570°

Shadow Of The Tomb Raider – Better Left In The Shadows? | TGG

ThisGenGaming says:"Despite all the criticism I’m throwing at the game, I really do hope it’s worth playing. Lara’s previous two adventures have been some of my defining experiences with the current generation of consoles so I do really hope Shadow of the Tomb Raider is just as enjoyable. I just want to see them stepping out of their comfort zone a bit more with this title and bring us new things to experience."

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Thatguy-3102066d ago

This series has gotten worse as it progressed. The reboot is looking to remain the best one out of the new trilogy that we got

spartan112g2065d ago

Say what? Rise of the Tomb Raider is freaking amazing and people were clamoring for it to be GotY the year it released, or are we just going to forget that? It was also my GotY beating out Fallout 4.

Relientk772065d ago (Edited 2065d ago )

Rise of the Tomb Raider is amazing, so excited for Shadow of the Tomb Raider. All the trailers and gameplay looked great

JesusBuiltmyHotrod2065d ago

LOL..Rise was "By the numbers" AAA SP game, only many other games do everything better.

starchild2065d ago

Yeah, I really enjoyed the past two Tomb Raider games. I would say they are my favorite games in the series. The old games were great for their respective time periods, but the newer games are simply better. Which is true of most game series if you don't look at the past with rose tinted glasses. Modern games are usually more refined in every area, from gameplay to narrative, controls and presentation.

Profchaos2065d ago

Imo it recived lots of praise from the xbox crowd as it was their exclusive and shining beacon of what xbox could do for the first year.

During that time I played it on pc and thought it was pretty average compared to the reboot which was incredible they lost somthing in the special sauce between reboot and rise

bouzebbal2065d ago

i think TR should go back to the roots after the recent off-road the same way Capcom did with RE7.
i think last 2 episodes are good but they don't bring anything new.

maybe remaking TR1 TR2 TR3 TR4 would be a good thing for the series. i would love to explore these worlds again.

Cryptcuzz2065d ago

Rise of the tomb Raider is awesome. I still play it from time to time! I'll for sure be getting the new game and see how the story arc for this "origin story" plays out.

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Vegamyster2065d ago

Rise of the Tomb Raider while not as good overall as the first was still a great game.

Sweetbrandigirl2065d ago

YEP I couldn't agree more the first one was way better IMO too. I wasn't that impressed with Rise.

Inzo2065d ago

It didnt really get worse more than it just staying the same, it most certainly isnt the Tomb Raider of old. One thing that really annoyed me was that Lara found it tough to stay on her feet, she was constantly falling.

NeoGamer2322065d ago

I had a lot of fun with almost all the Tomb Raider games. The last two and hopefully this one included.

capjacksparrow2065d ago

I agree with you. I thought the reboot showed promise. RotTR did nothing for me and was one of the most forgettable games in recent memory, for me at least. The storytelling and character development were terrible. The mechanics worked well enough, but I don't play a single player game for the mechanics. Had to force myself to finish. I'm passing on this game, way too many games of higher quality coming out this year.

Yui_Suzumiya2065d ago

Rise of the Tomb Raider was amazing though.. I'd say even better than Tomb Raider because there was more variety and options in everything you could do.

MIDNIITE_Z3RO2065d ago

Yeah, gonna have to disagree with you there. I played both the reboot and Rise of the Tomb Raider, in their entirety, and Rise of the Tomb Raider was much better. It had all of the things the reboot had, plus it was larger in scale and brought back a lot of the old ideas and mechanics from the originals. Thought it was very well done. But I will say that it did remind me of Uncharted, so I'm hoping the new one puts a little distance between itself and Uncharted.

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AnubisG2065d ago

Well Tomb Raider is but a shadow(😋) of it's former self in the 90's. But as a huge TR fan I will be playing SotTR for sure. But I hope for a Tomb Raider trilogy remaster just like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro got. Thay would be the best. However, I know that there is probably 0 chance for that.

spartan112g2065d ago

Tomb Raider is better than it’s ever been. Way better than the 90’s games.

BehindTheRows2065d ago

Nah.

OT: I have hopes for this one. Definitely need more than thisgengaming’s opinion!

AnubisG2065d ago (Edited 2065d ago )

The problem with what you are saying is that you have to look at the games in context. When the first TR game released in the 90's, that was revolutionary. Everyone was talking about it. This new TR trilogy is just another game in the sea of games. Look at it this way: TR back than was the RDR2 or Cyberpunk 2077 of today. But people who disagreed with me were either too young or was not even born yet to remember what I said about the popularity of TR back in the 90's. Also these children are trying to look at the two games now and compare them 1:1 which is a huge mistake and you will not have a clue as I said if you were not alive or too young to remember gaming in the 90's.

GamingSinceForever2065d ago

The games from the 90’s inspired the reboots that you are talking about. I doibt that these reboots inspire another reboot in the future. The 90’s title actually lived up to the name “Tomb Raider” where as the latest versions could have any title slapped onto them.

The biggest change was in the 90’s the focus was on the puzzles, with the action secondary. Now the focus is on the action with the puzzles being optional.

Imalwaysright2065d ago

GamingSinceForever

TR has always been about exploration, combat and puzzle solving. Anyone saying otherwise doesn't know what TR is. There is more action in the reboots compared to Core Designs games but let's not pretend that action wasn't a big part of the IP.

Edito2065d ago

You are wrong my friend, Tomb Raider is going downhill because it's facing an identity crisis in my opinion... The the 90s tomb raider games are far far better than what we have now... that's why the game used to be so special not it's like ok it's an uncharted wanna be... it's still a good game but not a good Tomb Raider...

The director tried to address this identity issue in one of his interviews he made with IGN and i was really happy to hear that.

He said "Lara is on a path to became The Tomb Raider" they know they have to go back and make Lara Croft The Tomb Raider and the 3 games released are a building up to that end.

Watch this video on minute 0:53 https://www.youtube.com/wat...

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bluebenjamin2065d ago

Tomb raider 2 was my game!!!I agree remaster these remake them without changing the game (resident evil 2)

jbull2065d ago

Releasing in between Spider-Man, FIFA, AC Odyssey, Battlefield 5 and RDR2 I can see it bombing sales wise.

spartan112g2065d ago

I can see it doing well since it’s the only multi-plat game releasing in September that’s worth a damn. SpiderMan is an exclusive, so though I’m buying it, I’m also buying Tomb Raider on my Xbox.

jbull2065d ago

FIFA is bigger franchise, especially in Europe and that is releasing in September. Tomb raider really should have released in August it would have had a 4 week run with no competition. I don't think the executives running these companies realize that the vast majority of their customers are adults with disposable income and can afford to buy games all year round and not over rely on the fall/christmas window for sales.

Inzo2065d ago

Its going to have a tough time going up against some heavy hitters, so I cant see it doing particularly well, its not Uncharted you know. ;)

NeoGamer2322065d ago

I would see that as true if it was coming out with The Last of Us II or another Uncharted, but this comparison isn't really apples to apples,

jbull2065d ago

See those games I have mentioned above are big selling games with name recognition and Tomb Raider is nowhere near the franchise it used to be in the 90's and if the series is too have any chance to grow and be successful then releasing in a window that's not too clustered with heavy hitters is vital.
Look what happened to Titanfall 2, shame as it was a great game and EA might be nervy about releasing another one.

NeoGamer2322064d ago (Edited 2064d ago )

@jbull
Tomb Raider sales have fallen since Uncharted entered the space. Underwolrd was a dramatic failure because it wasn't nearly as good as Uncharted. True the first Tomb Raiders had better puzzles and stronger story elements, but the modern Tomb Raiders post Underworld improved gameplay dramatically to catch up to Uncharted in many ways. The story is still decent although not as strong. And puzzle solving improved in the last game, and I hope improves again in this one.

Also, comparing Tomb Raider's release to Titanfall 2 is not apples to apples. First Titanfall 2 is a shooter (Mech shooter but FPS nonetheless), It was up against Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty Infinite. That definitely would affect its sales.

I think Tomb Raider sales will be solid and it will continue to sell well until Last of Us II is released.

capjacksparrow2065d ago

I know I'm passing on TR for sure. Too many better games coming out.

UltraNova2065d ago

Exactly. I'm getting the inevitable GotY edition

starchild2065d ago

Like what? And how do you know? I assume you mean how the games seem to you right now, because you haven't played any of them. But, seriously, what are all these supposedly better games coming out over the next few months?

capjacksparrow2065d ago

@starchild

Spider-Man, RDR2, and Dragon Quest XI are my main 3. I'm basing the TR game on the previous entry, which, while it scored well, I thought was a steaming pile of forgettable nonsense. Some of the story moments and animations were cringeworthy. I can't trust game reviews for the next TR.

To sum up, the games I'm getting are based on previous games in the series and/or the developer. Based on this also, I'm not getting TR.

ShadowWolf7122065d ago

DQXI, Spider-Man, RDR2, Spyro, Valkyria Chronicles 4...

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tombfan2065d ago

Says a website that took screenshots with his phone...

bloodyspasm2065d ago

Same phone: http://thisgengaming.com/20...
Same phone: https://www.youtube.com/wat...
Though the booth's poor lightning can also play a factor, that didn't deceive my eyes. + It ran on an Xbox One X and the same samsung screen in all examples..
At the time of writing, the Square enix press site also didn't provide any press assets yet for Tomb Raider (we received a login + pw)
the booth also didn't allow a photographer to join me and take pictures.

RuleNumber52065d ago

You don’t need a login to download assets dude. This is basic stuff you didn’t even look into. Laaaaazy. So you have it tho, my friend sent me this: https://press.na.square-eni...

bloodyspasm2065d ago

@RuleNumber5: none of those screenshots are from the demo that was playable at Gamescom... If they let me play a specific section through a demo, why would I use images from another part of the game?

2065d ago
CarlDechance2065d ago (Edited 2065d ago )

Hmmm, was wondering how well TR would do without Gallagher. Meh.....wasn't planning on buying this year anyway. Too many other games to choose from this fall. I'll buy it next year when it goes on sale.......unless it gets horrible reviews.

capjacksparrow2065d ago

I'm passing entirely, myself. DQXI, Spider-Man, RDR2, and possibly a multiplayer game out of the bunch will keep me busy. What are you picking up?

CarlDechance2065d ago (Edited 2065d ago )

Probably the same as you along with Forza Horizon 4. Another packed fall. Another empty wallet at the end.

mark_parch2065d ago (Edited 2065d ago )

i'll be picking up spiderman, tomb raider, horizon 4 and rdr2 that should tide me over till next year when things are going to get really crazy jan-march with res 2 remake, kingdom hearts 3, days gone, metro, anthem, crackdown 3, devil may cry 5, division 2 and sekiro. no idea what I'm going to leave out of that bunch. not that interested in days gone and crackdown 3 but the rest look really good at the minute.

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250°

The Tomb Raider Survivor Trilogy's Take on Lara Croft Deserved More Recognition

The Survivor Trilogy was a drastic reimagining of Lara Croft and Tomb Raider, and it provokes changes for the character that are truly fantastic.

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gamerant.com
isarai467d ago (Edited 467d ago )

Deserves less IMO, i think the 1st in the new trilogy was a perfect 1st step for the new direction. The next 2 games were half steps at best. Not only that, every character in the series including Lara is just annoying and doesn't make sense in terms of motive, like yes they have a motive, but none of it seems proportional to the lengths they are willing to go through for it. The most annoying thing is every one of the games say "become the Tomb Raider" yet 3 games later and we're still not there? No thanks. Then there's the mess of the 3rd game, massive skill tree that serves almost no purpose as there's literally only like 3-4 short encounters in the whole game, and they took till the 3rd game to finally manage some decent puzzles even remotely close to previous games in the series. Nah, the trilogy infuriated me to no end as a long time fan of the series, i hope we get better going forward cause that crap sucked.

Army_of_Darkness465d ago

The first in the trilogy was my favorite. I thought they were going into the right direction with that one until the second one came out and seemed like a graphical downgrade but the gameplay was okay. As for the Third, Graphics were really nice but it was kinda boring me to death with its non-stop platforming and exploring with not enough action! Well, for me anyway...

DeathTouch465d ago

Graphics on the 3rd one were abysmal. It’s more colorful and has more variety, but everything else was a noticeable downgrade.

The more open world with NPC quests was also handled very poorly, to the point I missed Angel of Darkness.

thesoftware730465d ago

I know it is your opinion, but she did progress as a character in each game, she even got more muscular and seasoned.

That is the thing, people first complained that there was not enough platforming and actual tomb raiding in the first and second games. Shadow remedied that and kept the combat elements.

3-4 encounters? huh? did we play the same game? there was plenty of combat and, the skill tree did matter, like being able to hang enemies from trees, set explosives traps on bodies, being able to counter, and that are just a few of the combat skills. The skill tree also had things like being able to hold your breath underwater longer, crafting upgrades, zipline upgrade, and climbing upgrades that all changed how you can approach situations.

Not knocking your opinion, but we definitely had different experiences. I had 98% completion on the shadow.

SoulWarrior465d ago (Edited 465d ago )

Sorry but i'm with him about the low number of encounters, the game throws loads of weapons and skills you're way with a comparatively low amount of places to actually use them, so they felt under utilised.

-Foxtrot467d ago

Yeah...no

It was awful, for THREE GAMES it was "become the Tomb Raider" where she went back to square one after each game. Not to mention after a huge reaction of killing someone for the first time she then becomes Rambo straight after and goes on a slaughter spree without a single other reaction. Her development was all over the place.

She was whiney, weak and in later game a little arrogant and selfish

Oh and the voice actress compared to the previous ones was not as good

Lara Croft deserved better and while they are decent games as they are, we deserved actual Tomb Raider games, we could have had better survival games if they just stuck with the original Lara Crofts origin about her plane going down. Surviving 2 weeks in the Himalayas...I'd have liked to seen that, who knows what mystical threat she could have faced in the mountains or underground some secret concealed cave.

Tacoboto465d ago

I thought Shadow of the Tomb Raider had better gameplay than Rise, but it annoyed me the most of the trilogy when I stopped to think about the story.

It's like they deliberately decided to make her unlikeable and did nothing to make the character you're playing as likeable or have even one sign of humility.

SoulWarrior467d ago

2013 I thought was a fine entry, but Rise and especially Shadow were painfully mediocre follow ups imo, I really didn't like how selfish and angry her character was in those two.

Terry_B466d ago

No. Please forget the crap completely.

northpaws466d ago

First one was decent, played through it twice.
Second one was okay, played through it once.
Third one was really bad, tried twice a year apart, still can't get through the first two hours, it is just really bad.

thesoftware730465d ago

Honest question, what did you find bad about it? the opening 2 hrs of Shadow were fantastic imo.

The opening was very similar to the first 2, what did you find really bad?

Not looking for an argument, just an honest question.

Starman69465d ago

3rd one just didn't feel like a tomb raider game. Possibly because the development was passed to another development team. Big mistake! Microsoft killed tomb raider making the first game a timed exclusive. Never recovered after that.

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50°

Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Submerged, Knockout City bundle free at Epic Games Store

Starting today, Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, Submerged, and a Knockout City bundle are free at Epic Games Store. The free game offers run until September 8 at 11 AM Eastern. Once you claim them, they're yours to keep.

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330°

What a New Tomb Raider Game Can Learn From the Tomb Raider Reboot Trilogy

If a new Tomb Raider game is in development, there is a lot that Eidos Montreal could learn from the highs and lows of the reboot trilogy.

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masterfox836d ago

please bring back voluptuous Lara and change her annoying voice for god sake!, I started playing all three games from my PS4, PS5 and PC (yeah found those dirt cheap in price), but still never finished a single one of them cause the main character is soooo damn annoying!, well at least for me. :D

NerdBurglars836d ago

You just sound like a teenager with too many hormones

MadLad836d ago (Edited 836d ago )

Half the comments section is acting like they made her this 0/10 looking character wearing seven layers of clothes.

The games were well reviewed. The new Lara would be a model in real world terms. If the biggest recurring issue is she wasn't just modelesque, but also abnormally large breasts and skin tight/virtually no clothing, that's just sad.

"She wasn't made to be the literal idea of a blowup doll. It's the PC police at it again."

Fntastic836d ago

That's probably most of the ppl on here tbh, many have atrocious grammar too so it makes sense. Guess their parents let them run loose on the internet.

H9835d ago

Honestly everyone here talking about her appearance is annoying, as if the game is perfect and just needs a fix in the character model and that's it, both people who are with and against her new design care more about how female character looks than her character

dumahim835d ago

and short attention span.

moriarty1889835d ago (Edited 835d ago )

That’s the whole problem….people like you calling out someone else for having an opinion about an original character design like Lara Croft’s. She was designed in a more sexy form and it was part of her look.It was also part of the attraction for many gamers who actually liked her for whatever way they may have. Nothing wrong with wanting her to resemble her original form at all. Unless you don’t like other people enjoying characters for what they are to them. That is the definition of close minded. This is video games after all. NOT reality.

Elantregaless835d ago

Why do you hate teenagers ?

bloop835d ago

I thought the reboot trilogy were good games, but I'd like to see the old, original Lara back too. I don't care what she looks like, but I'd like the character to go back to the assertive, confident and kick ass original character. All Lara seemed to do in the reboot games was complain, and the voice actor was painful to listen to.

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TricksterArrow836d ago (Edited 836d ago )

I couldn't care less about Lara's boobs or lack of them. The game is just boring, and even the first, which is by far, the superior and most fun one of the bunch, is atrociously written. That campfire scene of Lara and her friend with a strange islander after she witnessed murder and was chased almost to death by another islander was so badly conceived it hurts my brain... Holy molly.

Get a better writter. It's that simple.

moralsup835d ago

lmao this is sad, what are you, 14?

MrChow666835d ago

Are you a prudish Goody two-shoes?

Binarycode835d ago (Edited 835d ago )

Totally Agree. I've played everyone ever made. Original 3 were by far the best.

The recent ones have too much whiney vocals, I don't need to hear everything she is doing every second.lol.

I'm surprised they never included her tummy rumbling in the audio. Or having a dump in the bushes.

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Christopher835d ago

Modern trilogy based on a real-world woman for voice and design.

Older games based purely on imagination regarding design.

Yeah, censoring "women."

gamer7804835d ago (Edited 835d ago )

That is not really true or it’s misleading. All Lara Croft characters were based on imagination. None have been based off a real woman. Toby created Lara Croft to break stereotypes about females needing to be a damsel in distress. So he created her to and being tough and self reliant and can still be beautiful and attractive. There have been so many cosplays of all versions of Lara Croft so any could be a real world woman and is besides the point. But she has moved a bit further away from Tony’s original version and there are many who would like to see Lara return to form being all of those things.

At the very least give her her shorts, acrobatics and dual pistols back. That would be a start.

Christopher835d ago (Edited 835d ago )

*** All Lara Croft characters were based on imagination.***

Camilla Luddington was the base for both the voice and look of the new Lara. So, no.

@below: This is obviously about looks, not actions in-game. Your post is nonsensical as it relates nothing to the discussion. Let alone I said "for voice and design" and didn't say "for in-game combat and actions."

The back bending some of you are doing to try and have a point is ridiculous.

bunt-custardly835d ago

"based on a real world woman for voice and design".

You have got to be joking surely? Did you play any of the games? The feats this "based on a real world woman" accomplishes are fantastical from start to finish. I am glad you said "based" more like loosely based in a purely imaginative way.

gamer7804835d ago (Edited 835d ago )

Additionally, Sure they both had voice actresses, Kelley and Camilla, (personally preferred keeley) but they weren’t modeled specifically after an actual woman’s looks, just voice and mocap. ( ie your comment on design).

bunt-custardly835d ago (Edited 835d ago )

Obviously not Christopher. "Design" covers the entire spectrum as far as I am concerned, and in context of the article, quite relevant. You should have defined what you meant by "design" better. If you had said "looks" or "appearance" then there would be no confusion.

Christopher835d ago

Sure, bunt, sure. We're talking about a character, we obviously mean game design as well. Sounds logical to me.

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Bathory666836d ago (Edited 836d ago )

I beat the trilogy, but the first reboot on ps3 was the best. Camilla luddington was amazing as lara. Rise and shadow were good, but something just felt off. They didn’t have the spirit of the reboot. Really hoping the next game is good and it moves forward.

LucasRuinedChildhood835d ago (Edited 835d ago )

I thought Camilla luddington's performance wasn't great, tbh. In real life, she sounds like an American doing a REALLY bad English accent (rather than the other way around) because she moved to America when she was young.

That also translates to the accent in the game. haha. It just didn't sound right at all and is obviously fake. The over-emphasis on certain words makes her sound ... at best strange, and at worst a bit dumb. The pronunciations are often wrong as well.

Honestly though, I could accept all that if the characterization and story were compelling (that's not her fault). I had no investment in the character.

I didn't play Shadow, but I thought these games tortured her without any real purpose. The GCI trailer for Rise acted like the game would delve into her psychological state (therapy session scene) which would be interesting but it never does. She doesn't feel like a fully developed character, she feels more like a prop for the game to mess with and gruesomely put through Mortal Kombat-style fatalities if you make a mistake and die. Let her be a person and give her some good dialogue.

These are also the only games where ludonarrative dissonance is obvious to me when I'm actually playing because the games draw attention to it.

Knightofelemia836d ago (Edited 836d ago )

I didn't mind the trilogy except for Shadow of the Tomb Raider the ending was honestly probably going to ruin it but it was shit. I mean Uncharted Lost Legacy had a better ending and it was a shorter game. Too make Lara great again you have to rebuild her from the ground up listen to fan input learn what works and what doesn't work and take it from there with her.

zsquaresoff836d ago

Make it more like the 1st game of the trilogy and don't make the map unnecessarily big with tons of collectibles.
And make Lara sexy again.

moriarty1889835d ago

Yes make her sexy the way she originally was. Nothing evil or wrong with that at all. She is a video game character after all ……..ffs it’s not a real person. Video games are meant to be for fun and for the imagination. This new anti sexy anti feminine movement in games against female characters who originally were made that way is ridiculous. People need to stop taking everything so serious and looking for problems with everything in life. That’s why we are at this point in gaming with characters like Lara.

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