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Old 31-03-18, 00:28   #1
iWANEX
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Default The Beauty of a Trilogy

I wanted to start a new thread so we can discuss our thoughts on what CD is trying to accomplish with their reboot trilogy, our perception, our wishes, our fears on the future of the franchise, how a good trilogy should end in a video game, what could come next, and how Lara as character should be portrayed considering her journey from TR2013 until Shadow (and in future installments, if they consider appropriate to expand this era beyond 3 games).

I would like to start the conversation with the posters they've released so far. We've talked about them a little bit today and how brilliant it is that they tell a story when you see them next to each other.



Some people have noticed the following:

- Color vibrance increasing between renders.
- Lara looking to the left, center and right.
- Lara's character being vulnerable in the first one, then curious and finally more prepared.

I'd like to add that in the first photo she's just standing up, unprepared, and a little bit clueless of what's to come. In the second photo she's more suspicious in a way, she's starting to blend with the environment and looks a little bit more prepared. Finally, in the new one she's pretty much crawling. She looks like a predator, ready for anything.

What do you guys think?

Please, keep in mind that this is a positive thread about CD's reboot trilogy and is meant for people who are fans of it. Everyone's entitled to their opinion but this is not one of those "I can't wait for this era to be over" kind of threads. Thanks!

Last edited by iWANEX; 29-04-18 at 01:15.
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Old 31-03-18, 00:36   #2
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IDEA: Maybe it would be more interested if you posted first renders of every game, if you know what I mean? Could you do that?

Other than that, her confidence and more fearless face expression tells us how much she has changed. We can see how she's ready to face whatever's on her way in the SotTR render.
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Old 31-03-18, 00:43   #3
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I feel they need to deliver with Shadow in particular as its success as the closing entry could break or validate the entire trilogy. That means the story and Lara’s progression has to be confident and hard-hitting, no more umming and ahing or playing things safe. From there, we’ll see what the future holds.
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Old 31-03-18, 01:03   #4
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as much as i love the renders, i’m afraid i would only perceive them to be telling a story because i already know they do. there’s not that much cohesion between them.

which brings me to my point gworls

trilogies can be beautiful and are necessary when you’re trying to tell an origin story (unless you plan to make one single game that is as long as the sum of three games would be) because you cannot depict a realistic and enthralling character evolution in 10 hours of gameplay. BUT(T).
this reboot trilogy lacks cohesiveness. i do not blame that on any parts involved in the development because i don’t know sh*t about what went on behind the scenes but it really doesn’t feel like something that was planned and polished and defined from the start to me.
my two main examples:
- lara’s face changed 3 times between TR2013 and ROTTR and will most likely change again in SOTTR, which is not the worst thing that could ever happen to our universe but it does kill any chances that the games had at displaying the phisicalities of lara’s evolution.
- the comics. WHY. i haven’t read most of them so i’m not bashing them but i do feel like their inclusion is terrible. because whenever i go from playing one game to the next one i get this really ugly feeling that there’s a huge chunk of lara’s story that’s simply missing and that between lara’s return from Yamatai and her expedition in Syria she’s been on 385838483 other adventures and that SUCKS because realistically they don’t matter but they do because they’re canon??? i need to sit down.

so yeah. i’m loving these games despite their white ledges-like flaws but i struggle to see them as a functioning trilogy.
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Old 31-03-18, 01:10   #5
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I do hope the colour in the third render suggests more colour in-game, but the pose and how Lara generally looks is very promising.

I think the face changes are to be expected with improving graphics. I'd like them to keep the same face, but I don't expect it and given it can be hard to re-create exactly the same look in better graphics.

What I hope, strictly speaking about the trilogy, is that we won't see more segments that seem an almost like-for-like copy of previous games. As has been pointing out before, there were some sections of Rise that literally looked like areas ripped straight from 2013 and re-skinned. That really shouldn't be happening unless there's some narrative point to it.
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Old 31-03-18, 01:48   #6
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I'm just not seeing what everyone else is; that Shadow artwork sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the other two and I don't see any "consistency" at all. Yeah, it's easy to spot between TR2013 and Rise (even a little too same-y for my taste), but that Shadow artwork? Sorry, but I think others are reaching for something that isn't there. I'm not entirely convinced that this "journey through images" concept is intentional either - it could just be coincidences; I just need a little bit more than "she's facing that way now and she looks fierce this time" to be convinced. I mean, it's nice that fans can speculate about these things and some theories are genuinely interesting, but until CD confirm themselves that this "progressing imagery" theory is true, I won't believe it.
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Old 31-03-18, 01:56   #7
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CD definitely has a theme for their covers, and it definitely is right there. Like come on, how is it a coincidence for the first cover to show Lara sheltered, the next cover showing her embracing what’s to come, and the third (hopefully the cover) to show her prepared and ready to face the danger head on. Her expressioN, her posture, and everything.
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Old 31-03-18, 02:00   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikky View Post
I'm just not seeing what everyone else is; that Shadow artwork sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the other two and I don't see any "consistency" at all. Yeah, it's easy to spot between TR2013 and Rise (even a little too same-y for my taste), but that Shadow artwork? Sorry, but I think others are reaching for something that isn't there. I'm not entirely convinced that this "journey through images" concept is intentional either - it could just be coincidences; I just need a little bit more than "she's facing that way now and she looks fierce this time" to be convinced. I mean, it's nice that fans can speculate about these things and some theories are genuinely interesting, but until CD confirm themselves that this "progressing imagery" theory is true, I won't believe it.
From the images, at least I see:

TR - She has an expression of being lost. Her pose shows vulnerability. She’s insecure.

Rise - She looks curious. But her pose shows that she’s still cautious.

Shadow - She looks determined. Fierce.

To me, this the impression I get from the renders

Edit:
OMG AntRaidsTombs we’ve almost said the same thing/have the same interpretation! Hey there twin!

Last edited by Vaskito; 31-03-18 at 02:02.
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Old 31-03-18, 02:18   #9
iWANEX
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheShadowOfMe View Post
IDEA: Maybe it would be more interested if you posted first renders of every game, if you know what I mean? Could you do that?
What do you mean? The first render was Lara's face on the cover of GameInformer as far as I remember. I decided to use these because there's a high chance for the new one to become the cover of the game and it's fun to compare them, that's all.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Grimaldi View Post
I feel they need to deliver with Shadow in particular as its success as the closing entry could break or validate the entire trilogy. That means the story and Lara’s progression has to be confident and hard-hitting, no more umming and ahing or playing things safe. From there, we’ll see what the future holds.
Oh I agree with you. I think Rise moved things forward in terms of gameplay and overall story but it was very safe in a way. It lacked the impact that TR2013 had. Specially Lara's arc as a character.

Quote:
Originally Posted by OrangeJuice View Post
this reboot trilogy lacks cohesiveness. i do not blame that on any parts involved in the development because i don’t know sh*t about what went on behind the scenes but it really doesn’t feel like something that was planned and polished and defined from the start to me.
I don't really know if they planned the whole thing from scratch. Most likely scenario is that they focused on the first game with a general idea of how the character would evolve in the next two. They implied this being a trilogy from the beginning so it'd be weird for them not to think ahead. As for cohesiveness (between TR2013 and Rise), I personally see no problems in the story and Lara's motivations. Care to explain a little bit more?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Yeauxleaux View Post
I do hope the colour in the third render suggests more colour in-game, but the pose and how Lara generally looks is very promising.

I think the face changes are to be expected with improving graphics. I'd like them to keep the same face, but I don't expect it and given it can be hard to re-create exactly the same look in better graphics.

What I hope, strictly speaking about the trilogy, is that we won't see more segments that seem an almost like-for-like copy of previous games. As has been pointing out before, there were some sections of Rise that literally looked like areas ripped straight from 2013 and re-skinned. That really shouldn't be happening unless there's some narrative point to it.
I completely agree with you. Didn't like how the end part of Rise felt a lot like the end of TR2013. Hopefully they won't do that again, although I'd love for the immortality theme and Himiko/Divine Source to be related with Shadow somehow.
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Old 31-03-18, 02:20   #10
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What facial expressions are you seeing? Yeah, I'll give you the Rise one because her mouth is slightly open, but Lara literally has a poker face in TR2013 and Shadow's artwork - there are no expressions there at all. xD I'm zooming in Shadow's artwork now, and she's just looking up slightly; her eyebrows are not turned down, she isn't squinting her eyes, nor is she frowning at all - there is nothing to suggest a facial expression that resembles "fierce". Now the posture I definitely see in the artworks of TR2013 and Rise, but she's "prepared" in Shadow's artwork? Well okay, say that's true, but how is she any less prepared than Rise's cover? If you ask me, she just looks like she's hiding and getting ready to attack someone. Or maybe she's sliding down the branch and about to jump off. I mean, it could be anything, why does it have to suggest that she's "ready for a journey"?

Let's just say that like all art, it's open to interpretation, and if you want to think that she's "fierce" and "prepared", go for it, but all I see is a beautifully rendered CGI piece of Lara in the jungle in a quiet, pre-emptive stance, and I see it as it's own standalone work.
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