View Full Version : Demo review thread
After you've played the demo, write a review here! :D I hope to hear a lot of positive things :) I'm looking forward to playing this myself! ;)
Anthony-German
28-10-08, 09:13
POST VIDEOS OF THE WHOLE DEMO PLEASE!!!
PC'ler want godness!! :(
ajrich17901
28-10-08, 09:14
POST VIDEOS OF THE WHOLE DEMO PLEASE!!!
PC'ler want godness!! :(
why spoil it for ourselves im sure we'll get the demo for pc today also, and if not ~.~ well eidos knows haha
Anthony-German
28-10-08, 09:15
why spoil it for ourselves im sure we'll get the demo for pc today also, and if not ~.~ well eidos knows haha
You needn't watch it!!
Will do :)
I'll be playing in about 10 minutes. :D:cln::D
Update: Played through a bunch of times now, and here's what I think:
The Good:
Reticules can be turned off
Helper Buttons can be turned off
Training Text can be turned off
Swimming is very fluid (she swims in whatever direction you turn her, much like the classics – though you can still swim directly up or down like in TRL/TRA)
Underwater Combat is very fluid. If you lock on to the sharks (Left Trigger), your camera will always face them, easing up both the shooting and the swimming.
The Sharks scared the hell out of me. They don’t have any reveal cinematic, they’re just swimming in the water waiting for you to jump in – very classic TR
Adrenaline Headshots are pretty cool. Basically, when your adrenaline meter is full, you can lock on to a target and press X, causing Lara to jump off of the enemy and go into slow-motion. From there, you’ll have a few seconds to move a reticule over the enemies head for an instant kill.
Free-Climbable Stones are really fantastic. The stones don’t look like big billboards screaming “Climb here!” – They just look like stones that protrude out of a wall enough to get some footing on. They’re easy to spot, yet still blend beautifully and look very natural. Lara actually touches and grabs each individual stone as she climbs – it’s not just a static “climbing animation”, it’s a real-time procedural movement.
Exploring brought me back to that classic TR feeling. You know, the one where you see some platform off in the distance and go “How the hell am I going to get there?” The very first rock you find yourself climbing has two ways to go – you can go up and left to the main area, or you can jump to another free-climbable patch to the right, follow the mountain side around, and then find yourself on a beautiful little cliff overlooking the ocean.
The Spiders, much like the sharks, scared the hell out of me because they’re just there. All the sudden these squeaking little monsters are climbing all over you. They remind me SO MUCH of what the spiders in TR2 would be like in a modern game. Love them!
The Foliage moves as you walk through it, and while Lara still does push them out of the way from time to time, she doesn’t beat the living hell out of them like she did in the gameplay videos anymore.
Pick-ups are everywhere. There just seems to be no shortage of goodies and trinkets to find lying around. I’m not even sure what some of the things I found are even for, but they were fun to find!
Secrets, complete with that old familiar chime from the classics and TRA. When you make your way into one of the many off-to-the-side areas you can find little nooks that house secret pick ups, like medpacks or artifacts
Smooth Animations carry Lara from platform to platform. Gone are the scary pop-n-lock animations of the gameplay videos. Lara looks like she’s really fighting gravity and moving like a graceful but real person. When she slides down the first slope of the demo, jumps to a pole, flips herself on top of the pole, and then jumps to the ledge in front of her it’s just so incredibly smooth and great feeling.
It Feels Great to Play because she moves with weight, and when she grabs a ledge it really feels like she has a great grip. That strange floating feelings from TRL and TRA is GONE. Lara feels very tactile in her environment, touching things that she runs into and balancing herself on her swaying boat.
Beautiful Landscapes aren’t hard to find – the levels are designed so that you enter areas from spectacular views. There are also tons of views that you’ll miss out on if you don’t go looking for them though. Click the manual aim button (right stick) and just walk around looking at the environments. You’ll see what I mean.
Depth and Height make some jumps really satisfying to pull off. In the last area of the demo, you’ll find yourself high above a courtyard. Watching Lara’s legs dangle over such a dizzying height as she jumps and climbs her way even higher gave me butterflies in my stomach.
No White Ledges to ruin the environments. Yes, there are “ledges,” but they’re beautifully blending and natural looking. Climbing up the face of the ruin just before the main temple, I actually wasn’t sure if Lara would be able to grab the ledge I was jumping to because it blending in so well. She did.
Ragdoll has been overhauled, on both Lara and her enemies. Lara doesn’t do that strange sliding anymore, she just falls and contorts to the environment – the sharks and tigers also have some very well done ragdoll, though there are still some clipping issues for everyone.
The Tranquilizer Gun is well designed, and for added challenge I can already see myself playing through the game using ONLY the Tranq Gun. It knocks enemies out in one shot, but they’ll wake up when you least expect it. It lets them surprise you all over again.
Wall Hopping took me some getting used to (I kept messing it up), but once I got the timing down this is actually a pretty fluid move, and a nice addition to Lara’s abilities. You can do it on any flat wall.
The Shotgun means business. That’s gonna be the boss gun.
Melee is actually really well done. Lara will do a flying kick you attack whilst running, or a standing kick if you attack while walking or, as the name implies, standing. I’m not sure if it does much damage, but when three tigers are tearing in Lara it’s very useful to knock one or two of them back so you can get some distance.
Lara Can Shoot While Doing Almost Anything. Climbing, shimmying, swimming, running, hanging on a pole, perching on a pillar, climbing on a pillar, and much more. The only time I couldn’t get to fire is when she’s sitting on top of a swing pole, but if you make her stand up and balance she’ll be able to fire.
The Blood is great. It’s not gory, but it’s a satisfying and realistic re-addition. I don’t think I saw an option to turn it off though.
Swing Poles are still a bit out of place, but there are far less of them (and so many other things) and they blend in very well. They aren’t shiny or glowing, they’re either wood or rusted metal and look like they fit the environment visually. The still don’t really make sense though – why would that be there?
Field Assistance is pretty intuitive. You can ask Lara for a little hint, or you can ask for the actual solution if you’re really stuck. I also think this addition made CD feel more comfortable to create some real challenges for us, since they don’t have to worry about casual gamers getting stuck anymore. I think we’re going to get some really elaborate puzzles!
The Static Lighting on the environment looks stellar. Radiosity and Ambient Occlusion give depth to the world’s lighting, making every loose stone and overgrown root pop. Light bounces off surfaces and warms up the environment – red stone will cast a subtle red onto the world around it.
The Character Models are highly detailed. Lara looks as real as a stylized character gets, and the tigers look superbly realistic.
The Textures and Shaders really push the details further. Lara’s hair is detailed down to the last strand, and the wet rocks near the waterfalls have a beautiful sheen. Normal Maps are used to their fullest here, bringing out every crack and crease in the stones and rocks.
The Spherical Harmonics are the best thing about the real-time lighting. Lara looks her absolute best in indirect lighting, because the Spherical Harmonics cause light to reflect off of the ground, plants, and objects around her in a detailed array of quality shadowing and highlighting.
Motion Blur is something that always scares me in games. A lot of companies over do it and make their games hard to play. TRU has just enough to notice. It’s a perfect amount, because when something goes flying across the screen it’ll look smooth and realistic, but everything is still sharp and clean during gameplay.
The Water is hit and miss, but overall good. The Ocean looks fantastic, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. My problem is with the river that runs in front of the temple. It’s just strange looking, but I can’t really put my finger on why.
The Bad:
The Real-Time Shadows are really low res in some parts. It’s strange because in the intro cinematic the shadows look god awful, but in the cinematic that plays as you enter the Shiva room the shadows look sharp and clean. During gameplay however, they tend to look muddy and flicker around the edges because the Shadow Maps are pixilated. CD needed to up the resolution.
The Foliage gets in the way of the camera sometimes. Like Lara, they should fade out with their too close to the camera.
The PLS is a POS. It gives off a really flat, dull, and dim looking light.
The Camera still gets ripped away from you and shoved in the direction of incoming enemies, though at least they only do it to the tigers.
Bottom Line: A lot of us who have been with Lara from the start are still burnt from Legend. I grew up on Tomb Raider, and TRs 1-5 were a huge part of my life; they’re practically sacred to me. Legend messed with the classic formula in a lot of appalling ways, much like AOD did, and it missed the Tomb Raider charm by miles. Any similarities we see between Underworld and Legend automatically seem bad to us because there is so much negative stigma attached to it. That said, I really believe that CD have finally nailed it with TRU. I got that old familiar TR ‘thing,’ where you just phase into the game and look at what a remarkable place you have found. I haven’t felt that wash over me since the first time I played through TR4 – way back in 1999! It’s a hard feeling to describe, but no other game has it. Price of Persia didn’t capture it, Assassin’s Creed didn’t capture it, and Uncharted didn’t capture it. This demo had it. It wasn’t as strong as it was back then, but it was there. The environments are worth exploring. Even though I’d seen all the gamplay videos, and I knew where to go, I still felt like I was uncovering something; like I had found it.
I loved this demo, and I feel like it’s just a taste of the game to come. My hope for the series is renewed, because there is so much potential in this demo. I haven’t been this excited about a game in years, and it feels so good to have that thrill back.
I think that once you play the game, all the fears and anxieties left over from AOD and Legend will start to fade away. This is a great game, and moreover, this is a Tomb Raider.
I have a feeling a lot of people are going to miss this thread and just create a new one. Shame on them. ;) I'll post my videos and review here though. IN HD.
Ooh sexy HD. Can't wait! :D
Just a quick idea, maybe this can become a temporary sticky? That would prevent the flood of review threads...
Just a quick idea, maybe this can become a temporary sticky? That would prevent the flood of review threads...
Some mods are going to deal with such thing.
Let's wait 'til we get some actual reviews before doing anything. :)
I'm actually stuck... I took off all hints ect.. and I'm stuck.. Maybe I should ask Lara for help..
I'm actually stuck... I took off all hints ect.. and I'm stuck.. Maybe I should ask Lara for help..
That'd be a crime.
Rydell
Where do you can possibly stuck? It's pretty easy...
Rydell
Where do you can possibly stuck? It's pretty easy...
I was afraid someone might say that...
AnthonyShock1515
28-10-08, 10:38
I have a feeling a lot of people are going to miss this thread and just create a new one.
When this thread reaches it's 50th page, I'll be sure to give you a virtual slapping.:p :D
Please write spoiler sensitive reviews, for all of us that are going to play it later. ;)
AmericanAssassin
28-10-08, 10:52
Well, I posted a small review in the other demo thread, so here it is... There's NO major spoilers at all. :D
AA's Mini Review...
I just got through playing the demo, and I loved it. The controls are the same as TRL, but they feel very different (which is a good thing). There's a little bit more weight to Lara's step now. It was awesome. The tigers managed to kill me the first time around. They're really fast compared to Lara, so it's almost impossible to run away without killing them. The swimming was still a tad odd for my taste, but it wasn't horrible. However, I was kind of upset because the ocean is not very expansive at all. There was really only one way to go, after you got in the water. The first half of the demo was fun, but also very very very linear. The secrets were even easy to find (if you could even call them hidden). The second half actually managed to make me think a few times. It was great. For those of you who hate the grapple and pole hopping, TRU is your game. They're both still used, don't get me wrong. However, they're both used in moderation now. Overall, I'd give the demo a 9/10. :)
Nenya awakens
28-10-08, 10:59
Some people are saying it's easy and others are saying it's hard.
I'm guessing it might be a toss up between people legend fans and classic fans.. i mean some people found legend hard to complete (i'll admit i got killed by a certain trap about 20 times)
My laptop unfortunatly has the worst graphics card in the history of laptops, so i'm going to have to wait until i get my pc back.
Anthony-German
28-10-08, 11:07
No videos, yet? :confused:
I loved it. There are at least two ways to get to almost every location, and there are plenty of side nooks and hidden away areas (There is even a chime similar to the classics when you find these secrete areas)
The ledges look like very normal pieces of architecture, though poles are still a bit out of place in some areas.
Reticules can be turned off. Hints can be turned off. Helpers can be turned off. The swimming controls are fantastic and fluid. The animations are beautiful and smooth (nothing like those scary pop-lock animations from the old videos). There were several times when I saw a platform in the distance and went "Oooo, how do I get over there?", and unlike Legend, you REALLY CAN get to those places. Lara also feels much more like she is a part of the world - her feet touch the ground, she rocks and sways with the water currents, she even stopped herself from slamming into a wall when I rolled too close to one by putting her hands against the wall mid roll.
All in all, I left like I was playing TR3. My only complaint is that shadows look sort of funky close up. Otherwise, I JUST WISH IT WAS THE FULL GAME! haha
I can't wait to really sink my teeth into that last area - there are so many places to climb and so many ways to climb there!
AmericanAssassin
28-10-08, 11:18
I loved it. There are at least two ways to get to every location, and there are plenty of side nooks and hidden away areas (There is even a chime similar to the classics when you find these secrete areas)
Let's not go overboard. :p
I loved it. There are at least two ways to get to every location, and there are plenty of side nooks and hidden away areas (There is even a chime similar to the classics when you find these secrete areas)
The ledges look like very normal pieces of architecture, though poles are still a bit out of place in some areas.
Reticules can be turned off. Hints can be turned off. Helpers can be turned off. The swimming controls are fantastic and fluid. The animations are beautiful and smooth (nothing like those scary pop-lock animations from the old videos).
All in all, I left like I was playing TR3. My only complaint is that shadows look sort of funky close up, and that this wasn't the full game!
I can't wait to really sink my teeth into that last area - there are so many places to climb and so many ways to climb there!
Fantastic!
Let's not go overboard. :p
Maybe you aren't looking hard enough. I played twice and didn't take the same path either time. I'm especially talking about that very last room - you can jump across the tops of the pillars to get to the locks, or you can climb around the free-climb-stones, or you can take the ledges around. You can use the spare swing pole on the ground, or you can just leave it there. You can also climb up either side of the temple, though I'd bet money most everyone goes right like the gameplay videos did.
My review :
Tomb Raider Underworld - Thailand XBOX360 Demo
Having just played Tomb Raider Underworld, I can't help but be left with
mixed feelings. When Tomb Raider Legend was released, I initially loved it
but soon it became a long bore. However, it was still fun to replay the game,
and for the record, the demo. Having completed the demo once, and mostly
enjoyed it, playing through the second time with the same enthusiasm proved
difficult. Some of the exciting elements seem to be missing, or have since faded.
For example, the " new direction " TR took when it was released made TRL fun
to play. TRU plays basically the same, similair controls etc, but the environments
have been updated, and there are some brand new moves.
Visually, the game is near perfect. The textures are stunning, the lighting is
perfect, but I can't help but think, does it actually compare to other games
out there ? Alot of the time, the reviews are comparing it's visuals to that of
uncharteds, saying TRU's are underpar. For some reason, I have to agree. Some
of the textures are appauling, eg. The Water, which looks more like Ice...
The gameplay is fun though, and the enemies are finally hard. However, sometimes
it seems like they come in groups that are too big, eg. Five bats, each arriving upon
the death of it's predecessor. The tigers are stunning however, and seeing those
pretty parrots everywhere just lights the area up. The new weapons are fun, but I've
not yet tried the assault rifle. My favourite is currently still the pistols, with the tranq
coming in second.
Having finished the demo, I feel like some things still need to be improved on, and
hope this is indeed quite an early build, as Lara doesn't look like she does on thes
screenshots, you could even say she looks a bit wrinkly in the opening cutscene.
Overall Score B / 7/10. :)
I'm going giddy about turning the reticules off. :D
I loved it. There are at least two ways to get to almost every location, and there are plenty of side nooks and hidden away areas (There is even a chime similar to the classics when you find these secrete areas)
The ledges look like very normal pieces of architecture, though poles are still a bit out of place in some areas.
Reticules can be turned off. Hints can be turned off. Helpers can be turned off. The swimming controls are fantastic and fluid. The animations are beautiful and smooth (nothing like those scary pop-lock animations from the old videos). There were several times when I saw a platform in the distance and went "Oooo, how do I get over there?", and unlike Legend, you REALLY CAN get to those places. Lara also feels much more like she is a part of the world - her feet touch the ground, she rocks and sways with the water currents, she even stopped herself from slamming into a wall when I rolled too close to one by putting her hands against the wall mid roll.
All in all, I left like I was playing TR3. My only complaint is that shadows look sort of funky close up. Otherwise, I JUST WISH IT WAS THE FULL GAME! haha
I can't wait to really sink my teeth into that last area - there are so many places to climb and so many ways to climb there!
I completely agree with this.:)
Visuals
The game looks amazing. Definitely one of the best looking games of this gen. Biggest downfall is that the shadow look awful, but the models, lighting and especially the environments are all incredible.
Animations
Yes, the animations deserve their on category. Lara's movements are truly a sight to behold. It's the first Tomb Raider to use motion capture and man does it show. Her acrobatics are particularly stunning; the way she flips and rolls about during combat while firing her pistols and machine guns is really something else. However, the animation <i>transitions</i> are another story. They're often jarring and at times buggy. This is unfortunate but ultimately expected because Legend and Anniversary suffered similarly. Here's to hoping this issue gets ironed out before the release, but I doubt it.
Combat
If you've played Legend or Anniversary, this is sort of the same thing. However, the wild animals (tigers in this case) are way more aggressive than creatures in previous games. They repeatedly knock Lara on her ass and require you to play extremely defensively and dodge correctly. Simply circle strafing will get you nowhere. Additionally, you can kick enemies or pick up certain objects in the environment (like poles) and whack them with those. Not entirely feasible since Lara's got her trusty handguns, but if you want to, you can. Underwater combat against sharks was surprisingly fluid as well (and also rather risky, since you had to be close otherwise your bullets miss because of their slower speed).
Platforming/Exploration
This is what took up most of the gameplay in the demo, and considering it's Tomb Raider, this is how it should be. Lara Croft is <i>has</i> to be the most agile video game character out there. Her arsenal of moves is just massive in this game. She can shimmy on ledges and leap from ledge to ledge of course, and swinging on poles is a must, but now she can scale certain walls like Altair, jump repeatedly between walls up vertical passageways like the Prince of Persia, tight rope on poles and thin ledges, sprint long distances, and to top it all off she's now upgraded so she can shoot while she's performing just about anything. The woman is a beast.
Other Stuff
There's a good amount of gameplay customizing as well. You can turn off hints, tutorials and even combat crosshairs. The game even has some cool difficulty adjusting; you can choose how much damage Lara takes, how much health the enemies have, etc... There's also her PDA which lets you create and manipulate 3D sonar maps of your surrounding area (novel but I didn't find a use for it) or if you get stuck, you "ask Lara" for basic tips on what to do, or ask her directly and she'll tell you exactly what to do. Not something I'd plan on taking advantage of (I toyed with it my second time through the demo) but it's still a cool feature that helps eliminate frustration.
Ultimately...
The demo was great, and was pretty much what I expected. Acute platforming and puzzle solving, fun combat and overall polished gameplay with shockingly good graphics. Animations are great but the transitions could use some work.
Thanks for your review TrojanMan, probably the most complete so far. :tmb:
I'm not sure I like the idea of Lara being repeatedly knocked to the ground by the animals if you just fight them agressively....:rolleyes: But oh well, combat was never TR's strength.
As far as animations go they don't look that good on the videos I've seen.
What I like the most so far is all the optional stuff to help make the game harder. :)
I'm going to give a simple little review since everyone else has covered all the main things that should be brought to focus... Visually the game isn't up to par with other titles but It's still very nice looking (imo), its very easy on the eyes and Lara looks amazing. The gameplay/combat is great, except for a few minor glitches I ran across here and there but it is a demo so thats all expected. The game is actually difficult! I didn't get killed by the enemy's because I rock like that but when It came to the puzzle I was... well, puzzled. It took me like 15 minutes to find my way around it. Anyways overall I really enjoyed the demo and I'm even more excited for the final product :tmb:
After reading all the reviews.... im dissappointed.... not because the game is not good...
Just because its not 'difficult' to an extent of making us pull out our hair.. God knows why Crystal is running TR on the same theme as POP is running....
If i wanna play POP,, i wud play POP... i dont want same things in TR..
Missing Tomb Raider 3 :(
Visuals
The game looks amazing. Definitely one of the best looking games of this gen. Biggest downfall is that the shadow look awful, but the models, lighting and especially the environments are all incredible.
Is that what others think? Be honest, I'm really curious as I can't play a demo.:)
After reading all the reviews.... im dissappointed.... not because the game is not good...
Just because its not 'difficult' to an extent of making us pull out our hair.. God knows why Crystal is running TR on the same theme as POP is running....
If i wanna play POP,, i wud play POP... i dont want same things in TR..
Missing Tomb Raider 3 :(You are forgetting, Crystal shall always be there to Hold your Hand, they will try and shield your eyes from Half Life or GTA4 even though your 30 Years Old and have been playing TR for 12 Years now. :ohn: ;) Come to Daddy CD. :(
After reading all the reviews.... im dissappointed.... not because the game is not good...
Just because its not 'difficult' to an extent of making us pull out our hair.. God knows why Crystal is running TR on the same theme as POP is running....
If i wanna play POP,, i wud play POP... i dont want same things in TR..
Missing Tomb Raider 3 :(
Tell me about it... Reading Trojan's review I was under the impression that again Lara's moves will be the main focus of the level design (instead of actually challenging environments, the "challenge" is to perform the gimmicky move apropriate in each moment). Meh, I supose I couldn't really expect any diferent from a Legend/Anniversary sequel. ;)
themanthelegend
28-10-08, 11:44
Guys I found it incredible. honestly I tittered like a schoolgirl through the whole thing "Wow she looks amazing" "Wow look at that temple" "Wow that was a naga" "Wow how the hell am i gonna get down there" etc etc. My sister's on it now, we're both tomb raider vets and we agree that this is absolutely amazing compared to legend and anniversary combined.
My one little gripe is that I couldnt find my way into a secret room! :p
Thats it though, the animations are shiny, the graphics are awesome, the environments.....dare i say it......... EPIC!!!!!!!!
dare i say it......... EPIC!!!!!!!!
Ha! I agree!
CD wasn't joking around with the e-word. ;)
I'm going to give a simple little review since everyone else has covered all the main things that should be brought to focus... Visually the game isn't up to par with other titles but It's still very nice looking (imo), its very easy on the eyes and Lara looks amazing. The gameplay/combat is great, except for a few minor glitches I ran across here and there but it is a demo so thats all expected. The game is actually difficult! I didn't get killed by the enemy's because I rock like that but when It came to the puzzle I was... well, puzzled. It took me like 15 minutes to find my way around it. Anyways overall I really enjoyed the demo and I'm even more excited for the final product :tmb:
Lmao! :vlol:
Some good reviews so far, cheers guys! :tmb:
Is that what others think? Be honest, I'm really curious as I can't play a demo.:)
I very much agree. The shadows could do with some polishing - they aren't great. But everything else looks absolutely fantastic. Very promising demo. :D
I dont want to offend anyone, TRU is going to be as perfect as it could be.. but..
What TR is all about?
TR AOD, TRL and TRA~ bad example of ''how to disappoint your loyal & old consumers and attract others''
MY love and passion for TR is so strong that I can not hear a word against it (Even for AOD), its been 9 years.... But this time I felt like I dont need to isolate my feelings~ I dont feel good when any 3rd person who used to play FIFA, GTA, NFS, cricket etc etc comes and ends TR New Gen Part in 3 days or so..
Im hoping this part brings out what we are missing since the release of AOD... Ever wondered why thre is so much fun playing TR PS-1 parts evn if u'hv played them literally 50 times before???
How many of you would like to play TRA 10 times????
After reading all the reviews.... im dissappointed.... not because the game is not good...
Just because its not 'difficult' to an extent of making us pull out our hair.. God knows why Crystal is running TR on the same theme as POP is running....
If i wanna play POP,, i wud play POP... i dont want same things in TR..
Missing Tomb Raider 3 :(
It's the start of the second area in the game (not counting the mansion intro), of course it's going to be pretty easy.
Thank you for your reviews :hug: I am :jmp: right now :p
Just a question : Did anyone manage to use the tranq gun with the tigers or they are very fast to use it ? :cln:
Thanks :)
Does Lara do any new tricks when you press the jump and crouch buttons (like in TRL and TRA)?
I have a couple of questions:
Does Lara heal whenever she dies, or do checkpoints save your health-state?
Do her guns reload automatically whenever they're withdrawn ala Legend, or do you have to do that manually ala TRA?
UNDERTAKER
28-10-08, 12:47
I've left the reticules on. Turning them off makes seeing the crabs and spiders very difficult.
dream raider
28-10-08, 12:48
Thanks for the reviews everyone, seems great! :tmb:
After reading all the reviews.... im dissappointed.... not because the game is not good...
Just because its not 'difficult' to an extent of making us pull out our hair.. God knows why Crystal is running TR on the same theme as POP is running....
If i wanna play POP,, i wud play POP... i dont want same things in TR..
Missing Tomb Raider 3 :(
LOL! I thinking you're missing the point of a videogame... A videogame is made for pleasure, entertainment, not frustration and "puling out hair"! :vlol:
:whi:And another question, can she kill a tiger beating it with a pole??? :cln::) And bats????? :jmp:
http://i35.tinypic.com/290t2fs.jpg
:whi:And another question, can she kill a tiger beating it with a pole??? :cln::) And bats????? :jmp:
Dont know about poles but kicking seems to work :D
I have a couple of questions:
Does Lara heal whenever she dies, or do checkpoints save your health-state?
Do her guns reload automatically whenever they're withdrawn ala Legend, or do you have to do that manually ala TRA?
When lara dies she'll go to last checkpoint, i dont know if health status is refreshed.
As for gun reloading i mentioned this on another thread somewhere, the time delay between just holding the trigger and her reloading that way, and putting the guns away and having them reload that way is exactly the same so theres no gain trying to `cheat` the game :)
When lara dies she'll go to last checkpoint, i dont know if health status is refreshed.
As for gun reloading i mentioned this on another thread somewhere, the time delay between just holding the trigger and her reloading that way, and putting the guns away and having them reload that way is exactly the same so theres no gain trying to `cheat` the game :)Is there some way to reload weapons without running out of ammo or putting weapons away?
Is there some way to reload weapons without running out of ammo or putting weapons away?
There is no actual reload key.. you either wait for end of clip, or put away - as i said the time for both is the same..
:whi:And another question, can she kill a tiger beating it with a pole??? :cln::) And bats????? :jmp:
http://i35.tinypic.com/290t2fs.jpg
You don't have a pole close when you find the tigers and the bats :o. But i guess she can :)
I finished the demo twice and without cheating! I love the fact if you've played Tomb Raider for a long time, you can work puzzles like that out by yourself, I thought I was stuck when I got the second pole, I didn't know what to do with it, but you don't do anything with the second pole, it acts as a kinda red herring.
I loved it, the graphics are beautiful, had to kill the sharks tho as they wouldn't let me explore the water without biting my bum lol.
Can't wait to get the full game XD :jmp:
I had to wait 2 hours for it to download, did anyone else have it running slow? My friends downloaded it in about 15 mins!
I had to wait 2 hours for it to download, did anyone else have it running slow? My friends downloaded it in about 15 mins!
Me. Mine took like an hour and 40 minutes. It felt like forever!
Nenya awakens
28-10-08, 13:17
SO judging from the demo, if you could compare it to any one particular tomb raider game in terms of gamplay, diffculty and suprises which game would it be?
As for gun reloading i mentioned this on another thread somewhere, the time delay between just holding the trigger and her reloading that way, and putting the guns away and having them reload that way is exactly the same
It makes reloading useless, do you think?
It was perfect in Anniversary. You either reload manually by pressing triangle (PS2), or wait for the clips to finish. Seems like it will be a pointless feature in TRU though, just like TRL.
There is no actual reload key.. you either wait for end of clip, or put away - as i said the time for both is the same..Well, its just reloading seems to have nice animation and its weird to put your weapon away in the middle of a combat to "reload" ... you should have used LB.
Well, its just reloading seems to have nice animation and its weird to put your weapon away in the middle of a combat to "reload" ... you should have used LB.
that does something i believe :) is it grenades? i cant remember 360 controls.
SO judging from the demo, if you could compare it to any one particular tomb raider game in terms of gamplay, diffculty and suprises which game would it be?
No one in specific IMO, sometimes it felt like TR3 but in Legend style.
Me. Mine took like an hour and 40 minutes. It felt like forever!
Yeah it did lol, but I knew that she would be worth the wait, and boy was she!
miss_estacado
28-10-08, 13:37
Just finished the demo. My estimation... Not the best. I saw more negative then positive, really. But then again, everything that will follow below is just my personal opinion on the demo so far. :)
Visuals: The surroundings on the major scale look absolutely stunning and awesomely real. However it is really diffucult to find your way around, I kept falling a lot and had to check PDA several times. Shadows indeed do look a bit plastic. So does Lara model in the first cutscene. I really was horrified when I first saw her, she looked like a plastic doll. it got better later, must be play of light or smth.
Gameplay Ledges are not so obvious as they used to be and the amount of vegetation makes you loose your way a bit. I am both happy and annoyed. Annoyed since I like to spend time on puzzles not searching where to go. The major downside is absolutely horrible animation of Lara movements. She does not move like a human being, when she crawls on the ledges she reminds me of a spider. Her movements are very rough, kinda robotic, the way she shoves the vegetation out of her way... I expected it to be a tad bit slower and accurate. Medipacks keep laying around, I had the whole collection of them in my inventory, so so much for "difficult" to find. Same goes to secrets.
Yup, that's basically it.
I just finished the demo and here are my thoughts. There are basically three big areas and linear paths connecting them. The first area has 1 side path to explore and the 2nd area has 2 side paths to explore (one which i tried to get too a few times the wrong way and one I missed completely my first time through) so there is an decent amount to explore. Justin missed one secret in the 1st area and the 2 side path in the 2nd area in his walkthrough by the way.:)
Progress is broken up and varied a bit more with some new moves so it doesn't feel like your constantly ledge hopping or pole swinging anymore.
Combat is about the same as Anniversary but the enemies seem much more fierce and difficult to avoid (especially the tigers). The new Adrenaline move is better than the one in Anniversary as well.
There were a few times I didn't know what to do because of hidden ledges and because I turned off the hint icons. When there are no hint icons it is easy to overlook a switch, grapple ring, pickup, etc which is great because you wont instantly know what to do. The Puzzle area gives a sense of what do I do now?
The graphics great and animations look great (shimmying looks weird when sped up though but everything else is great). Sound and music are very atmospheric and music isn't as intrusive as Legend. It all blends together so well.
Overall it was a great demo and I cant wait for the full game
Someone's making a video of the demo, I'm not sure how through it is as I haven't seen it yet, but they've done the first part: http://www.gamersyde.com/news_7271_en.html
tranniversary119
28-10-08, 13:38
My Review ~Played it at 5AM in the morning~
I've seen so many videos I decided to run through the first time and beat it under 30 minutes.
I have to say this has to be the best Tomb Raider game [for me] Of course TR2 beats all but as of now I'm very very pleased with what I've played. It's easy if you've already seen videos if I hadn't I'd sure of hell be stuck. The rectiles can be turned off I tried it with them off and It's reminds me of the classics. OH! and something people may have not found out!
You can manually aim the grapple!
No more manual aim for the guns! I noticed that! And she shoots it like a gun.
Pros-
*Lara can crouch and shoot
*Her animations are amazing!
*Her PDA is alot better
*Lara's face is HOT.
*The play taioloring [for me] is hard on medium.
*I ran from the tigers onto a higher level, when I turned I could see the tiger chasing me!
*The health vases+Random vases
*Lara's melee attacks
*The reason everybody saw the swimming animation as it looked so fast is because you have the choice to sprint in the water[swim faster]
*I found alot of different ways to get to places, and alot of secret hidden areas! Oh yeah and there was a few times I was frustrated.
*Graphics are ACE!
*When you stand on the beams you have to concentrate and Lara will fall if you dont jump in the right direction.
*The new health system:tmb:
Cons-
*I had trouble defeating the tigers, the combat is passable but needs work.
*A few glitches.
*The dual targeting is kind of a mess.
The Tranq Gun+The Spear gun-
I used both of them, the tranq gun is easy if you just want to ignore the enemies and they put the tigers asleep pretty quickly. The spear gun is better underwater IMO.
My Score- 8/10 I loved this level, but I need to see more of the game to judge.
Me. Mine took like an hour and 40 minutes. It felt like forever!
really? mine only took ten mins.
i would have been so angry if it took over an hour .
sadako ghost
28-10-08, 13:43
Someone's making a video of the demo, I'm not sure how through it is as I haven't seen it yet, but they've done the first part: http://www.gamersyde.com/news_7271_en.html
NICE!!! :jmp:
Too bad I still have to work 3 more hours. I can't watch video's here :(
that does something i believe :) is it grenades? i cant remember 360 controls.
LB is for sprint, but you can not sprint with your weapons out ... its hard to be pressing LT and LB at the same time, there would need to be like one second window to hit the LB after releasing the LT.
I have a feeling a lot of people are going to miss this thread and just create a new one. Shame on them. ;) I'll post my videos and review here though. IN HD.
Thor bless you Rydell :D
LB is for sprint, but you can not sprint with your weapons out ... its hard to be pressing LT and LB at the same time, there would need to be like one second window to hit the LB after releasing the LT.
I think they just kept it simple :) hehe
sadako ghost
28-10-08, 13:49
So you can't reload manually anymore?
tranniversary119
28-10-08, 13:57
Is there sprint jumping? It wasn't in the demo.
I think they just kept it simple :) hehe
Maybe too simple at times, but I guess I will get used to it.
So cool reviews,thanks guys for letting your oppinions :)
So you can't reload manually anymore?
That sucks.....
tranniversary119
28-10-08, 14:34
She tripped on the stairs anybody encounter her tripping? I luaghed alot during the demo, the spiders attacking her makes her face go :yik: and i think if you leave her alone you can see her start to get bored, her face turns from:) to:mad:
That sucks.....
Its not gamebreaking since the game is not a shooter, but it would be nice to have it...
Is there sprint jumping? It wasn't in the demo.
if u sprint then jump you should jump naturally further on the flat ground. and there are some areas where you can probably risk making really long leaps if u sprint :)
Cool...is nice to see that people,after all the videos that we saw,still being surprised with the game.I read some vague spots over there that are so importants for me.I am very happy with it :)
tranniversary119
28-10-08, 14:38
if u sprint then jump you should jump naturally further on the flat ground. and there are some areas where you can probably risk making really long leaps if u sprint :)
I probably was doing it wrong then, I'll have to give it a try when I get home.
and i think if you leave her alone you can see her start to get bored, her face turns from:) to:mad:
I loved how when you walk on a beam her eyes look to the floor. A small detail, but a priceless face XD
tranniversary119
28-10-08, 14:43
I loved how when you walk on a beam her eyes look to the floor. A small detail, but a priceless face XD
I noticed that as well! I probably could play for hours luaghing at her facial animations just cause theyre hilarous the mad face has to be my favorite. When I get home I'll fore sure look for more facial expressions :D
Jedd Fletcher
28-10-08, 14:47
How do you download the demo? When I click on the link I see this ridiculous motivational poster saying "patience". Is it because it hasn't reached my neck of the woods yet?
tranniversary119
28-10-08, 14:48
How do you download the demo? When I click on the link I see this ridiculous motivational poster saying "patience". Is it because it hasn't reached my neck of the woods yet?
The demo isn't available for PC until Friday :wve:
bloodstormaoa
28-10-08, 14:48
Just finished the demo and it was awesome. :tmb:
Pro's:
- The graphics are fantastic.
- Underwater gunplay is brilliant.
- Animations looks great IMO.
- Fierce enemies.
- Melee attacks PWN!
- More variety of traversal.
Con's:
- I didn't get stuck once.
- Lara is too fast...like srsly!
- Camera is awkward, especially during combat.
- Slightly too much sensitivity in terms of analogue stick.
Overall though I loved it and can't wait for more :D
i think that tr underworld would be better with cinematic appeal, like this;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scoq38oefF0
i didn't play the game its just an opinion!
Lets say i pick up a Pole and throw it off a cliff in witch i cant get it back again.
Will it hit an Invisible Wall or will i just Die and can i Re-Load at the samebSpot without even ever Saving my Game since it really does look like on the Xbox the Game Reloads right there where you are standing.
*laralover*
28-10-08, 15:35
Sounds great thanks for the reviews :D
DomyRaider
28-10-08, 15:36
My Underworld Italian Cutscene:cln:
Rovine Tailandesi (http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne10YxrjDns)
La Statua di Shiva (http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=VM-2XMdN5Es)
O MY GOD:cln:
Underworld is fantastic!! But i wait the pc demo:cln:
It felt like TR3, the enemies actually came out and made me jump haha.
The only thing I dont like is when the camera spans out extremely far which i don't like in any game. And some animations annoy me especially when she side jumps off a ledge onto another, she looks retarded haha and its abit buggy when your walking instead of running. Also it's harder to swim but everything else I love :)
My Underworld Italian Cutscene:cln:
Rovine Tailandesi (http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne10YxrjDns)
La Statua di Shiva (http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=VM-2XMdN5Es)
O MY GOD:cln:
Underworld is fantastic!! But i wait the pc demo:cln:
Elga, wasn't it? She sounds great. Kinda like Monica Belluci when she did Kaileena from PoP. I hope the consoles versions will have language selection as well.
Some people are saying that the areas don't have that many side rooms. This is incorrect.
In the beginning with the water and the yatch, while climbing up the first free climb you can go either left or right to explore a cave. Then again when you come to the area with the ramp and the pole swing. Theres another area where you can climb down and enter a small cavern. Then in the area with the field ect you can go on the pole swing route around the outside which get's you nothing just the fun of platforming and then next you can climb up the second area with pillers and go to a seperate temple to collect a secret before entering the main temple. It's all good fun.
I'm completely in love.
CONS
- Camera is awful
- Combat is rubbish, the worst in a TR game yet
- Animation transitions aren't smooth
- Lara moves too fast
- 'Free' climbing is too restrictive
- Shadows are awful
- Gameplay is a bit gimmicky
PRO'S
- Graphics are lovely
- Motion capture
- Keeley Hawes
- More than one path
- Some secrets are genuinely tricky to obtain
- Lara doesn't move around areas, she moves through them
- Underwater combat is great fun
- Roundhouse kicking bats
- Reticules and button prompts are optional
I liked the demo, but Crystal Dynamics still have a long way to go.
EDIT: There's more than one way to solve the puzzle at the end of the demo, too.
Please post that in here http://www.tombraiderforums.com/showthread.php?t=136980
Lets say i pick up a Pole and throw it off a cliff in witch i cant get it back again.
Will it hit an Invisible Wall or will i just Die and can i Re-Load at the samebSpot without even ever Saving my Game since it really does look like on the Xbox the Game Reloads right there where you are standing.
thats the job of the designers, who have to factor that into the game so that as much as possible its not `possible` to break the flow of the game, ie you cannot do something that will totally hinder your progress etc..
CONS
EDIT: There's more than one way to solve the puzzle at the end of the demo, too.
Really. How?
Some people are saying that the areas don't have that many side rooms. This is incorrect.
In the beginning with the water and the yatch, while climbing up the first free climb you can go either left or right to explore a cave. Then again when you come to the area with the ramp and the pole swing. Theres another area where you can climb down and enter a small cavern. Then in the area with the field ect you can go on the pole swing route around the outside which get's you nothing just the fun of platforming and then next you can climb up the second area with pillers and go to a seperate temple to collect a secret before entering the main temple. It's all good fun.
I'm completely in love.
Me too. I found them all but it took 3 play throughs before I did.:)
shame theres no time now to fix the movements...:(...:(:(:(
EDIT: There's more than one way to solve the puzzle at the end of the demo, too.
pull down the hook underneth the platform? This is just off the top of my head cause i remember swinging on it.
CONS
- Camera is awful
- Combat is rubbish, the worst in a TR game yet
Could you elaborate on these two please? :)
Could you elaborate on these two please? :)
I think he means that the cameras way to sensitive and often changes from long shot to upclose sometimes. And combat seems all over the place such as everytime a tiger attacks you you fall down and its hard to lock onto 2 targets of your choice. In my opinion anyway lol
atheistium
28-10-08, 16:51
Guys.. I'm a little upset. don't flame me for my opinion...
So you'd not believe how much I've been hyping this game to non-tr fans. I've been so excited I've pre-ordered it (3 times) and already brought ms points for the DLC that will be coming out soon after it's release.
Does anyone else find the animations to quick, jerky and not fluid? Please tell me I am not the only one! Tomb Raider has always had fantastic hand animation and I was really worried after hearing it would be mocap how they would link it all together fluidly. She move's TOO FAST and the camera can't keep up and won't stay in a good place for me. Seriously, it zooms in when I need it out and the only time it's really in a good place is when I am running in an open area or swimming.
The graphics look absolutely fantastic, the cut scenes are beautiful and Lara just looks magnificent but the animations and speed of how she moves, climbs and swims feels all too unnatural for Lara and what I am used to. It's really putting me off! I suppose I should play through a second time and then a third. I was planning to spend all night with the demo anyway. I still feel her animations are waaaayyy off and it doesn't feel right to play. She is TOO quick to move around so I can't get comfortable with adjusting for jumps and such.
I hope I am not the only one. Let me know~
laracroft4eva
28-10-08, 16:55
:pi:Tomb Raider Underworld Demo Review. (Contains spoilers):pi:
Ill start with the bad to get it out the way:
Main menu - Although very cool, its a bit hard to get to the different options.
Spoilers, Spoilers, Spoliers! - Straight away we are told about Natla, Amanda and how we're all in trouble if Natla was to escape (from where? No idea. Valhala?) and that once again were following in daddy's footsteps.
(Side note - Zip looks really old and strange!)
The sea although beautiful its not very large which bring me on to...
Invisible walls - Boat/Yaught is full of them and so is the sea which I know i cant expect to look in every nook and cranny it is annoying to be stopped dead by a almighty thud.
The camera!!! - My main problem, one minute your zoomed right out and can see where to go the next you cant see lara and are just staring at a random bit of wall. Theres also times where you cant see where your headed which makes it more difficult and frustrating to play.
The hints aren't that helpful, I dont know if it was just me but when it told me how to do head shots I was still none the wiser on how to excecute them.
Oh and quite a funny thing, Lara acts much like old Lara in the respect that you try to jump one way and she jumps the complete opposite. There was also the section before you reach the area of Shiva's temple where she was just randomly staring at walls when I was trying to jump from beams.
Glitches! - I had a few where I was floating in the air occasionaly and enemy AI could be improved! Tigers just stopped as I shot them and spiders appearing from the same place.
On to the good:
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL! - What every TR game should look like, water/sea paticularly fantastic.
Not very linear, apart from the occasional wall climb. The shiva puzzle was patuclarly difficult and I had no idea where I was going. Which is good!
Lara herself is stunning, animations are okay some can be very annoying but im just nitpicky. (Jumping over walls = very nice!)
Enemy's although rather stupid they are fantastic looking of what I could see of most, I also like how your attacked as your climbing and jumping etc.
Puzzle, puzzles, puzzles. - Very interesting and very difficult. I like!
Expect the unexpected. - I didnt know what was going to come next, enemy attacks werent expected (apart from tigers with random growls being heard miles before they attacked) and the ending was quite unexpected aswell. :p
Wide choice of weapons.
PDA is quite nice and modern although the assistant option is useless, I was stuck a few times and all Lara told me was to get inland or I had to reach the bottom. Made it more difficult i suppose but we were told this feature would help which frankly it didnt do.
Health system - I was iffy at first to have a complete overhaul of the system we have come to know and love but in all honesty it was kindof nice to have a change and a colourful change at that. :p
Secrets. - Theres loads of them! (Good thing), fairly easy to find (bad) and they didnt really have anything special about them they looked kindof like diamonds or shiny triangles. We also couldnt view the inventory which was kind of annoying. (Still have the ring? i doubt it.)
Cutscenes - Beautiful, informational and spectacular. My favourite moment is Lara on her camera!
The levels LOOK big. You can view into the distance but it doesnt generally mean they're that big as I discovered with the sea!
Replay value. - Ive played twice now and I still want to play more to see if there is anything ive looked past or havent discovered.
As a demo fantastic, there are a few problems but there nothing major. The only problem Im thinking is that as the demo has been released so late anything we find cant be changed. (Final codes been sent off right?)
Which was what I kindof liked about the legend demo, people expressed their views on Zip dialogue and some of it was cut out (boulder at the top of the waterfall springs to mind). This could even be an old version of the level I suppose which im hoping!.
Anyway Im rambling now, overall very good! Cant wait to buy it on PS3!
P.s more than likely to contain spelling errors.
x
Some people are saying that the areas don't have that many side rooms. This is incorrect.
In the beginning with the water and the yatch, while climbing up the first free climb you can go either left or right to explore a cave. Then again when you come to the area with the ramp and the pole swing. Theres another area where you can climb down and enter a small cavern. Then in the area with the field ect you can go on the pole swing route around the outside which get's you nothing just the fun of platforming and then next you can climb up the second area with pillers and go to a seperate temple to collect a secret before entering the main temple. It's all good fun.
I'm completely in love.
You should search a bit better in the bold part... its not just for platforming ;)
Guys.. I'm a little upset. don't flame me for my opinion...
So you'd not believe how much I've been hyping this game to non-tr fans. I've been so excited I've pre-ordered it (3 times) and already brought ms points for the DLC that will be coming out soon after it's release.
Does anyone else find the animations to quick, jerky and not fluid? Please tell me I am not the only one! Tomb Raider has always had fantastic hand animation and I was really worried after hearing it would be mocap how they would link it all together fluidly. She move's TOO FAST and the camera can't keep up and won't stay in a good place for me. Seriously, it zooms in when I need it out and the only time it's really in a good place is when I am running in an open area or swimming.
The graphics look absolutely fantastic, the cut scenes are beautiful and Lara just looks magnificent but the animations and speed of how she moves, climbs and swims feels all too unnatural for Lara and what I am used to. It's really putting me off! I suppose I should play through a second time and then a third. I was planning to spend all night with the demo anyway. I still feel her animations are waaaayyy off and it doesn't feel right to play. She is TOO quick to move around so I can't get comfortable with adjusting for jumps and such.
I hope I am not the only one. Let me know~
Her animations are fast, but they are more realistic. I quite like it.
Guys.. I'm a little upset. don't flame me for my opinion...
So you'd not believe how much I've been hyping this game to non-tr fans. I've been so excited I've pre-ordered it (3 times) and already brought ms points for the DLC that will be coming out soon after it's release.
Does anyone else find the animations to quick, jerky and not fluid? Please tell me I am not the only one! Tomb Raider has always had fantastic hand animation and I was really worried after hearing it would be mocap how they would link it all together fluidly. She move's TOO FAST and the camera can't keep up and won't stay in a good place for me. Seriously, it zooms in when I need it out and the only time it's really in a good place is when I am running in an open area or swimming.
The graphics look absolutely fantastic, the cut scenes are beautiful and Lara just looks magnificent but the animations and speed of how she moves, climbs and swims feels all too unnatural for Lara and what I am used to. It's really putting me off! I suppose I should play through a second time and then a third. I was planning to spend all night with the demo anyway. I still feel her animations are waaaayyy off and it doesn't feel right to play. She is TOO quick to move around so I can't get comfortable with adjusting for jumps and such.
I hope I am not the only one. Let me know~
I think its too fast only when she "free climbs"
mmm...cookies
28-10-08, 17:13
Mmm...Cookies Mini Review!!
Graphics:
The first thing i noticed was of course the GFX, the shadowing on her model is a little pixelated in low light but is much better in bright areas.
The next thing you notice is exactly how good Lara looks, her model detail is amazing and her hair is remarkably well done.
Water looks amazingly real and wet.
Gameplay:
The initial thing you notice is it pretty much is what you had in TRL except with a much more weighted feel, Lara's moves feel like she has actual weight behind them and are more real in animation.
While this is ultimately a good thing, it can look a little awkward at slower speeds.
Moving around is pretty much done exactly like TRL/TRA which for me at least i liked.
Environment:
The surrounding areas in the demo look extremely lush and real.
Lara interacts with most plants and bushes pushing them aside as you stroll by.
This could be the demo only being partially done but Lara seems to have no effect on the water, when swimming she doesn't leave any kind of wave behind her, whilst not game breaking would be a nice touch.
Sound:
The sound effects in the demo at least were perfect, incredibly sharp and well balanced even when fighting enemies.
Pumping through my 5.1 at around 2am in the morning is probably not the best way i could have tested it but i'm sure nobody minded tehe!!
So that's it for my review, hope you liked it.
The demo was indeed a little bit EPIC.
From some of the vids Lara's jumps looked a little bit squirrel on steroids but when your actually playing it its much better and the motion capture has really paid off, especially some of the little handstands over things and stuff. The main thing I enjoyed about it is that every play through i've discovered something new whether it be an underwater door or another area housing a secret which is what i think tomb raider is all about.
I've read quite a bit about how awful the camera is but personally i can see why they've changed it and once you get used to it its fine.
The graphics are beautiful too, better than pretty much any game i've ever played.
The only bad bits where that it was too short and left me wanting more which I guess is a good bit not a bad one and the bats sometimes seemed to be a bit of a never ending stream of em but it didn't exactly ruin my life.
If this is a just a demo I think the full game will live up to every ounce of hype and more so, can't wait :)
To me it feels like playing a completely different game.
It's exactly what I wanted, i'm so chuffed.
This is just a small taste of a level and from what I've seen, I can now imagine it being truly epic. I'm sure the game will live up to it's hype, it definitely has already for me. I really can't wait any longer :jmp:
Could you elaborate on these two please? :)
I can indeed. :D
Camera
The camera is way too sensitive... it feels like it's floating off all of the time. You'll jump onto a ledge or pole (ledges were blended in extremely well, by the way :D) and the camera will back up against the wall, so all you can see is the front of Lara. Quickly turn it around and jump somewhere else and it'll flip around so you can't see the direction you need to be going. It's also far too close to Lara's back.
Combat
The camera plays a major problem here. The camera goes right up behind Lara so you need to try and move the camera, fights enemies and try not to get killed all at the same time. As you can probably tell, it's tricky and makes what should be fun into a chore, and a very annoying one at that. You're attacked in packs, so you'll get knocked down and just as Lara will get back up another enemy will knock you down. It can get very frustrating. Dodging is made redundant because Lara does it so slowly, too.
I enjoyed the demo, but there's just some issues that need to be sorted out.
You should search a bit better in the bold part... its not just for platforming ;)
It's for a secret I know, but in the demo that's all it's for haha. :)
Combat
The camera plays a major problem here. The camera goes right up behind Lara so you need to try and move the camera, fights enemies and try not to get killed all at the same time. As you can probably tell, it's tricky and makes what should be fun into a chore, and a very annoying one at that.
Why did this remind me of AoD combat? :eek: :ohn: Is it possible that this time it's even worst than it? lol
Why did this remind me of AoD combat? :eek: :ohn: Is it possible that this time it's even worst than it? lol
Hm... I wouldn't say it was worse, but it's definitely a lot more frustrating and awkward than combat in any other TR game.
interstellardave
28-10-08, 19:57
The good outweighs the bad by a very large margin...
1. The graphics are outstanding. I was going to pop in Uncharted and switch between the two to really see how they compare but I decided not to. I don't care if it's technically equal to Uncharted or not. The level design and art direction in TRU are TOP NOTCH, IMO. That makes up for anything that might be lacking (in some kind of minor technical sense, graphically).
2. The areas are huge and there are lots of nooks and crannies to explore... and probably more than I found in my first play-through, that's for sure. It's not at all easy to know exactly what to do and where to go... you will see some options but, for me, the path I saw first wasn't always the best one; nor certainly not the only one to yield secrets.
3. The feeling of exploration is back--in a big way. I FELT like I was there, in an exotic location, the sights and sounds drew me in. I love that there are birds and other animals that aren't always there to attack you, but that are just there for the ambience. As I looked around I kept thinking "can I get over there yet?" and, after dying several times, "how in the heck do I get over there!?" Those are good things in a Tomb Raider game that were largely missing in Legend.
4. You will die. Just like the classic games I found out that not every jump is easy, and falling equaled my death many times in just my first playthrough. And, just like the classics, falls that didn't kill me forced me to take the long way back around just like the old games... frustrating sometimes, but that's Tomb Raider all the way!
5. It was not easy figuring out what to do. When you turn off most of the help features it's hard to see what to do... I went past one particular thing about 5 times before I figured out I had to do something--all because I turned off the "shiny hints" or whatever they are called, LOL. And it was good because I knew that I had finally figured it out on my own... and it wasn't handed to me on a shiny silver platter!
6. The only bad is what has been mentioned before... combat is frustrating, but it must be frustrating and chaotic when fighting 2 or 3 real Tigers in real life too. The camera can be wonky at times, too, but I've played games with wonky cameras before... every TR has had problems with the camera from time to time... frankly I can't blame the camera for even one fall or one of my deaths, so it's not THAT bad. There are some glitchy things but, this IS a demo... I don't think it represents that final game; most demos do have glitchiness that's not present--or at least not as noticable--in the final game.
OH... One cool thing about combat: the bodies stay where they are! Kinda cool they finally brought that feature back!
All-in-all, I feel like this is REAL Tomb Raider; back at last (and it's been gone since way before Legend in my book). The demo had more difficulty in it than most of Legend... and I was stuck at a couple parts of the demo more than I was ever stuck in Legend--in fact I don't think I was ever really stuck in Legend... I think TRU may be the real deal, everyone. If the demo is any indication, we're in for a serious treat!
All your reviews are very hopeful. :)
Thank you all for writing your impressions.
Laritaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!:cln::cln::jmp::jmp:
4. You will die.
Lmao!
OH... One cool thing about combat: the bodies stay where they are! Kinda cool they finally brought that feature back!
It's back? That's really cool :D
Thanks for your review :tmb:
The good outweighs the bad by a very large margin...
1. The graphics are outstanding. I was going to pop in Uncharted and switch between the two to really see how they compare but I decided not to. I don't care if it's technically equal to Uncharted or not. The level design and art direction in TRU are TOP NOTCH, IMO. That makes up for anything that might be lacking (in some kind of minor technical sense, graphically).
2. The areas are huge and there are lots of nooks and crannies to explore... and probably more than I found in my first play-through, that's for sure. It's not at all easy to know exactly what to do and where to go... you will see some options but, for me, the path I saw first wasn't always the best one; nor certainly not the only one to yield secrets.
3. The feeling of exploration is back--in a big way. I FELT like I was there, in an exotic location, the sights and sounds drew me in. I love that there are birds and other animals that aren't always there to attack you, but that are just there for the ambience. As I looked around I kept thinking "can I get over there yet?" and, after dying several times, "how in the heck do I get over there!?" Those are good things in a Tomb Raider game that were largely missing in Legend.
4. You will die. Just like the classic games I found out that not every jump is easy, and falling equaled my death many times in just my first playthrough. And, just like the classics, falls that didn't kill me forced me to take the long way back around just like the old games... frustrating sometimes, but that's Tomb Raider all the way!
5. It was not easy figuring out what to do. When you turn off most of the help features it's hard to see what to do... I went past one particular thing about 5 times before I figured out I had to do something--all because I turned off the "shiny hints" or whatever they are called, LOL. And it was good because I knew that I had finally figured it out on my own... and it wasn't handed to me on a shiny silver platter!
6. The only bad is what has been mentioned before... combat is frustrating, but it must be frustrating and chaotic when fighting 2 or 3 real Tigers in real life too. The camera can be wonky at times, too, but I've played games with wonky cameras before... every TR has had problems with the camera from time to time... frankly I can't blame the camera for even one fall or one of my deaths, so it's not THAT bad. There are some glitchy things but, this IS a demo... I don't think it represents that final game; most demos do have glitchiness that's not present--or at least not as noticable--in the final game.
OH... One cool thing about combat: the bodies stay where they are! Kinda cool they finally brought that feature back!
All-in-all, I feel like this is REAL Tomb Raider; back at last (and it's been gone since way before Legend in my book). The demo had more difficulty in it than most of Legend... and I was stuck at a couple parts of the demo more than I was ever stuck in Legend--in fact I don't think I was ever really stuck in Legend... I think TRU may be the real deal, everyone. If the demo is any indication, we're in for a serious treat!
I agree completely :tmb:
Tomb Raider is finally feeling Tomb Raider-y again xD
Lmao!
It's back? That's really cool :D
Thanks for your review :tmb:
Well my experience is that most of the times, when i've died. the bodies did disapear... although there was also one time that i died and the dead tigers were there but on a different place...
Well my experience is that most of the times, when i've died. the bodies did disapear... although there was also one time that i died and the dead tigers were there but on a different place...
:vlol: Interesting!
interstellardave
28-10-08, 20:39
Well my experience is that most of the times, when i've died. the bodies did disapear... although there was also one time that i died and the dead tigers were there but on a different place...
I didn't die afterwards... at least not until I got to the next area. I climbed up into the next temple area and I could look down to the stream and the Tigers I killed were still there, which was cool. I guess they stay as long as you live, then... if you die it kinda "resets".
I spent 20 minutes making Lara smack into walls earlier... :D
Is it that much fun to do? Or have you just missed it? :D
Is it that much fun to do? Or have you just missed it? :D
Both. You make her run into a wall and she'll kick her leg up and put her hands in front of her face... also great to hear the little 'oof' she makes. :D
Oh, that's made me so happy. :D I didn't know how far they'd went with it!
also great to hear the little 'oof' she makes. :D
:jmp:
tranniversary119
28-10-08, 22:24
I spent 20 minutes making Lara smack into walls earlier... :D
Did the same :D That's something I love that they brought back even if its little it adds alot more realism and makes it feel like shes really in her environments :)
HollabackBoy
28-10-08, 22:27
I spent 20 minutes making Lara smack into walls earlier... :D
I never realized how much I missed that feature from the classics. Lara bumps into walls once again! :jmp: It makes the environments so much more believable.
Oh, that's made me so happy. :D I didn't know how far they'd went with it!
:jmp:
She actually stops running, too! Unlike Legend and Anniversary where she'd just keep running and running... :whi:
Did the same :D That's something I love that they brought back even if its little it adds alot more realism and makes it feel like shes really in her environments :)
I never realized how much I missed that feature from the classics. Lara bumps into walls once again! :jmp: It makes the environments so much more believable.
Totally agree with you both! :tmb:
Bottom Line:[/B] A lot of us who have been with Lara from the start are still burnt from Legend. I grew up on Tomb Raider, and TRs 1-5 were a huge part of my life; they’re practically sacred to me. Legend messed with the classic formula in a lot of appalling ways, much like AOD did, and it missed the Tomb Raider charm by miles. Any similarities we see between Underworld and Legend automatically seem bad to us because there is so much negative stigma attached to it. That said, I really believe that CD have finally nailed it with TRU. I got that old familiar TR ‘thing,’ where you just phase into the game and look at what a remarkable place you have found. I haven’t felt that wash over me since the first time I played through TR4 – way back in 1999! It’s a hard feeling to describe, but no other game has it. Price of Persia didn’t capture it, Assassin’s Creed didn’t capture it, and Uncharted didn’t capture it. This demo had it. It wasn’t as strong as it was back then, but it was there. The environments are worth exploring. Even though I’d seen all the gamplay videos, and I knew where to go, I still felt like I was uncovering something; like I had found it.
I'm starting to get shivers down my spine. Is it really that good? Am I finally going to get spooky goosebumps when I play TR like I used to? :cool: :cool:
HollabackBoy
28-10-08, 23:11
I can't even begin to describe how "Tomb Raider" this demo feels. I've been playing it for hours and it doesn't get old. PC players are going to be in for a real treat on Friday. :D
Can anyone tell me if Lara really looks wet aafter she swim on the water???
Or there are no hints of it in her body???
Yup,she gets wet after being on water :)
Awesome! I am so excited! Hopefully I am not gonna be sent to the hospital because of the excitement. haha... FRIDAY! FRIDAY!
Can anyone tell me if Lara really looks wet aafter she swim on the water???
Or there are no hints of it in her body???
I noticed her shoes look really rubbery... random i know :p
Anyways I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, but besides the wall smacking (which i did a lot of earlier...) Did anyone notice the return of wading???? I waded around in that little patch of water for ages!!! I'm half expecting some wading areas with spikes falling from the ceiling in the icy levels!!! :D:D
Immortalis08
29-10-08, 04:02
Can anyone tell me if Lara really looks wet aafter she swim on the water???
Or there are no hints of it in her body???
She still gets wet but it is not as obvious as in Legend or Anniversary. If you look closely, you can see her skin glistening slightly and her clothes slightly darker.
Oh and I posted this in the other thread but I might as well.
My review will be short seeing as how everyone else has already mentioned the obvious. I was more than satisfied, but too be honest I guess I was expecting more, however that did not stop the game from being absolutely immersive. I am sure the game will be much better (at least the camera I hope).
PROS
+ The sense of bewilderment that crept upon me as I saw so many places to explore in such a short amount of time.
+ Ledges were blended in alot better
+ Lara now moves more realistically and with more weight on her. She doesn't move ridiculously fast as others claim.
+ Flexibility and customization of Player Tailoring
+ Lining up jumps are trickier and you definitely have to be more precise and take into consideration the distance between platforms and ledges.
+ Enemies that attack you while platforming add more dynamic to climbing ledges and make them more dangerous.
+ Lara loses health...fast!
+ Grapple rings are next to invisible! :tmb:
+ Various combination of moves can provide different outcomes and different ways of reaching the same point.
+ The music is breathtaking. It is calm and serene at the beginning, and in certain instances it hits a dramatic high note that instantly raises your awareness and paranoia.
+ The ability to hear the tiger's roar and being unable to see your enemy adds to the suspense.
+ Medipacks require a keen eye to find! They don't stick out like in Legend.
+ Many little hidden areas to explore such as the underwater cave and the small side temple.
+ The adrenaline headshots looked so painful as the tigers reeled in pain and blood splattered. It was beautiful! :mis:
+ Good, but not great graphics.
+ The parrots were so adorable! :o
CONS!!!
- The damn erratic camera ruined the immersion that many jumps and platforming could've had and it moved and jerked around strangely during battles. I do not appreciate zooming into a random bit of wall while I am climbing or shooting. :hea:
- Lara jerks around occasionally especially when she draws her guns whilst holding on to a ledge.
- Beautiful water animation, but frankly I miss ripple effects from Legend.
- The graphics and texture of the foliage was unimpressive, it looked a lot better in the trailers. (not a big deal though)
- Glitches; Lara kept tripping over and over in a wall and over on the fallen ring holding the one of the ropes.
I loved it :jmp: I don't know what to say that hasn't been said already, but here is my little review
Starting with the bad, there are a few graphics glitches, like the shadows look ugly in the boat (for some reason I only see them there). and there is too much aliasing in some parts, or maybe is cause of my tv. Putting those 2 things aside, the graphics are stunning :D so gorgeous, the sea, the plants, the birds flying...
Lara's new moves are great, my fav is the wall jumping I think, I also like how you traverse from the ledge hoping to 'free' climbing and so, in a seamless way.
Love the new combat skills, like squashing spiders and kicking bats LOL, I'm getting used to the new headshots, you are more in control of those now, it isn't when the animal gets enraged, but when Lara has enough adrenaline, and this time you have to move the little target, I like it much better now
I don't think is as easy as some people say, I was lost and wonderind what to do a few times when I first played, is the hard enough for a demo. Plus there are some secrets to be found.
Overall, I think it gots the tomb raider feeling many have been waiting for, it was a lot of fun to play the 6 times I did tonight, and still not bored of it.
and I'm soooo looking foward to the full game, even more now :jmp:
Whew, with the long wait finally over, here's what a long time fan of both the new and old games (sans AoD) has to say:
Positives:
+ Integration of the Anniversary and Legend storylines
+ Able to carry all weapons again like Anniversary
+ New climbing maneuvers
+ New Lara model (overall)
Negatives:
- The controls have been changed from TRL/TRA. Lara feels more squirelly and has more unnatural looking movements. When she does a dive it looks like she's going into fast forward.
- Lara lips move awkwardly when she talks. The corners of her upper lips get really pointy.
- The demo is glitchier than even TRA was. I kept getting stuck on walls or poles.
- The camera. This is the big one. TRL and TRA had damn fine cameras. Whenever I entered combat in the TRU demo, the camera would inevitably be wrong. It won't track your enemies that Lara's locked on to anymore like it used to.
- The graphics aren't much of an improvement over TRL (Xbox 360/"Next Gen Mode" PC version). I expected more after the screenshots and after 2.5 years.
Neutral:
* The new combat mechanics (adrenaline headshots, melee kicks, targeting multiple enemies) feel like they'll take some time to get used to. I'm not sure if I like them or not. I'll one thing though: tigers certainly are a lot more deadly than they were before.
All in all, it was a decent demo. I'm still looking forward to the game, but less so now than I was before.
the graphics are simply jaw dropping on an HDTV. the foliage and detail in the rock faces is the best i have ever seen. everything looks so solid and REAL!!!.
The water effects are quality as the sea ebs and flows and lara bobs on the surface.
the biggest winner though is the environments themselves. you feel at the beginning like you are climbing and making your own way through a real environment everything fels so organic and natural. and when you make your way out of the undergrowth and you gaze upon the temple from afar for the first time the sense of wonder is something i have not felt since the very first tomb raider (you feel like you are really exploring some ancient ruin) and which no TR game has ever recaptured since. it made my jaw drop!!
the annimations are excellent especially the way she moves through the foliage and hops over walls etc. the only slight annoyance for me was the camera sometimes doesnt show you the next jump and you are sometimes forced into guessing or jumping with little hope of reaching a ledge you know deep down is a wrong move.
all in all though i was blown away by it, and im sure this will be the best tomb raider yet.
also if you have not played it yet take some of the negative comments on here with a pinch of salt because if you trawl the forums for years like some people on here you become so obsessed with the game you will pick faults with anything. i,e comments about the annimation and graphics not being any good are just ridiculous claims.
i came into this after playing all the old games either on PS1 or PS2 without following the development process and viewing it with fresh eyes for the first time and i can tell you now this is such a huge step forward from those games. i cant wait to get it!!!
9/10
- The graphics aren't much of an improvement over TRL (Xbox 360/"Next Gen Mode" PC version). I expected more after the screenshots and after 2.5 years.
Now this one i will definitely beg to differ with you on.
I loaded up PC Legend Next Gen, MAX detail. and played thru the first area. Then i loaded up Underworld, and the difference hits u like a Radio 2 phony phone call scandal. Hard..
Underworld makes Legend's next gen look positively creaky and old, and at the time Legend was pushing the hardware a lot (people will remember how they struggled sometimes to get it running etc)
Bottom Line: A lot of us who have been with Lara from the start are still burnt from Legend. I grew up on Tomb Raider, and TRs 1-5 were a huge part of my life; they’re practically sacred to me. Legend messed with the classic formula in a lot of appalling ways, much like AOD did, and it missed the Tomb Raider charm by miles. Any similarities we see between Underworld and Legend automatically seem bad to us because there is so much negative stigma attached to it. That said, I really believe that CD have finally nailed it with TRU. I got that old familiar TR ‘thing,’ where you just phase into the game and look at what a remarkable place you have found. I haven’t felt that wash over me since the first time I played through TR4 – way back in 1999! It’s a hard feeling to describe, but no other game has it. Price of Persia didn’t capture it, Assassin’s Creed didn’t capture it, and Uncharted didn’t capture it. This demo had it. It wasn’t as strong as it was back then, but it was there. The environments are worth exploring. Even though I’d seen all the gamplay videos, and I knew where to go, I still felt like I was uncovering something; like I had found it.
I loved this demo, and I feel like it’s just a taste of the game to come. My hope for the series is renewed, because there is so much potential in this demo. I haven’t been this excited about a game in years, and it feels so good to have that thrill back.
I think that once you play the game, all the fears and anxieties left over from AOD and Legend will start to fade away. This is a great game, and moreover, this is a Tomb Raider.
Bless you if at least 25% of what you wrote is real :D :tmb:
CONS
- Camera is awful
I really hope it'll be more like Classics than TRL/A though *prays*
Generally, maybe CD has to grow still to fit the real TR, but at least I can say (after reading the thread) they already started growing up :tmb:
One of the main things that stands out in TRU is the graphical detail! It's amazing. I noticed small things such as when turning the camera to face Lara's face, you can hear her breathing out of her nose, she frowns and makes differnt faces. If you sprint for to long she gets out of breath and waves her hand infront of her face, aswell as breathing heavly, and you see sweat on her face and neck! When swimming her cheeks blow up as she holds her breath. And there was plenty more things I noticed that made me go wow! A lot of time and effort has gone into this game and it's very noticable. Truley an amazing game.
^ It's just a matter of CD not "oversticking" to graphical aspect only... AGAIN :mis: I hope... *fingers crossed*
^ It's just a matter of CD not "oversticking" to graphical aspect only... AGAIN :mis: I hope... *fingers crossed*
The graphics are just the icing on top. The fact that there are so many little areas to explore, so many things that you'll miss if you don't go looking for them, that diving into water is scary again, and that the entire time you're playing you'll be relating the game to the classics (The spiders will take you back to TR2, the temple and tigers will take you back to TR3, the part of the puzzle you get to do at the end will take you back to TR1, etc) - the feeling and the gameplay are what drive this game home. Lara doesn't feel like she's just going through the motions of a TR game, she feels like the same Lara we played as back then.
Bless you if at least 25% of what you wrote is real :D :tmb:
I'll let you decide that when you sink your teeth into the game yourself, but I think you're going to really fall in love with this Tomb Raider. :tmb:
I have played this demo about 8 times already and each time is never any duller. Infact each time I play it I love it even more! This Tomb Raider is turning out to be my most favorite yet! I just can't wait to get my hands on the full game! Love you Crystal Dynamics (and Eidos of course!) :jmp: :yah:
Now this one i will definitely beg to differ with you on.
I loaded up PC Legend Next Gen, MAX detail. and played thru the first area. Then i loaded up Underworld, and the difference hits u like a Radio 2 phony phone call scandal. Hard..
Underworld makes Legend's next gen look positively creaky and old, and at the time Legend was pushing the hardware a lot (people will remember how they struggled sometimes to get it running etc)
That cracked me up :vlol:
tranniversary119
29-10-08, 22:08
I've played the demo about 30+ Times already I'm still exploring different areas but I'm starting to get bored cause i need a break! I want the full game..must explore:hea:
I want the full game..must explore:hea:
lol! I know what you mean!
I need MOAR!!!!!!!! :jmp:
I've played the demo about 30+ Times already I'm still exploring different areas but I'm starting to get bored cause i need a break! I want the full game..must explore:hea:
I haven't tried the demo yet but am waiting for PC demo. I guess I will be playing it for hundred times! ... .poor me .. :D
I haven't tried the demo yet but am waiting for PC demo. I guess I will be playing it for hundred times! ... .poor me .. :D
Join my club! :D I just cant wait anymore for this demo either, its almost hurting! hahaa
Don't worry, it'll be worth the wait ;)
I've already played it on the 360 (again and again and again) but I'll be downloading it on the PC as well to see if I can run it (and if I can, to take some high quality screenshots)
I'm like almost losing it waiting of the demo. Why isn't it Friday yet?
Anyway I didn't get a chance to read through the entire thread. Any video of the demo up yet?
Have you guys noticed where Lara parks her Boat at Thailand and the Med-Sea, its not Anchord to the Seabed :p
Have you guys noticed where Lara parks her Boat at Thailand and the Med-Sea, its not Anchord to the Seabed :p
That's a good point! I didn't even notice.
Especially with the currents in that area. Her boat would float away!
Oh well, I'll chalk that one up to "it's a game." ;)
I might download the demo tomorrow, but it won't represent how it will look on my platform so I may just wait for the final game. I'm happy today as Mirror's Edge demo is released so I'll be having fun playing that. Look forward to looking at any pics you guys do though once you get the PC demo.;)
Join my club! :D I just cant wait anymore for this demo either, its almost hurting! hahaa
good that I am not the only one who has that bad feeling right now. hhahaha I'll definitely join your club :D
Were you able to use the grapple hook or Laras new sonar map or anything like that?? :D
The grapple is in, the sonar was not.
Based on the demo, I will not be buying the game. The animations really bug me for some reason, she zips around the environment a bit too quickly, and the animations jitter from one to the next. The camera is absolutely atrocious, and the controls for it need some tweaks.
I think I read someone else that said the controls felt too loose. I agree 100%...whether that is based on the mo-capped animations or what, I have no idea, but the controls lack to precision and finesse of Legend. This also hampers the combat, which was by far the worst, and most disappointing part of the demo. The balance beam controls are very wonky as well.
Not only does Lara move like a tank compared to the tigers, but the mechanic of pulling off a headshot seems very iffy. Every time I attempt it, I have about a 10% chance of going into the slow-mo, and a 90% chance of the tiger just swatting me down or tackling me. Even when I do enter the slow-mo, the camera doesn't allow me to see what I'm trying to shoot. The combat is a major, major step down from both Legend and Anniversary.
I am hoping this uses an older model, because Lara's face is hideous. I didn't notice much in the way of shadows, aside from the cutscenes. The water is breathtakingly beautiful, above and below.
It will be a very good rental, but if the demo was any indication of the final game, there is no way I am spending $60 for it, regardless of length. It is easily the worst of the 3 CD developed games.
The grapple is in, the sonar was not.
Yes, it is. Press select.
I am not impressed. The graphics were very standard, and the camera was horrible, same with the animations.
The only thing EPIC about it was the sound.
5/10.
tha_mattster
01-11-08, 05:13
8/10
Biggest plus points+
+ The game is very beautiful - wonderful environmental effects. Best looking TR game ever.
+ Lara's moves have been developed well even if she free climbs like spiderman :p . Since she has more climbing moves you feel a lot more engaged this time.
+ Less Zip+Alistair - she only spoke to them at the begining.
___________________________
Negative points -
- Very linear: I never had to think about where I should go.
- Lack of exploration: The environments look huge, but the playable parts are disappointingly small. Maybe in other levels....hopefully.
- Combat: I didn't enjoy it at all. There are some tricky commands I didn't really get about headshots. I couldn't work out how to use slow mo properly either. Maybe if I had more practice :confused:
- Cartoonish models: None of the animals or characters look realistic. Especially those spiders which have ridiculous hopping abilities. They all lack realistic textures and look too smooth and rubbery. The bats look like they took 1 hour to develop and they move at a silly unrealistic speed. It's so easy to dispatch the bats and spiders I don't see the point. They aren't creepy either.
- A.I. : I didn't see any evidence of good AI. At the second tiger battle I ran past them into the temple, hopping across the drop on to a beam. The two tigers followed me and just stood on the other side of the drop staring at me while I shot them. Neither one attempted to jump at her or run away.
Jack-occle
01-11-08, 14:13
Hi everyone,
I am slightly skeptical about downloading the demo, I have heard that there are spiders in the demo and the full game (AND I HATE SPIDERS!!!) I am just going to close my eyes and shoot shoot shoot, can anyone tell me please how big the spiders are in the demo? are they the size you see when Lara is in avalon and she blows them up? or just common spiders?
thanks - J-O:)
Just common very small spiders. You'll hardly see them. ;)
frodrigues
01-11-08, 15:43
I've encountered quite a few minor glitches, a lot of them actually. None of the previous games had stuff like this. The most of them happens when Lara is shimming on ledges.
They are there, makes the game uglier, but in no way ruinned my experience. I loved the attention they put to details to creat a atmosphere that made me feel there.
I'm talking about creating the ambience like:
1. You can hear the tigers roar, but you never encouter any of them until a few sections away. You think they are near, spying, but they don't attack you yet. It felt awesome!
2. The Nagas running around the final section through the statues and ceiling and not doing anything yet as a big plus too. The game doesn't even force you to seeing it, it was awesome when I saw them!
3. The range of the new moves are incredible. Every time I play Lara does something different and random: from tripping when running to having three different ways of jumping over a block or climbing stuff. I also love the way she actually gets the PDA and look, and how the grapple is handed as a gun now.
4. It felt great exploring the templo with a giant number of spiders coming from everywhere, like it is supposed to be. I don't get those bats tho, what really are they? They fly in the sun, that's not very batty.
I was expecting a way worse camera juding by the reviews, I had to problem with it after I changed mouse sensitivity. Same for her moves, they didn't seem any faster than before.
I would say this game is AOD gone right. Except Lara's face, I think she looks rather ugly on it, something's very off there. Reminds me a lot of Last revelation's FMV model.
Kittypower
01-11-08, 15:52
^
The nagas death code is removed since there not part of the actual demo.
frodrigues
01-11-08, 15:57
^
The nagas death code is removed since there not part of the actual demo.
I wasn't talking about the froze ones on the ground that some people managed to cheat and see. I was talking about the normal ones that are part of the demo, with them running around, watching you and hiding really quick ;) I've seen 3 of them running on random parts while you explore the area, some of them are on Shiva's statue.
All in all I really enjoyed the demo. I think CD did an outstanding job and I can't wait to get the full game.
However it is not without it's faults.
I'm sure people have mentioned many of these before and sorry if I only seem to focus on the negative but as they say it only takes one bad apple to spoil the whole bunch. So I must stress the importance of these bad apples.:p
Graphics
Well it's not Cyrsis of course but it's looks awesome by TR standards.
There are a couple of areas in which I do feel it is lacking. In the PC demo version any way. Firstly all the fancy eye candy effects TRL and TRA had like motion blur, bloom, SSS(faked?), Depth-Of-Field etc. Yeah these features are like standard in next-gen games these days. Not to be over done though like I've seen many developers have done with new tech but just enough for you to get the impact of the effect. I know CD has any good eye of subtlety.;)
Also what about HDR? Just wondering if TRU will make any use of that tech.
Animations
Overall the animations a very well done but a times it feels like there are a little too fast. In particularly the the weapon drawing and
Also the free climbing animations where she steps from one stone to another sometimes it feels like the stones of magnets pulling her feet to them.
There's also the walking animations where her feet with snap into place too quickly while trying to align with the terrain or surface she's walking on. She almost look like a terminator walking like that. lol
Combat
It's madness.
I'm not sure why but it doesn't particularly feel fun this time around.
Sometimes a tiger will knock me down and I'll good flying off screen somewhere while the camera its targeting the tiger.
I believe most of my problems stems from the weird camera. It's flying all over the place!
Sorry I don't know how to expand on this any further.
Camera
The camera is evil!
Well not really but it does have a mind of it's own. Sometimes I don't even think it's pointing at Lara.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j183/Xero_Blue/TRU_ScreenShots/peekaboo_lara.gif
From what I've experienced the camera tries to position it's self where it thinks you want to look. A few times it does this well however most of the time I find myself fighting with the camera. I would trying to get it to look in one direction then it was suddenly move out of that position try point where it things I should look.
It's at it's worst while climbing. When hanging from a ledge the camera has a limited range of motion. This gets very annoying when trying to view a ledge you are try to jump to because you can't rotate to camera far enough to see where you want to jump. In TRL and TRA if you hold the direction you want ot jump the camera to move out and rotate in that direction to give you a better view. In TRU the camera does this automatically on it's own but at many a times when you don't need it to.
TRA direction look.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j183/Xero_Blue/TRU_ScreenShots/tra_cameralook.gif
TRU auto look when it actually works.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j183/Xero_Blue/TRU_ScreenShots/lara_auto_look.gif
I would suggest if possible giving the users an option to have the camera auto -aim like like it does now or aim manually whenever the player presses a direction they want to look.
Please fix the camera CD, it's literally a matter off Lara's life and death. Thanks.:D
Hmmm a bit longer than I intended but anyway a picture is worth a thousand words to here are few er weirdities I've discovered.:D
sinking feeling.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j183/Xero_Blue/TRU_ScreenShots/crouh_onboat.jpg
stretchy feet stretch too fast.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j183/Xero_Blue/TRU_ScreenShots/magnet_feet.jpg
Invisible box?
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j183/Xero_Blue/TRU_ScreenShots/mime_lara.jpg
P.S.
kicking the Tigers was loads of fun.:jmp:
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j183/Xero_Blue/TRU_ScreenShots/lara_kick0015.jpg
Thanks CD.
Will do :)
I'll be playing in about 10 minutes. :D:cln::D
Update: Played through a bunch of times now, and here's what I think:
The Good:
Reticules can be turned off
Helper Buttons can be turned off
Training Text can be turned off
Swimming is very fluid (she swims in whatever direction you turn her, much like the classics – though you can still swim directly up or down like in TRL/TRA)
Underwater Combat is very fluid. If you lock on to the sharks (Left Trigger), your camera will always face them, easing up both the shooting and the swimming.
The Sharks scared the hell out of me. They don’t have any reveal cinematic, they’re just swimming in the water waiting for you to jump in – very classic TR
Adrenaline Headshots are pretty cool. Basically, when your adrenaline meter is full, you can lock on to a target and press X, causing Lara to jump off of the enemy and go into slow-motion. From there, you’ll have a few seconds to move a reticule over the enemies head for an instant kill.
Free-Climbable Stones are really fantastic. The stones don’t look like big billboards screaming “Climb here!” – They just look like stones that protrude out of a wall enough to get some footing on. They’re easy to spot, yet still blend beautifully and look very natural. Lara actually touches and grabs each individual stone as she climbs – it’s not just a static “climbing animation”, it’s a real-time procedural movement.
Exploring brought me back to that classic TR feeling. You know, the one where you see some platform off in the distance and go “How the hell am I going to get there?” The very first rock you find yourself climbing has two ways to go – you can go up and left to the main area, or you can jump to another free-climbable patch to the right, follow the mountain side around, and then find yourself on a beautiful little cliff overlooking the ocean.
The Spiders, much like the sharks, scared the hell out of me because they’re just there. All the sudden these squeaking little monsters are climbing all over you. They remind me SO MUCH of what the spiders in TR2 would be like in a modern game. Love them!
The Foliage moves as you walk through it, and while Lara still does push them out of the way from time to time, she doesn’t beat the living hell out of them like she did in the gameplay videos anymore.
Pick-ups are everywhere. There just seems to be no shortage of goodies and trinkets to find lying around. I’m not even sure what some of the things I found are even for, but they were fun to find!
Secrets, complete with that old familiar chime from the classics and TRA. When you make your way into one of the many off-to-the-side areas you can find little nooks that house secret pick ups, like medpacks or artifacts
Smooth Animations carry Lara from platform to platform. Gone are the scary pop-n-lock animations of the gameplay videos. Lara looks like she’s really fighting gravity and moving like a graceful but real person. When she slides down the first slope of the demo, jumps to a pole, flips herself on top of the pole, and then jumps to the ledge in front of her it’s just so incredibly smooth and great feeling.
It Feels Great to Play because she moves with weight, and when she grabs a ledge it really feels like she has a great grip. That strange floating feelings from TRL and TRA is GONE. Lara feels very tactile in her environment, touching things that she runs into and balancing herself on her swaying boat.
Beautiful Landscapes aren’t hard to find – the levels are designed so that you enter areas from spectacular views. There are also tons of views that you’ll miss out on if you don’t go looking for them though. Click the manual aim button (right stick) and just walk around looking at the environments. You’ll see what I mean.
Depth and Height make some jumps really satisfying to pull off. In the last area of the demo, you’ll find yourself high above a courtyard. Watching Lara’s legs dangle over such a dizzying height as she jumps and climbs her way even higher gave me butterflies in my stomach.
No White Ledges to ruin the environments. Yes, there are “ledges,” but they’re beautifully blending and natural looking. Climbing up the face of the ruin just before the main temple, I actually wasn’t sure if Lara would be able to grab the ledge I was jumping to because it blending in so well. She did.
Ragdoll has been overhauled, on both Lara and her enemies. Lara doesn’t do that strange sliding anymore, she just falls and contorts to the environment – the sharks and tigers also have some very well done ragdoll, though there are still some clipping issues for everyone.
The Tranquilizer Gun is well designed, and for added challenge I can already see myself playing through the game using ONLY the Tranq Gun. It knocks enemies out in one shot, but they’ll wake up when you least expect it. It lets them surprise you all over again.
Wall Hopping took me some getting used to (I kept messing it up), but once I got the timing down this is actually a pretty fluid move, and a nice addition to Lara’s abilities. You can do it on any flat wall.
The Shotgun means business. That’s gonna be the boss gun.
Melee is actually really well done. Lara will do a flying kick you attack whilst running, or a standing kick if you attack while walking or, as the name implies, standing. I’m not sure if it does much damage, but when three tigers are tearing in Lara it’s very useful to knock one or two of them back so you can get some distance.
Lara Can Shoot While Doing Almost Anything. Climbing, shimmying, swimming, running, hanging on a pole, perching on a pillar, climbing on a pillar, and much more. The only time I couldn’t get to fire is when she’s sitting on top of a swing pole, but if you make her stand up and balance she’ll be able to fire.
The Blood is great. It’s not gory, but it’s a satisfying and realistic re-addition. I don’t think I saw an option to turn it off though.
Swing Poles are still a bit out of place, but there are far less of them (and so many other things) and they blend in very well. They aren’t shiny or glowing, they’re either wood or rusted metal and look like they fit the environment visually. The still don’t really make sense though – why would that be there?
Field Assistance is pretty intuitive. You can ask Lara for a little hint, or you can ask for the actual solution if you’re really stuck. I also think this addition made CD feel more comfortable to create some real challenges for us, since they don’t have to worry about casual gamers getting stuck anymore. I think we’re going to get some really elaborate puzzles!
The Static Lighting on the environment looks stellar. Radiosity and Ambient Occlusion give depth to the world’s lighting, making every loose stone and overgrown root pop. Light bounces off surfaces and warms up the environment – red stone will cast a subtle red onto the world around it.
The Character Models are highly detailed. Lara looks as real as a stylized character gets, and the tigers look superbly realistic.
The Textures and Shaders really push the details further. Lara’s hair is detailed down to the last strand, and the wet rocks near the waterfalls have a beautiful sheen. Normal Maps are used to their fullest here, bringing out every crack and crease in the stones and rocks.
The Spherical Harmonics are the best thing about the real-time lighting. Lara looks her absolute best in indirect lighting, because the Spherical Harmonics cause light to reflect off of the ground, plants, and objects around her in a detailed array of quality shadowing and highlighting.
Motion Blur is something that always scares me in games. A lot of companies over do it and make their games hard to play. TRU has just enough to notice. It’s a perfect amount, because when something goes flying across the screen it’ll look smooth and realistic, but everything is still sharp and clean during gameplay.
The Water is hit and miss, but overall good. The Ocean looks fantastic, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. My problem is with the river that runs in front of the temple. It’s just strange looking, but I can’t really put my finger on why.
The Bad:
The Real-Time Shadows are really low res in some parts. It’s strange because in the intro cinematic the shadows look god awful, but in the cinematic that plays as you enter the Shiva room the shadows look sharp and clean. During gameplay however, they tend to look muddy and flicker around the edges because the Shadow Maps are pixilated. CD needed to up the resolution.
The Foliage gets in the way of the camera sometimes. Like Lara, they should fade out with their too close to the camera.
The PLS is a POS. It gives off a really flat, dull, and dim looking light.
The Camera still gets ripped away from you and shoved in the direction of incoming enemies, though at least they only do it to the tigers.
Bottom Line: A lot of us who have been with Lara from the start are still burnt from Legend. I grew up on Tomb Raider, and TRs 1-5 were a huge part of my life; they’re practically sacred to me. Legend messed with the classic formula in a lot of appalling ways, much like AOD did, and it missed the Tomb Raider charm by miles. Any similarities we see between Underworld and Legend automatically seem bad to us because there is so much negative stigma attached to it. That said, I really believe that CD have finally nailed it with TRU. I got that old familiar TR ‘thing,’ where you just phase into the game and look at what a remarkable place you have found. I haven’t felt that wash over me since the first time I played through TR4 – way back in 1999! It’s a hard feeling to describe, but no other game has it. Price of Persia didn’t capture it, Assassin’s Creed didn’t capture it, and Uncharted didn’t capture it. This demo had it. It wasn’t as strong as it was back then, but it was there. The environments are worth exploring. Even though I’d seen all the gamplay videos, and I knew where to go, I still felt like I was uncovering something; like I had found it.
I loved this demo, and I feel like it’s just a taste of the game to come. My hope for the series is renewed, because there is so much potential in this demo. I haven’t been this excited about a game in years, and it feels so good to have that thrill back.
I think that once you play the game, all the fears and anxieties left over from AOD and Legend will start to fade away. This is a great game, and moreover, this is a Tomb Raider.
I do agree wholeheartedly with you on your review! Great work!
I didn't like the camera. I think they got it perfect in Anniversary, but they didn't carry it over to Underworld.
The shadows are kind of screwy, like they were in Legend, but alot of games have shadow issues.
I didn't like Lara. She does alot of weird expressions and they did make her butt too flat.
Still buying the game, though.
The Demo was ok, but i felt more like its the Xbox Demo im playing, rather then the PC Demo.
Theres no Next Gen and the Faces Lara makes with the Music in the Backround, feels like TRU is Sad and Depressing like an Overactive Hollywood Sad Drama Story with Mommy Missing out there.
Crystal sure Loves Hollywood to give us 007 TRL Lara and now TRU with a bunch of Tissues in my hands.
Man i Love Mods. http://www.tombraiderforums.com/showthread.php?t=137252
Here are some things you can find about my PC and what i talk about.
http://i36.tinypic.com/2s1uo9s.jpg
http://www.tombraiderforums.com/show...7&postcount=24 (http://www.tombraiderforums.com/showpost.php?p=3173707&postcount=24)
http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=799
http://www.tombraiderforums.com/show...2&postcount=73 (http://www.tombraiderforums.com/showpost.php?p=3173322&postcount=73)
The Settings.
http://i36.tinypic.com/30dhuab.jpg
http://i35.tinypic.com/2iiud7n.jpg
http://i34.tinypic.com/onxv4.jpg
http://i34.tinypic.com/2ewibdi.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/33aa0s0.jpg
http://i35.tinypic.com/99jgcx.jpg
http://i35.tinypic.com/2nrlkhv.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/167sdwz.jpg
The Inventory.
http://i35.tinypic.com/2dwavti.jpg
http://i35.tinypic.com/qs361c.jpg
http://i38.tinypic.com/24lv3et.jpg
http://i33.tinypic.com/33xx1eo.jpg
http://i38.tinypic.com/2yoolf6.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/2cypgz5.jpg
The Game.
http://i33.tinypic.com/fu5668.jpg
http://i34.tinypic.com/v8pu2v.jpg
http://i37.tinypic.com/10qeaki.jpg
http://i33.tinypic.com/2803z29.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/2v0odmr.jpg
http://i35.tinypic.com/b5iayp.jpg
http://i38.tinypic.com/1zbxpg1.jpg
http://i37.tinypic.com/2eqdmpj.jpg
http://i35.tinypic.com/2uiw007.jpg
http://i37.tinypic.com/befk4.jpg
http://i33.tinypic.com/30kc477.jpg
http://i33.tinypic.com/116uhy8.jpg
http://i33.tinypic.com/2zevv2b.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/34tcu3m.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/2a8houq.jpg
http://i34.tinypic.com/nf4mza.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/33n926f.jpg
Tomb Raider Jay
02-11-08, 00:27
I finally got some time to play the demo late last night, I was downloading it off the internet for like 6 hours... my PC is sooo uber nacked! :D
Anyhow I was hoping those endless hours would have been worth the wait, after all Lara is actually back in TRU!... hmmm or is she? :whi:
Controls and Gameplay
Everything from the way Lara climbs ledges to perching atop high columns, wall kicking and even those fancy cartwheels controls really well in Tomb Raider Underworld. All of Lara's moves feel so solid and uniform, you can string together complex routines, like a gymnast with only a few buttons and yet Lara performs them with all the grace of a swan, it's stunning to see in motion!
So they have most definetly used mo-cap and it's benifits are huge. I doubt anyone could argue this is really the most agile, weighted Lara we've ever had - her movements are very realistic as they have a certain weight built around them. Gone are the days when she'd fly through the air like a hollow carcase, she's a super athlete with great poise and talent.
I don't think I need to say anymore - her controls are flawless just like Legend and Anniversary before hand.
So the actual gameplay then, I think this is where I first saw TRU stumble. Leaping onto the first legdes in TRU, I expected Lara to go and climb up to the ruins... she did but something was clearly off... :(
The climbing was really enjoyable itself but what really grated on me was the way Crystal had pretty much shoehorned us into following that linear climb to the top - straight away it felt just very dated!
So I carry on passed this, climbing through the undergrowth, emerging at the opening with those pesky spiders, I love 'em! - out onto the plush ledge overlooking the ocean, the view looks spectacular! and yet again there's only one path...hmm
So I go through the "man-made" clearing at the top, following it's twisty turning path all the while Lara bashes the lovely looking foliage to bits - seriously she ain't a green fingerd gal! :)
Upon reaching the pit I'm actually stumped for all of a few moments lol - I totally forgot about the grapple ring as they blend in extremely well here, not like shiny "hello" signs of past games. Again I follow the path, doing a little tumble to get under that rubble, I'm loving the ambiance and atmoshpere here it's just lush!! :D
The first real wow moment i experieced , looking at the temple from down below I was floored - it's just amazing!! sadly the climb to the top somewhat less as again I notice the "cling here to move forward" ledges of past games... they are blended really well but again they are the only route to take - non linear isn't the word here I'm afraid :(
Anyhow that's intial thoughts of my first few moments, the actual gameplay is just as good as Legend and Anniversary before it but there's nothing I'd say makes TRU any more non-linear in this demo than the afore-mentioned games.
Combat
This is what I'm talking about!! :D :jmp:
I died so many times fighting the tigers it wasn't even funny, the AI is way better than before - they are savage and want to tear Lara into shreds - I love it!
The combat has had a massive upgrade, it feels alot more raw and exciting with almost none of the old circle straifing, clumsy dodging escapades that plagued the last two games. There's a hell of alot more challenge in this demo alone, combat wise when compared with all of Legends and TRA combined. This feels meaty, Lara has lots of new toys to play with, submachine guns, tranqualiser gun and even that trusty old friend from TR2 the speargun to gut those fishys - it's a really healthy arsenal complete with a range of different firepower that can actually change the pace of those scraps. She even whacks those pests with poles and flykicks 'em in the chops, two much needed and welcomed additions!!
I mean this feels like a new thing altogther, whereas by complete contrast her much hyped "new moves and repitour" feels slightly dated - but at the same time there are enough fresh and easily performed new moves to keep Lara going... for the time being.
I think they've got a good thing going with the combat, TR needed to step it up a gear and to be honest I really think this is one area which has been overhauled in a mega, brilliant way! :jmp:
Graphics and Audio
I'm gonna swallow my pride and just admit this, the visuals aren't that big a step up as I would have liked them to be - there I said it :o
I feel the problem is while CD may have been working away on their next gen engine and upgrading TR's graphics for Underworld they didn't really bother to check out the other games recently released - namely Uncharted: Drakes Fortune :)
UDF has raised the bar exceptionally high for current gen action adventure games - there has yet to another game released which surpasses it's brilliance. But for the most part TRU is on par with this game, it just fails to nail down some of the tiny, minute details which allows Uncharted to just sneak ahead in the graphics area.
Anyway the ocean looks beautiful, actually water on the whole is amazing - it's very lifelike and moves and sways realistically. I've mentioned it before but here it comes again the foliage looks lovely, it sways and brussles in the wind with vibrant detail. The plants and ferns and whatnot look alittle iffy if you get too close but otherwise nice - sometimes they look like kinda papery, just 2D and crappy. The rock and stone textures are flawless, they are some of the most stunning I've seen since Uncharted - well done CD on those! :D
Where the game struggles most is the lighting - it's not only flat but very unflattering to Lara's model making her appear much too bright in certain areas and she looks like she's popping out from the rest of the visually impressive world :hea:
Character model's - mostly Lara's is amazing, she's easily more detailed and as gorgeous as ever... If only I were straight :p
Also I like the stylized look of Lara and the others in this game, it's not cartoony in the slightest . The poly count alone makes her on par with Nate from Uncharted- but Lara's got more detail and wrinkles!! :jmp:
NOTE: I played the game demo on my samsung hdtv with the same settings I have done for Legend and TRA, it seems these telly's benifit TR games alot as there's always an abundance of colour and flair in the visual elements.
Sound is stunning and I love all the music and ambiant effects used throughout - hearing the tigers before you see them is scary stuff I thought they were gonna launch an attack from the bushes!!
As always Keleey is brilliant as Lara, well done love! :hug:
All in all I'm a bit mixed overall, lets hope the game lives up to expectations when it's released on November 21st! :tea:
I played it today on my cousin's pc and it's great. Though there are some things I don't like.
- The Camera (it doesn't let me see Lara in ledges sometimes and freaks out at combat, and in crawlspaces)
- The constant background music
- Ledge Grabs (sorry they are HORRIBLE !!!)
- Lara jerks around with pistols where there' two targets or while on ledges. She keeps moving her arms every now and then.:o
The rest is fine.:jmp:
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