Tomb Raider

[kronovan]

I've really enjoyed all 4 of the TR/Lara Croft games from Crystal Dynamics, so I'm expecting this to be no different for me. Based on the reviews so far though, this does sound to be the best from them yet. Can't wait to play it. 

[USMC Kato]

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.

Its not getting bad reviews, just that its nothing special.   Basically, multiplayer plays like Uncharted. 

[Caine]

based off the fact that this plays out like a metroid-vania game with areas unlocked after you develop other tools and whatnot, and that it's action+stealth+exploration, I am pre-ordering this. 

and Tilt, don't fault TR for the vulnerable in cutscenes/natural born killer in gameplay dichotomy.  Far Cry 3 had the same problem.  within an hour (half a day game time) of my first kill in FC3, complete with "OMG I can't believe what just happened" thoughts from the character, I had already snuck around and knifed a dozen of the mercs through the neck and brutally slaughtered dozens more.  it's pretty damn hard to get the progression from bystander to killer when you are supposed to be horrified as a character, but experienced as a VG killer yourself.

fwiw, GTA4 did this somewhat better through the main missions at least and if you stuck to the main path, you could go quite a while before having to kill anyone at all. 

[TiLT]

and Tilt, don't fault TR for the vulnerable in cutscenes/natural born killer in gameplay dichotomy.  Far Cry 3 had the same problem.  within an hour (half a day game time) of my first kill in FC3, complete with "OMG I can't believe what just happened" thoughts from the character, I had already snuck around and knifed a dozen of the mercs through the neck and brutally slaughtered dozens more.  it's pretty damn hard to get the progression from bystander to killer when you are supposed to be horrified as a character, but experienced as a VG killer yourself.

Yeah, but in Far Cry 3 that was the entire point of the story. The way in which the main character goes from being a spoiled American into becoming a hardened killer in no-time is the central theme, both in cutscenes, internal monologue and actual gameplay. What the journalists are saying about Tomb Raider is that there's no such connection there. The gameplay and cutscenes are disconnected and disjointed. It's not the same thing because Far Cry 3 is doing this to make a statement about game protagonists, while Tomb Raider apparently doesn't.

[Harpua3]

Sold!

[TiLT]

For the record, I'm not trying to lash out at Tomb Raider's gameplay, which seems neato. I'm just pointing out that I'm bothered by the messages the game is sending, particularly in the currently pretty volatile, political landscape. In a climate where politicians are hunting for reasons to criticize games, coming off as sexist and exploitive of women doesn't work to anyone's advantage, and quite frankly bothers me.

[Turtle]

Eh, whatever. It's still a step in the right direction, even if it's also a step sideways as well.

Now all we need are heroes of different races.

It is at least nice to see a character that was basically just a set of oversized low poly boobs and a generic badass girl attitude turned into something a little more heroic. It is at least better that they tackle these things that people are finding controversial, rather than ignoring it. Even if, due to audience, it can be seen as a bit of torture porn.

I've noticed that there's some early Let's Play videos, and one thing the people playing noted was that they definitely toned down the level of moaning from the demos. So they are aware of the issues and are trying to adjust.

[Turtle]

(Response to a now deleted post)

Just because you can't think of a way for them to address this, doesn't mean they shouldn't have come up with a way to address it well. It's called game design, and it's their job to do so.

Off the cuff, I can think of various ways to do this, such as slowly changing up the animation and gameplay, such that early on her climbing, shooting, and other animations are slower, and clumsier. Finisher animations that they seem to have would also look more like accidental successes. Then by the end the animations and gameplay get up to more what is expected from an action hero.

They actually might already be doing a little bit of this from what I've seen in early videos, but it sounds like it wasn't as well folded into the gameplay, as such it doesn't reinforce the story quite as well.

[EddieA]

In almost all games, there's a pretty big disconnect between the action and cutscene portions.  In most games, you play a complete psychopath, remorselessly mowing down hundreds of people, yet this is very rarely mentioned in the cutscenes.  Look at Uncharted - in the space of 10 minutes, Drake and crew will calmly solve a puzzle, kill 20 people, and then engage in some light-hearted banter as they step over the pile of corpses.  Gameplay and cutscenes are usually at cross-purposes, with the gameplay meant to be fun and full of action and the cutscenes meant to deliver the drama and emotion.  I'm not saying this is ideal, but most games do it this way.

[Bullwinkle]

Man, I can't wait to see if this gets confirmed as survival-horror!

[PR_GMR]

I gotta say it: I don't like the look of the new Lara Croft. They made her into just an average-looking sporty girl. Give me the old unrealistic-looking, big-boobed, small-waisted pony-tailed temptress back, please!

[ydejin]

I gotta say it: I don't like the look of the new Lara Croft. They made her into just an average-looking sporty girl. Give me the old unrealistic-looking, big-boobed, small-waisted pony-tailed temptress back, please!

I think the new Lara looks great. 

[EngineNo9]

I gotta say it: I don't like the look of the new Lara Croft. They made her into just an average-looking sporty girl. Give me the old unrealistic-looking, big-boobed, small-waisted pony-tailed temptress back, please!

I think the new Lara looks great. 

If the new Lara is just average looking, I want to move to where you live. 

[leo8877]

I gotta say it: I don't like the look of the new Lara Croft. They made her into just an average-looking sporty girl. Give me the old unrealistic-looking, big-boobed, small-waisted pony-tailed temptress back, please!

I think the new Lara looks great. 

If the new Lara is just average looking, I want to move to where you live.

+1

[EddieA]

Man, I can't wait to see if this gets confirmed as survival-horror!

Is this some sort of snarky comment about how woefully out-of-date my original title for this topic has become?  Just for that, I'm not changing it 

[Bullwinkle]

Man, I can't wait to see if this gets confirmed as survival-horror!

Is this some sort of snarky comment about how woefully out-of-date my original title for this topic has become?  Just for that, I'm not changing it 

Snarky?  Moi??

[Bullwinkle]

I gotta say it: I don't like the look of the new Lara Croft. They made her into just an average-looking sporty girl. Give me the old unrealistic-looking, big-boobed, small-waisted pony-tailed temptress back, please!

I think the new Lara looks great. 

If the new Lara is just average looking, I want to move to where you live.

+1

Conan also thinks the new Lara (Laura) looks good.

[CeeKay]

Steam has started the pre-load for this.

[Caine]

Hoping that Amazon releases the keys soon. 

[CeeKay]

Hoping that Amazon releases the keys soon. 

I imagine it will be soon.  I got mine through Impulse (had a bunch of Gamestop credit so it only cost me 13 bucks out of pocket).  I've heard Gamefly is already doing the same and Green Man Gaming is supposedly starting to send theirs out.

[Azhag]

I have my greenman keys, but they say can't download until the 5th

[Turtle]

GMG hands out Steam keys, just put those keys into Steam to start pre-loading.

[Teggy]

Supposedly no one has been able to review the PC version yet which is a little disconcerting. Especially since I've already preloaded it.

[Caine]

Supposedly no one has been able to review the PC version yet which is a little disconcerting. Especially since I've already preloaded it.

while it is a bit odd that they didn't let PC reviews go out, especially considering how well the console games have been received so far, I'm not going to worry too much.  it's not like ACM with its media blackout leading up to release.

[Roman]

I got mine for the 360 tonight - played about 40mins so far. too early for impressions but I like what I see so far.

[EngineNo9]

Supposedly no one has been able to review the PC version yet which is a little disconcerting. Especially since I've already preloaded it.

I thought RPS said they would be able to play it today, so hopefully they have impressions this weekend.

[CeeKay]

Supposedly no one has been able to review the PC version yet which is a little disconcerting. Especially since I've already preloaded it.

I thought RPS said they would be able to play it today, so hopefully they have impressions this weekend.

Square Enix has been doing pretty good with the PC versions lately so I'm not too worried, plus they're making sure the PC version has additional bells and whistles.

[leo8877]

I got mine for the 360 tonight - played about 40mins so far. too early for impressions but I like what I see so far.

Man you always get the goods early!

[Harpua3]

I gotta say it: I don't like the look of the new Lara Croft. They made her into just an average-looking sporty girl. Give me the old unrealistic-looking, big-boobed, small-waisted pony-tailed temptress back, please!

I think the new Lara looks great. 

If the new Lara is just average looking, I want to move to where you live.

+1

+1000!!!

[Roman]

initial impressions from about 2 hours of game play.

Really like it. Graphics are great - level design is amazing tons of areas to explore with vertical options aplenty. When you have your torch lit I must say that I have yet to see a better representation of realistic fire to date.

Atmosphere is just right! ambient sounds and music are spot on -

Spoiler for Hiden:

you'll notice this first right after you get to the camp on the cliff side and you enter the Japanese bunker - the music from the phonograph is amazing

There are some issues with the camera at times - most of the time you are free to look around however there are some instances where it 'locks' onto just one perspective and feels like you're handcuffed. Kinda hard to explain but you'll see.

Enemy AI is OK right now - too early to tell. I am playing on normal.

Good use of skill points and scavenging options to increase your ammo capacity / bow strength / hunting etc etc.

You can fast travel between camps which is great if your the kind of player who likes to find EVERYTHING on a map before progressing.

And I'll say it again I really like the level design and set pieces - the ruined Japanese structures are really quite something.

You'll also have to be spot on with the QT moments - it seems pretty unforgiving so far.

Anyhoo - not much to say other than I am glad that this was my first time with Tomb Raider.

Edited to add: this game feels very much like my first few hours with Far Cry way back when on the PC. That being said there are a ton of similarities between TR and Far Cry 3 : mysterious island, Japanese emplacements , artifacts and notes left behind by soldiers.  

Also a nice touch that I've never seen before is that when she is walking in water she stumbles and plods along just like a real person does. There is no skating thru the water if you get my meaning.

[Teggy]

They must be working the PC version to the last minute - I've gotten a couple more downloads after preloading on Friday.

[Ridah]

I pre-ordered the PC version myself. I read an article where someone from the dev team talked about optimizing for the PC, so I'm hoping they hold true to that.

[Roman]

There was an update to the 360 on Friday night when I started playing too.

[Teggy]

Demo of the new PC hair physics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZljXmUEdHo

Unfortunately, initial benchmarks show a 20fps hit to have this enabled, so not sure if it's worth it.

[CeeKay]

Demo of the new PC hair physics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZljXmUEdHo

Unfortunately, initial benchmarks show a 20fps hit to have this enabled, so not sure if it's worth it.

definitely turning that off just because it doesn't look natural.  if you look closely it is like she has a force shield covering her body as the hair hits an invisible barrier.

[Teggy]

Some notes for Nvidia users - there are beta drivers with an SLI profile for Tomb Raider out, but not on the Nvidia site:
http://www.guru3d.com/files_details/geforce_314_14_beta_driver_download.html

A lot of 6xx users are reporting crashes - a possible fix is to turn off tesselation. Supposedly the same issue existed in Deus Ex, which used the same engine.

[CeeKay]

UNLOCKINATING!!!!!

[Caine]

Brutal.   Breathtaking.

[CeeKay]

Brutal.   Breathtaking.

this.  tried the TressFX and it made her hair look even more unnatural.  turned it off and maxed out everything else, FPS seems steady but I haven't run FRAPS yet.

[leo8877]

Argh coming from Gamefly, but not until Wednesday!