Tomb Raider - Out Now !

[partridge]

http://www.tombraider.com

I just got a tweet from Square Enix announcing it, but can't check the website!

[jruc03]

Originally Posted by partridge

http://www.tombraider.com

I just got a tweet from Square Enix announcing it, but can't check the website!

Interesting looks like its going to be and younger origin story just titled Tomb Raider.

[Psx0005]

Crystal Dynamics hasn't done wrong with Tomb Raider so far, so I can only hope that they can do even better with this-be it a reboot, origin, or whatever for Lara.

The new Lara looks hot, hopefully she's not overdone in a certain other area that Lara's been notorious for in her previous incarnations!

[Show spoiler]

[AU6294TX]

Looks like a possible female version of Uncharted.

[AikonEnt]

Originally Posted by AU6294TX

Looks like a possible female version of Uncharted.

Which is funny, because Uncharted was probably thought of as the male version of Tomb Raider

[Lopan]

Poor Lara needs a bath.

[partridge]

Seems to be showing as an "18" certificate too.

Not much information yet, but I'll keep an eye on this. I never got very far with Underworld, but I enjoyed the demo version of GoL (I may still buy it).

I've always enjoyed Tomb Raider games, but they lost their way when the series hit PS2. I played Legend on PSP and really enjoyed that. I enjoyed Keeley Hawes voicing her too, but I won't be surprised to hear a new voice on this new Lara (please still be English though!)

[phranctoast]

they lost their way with Angel of Darkness. I think Crystal Dynamics brought it back to what it originally was.
Even Underworld went back to the Tomb Raiding that made the series popular.

I just fear the platforming element that I love about TR will be switched with the Shooting element prominent in the Uncharted series. As shooters are getting more and more popular and platforming less.

[Mr. J]

Originally Posted by Psx0005

Crystal Dynamics hasn't done wrong with Tomb Raider so far, so I can only hope that they can do even better with this-be it a reboot, origin, or whatever for Lara.

The new Lara looks hot, hopefully she's not overdone in a certain other area that Lara's been notorious for in her previous incarnations!

[Show spoiler]

But thats her trademark

[partridge]

Lara has a couple of great assets and they can't ignore them with this remake.

What I mean, of course, is the combination of a great game and a strong, credible lead character They'd be wrong to deny us the enjoyment of uncovering Lara's treasures, er, by playing as her and finding ancient artifacts in a challenging and exciting game.



I think I got away with not directly mentioning her t*ts. D'oh!!!

[Mr. J]

Originally Posted by partridge

Lara has a couple of great assets and they can't ignore them with this remake.

What I mean, of course, is the combination of a great game and a strong, credible lead character They'd be wrong to deny us the enjoyment of uncovering Lara's treasures, er, by playing as her and finding ancient artifacts in a challenging and exciting game.



I think I got away with not directly mentioning her t*ts. D'oh!!!

Oh I see what you did there

[Psx0005]

Originally Posted by Mr. J

Oh I see what you did there

Since the new direction for Lara will be no more live models for promotion, maybe we can see some of the character design "bloopers" after the game comes out eh?

[fsavoie]

Its very promissing:

* Lara is 21, fresh from academy and eager to prove herself to the world
* Tomb Raider is both a reboot of the franchise and a reboot of the entire brand,so there'll be no live-action model hired to promote the game this time
* Crystal Dynamics is implementing performance capture to make Lara "as believable and relatable as possible"
* There are disturbing death sequences. One is described as a deranged man stabbing Lara in the chest with a makeshift blade and then closing her eyes after she’s dead while ominously whispering in her ear. Another includes a boulder falling on her leg to trap her before another drops and crushes her skull
* Lara starts with no tools or weapons and CD isn't going into specifics on weapons yet, although concept art shows a climbing axe, bow, shotgun and pistol
* The archaic lock-on targeting system has been removed in favour of a free aim system to "make Tomb Raider competitive amongst our peers in the genre, while maintaining a unique flavour" says Crystal Dynamics studio head Darrell Gallagher
* “I think that the major difference between this game and the old is the concept of smoke and mirrors,” says Gallagher. “There was an illusion of freedom because of streaming and loading that would pop you out in a different location, but this is absolutely real. You can literally go any direction that you see and carve your own way to the finish line instead of being guided.”
* “It was important in the game to not only deliver the character arc of Lara Croft emotionally, but to deliver it in gameplay as well so the player gets to grow into a hardened survivor,” says director Noah Hughes.
* Lara will scavenge new tools and gear that augment her abilities as the game unfolds. Lara will initially be less graceful than before, but her athletic prowess will also evolve. Some areas begin inaccessible due to physical limitations or scarce supplies. With the right skills and gear, however, the island will open up to Lara
* There are base camps where you'll be able to combine salvage items to create something new while gaining access to a skill system that will upgrade Lara’s abilities. You’ll also be able to use base camps to fast travel to different locations to minimise backtracking
* You’ll need to gather food, water and other valuable resources in order to survive
* There are humans in the game, including some of the crew members from the wreck of the ship named 'Endurance' that brings Lara to the coast of the island
* There'll be mysteries to solve on the island, such as discovering the motivations of the natives, the gravitional pull of the island and the origins of the graveyard of sea vessels littering the shoreline

from http://www.ps3trophies.org/news/news...r-Details.html

[Goodintentions]

Originally Posted by fsavoie

Its very promissing:

* Lara is 21, fresh from academy and eager to prove herself to the world
* Tomb Raider is both a reboot of the franchise and a reboot of the entire brand,so there'll be no live-action model hired to promote the game this time
* Crystal Dynamics is implementing performance capture to make Lara "as believable and relatable as possible"
* There are disturbing death sequences. One is described as a deranged man stabbing Lara in the chest with a makeshift blade and then closing her eyes after she’s dead while ominously whispering in her ear. Another includes a boulder falling on her leg to trap her before another drops and crushes her skull
* Lara starts with no tools or weapons and CD isn't going into specifics on weapons yet, although concept art shows a climbing axe, bow, shotgun and pistol
* The archaic lock-on targeting system has been removed in favour of a free aim system to "make Tomb Raider competitive amongst our peers in the genre, while maintaining a unique flavour" says Crystal Dynamics studio head Darrell Gallagher
* “I think that the major difference between this game and the old is the concept of smoke and mirrors,” says Gallagher. “There was an illusion of freedom because of streaming and loading that would pop you out in a different location, but this is absolutely real. You can literally go any direction that you see and carve your own way to the finish line instead of being guided.”
* “It was important in the game to not only deliver the character arc of Lara Croft emotionally, but to deliver it in gameplay as well so the player gets to grow into a hardened survivor,” says director Noah Hughes.
* Lara will scavenge new tools and gear that augment her abilities as the game unfolds. Lara will initially be less graceful than before, but her athletic prowess will also evolve. Some areas begin inaccessible due to physical limitations or scarce supplies. With the right skills and gear, however, the island will open up to Lara
* There are base camps where you'll be able to combine salvage items to create something new while gaining access to a skill system that will upgrade Lara’s abilities. You’ll also be able to use base camps to fast travel to different locations to minimise backtracking
* You’ll need to gather food, water and other valuable resources in order to survive
* There are humans in the game, including some of the crew members from the wreck of the ship named 'Endurance' that brings Lara to the coast of the island
* There'll be mysteries to solve on the island, such as discovering the motivations of the natives, the gravitional pull of the island and the origins of the graveyard of sea vessels littering the shoreline

from http://www.ps3trophies.org/news/news...r-Details.html

Sounds awesome.

[partridge]

A disturbing death sequence involving Lara being stabbed? How the hell does that work!


Personally I don't have a problem with linear games as long as they allow you to wander off a bit and explore, but ultimately in any game like this you have to get from A to B and I can well imagine lots of hidden items that will require you to cover every inch of every level to find them - not fun or believable when they are pushing for a realistic adventure. If you're fighting for survival and see an exit you go straight to it, you don't spend an hour combing your surroundings just in case there's a pen knife lying around.

"Lara will scavenge new tools" - which sounds good but I would imagine it's a case of find the cave and just inside is a spear, or look inside a desk drawer and there's a gun

"You’ll need to gather food, water and other valuable resources in order to survive"
Well that just sounds dull, but I guess it's a replacement for the old school medi-pack or end of level health recovery?

Forgive my cynicism, I love Lara, but all this sounds too reminicent of what Core Dynamics said about Angel of Darkness and that was dire.

I'll keep an open mind but this press release hasn't sold me on it, in fact it sounds more like an RPG than an adventure game.

I hope they do a great job, but they'll have to go some to beat Uncharted's brilliant mix of story, character, humour, action, location and set pieces.

The gravitational pull of the Island? Is there a hatch buried somewhere? Or a huge statue of an Egyptian God on the beach..?

[Snake_XRS]

Interesting ideas so far, especially the SOTN or Arkham Asylum type game type where areas are inaccessible or limited by equipment, experience, etc. I tend to like games like that for some reason.

One thing though about TR as a series, which I think has put a cap on its success IMO is that Lara has a "goody" type image, where she doesn't kill people (in general). This leads to limiting enemy types to bats, rats, bears, etc., which just isn't as fun as Uncharted type combat. Not that killing people makes for a better game (Batman used only incapacitating weapons the entire game), but the combat in AA was something Lara couldn't pull off effectively.

I have to agree with partridge though, the last time CD hyped up all the changes Lara was getting we ended up with AOD.

The bar has been set REALLY REALLY high, personally I can't imagine TR beating it. Not saying it may not be a good game, but there are so many things about TR that are archaic: tank controls, horrible target system (i guess this will be changed), no cover system, no hand to hand combat, unlimited handgun ammo is stupid IMO, vehicles sequences were on par with Bayonetta lmao, enemy types, etc.

[phranctoast]

"The bar has been set REALLY REALLY high, personally I can't imagine TR beating it. Not saying it may not be a good game, but there are so many things about TR that are archaic: tank controls, horrible target system (i guess this will be changed), no cover system, no hand to hand combat, unlimited handgun ammo is stupid IMO, vehicles sequences were on par with Bayonetta lmao, enemy types, etc. "

I think TR is perfect for what it is. A 3D platformer where the enemy is first and foremost, the environment.

The bar being set and your further explanation sounds too much like Uncharted where humans are your enemy and platforming and puzzles are a distant second.

I don't want TR to become a shooter. There's already enough of them.

[Snake_XRS]

Originally Posted by phranctoast

I think TR is perfect for what it is. A 3D platformer where the enemy is first and foremost, the environment.

It's funny i've been playing TR for years and never looked at it quite like this

It sounds great in concept, but as a game design/mechanic it makes for long stretches of nothing really happening, other than looking for the correct ledge, artifact, etc to progress. IDK, maybe my tastes have changed, or maybe CD just hasn't done it "right" in years. I hope for the best though.

[phranctoast]

It's funny i've been playing TR for years and never looked at it quite like this

I surprise even myself

Of course the glaring issue of adding more shooting in games were you're exploring places where people having set foot in in years should be obvious.

I think TR is in a dying genre (like Prince of Persia). Exploratory platformer has traded places with shooter (Uncharted) and hack and slash (brawler) in POP case.

I even recall and story of a POP developer blaming GOW for the decline of the series. I always thought that was crazy talk as they are so different in genre to be comparable, but now I wonder.

If people are straying away from that genre is favor of another what he said is closer to the truth than I originally perceived.

[Monkey]

Square Enix the developer or Publisher? Just wondering what past projects the developers have done to put any kind of confidence in this game.