Tomb Raider

[CeeKay]

looks like Tomb Raider: QTE Edition to me...

why yes, young Lara is indeed a QTE!

[Caine]

interesting but why did they keep showing the guys playing?  it looks pretty brutal.

also, not sure i i like that whole highlighted item trick and the odd qte segments.

[EddieA]

And now Tomb Raider joins Bioshock Infinite in 2013 

[Teggy]

Oh well. Wish they had done this with Mass Effect 3.

[leo8877]

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2012-first-look-tomb-raider/730565

Teaser for a trailer. 

[Azhag]

Hmm, I hope it'll still work for me. I enjoyed the last couple and am worried about a whole redesign

[Rumpy]

I like the look of it. I think it's definitely taking a shot at being a multiplatform Uncharted, so I'm curious to see where it goes.  Going the cinematic way would mean more character development than there was in the past.

[CeeKay]

Hmm, I hope it'll still work for me. I enjoyed the last couple and am worried about a whole redesign

I thought Legend was such a great re-invention that I felt let down by Underworld.  I guess I just got my hopes up that they'd pull of something totally different instead of pretty much the same gameplay.

[CeeKay]

damn this game looks brutal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ol_-QGlwRqc

[Teggy]

damn this game looks brutal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ol_-QGlwRqc

LOL yeah, it looks like Tomb Raider: Lara Gets The Crap Kicked Out Of Her.

Looks very intense.

[leo8877]

Looks great but they show way too much!

[CeeKay]

hmmmm.. Rhiana Pratchett (yes, related to that Pratchett) is going to be the lead writer.

if you ask me, going by the videos they should have hired the 50 Shades of Grey person

[EddieA]

Here's an amazing-looking new video from PAX.

[Razgon]

Here's an amazing-looking new video from PAX.

hah, I like the length of that video!

13:37 :-D

[metallicorphan]

I am still not sold on this yet,and i hate this kind of pre-order stuff which means you miss out no matter what(well unless you pre-order and buy a copy from each outlet)

here are the Amazon,Gamestop and Best Buy pre-order extras currently announced
GameInformer

[metallicorphan]

hmm,got this from CVG,these are the UK pre-order bonuses/Bundles

GAME - Explorer bundle(SAME AS GAMESTOP...mostly)

Challenge tomb - An exclusive tomb for Lara to raid! In this new location, Lara will encounter all new environment puzzles that will test her abilities
Fast climb upgrade - Early access to the fast climb skill upgrade will let Lara ascend mountain faces more quickly. Handy when avoiding her attackers in a fight to take the higher ground!

Tesco Combat Strike pack
Pistol silencer upgrade - The pistol silencer will let Lara use stealthy tactics to overcome even the trickiest of situations
Headshot reticule upgrade - The headshot reticule will let Lara utilise her weapons more accurately, when used with the pistol silencer, they make for a deadly combination
Pistol burst mode upgrade - The three-shot burst pistol upgrade will let Lara unleash a hail of firepower on her foes when under attack
Animal instinct upgrade pack - Animal instinct skill will light up XP-laden animals in Survival Instinct mode to help you upgrade to the next skill in no time
ShopTo.net(SAME AS BEST BUY)
Exclusive Tomb Raider: The Beginnings comic book (digital edition) - Written by Rhianna Pratchett, with cover art by Tomb Raider art director, Brian Horton, The Beginnings comic book is a digital 48 page six-part comic which tells the story of how this ill-fated voyage of the Endurance came to be. This special edition comic brings together the cast and crew, including a budding young adventurer named Lara Croft, as they prepare for adventure in search of the Yamatai off of the east coast of Japan
Amazon.co.uk(SAME AS AMAZON.COM)
DLC designed exclusively for Amazon.co.uk
More details will be announced in the New Year

[Azhag]

Wow, I hate this packages. It's one thing to give people skins/etc, or a decent weapon to start the game, but these are really designed just to make the game easier.

[Canuck]

Yeah those upgrades are beyond the pale.

[CeeKay]

hmm,got this from CVG,these are the UK pre-order bonuses/Bundles

Amazon.co.uk(SAME AS AMAZON.COM)
DLC designed exclusively for Amazon.co.uk
More details will be announced in the New Year

I got the scoop on this one:

Spoiler for Hiden:

X marks the Spot:  Hit X to win the game.

[metallicorphan]

Multiplayer!!



360a.org say

"inspired by the overwhelmingly positive response to co-op play in Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light."

like Dead Space Co-Op IMO would lose a lot of what the game is about being on your own etc
(admittedly though i did not play Guardian of Light)


Well i guess i don't have to touch it if i don't want to,although there have been some games that had multiplayer where i have been genuinely surprised at it,maybe the same will happen here

[leo8877]

Reviews are starting to come out and it looks like it's gonna be a good one!  Can't wait!

[Soulchilde]

Polygon 9.0


Saying that I love Polygon and the The Verge web layout

[TiLT]

I get the feeling when watching videos from this game that it's way more exploitive of women than games that mainly present women as love interests or sex objects. Why is it that we have game after game of tough, muscular men fighting their way through hundreds of enemies while blurting out one-liners and showing no emotional trauma whatsoever, but when we get one of those rare games that feature a woman in the main role, she screams from pain, cries tears, nearly gets raped, gets regret from killing anything at all, and lacks any sense of humor to keep it all at a distance?  I get the impression that the developers are trying to send us a message, but the only message I'm receiving is that they're sexist. It's completely draining me of any interest I may have had in playing this game.

[CeeKay]

TiLT just convinced me.

[Turtle]

Perhaps it's that they tried too hard, and in the wrong way?

I also think perhaps it's a fault of the corporate machine that we haven't had that vulnerable male protagonist.

You can also say it was too deliberate, but you of all people should understand that almost everything is deliberate when creating something.

I tend to agree with you when seeing videos. But, I hope the full game has a good character arc that's shown, rather than the sudden ambivalence in the preview videos.

[Lordnine]

 I get the impression that the developers are trying to send us a message, but the only message I'm receiving is that they're sexist.

I think it could be looked at as sexist but not in the way you are implying.  It comes down to most men want to protect/shelter women but they don’t give a damn about other men.

If you want a vulnerable male protagonist you can also find them in a few games, although it seems to always be first person.  I’m thinking games like Amnesia or even ZombiU.

[TiLT]

 I get the impression that the developers are trying to send us a message, but the only message I'm receiving is that they're sexist.

I think it could be looked at as sexist but not in the way you are implying.  It comes down to most men want to protect/shelter women but they don’t give a damn about other men.

We're on shaky ground here, but I don't necessarily agree that that's the reason why she's designed like this. I'm rather imagining a scenario like this:

Developer: We're going to create a new Tomb Raider game, but we're not going to blatantly use tits to sell it this time. Instead we're going to make Lara Croft a strong, capable protagonist.
Publisher: If you must. Make sure she's vulnerable and cries a lot, or our customers might get scared off.
Developer: Uh, really?
Publisher: Indeed. It also makes her more believable to the average customer.
Developer: Uhm, if you say so...

If you want a vulnerable male protagonist you can also find them in a few games, although it seems to always be first person.  I’m thinking games like Amnesia or even ZombiU.

Call me when a male protagonist fights off a rapist, shoots him, and then cries over it.

[metallicorphan]

not being funny TiLT but this pretty much applies to everything in the entertainment industry


and did you not play Far Cry 3?

[TiLT]

and did you not play Far Cry 3?

Fair point, that's a good example of a vulnerable male in a game, but that is still only one among an endless amount of male-focused games. On the other hand we have games like Tomb Raider and Metroid: Other M to remind us that the gaming industry is controlled by men.

[Soulchilde]

I get the feeling when watching videos from this game that it's way more exploitive of women than games that mainly present women as love interests or sex objects. Why is it that we have game after game of tough, muscular men fighting their way through hundreds of enemies while blurting out one-liners and showing no emotional trauma whatsoever, but when we get one of those rare games that feature a woman in the main role, she screams from pain, cries tears, nearly gets raped, gets regret from killing anything at all, and lacks any sense of humor to keep it all at a distance?  I get the impression that the developers are trying to send us a message, but the only message I'm receiving is that they're sexist. It's completely draining me of any interest I may have had in playing this game.

Maybe, I'm not remembering this correctly, but Lara prior to this reboot was none of these things you stated above.  This is the beginning of the story for her, so I wouldn't expect her to act any differently than this telling.


Now, I will admit that the industry as a whole is sexist, but I like the way they are rebooting this series

edit- prior to the reboot she was hyper realistic.  Those breast size really 

[TiLT]

Maybe, I'm not remembering this correctly, but Lara prior to this reboot was none of these things you stated above.  This is the beginning of the story for her, so I wouldn't expect her to act any differently than this telling.

The only time I even alluded to the older Tomb Raider games above was when I mentioned using tits to sell a female character. Otherwise those games are irrelevant to this discussion, as you point out. You're missing the point though. She's acting in a way that is entirely inconsistent with how male protagonists are portrayed in games (except Far Cry 3, to a certain degree), which leaves the question of why Lara Croft should be singled out to be the crying, regretful, vulnerable and tortured one. The only answer I can come up with is "because she's a woman". It's the only thing that sticks out anyway.

That most gamers aren't very good at noticing stuff like this is alarming enough in itself. I can't claim to speak for women, but I'd be surprised if most female gamers who see this game don't react with distaste.

[Soulchilde]

Maybe, I'm not remembering this correctly, but Lara prior to this reboot was none of these things you stated above.  This is the beginning of the story for her, so I wouldn't expect her to act any differently than this telling.

The only time I even alluded to the older Tomb Raider games above was when I mentioned using tits to sell a female character. Otherwise those games are irrelevant to this discussion, as you point out. You're missing the point though. She's acting in a way that is entirely inconsistent with how male protagonists are portrayed in games (except Far Cry 3, to a certain degree), which leaves the question of why Lara Croft should be singled out to be the crying, regretful, vulnerable and tortured one. The only answer I can come up with is "because she's a woman". It's the only thing that sticks out anyway.

That most gamers aren't very good at noticing stuff like this is alarming enough in itself. I can't claim to speak for women, but I'd be surprised if most female gamers who see this game don't react with distaste.

Lee - The Walking Dead Series?   I understand your point now , but I think the medium is getting better with character portrayals. 

[Teggy]

She's young at the start of the game. At the end of the game she will probably grow to be a brutal killing machine. See, positive female portrayal.

[kronovan]

She's acting in a way that is entirely inconsistent with how male protagonists are portrayed in games (except Far Cry 3, to a certain degree), which leaves the question of why Lara Croft should be singled out to be the crying, regretful, vulnerable and tortured one. The only answer I can come up with is "because she's a woman". It's the only thing that sticks out anyway.

For sure there's some sexist stereotyping there; that the target audience is predominantly male is IMO obviously the explanation.  The communications philosopher Martial McLuhan said "the medium is the message" - I think that applies here. Why make a videogame experience that isn't going to massage the stereotypes of your prime audience? Unless of course you don't want it, or the next game in the series, to sell. I'm just glad that they've managed to shrink her boobs in recent games, as I personally found her bust size in the early games ridiculous. I liked the character model they used for her in TR Underworld and this new Lara seems to be along similar lines - albeit younger. My guess is that Crystal Dynamics were trying to give her a more youthful personality, which doesn't mean it still isn't foolish and distasteful. I know Eidos takes her personality seriously, so hopefully Crystal Dynamics continues to evolve it.

[Teggy]

Does this look sexist to you?

[leo8877]

You shoot like a girl

[kronovan]

Does this sexist to you?

Absolutely - in a very gun porn kind of way!   

[TiLT]

Does this sexist to you?

The GameTrailers review talks about this stuff at length. In the cutscenes Lara Croft is vulnerable, crying, in great pain, etc, etc. Moments later, during actual gameplay, she'll headshot like a pro, perform brutal executions with nary a second thought, and slaughter wildlife with explosives for sport. Cue another cutscene and more melodrama and suffering. It becomes gratuitous and further emphasizes that the developers maybe didn't really have a solid idea about the message they were trying to tell.

Either that, or the new Tomb Raider is clever satire. I can't really decide.

[CeeKay]

9.1/10 from IGN:

Tomb Raider is well-written, sympathetic, exciting, beautiful and just incredibly well-made. The single-player rarely makes a mis-step, and though Lara's quick transformation into a hardened killer seems at odds with the narrative at first, the game quickly moves past it. It is a superb action game that brings a new emotional dimension to one of gaming's most enduring icons, and repositions her alongside Nathan Drake at the top of gaming's action-hero heirarchy.

8/10 from Eurogamer:

So goodbye, old Lara. Your time is up. Hello, new Lara. If you can stop hacking people to death for five minutes, we'll get along fine.

damn, getting more excited for this game than I expected it to be.  It feels like it could be another Legend for me

[Teggy]

Too bad the MP is getting bad reviews. I wasn't expecting there to be any MP, but when they announced it, I thought it might be fun.