to get collectibles, but to get a respite from combat. I kind of like just jumping/walking about- the areas are well crafted, and can be beautiful.

But Shanty Town's design is just kind of murky and uninspired to me. In continuing with other game comparisons, it's aesthetic reminds me of RAGE. Not a big fan of the orange crates, and industrial layout.
 

Dahbomb

Member
People who like this type of game aren't really looking for a challenging game. Usually if a segment is too hard they will complain about it being frustrating and "cheap" because let's be honest, the mechanics aren't top notch and can easily be exploitable by both the player and the AI.

Just like the puzzles and platforming, the combat being easy/simple is part of their design choice to appeal to a broader audience. It's not really a design flaw, it's a design choice. They could easily have made this game harder if they wanted to.
 

DieH@rd

Banned
I just encountered a glitch that has stopped my progression through the story.

On the boat after you kill shotgun bro and you get the winch, the box you are supposed to be able to pull just stays there but the crane its attatched to moves.
I've restarted the checkpoints and quit the game but it's still the same story every time.

Any suggestions?

PS3 btw

Here's a picture:http://i.imgur.com/9pzqs7v.jpg

Yes, there is solution
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=48854760&postcount=3150
 

Raxus

Member
it's a critical flaw,not kinda kills the fun, it completely killed the fun and turned the game into very repetitive non unenjoyable experience,because that what the game focus on now it's not a classic TR that do other stuff this game focus on the fights,it's what you do most of the time and with wave of easy fights with no challenge and enemies who got bad AI the core of the game just fall down and dragged the entire thing with it.

Too be quite honest I am cool with it being easy. Most games like this tend to make enemies bullet sponges on harder difficulties and you can't take a hit making it a grind. It could use some boss fights and more complex tombs/puzzles to mix things up a bit but the cannon fodder was about where it should be.
 

-BLITZ-

Member
I just encountered a glitch that has stopped my progression through the story.

On the boat after you kill shotgun bro and you get the winch, the box you are supposed to be able to pull just stays there but the crane its attatched to moves.
I've restarted the checkpoints and quit the game but it's still the same story every time.

Any suggestions?

PS3 btw

Here's a picture:http://i.imgur.com/9pzqs7v.jpg


Here you go, the solution

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pJ1htML6As

or here if you want more details about what the users are telling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BmRKZFZX84
 

Danny-Boy

Member
People who like this type of game aren't really looking for a challenging game. Usually if a segment is too hard they will complain about it being frustrating and "cheap" because let's be honest, the mechanics aren't top notch and can easily be exploitable by both the player and the AI.

Just like the puzzles and platforming, the combat being easy/simple is part of their design choice to appeal to a broader audience. It's not really a design flaw, it's a design choice. They could easily have made this game harder if they wanted to.

Well said. The praise for this game is most likely coming from people who like games that aren't very challenging and can be completed in a few sittings.
 
Just like the puzzles and platforming, the combat being easy/simple is part of their design choice to appeal to a broader audience. It's not really a design flaw, it's a design choice. They could easily have made this game harder if they wanted to.
And another of the many reasons this game bums some people out.

Not all games need to have difficult challenges, but Tomb Raider has always been a reliable go-to for a mix of micro and large set-piece puzzle/platforming challenges. Hell, that defined the series.

What are the honest chances that future Tomb Raiders expand and extend the puzzles and difficulty?
 

Dahbomb

Member
Well said. The praise for this game is most likely coming from people who like games that aren't very challenging and can be completed in a few sittings.
Well you can't really fault the game for being beatable in a few sittings... the game has very good length easily 10 hours plus with solid pacing. It could easily have been a 5 hour pop corn game but they went the extra mile by fleshing out the game with more with stuff to do and more environments to traverse.
What are the honest chances that future Tomb Raiders expand and extend the puzzles and difficulty?
Depends on the sales I guess. This formula has been received well so I can't see them straying too far away from it. At the very least I just hope they tone the QTEs.
 

DukeBobby

Member
The praise for this game is most likely coming from people who like games that aren't very challenging and can be completed in a few sittings.

That's a bit of a generalisation. I, for example, love complex and challenging games, but I sometimes I want to play something a little more straightforward. Games like this are a great way to unwind, as they don't demand too much from the player. You just go along with the flow and have a damn good time.
 
There has to be some reason why people are liking this, and since I already explained how the combat, platforming and stealth has no depth or challenge at all then it has to be something else right?

It's definitely a game that's the sum of its parts with no particular mechanic being great, but ultimately above average and well made. Atmospherically its sucking me in and I'm having fun with all of its parts despite the lack of challenge.
 

Danny-Boy

Member
Well you can't really fault the game for being beatable in a few sittings... the game has very good length easily 10 hours plus with solid pacing. It could easily have been a 5 hour pop corn game but they went the extra mile by fleshing out the game with more with stuff to do and more environments to traverse.

Yeah but the problem is no main Tomb Raider game has been a 10 hour romp. Tomb Raider has always been about challenge. They threw that out the window and designed a game that kids can complete without any trouble.
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
I've decided to end my rental just after the
radio tower and collapsing mountainside buildings sequence.
This game certainly isn't Uncharted 2, but it's damn-well trying to be.

There are some moments when it seems to get the ideas of set pieces right, but also too many where it relies too heavily on QTEs and "cinematic moments." A perfect example is
climbing the radio tower. It's supposed to be this scary-as-hell thing for Lara, but you just press forward to get through it. In Uncharted this would've been a legit platforming sequence, like the very beginning of Uncharted 2. The plane crash escape immediately after the radio tower though was a pretty good example of making some exciting shit happen while the player is still in full control of Lara.

If Tomb Raider god rid of the QTEs and scripted cinematic parts in favor of things like the latter set piece, it would be a much better game and much closer to the game it's striving to be -- Uncharted. What get's me is that Tomb Raider Underworld actually got rid of QTEs completely in favor of slow-mo sequences where you had to jump, dodge, or shoot something within the confines of the game's actual controls. They accomplished the same thing as QTEs but felt better integrated with the rest of the game. Why couldn't the new game keep this up?

Anyway, the Metroidvania twist on Uncharted is an admirable one and still probably the most interesting part of the game. If it were me, I would've turned Tomb Raider into a full-blown Zelda clone with the tombs and action sequences as the equivalent of "dungeons" that you travel to. But here, the promise of getting new items in order to access new places still works. I'm just sick of XP and crafting systems finding their way into every AAA game.

Edit: In regards to the combat, I'm not even using cover. I'm standing right out in the open, dodging, and waiting for head shots.

There has to be some reason why people are liking this, and since I already explained how the combat, platforming and stealth has no depth or challenge at all then it has to be something else right?

Like I said above, the open-world aspect is at least compelling. I think you're putting a magnifying glass on the absolute weakest aspects of the game.
 

Totobeni

An blind dancing ho
That's a bit of a generalisation. I, for example, love complex and challenging games, but I sometimes I want to play something a little more straightforward. Games like this are a great way to unwind, as they don't demand too much from the player. You just go along with the flow and have a damn good time.

I value quality and good game design,and for every game challenging and the satisfaction of doing hard things is a must,when games don't require any skill or use of head then the developer doing something wrong and I prefer to just watch a movie than wasting my time with a shallow experience like this.

Edit: In regards to the combat, I'm not even using cover. I'm standing right out in the open, dodging, and waiting for head shots.

Like I said above, the open-world aspect is at least compelling. I think you're putting a magnifying glass on the absolute weakest aspects of the game.

Dodging and cover is pointless most of the time because of how easy the fights are.

and yeah, the open areas are like afterthought and it sound like they wanted to put it there just because some other games doing it, the exploration is just not good because of how they designed these areas there is just no layers or depth in the maps design, if they cut that and focused on more liner experience maybe they could've ended with some better results.
 

Derrick01

Banned
Like I said above, the open-world aspect is at least compelling. I think you're putting a magnifying glass on the absolute weakest aspects of the game.

I get the potential appeal of it at least. The couple of hub areas in the game look amazing on PC (even if they kill my framerate) and there's potential to have something good there, but the only purpose they serve is to spread the many useless collectibles around in them. That's my biggest disappointment with the semi-open areas.

It'd be nice if they offered actual multiple paths or different tactical challenges on pre-set enemies in the game instead of the invisible waves that spawn.
 

bob_arctor

Tough_Smooth
That's a bit of a generalisation. I, for example, love complex and challenging games, but I sometimes I want to play something a little more straightforward. Games like this are a great way to unwind, as they don't demand too much from the player. You just go along with the flow and have a damn good time.

This is how I've decided to view this game. A stress-free time killer on a snowy day like today. I wouldn't call it a "damn good time", but it scratches an itch every gamer gets at some point. Considering I've been trying to make it through System Shock 2, this is a welcome change of pace to say the least.

Now, the problem is that this supposed to be a AAA re-boot of a classic franchise so cutting it slack the way I am shouldn't really happen, but here we are.
 
Its isn't an open world though. If Uncharted let you fast travel to previous levels to collect items without replaying the missions would we call that an open world?

It is an interesting take though, and I appreciate how you revisit some areas from a different perspective.

Was just chatting with a friend about how I could make an excruciatingly long list of all the things this game does wrong - things that should be nuked from orbit. But that list would be about as long as all the small touches I really enjoy here too.

This game is nuts.
 

antitrop

Member
I should finish System Shock 2.

I started it a few months ago when the new, big-deal patch came out. Impossible, though, seeing as how Heart of the Swarm comes out next week and Bioshock Infinite shortly after that.

Maybe it will be a good follow up after BS Infinite.
 

Xander51

Member
Hey Guys I have one doubt in the story. Don't highlight unless you have ended the game!

We see Himiko's body in the grave in the chamber earlier in the game. Then again we see it in the end at the top of the tower.

How did that happen? Was the earlier one not the body of Himiko? Or was it the body of her last vessel?

Maybe the real himiko's body [the real himiko] was always at the top of tower where the vessels were brought for the ascension.

Its a bit confusing.

The body in the grave is her first body, and the body at the end of the game is her most recent one.
 

spirity

Member
The first time I played PoE, I invested around 10-20 hours into my character before I realised my build sucked. So I deleted him and started again. The second time, I got sucked into the mathematics and mechanics of the game, and thought long and hard about my passives, and how they'd support my skill gems and equipment selection. That fared much better but I still wasn't happy, so I abandoned that character too.

The third time, complete success. I'd probably put in 50 hours at this point, and knew the skill tree

Path-of-Exile-Passive-Skill-Tree_zps51567aa1.jpg


off by heart. How armour was calculated and its worth, the varying rolls on certain weapons and parameters within those rolls, the way skills scale and which ones scale well and which ones offer diminishing returns, depending on where I wanted my character to go.



I like Tomb Raider and Uncharted too.
 
So my game froze when I tried to load my save data last night (XBox 360). I tried clearing my cache and moving my save data. Finally I installed the game to my HDD and then the data loaded. Now I'm trying to play again today and it's freezing when I load my data again. I was really careful to make sure it wasn't auto saving when I quit. Has anyone else experienced this issue or know of a fix?
 

TheExodu5

Banned
I value quality and good game design,and for every game challenging and the satisfaction of doing hard things is a must,when games don't require any skill or use of head then the developer doing something wrong and I prefer to just watch a movie than wasting my time with a shallow experience like this.

I'll disagree with that. Journey was entirely unchallenging, but one of the most profound and memorable gaming experiences I've had.

I'm not really being challenged by Tomb Raider, but I'm really enjoying the ride.
 
Least favourite part of the game so far is
Lara getting herself caught by firing an arrow and the game taking away so much control
. Just kind of ruins the emmersion so far.
 

antitrop

Member
Least favourite part of the game so far is
Lara getting herself caught by firing an arrow and the game taking away so much control
. Just kind of ruins the emmersion so far.
I will 100% agree with this.

As a plot point, it's pretty absurd. Like... THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING WOMAN!?
 
It is rather remarkable given that she is a hardened killing machine at that point.

Ots pure Die Hard stuff. I see no problem with it. Obviously they fixed the stupider plot ideas before release. Lara is already a Croft and we are made to think shes at least got some knowledge of things.

Generally I find the game uses intelligence than regen health; which btw doesn't last long. She seems believable within the context.
 

Skilletor

Member
Ots pure Die Hard stuff. I see no problem with it. Obviously they fixed the stupider plot ideas before release. Lara is already a Croft and we are made to think shes at least got some knowledge of things.

Generally I find the game uses intelligence than regen health; which btw doesn't last long. She seems believable within the context.

What do you mean by this?
 
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