Tomb Raider reboot

Ok, so I've played a bit more and now I've made it to:

Spoiler:

The beach. About to go tell those people I'm going to hijack their boat to kill the weather queen.

Just shot a crab for the achievement.

So how much to go now? I'm kinda wanting it to be over. Like it's ok, but it's not really, "oh wow this is so much fun". Also, holy crap I've shot a lot of people. Like seriously, how many people are on this god damn island?

Also, time for a mini achievement rant. This game seems to have everything about achievements that I hate.

1) No visible progress towards achievements. If I have to shoot 10 crows, then show me how many I've shot.
2) Long winded achievements. Stab 25 people in the knee. Really? 25 times? Far out, get me to do it 5 times or something, not 25. By the time I finally unlocked the move it feels like work trying to make sure I let the guy approach me so I can stab him in the knee before shooting him.
3) Glitchy achievements. Shooting 10 people from zip lines. I've shot about 50 and no damn achievement.
4) Multiplayer achievements. Yeah, because you know, playing multiplayer for tomb raider is so damn fun that no one is playing it. *sigh*

Yes, I know they're all optional, but I like getting achievements. Be nice if the developer respected my time. Not just threw in a bunch of crap that has no meaning (like collecting 10 mushrooms) just to make me play the game longer.

You're probably 85% done.

Ok thanks. Hopefully I can finish it in the next couple of days.

Yup, done.

I had an OK time with it, but the overall experience just didn't really do it for me. Too much of the QTE and beating the crap out of Lara. It didn't feel necessary. Also, one second she's falling and getting torn to shreds, the next she's taking down 50 guys like she's suddenly walked onto the set of Expendables 2.

Skipped the rest of the thread in case of potential spoilers, but I just started this game tonight. According to the menu I'm at 12% overall complete, and I imagine that's totaling collectibles in addition to story.

Thank God for the collectibles, because that's when I started to really enjoy this game. Naturally I went in with a tepid "let's see how this game is", which went to a bewildered "holy crap, they're wasting no time with this. Not even getting a chance to know pre-disaster Lara before sh*t hits the fan". But that's video games for you.

Then the QTEs happened, and I snarled. I snarled and snapped, as I wasn't much a fan of the execution. I'm guessing, or rather hoping, that slow circle thing that then communicates I must hit the triangle button (on PS3) is always the same button, otherwise there will be a lot of dying. In fact, there already is a lot of dying. Fortunately it's not as bad as Dead Space when it comes to death scenes... yet.

Once I got the bow and arrow I started exploring the environment, and that's when the game started to slowly open up for me. Once I found the treasure map I really became giddy, because at that point I was having fun finding the documents and relics and such. Thus far I've completed the first two sections, and am sitting on 96% and 100% complete, respectively. I just need one more of those totem things in the first area, which is proving to be a real pain. I swear I've used my survival ability everywhere, yet I still can't find the damn thing.

About to start the third spot:

Spoiler:

Really huge village, Mentor guy just passed out after telling me wolves took the supply pack

Am already overwhelmed by the sheer size of the area, but it should be fun.

BlackSabre wrote:

the next she's taking down 50 guys like she's suddenly walked onto the set of Expendables 2.

Yeah, that kept throwing me out of it a bit as well. "I am emotionally troubled by them hurting one of my crew members! All I did to them was slaughter a few dozen of their friends!"

ccesarano wrote:

Then the QTEs happened, and I snarled. I snarled and snapped, as I wasn't much a fan of the execution. I'm guessing, or rather hoping, that slow circle thing that then communicates I must hit the triangle button (on PS3) is always the same button, otherwise there will be a lot of dying. In fact, there already is a lot of dying. Fortunately it's not as bad as Dead Space when it comes to death scenes... yet.

Yes. I want to say that there two types of QTE, hit and evade, and they are always the same button.

Once I got the bow and arrow I started exploring the environment, and that's when the game started to slowly open up for me. Once I found the treasure map I really became giddy, because at that point I was having fun finding the documents and relics and such. Thus far I've completed the first two sections, and am sitting on 96% and 100% complete, respectively. I just need one more of those totem things in the first area, which is proving to be a real pain. I swear I've used my survival ability everywhere, yet I still can't find the damn thing.
Spoiler:

Be sure to look and look below things like bridges.

About to start the third spot:
Spoiler:

Really huge village, Mentor guy just passed out after telling me wolves took the supply pack

Am already overwhelmed by the sheer size of the area, but it should be fun.

They actually get a lot bigger. The game has a wonderful sense of physical space, imo.

ccesarano wrote:

Once I got the bow and arrow I started exploring the environment, and that's when the game started to slowly open up for me. Once I found the treasure map I really became giddy, because at that point I was having fun finding the documents and relics and such. Thus far I've completed the first two sections, and am sitting on 96% and 100% complete, respectively. I just need one more of those totem things in the first area, which is proving to be a real pain. I swear I've used my survival ability everywhere, yet I still can't find the damn thing.

There are a couple of collectibles you can't get your first time through an area, and a large number that will get easier with some abilities you can't unlock until later I don't think. Please don't do what I did, and get frustrated trying to 100% every area before you move on. I would say don't ignore them, it's fun to get the one you can (plus, XP); but you'll also ruin the pacing.

Also, some areas change after in-game events, and spawn a handful of new enemies with interesting new dialog; making it interesting to revisit them later, anyway.

Yeah, I think I'm at the halfway point right now:

Spoiler:

Lara thinks Grim is dead (didn't see the body! He could still be alive! In fact, the henchman he went down with could turn out to be the villain in the sequel!), she got into the big Japanese castle, and just climbed out of nasty blood and skulls river to the first camp site.

Once I get out of the current story section, I think I'm going to fast-travel. Part of me wishes the game had a bit more Metroidvania to the design, but I don't know if that would quite serve the manner in which they're trying to tell the current story. Still, it has enough of those elements that I'm all kinds of excited to go back and see if I can 100% some earlier spots.

What seems kind of funny to me is the fact that I'm more than halfway completed upgrading all my skills, though. I wonder if leveling up will eventually become a much, much slower process, though it's seemed to remain steady thus far.

I dunno man, I'm really liking this game. A lot. If you told me ten years ago that one of my favorite games of the year would have been a Tomb Raider game I'd have sighed and said "So it really is going to get worse, isn't it?"

Then again, if you also told me from ten years ago that Squenix was the company that published it...well, I dunno. Hell, if I told myself that the game could sell somewhere around 3-4 million copies and still be considered a disappointment, I might have called you a liar.

But that's all off-topic. Point is: I'm in love with this game.

I just started last night. It's fun, but, the QTEs...so many QTEs.

They sort of reduce as the game opens up. All the QTEs they shove at the front of the game had me tasting nothing but sour for a while, but there's really not as many as the game suggests.

Actually, I'd label the most frustrating moment to be from one of the E3 gameplay videos last year, right before Lara Croft was all parachuting it up.

(No story spoilers, but just in case)

Spoiler:

When you're going down river, there's a lot of watery spray and other clutter in your vision, and sometimes it is hard to tell how far an obstacle is and where you need to be to get out of the way. As a result, I saw Lara's jugular get impaled over and over because I couldn't clearly see what was coming up. Fortunately, there aren't any other "Lara sliding down a hill" moments that were as bad. Even if there was a bunch of particles and shakey cam in the way, there wasn't really much that needed to be dodged.

This game reminds me of Resident Evil 4, in that everything would have been better without the QTE's, though.

I actually finally finished this game up just Monday. Was a fun ride, decent story (more due to the characters than the plot), and I thought it served well as a reboot to the franchise.

I loved the core adventuring gameplay (both the adventuring/parkour/puzzle-solving and the actiony bits), and agree that they went a little overboard on QTE's.

I definitely think that Uncharted Tomb Raider is a good direction for the series if they tone back the QTE's in the next game.

On the QTEs, the window for your response is not long enough. I love this game, but the QTEs are aggravating at best.

CptGlanton wrote:

On the QTEs, the window for your response is not long enough. I love this game, but the QTEs are aggravating at best.

Yeah, hate the QTEs.

My nephew, when he saw the game, thought it was incomprehensible that a man (me) would be playing a girl character. He's like 6.

For console users, this is $15 on Xbox Live Marketplace right now.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

My nephew, when he saw the game, thought it was incomprehensible that a man (me) would be playing a girl character. He's like 6. :)

Blow his little mind, and tell him that you used to be a girl.

It's true: we all start as girls, and then men differentiate in the womb. He was a girl, too.

Our embryos also look like chickens.

heavyfeul wrote:

Our embryos also look like chickens.

I still do!

heavyfeul wrote:

Our embryos also look like chickens.

Exactly like chickens: http://embryo.soad.umich.edu/carnStages/carnStages.html

I'm worried about the chickens you're eating.

IMAGE(http://online.santarosa.edu/homepage/cgalt/BIO10-Stuff/Ch13-Evolution/Comparative-Embryology-01.JPG)

I back heavyfeul and his victory over lit majors!

Damned portables!

IMAGE(http://embryo.soad.umich.edu/carnStages/stage18/Opticals/10306uX4.jpg)

I have a BS in CS and employ a literal interpretation of everything and anything when it suits me for humor or purposeful obtuseness!

I don't get it; I've 100% in every area. I've upgraded all my weapons, gotten every skill. But the game says I'm still only at 99%.

Edit: Whoa, wait. There's a whole area without a fast travel camp (Cliffside Bunker) that I'm only at 94% in.

I liked the game overall, hated the QTEs, specially that one towards the end, i was like WTF! really? but i liked the exploration when i finished the game and could run free with all the upgrades, to my surprise i enjoyed the combat and the weapons, without the QTEs it would have been a really great game

Quintin_Stone wrote:

I don't get it; I've 100% in every area. I've upgraded all my weapons, gotten every skill. But the game says I'm still only at 99%.

Edit: Whoa, wait. There's a whole area without a fast travel camp (Cliffside Bunker) that I'm only at 94% in.

It was the last area I finished. One of the banners is ridiculously hard to find - much better hidden than most of the other challenges in my opinion. I eventually had to look it up.

A couple of hints if you want to avoid a walkthrough:

Spoiler:

It's outdoors

Spoiler:

Look up, way up

Spoiler:

How'd they get this truck up here?

Too late, I used a challenge map to find it. Telling, though, that you knew exactly the one I was missing!

I liked this game, and intended to go back after I finished it to mop up some of the exploration and collection. ... any day now, I'm sure.

ccesarano wrote:

They sort of reduce as the game opens up. All the QTEs they shove at the front of the game had me tasting nothing but sour for a while, but there's really not as many as the game suggests.

Actually, I'd label the most frustrating moment to be from one of the E3 gameplay videos last year, right before Lara Croft was all parachuting it up.

(No story spoilers, but just in case)

Spoiler:

When you're going down river, there's a lot of watery spray and other clutter in your vision, and sometimes it is hard to tell how far an obstacle is and where you need to be to get out of the way. As a result, I saw Lara's jugular get impaled over and over because I couldn't clearly see what was coming up. Fortunately, there aren't any other "Lara sliding down a hill" moments that were as bad. Even if there was a bunch of particles and shakey cam in the way, there wasn't really much that needed to be dodged.

This game reminds me of Resident Evil 4, in that everything would have been better without the QTE's, though.

I'm loving the game so far, except for one part:

Spoiler:

Ol' Branchtits can't parachute to save her life. Got really gross really quick.

I must've repeated that section 50 times. Would've given anything for the option to skip it.