I guess I really need to play this again - I just don’t remember the story being all that bad. Of course I don’t really remember it being all that good either. All right so maybe I don’t remember it at all.
I didn’t think the story was terrible, but I didn’t think it was good either. It was just there. A mediocre videogame framework to climb stuff and fight wolves, immortal Roman legions and mercenaries.
Yep. I agree with that completely. The story was just enough of a frame work to excuse all those scenarios. Of course, DOOM did something similar, but with a wink and a smile. Rise took itself seriously and did it with flashbacks to Lara’s father and her step mom and other dreck.
Yeah. The really grating parts are Lara’s character and Camilla Luddington’s voice acting.
I understand they maybe didn’t want go with the rogueish Indiana Jones archetype. But it’s not like the only other option was this terminally boring, earnest and naive character. Imagine the same game, but with Lara’s internal monologue being that of a cynical treasure hunter willing to do anything for the loot (i.e. matching the gameplay). “I’ve gained the native’s trust. They’ll be useful in slowing down Trinity, and will hopefully take me to the Source. Still need to come up with a plan to smuggle it out.”; “This ancient brooch seems to have belonged to a Byzantine merchant. It’s should fetch a good price despite being made of mere silver”. “Another ancient temple destroyed in a firefight, left 20 bodies behind. But at least I made it out with what really matters.”
I’m not sure that a jerky, money-grubbing artifact thief Lara Croft would go over very well.
Plus these games are showing Lara extremely early in her career, still figuring things out. That kind of cynical outlook might develop over time - maybe there’s an older, more hard-bitten Lara down the timeline. Now that I think about it, how awesome would it be to play a middle-aged woman as a player character? Yes, I am totally serious.
I don’t think it’s really that bad either, but Tom and I disagree on that. I actually thought that the idea of a persecuted religious minority from the Byzantine Empire fleeing into the wastes of Siberia to reestablish their civilization was pretty cool.
[quote=“lordkosc, post:539, topic:74980, full:true”]
For me the Viking Ship and the Bathhouse were 2 outstanding puzzle areas in this game. I wish more of the Tombs/Crypts were at that level of design.[/quote]
It’s not a Viking ship, just look at the prow with the ram and the “eye” painted on it. It’s a Byzantine vessel, probably a dromon.
:P
I did that puzzle 6+ months ago. So yes you are technically correct. But its a ship frozen in ice, so I thought Viking.
While the current version is a real crowd pleaser? :-P
Anyone remember the original 2014 trailer? The one where Lara is having a meeting with her shrink who is talking about how to return to a normal life after the events of TR 2013, interspersed with scenes from this game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL8bBf7UANc
There’s a few different ways to interpret the trailer, but in any case at least it looked like a character with an arc.
Lara used to be an unflappable bad ass, in the newer games, she’s overly earnest, always getting her ass kicked, and seems to have quite a bit of self pity. I realize what they were going for, to try and humanize her, and turn her away from the sort of super hero role, I just don’t care for it. I like it when my main characters are a little tongue in cheek, and sort of impervious to panic in the face of danger.
I miss the pseudo James Bond sort of attitude.
My biggest issue with the tombs is that the game is way too insecure about itself and jumps to suggesting that you ask for hints way too early. I want to figure these things out for myself but it keeps goading me into asking for help after I take like 10 seconds to examine the environment and think about things.
I didn’t mind the new direction so much in TR, but here in RotTR it really grates.
The other aspect of not only this game, but all games, has been the constant march towards more and more character development and narrative. The original TR is a perfect example. 99% of that game was played in silence, with you just trying to figure out what to do. That has the effect of making it much easier for you to be the character. Lara has developed so much of her own personality, that there is no room left for the players.
Games in general have moved away from putting you in the character, to showing you a movie. I think it’s one of the reasons that I tend to disconnect more and more with modern games. I invariably like whatever characters someone else creates,less than my own imagination in a situation. There are some caveats to this of course, some games really do a great job of telling a story, but most of the time, it’s pretty ham handed, and only serves to take me out of the character in a suspension of disbelief sort of way.
[quote=“lordkosc, post:551, topic:74980, full:true”]So yes you are technically correct. But its a ship frozen in ice, so I thought Viking.
[/quote]
I am only correct “technically”? There’s a pretty big difference between a Byzantine ship and Viking one :)
[quote=“jsnell, post:552, topic:74980, full:true”]
While the current version is a real crowd pleaser? :-P[/quote]
Steam says 1.2 million units sold, 93% favorable score, so I’d say yes.
I thought we were talking about what people thought about the story and the characters?
We were, and I think my point still stands. If the character and story were as lousy as you all seem to think, I don’t think the scores or sales would be as high.
I don’t think that says anything about the quality of story really. Look at the Steam sales and scores for Skyrim. Great story right?