Within Steam or just the website? The website changes regions instantly. For Steam, I needed to manually log out (exiting Steam doesn't count, apparently).
Bioshock Infinite is $79.99? WTF Australia.
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Tomb Raider |OT| Lara's Misfortune
- Thread starter Fracas
- Start date
Within Steam or just the website? The website changes regions instantly. For Steam, I needed to manually log out (exiting Steam doesn't count, apparently).
Bioshock Infinite is $79.99? WTF Australia.
stufte
Member
In steam. I am refreshing the main store page though, I think the links to the game pages are regional.
toddhunter
Member
Nemesis_
Member
OKAY, SO. I had some time to think about it (and speed run through about 80% of it again) and here are my final thoughts. Having slept on it and left it at that, I've had a chance for the hype to die down so my recency effect won't bias my overall judgment.
I was going to do it in a proper format but I decided to go with bullet points of positives and negatives as well for those who tl;dr
SPOILERS ARE SPOILERS SO DONT HIGHLIGHT IF YOU DONT WANNA BE SPOILED
I will be blunt - if you're not into the whole
kind of story then you probably won't enjoy this. That being said, the narrative is probably the most sensibly realized in the entire franchise. We have to remember that previously we've dealt with (in other games)
. When put into the context of what I just mentioned, it's done rather well, and with a degree of maturity.
The best thing about the tone of the story is that it's foreshadowed throughout the entire game, even fleshed out more so through files and recordings found on the island. I think some might hate the way that this important story is relegated to optional collectibles, but I guess it's the balance between appealing to the casual audience and the typical Tomb Raider audience. I recommend very much to go for the collectibles (at least the documents) to be given more insight into Lara, her crew mates and of course the island itself. The fact that certain things are foreshadowed / considered throughout the game is an example of just one of the things that this game does better than Uncharted (DF specifically) where the
The characters themselves are invariably the biggest let down overall. The crewmates are all generic kind of stereotypes that I just couldn't empathise with. I think Roth was the only one who I actually cared about and in particular the scene
. The others are all just annoying and serve purposes only let the plot plod along. The villains are quite forgettable although they are given a bit of back story towards the end that had me intrigued (but is never developer further).
Lara herself is largely fine, but I had a few issues with how she is characterised. The first time Lara kills somebody, the game doesn't make a big deal out of it but Lara audibly is concerned and shocked with the fact that she has taken someone's life. This is in stark contrast with the actual gameplay itself - during later times in the game Lara becomes fucking RAMBO screaming out expletives as she mows down crowds of enemies. It was incredibly uncharacteristic. Similarly, watching Lara hold a shotgun to the chin of an enemy and blow his head off without remorse (in one of the game's stock animations for a finishing move) is also incredibly contradictory to the scene we are first shown when Lara kills somebody and audibly cries.
Far Cry 3 tried a similar thing with Jason Brody - he starts off as a douchebag dickhead but slowly progresses into an enthusiastic survivor. If this approach were taken with Lara I would have no issue (ie. as the story progresses, make Lara's attacks or responses more brutish and thuggish than originally) however it seems Crystal Dynamics just got a little bit too lazy with it and used the same canned animations throughout the entire game. It just doesn't make sense to see Lara stab someone through the neck with an arrow, then scuffle away (using a dodge move) like an innocent girl. The disparity is much too noticeable.
The hypocrisy is also shown with the
where the magnitude of her emotional response is just so variable that I couldn't believe her.
The first thing I noticed about this game is that it's pretty visually well put together. Weather effects are great, and there's a lot of "life" to the game world brought on by the most seemingly insignificant things. Grass blows in the wind, explosions force water upwards, water drips down Lara's body, heavy wind not only distorts the players view but makes Lara visibly wince as she tries to see through it.
The environments are well varied - for an island location this game does a great job at throwing a lot of random environments at you (while still feeling like they fit appropriately). You can expect to visit
and a few more locations that escape my mind at the moment.
Lara herself is well characterized by her animations, behaviour and dialogue (on a technical level, at least). She visibly stutters when something happens that isn't meant to (ie. the way she rolls out of the way) and she reacts to environmental hazards appropriately. There are a few issues I have with Lara and her portrayal but that is explained above.
The only real issue I have with the game's presentation is that there is not enough colour (which a game like, say, Uncharted did quite well) and that it did look a little bit muddy at times on the 360. I mean it kind of made it look a little bit more realistic (I know this sounds weird but it did >_>) but this is a game that I imagine would truly shine on a very healthy PC Rig.
Where to start? There's a lot of things we could talk about in Tomb Raider as it admittedly mish-mashes up a few design concepts that have appeared in several games.
The gunplay feels just right - which is amazing considering how shit both Legend and Underworld handled it. Lara aims just like Leon from RE4 and the camera angle for when she is aiming is just right. The combat is interesting, the guns feel like they have weight and every bullet behaves differently depending on where the enemy is hit. This easily trumps the Uncharted games in this department. The bow feels so good to use and to land headshots with too - and it's great the way that it's implemented as a traversal tool as well.
Melee combat is like a hybrid of Uncharted's melee combat (in that it's not that great) and Alan Wake's dodging system (which rewards the player for precise timing rather than just mashing). I found myself using it only really for achievements, but it's good when you're in a bind and being rushed by melee enemies.
The skill based system is something I see has been met with controversy from some here. It works well, but it does seem like something artificially tacked on to give a sense of player progression. It never really made sense to me why I had to hunt deer just to upgrade my pistol :/ But I do admit that it made me appreciate the "ecosystem" the developers had set up in each area - noticing which animals inhabited a certain area.
In terms of pacing, Tomb Raider is near impeccable. Players can freely backtrack to any area they wish to although it feels weird to because of how well paced the main game is. There are some areas that really drag the game down, namely the first
which is just fire fight after fire fight, but besides this one particular moment the fire fights are handled pretty well and are very sporadic. They don't drag on, and they can (mostly) be approached from a stealth aspect too. Happy to say that the stealth mechanics are pretty good here too.
I think they could've easily remedied the fire fight issues by instead introducing natural predators into the fold rather than more armed guards. It has been a staple of Tomb Raider games for so long and it's so bizarre to only really have
where a natural predator is an active threat to the player. And it would've fit in well with the Tomb Raider theme.
There are "cinematic" moments where Lara is running down a corridor during explosions, or climbing a crumbling tower or something similar to that. While YES, these moments are very cinematic, they only require the player to push forward rather than do anything else. I think it's good that CD have tried to mix it up by requiring proper jumps, climbing and properly timed button presses (not QTEs, but rather letting go of a rope at the right moment, for example) so at least these cinematic parts feel a little bit more involved than your typical RUN DOWN THIS CORRIDOR.
The optional tombs are what I assume are meant to appease to the old school Tomb Raider fan, but I personally feel they should be called optional rooms. These things are never "tombs" but rather a one room puzzle that needs to be solved to earn extra salvage (the currency used to upgrade shit) or a collectible. It's cool that these areas are well designed and the puzzles are fantastic (Crystal Dynamics has not lost it in this department) but it's disappointing that they ultimately make up such a small part of the game.
Platforming is great though - this feels like a smoother and more progressive update to what was offered from Legend to Anniversary to Underworld. I was very impressed that Lara was able to jump in all directions - and if you were crafty enough skip a few ledges and what not. This was something that annoyed me in previous games.
So having finished the game, what do I think about the franchise? I think the game has had a great foundation laid down. Lara has been developed as a rough and tough adventurer and now I feel like it only makes sense to start developing her into the Lara we know and love as she gains more experience.
While I love the way the island was developed and the way it was linked, I want to see a new game somehow incorporate a jetsetting international adventure much like previous games. Let us visit Japan, Russia, America, London, Istanbul or whatever all in one game - allowing the player to return to these places via plane would be similar to the way the "free" or "open" world gameplay is handled in this game so that would not be lost.
I'll also probably get shot for this - but I want some underwater exploration too.
The only thing I truly hope is that we lose the supporting characters and somehow hook Lara up with her own / new versions of Alistair, Zip and Winston.
8.5 / 10
Approx ~18-20 hours (Normal mode)
I was going to do it in a proper format but I decided to go with bullet points of positives and negatives as well for those who tl;dr
SPOILERS ARE SPOILERS SO DONT HIGHLIGHT IF YOU DONT WANNA BE SPOILED
-- PREMISE / NARRATIVE --
I will be blunt - if you're not into the whole
supernatural.......
A fallen queen of Atlantis who somehow becomes a human and terrorises Lara, or a story that sees Norse underworld figures resurrected, or even an evil clone of Lara running around and fucking shit up
The best thing about the tone of the story is that it's foreshadowed throughout the entire game, even fleshed out more so through files and recordings found on the island. I think some might hate the way that this important story is relegated to optional collectibles, but I guess it's the balance between appealing to the casual audience and the typical Tomb Raider audience. I recommend very much to go for the collectibles (at least the documents) to be given more insight into Lara, her crew mates and of course the island itself. The fact that certain things are foreshadowed / considered throughout the game is an example of just one of the things that this game does better than Uncharted (DF specifically) where the
supernatural elements just seemed to come out of fucking nowhere).
The characters themselves are invariably the biggest let down overall. The crewmates are all generic kind of stereotypes that I just couldn't empathise with. I think Roth was the only one who I actually cared about and in particular the scene
involving his death was one of the most poignant for me, even if it was poorly animated 
Lara herself is largely fine, but I had a few issues with how she is characterised. The first time Lara kills somebody, the game doesn't make a big deal out of it but Lara audibly is concerned and shocked with the fact that she has taken someone's life. This is in stark contrast with the actual gameplay itself - during later times in the game Lara becomes fucking RAMBO screaming out expletives as she mows down crowds of enemies. It was incredibly uncharacteristic. Similarly, watching Lara hold a shotgun to the chin of an enemy and blow his head off without remorse (in one of the game's stock animations for a finishing move) is also incredibly contradictory to the scene we are first shown when Lara kills somebody and audibly cries.
Far Cry 3 tried a similar thing with Jason Brody - he starts off as a douchebag dickhead but slowly progresses into an enthusiastic survivor. If this approach were taken with Lara I would have no issue (ie. as the story progresses, make Lara's attacks or responses more brutish and thuggish than originally) however it seems Crystal Dynamics just got a little bit too lazy with it and used the same canned animations throughout the entire game. It just doesn't make sense to see Lara stab someone through the neck with an arrow, then scuffle away (using a dodge move) like an innocent girl. The disparity is much too noticeable.
The hypocrisy is also shown with the
countless death scenes of her friends throughout the story
+ Very grounded story
+ Good use of foreshadowing
- Putting pertinent story points into optional collectibles
- Characters are disposable
- Underdeveloped villain(s)
- Lara herself behaves different in-game to what she is during cinematics
with supernatural elements done well
- Putting pertinent story points into optional collectibles
- Characters are disposable
- Underdeveloped villain(s)
- Lara herself behaves different in-game to what she is during cinematics
-- VISUALS / PRESENTATION --
The first thing I noticed about this game is that it's pretty visually well put together. Weather effects are great, and there's a lot of "life" to the game world brought on by the most seemingly insignificant things. Grass blows in the wind, explosions force water upwards, water drips down Lara's body, heavy wind not only distorts the players view but makes Lara visibly wince as she tries to see through it.
The environments are well varied - for an island location this game does a great job at throwing a lot of random environments at you (while still feeling like they fit appropriately). You can expect to visit
ancient temples, swamps, forests, a monastery, a rickety temple in the windy summit of a mountain, an underground geothermal cavern, an abandoned research facility, an old wartime bunker
Lara herself is well characterized by her animations, behaviour and dialogue (on a technical level, at least). She visibly stutters when something happens that isn't meant to (ie. the way she rolls out of the way) and she reacts to environmental hazards appropriately. There are a few issues I have with Lara and her portrayal but that is explained above.
The only real issue I have with the game's presentation is that there is not enough colour (which a game like, say, Uncharted did quite well) and that it did look a little bit muddy at times on the 360. I mean it kind of made it look a little bit more realistic (I know this sounds weird but it did >_>) but this is a game that I imagine would truly shine on a very healthy PC Rig.
+ Fantastic and dynamic weather effects
+ Alive worlds
+ Good animations for Lara
- A bit muddy on Xbox 360
- Lacking a bit of colour at times
+ Alive worlds
+ Good animations for Lara
- A bit muddy on Xbox 360
- Lacking a bit of colour at times
-- DESIGN / GAMEPLAY --
Where to start? There's a lot of things we could talk about in Tomb Raider as it admittedly mish-mashes up a few design concepts that have appeared in several games.
The gunplay feels just right - which is amazing considering how shit both Legend and Underworld handled it. Lara aims just like Leon from RE4 and the camera angle for when she is aiming is just right. The combat is interesting, the guns feel like they have weight and every bullet behaves differently depending on where the enemy is hit. This easily trumps the Uncharted games in this department. The bow feels so good to use and to land headshots with too - and it's great the way that it's implemented as a traversal tool as well.
Melee combat is like a hybrid of Uncharted's melee combat (in that it's not that great) and Alan Wake's dodging system (which rewards the player for precise timing rather than just mashing). I found myself using it only really for achievements, but it's good when you're in a bind and being rushed by melee enemies.
The skill based system is something I see has been met with controversy from some here. It works well, but it does seem like something artificially tacked on to give a sense of player progression. It never really made sense to me why I had to hunt deer just to upgrade my pistol :/ But I do admit that it made me appreciate the "ecosystem" the developers had set up in each area - noticing which animals inhabited a certain area.
In terms of pacing, Tomb Raider is near impeccable. Players can freely backtrack to any area they wish to although it feels weird to because of how well paced the main game is. There are some areas that really drag the game down, namely the first
visit to the ShantyTown
I think they could've easily remedied the fire fight issues by instead introducing natural predators into the fold rather than more armed guards. It has been a staple of Tomb Raider games for so long and it's so bizarre to only really have
two possible scenarios
There are "cinematic" moments where Lara is running down a corridor during explosions, or climbing a crumbling tower or something similar to that. While YES, these moments are very cinematic, they only require the player to push forward rather than do anything else. I think it's good that CD have tried to mix it up by requiring proper jumps, climbing and properly timed button presses (not QTEs, but rather letting go of a rope at the right moment, for example) so at least these cinematic parts feel a little bit more involved than your typical RUN DOWN THIS CORRIDOR.
The optional tombs are what I assume are meant to appease to the old school Tomb Raider fan, but I personally feel they should be called optional rooms. These things are never "tombs" but rather a one room puzzle that needs to be solved to earn extra salvage (the currency used to upgrade shit) or a collectible. It's cool that these areas are well designed and the puzzles are fantastic (Crystal Dynamics has not lost it in this department) but it's disappointing that they ultimately make up such a small part of the game.
Platforming is great though - this feels like a smoother and more progressive update to what was offered from Legend to Anniversary to Underworld. I was very impressed that Lara was able to jump in all directions - and if you were crafty enough skip a few ledges and what not. This was something that annoyed me in previous games.
+ Gunplay feels right
+ Very very good pacing
+ Fire fights are there, but are handled (for the most part) properly
+ Cinematic moments attempt to be involved
+ Platforming is gives player more freedom than previous games
- Skill based system works well, but feels tacked on
- Incidental activities like hunting feel pointless
- Not enough natural predator encounters
- Optional Tombs are a huge letdown
+ Very very good pacing
+ Fire fights are there, but are handled (for the most part) properly
+ Cinematic moments attempt to be involved
+ Platforming is gives player more freedom than previous games
- Skill based system works well, but feels tacked on
- Incidental activities like hunting feel pointless
- Not enough natural predator encounters
- Optional Tombs are a huge letdown
-- THE FUTURE --
So having finished the game, what do I think about the franchise? I think the game has had a great foundation laid down. Lara has been developed as a rough and tough adventurer and now I feel like it only makes sense to start developing her into the Lara we know and love as she gains more experience.
While I love the way the island was developed and the way it was linked, I want to see a new game somehow incorporate a jetsetting international adventure much like previous games. Let us visit Japan, Russia, America, London, Istanbul or whatever all in one game - allowing the player to return to these places via plane would be similar to the way the "free" or "open" world gameplay is handled in this game so that would not be lost.
I'll also probably get shot for this - but I want some underwater exploration too.
The only thing I truly hope is that we lose the supporting characters and somehow hook Lara up with her own / new versions of Alistair, Zip and Winston.
8.5 / 10
Approx ~18-20 hours (Normal mode)
Black Ops 2's DDE is $110 here. It had the dubious honour of being the first game to break the $99.99 barrier.
Meatvillain
Banned
Beware, those spoilers in Nemesis's review are straight up spoilers, if you haven't yet played through the game don't highlight them.
Nemesis_
Member
Beware, those spoilers in Nemesis's review are straight up spoilers, if you haven't yet played through the game don't highlight them.
You would think that would be obvious ;_: I almost had a heart attack thinking I didn't mark some (I read it through twice)
Fahrenheit
Banned
Went dark on this game right around the time all the game journalist getting all worked up over some sort of implied rape comment from the dev. So how was much rape made it in to the game?
flaxknuckles
Member
All of it
Krappadizzle
Member
Which one are you using?
I'm having trouble getting vpnsecure to work for me. I'm connected to Australia vpn and nothing in steam changes at all. I exited out, no change, logged out, no change on storefront prices or time changes. Ideas?
What?!
No Croft manor, no buy.
Fahrenheit
Banned
Just what I was hoping for.
Krappadizzle
Member
It seems I can't get vpnsecure to work for AUS. I can connect to Steam with the Japan one and it works just fine. O well. Bummer. looks like I'll just go to bed and wake up early and play all day. So 7 a.m. I play. :/
TGO
Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
I could be wrong but I'm sure they did a comparison with the HD Collection version & the original PC one and the HD version was actually better
But Legend is PC all the way with Nextgen mode lol
Fahrenheit
Banned
OKAY, SO. I had some time to think about it (and speed run through about 80% of it again) and here are my final thoughts. Having slept on it and left it at that, I've had a chance for the hype to die down so my recency effect won't bias my overall judgment.
I was going to do it in a proper format but I decided to go with bullet points of positives and negatives as well for those who tl;dr
SPOILERS ARE SPOILERS SO DONT HIGHLIGHT IF YOU DONT WANNA BE SPOILED
-- PREMISE / NARRATIVE --
I will be blunt - if you're not into the wholekind of story then you probably won't enjoy this. That being said, the narrative is probably the most sensibly realized in the entire franchise. We have to remember that previously we've dealt with (in other games)supernatural........ When put into the context of what I just mentioned, it's done rather well, and with a degree of maturity.A fallen queen of Atlantis who somehow becomes a human and terrorises Lara, or a story that sees Norse underworld figures resurrected, or even an evil clone of Lara running around and fucking shit up
The best thing about the tone of the story is that it's foreshadowed throughout the entire game, even fleshed out more so through files and recordings found on the island. I think some might hate the way that this important story is relegated to optional collectibles, but I guess it's the balance between appealing to the casual audience and the typical Tomb Raider audience. I recommend very much to go for the collectibles (at least the documents) to be given more insight into Lara, her crew mates and of course the island itself. The fact that certain things are foreshadowed / considered throughout the game is an example of just one of the things that this game does better than Uncharted (DF specifically) where thesupernatural elements just seemed to come out of fucking nowhere).
The characters themselves are invariably the biggest let down overall. The crewmates are all generic kind of stereotypes that I just couldn't empathise with. I think Roth was the only one who I actually cared about and in particular the scene. The others are all just annoying and serve purposes only let the plot plod along. The villains are quite forgettable although they are given a bit of back story towards the end that had me intrigued (but is never developer further).involving his death was one of the most poignant for me, even if it was poorly animated
Lara herself is largely fine, but I had a few issues with how she is characterised. The first time Lara kills somebody, the game doesn't make a big deal out of it but Lara audibly is concerned and shocked with the fact that she has taken someone's life. This is in stark contrast with the actual gameplay itself - during later times in the game Lara becomes fucking RAMBO screaming out expletives as she mows down crowds of enemies. It was incredibly uncharacteristic. Similarly, watching Lara hold a shotgun to the chin of an enemy and blow his head off without remorse (in one of the game's stock animations for a finishing move) is also incredibly contradictory to the scene we are first shown when Lara kills somebody and audibly cries.
Far Cry 3 tried a similar thing with Jason Brody - he starts off as a douchebag dickhead but slowly progresses into an enthusiastic survivor. If this approach were taken with Lara I would have no issue (ie. as the story progresses, make Lara's attacks or responses more brutish and thuggish than originally) however it seems Crystal Dynamics just got a little bit too lazy with it and used the same canned animations throughout the entire game. It just doesn't make sense to see Lara stab someone through the neck with an arrow, then scuffle away (using a dodge move) like an innocent girl. The disparity is much too noticeable.
The hypocrisy is also shown with thewhere the magnitude of her emotional response is just so variable that I couldn't believe her.countless death scenes of her friends throughout the story
+ Very grounded story+ Good use of foreshadowingwith supernatural elements done well
- Putting pertinent story points into optional collectibles
- Characters are disposable
- Underdeveloped villain(s)
- Lara herself behaves different in-game to what she is during cinematics
-- VISUALS / PRESENTATION --
The first thing I noticed about this game is that it's pretty visually well put together. Weather effects are great, and there's a lot of "life" to the game world brought on by the most seemingly insignificant things. Grass blows in the wind, explosions force water upwards, water drips down Lara's body, heavy wind not only distorts the players view but makes Lara visibly wince as she tries to see through it.
The environments are well varied - for an island location this game does a great job at throwing a lot of random environments at you (while still feeling like they fit appropriately). You can expect to visitand a few more locations that escape my mind at the moment.ancient temples, swamps, forests, a monastery, a rickety temple in the windy summit of a mountain, an underground geothermal cavern, an abandoned research facility, an old wartime bunker
Lara herself is well characterized by her animations, behaviour and dialogue (on a technical level, at least). She visibly stutters when something happens that isn't meant to (ie. the way she rolls out of the way) and she reacts to environmental hazards appropriately. There are a few issues I have with Lara and her portrayal but that is explained above.
The only real issue I have with the game's presentation is that there is not enough colour (which a game like, say, Uncharted did quite well) and that it did look a little bit muddy at times on the 360. I mean it kind of made it look a little bit more realistic (I know this sounds weird but it did >_>) but this is a game that I imagine would truly shine on a very healthy PC Rig.
+ Fantastic and dynamic weather effects
+ Alive worlds
+ Good animations for Lara
- A bit muddy on Xbox 360
- Lacking a bit of colour at times
-- DESIGN / GAMEPLAY --
Where to start? There's a lot of things we could talk about in Tomb Raider as it admittedly mish-mashes up a few design concepts that have appeared in several games.
The gunplay feels just right - which is amazing considering how shit both Legend and Underworld handled it. Lara aims just like Leon from RE4 and the camera angle for when she is aiming is just right. The combat is interesting, the guns feel like they have weight and every bullet behaves differently depending on where the enemy is hit. This easily trumps the Uncharted games in this department. The bow feels so good to use and to land headshots with too - and it's great the way that it's implemented as a traversal tool as well.
Melee combat is like a hybrid of Uncharted's melee combat (in that it's not that great) and Alan Wake's dodging system (which rewards the player for precise timing rather than just mashing). I found myself using it only really for achievements, but it's good when you're in a bind and being rushed by melee enemies.
The skill based system is something I see has been met with controversy from some here. It works well, but it does seem like something artificially tacked on to give a sense of player progression. It never really made sense to me why I had to hunt deer just to upgrade my pistol :/ But I do admit that it made me appreciate the "ecosystem" the developers had set up in each area - noticing which animals inhabited a certain area.
In terms of pacing, Tomb Raider is near impeccable. Players can freely backtrack to any area they wish to although it feels weird to because of how well paced the main game is. There are some areas that really drag the game down, namely the firstwhich is just fire fight after fire fight, but besides this one particular moment the fire fights are handled pretty well and are very sporadic. They don't drag on, and they can (mostly) be approached from a stealth aspect too. Happy to say that the stealth mechanics are pretty good here too.visit to the ShantyTown
I think they could've easily remedied the fire fight issues by instead introducing natural predators into the fold rather than more armed guards. It has been a staple of Tomb Raider games for so long and it's so bizarre to only really havewhere a natural predator is an active threat to the player. And it would've fit in well with the Tomb Raider theme.two possible scenarios
There are "cinematic" moments where Lara is running down a corridor during explosions, or climbing a crumbling tower or something similar to that. While YES, these moments are very cinematic, they only require the player to push forward rather than do anything else. I think it's good that CD have tried to mix it up by requiring proper jumps, climbing and properly timed button presses (not QTEs, but rather letting go of a rope at the right moment, for example) so at least these cinematic parts feel a little bit more involved than your typical RUN DOWN THIS CORRIDOR.
The optional tombs are what I assume are meant to appease to the old school Tomb Raider fan, but I personally feel they should be called optional rooms. These things are never "tombs" but rather a one room puzzle that needs to be solved to earn extra salvage (the currency used to upgrade shit) or a collectible. It's cool that these areas are well designed and the puzzles are fantastic (Crystal Dynamics has not lost it in this department) but it's disappointing that they ultimately make up such a small part of the game.
Platforming is great though - this feels like a smoother and more progressive update to what was offered from Legend to Anniversary to Underworld. I was very impressed that Lara was able to jump in all directions - and if you were crafty enough skip a few ledges and what not. This was something that annoyed me in previous games.
+ Gunplay feels right
+ Very very good pacing
+ Fire fights are there, but are handled (for the most part) properly
+ Cinematic moments attempt to be involved
+ Platforming is gives player more freedom than previous games
- Skill based system works well, but feels tacked on
- Incidental activities like hunting feel pointless
- Not enough natural predator encounters
- Optional Tombs are a huge letdown
-- THE FUTURE --
So having finished the game, what do I think about the franchise? I think the game has had a great foundation laid down. Lara has been developed as a rough and tough adventurer and now I feel like it only makes sense to start developing her into the Lara we know and love as she gains more experience.
While I love the way the island was developed and the way it was linked, I want to see a new game somehow incorporate a jetsetting international adventure much like previous games. Let us visit Japan, Russia, America, London, Istanbul or whatever all in one game - allowing the player to return to these places via plane would be similar to the way the "free" or "open" world gameplay is handled in this game so that would not be lost.
I'll also probably get shot for this - but I want some underwater exploration too.
The only thing I truly hope is that we lose the supporting characters and somehow hook Lara up with her own / new versions of Alistair, Zip and Winston.
8.5 / 10
Approx ~18-20 hours (Normal mode)
Nice write-up Nemesis_. Maybe I'll be able to start tonight.
TGO
Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Source >> Gaf lol
Comparison PS2vsPS3vsPC
http://www.abload.de/gallery.php?key=9M1GbdRa
The official Neogaf TRHD Collection Thread
http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=425020
Krappadizzle
Member
I guess i'll be the one to say it. Did you really have to quote the entire post? Just the first sentence or two would have done the job. Though, i agree. It was a fantastic write up.
Ravensmash
Member
My copy arrived (UK)!
Will be spending some time with it in the next few hours so will write up a few impressions after that.
Will be spending some time with it in the next few hours so will write up a few impressions after that.
Dreamseller
Neo Member
Will try that tonight. Thank you for sharing this.
NotTheGuyYouKill, you are really chasing every girl you see on the screen. No matter if its a movie, tv series, or random youtube Tomb Raider review. :lol:
I've already given my impressions earlier in this thread. My impressions pretty much mirror what Tricky has been saying. This is a blockbuster on the scale of anything put out by ND's Uncharted teams. Anyone who liked or loved those games is going to get the most out of this. Most of the complaints are going to come from those who have an attachment to original Tomb Raider games. Its the crowd that hate the typical modern 'Re-boots' that are likely to be most upset by this one.
Even so I think this is a solid 8/10 game any day of the week. For the Uncharted or Action/Adventure fans out there this is most likely going to be a 9/10 or higher type of thing.
Even so I think this is a solid 8/10 game any day of the week. For the Uncharted or Action/Adventure fans out there this is most likely going to be a 9/10 or higher type of thing.
Pretty much exactly it. This isn't going to be for everyone, but if you love crumbling footholds and burning buildings, you'll love this.
Got me game today, loving it so far.. for a new game to play. It's pretty cool.
But,
It's not feeling like a Tomb Raider game at all
R.I.P TOMB RAIDER
I'm just playing it, as is, and keep it as a fresh idea. And, seems to be working as i haven't flipped any tables over yet,lol
But yeah..
am enjoying
But,
It's not feeling like a Tomb Raider game at all
R.I.P TOMB RAIDER
I'm just playing it, as is, and keep it as a fresh idea. And, seems to be working as i haven't flipped any tables over yet,lol
But yeah..
am enjoying
Creeper gonna creep situation?
I don't think it's out for another couple of hours.
The game is still ~75 minutes away from unlocking.
ubersticky
Member
Getting Nordic Editon and Survival Edition tomorrow! Yes, I got two.
The perfect Dark
Banned
I can't find the last
in the area
mine
Shipwreck Beach
Mithos
Member
I got a code that didn't work/was already used, *sigh*, time for waiting-game on support (g2play).
Edit:
Wow, 2minutes response-time, and new code is working fine, impressive.
Nemesis_
Member
I can't find the lastin the areamineShipwreck Beach
There are a few in the ocean, and they aren't visible. The only way I could find them was by scanning the area with my reticle until it turned red.
The perfect Dark
Banned
I tried everything. There aren't any of them left in the ocean.
Nemesis_
Member
Have you gone out to the area where the
Galleon was (the one where you got the crane piece
The perfect Dark
Banned
I can't find the lastin the areamineShipwreck Beach
I spent 40 minutes trying to find the last
mushroom
Nemesis_
Member
Yes
Hmm. A quick google finds this. Though you'll have to go and double check to work out which one you're missing.
http://www.xbox360achievements.org/forum/showpost.php?p=5608432&postcount=6
The perfect Dark
Banned
Messofanego
Banned
I can't wait for more developers to be inspired by Spec Ops: The Line.
toastyToast
Member
10 minutes!!!
Hopefully I can knock out the hold forward section before bed
Hopefully I can knock out the hold forward section before bed
mickcenary
Member
Very solid write-up, Nemesis_. Cheers! For all my grievances aired, I actually largely agree with you, too.
In particular - having now had some time to reflect - I can definitely agree on the gunplay being pretty fantastic (the bow especially) and the melee combat paling in comparison. The latter was just a bit sloppy, revolving too much around spamming 'B'/'O' and waiting for that counter, rather than some sort of organic flow of attack and defense.
In particular - having now had some time to reflect - I can definitely agree on the gunplay being pretty fantastic (the bow especially) and the melee combat paling in comparison. The latter was just a bit sloppy, revolving too much around spamming 'B'/'O' and waiting for that counter, rather than some sort of organic flow of attack and defense.
http://www.gametrailers.com/full-ep...le-walls--you-will-want-her-to-get-headshots-
Goddamn he flays TR here. Why the hell did he give it a 8.5 if he finds it so ridiculous. Weird..
Goddamn he flays TR here. Why the hell did he give it a 8.5 if he finds it so ridiculous. Weird..