Ok that almost made me choke on my coffee. xD
You just summed up most of this guy's issues with he had with it back in 2013.
I kind of doubt players care as much about graphics and cinematic in your face stories as the AAA publishers believe. Look at Minecraft. Or all those hugely successful Nintendo games. Or good indies. Or the Souls games, which were never praised for their graphics and whose stories are more optional (meaning the player can almost completely ignore all of it), yet have rather big (not huge) followings. If it's fun and the tasks are engaging, people will play it. Tomb Raider was never small enough to be indie, but I think it could fit very well between indie and AAA. Not having a huge budget means they could focus more on the things that make Tomb Raider special and market it towards a smaller audience that enjoys exploration and puzzle platforming.
Eh, I dunno. I mean, you've basically just described the format for the old TR games, and I never found them all that engaging, mostly because they were fairly shallow on story and engagement. So if they just do more of that, they certainly won't win me over as a new player. Granted, it might engage more of the franchise old hats, but the reality is that franchises have to draw in new players to remain viable. And the reboot's premise, at least in theory, is what actually got my attention. A more dramatic, narrative oriented take on the character, who I only knew for being famous for big tits and guns. I played a couple of the old games, and there just wasn't any draw for me. Now, the reboot failed to actually TELL a compelling story in my opinion, but I don't fault them for taking the franchise in that direction. Aside from intentional retro goals with a game, I think more people today, actually want something more engaging with their games. It does still have to actually structure well, which is the reboot's biggest failing, in my opinion.
What games are you referring to? Underworld? Underworld was mediocre. That's why it didn't sell that well. Legend was one of the best selling Tomb Raiders ever up to that point. I know that game is a little more on the story and cinematic side, with more radio conversations too, but there aren't other modern examples. Except Anniversary, which curiously sold poorly. Maybe people just didn't understand what it was. But anyway, I don't think that have been enough good classic Tomb Raider games in this century for SquareEnix to make that determination.
Nothing against the design per se but there's nothing authentically "Lara" about her either. Once you remove the shorts, the shades, the ponytail, the pistolsl and the double-ds she could be anybody. It's like rebooting James Bond or Indiana Jones by getting rid of Bond's accent & tux or Indy's whip & hat. Worse still since all Lara ever had were her physical/cosmetic attributes but no real personality underneath. And the reboot's idea of having her be a weary sadsack didn't do it for me.
I don't think you played the original tomb raiders. Lara had plenty of personality, the ps1 games were just limited. Even still she was a smart, funny, charismatic character for what they could do back in the day. The new Lara's personality became a bit shit, and definitely don't do the original character any justice.
*shrugs* I just...don't really feel that attached to a pair of low polygon tits and a featureless face? Like, I played I think maybe 2 of the original games, and had zero connection to lara at all. The only thing I remember is them going out of there way to give her reasons to be sexy. Like doing a handstand before diving off a ledge, even through there is no reason to do that. Or her massive tits, and little boy shorts. It was just so obvious to be fanservice, and that's not enough to keep me giving you money. So personally, I don't really care that they took away the barbie doll caliber dress up components of her look, and made her look like a real person. Again, tastes and preferences vary, and that's fine, but I don't really care about massive tits and double guns in a video game. I have porn if I want tits (better rendered ones at that), and guns, well, the game's got guns.
I've played 3 or 4 of the original TR and the most personality I ever saw from Lara was the scene at the theater balcony (don't even remember which game that was). The new games are fun, but Lara isn't and the character actively works against it. I concede the general storyline is grim enough that it doesn't cut her much slack but it doesn't stop me from resenting the character.
Oh shit, I realized I completely misunderstood the last part of what you were saying. They have to ask themselves how well trying to go big and mainstream has worked out for them. Yes, I agree. Ignore my last response.
I think the classic games were a mixed bag, but the reboot definitely spelled a shift in their focus. I’d be ok with a greater focus on story if it meant eliminating 90% of the combat and cheap “survival” mechanics (ie upgrades and incremental improvements to a bunch of bs gear and stats) and replacing it with good exploring and platforming built in Anniversary’s, but more nuanced.
