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So after finally finishing the (single-player) game years later...


TimeLordCrow13y

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 I mostly didn’t enjoy this. And that’s coming from someone who is a big fan of classic Tomb Raider. Turning a puzzle platforming/exploration  series with light combat into a full blown cover shooter with little focus on any of the original elements was...certainly an idea. While the combat was frustratingly difficult (I’m not sure if I’d EVER played a cover shooter before this one, unless RE4 counts-so I know I’m a “noob” at this genre) the “optional tombs” were mind-numbingly easy. And don’t even get me started on what they did to Lara’s character. 

 

I had really wanted to complete all the Tomb Raider trophies (minus the duplicates, largely because I have no desire to experience this game again-and I haven’t even started the bloody multiplayer yet) but am now unsure about if I want to continue this trilogy or not. I know the second and especially third game have more elaborate tombs, but I’m worried the core gameplay loop (kill wave after wave of enemies, for 15 minutes, do some easy platforming for 5 minutes, take another 5 minutes or less completing an optional tomb) will be the same. 

 

Can anyone who’s a fan of the original games (or the first reboot trilogy) chime in on whether they enjoyed the other games in this series? Particularly if they didn’t like TR 2013 all that much? 

Edited by TimeLordCrow13y
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I fully agree with you on this.

I just played it by myself.

 

I even skipped most cutscenes. I already knew it was bad, they simply turned Tomb Raider into a chest high cover 3rd person shooter. And Laura is a whining little brat.

"Oh no, I killed a human being, I feel so bad" 5 seconds later "ok, let's go on a mass murder rampage, because who cares lmao". They could have ended it with the Last of Us 2 message "revenge bad, but it's great when you kill thousand people in between yolo"

The platforming is ridiculous. Some people will probably call that snappy controls. I call it utter nonsense and the game basically playing itself. There is no momentum.

"hidden tomb nearby" prompt is quite a joke. wtf were the developers thinking.

And then all these QTEs. I didn't expect these everywhere.

The developers really must think video game players are really really stupid.

 

They could have made this about exploration, and survival, but nope. Mindless shooting people it is.

 

I found the Crystal Dynamics Tomb Raider games before this one quite bad already, except for Anniversary, but that one copied over the great Core Design levels for the most part. And in the Anniversary remake you killed 2 or 3 humans if I remember correctly.

 

I'm really happy that I bought it used, so the devs didn't get a dime.

Edited by OldJimiDini
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yes, this game and this series really, "modern TR" didn't age well or turn well at all, gameplay if very floaty, story is... there isn't a story, character designs are dumb, and Lara is not Lara, this is just another boring empty character that just so happens is named Lara

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On 30/04/2021 at 3:24 AM, TimeLordCrow13y said:

but am now unsure about if I want to continue this trilogy or not. I know the second and especially third game have more elaborate tombs, but I’m worried the core gameplay loop (kill wave after wave of enemies, for 15 minutes, do some easy platforming for 5 minutes, take another 5 minutes or less completing an optional tomb) will be the same.

 

The channel "Worth a Buy" said about the 2nd or the 3rd one "amazing graphics", but the rest is crap and basically the same.

 

 

 

These should answer your question. I said avoid.

btw. I actually had more fun watching these 2 videos again than I had playing the game.

 

Edited by OldJimiDini
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I'm a massive fan of the Core Design games, and have extremely mixed feelings about all the games that came after. As far as the (second) reboot games go, I'd say Tomb Raider 2013 is the best of the trilogy.

 

Rise is offensively bland. It doubles down on the third-person shooting, with virtually no enemy variety beyond mercenaries with machine guns and mercenaries with heavy weapons. There's also some kind of storyline, but it's difficult to pay attention considering all the eye-rolling you'll be doing.

 

Shadow is a little more interesting, and probably the closest the series has got to 'creepy' since The Angel of Darkness. But it's just not very fun. It probably has the weakest level design of all three reboot games - although I still vastly prefer it over Rise.

 

Basically, if you disliked Tomb Raider 2013, I seriously doubt you'll get anything out of Rise. If you don't care about the story and you can pick it up cheap, you might still want to check out Shadow. It tones down the combat and puts more focus on puzzles and exploration - although it probably won't leave much of an impression by the time the credits roll.

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Personally, I enjoyed the reboot trilogy but I also never played the original games. If you didn't like the first game in the reboot I highly doubt you will like the sequels. Though Shadow does have one of the most badass moments in gaming in recent memory when Laura comes out of the water like Rambo hell bent on revenge.

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I love TR 2013. It was one of my favourite games when it came out and would probably still make my top 10. I don't remember Rise as much when I played it on Xbox, I do remember killing a lot though. I recently played Shadow and  believe there is a really good chance that you may like that one. There's barely any combat compared to the others and it's mostly puzzles and exploration. I can't promise anything but the reasons you've given for not liking TR 2013 are the opposite for me not liking Shadow as much (wanted more combat and a bit less exploration & puzzles) 

Edited by KillswitchKyren
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11 hours ago, HuntingFever said:

I hated the first one and absolutely loathed Rise after trying the demo so skipped Shadow entirely.

 

With all due repect to you sir terminator, you're mistaken here.

 

Shadow is very good game. Don't look at previous titles and critics score, this one is filled with many interesting puzzeles.

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23 minutes ago, AyeOfReach said:

 

With all due repect to you sir terminator, you're mistaken here.

 

Shadow is very good game. Don't look at previous titles and critics score, this one is filled with many interesting puzzeles.

 

Have to agree with AyeofReach here - I liked all 3 to varying degrees, and while I think Rise takes the trilogy crown - just - Shadow is right behind it, is still a really fun game, and has all of the best DLC stuff along with it.

I never quite understood why it seemed to get unfairly maligned by some fans of the first couple - it's still the same basic formula, but more finessed, longer, more varied and still great fun.

Edited by DrBloodmoney
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Thanks for the feedback everyone! And thanks @HuntingFever for reminding me the next two games have demos! I’ve played them both now. Actually thought the Rise Demo was better than anything in the first game, but it was so short I couldn’t really make a determination. So, my current plan is to buy it used when I find a copy at GameStop, play the first couple hours on an alt account and then restart on my main account if I like it and return it if I don’t. Two questions though: Can the co-op trophies in Rise be done locally, or do they require PS+? And Rise does include all of the DLC on the disc, right? 

 

As for Shadow, that demo felt far more like a Tomb Raider game (annoying but short cover-shooting portion aside) and I liked that I could customize the difficultly of each aspect of the game. I put everything but combat to hard, and combat on easy. Helped the puzzle and platforming sections feel more like older TR games. 

 

Planning to order a physical copy of the definitive edition soon. 

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Massive Tomb Raider fan here, loved the originals, played them countless times, played every game released on various platforms (including mobile ones), with that said, the reboot I loved but the other two are hot garbage, Rise is ok in places I suppose but Shadow is just dull as heck, they make Lara out to be a whiny, entitled brat and massively misunderstand and disrespect her as the icon she is. The MP is terrible and completely out of place too.

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58 minutes ago, PerryToxteth said:

@TimeLordCrow13y - Thought the single player was bad? Just load up the online MP segment of TR and then you will see a truly, humongous, steaming pile of 1f4a9.png. And then maybe your feelings on the single player aspect will grow a bit fonder...

 

 

Lol, I’m currently grinding for the True Commitment & Shopaholic trophies. It’s mindless and boring, but at least I don’t have to deal with more enemy waves & cover-shooting bullshit. 

 

32 minutes ago, Mav_Ryk_1 said:

Massive Tomb Raider fan here, loved the originals, played them countless times, played every game released on various platforms (including mobile ones), with that said, the reboot I loved but the other two are hot garbage, Rise is ok in places I suppose but Shadow is just dull as heck, they make Lara out to be a whiny, entitled brat and massively misunderstand and disrespect her as the icon she is. The MP is terrible and completely out of place too.

 

I agree about Lara in the first game, but at least from playing the demos of the other two, I think Lara in Rise, and especially Shadow, seems more like the badass, knowledgeable, not-exactly-a-hero character I’ve always thought of her as. My opinion might change after playing more though. I know a lot of people complain about Lara being “bad” in Shadow, but like...in the original games, she was never really a traditional hero (IMO). 

 

And wait, Shadow has multiplayer? WTF? Are there trophies attached to it? Does it require PS+? Or are you talking about TR 2013? 

Edited by TimeLordCrow13y
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The older tomb raider trilogy really were some of my favorite games to play on the pc and the ps3. Sadly, the remakes just really aren't doing it for me.

Generally I just miss what (in my opinion) made the tomb raider games so badass. The swan dives, animals fights, motorcycle sequences, acrobatics and crashing a party in a dress and then shooting up the place. Not to mention the option to explore the croft manor. They did add this into the new games but it was so linear and boring I really didn't get much pleasure out of it. The feeling of being this super attractive but also deadly explorer just really got lost for me in the remakes. I miss traveling to different countries and finding lost secrets and enemies like mummies in egypt and dinosaurs in god knows where. I can just go on forever really.

 

Also the whole concept like u described (dragged out combat, platforming and tombs on the side) does explain the overall problem really well. I really didn't give that too much thought but with the older games it felt like u were always in some kind of tomb with puzzles and figuring out mechanics while doing combat inbetween, not the other way around. I don't enjoy how tombs merely became a side objective in the remakes. And let's not even start about Lara as a character... The way she causes the doom of so many people and doesn't seem to understand why bad things are happening to her. I wasn't invested in her personal struggles, I just want to run around and be feel like I'm in a proper adventure movie!

 

Even though the chances are slim, I'm still hoping they will remake the right trilogy somewhere in the future (legend/annivarsary/underworld). I'd definitely preorder that stuff 

 

998ddea60614ab40c6ce7de224a4f91a.gif                     got-it                 tenor.gif

Edited by Lil-Gocee
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22 minutes ago, Lil-Gocee said:

The older tomb raider trilogy really were some of my favorite games to play on the pc and the ps3. Sadly, the remakes just really aren't doing it for me.

Generally I just miss what (in my opinion) made the tomb raider games so badass. The swan dives, animals fights, motorcycle sequences, acrobatics and crashing a party in a dress and then shooting up the place. Not to mention the option to explore the croft manor. They did add this into the new games but it was so linear and boring I really didn't get much pleasure out of it. The feeling of being this super attractive but also deadly explorer just really got lost for me in the remakes. I miss traveling to different countries and finding lost secrets and enemies like mummies in egypt and dinosaurs in god knows where. I can just go on forever really.

 

Also the whole concept like u described (dragged out combat, platforming and tombs on the side) does explain the overall problem really well. I really didn't give that too much thought but with the older games it felt like u were always in some kind of tomb with puzzles and figuring out mechanics while doing combat inbetween, not the other way around. I don't enjoy how tombs merely became a side objective in the remakes. And let's not even start about Lara as a character... The way she causes the doom of so many people and doesn't seem to understand why bad things are happening to her. I wasn't invested in her personal struggles, I just want to run around and be feel like I'm in a proper adventure movie!

 

Even though the chances are slim, I'm still hoping they will remake the right trilogy somewhere in the future (legend/annivarsary/underworld). I'd definitely preorder that stuff 

 

998ddea60614ab40c6ce7de224a4f91a.gif                     got-it                 tenor.gif

 

Agreed with almost all of this. I’d also love remakes of all the original TR games in Anniversary’s style. 

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35 minutes ago, TimeLordCrow13y said:

 

Lol, I’m currently grinding for the True Commitment & Shopaholic trophies. It’s mindless and boring, but at least I don’t have to deal with more enemy waves & cover-shooting bullshit. 

 

 

I agree about Lara in the first game, but at least from playing the demos of the other two, I think Lara in Rise, and especially Shadow, seems more like the badass, knowledgeable, not-exactly-a-hero character I’ve always thought of her as. My opinion might change after playing more though. I know a lot of people complain about Lara being “bad” in Shadow, but like...in the original games, she was never really a traditional hero (IMO). 

 

And wait, Shadow has multiplayer? WTF? Are there trophies attached to it? Does it require PS+? Or are you talking about TR 2013? 

I was talking about TR2013, the others have no mp but rise does have a coop dlc, it's actually one of the better parts of rise. I felt Lara in the reboot was great, she started off all cocky and kinda spoilt-ish but soon realised she was way out of her depth, there are great moments in it where you really feel her pain and fear for her, Rise she is just stubborn and pig-headed, Shadow is just bad all round, they turn her into a stupid brat who nearly ends the world because of daddy issues. They also kept changing her character model, 1 she's gorgeous 2 quite plain and 3 a chubby kid!.

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14 hours ago, TimeLordCrow13y said:

Thanks for the feedback everyone! And thanks @HuntingFever for reminding me the next two games have demos! I’ve played them both now. Actually thought the Rise Demo was better than anything in the first game, but it was so short I couldn’t really make a determination. So, my current plan is to buy it used when I find a copy at GameStop, play the first couple hours on an alt account and then restart on my main account if I like it and return it if I don’t. Two questions though: Can the co-op trophies in Rise be done locally, or do they require PS+? And Rise does include all of the DLC on the disc, right? 

 

As for Shadow, that demo felt far more like a Tomb Raider game (annoying but short cover-shooting portion aside) and I liked that I could customize the difficultly of each aspect of the game. I put everything but combat to hard, and combat on easy. Helped the puzzle and platforming sections feel more like older TR games. 

 

Planning to order a physical copy of the definitive edition soon. 

PS Plus is required for the co-op trophies in Rise of the Tomb Raider, because there's no local option. Also, it includes all the DLCs as standard :).

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I actually liked this new trilogy. But I seen it as an Uncharted replacer instead of being a TR mega fan. 

And, knowing it is not the common opinion, I think it gets better on each iteration, with Shadow being really good. Honestly liked it a lot. It was the last game I "binged". 

 

A PS5 update would be nice too

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  • 2 years later...

This game... I enjoyed it way less than I thought I would. Overall pretty uninspired, just an Uncharted clone on a budget. Combats are boring and annoying, with most ennemies barely doing anything besides staying in cover and spamming throwables, well expect those stupid rifle users who have 99% accuracy and shoot their whole magazine at once into you, most of the time killing you at once or leaving you almost dead. Story was just supernatural teen drama level. Another collectible hell, but at least you have the survival instinct to help and maps (except for the challenges). I thought the puzzles were ok, but they were super short.

 

Also the fact I had to replay the whole game again because the chatterbox trophy glitched on me didn't plead for its case, only took me three and a half hour rushing through it but really by the time I had finished my first playthrough I already wanted to quit.

 

I know the thread was for single player but I want to add that the multiplayer trophies just add to my sentiment to bury this game forever. I thought I might do both stacks but now I'm reconsidering. Maybe when I get too old to remember...

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