The Lara Croft Redesign

[mindlesspuppet]

I think it looks good, she looks more like a proportioned human being now but
ATTENTION DEVELOPERS!
you do NOT make a strong female character by making her manly, the original Laura Croft was fairly feminine and flirtatious then she turned into the emotionless tough girl that everyone expects from games and abandoned every personality aspect that made her female. so far the best representation of a strong female character is Bayonetta.
http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/2/20608/1238292-bayo_bayonetta_super.jpg
so quick checklist
strong willed and doesn't need a man but is still attracted to them and shows it: check
still maintains a love for stereotypically "Girly" things because she personally enjoys them and knows it doesn't make her "weak": check
in touch with and in complete acceptance of her sexuality: check
maternal instinct without being "Baby crazy" or wanting children: check
one statement in Bayonetta summed up the whole character
"Do I look like I enjoy children? well making them, that's another story"
wow that was quite a rant.

Ugh, Bayonetta makes me want to vomit.

I think you're giving to much credit to Lara Croft's progression as a character, and not enough to the fact the a lot of Tomb Raider games were just plain bad.

There are plenty of examples of prominent female characters in games that aren't ridiculous a la Bayonetta.

Jill Valentine of Resident Evil
Seemingly no attempt was made to make her "sexy" or flirtatious, yet she's a very popular character. (same could all be said for Clair Redfield, not quite as popular though).

Catherine Archer of No One Lives Forever
Great female character, ton of personality, very head strong, never came off as overly sexualized.

Samus Aran of Metroid
Let's pretend The Other M doesn't exist for this one. Samus rose to popularity as a silent protagonist, all while rarely ever even hinting at the fact that she's female.

Aya Brea of Parasite Eve
She might have the look, but she acts like a damn guy.

Jade of Beyond Good & Evil
No explanation needed here.

Point being game dev's shouldn't and don't have to appeal to horny teenagers to make a successful game with a female lead character.

snip...

I Love Laura, I do, but let's face it.

...snip

Just not quite enough to get her name right?

 

[SaetonChapelle]

Hmm, I never played much Lara Croft to be honest, but... to me this look like Lara Croft who took a few punches to the face - I don't quite get what the 'zomg! redesign!' thing is about.

Aside from the busted lips/nose/forehead... what exactly is so different from the 'old' Lara Croft? Is the fact that she's anatomically correct and not wearing short-shorts that big of a deal?

If you put all the different Lara's in a line, this new design would the one that doesn't look anything like the others.

She has no ass.

She has no chest.

She barely has any hips.

If it weren't for the lips, you'd have a hard time telling it was a woman and not just a very lean man.

She has no self-confidence. She doesn't look determined or prepared or in charge of anything, much less being a hot, smart, ass-kicker. She looks like she's just ready to go back and cry in her dorm room over a cup of express-o , not like she's ready to goo retrieve the most valuable treasures the world has ever known.

Hell, though we obviously don't have the game yet, I'd put this up there with the level of character destruction that went on in Metroid: Other M.

I'm... not sure we are looking at the same picture. I see a woman who looks very powerful. Strong. Caked with dirt. Capable. I see what looks like a young strong female character. I don't see anyone about to cry in their room. What it sounds to me is that you're crying over a lack of super sexual character via pixalized breasts and ass instead of a real woman.

I think a redesign is exactly what she needs. Let's move away from the old cliche and try to find something real.

 

[Aesir23]

Personally, my sister and I like the redesign and we've been playing since Tomb Raider II. She still looks like Lara we've known all these years, just more realistic, proportionate and Tomb Raider-y. (The latter being due to all the grime and the split lip)

 

[Krythe]

Tomb Raider is a game about an unreasonably busty billionaire breaking into ancient demonic temples to fight alien space gods with akimbo gun-fu.

Am I the only one who thinks "realism" is NOT the right way to take this franchise?

Spoiler: Also here is Dantes new look for anyone who hasn't seen it.

Seriously... WTF? He looks like Lurch from the Adam's Family.

The hell is wrong with game developers these days? Did Chester Bennington hold the sutdio hostage?

 

[SaetonChapelle]

snip...

I Love Laura, I do, but let's face it.

...snip

Just not quite enough to get her name right?

Your right, my fault. Used to spelling it my friends name. xD Damn force of habit~

 

[Paragon Fury]

so far the best representation of a strong female character is Bayonetta.

Are you shitting me? Bayonetta is like everything that is wrong with stereotypical female video game characters. She is basically just a pair of walking boobies and there is almost no effort made to make it look otherwise. Did you even look at the very screenshot that you posted?

Thing is, Bayonetta is right up with with (pre Other M) Samus, Zelda, etc.

She has almost all traits people ascribe to "good" characters, and even more, unlike the "famed" Alyx Vance, her personality and purpose do not completely collapse into a black hole of suck if you take away her support cast.

 

[SaetonChapelle]

so far the best representation of a strong female character is Bayonetta.

Are you shitting me? Bayonetta is like everything that is wrong with stereotypical female video game characters. She is basically just a pair of walking boobies and there is almost no effort made to make it look otherwise. Did you even look at the very screenshot that you posted?

Thing is, Bayonetta is right up with with (pre Other M) Samus, Zelda, etc.

She has almost all traits people ascribe to "good" characters, and even more, unlike the "famed" Alyx Vance, her personality and purpose do not completely collapse into a black hole of suck if you take away her support cast.

I have to disagree with that. Using bondage moves, sucking lollipops, and pole dancing nude on the corpses of enemies is on quite a different level than Zelda...

 

[FirstPersonWinner]

Hey it's a Lara Croft that looks like a human and not two breasts on legs!

 

[Tarkand]

If you put all the different Lara's in a line, this new design would the one that doesn't look anything like the others.

She has no ass.

She has no chest.

She barely has any hips.

If it weren't for the lips, you'd have a hard time telling it was a woman and not just a very lean man.

You realize that you're kinda making the points of people who say the old Lara Croft was pandering to sexual fantasy of teenage boys with comments like this?

I do hope you're using sarcasm here, because the curve of her shoulders, mid-section and yes, hips and breasts (Those are like c-cups... no breasts, for real?), quite clearly makes her features feminine.

She looks like a tough gal and an athlete, somebody who could probably kick my ass... whereas the old Lara look like a plaything.

She has no self-confidence. She doesn't look determined or prepared or in charge of anything, much less being a hot, smart, ass-kicker. She looks like she's just ready to go back and cry in her dorm room over a cup of express-o , not like she's ready to goo retrieve the most valuable treasures the world has ever known.

She's covered in dirt, her eyes are smoldering with anger and she'd holding a gun and a pickaxe thing... no, she doesn't look like she's about to ball up in a corner. She looks like she's seen hell and is still standing, ready for more. Heck, what exactly about 'playmate' Lara makes you think she's an ass kicker? Her D-Cups? Her totally lean and non-muscular body?

My non-gaming girlfriend's comment when shown the pic 'Woah, she looks pissed'.

Hell, though we obviously don't have the game yet, I'd put this up there with the level of character destruction that went on in Metroid: Other M.

I don't know Lara much... nor have I ever really cared for her. A character's who's main defining features are her looks don't appeal to me much. As such, I had no idea there even was a redesigning on the character.

But now for the first time in years (over a decade even?) I'm actually curious about the franchises... so it might be character destruction, but I'm not sure it's really a bad thing.

 

[viranimus]

Ehh, just looks like shes in dire need of a bath is really the only difference I perceive.

Wow.. I didnt notice the changes in chest, hips, etc.

... Does that mean im maturing?

Im scared.

 

[stygN]

Anything that makes her look less like she just got out of a beauty salon with her bimbo friends is a step in the right direction.

I'd even propose to give her some more muscles.. I mean, she pulls around giant stone blocks..

Not much, but at least visible..

Make her more of a Tomb Raider, and less of a Tomb Raidee.

 

[mindlesspuppet]

snip...

She has no self-confidence. She doesn't look determined or prepared or in charge of anything, much less being a hot, smart, ass-kicker. She looks like she's just ready to go back and cry in her dorm room over a cup of express-o , not like she's ready to goo retrieve the most valuable treasures the world has ever known.

Hell, though we obviously don't have the game yet, I'd put this up there with the level of character destruction that went on in Metroid: Other M.

I'm a bit curious how you can tell she has no self confidence by the few pics we were given of her. Why are you assuming she's not as smart? Are you assuming she has no confidence because she's not wearing itty-bitty, impractical clothing?

I'm sorry but she looks like she's about to cry? She's fucking wielding a pick-axe, hand-gun, and shot-gun, she's cut-up to hell, shittily bandaged up, where in the world are you getting it "looks like she's ready to go back and cry".

The other Lara looked like she was going to retrieve the world's most valuable treasures? To me it looked like sure was ready to pole dance or take a facial.

 

[migo]

Here's the thing. Lara Croft was meant to be a female Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford has been rated more than once as the sexiest man alive, so for when Tomb Raider was launched, Lara Croft was very sexy. Now, the image of a sexy woman has changed, and Lara Croft has been re-imaged accordingly. She has more of a Kaylee from Firefly look now. Also worth noting is the actual in game version of her from gameinformer looks a bit like Lara from Underworld.

 

[loc978]

For me, the new Lara is actually an attractive collection of pixels. Her previous form wasn't. Depending on how this plays out, I may actually approve of the character (hell, maybe even the game) soon...

 

[Gindil]

I'm seriously hoping they're looking to reboot the series with this. It's more believable to have her as a small, athletic woman that has yet to find herself. Quite frankly, I never really cared for the older Laras because of the fact that they were based on her boob size and not really her (I haven't played any of the games to completion so please back off).

If anything, with Samus (pre M), Alyx, and even Aya (pre PE3), there ARE better female role models than what Lara represented in the old days. If she wants to be relevant now, she can do so albeit a bit more realistically.

 

[Cyrin]

Hmm, I never played much Lara Croft to be honest, but... to me this look like Lara Croft who took a few punches to the face - I don't quite get what the 'zomg! redesign!' thing is about.

Aside from the busted lips/nose/forehead... what exactly is so different from the 'old' Lara Croft? Is the fact that she's anatomically correct and not wearing short-shorts that big of a deal?

If you put all the different Lara's in a line, this new design would the one that doesn't look anything like the others.

She has no ass.

She has no chest.

She barely has any hips.

If it weren't for the lips, you'd have a hard time telling it was a woman and not just a very lean man.

She has no self-confidence. She doesn't look determined or prepared or in charge of anything, much less being a hot, smart, ass-kicker. She looks like she's just ready to go back and cry in her dorm room over a cup of express-o , not like she's ready to goo retrieve the most valuable treasures the world has ever known.

Hell, though we obviously don't have the game yet, I'd put this up there with the level of character destruction that went on in Metroid: Other M.

I'm... not sure we are looking at the same picture. I see a woman who looks very powerful. Strong. Caked with dirt. Capable. I see what looks like a young strong female character. I don't see anyone about to cry in their room. What it sounds to me is that you're crying over a lack of super sexual character via pixalized breasts and ass instead of a real woman.

I think a redesign is exactly what she needs. Let's move away from the old cliche and try to find something real.

Honestly I agree with SaetonChapelle this is very much a step in the right direction for this sort of female protagonist. There is a lack of strong female characters in this medium. Also Drakmeire has a point too, we should hope that her actions also compliment this aesthetic choice. She should act like a baddass not just look like one, whats the point. (IE the new Metroid.)

I feel as through her character would have some scars and should be portrayed ten years older. Age and a rough life style sure wouldn't only simply tussle one's hair. Age also implies experience, though this could be simply the first chapter of such a life style for Lara.

 

[FirstPersonWinner]

Okay to all those who are stupid. Women having over-sized breasts and emanating sexuality are not what we call empowered women, they are what we call hookers.

This Lara is a normal proportionate human. Female empowerment does not mean we should make all video game women have a pair of giant breast and a huge buttox on a stick body and then flaunt sexuality. That is why we have so many overly sexual teenage girls who are anorexic.

This is a SMART, ATHLETIC, NORMAL SIZED, (And fairly attractive, probably because of the last three things) woman in extroidenary circumstances being awesome.

Thing is, Bayonetta is right up with with (pre Other M) Samus, Zelda, etc.

She has almost all traits people ascribe to "good" characters, and even more, unlike the "famed" Alyx Vance, her personality and purpose do not completely collapse into a black hole of suck if you take away her support cast.

You want to know why that Is that those female characters are all like that? Because they are from the 80s/90s! It was the days of Duke Nukem and ridiculous characters that were just way too fictionalized.

I mean I know a bunch of women who are just appalled by how most games make women sticks with giant boobs and then put them in tiny clothes and put them in games. (My favorite quote personally is "They don't give all the men in the game giant penises.")

We are moving into an age where media character heroes are not all "Master Cheifs" or "John McClains", and this goes with "Lara Crofts" too. People are not interested in playing characters who aren't human, they smart, strong, invincible, emotionless, and really... boring. It's a time of "Nathan Drake's", "Nathan Hales", "Commander Shephards" and so on, and now too must female characters begin to turn into normal human characters, with human weaknesses and emotions, who still save the day. And you know what normal women don't have? GIANT BREASTS.

 

[Senaro]

I'm just finding it funny how absolutely filthy Lara is in every picture now.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

Lara died in Last Revelation.

Do you hear me?

She DIED.

With you on this one. But that doesn't mean this won't be a good game in it's own regard.

 

[Savagezion]

I get where your mom is coming from but seriously, the series has been stagnant. Lara is an interesting character. But an untapped one. When they make her shallow as they have, she isn't interesting at all. Her back story and who they CLAIM she is is interesting, but who she actually is in the game is a smarmy rich chick with daddy issues and a nice rack. Her potential way outshines her current design.

I would say how the hell did she not recognize her if she plays that often? But I am not sure how I recognized her right off the bat. I am a pretty large Tomb Raider fan and when I saw the cover I got excited that they may finally be "fixing" Lara. Tomb Raider's stories are decent but the back story has gaping holes and is diluted with contrived "mysterious" BS writing. The dialogue can be horrendous at times. This is me speaking as a fan.

What the character and the story has is potential but potential is worthless if never tapped into. The puzzles are decent in every title if sometimes a little railroaded. But they are addressing that too. They are doing more than just reimagining Lara. In the article they tell you that you are going to learn how Lara came to be the Lady we know.

"But she isn't supposed to be "realistic". She is supposed to be a fearless, beautiful treasure hunter who goes anywhere and does pretty much anything. This Lara looks like a random, average college student who looks like she'd shit herself at the sight of a large dog, much less having to fight a pack of wolves moments into her first adventure. If they're trying to "fix" the series, why would they mess with the part that really never had anything "wrong" with it?"

Kudos for the team then because that is exactly what they wanted her to look like. If you had read the article you would know this is Lara fresh out of College in her younger years when she first started adventuring. She is naive and young and most important, human. She has fears, and inadequacies, and all that jive. We may actually get to learn about her father finally and the family business rather than have it clouded in that irritating "mystery fog" that is cliche and just plain bad writing. We are actually going to get to 'meet' Lara instead of just see her. This is how she was originally intended to be seen anyways. The previous Lara was big wigs whoring her out to adolescents.

I would have told her the truth, "Because most of the fanbase is bored with her. She isn't an interesting character to the majority of the fanbase and they are LOSING the fanbase because of it. It isn't just that but come on, everybody here at the escapist knows the shallow portrayal of Lara all to well. Hell, she is frequently sited here as an example of a shallow character. Some of us fans will mention her untapped potential but we are few and far between.

Of course the point was driven even further home when after I shrugged she added "And I'm not going to lie; from that mugshot, if it wasn't for the lips, you wouldn't be able to tell if that was a man or a woman. Lara always had way more feminine features than that."

And some people just really hate change and have to adjust before they can see it as better. She may like it down the road much more than the previous ones. Some people need time to accept change. Not saying she will for sure, but it is a human trait. We fear change instinctively. Especially, in the case of fanboys/girls.

Its just one example, but I think it makes the point pretty clearly; when someone who loves the games and has played pretty much on releases ever since they came out cannot recognize the main character on sight, but rather has to be told and shown who it is, you've gone too far. For all intents on purposes, it might as well be a different character.

I recognized her on site and I play a much wider selection of games and am a fan of Tomb Raider. I see no validation in that point. Is what it is, is she didn't see the "graphic" her mind has associated with Lara. Lara is more of an Icon. Lara is an aesthetic memory recognition for her. I can show an easy demonstration of this if I have to but can't be bothered to google some images right now.

And they don't even have the same out that the new Devil May Cry Dante does, in that the "new" Dante will wind up looking more like the "old" Dante by the end of the new game, since its supposed to explain how he wound up like that.

Unless Lara gets some serious plastic surgery, "new" ain't looking like "old" ever again.

Well considering that is like 19 year old Lara, they could swing it back that way a bit. I mean she is roughed up in the photos. You know, we have never seen what she looks like "roughed up" EVER. Despite crawling in tombs and in gunfights and twirly flipping, all her hairs stay in place. I think people fear change a little too much. When this info was first released I was going to make a thread about it. (I actually still have it saved in notepad and may end up assimilating it in with a review when TR is released.) But then one popped up and after reading so much QQ about a character nobody ever seemed to give a damn about and would even ***** about beforehand I decided it wasn't worth it. Some people just want to cry about video games regardless and I knew my thread would drag em all in.