"As opposed to the United States, where it seems most bridges, overpasses and stretches of highway are named for some transportation commissioner, retired general or state senator no one's ever heard of."
@Michael Dukakis - Mets fan: Interesting story actually. It's got a couple of speed bumps in the road but when they first put them in they were quite angular. People didn't really complain though. They were just happy to see some speed bumps. Fortunately, over time they've improved them and smoothed them out, though they're still a little big for the road.
They JUST rebooted the series 3 games ago... and the second one wasn't even part of the new story! Just give me a fucking sequel to Legacy of Kain: Defiance and I'll gladly stop bitching. It's been fucking years!
I think the main thing they need to work on with Tomb Raider games is the camera work. Every game as-of-late has had terrible camera work. I played the demo of the latest game, and it was a major pain in the ass to maneuver across certain areas with the camera jumping around. Demos should definitely be polished enough to not have those sort of fundamental problems.
I don't think this is a bad idea. Even after the Crystal Dynamics rebooting of the series, a LOT of the problems that have plagued Tomb Raider games, like the awful controls, still persisted.
Although I'm not a fan of the genre usually, an open world Tomb Raider seems like a potentially good idea to me. As long as they find a way to make it obvious what you're supposed to do. One of the things I don't like about TR games (but I'm aware that most everyone else does) is the fact that it's always hard to figure out where the hell you're supposed to go next. This is usually due to level design and things being really obscured against the background or textures or whatever.
Give me a Tomb Raider game that controls like Zelda and has a MUCH better combat system (which you hopefully won't have to use TOO much) and I would imagine I would enjoy it a great deal.
I didn't read the whole article but the first paragraph made me think; if they can do to Tomb Raider what Resident Evil 4 did to the resident evil series then that would be amazing. I'm not holding my breath tho. lol
It looks like a C&D met the original site, which in my experience tends to imply that there was some sort of validity in these leaks. I'm certainly excited.
I know that it can be a bit disappointing to fans of the series as it has been, as I certainly have been, but the recent reinvisioning of these older IPs (Fallout et al) have really made the IPs better, as far as a wide audience is concerned.
It's hard for Tomb Raider to compete with Uncharted how it is now anyway, so sticking to this genre to the letter isn't doing them any favors, apart from appealing to a very core audience.
If it doesn't work, there's always another Tomb Raider: Anniversary to look forward to somewhere down the line.
My wife has been playing Tombraider since the first game since the first game and well honestly what she told me about what she liked about the game sort of made sense.
The thing about the old tombraider games that made it fun was, while the character wasn't really well proportioned it did cater to both male/female audiences well.
You had the open exploratory mansion where you could just run about do a lot of stuff and it's own mazes and puzzles. Sort of like a practice zone and the rest of the levels were quite colourful. The first three games were pretty much going on those themes. Then there was the whole we need to explore her backstory quite a bit thing.
When it comes to gamers, after a franchise has been developed, people prefer it to stick to what it is because they are familiar to it and what needs to be done is to challenge it without removing the familar atmosphere of the game. For instance if you made an RPG with Ken Masters all the way to him marrying his wife and just gave him a limited arsenal of moves - it probably wouldn't work because the audience for it is different (for instance MK: Mythologies - Sub Zero never really worked).
Use the same formula but make it interesting. Gaming sometimes is like food, you are not going to add ice cream in your curry unless you're weird like that.
You do have an open world if you let the people explore the mansion and the surroundings but keep the game as a separate area from it. Give elements such as taking pictures at points in your exploration, don't make her look too much like Megan Fox. I'm not entirely sure about co-op because if it fits the story fine but don't force it in which is pretty much like doing what Lucas and Spielberg did to Indy as some of us must have experienced in South Park.
Leave the intrigue for games whose plots need intrigue. If Bond suddenly decided to wear a cape and call himself a 'SuperSpyMan' it prolly wouldn't work either.
I'm all for change really, but when you do change make it something that can resemble the original product unless of course you decide to put it in the freezer for 10 years and then revamp it like in the movies which could work better in games as tech moves faster.
You go and attempt to turn it into Resident Evil and those (actually quite good) Underworld sales numbers that you were so retardedly disappointed with are going to look like the latest Halo by comparison.
@freakout: I've always felt that Tomb Raider was essentially Metroid in 3-D. It may not have all the weapon upgrades and so forth, but Metroid was never really about platforming but rather exploring and treasure hunting. The leaps and platforming obstacles in both titles are tepid at best, so while I can understand how one would consider either game a platformer, the gameplay makes it feel anything but when compared to the typical examples of the genre. I'd say they're both adventure games in the vein of Simon's Quest, Zelda II, or any similar game where the platforming present is just a means to the end and not so much the primary objective of the game.
@Kobun: For me, exploring and treasure hunting are part and parcel of a good platformer. I always had the most fun in Tomb Raider when I'd discovered a brand new room full of crumbling ledges and dangling ropes and spike pits and crusher-traps that required absolute platforming precision to navigate. (Even when the controls conspired against you as is so often the case in Tomb Raider.)
Maybe "platformer" is too narrow a definition. "Platform-puzzler" might be closer. Personally, I feel the "adventure" label better fits the old-school dialog-heavy, point-and-click Lucasarts & Sierra games.
We might not be able to agree on what Tomb Raider is, but what it isn't is easier to point at, I think. And it ain't survival horror. They might as well not even call it Tomb Raider if that's where Eidos want to take it.
Granted, this is all very premature. Crystal Dynamics are a great developer and their stewardship of the franchise thus far has been stellar. But this reboot (coming only a coupla games after the last Tomb Raider reboot) just smacks of Eidos interference. I am concerned!
@freakout: Yeah but Underworld was made recently, and somehow the controls still sucked (Lara jumped the wrong way a lot) and the game felt old even though it didn't look it. The puzzles weren't really puzzles, either. The only time I was puzzled at all was in the frozen board where you have to use the "fast climb" button, as the "fast climb" button was used nowhere else in the game. An open world game might be an excellent way to throw out some difficult puzzles while keeping it playable for all. Also, survival horror is a great genre that I'd call largely unexplored in the current generation of PC and console gaming... unless they meant "we're going to just CALL it survival horror and hand you a machine gun," which is also usually awesome. I understand your concern, but I'd be MORE concerned if Eidos decided to do nothing about an obvious discrepancy in overall game quality between its flagship icon and the industry standard. Think of all the lesser heroes of gaming that have gotten good controls, non-retarded enemies, innovative combat systems and fun challenges. Doesn't Lara Croft deserve a chance to be cool again? I say update her till somebody gets it right!
@Boxworth: Hey, I'm all for change for the better. But I really enjoyed Underworld, so I guess I just don't see the need for a reboot at this stage. Just tighten up the controls (which were actually really good in Legend/Anniversary - I dunno how they managed to make it worse in Underworld, but they did) and I'd have been happy.
But you're right, Lara does deserve a chance to be a star again. Guess we'll see how this gamble pays off in a year or two. :)
I like this, I've enjoyed this series for the most part, but its been getting a little dated. And after Uncharted came out, Tomb Raider has seemed like a second class action adventure in comparison. I like the look though, hopefully this is real. I don't really know about the zombie stuff, seems a little silly. This is one of those series that I'd probably prefer if it kept some basis in reality. They have had fantastical elements to it, but still the main enemies were still people, the environment, and the wildlife.
@rabbibert: To me, the original and intended magic of this series would occur when you were standing on top of some high cliff, overlooking the level you were about to dive into and complete. The sense of exploration and peaceful (if somewhat mysterious) music that made you feel like you really were discovering something special. That's where the series should be imo.
But to see a mock-up like this makes me sad. After all these years they don't seem to know what to do with Lara or the series so they keep firing away, hoping something hits.
I never saw Lara as this super-spy kill'em all woman who was invincible. Just an intelligent, courageous adventurer who wanted to see things no one else had the (ahem) balls to go look for.
I really hope Tomb Raider doesn't turn into a Resident Evil clone. I love RE to death, but I don't need Lara to put on those boots. I need her to remind me why I cared about her in the first place.
Love the new look on Lara. About time this series acquired a modicum of class, and it might just allow me to take this one a little more seriously than its predecesors.
@Hi-Im-Asylum: I agree, it does look like they're doing this reboot right. Let's just hope they don't lessen any of it's worth by demanding 90% from reviewers.
08/03/09
08/03/09
There was a "Senator Golden-Gate"?
08/02/09
08/02/09
And i like the idea of Video Game Streets...
Covenant Drive anyone?
08/02/09
08/02/09
08/02/09
08/02/09
07/12/09
07/11/09
07/11/09
Although I'm not a fan of the genre usually, an open world Tomb Raider seems like a potentially good idea to me. As long as they find a way to make it obvious what you're supposed to do. One of the things I don't like about TR games (but I'm aware that most everyone else does) is the fact that it's always hard to figure out where the hell you're supposed to go next. This is usually due to level design and things being really obscured against the background or textures or whatever.
Give me a Tomb Raider game that controls like Zelda and has a MUCH better combat system (which you hopefully won't have to use TOO much) and I would imagine I would enjoy it a great deal.
07/11/09
07/11/09
I know that it can be a bit disappointing to fans of the series as it has been, as I certainly have been, but the recent reinvisioning of these older IPs (Fallout et al) have really made the IPs better, as far as a wide audience is concerned.
It's hard for Tomb Raider to compete with Uncharted how it is now anyway, so sticking to this genre to the letter isn't doing them any favors, apart from appealing to a very core audience.
If it doesn't work, there's always another Tomb Raider: Anniversary to look forward to somewhere down the line.
Go for it.
07/11/09
The thing about the old tombraider games that made it fun was, while the character wasn't really well proportioned it did cater to both male/female audiences well.
You had the open exploratory mansion where you could just run about do a lot of stuff and it's own mazes and puzzles. Sort of like a practice zone and the rest of the levels were quite colourful. The first three games were pretty much going on those themes. Then there was the whole we need to explore her backstory quite a bit thing.
When it comes to gamers, after a franchise has been developed, people prefer it to stick to what it is because they are familiar to it and what needs to be done is to challenge it without removing the familar atmosphere of the game. For instance if you made an RPG with Ken Masters all the way to him marrying his wife and just gave him a limited arsenal of moves - it probably wouldn't work because the audience for it is different (for instance MK: Mythologies - Sub Zero never really worked).
Use the same formula but make it interesting. Gaming sometimes is like food, you are not going to add ice cream in your curry unless you're weird like that.
You do have an open world if you let the people explore the mansion and the surroundings but keep the game as a separate area from it. Give elements such as taking pictures at points in your exploration, don't make her look too much like Megan Fox. I'm not entirely sure about co-op because if it fits the story fine but don't force it in which is pretty much like doing what Lucas and Spielberg did to Indy as some of us must have experienced in South Park.
Leave the intrigue for games whose plots need intrigue. If Bond suddenly decided to wear a cape and call himself a 'SuperSpyMan' it prolly wouldn't work either.
I'm all for change really, but when you do change make it something that can resemble the original product unless of course you decide to put it in the freezer for 10 years and then revamp it like in the movies which could work better in games as tech moves faster.
07/11/09
Tomb Raider is a platformer.
You go and attempt to turn it into Resident Evil and those (actually quite good) Underworld sales numbers that you were so retardedly disappointed with are going to look like the latest Halo by comparison.
You have been warned!
07/11/09
07/11/09
Maybe "platformer" is too narrow a definition. "Platform-puzzler" might be closer. Personally, I feel the "adventure" label better fits the old-school dialog-heavy, point-and-click Lucasarts & Sierra games.
We might not be able to agree on what Tomb Raider is, but what it isn't is easier to point at, I think. And it ain't survival horror. They might as well not even call it Tomb Raider if that's where Eidos want to take it.
Granted, this is all very premature. Crystal Dynamics are a great developer and their stewardship of the franchise thus far has been stellar. But this reboot (coming only a coupla games after the last Tomb Raider reboot) just smacks of Eidos interference. I am concerned!
07/12/09
07/12/09
But you're right, Lara does deserve a chance to be a star again. Guess we'll see how this gamble pays off in a year or two. :)
07/11/09
07/11/09
But to see a mock-up like this makes me sad. After all these years they don't seem to know what to do with Lara or the series so they keep firing away, hoping something hits.
I never saw Lara as this super-spy kill'em all woman who was invincible. Just an intelligent, courageous adventurer who wanted to see things no one else had the (ahem) balls to go look for.
I really hope Tomb Raider doesn't turn into a Resident Evil clone. I love RE to death, but I don't need Lara to put on those boots. I need her to remind me why I cared about her in the first place.
07/11/09
07/11/09
07/12/09