A Tomb Raider Game I Actually Want To Play

[Dog--]

http://ca.ign.com/games/tomb-raider/pc-2511

Haven't played or wanted to play ANY of the Tomb Raider games after number 2 (or maybe 3? Can't remember). Played them when I was a kid, thought they were great. Newer ones looked stupid. This one actually looks cool, looks very cinematic.

 

[Unfocused]

Well I certainly prefer the 'new' Lara to the old one, as a character.

But holy shit, the game looks over-the-top cinematic, did they hire Michael Bay to direct this? It looks like half the game will be quick-time-event-based.

 

[Barnz]

QUICK TIME EVENT RAIDER

 

[Dinnesch]

QUICK TIME EVENT RAIDER

This. Can't say I really enjoyed any of the games after TR3. The gameplay just seems to be so 'hollow' compared to the original 3 games.

Anniversary was a step in the right direction though.

 

[Remus]

Well at least they managed to make her look both atractive and realistic, so congrats on the character design.

But besides that...

Durr edgy/ gritty/ dark ! Inception horns! Slow motion! OMG drama! And lets not forget the design cliche on the title, of having the first word in red and the other in black...

Not interested.

 

[Krynn72]

Yeah, I like the character, and I even think the setting is pretty good, but the gameplay looks like crap, compared to ANY of the previous tomb raider games. Its just super linear hand holding with QTEs.

NOPE.

 

[Sheepo]

Well at least they managed to make her look both atractive and realistic, so congrats on the character design.

But besides that...

Durr edgy/ gritty/ dark ! Inception horns! Slow motion! OMG drama! And lets not forget the design cliche on the title, of having the first word in red and the other in black...

Not interested.

Aversion to marketing techniques is definitely a good reason to not like something, good call.

 

[Remus]

Oh that's defenitily not the only reason I wont be playing this game, but this trailer only increases my distaste with it.
However to me at least, not liking a trailer to a movie or game, is reason enough not to waste any money on it.

 

[Krynn72]

And lets not forget the design cliche on the title, of having the first word in red and the other in black...

I know, that totally is reason enough to not waste things on something. Same with having the first word in red and the other in white. Pfft, I mean, if a website for instance had those two colors in their logo, it'd make it not even worth the time to visit the site, regardless of content. Might as well just write a site like that off without any effort into seeing what its about.

 

[Remus]

Exactly, glad you see it my way.

 

[Shem]

Awaiting Dog's response to this critical reception. I bet he feels really embarrassed now.

 

[kineaesth]

Awaiting Dog's response to this critical reception. I bet he feels really embarrassed now.

The trailer and responses did not make me cancel my pre order. I cannot wait, HUGE fan of the series. With all the different things you could do in Tomb Raider to finish the missions I'm hoping this one will be just like that. But nearly all posts I see on these forums are just people bashing games, so I expected as much.

It's pretty sad when you feel that someone should be embarrassed because he liked a trailer that you did not.

Now back to not reading these forums =-)

 

[Vegeta897]

Awaiting Dog's response to this critical reception. I bet he feels really embarrassed now.

Wow I'm going to kick you in the nuts if you ever do that again.

 

[Shem]

Wow I'm going to kick you in the nuts if you ever do that again.

It was an opportunity I just couldn't waste.

 

[Omnomnick]

Considering Tomb Raider got old and essentially got 'replaced' by Uncharted which advanced the formula, it only makes sense for the redesigned Tomb Raider to move to the same level Uncharted is at.

It should be a good game if they can do it right. You guys need to stop hating on games, HateTime.net

 

[Dog--]

The thing I like about this game is that Lara looks/acts human. In the other games she was like some invincible badass not give a shit superhero. I mean I get that vibe a little from this too, but not nearly as much.

Awaiting Dog's response to this critical reception. I bet he feels really embarrassed now.

Why would I? I posted a trailer on a game forum and a few people didn't like it. oh god brb gonna go kill myself

 

[Bad^Hat]

Honestly? I still think it looks pretty neat. As long as the QTEs are handled well and gel nicely with whatever else comprises the gameplay I probably won't mind.

 

[Shem]

Why would I? I posted a trailer on a game forum and a few people didn't like it. oh god brb gonna go kill myself

Reading an earlier thread would shed some light on the matter.

 

[Barnz]

Considering Tomb Raider got old and essentially got 'replaced' by Uncharted which advanced the formula

Uncharted is nothing like the Tomb Raider games.

 

[Omnomnick]

Uncharted is nothing like the Tomb Raider games.

Climbing around ruins/old civilizations looking for ancient treasure with third person gunplay and exploration? Sounds like a natural development of the old Tomb Raider gameplay to me.

 

[Dog--]

Honestly? I still think it looks pretty neat. As long as the QTEs are handled well and gel nicely with whatever else comprises the gameplay I probably won't mind.

Halflife2.net - SORRY - VALVETIME.NET seem to always immediately bash and hate a game just because of QTE's, I mean what's so bad about them? As long as it's not the entire game I don't see a problem with them at all. I think they'll work in this game, judging by the trailer.

 

[Vegeta897]

How was BadHat bashing the game because of QTEs?

 

[Dog--]

He wasn't, I am agreeing with what he said with my own added input.

 

[Unfocused]

In my case, I guess I'm old school like that - I like gameplay where you have freedom of movement, with cutscenes in between which string the story together. I don't like the in-betweens. I don't like sections on rails (player in the gunner seat), overly scripted sequences and QTE's. I don't hate them, I'd just rather do without them.

It all comes down to balance - you can have a bit of each among more-or-less free gameplay and I will enjoy the game - like Max Payne 3 (but I still think those parts where the weakest).

Perhaps my attitude towards QTE's comes also from the fact that I'm not feeling what the developers want me to feel. I guess they want to trick me into thinking that I'm doing all the 'awesome' stuff that's happening on the screen, when in fact I can't shake the feeling that I'm just pressing one of four buttons every few seconds to keep the cutscene playing.

 

[Vegeta897]

Perhaps my attitude towards QTE's comes also from the fact that I'm not feeling what the developers want me to feel. I guess they want to trick me into thinking that I'm doing all the 'awesome' stuff that's happening on the screen, when in fact I can't shake the feeling that I'm just pressing one of four buttons every few seconds to keep the cutscene playing.

This is exactly my problem with them. I watch the character do something really cool or whatever, but don't feel at all like I'm doing anything. I'm just watching. The fact that I hit some arbitrary buttons means nothing to me. It adds nothing to the experience. It is not gameplay. It's nothing.

 

[Sheepo]

Yep, QTEs are essentially 'hey press this button to continue watching!'. They're obtrusive, don't provide any of the immersion they're intended to, and have no relation to the game world/rules you've been coming to terms with. At worst they're essentially devices used to keep people interested in a scene that might not hold their attention otherwise. Which is pretty sad.

 

[Barnz]

It's like those shitty FMV games on PlayStation.

 

[Krynn72]

At worst they're essentially devices used to keep people interested in a scene that might not hold their attention otherwise. Which is pretty sad.

I believe you meant to say "at best they're..."

As others have said, the underlying reason QTEs are disliked is because they're not true interaction. This is an interactive media we're paying $60 for, and what it boils down to is a massive part of the game being a CG movie with "hey! Are you paying attention?" tests throughout. The game is taking away all decision making features, removing 99.999% of the skill required to play most other games; essentially making the game a high school, A through D, multiple choice exam, but where the teacher tells you the ****ing answer to each question and you just have to repeat what he said within one or two seconds.

So yeah, our normal multiple choice exams in high school were more fun to do, had higher stakes, and were more rewarding when completed than QTEs. And those tests sucked, so whats that say about QTEs?

 

[ríomhaire]

Wow. From this trailer Lara actually seems like the most bloody realistic protagonist in any action game I've ever seen. I wonder can they keep that up for the whole game or once you hit the 1/3 the way through mark does she start remorselessly start killing hundreds of generically evil goons like every other game? If they can keep good characterisation and not resort to making the main character a mass slaughterer by the end of the game and make killing people an actual big goddamn deal then it'd be worth playing just for that. I'm probably getting my hopes up far far too much.

 

[Vegeta897]

And those tests sucked, so whats that say about QTEs?

Can you give me some choices to pick from? And then also tell me the answer?

 

[Bad^Hat]

Climbing around ruins/old civilizations looking for ancient treasure with third person gunplay and exploration? Sounds like a natural development of the old Tomb Raider gameplay to me.

Minus the puzzle solving and complex platforming which were 90% of what made Tomb Raider Tomb Raider. This looks okay as it's own self-contained thing but it's not a "progression" in any sense of the word, at least not gameplay-wise.

Wow. From this trailer Lara actually seems like the most bloody realistic protagonist in any action game I've ever seen. I wonder can they keep that up for the whole game or once you hit the 1/3 the way through mark does she start remorselessly start killing hundreds of generically evil goons like every other game? If they can keep good characterisation and not resort to making the main character a mass slaughterer by the end of the game and make killing people an actual big goddamn deal then it'd be worth playing just for that. I'm probably getting my hopes up far far too much.

Considering the kind of cold, equal opportunity killer she becomes in the later games? Slim chance.

 

[Krynn72]

Also, I'm pretty sure I saw her savagely swinging some kind of pickaxe at a dude like in any other action game. So I have no doubt there'll be some mindless enemies for her to kill without any remorse whatsoever.

 

[ríomhaire]

Considering the kind of cold, equal opportunity killer she becomes in the later games? Slim chance.

True that. I figured this was a total reboot of the series and not a prequel. Does that mean she's going to get a boob job in the sequel?

 

[Krynn72]

It is a complete reboot as far as I'm aware. Like, the same character, but as if none of the other games existed. Still, the plot of this trilogy is essentially her becoming a "hardened survivor" which I'm sure means "emotionless killing machine" to video game developers.

 

[Bad^Hat]

It just occurred to me that long-running video game franchises are becoming a little like comics in that they have to reboot the continuity every few years because it stops making sense or some other style of character becomes trendy or the developers just give up.

 

[Krynn72]

Its just another symptom of people being afraid to make new IPs. They want to make an entirely new story or an entirely different game, but they want the added money of a familiar name. Its lame, and its all Casuals' fault.

 

[Dog--]

Here is some gameplay, not too much QTE's, seems like the right amount imo. Looks kind of linear, but that was only one level, who knows. Guess you guys were right - killing machine Lara Croft and not really any survival.

http://ca.ign.com/articles/2012/06/05/e3-2012-tomb-raider-and-the-breaking-of-lara-croft

A few quotes I found interesting.

I’m speaking of the XP system tied to upgrading your survival skills. Called Ingenuity Upgrades, you can apply XP you earn doing things like hunting or collecting ‘salvageable goods’ to improve your stuff and skills. Fortifying your virtual Lara with the mettle to survive seems natural, but the implementation pops up at the darndest times. It’s interesting that these mechanics are actually noticeable by comparison to the rest of the game, which feels curiously ungamey. Other things like the animation for “salvaging” boxes – the boxes fall, break and disappear - looks strange. But with no HUD, a tiny reticle and the errant quick time event, it’s more a testimony to the up-to-your-nostrils feel of the game than a real knock against these more obvious notes, but it all stood out just the same.

The 21 year-old gone, a decided woman emerges like the sole survivor of a slasher film, stumbling from the grip of the kill night - Lara, the Killer - and into the morning sun of a Tomb Raider game.

Still want to try it though.

 

[Unfocused]

Its just another symptom of people being afraid to make new IPs. They want to make an entirely new story or an entirely different game, but they want the added money of a familiar name. Its lame, and its all Casuals' fault.

Heh, NFS: Most Wanted had only one game in the sub-series and the second one is already named like the first.

 

[StardogChampion]

It's funny that you'd want to play this one when it looks the shittiest out of all them so far. It looks like a game made by marketers.

You are the reason why good games are dying. That's not an insult. It's just the way it is.

Everyone who buys the next Assassin's Creed/Tomb Raider/CoD/etc is contributing.

 

[Dog--]

It's funny that you'd want to play this one when it looks the shittiest out of all them so far. It looks like a game made by marketers.

You are the reason why good games are dying. That's not an insult. It's just the way it is.

Everyone who buys the next Assassin's Creed/Tomb Raider/CoD/etc is contributing.

Or Battlefield, Bioshock infinite, ANY XXXXXX 2012 (sports game), Star Wars game (not just SWTOR), also Hitman. Seriously, games are just money now. It isn't like back in the day when they made games for making games. Games are just cash cows now, nothing more. Indie games like Minecraft still give the industry credibility and hope, though. TR just looks like a fun game to play, I'm not buying it for some award winning story or anything.