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Old 13-03-20, 11:28   #1
Chamayoo
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Default What LAU did better than the other eras in your opinion ?

It's not rare that LAU is considered as an overlooked era, not enough Classic as the Classics, not enough trending like the Reboot era. Or some fans like the era as a lovely blend of modern and classic.
So I wondered ! What do you think of some things - important or nitpicky - that have been done better than the other eras ?


I have some ideas :

- Replayability
Legend and Anniversary had a lot of unlocked rewards, time trials and their accessibility made them easy to return with.
Though it's not like some other games hadn't a lot of replay factor. TR3 and Rise come in mind as closed.

- Boss Fight
TRL and TRA weren't the first to innovate the boss fight mechanic and make a blend between puzzle and combat . AOD did try with its boss fights but unfortunately they are all almost broken. The reboot games had some nice ones like Baba Yaga and Amaru but not sure they were as good as TRL/TRA boss fights.

- Vehicle maniability
I thought the motorcycle in TRU controled the most decently ? I haven't problem with the motorboat or quad in the Classics that worked find but the other ones are... something. The kayak in mind.

- Underwater fight
Well Underworld was the only one to go deeply in that territory and I thought it was alright... I also go as far as saying that it worked better than regular combat on land hahaha. At least the dodges worked underwater. Shame that mechanic was underused as the enemies were so rare and sharks could easy ignore you if you're not close enough.
Also the harpoon gun was fine to use, unlike TR2 and TR3 were it was tedious in this case.


Do you share some of these opinions ? Not at all ? Do you have other ideas ? Or absolutely none at all ?

Last edited by Chamayoo; 13-03-20 at 11:30.
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Old 13-03-20, 13:57   #2
Nigel Cassidy
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Lara Croft. Together with the LC series the LAU Lara is the best in my opinion: a larger than life action-adventure hero, but not an overly aggressive and unlikable bitch like most female action heroes. She does have a soft and human side. Still, she is all the things that I think Lara Croft ought to be: capable, confident, adventurous, sexy, aristocratic, British, smart, sophisticated.
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Old 13-03-20, 14:25   #3
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I 100% agree with you two.

LAU Lara was the best, she wasn't just a one-line killer vending machine, she actually had charm, she was charismatic, likeable and funny. She also enjoyed what she did, her conversations with Zip proved it.

She also had different attitudes towards the games that weren't abrupt or unbelievable. I like how in Legend's final battle she got all angry to Amanda, but she forgave her. This meant a lot: she felt sorry for leaving Amanda and she wasn't scared of Amanda coming back at her. THE NERVE.
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Old 13-03-20, 14:35   #4
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I must agree because Legend Lara is my favourite one.
Also a thing I love about LAU Lara (and Keeley performance) is that when she is in rage it's quite exhilarating !!

BUT I wouldn't be as severe over Classic Lara. I find in TR4 to AOD she was more than one liner killing machine. The fact she could show some sentiment in rare occasions despite to look so reserved add a charm to her. She is not eager to show feelings but nevertheless she feels.

Last edited by Chamayoo; 13-03-20 at 14:39.
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Old 14-03-20, 01:52   #5
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Controls!!!
Boss fights
Vehicle control/sections
Movements/Acrobatics
Lara Croft character/personality
Nice Unlockable Outfits to use wherever you like
Various cool unlockables for collecting rewards (bonus outfits, extras)
Replay factor

Last edited by GabrielCroft; 18-03-20 at 16:02.
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Old 14-03-20, 07:16   #6
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It features the best version of Lara Croft.
Keeley Hawes is in my opinion the best voice actor for Lara.
The boss fights were fun and the combat was a great evolution of the classic formula.
It had the best outfits.

This may be controversial but I think Anniversary had the best secret system out of any of the other TR games.
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Old 17-03-20, 05:05   #7
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Replayability and boss fights for sure! Legend is perfect for casual gaming. Not very difficult, short levels keep your attention, and tons of things to unlock. It's a bit of a double edged sword though, because the non-difficulty and short levels are also my main gripes with that game. Ah well.

Boss fights in Anniversary are a great mix of pumping as much lead into the enemy as you can while also being mini puzzles. I don't mind a good shoot-until-they're-dead boss fight, but the puzzle elements make them a lot more rewarding and fun. The centaur boss fight is particularly tricky but super fun.

The LAU games definitely have the most fluid and acrobatic move set of the series. If Underworld hadn't been such a clunky mess to control, it would have been awesome. Especially the fact that Lara can use her gun pretty much anywhere - hanging from ledges, standing on poles, underwater. Would be a huge plus if the control was smooth.

The classic and AOD have the best music IMO but the LAU era definitely comes in second. Reboot era hasn't had anything that great. While I do enjoy the TR2013 and Shadow soundtracks, they still don't hold a candle to those original soundtracks.

It's kind of shallow, but Lara definitely had the best outfits in the LAU era. Her default outfit in Underworld is pretty blah and unremarkable, but her casual outfit and snow suits are great. And the plethora of costumes in Legend are all great. Such a huge variety and all very stylish.
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Old 17-03-20, 14:43   #8
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-They nailed her personality. She has a softer side, but that doesn't consume her nor lets others take advantage of her. She's tough and arrogant but she's also funny and sympathetic.

-The most athletic version of Lara so far.

-LAU might not be the most hardcore TR games, but they are definitely the most fun.
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Old 17-03-20, 16:48   #9
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I don't know if I'd say it did these things better than the rest, I'd say they're up there with the best of all TR:

1 - Pretty Lara. In Legend she had a really pretty face.

2 - Great mystery. Absolutely love the idea of diases hidden among the ruins of the world connecting to somewhere magical / otherworldly / advanced ancient civilisation long disappeared......

3 - A strong voice actor. I don't mean the timbre of the voice, I mean the actual voice acting skills which Keeley has in spades.

4 - Some beautiful looking environments..... Egypt (TRA) and Mexico (TRU) come immediately to mind.

5 - Storyline. It's up there with the best of the TR storylines (if not the best) even though there are elements that I'm not fond of.



---
There is a list that I have though that I think the LAU era did pretty bad and ironically some of it is making people's "better than" lists. Just goes to show one size does not fit all when it comes to TR.

Last edited by Blackmoor; 17-03-20 at 16:50.
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Old 19-03-20, 12:47   #10
Ashnod
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackmoor View Post
I don't know if I'd say it did these things better than the rest, I'd say they're up there with the best of all TR:

1 - Pretty Lara. In Legend she had a really pretty face.

2 - Great mystery. Absolutely love the idea of diases hidden among the ruins of the world connecting to somewhere magical / otherworldly / advanced ancient civilisation long disappeared......

3 - A strong voice actor. I don't mean the timbre of the voice, I mean the actual voice acting skills which Keeley has in spades.

4 - Some beautiful looking environments..... Egypt (TRA) and Mexico (TRU) come immediately to mind.

5 - Storyline. It's up there with the best of the TR storylines (if not the best) even though there are elements that I'm not fond of.
Yes.

Quote:
---
There is a list that I have though that I think the LAU era did pretty bad and ironically some of it is making people's "better than" lists. Just goes to show one size does not fit all when it comes to TR.
It's true. I want to expand more on that, but...for now, I'll just say, I agree, one size definitely does not fit all when it comes to TR.
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