Tomb Raider

[Sambob]

I thought it was about to end when I got to that beach bit, then it opens up even more. Ive not tried the multiplayer, and im not going to either like a lot of people have said here - BUT - in theory I could see it working really well if the game was slightly different, as it is, the combat is one of the worst elements to the game and parts where its all suddenly open with lots of enemies just feel like a chore, very rarely have I actually enjoyed playing through one of those sections. Sneaking around and taking out enemies is always preferential in terms of gameplay and also progressing through the 'levels', but they could do with a few stealth kill variations, i usually just opt for the silenced pistol from behind instead of the actual stealth kill action, and its more rewarding if youve powered up your super killer skill anyway.

[wholehole]

I really enjoyed the combat, as long as I was using the bow. Taking out a massive group of dudes with just a bow feels really badass.

The guns are okay but don't feel as good to use. Plus it fits more closely with the narrative rather than running around with a full-on assault rifle or combat shotgun.

I kind of wish they'd have only included the bow and left the other weapons out but it may have annoyed people not having the choice.

I played one match of the multiplayer, that was enough for me. Left a sour taste in my mouth after the excellent campaign.

[Sambob]

I think the combat is okay when you are not in stealth mode (provided youve leveled up your combat skills), but when you are trying to stealth kill its unrewarding, and when you are in a big open space with people shooting at you like its some kind of gears of war game then its crap. I always end up just kiting enemies to a corridor and then taking them on one by one, either with bow hand to hand or pistol headshot as they lumber towards you.

When its a big open area you tend to not be able to hit them because they hide in cover, (which is fine but somehow cover makes them inflammable) whilst they in turn throw endless dynamite and molotov cocktails at you from across the map.

I also have a major gripe with getting halfway through a stealthy bit, feeling good because ive taken out 5 guards and also traversed the level and gone from rooftop to lofty perch or whatever and then having it all ruined when a guard finds a body that you cant drag or conceal, and the very act of finding a body immediately caused their in-brain satnavs to lock onto you wherever you are. Its like 'heres a body under a bridge, she must be up in that tree' que pinpoint gunfire and heat seaking molotov cocktails.

I think this is something the devs would probably aim to perfect in the sequel though, as its hardly game breaking and I only notice in big open areas with lots of guards, which are admittedly quite few.

[Hendo]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-03-20-tomb-raider-dlc-will-be-entirely-multiplayer-based - what a stupid bunch of numpties.

[HandsomeDead]

*Puts wallet away*

[retroed]

Finished last night and love every minute of it, it's a shame there's no single-player DLC planned. I'll be trading this in.

Still, I got it cheap from Sainsbury's thanks to a 20% pre-order code last year, so I'll be making a quid profit on the game.

Looking forward to Tomb Raider 2 on next-gen.

[wholehole]

Whoever made that decision needs publicly flogging. The game should never have shipped with multiplayer in the first place

[HandsomeDead]

It's so stupid. The general consensus is that this game is gonna be a lot of peoples GotY and they would pay for more of it, but then they add content to the bit of the game that 95% of those people don't care about.

Logic.

[Pikman]

This, awesome

[Craymen Edge]

The multiplayer DLC is a bit of a dumb decision. Nobody's going to be playing the multiplayer in a couple of weeks.

[retroed]

I didn't even try it. Traded it in just now while it was still worth something! Absolutely adored the single player campaign but I doubt I'll go back to it.

[HandsomeDead]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-03-26-tomb-raider-has-sold-3-4-million-copies-failed-to-hit-expectations

3.4 million copies of Tomb Raider have been sold in four weeks, publisher Square Enix has revealed, which is not enough to hit the game's sales target.

Fellow Square Enix title Hitman Absolution sold 3.6 million units since its launch in November last year, while Sleeping Dogs sold 1.75 million since last August.

There's no mention of what the company's internal sales expectations were for the trio, just that all three missed their respective marks.

Square Enix expected 14.9 million retail game sales from North America and Europe combined in its six-monthly forecast last September. Considering the fact that Tomb Raider, Hitman Absolution and Sleeping Dogs were the only big releases for these regions and accounted for a combined 8.75 million sales worldwide, it's clear that their targets were a good deal higher.

Today's numbers, published in Square Enix's latest financial report, do not count digital sales.

The figures are predicted totals for the current financial year. With five more days to go, they're unlikely to change very much unless you personally go out and buy 500,000 copies of Tomb Raider right now.

The business' North American sales momentum was singled out as being particularly "ineffective". The continent recorded just two thirds of Europe's sales. Back in September, Square Enix had forecast that North American sales would be higher than Europe's.

Price protection - where a publisher is forced to compensate retailers for any games shifted at cut cost - added to Square Enix's woes.

The company revealed earlier this morning that its net sales and total profits would besignificantly lower than expected for the current financial year.

In large part this is due to a restructuring of its games business, a measure necessary due to lacklustre sales of its console game portfolio. Company president Yoichi Wada has also been replaced.

3,4 million in a month is not enough say Square Enix. Ridiculous.

[wholehole]

Not sure why these numbers never include digital sales. I would think those sale would make up a substantial chunk of their ridiculous targets considering how many people buy on Steam etc.

[Cyberpunk]

Late coming to the party I know, but this game is so fucking good. Not without flaws, however. I'm playing the Steam PC version and I have found some graphical glitches within the game. Nothing to put you off playing, and at the moment it's usually whenever Lara is rope sliding fast. I get a blocky misting effect off to the sides.

Also once, Lara was walking through the jungle, quite early in the game, and came upon a massive grey wall, which turned out to be nothing but jungle scenery not loaded properly. It could be my PC setup, but it doesn't stop the gameplay.

The way I'm playing is a bit strange. I have many poor friends, and one of them really needed some money a couple of weeks ago. The only thing he had to sell was a Steam copy of Tomb Raider. Obviously I couldn't add it to my Steam account, so as it was the only game in his list, I kinda rented the Steam log-in details. I only explain this as I have to manually add the game time to Raptr, and any of my Steam friends won't see it being played.

I've put about 7 or 8 hours into it at the moment. I'm really enjoying the story. I'm playing it on normal difficulty, as I get the story from the game, but it's not too difficult to play. I don't think I'll play this on a harder setting. I'm having fun with it as it is. I've just got to the shanty town. I won't say any more as I don't want to spoil it for anyone planning to play it.

As for the multi-player, I'm not interested. I would really like to see some more single player stuff for it, but it appears that we're not going to get it. Not to worry, it'll save me some money later on.

[Craymen Edge]

I've played the first couple of hours, and it starts really strong (if a little hand holding in places), but man the camera sway is fucking ridiculous.

[DANGERMAN]

In between 3DS rpgs I've started playing this, I've just got the machine gun and while the save file got to 8% really quick (like an hour or so previously), I suspect I'm still really early in, it's certainly still revealing new stuff pretty regularly. It's great though, really enjoyable so far.

I'm not buying in to the 'Lara is weak and vulnerable' schtick, they don't nearly sell it enough, and as illdog mentioned in this thread the separation of what would and wouldn't kill her is off, but in terms of pure gameplay it's brilliant.

[Craymen Edge]

I never follwed up beyond my impressions of the opening hour or so in this thread.

Here's what I said in the completed games thread:

Tomb Raider (PC)

This is a great game, and bloody gorgeous too. The story is pretty lightweight, but young inexperienced Lara is likable. Traversing the environment is great fun, and combat is better than it's ever been in a Tomb Raider game. Comparisons to the Uncharted games are pretty clear, but Drake and friends borrowed plenty from Tomb Raider, so fair do's I say.

The biggest issue for me is the in game camera. It swings around so much behind Lara, it's like she's being followed around by a drunken documentary film-maker. I'm also a little put off by the beating Lara takes during the game. Not just the gruesome death animations, but the cuts,scratches, punctures and jarring falls she suffers just in the course of the game. Some of it really makes you wince.

The grittier nature of it, with Lara getting beat up, people dying etc, made the turn to the supernatural towards then end feel a little silly and out of place, but silly supernatural stuff has always been par for the course for Tomb Raider, so it's to be expected. I would have liked a little less fighting dudes and a bit more working out ridiculous ancient security systems, but overall I think it's a quality reboot.

I'm sure it's probably agreeing with most of what's already been said.

[Hendo]

Not long started this, just got to where you can fast travel.

It looks stunning but I turned the hair effect on and although it looked good, it also looked weird compared with the rest of the body models and really hammered the frame rate so turned it back off again.

[DANGERMAN]

yeah, I'm sure the tech will improve, but it doesn't look good enough to justify the hit.

I never posted in here after finishing the game but I really enjoyed it. I was all set to criticise it for turning Lara from innocent to expert killer in the time it took to kill a deer, but they actually do a much better job than that. It takes a while but they did have some good character progression in there

[Hendo]

Rolling towards the end now but it does feel like it was ready to end much earlier.

I am enjoying it but have paid no attention to the story nor the dialogue and text in the collectives. I have no idea why they're there or where they are.

Enjoying it even though my laptop is noticeably huffing and puffing to run it.