Random Gaming Thoughts (Read OP Before Posting)

[Segata Sanshiro Jr.]

you mean the shit that only another developer would catch and is more or less meaningless to the rest of the world?

Nah, everybody should get it, believe it or not, almost none of it is technical.

[OL]

Sooooo... what is it then?
Haven't touched the game; haven't been all that interested. But I'm curious now. These claims that "everyone who says they like it is wrong" always tend to perk up my interest. Not making a slam against you, I'm just genuinely curious about what makes it so bad.

[Segata Sanshiro Jr.]

Sooooo... what is it then?
Haven't touched the game; haven't been all that interested. But I'm curious now. These claims that "everyone who says they like it is wrong" always tend to perk up my interest. Not making a slam against you, I'm just genuinely curious about what makes it so bad.

Well people really get on the hype train about how good of a bulletproof narrative it is, and that it respects its own game world, and this its cinematically rich but well its all a load a crap.

I'm just going to throw it all in spoilers so no one throws a hissy.

The thing that really marks the game and kind of killed it was when Lara says "I hate Tombs". As soon as you step in and start playing around in it she starts shitting her pants. She freaks out over every discovery, its like one of the few times in the game she shows some genuine happiness. Was this to serve a purpose in the story? was it an inside joke?

Nothing that she says, or that anyone says makes sense in the context of gameplay. One that people noticed, but don't realize is important is that she's a fucking killing machine. Seriously, thats a major problem in this supposedly "bulletproof and emotional" story. and no "videogames" isn't an excuse. If the game is meant to be serious then shit like this shouldn't exist.

Another major problem is the camera, its in the game world. This is almost like voyeurism, you're not Lara (a theme that gets shoved down your throat since the developers want you to "feel lara's pain" and "care for her" but the fact that the camera can get wet when not acting as lara's point of view means theres a camera in the game world.

this one is more technical because it has to do directly with gameplay, but I was doing the normal platforming when a voice called out and said "no lara they'll see you". So I'm already in mid jump when this is being said, and the game freezes, this enemy above me walks over, looks away from where i am, turns 90 degrees, then turns 90 degrees again looks up with his gun, then lowers his gun in my general direction (he couldn't lower it enough to actually hit me, then fires and I die.

That was the point where is just kind of hit me how stupid this was. nothing between the narrative (which is supposed to be realistic survival but features lara pulling herself on a rope after getting a real bad slice on her side) and the gameplay that was actually cohesive. if they wanted to remove "Sex" why didn't they burn her face? or make her cut her hair? everything about the game seems like it appeals to a focus group, we need to make her strong, but you need to care but she's also strong. and the game has to hate violence, but you can totally slit a guys throat with an arrow then chop his head off, but in this one scene she'll cry about it.

This is one (of the many these days) games that totally falls into that stereotype of "game". Its not supposed to make sense or be serious, but everyone treats it like it is. This isn't helping games in the way people say it is.

I'm not saying everyone who likes it is wrong, just that people think they understand things that they don't. They act like this is helping the medium, and they give it all of these accolades saying it pulls all of these things off but when it comes down to it when it comes to narrative its this focus tested mess. Its fun, its enjoyable, but its not the piece of art people are saying it is.

[Who Really Cares?]

Actually quite a few people mention those complaints [as do some reviews but their scores don't match their complaints, looking at you GT who spent the whole vid moaning only to give it 8.5] it just depends on where you look.

Its a good game but not a great Tomb Raider game and i don't like that too much time is spent shooting and not tombing/puzzle solving.

I mean at one point during gameplay she starts screaming at the villagers telling them to run because shes coming for them.

Same with Uncharted really and its why i find those games good but not great.

But as mentioned in some reviews felt...

That while the story attempted to characterise Lara Croft as vulnerable and uncomfortable with killing, the player was encouraged to engage enemies aggressively and use brutal tactics to earn more experience points.This paradoxical approach ultimately let the game down as it undermined Lara's character to the point where he found it difficult to identify with her at all.

She does become a killing machine way too quickly for my liking after showing a scene with her having a hard time killing her first deer. It feels like they started going down one path but then got told to make it more action packed.




[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFecWJqJF_M[/youtube]

[MiTT3NZ]

Even fucking Conan picked up on that shit. But yeah, soon as I found out about the all-consuming shooting segments my interest slowly disappeared. Seriously, what the hell does the industry have against vulnerable stealthing segments?

[Who Really Cares?]

It actually has a very cool stealth part for gamers if they want. The game really could have done with more and i don't know why she cant knock anyone out? Its always a stealth kill which at one point involves smashing a make shift climbing pick into their head.

[MiTT3NZ]

That's what I mean though, that would be the most logical go-to game mechanic to use. Instead she instantly knows how to operate guns, has the strength and knowledge to deal with the recoil of any size, shape, or weight of gun. Don't get me wrong, I know the decision was purely based on what would be enjoyable, but other than QTEs and a couple of throwaway lines, the narrative and gameplay seem to go together like broken glass and perfectly-preserved pre-millennium ginger pubes.

Then again, I still haven't played it, and until I do, no valid comment stamp for me...

[QWERTY]

I'm sorry, but Skyrim is fucking rubbish. The combat system is base level hack and slash, button bashing bollocks. I'm sure the story is good but I can't play a game with such a pants fighting system when it is a massive fair proportion of it. Gash.

[Who Really Cares?]

Be a wizard then

[QWERTY]

Be a wizard then

Nah fuck that. Wizards are homos. I don't like any game with "magic" and all that, hence why I dropped Bioshock pretty rapidly. It just doesn't sit with me very well. *goes back to playing Sleeping Dogs*

[Henry Spencer]

Generally the storyline in Bethesda games are crap, too.

Want a fantasy RPG with a good combat system? Get Dark Souls.

[Bluecast]

^ Or Witcher 2

[Who Really Cares?]

It amazes me[well not really] how the press are so happy to ignore glitches/bugs in Bethesda games. Any other studio and they would call them up on the unfinished game but Bethesda are one of those that get a free pass.

[QWERTY]

Tbh I don't even know why I bought it. Fantasy shit like Lord of the Rings has never floated my boat, so fuck knows why I thought it was a good idea to plump for it. I guess it's because I loved Fallout 3, New Vegas less so, so automatically assumed it would be the lick. Give me cyber/steam punk set shenanigans every time.

[St. Elmo's Fire]

^I really gotta try the current-gen Fallout games. I got right into SKyrim and do generally like steampunk-ish kinda games...