nicked on 7/1/2016 at 21:50
The Tomb Raider reboot is quite probably the most obviously soulless, committee-designed game I've ever played. There was no personality in it anywhere. It was just bland copy-paste of other games' systems.
Uncharted may be loud, dumb and packed with cliches, but it knows what it is and it has fun with it. In trying to compete with Uncharted, the new Tomb Raider reduced itself to a pale imitator. Suppose it's too much to ask for them to ever make a game that plays to the strengths of the original Tomb Raider, i.e. less generic shit combat, and more elaborate environmental puzzles in atmospheric abandoned locations.
Renault on 7/1/2016 at 22:17
Quote Posted by nicked
The Tomb Raider reboot is quite probably the most obviously soulless, committee-designed game I've ever played. There was no personality in it anywhere. It was just bland copy-paste of other games' systems.
Actually, it sounds like you're talking about Thief 4 right there.
Ostriig on 8/1/2016 at 00:00
They launched on the same day as Fallout 4 and were publicly reassuring themselves that they weren't going after the "same demographic."
I liked the previous one, I don't play a lot of these so the frantic, theatrical action was a nice change of pace for me. I might be game for this one, but I'm in no particular hurry.
henke on 8/1/2016 at 06:46
Quote Posted by nicked
Suppose it's too much to ask for them to ever make a game that plays to the strengths of the original Tomb Raider, i.e. less generic shit combat, and more elaborate environmental puzzles in atmospheric abandoned locations.
From what I've heard Rise actually focuses more on the raiding of tombs than it's predecessor did.
And, come on, how can you say that the combat was "shit"? The combat was the best part of the game, and the best the series has had so far! No, the precence of more complex and fun combat systems isn't the problem. Absence of puzzles, a good narrative, and more complex platforming mechanics are the problem.
btw here's a very good recent Game Maker's Toolkit video that talks about the movement in the TR games:
[video=youtube;lQRr3pXxsGo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQRr3pXxsGo[/video]
edit: turns out I had a lot more to say on this subject that I expected.
Obviously the different gameplay systems have to work well together, and I can see why things like "grab" have been cut out. While you're in a shootout you'll want to move around and change locations, and the last thing you'll want on your mind while getting shot at is remembering to hold down the grab button. But other things, like needing to build up momentum before jumping a wide gap, seem to have been excised for no good reason. And the FUCKING LEDGE CLIMBING. (I'm gonna rant about this for a moment.) You know, I was ok with it in early 3D games like the first few Tomb Raiders and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, because it was novel at the time, but that mechanic has long since overstayed it's welcome. There's no challenge to it! Every modern 3D platformer where you get to a ledge-climbing section, you just know you're in for a boring-ass part of the game.
edit2: finally, if someone gave me the keys to the franchise:
THE TOMB RAIDER GAME
I'D MAKE
Lara has heard legends of a treasure hidden in a mountain and sets out in search of it. The main portion of the gameplay would revolve around climbing and spelunking, using gameplay systems of similar complexity as (
http://www.wildebeestgames.com/vertigo.htm) Vertigo. (anyone still with me on this?) Torches and food are a limited resource, but can be fully restocked at certain checkpoints where you find the bodies of earlier explorers who did not survive the harsh conditions and ancient traps of the mountain. You'd have a gun in your backpack, but it's uncertain if you'd ever need to use it. Nevertheless in the dead of night when you hear strange sounds coming from further into the mountain you'd feel safer, knowing you had the gun.
nicked on 8/1/2016 at 09:00
I should clarify - I don't mean the combat mechanics are shit - it's all functional enough, it's just boring because it's the same generic third-person cover shooting from a thousand other games, but made worse because it's shoehorned into a game where the focus should be on quiet exploration and awe-inspiring puzzles.
I wholeheartedly support your Tomb Raider idea. Maybe you could make it if you call it Crypt Explorer starring Laura Cruft.
EvaUnit02 on 8/1/2016 at 10:06
Quote Posted by henke
Exactly the same but with less interesting characters and story?
Tomb Raider 2013 presents the player with a value for money game featuring a world with more non-linear exploration given the mission hubs, metrovania-esque gear gating and more in-depth gameplay thanks to pseudo-RPG mechanics. UnSharted is a 100% linear fest with zero replay value that's over in ~8-10 hours. Every fucking playthrough is the same.
Modern Naughty Dog do nothing but produce 100% railroad games that are only worthy of weekend rentals at best, bargain bin purchases at worst. The studio totally went down the toilet after Jason Rubin left.
nicked on 8/1/2016 at 10:35
You sound like a press release, that then morphs into the comments section of that same press release.
faetal on 8/1/2016 at 10:54
Quote Posted by henke
THE TOMB RAIDER GAME
I'D MAKE
Lara has heard legends of a treasure hidden in a mountain and sets out in search of it. The main portion of the gameplay would revolve around climbing and spelunking, using gameplay systems of similar complexity as (
http://www.wildebeestgames.com/vertigo.htm) Vertigo. (anyone still with me on this?) Fortunately, this time Lara brought her trusty stilts, which enable her to circumvent these mundane routes by traversing a series of increasingly difficult stilt-physics based challenges.
Fixed that for you ;)
Thirith on 8/1/2016 at 11:53
Am I the only one for whom replayability isn't exclusively linked to "you can do things differently"? Just as with films and novels - that *gasp* stay the same every time you watch/read them - I sometimes enjoy replaying a game not for the novelty or challenge, but because I like the world, characters and moment-to-moment gameplay. As such, I'm much more likely to replay the Uncharted games than Tomb Raider, which I found pretty bland and lacking in personality.