Tomb Raider

[Laa-Yosh]

Was about time, the technology limits were gone long ago and that cartoonish oversimplified character was long overdue for a complete redesign. I'm also glad they didn't go for the Jolie movie's look, my only crit is that she's probably a bit too young.

 

[dragonelite]

She looks fine if you ask me.
Sweet boob and ass memories.

 

[Scott_Arm]

Bow and arrow? The series could definitely do with a rebirth. I always hated the Lara Croft character design. She does seem a little young looking to be a rugged adventurer, but I can deal with that more than I can deal with a girl adventuring in short shorts and a halter top. Maybe she'll wear some pants this time around. Give me a mix of Uncharted and Splinter Cell.

But what's with her hair? They gave her some kind of crazy mullet. She has shoulder length hair, except for this one long section of mane at the back.

 

[Laa-Yosh]

I guess it will be a complete reboot, which means this is meant to be her first adventure. And yeah, Uncharted has pretty much given them a good example. Expect a lot more story and characters this time around... the only difficulty is the romantic part, it's okay to see Drake with the girls, but I don't think the mostly male audience would be OK with Lara and some random dude. Might be another reason to go for a young girl...

Don't ask me about the female hairstyles though, that's not my responsibility here - I only deal with the... other parts

 

[nightshade]

Noooooooooooooo I wanted to make this thread

Anyways she looks too young, just when she actually started to age they bring her back into her late teens/early 20s. Not that I mind though, the last thing I want is them turning her into an American

 

[kagemaru]

I've enjoyed the TR games this gen, CD really did a great job making it a respectable franchise again. Wonder if the rumors around this game are true and it'll be more open world.

But what's with her hair? They gave her some kind of crazy mullet. She has shoulder length hair, except for this one long section of mane at the back.

Great thanks, now that you pointed out she's basically got a fem-mullet, I can't unsee it now

 

[dragonelite]

That picture laura is definatly a fine girl.

Lol at the neogaf thread calling Laura a man.

 

[joker454]

It almost looks like they are going for a prequel, basically Laura much younger before she was confident and bad ass. I guess she will be less sure of herself in this game, scared of stuff, etc. Would be a good change of pace. Like Nathan in Uncharted, he's awesome because he's more of a regular guy thrust into situations, not a superhero, would be cool if the new Laura was similar.

 

[Laa-Yosh]

Honestly, I've never been interested in any Tomb Raider game ever since I've found out that I fail miserably at all the platforming in the first one. But this one is intriguing, I really think it's the right direction and they should've started it at least 2-3 years ago.

And yeah, I wonder how much they'll look into Uncharted - in many ways that game's the result of mixing Gears and TR to create something more then the sum of its parts, so it is an interesting reflection on the past Lara titles.

 

[dragonelite]

Some info found in a gaf thread seems to be a open world game or in the sense of metroidvania style.

- Lara is 21 in this game
- It's not only a reboot of the franchise but a reboot of the entire brand. As a result there will be no "real" Lara model this time.
- They're doing performance capturing with this game
- There are brutal deaths in the game this time. One is described as a deranged man stabbing Lara in the chest and then closing her eyes after she's dead. Another includes a boulder falling on her leg to trap her before another falls and crushes her head.
- CD won't talk specifics on weapons but concept art shows a bow, shotgun and pistol
- The lock on targeting system is gone and it now has a free aim system. CD says that it can compete with any of their competitors.
- "I think that the major difference between this game and the old is the concept of smoke and mirrors," begins Darrell Gallagher, the studio head at Crystal Dynamics. "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 guide."
- "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 experienced director Noah Hughes. As the game unfolds, Lara will scavenge new tools and gear that augment her abilities. Lara's 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 is Lara's for the taking.
- There are base camps in the game. Here you can combine items to create something new and access a skill system to upgrade Lara's abilities. You'll also be able to use base camps to fast travel to different locations to minimize backtracking.
- You'll need to gather food and water in order to survive
- There are humans in the game, including some of the crew members from the shipwreck off the coast of the island.

 

[Sigfried1977]

I just hope they bring back gameplay that actually requires skill and precision. To hell with all that automated traversal crap.

 

[dragonelite]

I just hope they bring back gameplay that actually requires skill and precision. To hell with all that automated traversal crap.

As long as they dont go back to that pixel precision jumping still have night mares about lion kings game on pc or it was bugged or it was extremely bad design.

 

[Sigfried1977]

I'm not asking for a game that plays like the first 5 TR games. I just think it's about time someone figures out how to make traversal mechanics in 3d actually challenging and interesting again. If you want to miss a jump in Uncharted 2, you have to pretty much jump into the opposite direction (and even then the game might still be merciful with your ass), same with every TR game from Legend onwards (though thankfully not to the same degree. TR Anniversary almost nailed it). In Enslaved the designers even took the controls away from you entirely and in Assassin's Creed all you have to to is hold down 2 buttons. The entire excitement of climbing some lifethreateningly high structure shouldn't be just about figuring out how to reach the top, it should be about the execution of the acrobatics as well. When I completed a level in the older TR games it felt so very rewarding. Not so much in the new games anymore, because they were designed with toddlers in mind. What's the point of traversal gameplay when it doesn't exceed the complexity of quick time events?

And if you don't want to climb (and occasionally fall to your death), explore and solve tricky puzzles, why the fuck play TR in the first place? Afterall people complain about too easy shooters all the time, but god forbid someone makes a tricky platforming game or dares to include a puzzle that doesn't solve itself after 5 minutes.

And the Lion King just wasn't a good game, plain and simple. (Alladin is where it's at)

 

[joker454]

Infamous did climbing fairly well. It wasn't uber hard but you did have to pay attention otherwise you would fall.

 

[Sigfried1977]

You have to pay a little bit of attention in Uncharted as well, but that's really not what I'm looking for here. You won't win a single fire fight in Uncharted if you casually hang onto your controller and hardly pay attention, and I'd like that kind of challenge for platforming. Demanding precision also means way fewer chances for the engine to do things I didn't intend to (a very frequent problem in Imfamous because Cole gravitates to certain surfaces) When I screw up it'll be my fault, not the engine misinterpreting a careless flick of the analog stick.
I liked the climbing stuff in Infamous by the way, but certainly not because it was threatening or thrilling. Quite the contrary, it was empowering (as intended) It would look totally ridiculous in a non-superhero themed game though.

I think The Angel of Darkness was actually on the right track. Core got rid of the tank controls and the grid system, but they still demanded absolute precision from the player. Sadly the controls were sluggish as hell and the whole game was riddled with highly questionable design choices. There was a weird experience system that caused Lara to jump further and further as she went. This made it pretty much impossible to judge distances properly. Still, the foundation was sound.

 

[NavNucST3]

Tomb Raider is easily one of my favorite franchises so I'm happy to see a reboot; I could really really do without the brutal deaths though.

As far as Lion King goes I think we can all blame ERP for its ridiculous difficulty and I am almost positive I broke a controller playing that game...

 

[Sigfried1977]

I could really really do without the brutal deaths though.

Yeah, brutal death scenes was just the thing that was missing from the series all this time. Hooray for open fractures I guess

Like the new look, by the way (but the game character isn't going to look anything like that anyway)

 

[Scott_Arm]

Sounds like Far Cry + Assassin's Creed. Not a bad combo, if they can pull it off. Definitely an interesting direction for the series. Hopefully they'll fix her haircut.

 

[PhilB]

Some info found in a gaf thread seems to be a open world game or in the sense of metroidvania style.

Sounds good. I actually liked Underworld for the most part - everything but the shooting and driving - but I can't say TR wasn't long overdue for this.

 

[RenegadeRocks]

Please remove Brutal Deaths n gore, everything else seems to be in the right direction. Lara game doesn't need to be about blood n gore but mystery n adventure. Its fine to have a serious tone, but we don't want more "Brutal-Deths/Assassinations/shock-value" in Tomb Raider. Instead makke it stand out among the numerous such titles by heitghtening the Mystery and atmosphere of the island. The pleasure should be in playing as Lara, not deaths!
BTW, love the bow-n-arrow feel !