View Full Version : I don't care about the change in bio anymore
I just want Lara to get her personality back. For someone with a tragic past she sure seems happy-go-lucky for a lot of Legend. Some of her lines are way too chirpy and that swing-sway hip thing when she was talking to Rutland made me cringe. The other one that bugs me is when she's sad. Thankfully she hasn't shed any tears yet, but she's come awfully close. The depressive attitude is making her look REALLY wimpy. The "I'm sorry Father" line to me is a scene killer because it takes very little for Lara to be on the verge of breaking down. I don't blame Keeley for this, just how Lara is written. These two very emotions are dominating her personality and is changing her into someone else. If we saw shades of it then it wouldn't be so big a problem but it's either one extreme or the other. If CD is planning this so they can evolve Lara from an emotionally unstable girl into the hard tomb raider we know and love then I can live with it, but if not CD seriously needs to tone down on her current personality and bring in more elements of her old one.
That being said, there are some areas CD has done that I want exploited more in TR8:
When she interogated Larson in Peru. The calm and coldness made her just like the old Lara. I want to see this woman who's in control and knows exactly what she's doing to return a bit more.
The Croft Manor cutscenes in Legend. She seems a lot more mature here than she does over the radio in-game. She's relaxed and happy but doesn't need to crack silly jokes and one-liners.
The sarcasm. We need more lines like Zip telling Lara she may not hear him underwater and she replies "there is a God". None of that postcard business crap.
The curiousness. There were times in Legend were Lara showed genuine interest in the ancient and mythological whether it be reading writing on a wall or discovering an artefact. There should be more focus on this and not just "maybe this will help me find dear Mother?"
The ending of Legend. Ignore the fact Lara was in the wrong when she attacked Amanda. The rage and emotion of this scene needs to be used more often.
On top of that, there are three scenes from Core's games that CD should take note of:
The scenes prior and after the fight with Eckhardt in AOD.
When Dr. Willard steals the artefacts from Lara in TR3.
When Von Croy tries to help Lara at the end of TR4.
There are some moments in both Legend and Anniversary that would've worked better on an emotional level and for Lara's character if it were more in tune with those ones.
Shark_Blade
26-10-07, 05:20
Very valid points Mike :tmb:
That's one of the main reasons that bugs me with the new Lara, her attitude. I mean screw the happy go lucky personality and family dilemma, focus more on doing the business. That's what Lara Croft do, she hunts artefacts for the challenge not cheesey cliche family related at all.
And she needs to look more daring and daredevil (put the angry face back on her CD!). I cringe when she talks to Natla and she goes "This is madness" *looks worried and wimpy* whereas the real Lara can wipe Natla on the floor like a mop with liners like "You are kidding, RIGHT?" *draw pistols*.
Same goes with the Larson scene. I mean she carries around a pair of pistols for so long, killing animals here and there but when she finally came down to putting the dog out his misery, she has somewhat like a shock, a trauma like "ZOMG I killed someone" :rolleyes: The butch is trying to kill you Lara, you cap his head, now move along! But no, Lara goes all wimpy and warns Cold and Kid "If you don't want to end up like Larson, get out of the way". Be quiet and just be done with it, geez.
All this Disney oriented kiddy stuff is really wearing me down. I play tomb raider for action and adventure not "moral" value shove down your throat forcefully. And the main character being undeciding and full of doubts,always looking fearful is beyond lame.
Very valid points Mike :tmb:
That's one of the main reasons that bugs me with the new Lara, her attitude. I mean screw the happy go lucky personality and family dilemma, focus more on doing the business. That's what Lara Croft do, she hunts artefacts for the challenge not cheesey cliche family related at all.
And she needs to look more daring and daredevil (put the angry face back on her CD!). I cringe when she talks to Natla and she goes "This is madness" *looks worried and wimpy* whereas the real Lara can wipe Natla on the floor like a mop with liners like "You are kidding, RIGHT?" *draw pistols*.
Same goes with the Larson scene. I mean she carries around a pair of pistols for so long, killing animals here and there but when she finally came down to putting the dog out his misery, she has somewhat like a shock, a trauma like "ZOMG I killed someone" :rolleyes: The butch is trying to kill you Lara, you cap his head, now move along! But no, Lara goes all wimpy and warns Cold and Kid "If you don't want to end up like Larson, get out of the way". Be quiet and just be done with it, geez.
All this Disney oriented kiddy stuff is really wearing me down. I play tomb raider for action and adventure not "moral" value shove down your throat forcefully. And the main character being undeciding and full of doubts,always looking fearful is beyond lame.
i totaly agree :tmb:
I would only care if its changed back to what it was
Laras Backpack
26-10-07, 10:38
I agree with you. Lara's personality has been 'Hollywood-ised' in many ways. She's always had one-liners but they've never been as cringe worthy as they were in much of Legend. Her facial animations are more funny than moving and her banter with Zip and Alister is over done.
Those scenes you selected from Core's and CD's games are good examples. I liked them too.
Other cutscenes where I enjoyed Lara's characterisation include:
In the tree house with the Australian guy (TR3)
Her interrogation of Sophia Leigh's mercinary on the tower (TR3)
Her talk with Natla before the Torso Boss (TR1)
Lara telling Takomoto to try begging for his life like he did the last time they spoke (TRL)
;)
Bio change wasn't just some irrelevant backstory change - it was what made Lara who she is. So obviously when the bio changed Lara changed as well.
Overall, the new Lara - as much as I personally dislike her, is the logical evolution of the little girl we see in Nepal flashback. Under the given circumstances, Lara evolved into her Legend self. The old Lara personality won't fit with the new direction simply because it's illogical to person to become as she was with new backstory - bio.
Everything people go though in life is what shapes their personality; change that and it would change the person. If you want old Lara you'd have to have the old bio, and if you want the new Lara you'd have to stay with the new bio...otherwise, the series would loose its basic logic entirely.
That being said, there are some areas CD has done that I want exploited more in TR8:
When she interogated Larson in Peru. The calm and coldness made her just like the old Lara. I want to see this woman who's in control and knows exactly what she's doing to return a bit more.
The Croft Manor cutscenes in Legend. She seems a lot more mature here than she does over the radio in-game. She's relaxed and happy but doesn't need to crack silly jokes and one-liners.
The sarcasm. We need more lines like Zip telling Lara she may not hear him underwater and she replies "there is a God". None of that postcard business crap.
The curiousness. There were times in Legend were Lara showed genuine interest in the ancient and mythological whether it be reading writing on a wall or discovering an artefact. There should be more focus on this and not just "maybe this will help me find dear Mother?"
The ending of Legend. Ignore the fact Lara was in the wrong when she attacked Amanda. The rage and emotion of this scene needs to be used more often.
I agree, Mike. :tmb: Regardless of her biography, I believe it's her characterization that truly matters. Just like in those things you pointed out, there are actually times that the Legend era Lara actually have the capacity to be her old self (the Classic Lara). It's just that some "emo" scenes of Lara outweigh her Classic characterization. In Anniversary, when she immediately stepped back and drew her guns when the cat corpse suddenly moved beside Qualopec, there was that alarmed yet calm expression on her face. That's the Lara I truly know. Absolutely in opposition to her reaction upon seeing Rex and the cat mummy in Egypt. And of course, who would forget about the earlier parts of the Calcutta cutscene in Anniversary? Her witty retort to Larson and her unguarded yet sophisticated poise when she was talking to him and Natla?
Please, CD, if there are any parts of the Legend era Lara that you should improve on, it would be the parts when she exhibited the Classic Lara vibe, as mentioned above. :D
Other cutscenes where I enjoyed Lara's characterisation include:
In the tree house with the Australian guy (TR3)
Her interrogation of Sophia Leigh's mercinary on the tower (TR3)
Her talk with Natla before the Torso Boss (TR1)
Lara telling Takomoto to try begging for his life like he did the last time they spoke (TRL)
;)
Best cutscene ever :D
Shark_Blade
26-10-07, 18:23
I would also like to see back the fury streak of Lara Croft.
Remmeber the time when:
Where Kold took Lara's Scion from her bagpack and then push her away to the cave wall. Look at Lara's face and see how angry she looks (TR1)
Lara's intro scene jumping down a rope from a helicopter. When she reach the ground she scan the scene + looking cool (TR2)
She stole a jeep and ran off into the snowy forest, later being pursued by the gangsters. Being a daredevil she was she soar over the mountain's abyss and escape them. (TR2)
Jeep scene again, but this time she let a rocket launcher guy eat some bullets and later on jump over the river and land on a nearby ferry, escaping Von Croy's men. (TR4)
Lara in an opera house in a black gown. Sexy and classy. Later on she let Pierre taste her shoe and jump over the stage curtain and slide down. She's got style.. (TR5)
yeah, I love extreme and dangerous Lara, not saint Lara :whi::cln:
Ward Dragon
26-10-07, 21:20
I never really cared about the change in bio. It was always the change in personality that really bothered me. If Lara had her classic personality in Legend, then I doubt I would have even realized the bio was changed (as long as Legend didn't contradict anything that was actually in game from TR1-6).
However, Legend gave Lara a completely different personality (at the very least, she is extremely exaggerated and cannot contain her emotions or control herself in Legend). So, I am not sure whether her personality change is because of the bio change or whether the bio change is simply a result of CD wanting to change her personality. In either case, what I really want is for her old personality to return, so I will ask for that and they can do whatever they want with the bio as long as she becomes herself again :)
da tomb raider!
26-10-07, 21:28
How about we bring back Lara's classic attitude and bio? Then she'll be perfect! :D
They should've stuck to one bio from the beginning, now it's too late. There are so many versions of Lara that it's impossible to speak of one and the same person, and I doubt anybody but the most hardcore of fans can still keep the different bios apart. I mean, there's at least two game biographies (more if you consider TR4's flashback as a different version of Lara's youth), there's the movies and the comics. IMO this arbitrariness, every writer just recreating Lara to fit his/her story (instead of the other way around!) hurts the character. It's as if Indiana Jones' or James Bond's biography changed every 2 or 3 movies, they'd totally lose their identity.
They should've stuck to one bio from the beginning, now it's too late. There are so many versions of Lara that it's impossible to speak of one and the same person, and I doubt anybody but the most hardcore of fans can still keep the different bios apart. I mean, there's at least two game biographies (more if you consider TR4's flashback as a different version of Lara's youth), there's the movies and the comics. IMO this arbitrariness, every writer just recreating Lara to fit his/her story (instead of the other way around!) hurts the character. It's as if Indiana Jones' or James Bond's biography changed every 2 or 3 movies, they'd totally lose their identity.
so very true. the only differences in bio should be between the comics, movies, and games. the games should have kept the original, complete original. at least then people can tell between each lara by the media and look.
They should've stuck to one bio from the beginning, now it's too late. There are so many versions of Lara that it's impossible to speak of one and the same person, and I doubt anybody but the most hardcore of fans can still keep the different bios apart. I mean, there's at least two game biographies (more if you consider TR4's flashback as a different version of Lara's youth), there's the movies and the comics. IMO this arbitrariness, every writer just recreating Lara to fit his/her story (instead of the other way around!) hurts the character. It's as if Indiana Jones' or James Bond's biography changed every 2 or 3 movies, they'd totally lose their identity.
Couldn't have said it better.
It was a mistake not sticking to the one bio, but it's done and nothing can change that now. CD can at least bring back her old personality. There have been hints here and there but for the most part it's one emotional extreme or the other.
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