Lara is back...Tomb Raider Legend

[Romier S]

I posted some scans of Lara's character model render awhile back. This time I figured I'd give the old girl her very own thread.

 

The new game is being developed by Crystal Dynamics. They are the fine folks responsible for the Legacy of Kain games (aside from Blood Omen 1 and 2) and the recent Project Snowblind. IGN has some screenies of the new game and it's looking like a nice big step forward from her last PS2 travesty. Though keep in mind these are high resolution shots and are not 100% indicative of what the final game will look like:

 

 

You can take a look at more here .

 

Little bits of information have been released on the gameplay but nothing substantial yet. It's safe to say Lara is going to be getting a major overhaul from Crystal D. The game is coming to the PS2 and the Xbox thus far. I've never been a fan of Tomb Raider. Tomb Raider 2 was the only game that even held my attention in fact. With Crystal Dynamics at the helm though, I may give this new one a chance.

[Chris F]

<3 the environments. This is what Tomb Raider is supposed to be, not that crap after TR2.

[dogbert]

The first Tomb Raider is one of my all time favourite games, I've completed it numerous times but can still go back to it. None of the sequels hit the same spots, they by & large missed what I liked about the original. Everything they're saying about returning to its roots sounds like they're saying exactly what I want to hear, I hope it lives up to its potential.

[Derrik Draven]

I loved the hell outta the first one, like so many others. The 2nd one wasn't bad either, if you ask me. Skipped the 3rd; played the one on the Dreamcast (can't remember the name of it), skipped the next one and, didn't even bother with the PS2 one, since I heard it was a turd.

 

Wouldn't mind seeing a good old Tomb Raider, though. I'd give it a whirl.

[JFo]

I like the redesigned character model. It looks enough like her that it doesn't seem like a completely different character, but there are enough improvements to bring her look above the horrible PS1-era render that's gone without a redesign since the first game. Let's see if the rest of the game can improve upon everything else.

[iainl]

I still think they need to scale her bottom half down to make her about a foot shorter in order to bring her back in scale, but if this ends up playing like the first one, and not like the sequels (though for some reason I got seriously wound up by the obvious square grid system the levels were based around on the PS1, as it didn't fit the 'natural' look they went for in many areas at all) then they've got my interest.

[Mark E]

Yes, something about actual Tomb Raiding would be quite fun and I'd be willing to overlook scads of mediocrity to try it out . Lara looks ridiculously dressed for digging around in musty old dumps, but heaven forfend I deny teenage males their hormones .

 

though for some reason I got seriously wound up by the obvious square grid system the levels were based around on the PS1,

 

Heh, that's happened to me before too. When a game's engine limits become glaringly obvious it's a bit annoying.

[EnemaEms]

I loved the 1st two TR games...hated all the rest. I like the improvements to Lara's character. She looks way more natural.....not running around with DDD boobs.

 

Also, with those shorts she has on, I think we may finally get digital camel toe.

 

-Dean-

[dogbert]

(though for some reason I got seriously wound up by the obvious square grid system the levels were based around on the PS1, as it didn't fit the 'natural' look they went for in many areas at all)

 

I inisist that was actually a stroke of design genius. It meant you always knew how far/long/high your jumps can take you, and thus you knew which blocks/ledges you could jump to without needing to figure out exact distances - you knew you could make the jump.

 

Even modern games like the new Prince of Persia have the same basic grid layout - it may not be as apparant, but they do. You jump "x" blocks forward etc. Makes life far easier for the designer to plan out puzzles.

[iainl]

I think it wasn't so much the use of the system itself (being able to judge at a glance whether or not you'll make the jump is as good as you point out), but that the repeating textures on those square blocks, and the lack of power in the PS1/Saturn to fuzz those square corners up a bit made the 'natural' enviroments look 'wrong' somehow. Once you got back into man-made structures again it was just fine, though.

[dogbert]

Gotcha. I've been having arguments with people over this very design concept, arguing against freeform placement & for a grid-like placement, so this is something I'm keen on

[JFo]

There's a new trailer over at GameSpot for this one.

 

Looks pretty good. Reminds me quite a bit of Prince of Persia in some areas.

[EnemaEms]

Well, the trailer is good. I am interested.

 

-Dean-

[db]

It's easy to forget how good the first two games were, the series' reputation blighted by unworthy sequels.

 

Eidos should consider a Resident Evil styled remake for the first game. It would rekindle interest in the franchise among early fans that've become disinterested, and it would simply be cool to have a game that still plays fundamentally great given a visual upgrade. Those blocky textures aren't aging well.

[bickle]

I inisist that was actually a stroke of design genius. It meant you always knew how far/long/high your jumps can take you, and thus you knew which blocks/ledges you could jump to without needing to figure out exact distances - you knew[/b'] you could make the jump.

 

Yes! I loved that about the first game.

[Derrik Draven]

I kinda liked the grids. You could walk up to a cliff, do the quick little hop backwards, and then knew you had enough room for the run/jump.

 

If Crystal D. is smart enough, and bases this new game around exploring really cool, old, atmospheric, Indiana Jones-ish type places, I'll be loving Tomb Raider again.

 

There was definitely some decent fighting in the first 2 games but, it's emphasis was on exploration. Seems like they forgot about it, somewhat, with the sequels.

 

Honestly, I could care less about the gun fighting in TR. Give me some awesome places to explore and I'll be very happy. :tu

[bickle]

I'll be happy with some cool environments to to climb & then find various ways to have Lara gracefully dive to her death.

[db]

"Uh." *sound of bones crunching*

 

I also hope it has a little preliminary mansion level. I miss those.

[Romier S]

I'll be happy with some cool environments to to climb & then find various ways to have Lara gracefully dive to her death

I knew I wasn't the only one that spent his time doing that. I swear I put in more hours climbing Lara up to the top of a waterfall and having her dive to the floor just to hear the crunch of death, more than I did playing the actual game. :lmfao

[Derrik Draven]

You guys aren't alone on the "death diving". I liked when you'd get her up real high, she'd scream after so long of falling...then the sweet sound of bones crunching.

 

Inside the volcano, in the 1st game, was a loooooooooong drop! :rock

[Romier S]

Some new screenshots have made it out there for the game. It's looking pretty damn good so far. This may be the first Tomb Raider game I actually buy in years (I haven't bothered with one since 2):

 

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/r/?page=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/previews/previews_story.php(que)id=122973

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomb Raider Legend screen

Tomb Raider Legend screen

Tomb Raider Legend screen

Tomb Raider Legend screen

[Angry the Clown]

Say this is all looking rather old school. All rather encouraging I must admit.

 

Daniel

[bickle]

There are high-res videos of those screenshots on the dvd in the latest PSM magazine. It looks *really* good, imo. The environments look fantastic, the action looks great, and the animations fit very well.

 

You'll love the one handed leap. The videos show it a number of times, and each time it looks like Lara will never make it, but just *barely* grabs the edge at the last second.

 

This will be a Day 1 purchase, easy.

[Kitlope]

Ahhhhh Lara Croft. Tombraider 2 is the game back in late 1997 that brought me back to gaming after my 10+ year absence from the scene. I never played the first, loved the second, the third sucked, the fourth wasn't sooooo bad and I heard way to many bad things about the Angel of Darkness to bother with it.

 

This new one does look interesting, I'll have to wait for a pc version though. Thanks for the info and yes, the trailer looks quite good.

[Derrik Draven]

I'm picking this one up. I'll admit that I'm a Lara fan. Skipped 'Angel though. Like others, heard/read that it was a turd so, why bother.

 

The first Tomb Raider was an incredible experience. 2nd kicked ass too. Never played the 3rd. Played the one that came out on the Dreamcast. What was that? Revelations, I think? Not too bad.