Tomb Raider Legend preview

[AndrewTS 0]

Preview:

http://tarnishedlegend.1up.com/do/previewP...d=3140921&did=1

 

Trailer:

http://tarnishedlegend.1up.com/do/download?cId=3139416

 

Series retrospective/preview:

http://tarnishedlegend.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3141388

 

As some one who groaned at news of the latest Tomb Raider games for years, I'm surprised that I'm interested in this one. It actually looks like it will be good, with an completely overhauled game engine, the original creator on board, and a commitment to quality from the new company.

 

Hopefully the puzzles won't be as arcane and frustrating as in the original Tomb Raider.

[AndrewTS 0]

So, nobody cares? Harsh.

[Anya 0]

Well most of this is the same stuff they were promising for AOD. If the game gets good reviews I could see a revival of interest.

 

Maybe if the series had a better main character I'd care.

[AndrewTS 0]

Except that they're committed to making this one actually good, deadlines be damned. Plus they're not being pressured to coincide the release with a new movie in a shallow synergistic attempt to milk Lara's teets like they did with AoD. The original creator's on board and seems to be well in touch of how much the genre and similar games have evolved, as well.

 

I'm not enthused about the main character, though, but the game looks like it could be a winner.

[Anya 0]

I liked the first although looking back it was pretty bad. The controls where so stiff and unresponsive. You couldn't even do a quick dash, you were either running or walking slowly. To jump from cliff to cliff you had to just barely edge up to it. The shooting was mindless. You just traded shots with the bad guys since there was hardly any way to dodge.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

And I continue to wait for RE4

[AndrewTS 0]

I liked the first although looking back it was pretty bad. The controls where so stiff and unresponsive. You couldn't even do a quick dash, you were either running or walking slowly. To jump from cliff to cliff you had to just barely edge up to it. The shooting was mindless. You just traded shots with the bad guys since there was hardly any way to dodge.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

The controls were indeed poor by current standards, but you could quickly roll to face the other direction, you could run while shooting (hey Capcom, would that have been so hard to do?), and you could jump backwards and side-flip while shooting.

 

The combat wasn't a problem in wide-open areas (well, except when fighting that T-Rex, but in close quarters it was a little harder to deal with.

 

I didn't really "trade shots" with any baddies (the rare ones that were armed humans), but they'd sometimes get in a few hits.

 

The biggest problem was jumping. It had that annoying, PoP-style "no, don't jump a split second before getting to the edge, rather HOLD the jump button down about 3 game feet before approaching the edge and watch the automatic jump animation."

[Yuna_Firerose 0]

Could be interesting, but she is certainly no Rayne. Doesn't even compare. Worth a $1 rental, perhaps.

[Guest Essa_Angelico]

I haven't played the series since no.3. Did it explain in Angel of Darkness how she survived or does it ignore it completely?

[AndrewTS 0]

I haven't played the series since no.3. Did it explain in Angel of Darkness how she survived or does it ignore it completely?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

As far as I know, she was merely missing and presumed dead at the end of Last Revelation.

 

There's a book that explains what happens after, Amulet of Power:

 

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...151327?v=glance

[AndrewTS 0]

http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3147582

 

Tomb Raider: Legend

 

by Jeremy Parish 01/30/2006

 

Platform: PS2 Also On: PC | Xbox | PSP

Publisher: Eidos Developer: Crystal Dynamics

ESRB Rating: Rating Pending Genre: Action

 

 

It's been ten years since Lara Croft debuted in the original Tomb Raider, which means that by my count it's been ten years since she was last in a good game. Many still swear by Tomb Raider II, but all the floating islands and terrible combat versus other humans (as they wandered aimlessly while Lara pumped bullet after bullet into them) led Ms. Croft from her real strengths: Taking the concepts of Prince of Persia into 3D with style.

 

While Core Designs was floundering with mediocre TR sequels, Ubisoft went and raised the bar for the genre; the recent Prince of Persia games have ranged from good to exceptional and have completely left all the series' imitators in the dust. That poses a steep challenge for Lara's new stewards at Crystal Dynamics: Not only does Tomb Raider Legend have to revitalize a crumbling franchise, it also needs to exceed what the competition has managed to achieve in the past decade. Which is why the demo that landed in our office last week was met with no small amount of curiosity and anticipation. Everyone gathered around to see if, after all the hype and all the skepticism, Crystal could pull it off.

 

If the demo is any indication of the final game, the answer would seem to be a resounding yes.

 

Not only is Legend the first time Tomb Raider has felt fresh in the better part of a decade, it also gives Ubi's Prince a run for his money. As before, Lara runs, jumps, shoots and solves puzzles. But now she's much more agile, moves far more fluidly, climbs poles and makes dazzling leaps, edges along the sides of cliffs and more. But make no mistake; this is still Tomb Raider through and through. While God of War took the Prince of Persia dynamic in an extremely action-oriented direction, Legend goes the other way; the pace is slower and far more methodical, and the acrobatics are far more realistic in nature; Lara isn't a time-bending superhero or the embodiment of vengeance, just an ass-kicking archaeologist. Significantly, Angel of Darkness' stealth kills appear to have been dropped, along with melee combat, in favor of good old-fashioned gunplay.

 

Fortunately, there's much, much more to shootouts than in previous Raider titles. It's not simply a matter of drawing your weapons and letting Lara auto-target while making her angry face anymore. Targeting closely resembles San Andreas' (though combat is far, far more natural and comfortable than GTA has ever dared dream), with a strong lock-on possible at middle ranges and a weaker, less accurate lock-on possible from a greater distance.

 

You can also skip targeting altogether in favor of manual fire -- simply press R3 and the camera viewpoint switches to a Resident Evil 4 over-the-shoulder perspective with a targeting reticule. This mode is helpful (especially from a distance) since it allows precise aiming -- and it allows you to fire at targets which aren't enemies. Since your enemies are fairly intelligent, working together to flank Lara's position and making use of available cover, it's important to use the environment against them. Not only can you shoot away cover (a technique enemies can also employ against Lara, so be careful), you can also cause weakened structures to come toppling down on their heads.

 

Despite the vastly refined control scheme, much of what makes Legend feel so fresh and new is its seeming return to the principles of the original game. The demo begins in the outskirts of an abandoned temple high in the mountains and gradually moves into its interior; the process of moving from beginning to end involves lots and lots of puzzle-solving and shimmying along sheer cliff faces. It all feels very fluid, a first for the series: Not only is Lara animated well, she also moves naturally. When dragging a block or box, you're not limited to moving in cardinal directions but instead can pull or push it freely in all directions. The game world is no longer divided into a grid, and lining up jumps is no longer a matter of backing up, taking five running steps and pressing jump half a block before the edge.

 

Lara's animations aren't simply window-dressing, either; they provide helpful contextual clues about what needs to be done next. When dangling from a ledge, Lara will turn her head to look at the next place to jump; when hanging near a gap, she'll lean her body toward the nearest ledge and slowly sway in that direction. Jumping while she's at the farthest extreme of her sway adds a little extra momentum to the leap. She looks, moves and sounds a bit different these days, but it's all for the best.

 

There are some significant changes to the gameplay as well. As if to further prove that no game is safe from Halo's influence, Lara can carry only two guns at a time: Her trusty infinite-ammo dual pistols, and whatever she can score from the bodies of fallen foes. Likewise, ammo is what Solid Snake would refer to as "OSP" (on-site procurement). Also, Lara's headset is constantly buzzing with chatter from her command center -- a pair of men pretending to be Cortana. Their banter helps ease the learning curve, but does detract significantly from the sense of isolation and mystery that made the original game so compelling. With luck, their nattering presence is merely temporary.

 

Lara's in-game information is managed via a menu dressed up as a PDA, but you don't have to go to a menu screen to perform common tasks as many actions have been mapped to the D-Pad. Tap up to use a health kit, or down to change weapons. The interface has been very thoughtfully designed -- every button is used for a distinct function, and Lara has extensive abilities for both combat, including targeting and crouching, and exploration - she can climb, crawl and even use a grappling hook to reach new areas, swing past traps and even open inaccessible doors. In fact, the magnetic grapple has been given its own dedicated button on the controller, which suggests it will play a significant role throughout the adventure.

 

Based on this one-hour demo, Tomb Raider Legend looks great (even on the humble PS2), and it plays extraordinarily well. Unless something goes horribly wrong with the final version of the game, this will absolutely be the follow-up that fans have been waiting for since the original. For now, be sure to check out our fresh new footage and join us in looking forward to the game's April release date....

 

A new Tomb Raider game that isn't going to suck! About damn time.

 

No indicator if the basic objectives have changed, though. Hopefully there's less sticking widgets into whatsises. Since RE4 toned down on that ridiculously dull cliche, I would expect TRL will continue with that trend.

 

Oh, and this statement sounds even dumber now:

 

"Could be interesting, but she is certainly no Rayne. Doesn't even compare. Worth a $1 rental, perhaps."

 

But OMG she still has huge tits.

[Anya 0]

I liked the first two back in the day even though they were poorly designed and had bad controls. I have no hope for this series now though. Wasn't Angel of Darkness supposed to bring the series back too?

[AndrewTS 0]

I have no hope for this series now though.

 

Have you seen the gameplay vids?

 

http://toastyfrog.1up.com/do/download?cId=3139416

 

--oh yeah, your computer sucks. Probably you didn't.

[Yuna_Firerose 0]

"Could be interesting, but she is certainly no Rayne. Doesn't even compare. Worth a $1 rental, perhaps."

 

But OMG she still has huge tits.

 

Right now, I'd be happy to play just about -any- ps2 game. Currently PS2-less due to an unfortunate meeting of Mountain Dew with my ps2's fan. Snap-crackle-pop, my $15,000 victory over Dr. Salvador in RE4 means nothing. Still pissed over that ><;

 

Game sounds interesting and will certainly check out the vids.

 

As for the tits comment... I thought they were, uhm, toning her down in the funbag department? Opting for more realism and all that jazz.

[Special K 0]

The first Tomb Raider was fantastic. The others were just terrible.

 

ICO took everything good about the series (exploration, huge environments) and made it better, though.

[AndrewTS 0]

"Could be interesting, but she is certainly no Rayne. Doesn't even compare. Worth a $1 rental, perhaps."

 

But OMG she still has huge tits.

 

Right now, I'd be happy to play just about -any- ps2 game. Currently PS2-less due to an unfortunate meeting of Mountain Dew with my ps2's fan. Snap-crackle-pop, my $15,000 victory over Dr. Salvador in RE4 means nothing. Still pissed over that ><;

 

Game sounds interesting and will certainly check out the vids.

 

As for the tits comment... I thought they were, uhm, toning her down in the funbag department? Opting for more realism and all that jazz.

 

Hence the "still" part.

 

It seems like they just made her arms and waist less Barbie-dollish and more realistic.

 

Hell, compare:

 

http://playstation2.gaming-universe.de/scr...legendscan3.jpg

 

In-game though is another matter--she's probably bulkier now that she has rounded textures instead of points. However, finding a screen shot to confirm that is nigh-impossible due to the ridiculous amount of promo art/comic art/trl media/pictures of Angelina Jolie on google image search.

 

EDIT: Yup-- http://histoireduroussillon.free.fr/Trnext.../TR1/002TR1.jpg

[AndrewTS 0]

The game ships this coming Tuesday. Reviews are extremely positive, although it seems the game has some shortcomings in the replay and length department.

 

Of course, the same can be said for the new PoP games, and that didnt' affect my enjoyment of them at all.

 

In-Depth Review of the 360 version:

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=63793

 

The game is coming out on PC, XBox, Gamecube, PS2, PSP, and Xbox 360--although the Gamecube version isn't until Fall (it was only recently announced; I don't know if there will be any new features).

[Scroby 0]

For those who own a Xbox 360 and are connected to Xbox Live, there is a free demo you can download for the game.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

I dont know why they are bothering releasing this in the fall on the Gamecube unless they are going to try and do like Zelda and work in a bonus control scheme for the Revolution or something..

[Use Your Illusion 0]

Anyone played it yet? It looks *really* awesome, I'm thinking of going the route of the PSP version. Depends on how it ports over though.

[AndrewTS 0]

I'll have it later today. I almost never get anything on the "ship" date in my area.

[AndrewTS 0]

Well, I got it. Here's my first impressions.

 

The full title (according to the box and start up screens) is "Lara Croft Tomb Raider Legend."

 

Kind of clunky.

 

Mediocre intro, featuring models of Lara that look halfway between the previous version and the revamp.

 

Gamestart...flashback sequence....

 

Okay, into the game. We see Lara jumping from cliffside to cliffside--slick animation, gorgeous scenery (waterfalls, mist below).

 

Graphics look great for PS2.

 

The jumping/climbing controls aren't too different from the 3D POPs. Here you hold the analog stick to swing around a bar (unlike holding a button in PoP). When you jump for a ledge/rope/handhold, one press of X grabs. You have to press it again after grabbing to climb the ledge (instead of just holding up to climb on it)

 

Unlike PoP, you can grab with one hand (but you'll need to then grab it with the second using a button tap), and also jump, while hanging, over to another handhold along the same wall (which you couldn't do without wall running in PoP, which seemed a bit silly).

 

Maybe it's just me still dialing in the controls, but grabbing a rope from a jump seems a tad tricky. You can center the camera with L2, but you have to be lined up just right or you may miss it. It seems pickier than PoP.

 

You use the d-pad to switch between gadgets, such as the flashlight ("personal light source" rather, which acts like one).

 

You have a grapple hook you can use to snag certain grapple-points (think like Metroid Prime).

 

Combat is okay. Not perfect, but okay.

 

Overall, it has met my expectations as far as the basic gameplay/controls. It's going to be hard to compete with excitement of the PoPs, but I'm still very early into the game.

[AndrewTS 0]

...and I thought this was going to be dull.

 

At first I had a few dumb guys I got in the back with ease, but now I'm running into firefights with a dozen guys wielding assault rifles, sniper rifles, and grenades.

 

Lara has some Matrix-y style moves, as well as her old backflip, side-jumps, as well as a few (mostly useless) melee attacks.

 

Fortunately, you can use the assault rifle (I think you can get the sniper, but usually they're up too high for me to try to collect it). Ammo is limited for those, but you have unlimited ammo for your standard handguns.

 

I had a high speed bike chase where I was shooting enemies and avoiding obstacles to catch up with a truck (which launched crates at me).

 

Now I'm in a playable flashback sequence.

[AndrewTS 0]

I'm at 44%. It may not be a particularly long game, but it's a total blast regardless.

[Scroby 0]

I'm at 44%. It may not be a particularly long game, but it's a total blast regardless.

 

You are correct sir. I rented this game last night and it has been great fun. I'll admit it, I've been using online guides to find all the secret treasures. I don't want to keep renting it because I didn't find all the stuff the first time around, so yes I'm being cheap while I have it the first time around.