Ezekiel
Arcane
- Joined
- May 3, 2017
- Messages
- 5,498
Let's ignore for a moment what the market wants, what sells. I wanna know what you want.
It might also help if you explained which games you've played, but it's unnecessary.
Before I start my rant, I should probably explain that I've only beaten Tomb Raider (2013), Anniversary, The Guardian of Light, Legend, Underworld and Rise of the Tomb Raider. In that order. Right now I'm making my way through Tomb Raider II. I'm in level 5, Offshore Rig. I find it somewhat obtuse, but I'm having a good time. The next one I wanna play is The Last Revelation, as it's pretty highly regarded by the fans. My favorite is still Anniversary. I loved the sprawling solitary environments and the emphasis on puzzle platforming.
I played the 2013 reboot a few times when it came out and collected everything on the map. I liked it at first, but the more I went back to it, the worse I found it. It's uninspired and, for a game that focuses so much on shooting, too simplistic and easy. One of the things I dislike most about it is Lara herself. I tried to explain it in a review.
I wish they'd stop trying to humanize Lara. They're not doing a good job. In the old games, Lara was sort of an empty shell, a vehicle for the gameplay, and that's how I liked it. I don't wanna know much about her, just as I don't wanna know much about the man with no name or the ronin from Yojimbo. The old games barely had cutscenes because they weren't necessary to progress the minimalist stories. I found the lack of cutscenes and loud music relaxing. Most games now rely far too much cutscenes. I feel relieved to play games with simpler stories, like Inside and Little Nightmares. I don't think the 2013 reboot is solely responsible for the Tomb Raider games now focusing so much on cutscenes and Lara herself. Legend and Underworld had that whole thing about her mother and featured more dialogue and cutscenes. I hope the characters will improve now that writer Rhianna Pratchett has left Crystal Dynamics, even if the publisher will undoubtedly continue to focus on the wrong things.
I played Rise of the Tomb Raider just once and found that a little better than the reboot. It had a few more puzzles and tombs between all the killing. But it was easy as well. One of the main problems, I find, is that the upgrade system unbalances the action. Either you don't upgrade your guns and abilities and the enemies become annoying bullet sponges, or you collect items and XP and overpower yourself. I played it on the highest difficulty and usually died because of the clunky platforming mechanics and trying to figure out what the game wanted me to do, not because of bullets. Rise still takes itself too seriously. I don't think the grim tone lends itself to the adventure genre. And instead of being a contradiction as in the first game, who doesn't even like tombs, this Lara was just bland.
I also believe the new games are too automated. It's a problem with modern jumping and climbing in general. No longer do you have to time your jump or judge distances, the game will steer the character for you. It removes the sense of accomplishment and risk. The bits of platforming that there are have been simplified by the slow axe climbing mechanic. You can't run on walls with a rope anymore, kick away from walls, swim and dive freely underwater, swing on pipes... When you do touch a pipe, Lara will automatically swing from it to the next platform. They also removed the grapple (retractable rope). If I made a mistake and some of these actions do appear in the new games, it's because the puzzle platforming has been severely reduced in favor of mediocre gunfights, largely relegated to a few optional tombs.
What was the point of Lara dual wielding the pistols at the end of Tomb Raider (2013) if they weren't gonna do anything with that in the sequel? Bring back the second pistol! I would also drop the over-the-shoulder camera (left trigger / right mouse button). It doesn't suit a gunslinging acrobat like Lara Croft. It slows down the action too much. I always thought the gunplay of Tomb Raider should have more in common with Max Payne than Uncharted. I want the little dot to appear on the center of the picture at all times whenever I'm holding my guns and for Lara to be able to RUN sideways and backwards as she is aiming. I'm pretty sure the only reason over-the-shoulder views and aiming down iron sights have become so popular in games is because of controllers. In the early years of 3D console games, developers relied on auto-aiming, because they knew how inefficient and uncomfortable it was to drag the stick towards a desired point while using another stick for navigation. I don't care if this hypothetical Tomb Raider has optional auto-aiming and aim assist; as long as I can play it with my keyboard and mouse without any of those crutches and with the over-the-shoulder view gone, I'm happy.
I would remove the upgrade system completely, keeping the gunplay balanced throughout the adventure. I would also remove the bow, as it doesn't really suit Lara.
I would definitely cut down on the action. Tomb Raider should mainly be about exploring big elaborate environments. I want it to be the best puzzle platformer around, with more responsive and versatile controls than in the previous games. I don't want it to be as vague as Tomb Raider II. I've had to look at walkthroughs a few times. It should be somewhat in the realm of fantasy to allow for more complex level design and supernatural enemies. I want a lighter tone, no quick-time events and far fewer cutscenes. Use cutscenes when they're necessary, but also let the environments and gameplay tell the story. I want Lara to enjoy herself and have a sense of humor. I mean, she's there because she loves adventuring. Let her be sassy at times. She should be attractive, obviously. I want her to be tall, lean and somewhat muscular, like an athlete.
I think a game like this could be financially successful if the publisher were realistic about their budget. SquareEnix was unsatsified with the sales of Tomb Raider and Rise of the Tomb Raider, so maybe it's time for them to stop emulating Uncharted, which does it better anyway.
It might also help if you explained which games you've played, but it's unnecessary.
Before I start my rant, I should probably explain that I've only beaten Tomb Raider (2013), Anniversary, The Guardian of Light, Legend, Underworld and Rise of the Tomb Raider. In that order. Right now I'm making my way through Tomb Raider II. I'm in level 5, Offshore Rig. I find it somewhat obtuse, but I'm having a good time. The next one I wanna play is The Last Revelation, as it's pretty highly regarded by the fans. My favorite is still Anniversary. I loved the sprawling solitary environments and the emphasis on puzzle platforming.
I played the 2013 reboot a few times when it came out and collected everything on the map. I liked it at first, but the more I went back to it, the worse I found it. It's uninspired and, for a game that focuses so much on shooting, too simplistic and easy. One of the things I dislike most about it is Lara herself. I tried to explain it in a review.
I wish they'd stop trying to humanize Lara. They're not doing a good job. In the old games, Lara was sort of an empty shell, a vehicle for the gameplay, and that's how I liked it. I don't wanna know much about her, just as I don't wanna know much about the man with no name or the ronin from Yojimbo. The old games barely had cutscenes because they weren't necessary to progress the minimalist stories. I found the lack of cutscenes and loud music relaxing. Most games now rely far too much cutscenes. I feel relieved to play games with simpler stories, like Inside and Little Nightmares. I don't think the 2013 reboot is solely responsible for the Tomb Raider games now focusing so much on cutscenes and Lara herself. Legend and Underworld had that whole thing about her mother and featured more dialogue and cutscenes. I hope the characters will improve now that writer Rhianna Pratchett has left Crystal Dynamics, even if the publisher will undoubtedly continue to focus on the wrong things.
I played Rise of the Tomb Raider just once and found that a little better than the reboot. It had a few more puzzles and tombs between all the killing. But it was easy as well. One of the main problems, I find, is that the upgrade system unbalances the action. Either you don't upgrade your guns and abilities and the enemies become annoying bullet sponges, or you collect items and XP and overpower yourself. I played it on the highest difficulty and usually died because of the clunky platforming mechanics and trying to figure out what the game wanted me to do, not because of bullets. Rise still takes itself too seriously. I don't think the grim tone lends itself to the adventure genre. And instead of being a contradiction as in the first game, who doesn't even like tombs, this Lara was just bland.
I also believe the new games are too automated. It's a problem with modern jumping and climbing in general. No longer do you have to time your jump or judge distances, the game will steer the character for you. It removes the sense of accomplishment and risk. The bits of platforming that there are have been simplified by the slow axe climbing mechanic. You can't run on walls with a rope anymore, kick away from walls, swim and dive freely underwater, swing on pipes... When you do touch a pipe, Lara will automatically swing from it to the next platform. They also removed the grapple (retractable rope). If I made a mistake and some of these actions do appear in the new games, it's because the puzzle platforming has been severely reduced in favor of mediocre gunfights, largely relegated to a few optional tombs.
What was the point of Lara dual wielding the pistols at the end of Tomb Raider (2013) if they weren't gonna do anything with that in the sequel? Bring back the second pistol! I would also drop the over-the-shoulder camera (left trigger / right mouse button). It doesn't suit a gunslinging acrobat like Lara Croft. It slows down the action too much. I always thought the gunplay of Tomb Raider should have more in common with Max Payne than Uncharted. I want the little dot to appear on the center of the picture at all times whenever I'm holding my guns and for Lara to be able to RUN sideways and backwards as she is aiming. I'm pretty sure the only reason over-the-shoulder views and aiming down iron sights have become so popular in games is because of controllers. In the early years of 3D console games, developers relied on auto-aiming, because they knew how inefficient and uncomfortable it was to drag the stick towards a desired point while using another stick for navigation. I don't care if this hypothetical Tomb Raider has optional auto-aiming and aim assist; as long as I can play it with my keyboard and mouse without any of those crutches and with the over-the-shoulder view gone, I'm happy.
I would remove the upgrade system completely, keeping the gunplay balanced throughout the adventure. I would also remove the bow, as it doesn't really suit Lara.
I would definitely cut down on the action. Tomb Raider should mainly be about exploring big elaborate environments. I want it to be the best puzzle platformer around, with more responsive and versatile controls than in the previous games. I don't want it to be as vague as Tomb Raider II. I've had to look at walkthroughs a few times. It should be somewhat in the realm of fantasy to allow for more complex level design and supernatural enemies. I want a lighter tone, no quick-time events and far fewer cutscenes. Use cutscenes when they're necessary, but also let the environments and gameplay tell the story. I want Lara to enjoy herself and have a sense of humor. I mean, she's there because she loves adventuring. Let her be sassy at times. She should be attractive, obviously. I want her to be tall, lean and somewhat muscular, like an athlete.
I think a game like this could be financially successful if the publisher were realistic about their budget. SquareEnix was unsatsified with the sales of Tomb Raider and Rise of the Tomb Raider, so maybe it's time for them to stop emulating Uncharted, which does it better anyway.
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