Tomb Rider (2012)

[fragger]

Thanks for the warning JRD :)

Still haven't gotten the game because I think I've caught Art's cold and I haven't felt up to going out :-()

[Art Blade]

Heh, entirely possible because it apparently left me (about time, too)  :-D

Damn, this post ruined my handsome "16.666" post count which I had prior to this one.

[JRD]

Just another 50k to reach 66.666... you should be there in a month or so!  :-D

[Art Blade]

 :-D

[PZ]

 

I enjoy the working of our prolific writer!  :-X

[Fiach]

I finished the game at exactly 90%, I missed a few GPS and maybe a couple of other things, didnt max all skills/weapons, I went back to try and pick up the missing items, but I just couldnt be bothered by then, I was getting bored with the mundane stuff like cairns/ghost things/lanterns etc. But I did like the artifacts, which bore no real relevence to the story, but they were interesting, the other stuff didnt appeal to me at all.

I would say that TR 2013 is one of the finest games I ever played tbh, great story and, great acting, Each level is so well designed, from your entry into the level and your escape from the level, the tools you get, the way they are incrementally improved, to allow you access to new areas in old places, is all very well done.

The graphics are very good, with a great sense of "verticality" in some levels, when you start on a ground level, it looks pretty cool, but when you eventually wind up at the top of the level, the vista is usually stunning, from a beach coastline, to a sprawling shanty town with lots of nooks and crannies to explore and then, when you get to the top and see a huge , partially destroyed ship, suspended from cranes, You begin to appreciate the sheer scale of the level. It's not open world, but it still packs ALOT of stuff into it.

The "tombs" aren't like the old games, usually just two rooms, one with a puzzle (simple one) to get to the second, I dont know if its better/worse, but it did streamline the story, without getting you too bogged down with puzzles, which were pretty simple and self contained, but enjoyable distractions.

Lots of shooty stuff, but not as bad as Uncharted, just enough to keep you on your toes.

I liked the QTE's they were simple (platform dependant) and allowed the combat to flow, with some nice cinematic effects for fatalities. It reminded me a bit of Resident Evil 6 in places, not a bad thing.

I didnt mind the skill tree's too much, but, many of the "skills" were crap, they were really dredging the bottom of the barrel with some of the rubbish you had to waste points on, to get to the next tier.

All in all, I really loved every minute I played in the game and I restarted it immediately, just to concentrate on the storyline, without going back to old areas and just use the bow and the shotgun, so I dont have to spend time looking for salvage, which I think dilutes the story progression.

Great game!

[Art Blade]

I think I just read a lavish praise. ??? who are you? and what did you do to Fiach?

(thanks JRD, for that line :-D )

[Fiach]

I think I just read a lavish praise. ??? who are you? and what did you do to Fiach?

(thanks JRD, for that line :-D )

A...Stepford Husband???? ....say it ain't so!!!!11  :o



Contrary to popular belief, I do actually like some games, but this is probably the only one that is played by other people on the forum :P

I would say that if you like TR 2013, then get Resident Evil 6, I loved the crap out of that game and it was very action orientated compared to previous RE games, which were more solitary, cerebral affairs, (Like the way TR 2013 changed the TR series from solitary tomb raiding), it rebooted the RE franchise, but I think the amount of QTE's would really annoy most people here, so there wouldn't be any point in posting about it (it got terrible reviews anyway..... so maybe it's just me :))

[Art Blade]

 ??? if indeed the one who wrote the post I was surprised by wasn't Fiach but an obedient willing husband, wouldn't that mean that Fiach was the complementary (perhaps Brentwood) housewife?

err.. OK: "it ain't so." :-D

[Fiach]

  :-D

[Art Blade]

 ;) :-()

[JRD]

Great review, Fiach. Makes me want to play the game right away!! :-X

"Appreciate the sheer scale of the levels" says it all! Level design is really good indeed... it has always been like that. This is probably why I always loved Lara's adventures... I really whish I could play Uncharted but unless I get a playstation it won't happen. Too bad I missed all TR games since TR4 even though I bought a bundle a while ago and actually own those last few games but never started any as I am afraid the old graphics would spoil the experience... I can always have them with me to play on my lap top in case I'm away from my gaming PC though!!!

Well....

[PZ]

 

Great report Fiach +1  :-X ; I'm increasingly leaning toward purchasing the game as I read of the adventures you chaps are having.

[Jim di Griz]

...I would say that TR 2013 is one of the finest games I ever played tbh, great story and, great acting, Each level is so well designed...see a huge , partially destroyed ship, suspended from cranes, You begin to appreciate the sheer scale of the level...

Talk about a dry dock  ^-^ that was an impressive vista though and the gameplay revolving around that particular bit was great fun - glad you're enjoying it.

Last night when I went back to the shanty town to get the last of the 'laid to rest' challenge completed, I overheard this long dialogue between two of the Solarii (the cult of salvagers for those who haven't played it yet.) It was so funny as one kept on pestering the other for a book the other was going to trade and the other kept teasing him about how good it was - reminded me of FC2. I didn't have the heart to kill them after that...

Nice review and I can fully agree about the level design - they manage to keep it fresh throughout, even the area after the palace, which is fundamentally the same as the first area of the game, just a bit of mist and a full moon made the whole experience different. Same for the mountain village seen at night, during a storm and then during daylight - nicely done  :)

I'm dreading finishing this game.

[Fiach]

I'm about 35% through on replay and I have to say, that, without the distractions of hunting for collectibles, the story is more enjoyable and focused, so I do recommend a replay of the game.

[Jim di Griz]

Has anyone encountered the Gollum character in the Geothermal caves yet?

I finished up a few days ago and have taken Fiach's advice, started afresh with just a mission playthrough on hard difficulty.

I also tried some MP but I don't think that'll be for me as the game throws you up against far higher level players, so they stay alive a lot longer due to whatever they've unlocked, or maybe it's the better weapons they have. I don't really see the fun in dying a heap of times just to get levelled up enough to compete.

Gameplay online was nowhere near as fluid either, a shame after the beauty of SP.

[Fiach]

I'm in the Geo caves at the moment, I heard somebody talking and saying crazy stuff, but I didnt pay much attention to what was in the cages tbh. I think I only saw one enemy to kill that wasnt Solarii, but I havent really been looking, just playing the story really fast, want to replay Bioshock 1 n 2 before Infinite comes out next week.

[Jim di Griz]

There are a couple of crazy talkers in there, but if you take the first branch tunnel off on the left (the one before the tunnel with the sulphur gas venting) you'll hear him saying stuff like "Will she find him? She searches..." it was really quite good.

There are two or three outside of the cages that you'll meet, but Gollum keeps to his own tunnel.

[Fiach]

Ah, OK, I heard that, but didnt see him.

[nexor]

"Ahem" guys, correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't it read "Tomb Raiders" instead of "Tomb Rider?"   
Just asking????

[Fiach]

"Ahem" guys, correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't it read "Tomb Raiders" instead of "Tomb Rider?"   
Just asking????

Been there, done that, we all have the t-shirts.....*looks nexor over*...'cept you...  >:D 

[Art Blade]

lol, Fiach, you're mean  :)

nexor, what Fiach tried to hint at is this:

On a sidenote... only now I realized there's a typo on the title of this thread  :-[  ::)

[Fiach]

lol, Fiach, you're mean  :)

I didnt intend to sound mean....better dressed, but never mean :)

On a side note, all DLC for TR will be for multiplayer only :(

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-03-20-tomb-raider-dlc-will-be-entirely-multiplayer-based?utm_source=eurogamer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=net-daily

[Jim di Griz]

...On a side note, all DLC for TR will be for multiplayer only...

That's a bit of a pain, there are all of those promising looking but blocked paths and tomb entrances.

[Fiach]

There was a puzzle tomb DLC as pre order for Gamestop, but even though I pre ordered it, GS in Ireland didnt get the DLC codes (so I kinda got screwed over there as I coulda got the game a tenner cheaper in another shop), so maybe that DLC will be released generally.

On a side note, Gamestop is closing between 250 and 500 stores in 2013, so i guess my DLC is the least of their problems, to that end, I shifted my €40 deposit on The Last of Us over to Bioshock Infinite as TLoU wont be released until June 14th and I'm afraid GS will be gone by then and I dont want to lose my money...lots of people got shafted here when GAME and HMV went bust, losing their deposits and vouchers.