New Tomb Raider (1 Viewer)

[unknownwatcher]

so, any boss battles?

 

[Cnby]

Sounds about in line of what I expected... too much influence from Uncharted, and straying too far from it's roots.
Still, it sounds like it'll be worth a $30 price tag when it drops eh? I take it the enemies aren't as psychic as Uncharted? As in they don't all know immediately where you are when you alert one, or turn around shooting instantly after the first shot.
I guess what I'm asking is, is it possible to be a stealthy shooter? Or do they always know where you're at?

Early on you can take the stealthy approach but as the game progresses you're often put in situations were the enemy already knows where you are. As for the enemies, yes it feels like they're psychic. The second one sees you, even if you kill him before he can let out a sound, everyone will know where you are and dogpile your position. Shooting arrows to draw enemies away is pretty nice, as well as dropping flammables and objects on top of them. If they expanded on that a little bit more it would've been nice.

Hey man, can you post any screen shot of how much her outfit gets ripped? I was hoping for some classic unlockable outfits :(

I don't have any screen capture equipment but I can take some shitty cellphone shots if you like. It'll take me a minute.
EDIT: Okay here are the pictures. Sorry for the quality.

so, any boss battles?

If you don't count a QTE then technically there's only one. And it's basically a recycled encounter from earlier in the game. Not really interesting.

Spoiler: Boss

It's a large oni wielding a spiked club. I say it's recycled because you encounter a large armored human character about 2/3rds of the way into the game who operates similarly, though he lacks the giant club. The human version basically acts as practice for the endgame boss. They're both heavily armored except for one part of their body, which you have to dodge around and shoot.

 

[RyonaDamsels]

it's basically uncharted with a female protag. the only time it remotely feels like old tomb raider are in the side tombs that last all of 3 rooms and a couple jumps, and even then those areas are absolutely braindead.

it's tomb raider only in name. if it doesn't do well, you probably won't see another reboot. given how terrible every reboot has been by modern devs, i don't really have a problem with that.

In this case we are between a rock and a hard place , even tough me and all of us want this reboot to fail so that the series returns to its roots , but at the same time I remember what publishers and developers think that games starring female protagonist doesn't sell well compared to games starring male protagonist , This game is the closest we can get for a game that treats a female protagonist as a real main character with personality and story and not just serves as a sex appeal for the gamers

if this game fails in the sales then hopefully the series may return to its roots as its one of square enix main games and they can't let it go that easily but at the same time the idea of putting female protagonist as main characters will be heavily decreased in an era where playing as multiple characters in the same storyline as unlockable doesn't exist anymore , If this game sells well then sadly say bye bye to classic lara and to any AAA adventure games as Square Enix will keep the reality action adventure uncharted style that they saw it sells well compared to the supernatural classic adventure style , but in return the image of female protagonist will highly increase and may be more games will star female characters

 

[onlinehero]

but lara does not have personality :) she is one of the crappiest female game characters i know!
she best in the first game when she didn't talk at all, but just kicked ass. it just sad that the quality of the games decreased after first 3 games. then the only interesting thing in tomb raiders have been ryona, and lara's ass and boobs.
so... i'd either take similar game to the first one, or alternatively lots of more boobs and sexy costumes

 

[RyonaDamsels]

but lara does not have personality :) she is one of the crappiest female game characters i know!
she best in the first game when she didn't talk at all, but just kicked ass. it just sad that the quality of the games decreased after first 3 games. then the only interesting thing in tomb raiders have been ryona, and lara's ass and boobs.
so... i'd either take similar game to the first one, or alternatively lots of more boobs and sexy costumes

By personality and character development I didn't mean in the past games but I meant in this reboot only :) , I didn't play the reboot yet but from what I heard her character development and the character overall in this game is better than all of the past games , I mean I expect they treated her like a serious main protagonist character in this reboot instead of an eye candy like usual , If I were only a fan of the series then I would love everything in this reboot minus focusing on the uncharted gameplay clone instead of the pure adventure concept , but the ryona inside me :) makes me hate this reboot for her lack of attractiveness and lack of ryona content

 

[EvilDraconis]

i wouldn't really say it's better development since it's completely generic, just like the rest of the game. at least the older ones had good puzzle solving/exploration. i can't really say i played tomb raider to "see a character grow", and why on earth they'd try to make this reboot about that is beyond me. tomb raider is about getting lost, crunching your brain on some hilariously cryptic puzzles, and platforming. not chest high walls to hide behind and shoot guys for your +100 xp you're an uber l33t player rewards and character development.

i really wish modern devs would stop these reboots. the rumors of a new legacy of kain reboot have me wanting to quit video games

 

[onlinehero]

funny, i was watching the cutscene videos from the old tomb raider games, and almost got tempted to buy them from steam. adventure feeling in those games is just so much better and inviting than in anything crystal dynamics has created. this new tr only makes me wish that had kept the rapey pirates... that would have been great at least! but maybe in dlc? :P

 

[_matt]

im kinda the old school gamer from ps1 era. i must say..all the new game pretty much the same.i notice this all started when i play cod4mw..and after that the gaming experience for the new game is pretty more or less the same..not that im saying this new tr is shit..its great actually...just like all the other modern game...where there is arrow guiding where to go,what to do,how to beat the boss.the experience..kinda the same...i mean even if you swap this lara with jill from re or zoey from l4d it doesnt make much difference..a girl fighting for her survival..fight some evil guy...escape some terrifying moment and you're home free!

 

[RyonaDamsels]

Looks like we might say R.I.P to old Lara Croft and old Tomb Raider after this :

Tomb Raider sells 1 million in less than 48 hours | N4G

 

[meepmeep]

This game is really fun. I don't play video games that much anymore but I've been a fan ever since the NES days, when my dad had bought one before I was even born. I played the old Tomb Raider games briefly and they bored the hell out of me. Nothing makes you realize how fucking pointless playing video games is quite like spending 10 minutes in a gigantic room moving crates onto square panels in order to open a door. This new one is much more immediately engaging to me.

 

[ScissorMan]

I'll have to agree with the old tomb raider games being fairly crappy. They were good during the days, but the controls were clunky and the camera was totally awkward. I can't say I liked the newest ones afterwards (excluding the newest 2013 one, haven't played it) but I can definitively say that I don't miss the old ones at all.

 

[Cnby]

Now that Tomb Raider's out it seems Crystal Dynamic have seen fit to release early development footage from back when the game centered around horror. I'm sure people remember the early concept art featuring strange creatures that pursued Lara while on horseback. Well you can see that in action below.

[video=youtube_share;AbJjcBC2rnc]http://youtu.be/AbJjcBC2rnc[/video]

From a ryona standpoint I'm left to wonder about what could have been with all of those creatures. I was disappointed with how light the supernatural content was in the finished product.

Since the game reviewed and sold well I'm really hoping they start steering the game back towards monsters/creatures in the inevitable sequel. And who knows. They have the assets for the creatures already. Perhaps they'll carry them over? It's really too early to tell at this point but after watching the video I'm really interested in seeing what they'll do with the future Tomb Raider games.

 

[RyonaDamsels]

Based on the reviews and sales then they will likely keep the same formula from the reboot ( Uncharted style ) , They won't risk going back to the roots of the series and going supernatural all of sudden but as this game is an uncharted clone then From what I see uncharted 1 didn't have any supernatural element except in the midgets monsters that appears in the end , while Uncharted 2 begins to add a lot of supernatural elements along with 3 , I haven't beaten Tomb Raider yet but I heard that Lara character begins to transform from lara that has ordinary human feelings into old lara that can kickass and isn't afraid of anything as we progress more into the game so that may give them a hint to add creatures into future games but that is unlikely to happen IMO

 

[EvilDraconis]

she does to an extent, but it's still just not tomb raider. i heard it summed up in a review very perfectly, actually.

"the old games have what, puzzles, adventure? fuck that, i want to blow things up" and it's scarily accurate. i don't hate the game or think it's bad or anything, but everytime i'm reminded i'm lara croft and not nathan drake, or insert any new character, the game instantly gets worse to me. they slapped her name on for sales and nothing else, because it has nothing to do with tomb raider outside of the character. i don't get why they didn't just create a new character for this, because it could be alright on its own. i just don't get how the modern audience for video games is so stupid that any game centered around puzzle solving/platform adventuring that isn't a mario game is impossible for people to get into. i'm all for an action packed ride, but my god games are getting more and more dumb. between shit like quicktime events and it being nearly impossible to actually fail a jump in this game due to the game just auto correcting and making you go further, it's just irritating to me as someone who has played video games for a long time.

as has been said before, the old tomb raiders had god awful controls and camera. why they couldn't just fix that and keep the same game concepts is beyond stupid.

 

[Cnby]

I haven't beaten Tomb Raider yet but I heard that Lara character begins to transform from lara that has ordinary human feelings into old lara that can kickass and isn't afraid of anything as we progress more into the game so that may give them a hint to add creatures into future games but that is unlikely to happen IMO

I know they won't shy away from monsters and the like later on down the line. The game already has supernatural elements. Though the "Oni" are simply reskinned human enemies, likely to ease development, they are technically inhuman. They're just one step away from magical/supernatural creatures. At this point adding monsters wouldn't be too difficult to explain. But again it's still far too early to tell what they'll do.

 

[RyonaDamsels]

I know they won't shy away from monsters and the like later on down the line. The game already has supernatural elements. Though the "Oni" are simply reskinned human enemies, likely to ease development, they are technically inhuman. They're just one step away from magical/supernatural creatures. At this point adding monsters wouldn't be too difficult to explain. But again it's still far too early to tell what they'll do.

So they are just like the shamballa guardians in Uncharted 2 , they nearly aren't human and are supernatural but they act like humans in attacking style , I don't know if that is Crystal Dynamics limit in adding creatures or supernatural enemies but comparing Tomb Raider to its idol uncharted then the shamballa guardians and the Descendants are the max supernatural enemies you can get in the series until now , A supernatural humans look alikes but no supernatural creatues , we hope that isn't the case for future tomb raiders

So Cnby after you finished the game , can the usual oversized creatures fit into the new universe of the game or the likes of "oni" are the max we can get in future games ?

 

[Cnby]

So Cnby after you finished the game , can the usual oversized creatures fit into the new universe of the game or the likes of "oni" are the max we can get in future games ?

I doubt they'd have much trouble fitting in giant creatures because they already have a ridiculously oversized Oni and human enemy in the game. And though the majority of enemies in the game are human there are still the wolves, who operate differently since they bum rush Lara and can initiate the instant death QTE. So I know they already have the means of implementing hostile creatures. Though considering the fact that there are so few enemy types I wonder if development were rushed at any point. Now that they have their gameplay model down I'm hoping they'll focus on putting more variety into the environments, puzzles, and enemies.

In terms of atmosphere the story ends with a soul snatching doll, a giant shield of energy, and thousand year old soldiers. It's ridiculous in the way most Tomb Raider games tend to be so I'm sure could get away with crazy creatures in the sequel so long as they explain it. And considering what they get away with in this game I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to explain the existence of giant frogs, snakes, creatures or the like. They just have to throw the word magic in there.

 

[RyonaDamsels]

she does to an extent, but it's still just not tomb raider. i heard it summed up in a review very perfectly, actually.

"the old games have what, puzzles, adventure? fuck that, i want to blow things up" and it's scarily accurate. i don't hate the game or think it's bad or anything, but everytime i'm reminded i'm lara croft and not nathan drake, or insert any new character, the game instantly gets worse to me. they slapped her name on for sales and nothing else, because it has nothing to do with tomb raider outside of the character. i don't get why they didn't just create a new character for this, because it could be alright on its own. i just don't get how the modern audience for video games is so stupid that any game centered around puzzle solving/platform adventuring that isn't a mario game is impossible for people to get into. i'm all for an action packed ride, but my god games are getting more and more dumb. between shit like quicktime events and it being nearly impossible to actually fail a jump in this game due to the game just auto correcting and making you go further, it's just irritating to me as someone who has played video games for a long time.

as has been said before, the old tomb raiders had god awful controls and camera. why they couldn't just fix that and keep the same game concepts is beyond stupid.

I agree with you about modern gamers and the way the industry is heading to , except in some game but the majority of games has no more figuring out how to beat the boss by yourself without a single forced hint , no more figuring out how to get the unlockables/rewards , I feel that they feed us what to do in the game like children and that is a no surprise to a generation that its main game is Call of duty and the likes

I doubt they'd have much trouble fitting in giant creatures because they already have a ridiculously oversized Oni and human enemy in the game. And though the majority of enemies in the game are human there are still the wolves, who operate differently since they bum rush Lara and can initiate the instant death QTE. So I know they already have the means of implementing hostile creatures. Though considering the fact that there are so few enemy types I wonder if development were rushed at any point. Now that they have their gameplay model down I'm hoping they'll focus on putting more variety into the environments, puzzles, and enemies.

In terms of atmosphere the story ends with a soul snatching doll, a giant shield of energy, and thousand year old soldiers. It's ridiculous in the way most Tomb Raider games tend to be so I'm sure could get away with crazy creatures in the sequel so long as they explain it. And considering what they get away with in this game I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to explain the existence of giant frogs, snakes, creatures or the like. They just have to throw the word magic in there.

I have played the game until Lara escapes the monastery the first time , there is indeed some supernatural stuff in the game and as the game ends with those events you mentioned then I hope that this energy had the same effect as bio viruses in resident evil that can mutate the human into a creature or half creature , at the very least they can vary the game between fighting creatures and fighting normal humans using guns and cover system , that way they can achieve the prefect balance and they already have a reason for all those supernatural creatures , it is a shame that the wolf was the only creature in this game as the scene of it attacking and biting lara was nicely done

 

[RyonaDamsels]

Here is an interesting interview with a senior designer in Crystal Dynamics about Tomb raider which discussed topics like the original plans for the reboot , the cover system , switching from supernatural enemies into normal enemies , switching from survival horror that was originally designed for the reboot into the uncharted style we all saw

How Crystal Dynamics created cover as a tool for 'emotional synchronization' in Tomb*Raider | Polygon

Some key features that may interest us

Hamel offered Tomb Raider's "fluid" cover system as an example of the kind of iteration that typified his goals. The game inherited its cover system after the developers scrapped the game's original enemies, and its implementation of cover was one he hoped would foster emotional synchronization.

In its early stages, Tomb Raider included supernatural enemies and resembled survival horror games, Hamel said, comparing it to the Dead Space series. But the gameplay mechanics made players feel detached from Lara and the narrative. Crystal Dynamics' solution was to replace supernatural enemies with humans, a decision that had far-reaching implications.

As Crystal Dynamics began modeling human behavior for the enemies, it added a cover mechanic for them. If enemies took cover, then the player should be able to, Hamel said.

On a small bright side , The comments on NeoGAF about this interview ( NeoGAF is considered to be a classy level forum for video games) really wanted the game to stay with the supernatural enemies and keeping the survival horror element that was originally designed for the game instead of Uncharted clone so I am really glad that most people disliked the direction the reboot has taken in the end , I am sure other popular forums like gamefaqs would say the same thing

Here is the comments if anyone interested : Tomb Raider dropped horror elements, added cover system for emotional synchronization - NeoGAF

 

[anotherguttersnipe]

I'm gonna play devil's advocate here, and claim that I thoroughly enjoyed the game. At first, I was part of the crowd that was against the reboot, but then I got some good feedback from a few people that played the game(that's right, people that actually played it, and not cast judgement from their laptops based on a few yt clips). So I decided to check it out for myself.

Played it right through, and I haven't been disappointed. Sure, the game does feel alot like Uncharted(which I don't think is a bad thing, btw), but to that I say this: Once Upon a time, people said Uncharted was like Tomb Raider, and Nathan Drake was just Lara Croft with a pair of balls. Funny how it's all come full circle now....

I'll admit that the final boss was kinda weak, and I felt that the Oni could have been featured alot more than they were in the game. ...And although the plot's good, it was kinda easy to figure out where it was all going by mid-game. But these small flaws don't take much away from what I consider to be a great game all round.

....But hey. Current internet sentiment dictates that if I like ANYTHING current gen, I'm apparently 12 or something. So, with that said, I probably need to be taught why my opinion is misguided and un-educated.