Tomb Raider Developers Recount Lara's Top Ten Moments

[Karloff]

Tomb Raider Developers Recount Lara's Top Ten Moments


If you haven't played it, and can't abide spoilers, better not watch this Tomb Raider video.

Daniel Bisson, Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider Game Director, clearly has a flair for the dramatic. It's been a while since Lara's latest game launch [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123045-Tomb-Raider-Launch-Best-in-Franchises-History] - which did remarkably well, even if it didn't quite hit sales projections - and Crystal Dynamics feels comfortable letting a few secrets slip. That said, spoilers ahoy! So bear that in mind before watching Bisson's top ten Tomb Raider moments.

Sales of Tomb Raider managed to reach new highs - almost as high as that radio tower sequence - when it was announced that one million gamers [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/122580-Tomb-Raider-Reaches-One-Million-Players-in-Two-Days] played it within 48 hours of launch. The title - for those new to the party - is a reboot of the series, picturing Lara at the very beginning of her action-packed career. The top ten moments reflects this, illustrating her personal journey from frightened student to full-fledged hero.

"So, we're happy with the outcome," said Crystal Dynamics' Darrel Gallagher, back when the sales numbers were announced. By the sounds of it, Daniel Bisson'd heartily agree.


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[IronMit]

wow, Top 10 moments of their own game?
Perhaps they should of done a top 10 moments of all TR games or something.

 

[Eiv]

wow, Top 10 moments of their own game?
Perhaps they should of done a top 10 moments of all TR games or something.

They were all done by Crystal Dynamics.

 

[CriticalMiss]

wow, Top 10 moments of their own game?
Perhaps they should of done a top 10 moments of all TR games or something.

They were all done by Crystal Dynamics.

Erm, no. The early games were developed by Core Design. Crystal Dynamics took over in 2006.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_Raider

Personally I thought the radio tower was the best moment. So full of hope after all the shit she had gone through whilst also giving her somewhere to fall from (metaphorically) a few moments later.

 

[Combustion Kevin]

I'd actually like a commentary/making of-ish video about the game, let programmers, artists leads and everyone involved tell something about the game from during the development cycle, why certain decicions were made, scrapped ideas, anecdotes about the development team, little trivia, things like that.

 

[Eiv]

wow, Top 10 moments of their own game?
Perhaps they should of done a top 10 moments of all TR games or something.

They were all done by Crystal Dynamics.

Erm, no. The early games were developed by Core Design. Crystal Dynamics took over in 2006.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_Raider

Personally I thought the radio tower was the best moment. So full of hope after all the shit she had gone through whilst also giving her somewhere to fall from (metaphorically) a few moments later.

Sorry, i appear to have went 'full retard'. I'm trying to think back to playing Tomb Raider 2, cant remember the intro sequence too well.

Ach well thanks again.

 

[Ticklefist]

Finally jumped into this yesterday after letting it sit on my hard drive for a month as I played other, "better" games first. What a mistake. I have been incredibly impressed with what I've seen so far.

 

[Parakeettheprawn]

So basically, almost all of their favorite moments have almost no real gameplay and are really just scripted sequences that you could have put in any other action game, and they would have not seemed out of place. Hell half of them could even fit in less-actiony games.

This does not encourage me to try the game. You know, if there'd been only a few moments of scripted stuff, I wouldn't even complain, that'd be natural. But unless I missed something, the only two non-fully scripted sequences are a puzzle and a hub area.

When did games letting you be in control suddenly become a strange concept to action games? Horror games understand that. RPGs for the most part understand that. Even puzzle games with only one solution for every puzzle understand that!

Sorry, petpeeve topic, mini-rant over.

 

[Nimzabaat]

So basically, almost all of their favorite moments have almost no real gameplay and are really just scripted sequences that you could have put in any other action game, and they would have not seemed out of place. Hell half of them could even fit in less-actiony games.

This does not encourage me to try the game. You know, if there'd been only a few moments of scripted stuff, I wouldn't even complain, that'd be natural. But unless I missed something, the only two non-fully scripted sequences are a puzzle and a hub area.

When did games letting you be in control suddenly become a strange concept to action games? Horror games understand that. RPGs for the most part understand that. Even puzzle games with only one solution for every puzzle understand that!

Sorry, petpeeve topic, mini-rant over.

I feel your pain. The radio towers in Far Cry 3 were fun little puzzles to solve, each one a little different. In TR... move the thumbstick... or don't... I guess... I enjoyed the parts of TR that I was allowed to play but it didn't even come close to measuring up to that other game about being stuck on a tropical island with pirates/bandits and dangerous animals around.

 

[Parakeettheprawn]

So basically, almost all of their favorite moments have almost no real gameplay and are really just scripted sequences that you could have put in any other action game, and they would have not seemed out of place. Hell half of them could even fit in less-actiony games.

This does not encourage me to try the game. You know, if there'd been only a few moments of scripted stuff, I wouldn't even complain, that'd be natural. But unless I missed something, the only two non-fully scripted sequences are a puzzle and a hub area.

When did games letting you be in control suddenly become a strange concept to action games? Horror games understand that. RPGs for the most part understand that. Even puzzle games with only one solution for every puzzle understand that!

Sorry, petpeeve topic, mini-rant over.

I feel your pain. The radio towers in Far Cry 3 were fun little puzzles to solve, each one a little different. In TR... move the thumbstick... or don't... I guess... I enjoyed the parts of TR that I was allowed to play but it didn't even come close to measuring up to that other game about being stuck on a tropical island with pirates/bandits and dangerous animals around.

I know, right? I felt the same way in Saboteur with the Nazi gun turrets and towers. I just honestly don't get it anymore. I don't even try to pretend that I get why games like TR and Uncharted are considered better for having moments with practically no gameplay besides maybe having "preddy graphixzz..". At least in the few times they do a set piece moment in like, Dead Space for example, it involves actual gameplay, like that rocket descent part in DS3 that had a great integration with co-op, or that part in the second one with the giant necromorph and the gunship. Those you actually took part in. You still held to the core mechanics to at least some degree. This stuff they are showing here... isn't even gameplay really. They're QTEs in disguise.

 

[Talvrae]

So basically, almost all of their favorite moments have almost no real gameplay and are really just scripted sequences that you could have put in any other action game, and they would have not seemed out of place. Hell half of them could even fit in less-actiony games.

This does not encourage me to try the game. You know, if there'd been only a few moments of scripted stuff, I wouldn't even complain, that'd be natural. But unless I missed something, the only two non-fully scripted sequences are a puzzle and a hub area.

When did games letting you be in control suddenly become a strange concept to action games? Horror games understand that. RPGs for the most part understand that. Even puzzle games with only one solution for every puzzle understand that!

Sorry, petpeeve topic, mini-rant over.

I feel your pain. The radio towers in Far Cry 3 were fun little puzzles to solve, each one a little different. In TR... move the thumbstick... or don't... I guess... I enjoyed the parts of TR that I was allowed to play but it didn't even come close to measuring up to that other game about being stuck on a tropical island with pirates/bandits and dangerous animals around.

I know, right? I felt the same way in Saboteur with the Nazi gun turrets and towers. I just honestly don't get it anymore. I don't even try to pretend that I get why games like TR and Uncharted are considered better for having moments with practically no gameplay besides maybe having "preddy graphixzz..". At least in the few times they do a set piece moment in like, Dead Space for example, it involves actual gameplay, like that rocket descent part in DS3 that had a great integration with co-op, or that part in the second one with the giant necromorph and the gunship. Those you actually took part in. You still held to the core mechanics to at least some degree. This stuff they are showing here... isn't even gameplay really. They're QTEs in disguise.

Not disguised that well eighter, never played the game... But watching this sure didn't make me want too seen way too much qte in it