Zero Punctuation: Rise of the Tomb Raider

[The Almighty Aardvark]

Not sure if I'm going to try out this iteration, sounds like they've still got most of what I disliked from the first game.
- Giant set pieces falling apart around you in such a convenient way that they leave you exactly one linear path to leave through
- Setting things up to make you feel protective of Lara, and as such they'll beat her up to try to make you feel sorry for her (as opposed to making a character you'd want to be)
- Lara's voice

I liked the first game, but I'm not sure I can deal with another game full of these

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

A fairly bland and generic game, now I don't feel so bad about it being an Xbone exclusive.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Who is calling the reboot the savior of the games industry? Every review and site I've been to have called it pretty much what it is: a competent reboot that plays everything safe and by the numbers, much like the original uncharted was at least inspired by Tomb Raider, the reboot seems to jack a lot of mechanics from the Uncharted series.

Ahem, direct quotes:

"delivering a game that?s as much a video game as it is work of cinematic art ? and setting a high bar for adventurers of the future" (New York Daily News)

"The fact that you care about Lara's well-being is also testament to the writing and Camilla Luddington​'s excellent portrayal of the iconic heroine. Even alone at a campsite, you're in Lara's head learning more about the story." (Digital Spy)

"The main game itself is easily worth the price of admission. A gripping story in spite of its cliches, with an expanded serving of the gameplay that made Tomb Raider such a wild ride" (The Jimquisition)

"As a third-person adventure game, Rise of the Tomb Raider excels. Rather than collide, gameplay and story share the space, supplementing each other and emerging as a cohesive whole." (Gamespot)

"Behind the depth of Lara's character and a compelling and emotionally charged story, the series is at its best in Rise of the Tomb Raider." (Attack of the Fanboy)

Need I go on? Because these aren't isolated. That's what kills me about the games industry at the moment; we've gotten so used to mediocrity in gaming in terms of writing (despite having higher standards barely a decade ago) that when something merely hits competent, we're astounded. That isn't a reflection of Tomb Raider being good, it's a reflection of us having such low standards. Congratulations Eidos, you've hit adequate, now aim higher.

 

[synobal]

I miss the old lara who was always doin the whole tomb raiding thing because she was massively rich and bored.

 

[JCAll]

I miss the old lara who was always doin the whole tomb raiding thing because she was massively rich and bored.

And psychotic. Don't forget psychotic. Sane people don't go backflipping out of the way of a charging Tyrannosaurus while emptying a pair of uzis into it's open mouth.

 

[Ticklefist]

I like how they deflated her boobs but inflated her butt.

That's not sarcasm.

 

[EternallyBored]

I miss the old lara who was always doin the whole tomb raiding thing because she was massively rich and bored.

And psychotic. Don't forget psychotic. Sane people don't go backflipping out of the way of a charging Tyrannosaurus while emptying a pair of uzis into it's open mouth.

A Tyrannosaurus makes this a perfect mix. Why aren't these made anymore again?

They definitely could use something different to mix it up, the combat system and lack of superhuman jumping would mean you couldn't handle it like the originals, but we've had two games now where the supernatural enemies have turned out to be just really long lived ancient dudes in armor, and Rise didn't even have the big giant guys.

It's a neat mechanic, but I don't think they can keep pulling that card in the future, while a lot of casual gamers nowadays would probably see dinosaurs as cheesy, they definitely need to mix the enemy types up, the addition of Trinity as a secret illuminati group gives you a handy source of human enemies, so you can go hog wild on the supernatural end whilst still having a steady supply of mooks to fight.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

What a shame that a good puzzle game, perhaps the only one that has reached a very mainstream audience, has turned into a yet another third person shooter. Obviously we're not intelligent enough to get stuck on a puzzle and have to think about it for a while. No, it's far better for the solution to every interactive moment to ALWAYS be to blast someone's head off with a shotgun.

 

[The Purple Grape]

Of course knowing Rhianna Pratchett it would have to be a male T-Rex.

 

[Piorn]

Wait, that's the actual title of the game?
I thought it was a joke on the derivative nature of sequels, like _:the curse, _:electric boogaloo or _:returns.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I liked the reboot quite a bit. But the writing was filled with pretty bad cliches and all the characters were boring, annoying and stupid. So I still prefer the old Lara for it's simplistic approach to both gameplay and characterization. She's totally unrealistic but I don't care. She's a fictional character and she's actually fun and charming and a badass, even though she's a borderline psychopath. At least she doesn't moan about everything.

 

[stormtrooper9091]

I don't know if Yahtzee is exaggerating or the writing in games really has regressed a lot since most of the budget is wasted on ultimately unimportant stuff but the sheeple seem to be hungrier than ever apparently. I have no idea how this world hasn't imploded yet