@cainetao11 said:
Funny how you don't mention how the series was stagnating and shit before the reboot. So basically, nothing is to ever change once it comes out. Pretty boring world you want there
I was gonna say. After the 3rd game the series was losing its luster. Gamers and critics began harping on the old Tomb Raider games becoming rehashes of the same old formula. They were also plagued by mechanical design problems of clunky platforming, combat, and camera. But nobody minded so much because at the time it was such a new and refreshing game experience we never had before of exploration and puzzle design, with acrobatic platforming beyond just jumping on floating platforms. But as time went on and the issues weren't fixed, gamers took more notice of them, becoming less and less forgiving.
The whole problem with wanting new games to be "just like the old ones" is stagnation. Series can't continue over so many iterations (especially across 3 generations) without evolving, especially to benefit from the advantages of new technology that wasn't available when the original installments came out. Lara's character design being a perfect example of this, where she went from being a caricature to a believable organic human being.
Now the new game did have problems. The puzzles were far too easy in both design (too small in scale) and level of challenge. It was disappointing that in each tomb (being optional only) the goal was within line of sight to the entrance. I wouldn't expect each one to be as big as the island itself but c'mon, give us a few interconnecting chambers to try and find the exit. In the next game I hope Crystal Dynamics will make the tombs larger with more challenging puzzles, and make them integrated as part of the game progression, not as off the side components.
But too many people here aren't giving the game enough credit for its platforming and exploration. The set pieces and exploration moments were handled in separate components to the overall game. Yes the main story elements were linear and scripted set pieces, but once the combat (which itself was hugely improved from previous clunky mechanics) moments were beaten, the environment Lara was in was available as a playground. This is where the fluid platforming came into play to be used to explore each setting (hub) for finding all the treasures and hidden collectibles. The fact is, many of the treasures were only possible to find when exploring off the main story path.
One of the best things to be introduced to the TR series is the metroidvania design. For the first time you could revisit all areas of the world, and with newly acquired skills and gear, fully access parts of the terrain that were previously inaccessible. The climbing axe made scaling sheer surfaces seem so natural, and I loved using the rope arrow to create my own bridges to get across various chasms on the island. Was this possible in Uncharted games, or did that not take a truly linear levels progression, going in a single direction from A to B to C, and so on?
@FreedomFreeLife said:
Im not saying that new game is bad. It´s good game but it´s not Tomb Raider game. It´s Uncharted 1.5 in fact.
Gotta love the IRONY of this coming not only from TC but a sentiment I've seen posted before, considering that Uncharted itself was conceived from Tomb Raider; taking the concept of a treasure hunting explorer and taking that idea into a Michael Bay explosive action direction. And yes the new Tomb Raider does have its share of high octane set pieces incorporating the cinematic flair of modern games, but outside of that it still maintains open ended environmental exploration, as I outlined above.
Log in to comment