Tomb Raider previews?

[Jeivar]

I've never kept abreast of gaming industry news, so rather than break my streak I figured I'd just ask people who do: What is the verdict on the Tomb Raider reboot from critics who can more-or-less be relied on to be honest? I'm very interested in it, system requirements lab says I can play on full graphics and I'm wondering whether or not to preorder.

[KillianHawkeye]

I haven't been following it super closely, but I can give some general info.

It's supposed to be grittier than past games in the series. It's a prequel, taking place when Laura Croft is younger and inexperienced, supposedly telling the tale of how she becomes the awesome adventuress we all know and love. I believe hunting and survival are going to play a role in the gameplay. It's also darker. The fact that apparently Laura is going to have to fight off a rapist has made some pretty big waves in the news.

I haven't heard any reviews about the gameplay itself, but like I said, I haven't been paying too much attention, so I don't know if it's really going to be a GOOD game or not. I'll probably pick it up once the price drops a little.

I still need to beat Tomb Raider: Underworld first, though.... :smallamused:

[Whoracle]

[...]and I'm wondering whether or not to preorder.

While I am slightly confident it'll be a good game, don't preorder. What do you get out of it? The recent debacle surrounding Aliens: Colonial Marines should teach you better, especially since we're two and a half weeks before release and no substantial news are flying around. Wait for the hands-on, no-holds-barred reviews to come out.

[The Glyphstone]

The pun in the OP was unintentional, right? I couldn't resist asking any longer.

[Cristo Meyers]

I've never kept abreast of gaming industry news, so rather than break my streak I figured I'd just ask people who do: What is the verdict on the Tomb Raider reboot from critics who can more-or-less be relied on to be honest? I'm very interested in it, system requirements lab says I can play on full graphics and I'm wondering whether or not to preorder.

Here's what I've seen floating around recently:

Single-player and multiplayer review/preview (http://forums.eidosgames.com/showpost.php?p=1853157&postcount=1)

11 minute gameplay video (http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/02/11/tomb-raider-video-shows-11-minute-murder-corridor/) - though I don't agree with the opinion presented in the article, it looks pretty good to me...

Extended gameplay vid (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9i_U9y4BWI) Over an hour of gameplay footage inside over a hour and a half of video. Interview with the devs.

I finally broke down a pre-ordered it. I'd been waffling on whether or not I was going to buy it, so when I finally decided I was I just figured I'd get the 10% discount from Steam. Did get a copy of Lara Croft and The Guardian of Light in the bargain too, but I'm going to have to find out if it's worth my attention before I mess around with it. My backlog's bad enough as it is.

[Mewtarthio]

The fact that apparently Laura is going to have to fight off a rapist has made some pretty big waves in the news.

From what I've heard, the actual "attempted rape" scene is just the standard "evil captor makes lewd/suggestive remark towards heroine, heroine kicks him in the nuts" exchange.

[Giggling Ghast]

From what I've heard, the actual "attempted rape" scene is just the standard "evil captor makes lewd/suggestive remark towards heroine, heroine kicks him in the nuts" exchange.

I read an article that says basically that; if the player does nothing, the guy just shoots Lara in the head. He's got a menacing sexual predator vibe but that's it.

[Hiro Protagonest]

The fact that apparently Laura is going to have to fight off a rapist has made some pretty big waves in the news.

There were two parts that made pretty big waves. One, notably the one that the media focused on, is that there's rape, bluh bluh bluh, dark and gritty, controversial, etc. etc. If you want, I can go into this further, comparing it to a couple of other games that have this kind of thing (one was a smashing success, the other got canceled probably due to the massive controversy that the media was focusing on).

The other part is the context of the rest of the statement. The fact that the dev who announced it said that it's so the player can feel like he's protecting her. This is incredibly sexist, and was largely ignored by the media. Word of mouth is pretty powerful when you have the Internet, though, so it spread.

[MLai]

The other part is the context of the rest of the statement. The fact that the dev who announced it said that it's so the player can feel like he's protecting her..
Well that was a stupid thing to say. He didn't make the game by himself, though.
He easily could have said it was meant to make the player empathize with the protag by showing her to be human and vulnerable, and to put the player into the game's gritty tone by threatening the player (of which Lara is the avatar of) with such disturbing violence. Men get raped too, especially in that island-overrun-by-pirates situation.

[Avilan the Grey]

I read an article that says basically that; if the player does nothing, the guy just shoots Lara in the head. He's got a menacing sexual predator vibe but that's it.

Not exactly; he has already raped the other female survivor, who is hanging behind him on the wall.

As for the rest of the statement though, that is what is really dumb (as pointed out in this thread already). Not only is it sexist, it is also insulting. I don't recall the first Tombraider having to resort to things like this to get male players?

[MLai]

However, it's not a fault with the storytelling direction. TBH, I do not like Lara Croft as a person. She's just a cardboard action hero who is never in true danger, unlike say Nathan Drake who I grew to bond with through the course of 3 games.

Lara Croft is different from Samus Aran, because whereas Samus Aran is hidden from view so that you can imagine her reactions however you want, Lara Croft is just a self-obsessed white man taking advantage of national treasures, afaic. Made worse by her cavalier attitude and comments.

Making a Tomb Raider Die Hard is a good direction for a reboot, IMO.

[Avilan the Grey]

However, it's not a fault with the storytelling direction. TBH, I do not like Lara Croft as a person. She's just a cardboard action hero who is never in true danger

Since she can die, both from getting eaten, crushed, falling, drowning and mauled, I fail to see how this is true.

[MLai]

Since she can die, both from getting eaten, crushed, falling, drowning and mauled, I fail to see how this is true.
Ofc the player can fail. But in the context of the game plot she's got invincible plot armour.
Nathan Drake gets beat up, captured, injured, what have you. In the story. Kind of like John McClane (in DH1, before he became supercop). He also deals with personal issues which flesh out his personhood. In-plot Lara is basically like what you've seen in the movies. At least as far as I've seen in what I've played. I kind of gave up halfway through because the game's plot didn't grab me.
That's not terrible by 1990's standards of action game plot. But today we need better.

[Pronounceable]

While I have never played or cared for Tomb Raider and have no idea what's up, never preorder anything. It's just asking to be fleeced.

Also there's no such thing as a game critic who can be relied upon. Even when they're not bribed, they're likely to be clueless and/or incompetent. Or just have bad taste which is just as fatal a flaw as incompetence, only in a different direction. Only use for them (even competent and "esteemed" ones like TB) is to consider them as canaries in a mine: If every single of them says one particular thing is bad, that thing is probably bad. And if every single one of them says one particular thing is good, they've probably been bribed.

But unless you'll spend time combing internet for a large variety of reviews, don't bother with any particular critic (unless it's Yahtzee whom you're just watching for entertainment value). Ask people you know whose tastes are like yours if it's good.

But don't preorder. Nothing good comes out of it.

[Avilan the Grey]

But don't preorder. Nothing good comes out of it.

I don't know... I got DA:O and ME2 with tons of goodies out of it. I also got DA2, though...

[Jeivar]

The pun in the OP was unintentional, right? I couldn't resist asking any longer.

. . . .

Yes, yes it was.

Anyway, upon reflection I guess I won't be preordering. A 10% discount really isn't anything, and I would hate to buy a game with lots of great potential but buggy or annoying controls. Also, I'm considering a new policy of waiting for the first big patch before getting a new game.

[Hiro Protagonest]

While I have never played or cared for Tomb Raider and have no idea what's up, never preorder anything. It's just asking to be fleeced.

Also there's no such thing as a game critic who can be relied upon. Even when they're not bribed, they're likely to be clueless and/or incompetent. Or just have bad taste which is just as fatal a flaw as incompetence, only in a different direction. Only use for them (even competent and "esteemed" ones like TB) is to consider them as canaries in a mine: If every single of them says one particular thing is bad, that thing is probably bad. And if every single one of them says one particular thing is good, they've probably been bribed.

But unless you'll spend time combing internet for a large variety of reviews, don't bother with any particular critic (unless it's Yahtzee whom you're just watching for entertainment value). Ask people you know whose tastes are like yours if it's good.

First off, TB doesn't do reviews. He does first impressions. *Captain Correction, away!*

But really, it's not that hard to find a YouTube reviewer with similar tastes to yours. I first came to video reviews by way of Angry Joe, who I now only watch to see his opinion on a big game like XCOM, Planetside 2, or Aliens: Colonial Marines. Totalbiscuit is someone I go to for a review from a guy with similar tastes to mine (not the same tastes, mind, I don't like 4X games as much as he does). I find myself agreeing with him a lot, like in his Far Cry 3 vid.