Tomb Raider Review - An Icon Reborn

[Susan Arendt]

Don't buy the hype. I've watched streams of this game. This game is terribly bland, has shoehorned multiplayer, and while I LIKE that they tried to characterize Laura so we can see her grow from a normal person into this badass survivalist we all know, they kick it to the EXTREME side, making her an incompitant sack of potatoes that needs to get hauled around by her big strong manly mentor for the first half. Oh, and the rest of the cast is unlikable and stupid to the extreme.

I suggest waiting for more reviews to come in, particularly user reviews, before making your decision.

I'm going to wait for zero punctuation and maybe PC gamer. They labelled a recent gameplay reveal as '11 minute corridor of death' so I think I'm on the same page as them

edit. Ohh damn. check out machinima review of this game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWQMMlCCEuU

I will say that the first section of the game (which probably lasts about 10 minutes, yes) is stuffed full of quicktime events and is, indeed, a boring corridor. It's odd, really, because the rest of the game is nothing like that. I have no idea why they chose to kick off the game in such an unengaging way.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Tomb Raider Review - An Icon Reborn

Welcome back, Ms. Croft. We've missed you.

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From what you say, Tomb Raider seems to have a lot in common with Far Cry 3. If so, could you say which of the two is more worth a purchase. For context, I have not played any previous Tomb Raider of Far Cry games, but both of these have caught my attention.

 

[Kevlar Eater]

I laugh at the notion of basing actual purchasing decisions on those manic, poorly written displays of blatant agendas.

And I can say the exact same thing about "professional" reviews. Plus, I prefer to read user reviews with the confidence that these people (usually) aren't getting paid or threatened to give a positive review on a game they know is bad. But this comes with the possibility that users may indeed have an agenda (see: DmC: Devil May Cry user reviews) due to them feeling slighted in a sense.

 

[Kennetic]

I couldn't decide between PC or PS3 for this. Eventually preordered on Steam but still curious about which one will be best. JC for most games on both platforms, where in the graphics setting does PS3 lie? Middle or something?

 

[Proverbial Jon]

The Tomb Raider games aren't RPGs, they're not about stat development.

Yeah, we learnt that lesson with Angel of Darkness.

"My arms feel stronger now!"

Seriously? [small](I still secretly love that game though, even if it was broken as all hell)[/small]

I would like to see the typical shooter setup completely rewritten for a game about survival, not necessarily a Tomb Raider game though. Shaking hands, low level of accuracy, taking physical damage when shooting due to the recoil, perhaps the protagonist even refusing to shoot at times. It wouldn't be stat based but tied to the story, each problem slowly getting better as Lara progresses, all the numbers behind the scenes.

Optional objectives that help certain issues would be cool too, choosing to help an injured animal might reduce the shake? Almost like the way combat in Silent Hill was so tense because it was so cluunky and unrefined, except this time it's intentional due to the character's inexperience. This would probably cause frustration in a lot of players but it sounds like it would generate a tense atmosphere and I'd play the hell out of it! Even if it was an optional mode.

 

[m19]

It's nice when game mechanics fit the narrative but ultimately am I the only one that doesn't really give a crap that the "gamey" parts aren't reflected in the story?

It's a concession to the fact it's a game that I learned to make way back when.

 

[demented]

The fact that Laura gets used to killing people so quickly proves what we already knew. She's a psychopath.

 

[Quorothorn]

Though am I the only one getting a slight farcry 3 through the review footage?
Inexperienced protagonist shoved out of his/her comfort zone, at first not at all happy with killing (but become efficient killers when the cutscenes are over)faffing about in Temples in jungles(Ok, farcry has less temples).

I've also gotten a bit of a Far Cry 3 "vibe" from the two reviews I've read so far (this one plus Jim Sterling's), and that's a good thing for me since I've on the whole enjoyed FC3.

I must admit I have now gotten more intrigued with this game than I had 'planned on'/expected to be. Still have to wait for Yahtzee's take/personal income/Steam sale/completion of other games/etc before I check it out. Though if a demo comes out that'd certainly help.

 

[JudgeGame]

I'm actually really happy that a lot of people I trust are giving Tomb Raider a lot of praise. The original trailers from last spring looked awful but the recent footage is much more promising. I'm also glad to hear from everyone that Lara gets used to killing people in cold blood surprisingly fast. I'll have to judge the cutscenes for myself though.

The fact that Laura gets used to killing people so quickly proves what we already knew. She's a psychopath.

They should stop dancing around this and make it canon already.

 

[IronMit]

It's nice when game mechanics fit the narrative but ultimately am I the only one that doesn't really give a crap that the "gamey" parts aren't reflected in the story?

It's a concession to the fact it's a game that I learned to make way back when.

I normally don't care too much...it's more of a bonus when the gameplay and narrative fit..It's a shame it's the norm that it doesn't.

However this game is some sort of character development origin story...or at least that's what the marketing tells me so gameplay fitting narrative is quite important for some people.

 

[FinalDream]

So happy this has been getting good reviews, I'm a huge fan of the series. Enough to have the read the books! I've been waiting so long for it's release I was starting to get a little worried it might turn out to be just ok. But from what I've seen, and what everyone is talking about, I'm going to be one happy fanboy on release day!

Now comes the hardest part...waiting for my collectors edition to arrive...

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

This is kinda a prequel, also a reboot. But it explains how she got to be who she was in the original games. I like that she starts off as a normal woman crashed on an island. You can connect with her, identify with her as you keep her alive and discover things on the island. Seriously, its not a case of "oh look, its a weak woman that needs my manly help", no, its the case of if i crashed onto an island, i to would be as useless and pathetic to. I can identify with her situation, it makes her human and care, unlike the original TR games when you played Lara as a woman that can totally take care of herself in every situation. Its like RPGs, you start off as a weak nobody, and you have to fight and get strong to survive. Im very impressed with what ive seen so far of TR.

 

[Susan Arendt]

Tomb Raider Review - An Icon Reborn

Welcome back, Ms. Croft. We've missed you.

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From what you say, Tomb Raider seems to have a lot in common with Far Cry 3. If so, could you say which of the two is more worth a purchase. For context, I have not played any previous Tomb Raider of Far Cry games, but both of these have caught my attention.

Well, that's naturally going to be very much a matter of taste. They're both excellent. Far Cry 3 is more open world, and is longer. It's also darker in tone, and first person rather than third person. No matter which you choose, I think you'll enjoy yourself. (I played both on the 360, so your platform of choice may make a difference in your decision making.)

 

[Basement Cat]

The fact that Laura gets used to killing people so quickly proves what we already knew. She's a psychopath.

I couldn't help but remember one of Yahtzee's old reviews where he said that Lara's perfect mate would be Jason Vorhees because she was basically...EVIL!

He put it something like: "In the last game she would occasionally look down at her hands after killing someone as if to say "What kind of monster have I become?" but really, we all know she's off her rocker."

OT: I tried playing one Tomb Raider game in the 90's and couldn't get far in (even with a walk through) because I couldn't ever latch on to a 'hidden' ledge in some canopy or something. That left 99% of the game unfinished.

Looks like things have gotten better.

As for people whining about the reboot it should be clear that the need was unavoidable: After silliness like the giant octopus how could they "Up" things next? Lara unearthing fire breathing dragons?

...

Lemme guess: They did that somewhere, didn't they?

 

[Sheo_Dagana]

While Lara was overly sexualized in the past, she was also a bad ass. I liked that aspect of her. She relied on no one, had no shoe-horned love interest, and typically did not need to be bailed out by anyone. I'm just afraid to play this game and see Lara become the new Samus, plus the action looked a little bland. The tombs just seem like a challenge room in Assassin's Creed - there to convince players that they "haven't forgotten Tomb Raider's roots."

I still want to play this game, though. It should be judged for what it is, not what series it's a part of, and playing for myself is the only way I'll know for sure whether I'll like it or not. I like it when games go in new directions, so I'd be happy if this game totally made me eat my above paragraph.

 

[Doom972]

Why even call her Lara Croft? If they wanted to tell a new story in the Tomb Raider setting with a brand new character, then why didn't they just do it? She isn't anything like her except in her name: She doesn't act like her or sound like her and she barely resembles her.

While the new Lara might be good (some might like her better, which is fine), this seems like a slap in the face for everyone who liked Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider franchise before.

I'll pass on this one.

Why do fans have to take every change on their favorite well-trodden, overdone series as personal attacks? Do you really think the world revolves around you?

Seems like they wanted to add some depth. Seems like you could keep an open mind.

First of all, I wouldn't say I'm a fan, I like the franchise but not all that much, so imagine what an actual fan might think.
For the sake of the argument, let's say that Tomb Raider is well-trodden and overdone, isn't it much more of a reason to start a new IP or at least make a new protagonist?
Didn't really get that last part. I don't recall making any selfish demands.

I'm very open to new things and changes as long as they make sense. Making a new and completely different character and acting as if she's one of the most well-known characters gaming doesn't make sense. Imagine if they make a new Mario game where Mario is a teenager who doesn't have a mustache and talks with an American accent.

 

[Crazy Zaul]

So how much platforming is still in it? Cos I hate platforming.
A lot of the last Tom Raider game I played was running up to a ledge and pressing jump and shouting FFS WHY DIDN'T SHE FRAKING JUMP?!!

 

[sneakypenguin]

Umm does the animation/graphics look a little wonky to anyone else? Like this is a 2008 game. Just what I saw in the review reminded me of resident evil combat, and the movement animation looked a bit odd. I might pick this up on a steam sale for 10 bucks we'll see how the general consensus is after a month or two.