Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

[Hendo]

Had a bash through the trial and ponied up form the full thing at the end.

It's the first Lara Croft game that I've willingly bought (the first two games came with the Playstation that I bought) and if this is what they do when they take risks, then it's all for the best.

Co-op is only offline for now until the shady deals patch has been put out next month.

I've watched the GiantBomb quicklook in co-op and I can see how the levels change and weapons Lara gets are different too.

It's meant to encourage multiple playthroughs, much like my current addiction of Castlevania, so I hope someone will be willing to run through it with me next month.

[hinn888]

I downloaded the trial, completed it downloaded it and had to do the full thing again ¬_¬

I think this maybe the best lara croft game i played but i never really did like the others that much.

The best part has to be, alot of different objectives, the better u do or if u do the objectives leads to unlocking new artifcats/relics/weapons, and combo them up to make lara into a machine.

The cut scenese are cel shaded which is also a nice touch

[HandsomeDead]

It's excellent so far, but I did only put half an hour in before the pub. If it keeps this up then I reckon it'll be my downloadable GotY.

Her top is really small in this game, I suppose they have to make up for the awful dialogue in here, it wasn't the best in the big games but it was snappy from time to time.

[hinn888]

Just played the first 4 levels on co-op, you have to start from the beginning again but you keep what you got in single player which is pretty handy.

Lara and Totec are limited to certain things which make it more cooperative.

Lara can stand on spears
Lara can grapple
Totec can block
Totec can shield upwards for higher jumps

On co-op however, i think we did some parts of the level wrong but still manage to get past them

but playing on co-op is alot more fun!

[HandsomeDead]

I like the pace of this. There isn't the platforming action from big Tomb Raider but it just keeps the puzzle-y stuff coming fast, and then a bit of a fight. The puzzles haven't been hard but I still get a self congratulatory feeling from them, and in simplifying the combat they have actually made it better.. This probably the best it has ever been in a game starring Lara.

Proper good this, much better than I thought it would be. And I haven't even tried the co-op yet.

[hinn888]

Im only gonna continue the storyline on co-op for now, gonna replay the missions i done, doing all the objectives. Done all the speed runs, just gonna go for the high score now.

Has anyone manage to disable that first trap in under 30 seconds?

[retroed]

Has anyone manage to disable that first trap in under 30 seconds?

Yep, the wife and I just done that.

We've just played through the first stage, and both love what we have seen so far. Karen has always liked Tomb Raider, so this is an ideal game to rope her into playing along with me. Now I'm not allowed to play it in single player! It's really good to have a game that she can join in on and not feel under great pressure, it's brilliant for a spouse or casual player to jump into as the death penalty is non-existent bar the drop in points. I'm liking the co-op based puzzles, the way Lara has her grapple hook and Totec has the shield. Great stuff.

[HandsomeDead]

Has anyone manage to disable that first trap in under 30 seconds?

I couldn't on my own but I saw that it would be a doddle in co-op.

[retroed]

Been playing more of this over the weekend with the wife, and we are now on the ninth level (out of fourteen?), having just defeated the summoned beast. We're still both loving it, and it'll be a shame when it's over. Still, DLC will soon be upon us, with more to come.

[Hendo]

Played a lot of this yesterday - really enjoying it.

My score for the first level isn't showing up in the leaderboards, I think I read somewhere that you have to do the first level again if you upgraded from the trial to the full thing like I did.

Still, it's good fun. Longer than I expected too.

Loved the puzzle section with all the balls, wasn't quite as keen as the section after that with the poison. Made it through the maze without getting hit though.

[Hendo]

You not gonna run through it again? Apparently it's built for replay, getting new weapons and just charging back through.

[spatular]

just tried the demo and though it was ok but a little boring, got stuck i guess near the end, couldn't work out how to get up a wall, tried it a few times then gave up, not really bothered about getting it anymore anyway

[hinn888]

After playing it on co-op i dont want to go back to single player again, its just not the same. Think i left it on 6th chapter? but i have replayed the ones before many times, at least twice, once for the high score, the others for the time limit.

[Hendo]

I started typing a post yesterday that I was stuck and needed help and before I could finish it, I got past it.

I'm hoping that will happen again but I'm proper stuck.

I'm in Stronghold Passage.

You need to put 6 balls on switches in order to open the main door, similar to an earlier puzzle. I can get the first couple of them but then it gets silly.

There's one where the ball is sitting in a pit of fire and there's two switches - one seems to open the gate to get the ball out and the other puts up a bridge above the ball but I don't see how you turn the fire off or get the ball out.

There's another one where you have to put a ball on a switch to turn off the fire that's by a pull switch but the ball switch is getting pelted by fire balls. I could do with an extra ball and there is one up the stairs from there but it seems impossible to get it out.

[HandsomeDead]

I started typing a post yesterday that I was stuck and needed help and before I could finish it, I got past it.

I'm hoping that will happen again but I'm proper stuck.

I'm in Stronghold Passage.

You need to put 6 balls on switches in order to open the main door, similar to an earlier puzzle. I can get the first couple of them but then it gets silly.

There's one where the ball is sitting in a pit of fire and there's two switches - one seems to open the gate to get the ball out and the other puts up a bridge above the ball but I don't see how you turn the fire off or get the ball out.

There's another one where you have to put a ball on a switch to turn off the fire that's by a pull switch but the ball switch is getting pelted by fire balls. I could do with an extra ball and there is one up the stairs from there but it seems impossible to get it out.

That switch that raises the bridge is timed isn't it? If it is then I think you lay a mine on it and when the timer runs out it will fall near the ball, explode it and retrieve your ball. That extra ball should then help you with the bit later on.

[Hendo]

Ah cheers, got the ball from the timed bridge thing but it looks like you can only send it straight down to the bottom with the 6 switches - there's no way to send it forward to help with another puzzle.

*EDIT*

Got a ball from what I think is the highest place you can get one from. Dropped it down to where the two stone fists are firing fire balls at the switch.

I've got one ball under a stone fist, I need another to do the same to the other and then a third ball to sit on the hole so I can go and pull the switch that is otherwise covered in fire.

Think I've got it sussed. Yep, I have, cheers!

[Hendo]

Finished now and going back through the first few levels to clean up the objectives.

Anyone where the last truck is on the level where you open up the Spider Temple?

[retroed]

No idea! I finished this earlier too, played the whole thing co-op with the wife and we both had an excellent time with it. It was quite a bit lengthier than I expected, but was never not fun. I had a quick go on single player and it's quite a different experience. A lot of the puzzles are completely changed. Great stuff, am looking forward to the DLC.

[hinn888]

I got all those trucks, i swear you have to backtrack away from those magic monsters and a truck is surrounded by 3 small walls.

[Hendo]

Online co-op patch delayed again.

But they do have DLC packs to sell you!

It's now been delayed again, this time to the useful "a later date". We'll pop that in the diary.

We've asked Square Enix if this delay relates to all versions of the game or just the PC and PS3 versions.

More usefully, Square Enix has detailed the downloadable add-on packs it has in store for the game.

From October to December five packs will be made available to download across all formats.

The first three expansion packs feature "a combination of all new puzzle, exploration and combat experiences" and new areas to explore.

The final two are playable character packs, "offering gamers the chance to experience the entire adventure without Lara Croft and Totec and instead with some other well-known videogame characters..." Cryptic.