Shadow of the Tomb Raider

polonyc2 said:
what's the point of that Perception hotkey (skill) you get in the game (the one where you can sense plants and animals in the environment)??...don't we already have the Survival Instincts button that does the exact same thing?
Click to expand...
It's kind of mute unless you play the hardest difficulty, where survival instincts don't highlight enemies and collectibles. I wish I could play like that, but we already discussed why that is not an option for me.
 
M76 said:
It's kind of mute unless you play the hardest difficulty, where survival instincts don't highlight enemies and collectibles. I wish I could play like that, but we already discussed why that is not an option for me.
Click to expand...

makes sense...they should just grey it out at lower difficulties as it seems redundant...that perception skill lasts a bit longer but it uses up resources and is not necessary as long as you're using the Survival Instincts
 
M76 said:
Doesn't that defeat the purpose of melee? If you're being serious that is, I'm not sure.
Click to expand...
Totally serious. Since the 2013 reboot melee has always been supplemental, with the bow and guns being your primary method of takedown. Is there some part where you can't use your bow or guns?
 
Armenius said:
Totally serious. Since the 2013 reboot melee has always been supplemental, with the bow and guns being your primary method of takedown. Is there some part where you can't use your bow or guns?
Click to expand...

melee has always been a fun way to dispatch enemies in the TR games...I always prefer stealth axe kills or throwing dirt in the eyes to blind them and melee them etc...just shooting everyone is too easy and not as fun for me
 
  • Like
Reactions: M76
like this
polonyc2 said:
melee has always been a fun way to dispatch enemies in the TR games...I always prefer stealth axe kills or throwing dirt in the eyes to blind them and melee them etc...just shooting everyone is too easy and not as fun for me
Click to expand...
I don't disagree, just pointing out that everything is a system that works together. If an enemy is constantly dodging your melee attacks, then stun them first.
 
Armenius said:
Totally serious. Since the 2013 reboot melee has always been supplemental, with the bow and guns being your primary method of takedown. Is there some part where you can't use your bow or guns?
Click to expand...
It's just that I got used to dispatching dozens of goons in rise with nothing but the axe on the hardest difficulty. And now it's no longer an option even on normal. Melee was similar in Rise to Mad Max, which was great, I enjoyed doing that. Shooting them with the rifle or shotgun well, just feels dull comparatively. Almost too easy that way. And the bow got upgraded as well, now it is much faster and more deadly. And you can get the double / triple shot upgrade much earlier in this game.
 
M76 said:
It's just that I got used to dispatching dozens of goons in rise with nothing but the axe on the hardest difficulty. And now it's no longer an option even on normal. Melee was similar in Rise to Mad Max, which was great, I enjoyed doing that. Shooting them with the rifle or shotgun well, just feels dull comparatively. Almost too easy that way. And the bow got upgraded as well, now it is much faster and more deadly. And you can get the double / triple shot upgrade much earlier in this game.
Click to expand...

Really enjoyed that game. Yeah it could have been better, but some of the best fighting mechanics ever. Even if repetitive the fun combat easily made up for it.
 
Been trying to capture a good example of my problem with the lighting in this game (not a settings issue) and I found an extreme example. Keep in mind the image as a whole seems dark because of the low light capture but take a look at how the lighting goes from very dark to normal brightness towards the end of the clip simply because I'm walking just out of or just into a cave:



This clip shows the sometimes extreme way that the lighting in this game behaves: When moving from a well lit place to a darker one the brightness remains dark, to seemingly simulate how a camera or our eyes adjust to light, and then once fully in a dark environment the lighting levels out to a normal, visible, level. The problem that I have is that there have been more than a few spots such caverns or tunnel-like areas that are just lit enough from the sun above (or some other light source) that the darkness never normalizes.

It's been a few times where I had to manually go into the settings to increase the brightness a bit just because I didn't want to wander in the dark hitting the X button hoping I'd find something.

Again, this isn't a settings issue, this game seems to have a very specific way the lighting reacts and seems to be built for solid HDR but it just doesn't seem to translate well on non-HDR screens in some cases. For those curious: all my settings are maxed, using DX12, TAA, and HDR is grayed out because I don't have a display that supports it. I Also did get the driver that came out last week for this game.
 
Last edited:
navigation seems worse in this game...hard to find places and objects you previously found...for example if you find a cave with an area where you don't yet have the right gear for, the map should highlight the cave to tell you that there is an unexplored part of this cave...but the game doesn't seem to do that...if you find a cave it gets greyed out meaning it doesn't tell you that there is still a part that you need to go back and explore

plus unlike the previous games every place has a same-y type of look so it's not as easy to navigate
 
Sonicks said:
Been trying to capture a good example of my problem with the lighting in this game (not a settings issue) and I found an extreme example. Keep in mind the image as a whole seems dark because of the low light capture but take a look at how the lighting goes from very dark to normal brightness towards the end of the clip simply because I'm walking just out of or just into a cave:
.
Click to expand...
LOL, are you really trying to demonstrate the lighting in the game by recording the screen with your phone? Are you serious?
 
M76 said:
LOL, are you really trying to demonstrate the lighting in the game by recording the screen with your phone? Are you serious?
Click to expand...

LOL, I am being serious.

I'm not going to record direct capture where you can view it on your monitor with your monitor settings. If I did that you'd just say "I don't see a problem, the brightness is fine!". I'm trying to demonstrate the way the game gets dark on my setup. It defeats the purpose if I directly record the video.

Also, just look at the video. It demonstrates how the game adjusts the lighting in an extreme way. This is not my phone readjusting it's focus either. Geez, man. You didn't even bother to comment on the content of the video but the way it was recorded. Good on you.
 
Sonicks said:
Been trying to capture a good example of my problem with the lighting in this game (not a settings issue) and I found an extreme example. Keep in mind the image as a whole seems dark because of the low light capture but take a look at how the lighting goes from very dark to normal brightness towards the end of the clip simply because I'm walking just out of or just into a cave:



This clip shows the sometimes extreme way that the lighting in this game behaves: When moving from a well lit place to a darker one the brightness remains dark, to seemingly simulate how a camera or our eyes adjust to light, and then once fully in a dark environment the lighting levels out to a normal, visible, level. The problem that I have is that there have been more than a few spots such caverns or tunnel-like areas that are just lit enough from the sun above (or some other light source) that the darkness never normalizes.

It's been a few times where I had to manually go into the settings to increase the brightness a bit just because I didn't want to wander in the dark hitting the X button hoping I'd find something.

Again, this isn't a settings issue, this game seems to have a very specific way the lighting reacts and seems to be built for solid HDR but it just doesn't seem to translate well on non-HDR screens in some cases. For those curious: all my settings are maxed, using DX12, TAA, and HDR is grayed out because I don't have a display that supports it. I Also did get the driver that came out last week for this game.
Click to expand...


Yeah that happened to me whenever I went in a cave in Rise of the Tomb Raider. I couldn't see what I was doing....
 
Rise of the Tomb Raider didn't do it nearly as badly at this game does but it was there too. This game sometimes gets too dark that I have to temporarily bump up the brightness.
 
Last edited:
the Monolith in the Peruvian Jungle area is bugged...the one that says "Two serpents guard life and death, I lie trapped within their eternal struggle"...I solved the Monolith and went over to the area between the 2 snakes but it doesn't give me the option to dig out the Survival Cache...the Monolith shows as being solved but no reward...so I won't be able to 100% the game without it...looking online it seems a bunch of people are also having this same issue, hopefully Eidos Montreal fixes it with their next patch
 
polonyc2 said:
the Monolith in the Peruvian Jungle area is bugged...the one that says "Two serpents guard life and death, I lie trapped within their eternal struggle"...I solved the Monolith and went over to the area between the 2 snakes but it doesn't give me the option to dig out the Survival Cache...the Monolith shows as being solved but no reward...so I won't be able to 100% the game without it...looking online it seems a bunch of people are also having this same issue, hopefully Eidos Montreal fixes it with their next patch
Click to expand...

I just done this about an hour ago,I dug up something was not paying attention to what it was but not going for 100% on PC,I am enjoying the game though.
Well I hope they get these little bugs ironed out for the 100% er's,that would drive me nuts if something that stupid like digging something up prevented me from finishing 100% of the game.
 
gerardfraser said:
I just done this about an hour ago,I dug up something was not paying attention to what it was but not going for 100% on PC,I am enjoying the game though.
Well I hope they get these little bugs ironed out for the 100% er's,that would drive me nuts if something that stupid like digging something up prevented me from finishing 100% of the game.
Click to expand...

I think I dug up that cache before I solved the Monolith which might have caused it to not give me credit for it later...
 
Shadow is definitely a good game but it feels different then the last 2...I'm still only 25% into the main story but the setting doesn't feel as good as the previous games...really good looking game, the lighting in particular looks amazing...foliage and textures look very good for the most part but plastic looking in spots...the mud tesselaation effects also are very impressive...especially when the water pools collect inside the mud...the new mechanic where Lara can use rope arrows to hang enemies from trees totally reminds me of the Arkham Batman games

the underwater parts are the real highlight...really good stuff...the air pockets are clever along with the piranhha/eel attacks
 
1) is the Rope Ascender, Lockpick and Reinforced Knife only available through a merchant or do you get those items through normal story progression?...I thought the merchants were just for bonus items like new outfits, weapons, ammo etc or to buy the items earlier...what important items need to be purchased?...in the previous games you get all the gear you need through normal story progression

2) is there any way of viewing all the Challenges in a particular area (Find 4 Condor eggs, dive off 4 platforms etc) without discovering each one individually?...with the previous games you could view what the challenges were for the area right from the beginning (it doesn't tell you where they are located, just what they are) but with Shadow it seems you need to find them on your own before they even get displayed in your inventory/map
 
This game certainly is a big step down from the last two. Crashing, black screens that cover the entire screen randomly, and it is often impossible to figure out what the game wants you to do. They'll drop you in an area and not explain what your objective is. To find something? If so, what? Do we go up or down? What is the rough direction to look to? The map is a cluster fuck that makes no sense and auto locks onto random objects like plants or documents when you're trying to navigate somewhere. Half the time objectives won't appear. The puzzle controls make no sense, as up/down or left/right change depending on your camera angle. So you can get halfway through turning a wheel and all of a sudden you have to change to the opposite key just to continue rotating it right. This makes it impossible to tell if that is as far as it will turn or if it is just the shitty view/control system. The city levels themselves are impossible to traverse. Lara decides to walk at snails pace when walking by certain buildings/objects, and finding where an objective is suppose to be is impossible. Perhaps the hardest puzzle is figuring out where the fuck to turn in your side quest. Grappling
while upside down works maybe 1/4th of the time. Melee attacks work maybe 1/2 of the time. This makes it a pain because the game decides to disallow firearm use most of the time. Even though you just butchered three armed men to death, Lara is too stupid to pick up their weapons.

The rest of the game is still as it was. Which would have been great, had it not been half finished. They need to pull this off the market, issue refunds, fire a lot of developers and redesign some of the levels and fix the control issues. Then you'd have a good game. But as it is, this is yet another unfinished POS. Gaming is hitting rock bottom which is too bad. It used to be a nice hobby.

Edit: I will say, the game can look damn amazing.
 
Last edited:
holy frak that Mirror Challenge Tomb puzzle stumped me for the longest time...almost unfair the way they make certain things in the room so hard to see
 
polonyc2 said:
1) is the Rope Ascender, Lockpick and Reinforced Knife only available through a merchant or do you get those items through normal story progression?...I thought the merchants were just for bonus items like new outfits, weapons, ammo etc or to buy the items earlier...what important items need to be purchased?...in the previous games you get all the gear you need through normal story progression

2) is there any way of viewing all the Challenges in a particular area (Find 4 Condor eggs, dive off 4 platforms etc) without discovering each one individually?...with the previous games you could view what the challenges were for the area right from the beginning (it doesn't tell you where they are located, just what they are) but with Shadow it seems you need to find them on your own before they even get displayed in your inventory/map
Click to expand...
What you need to progress in the story you will get trough the story, when there is no other way to continue. But you can purchase some of them early trough merchants. I think you need some skill upgrades to reveal challenges in an area. I'm not sure as I don't give a crap about collecting garbage.
 
The game just took a giant nosedive for me, on the riverbed level. Not just because it is complete bullshit, how did they find you with pin point accuracy in the middle of a jungle during the night?
But firstly because the game kept crashing during the initial cutscene to the level, WHICH IS FUCKING UNSKIPPABLE. i sat trough it a dozen times, and the game would crash each time. I thought that was the end of my playtrough.
Finally I was able to get trough that without it crashing on me by disabling DX12 and Exclusive fullscreen mode.

But my major gripe is WTF does the game force me to use stealth? I'm all for stealth but not when it is forced on you. Why can't I take the weapons of enemies? This is just freaking stupid and ruins the entire experience for me. I had to quit playing because I Have no patience for such gargantuan bullshit.
 
M76 said:
The game just took a giant nosedive for me, on the riverbed level. Not just because it is complete bullshit, how did they find you with pin point accuracy in the middle of a jungle during the night?
But firstly because the game kept crashing during the initial cutscene to the level, WHICH IS FUCKING UNSKIPPABLE. i sat trough it a dozen times, and the game would crash each time. I thought that was the end of my playtrough.
Finally I was able to get trough that without it crashing on me by disabling DX12 and Exclusive fullscreen mode.

But my major gripe is WTF does the game force me to use stealth? I'm all for stealth but not when it is forced on you. Why can't I take the weapons of enemies? This is just freaking stupid and ruins the entire experience for me. I had to quit playing because I Have no patience for such gargantuan bullshit.
Click to expand...

You mirrored my thoughts almost exactly. I really wanted to love this game, because 2013 was one of the best games I played. Rise was great to, but not as interesting as the first to me. Shadow managed to ruin the good streak:

- Crashing, black screens, and whatnot. I consider this to be very bad for the experience. Actually you could skip at least some cutscenes, I know because I did it. I don't think all of them were though.

- As I mentioned above, melee and the "upside down grappling" mechanic just didn't work much at all. I seldom even got a prompt to even melee attack and typically when I'd try and hit them it simply wouldn't work. I replayed 2013 recently and had zero problems in that, so I know that game was fine. I am not sure what happened here. Lara jumping to her death ~10 times in a row gets old real quick.

- When melee did work, it wouldn't kill. You'd knock them to the ground but they'd get back up. This sucked because I had 1 arrow and 10-12 bad guys. Stealth didn't work either because as soon as you'd try to silently take one down you'd get hit by a bunch of arrows. Eventually I got through but it wasn't fun. Stealth wasn't practical, no ammo, no firearms, and you couldn't beat them do death unless in "stealth mode". This made many of the combat scenarios awkward.

Some how the game felt shorter as well even though it was just as long as Rise. I think the confusion of figuring out where to go along with the limiting combat made the game feel shorter. Even though each gun gets almost a dozen upgrades, you'll only get maybe 5-6 shooting encounters in the entire game. I didn't even use every weapon because there was no time. I don't think the game needed to be longer, but the scenarios forced you into using the gimmicky bow or melee. This also hurts replayability. Bows are kind of boring to use and the gimmick has been going on for so long now. It stopped being cute in ~2013 yet developers still insist on forcing us to use them.

I did like the setting more than Rise. Graphics can look amazing. When the game works it is fun. But yeah, some redesign for the levels are needed to bring it up to par with 2013/Rise.
 
  • Like
Reactions: M76
like this
Yes, so far it seems on a design level the game is one giant step backwards. Melee just doesn't work except for stealth takedowns. And using arrows is just not as fun, when you're allowed to use them that is. Yeah the game feels extremely short. I haven't finished it yet but I suspect I'm about one inch from the end. I had hoped that paititi was just the first of many locations in the game, but it seems it is the only major location. Which is made worse by the fact that you're not allowed to use firearms and 90% of outfits near there. There are other shortcomings as well, but I'll don't want to go into that much detail now.
 
it took me awhile to get into this game but now I love it just as much as the previous 2...the tone and style felt different in the early goings as Eidos Montreal changed up the formula a bit...but around 25% completion everything started to click and it felt amazing...once I hit the Hidden City my jaw dropped...so gloriously stunning...one of the best game hubs/cities/villages ever created...the graphics were amazing but also they did a fantastic job rendering the people, clothing, language etc...really impressive...once you exit the cave into the Hidden City and you see the vast scope and detail it's truly stunning

the underwater areas are also gorgeous...might be the best depiction of underwater in any game ever...the focus is definitely more on exploration over combat but that fits the Tomb Raider legacy...the Challenge Tombs are fantastic for the most part with some fiendishly clever puzzles...only thing slightly annoying is traversing the areas can be a bit tricky as everything is surrounded by jungle and can be tough figuring out where to go...even figuring out which ledges to grab onto can be tricky...the upside down traversal mechanic is also a bit disorienting...I'm around 68% complete and am up to the Oil Field map...all in all the game is top notch and taken together as a trilogy its a masterpiece
 
M76 said:
Yes, so far it seems on a design level the game is one giant step backwards. Melee just doesn't work except for stealth takedowns. And using arrows is just not as fun, when you're allowed to use them that is. Yeah the game feels extremely short. I haven't finished it yet but I suspect I'm about one inch from the end. I had hoped that paititi was just the first of many locations in the game, but it seems it is the only major location. Which is made worse by the fact that you're not allowed to use firearms and 90% of outfits near there. There are other shortcomings as well, but I'll don't want to go into that much detail now.
Click to expand...

Yeah. Length wise the game is fine, it is on par with the last game. It is just the restrictions in place that make it seem short. You'll reach the end and realize you didn't have a chance to use what you get. Same with the special equipment. They way you find it is... awkward. Stability and control issues aside, the big problem with this game is the flow and restrictions.

But yes, the game looks amazing. Just wish they gave you more freedom and polished it up a bit. I found the setting better than Rise.
 
Camilla Luddington deserves major kudos for her voice work...really well done...her enunciation was perfect especially considering how many of the words in those documents and relics were hard to pronounce foreign names...she spoke them all fluently
 
polonyc2 said:
Camilla Luddington deserves major kudos for her voice work...really well done...her enunciation was perfect especially considering how many of the words in those documents and relics were hard to pronounce foreign names...she spoke them all fluently
Click to expand...

I wish they went back to the 2013 look for Lara though. The current one just looks weird with those puffed up cheeks. But yeah, the voice actress (if I recall, she did the motion capture and used her face for TR 2013) does a good job.
 
Flogger23m said:
I wish they went back to the 2013 look for Lara though. The current one just looks weird with those puffed up cheeks. But yeah, the voice actress (if I recall, she did the motion capture and used her face for TR 2013) does a good job.
Click to expand...
I don't even know why devs keep changing the look of established characters. And I don't mean when they're rebooting something, but between direct sequels as well. Say Max Payne for example.

The puffed up cheeks was a thing in ME:A as well. Maybe this is the non-threatening politically correct ideal?
 
Flogger23m said:
I wish they went back to the 2013 look for Lara though. The current one just looks weird with those puffed up cheeks. But yeah, the voice actress (if I recall, she did the motion capture and used her face for TR 2013) does a good job.
Click to expand...

I'm glad that they added some muscle definition to her arms for Shadow of the Tomb Raider...with all the climbing and jumping around she does in these games she should definitely have some muscle by now :D
 
M76 said:
It's too little, too late.

I finished the game, can't say I'm 100% happy with it. Review the game you finished recently.
Click to expand...

I respect your opinion but I completely disagree with almost everything you said in your review...I'm not done with the game yet (I'm in that San Juan church area) but I found it to be the complete opposite of your views...I found the first few areas a bit dull and hard to get into the game...it started to get better around the 25% mark once I understood the new feel of the gameplay and mechanics...once I reached the Hidden City the game reached another level of awesomeness...I said it earlier but that's one gorgeous hub area...it feels totally lived in and very real...tons of things to do and explore

I think you were playing these games solely for the main story and skipping most of the optional quests, crypts, tombs, collection quests etc...that's 50% of the beauty of these games...the series is about exploration...the previous games deemphasized that aspect and Shadow plays it up...I mean you have to know from the first 2 games what these games are about yet you play it in a way which makes it less appealing?...13 hours to finish the game??...I think I'm at 40 hours and around 75%...yes I like to explore everything, do every Challenge Tomb, Crypt etc...I don't know how you can complain about the games length when you are skipping 60% of the game!

and the graphics...the graphics for the most part are gorgeous...but just based on gameplay alone the game is fantastic and a fitting ending to her origin story (I haven't gotten to the end so I'm basing it on the 2 previous games plus 75% of the current one)...I do agree with you that the skill tree is kind of useless but you said that the best skills are obtained from completing those Challenge Tombs?...No!!...it's the total opposite...they should have given you better rewards for completing those (for example they should have given you important tools such as the Lockpick, Rope Ascender etc through that instead of making you purchase it through in-game gold)

I think you need to appreciate the Tomb Raider series to understand and like this reboot...to me this is an A game...yes it has its flaws but it does what it sets out to do well...it's not trying to be Witcher 3 or Deus Ex etc...
 
polonyc2 said:
I respect your opinion but I completely disagree with almost everything you said in your review...I'm not done with the game yet (I'm in that San Juan church area) but I found it to be the complete opposite of your views...I found the first few areas a bit dull and hard to get into the game...it started to get better around the 25% mark once I understood the new feel of the gameplay and mechanics...once I reached the Hidden City the game reached another level of awesomeness...I said it earlier but that's one gorgeous hub area...it feels totally lived in and very real...tons of things to do and explore

I think you were playing these games solely for the main story and skipping most of the optional quests, crypts, tombs, collection quests etc...that's 50% of the beauty of these games...the series is about exploration...the previous games deemphasized that aspect and Shadow plays it up...I mean you have to know from the first 2 games what these games are about yet you play it in a way which makes it less appealing?...13 hours to finish the game??...I think I'm at 40 hours and around 75%...yes I like to explore everything, do every Challenge Tomb, Crypt etc...I don't know how you can complain about the games length when you are skipping 60% of the game!

and the graphics...the graphics for the most part are gorgeous...but just based on gameplay alone the game is fantastic and a fitting ending to her origin story (I haven't gotten to the end so I'm basing it on the 2 previous games plus 75% of the current one)...I do agree with you that the skill tree is kind of useless but you said that the best skills are obtained from completing those Challenge Tombs?...No!!...it's the total opposite...they should have given you better rewards for completing those (for example they should have given you important tools such as the Lockpick, Rope Ascender etc through that instead of making you purchase it through in-game gold)

I think you need to appreciate the Tomb Raider series to understand and like this reboot...to me this is an A game...yes it has its flaws but it does what it sets out to do well...it's not trying to be Witcher 3 or Deus Ex etc...
Click to expand...

Most of that 40 hours of your play time isn't worth doing for many people. If you like to 100% every game then go for it. For someone like myself collecting every little thing is not fun and doesn't add anything meaningful to the game. Side quests (which were meh) and challenge tombs are what I did. I also read every document and object that was easy to get to. But there are still easily twice as many more things to find and honestly, running around for 5-8 minutes for 7-15 seconds of reading/Lara speaking isn't exactly my idea of fun.

The best way to describe my play style would be "Main + Extras". This is essentially the main campaign, side missions (that aren't repetitive) and side content that comes naturally throughout the game. How Long To Beat is typically very accurate for my play style:

https://howlongtobeat.com/game.php?id=51233

Game was around 20-22 hours for me. I think the length was perfect. The problem was how limiting some of the scenarios were which made the game feel shorter than its predecessors. TR 2013 felt like a longer game but it lasts 16 hours at most; unless you're into collecting every item.
 
  • Like
Reactions: M76
like this
Is there a New Game+ mode?

I've enjoyed hearing everyone's opinions, and let's be fair- there is a lot of subjective feelings to this. I will say from what I've played I am experiencing a lot of the fatigue of the gameplay being a very "Tomb Raider" game now. Ledges you don't think you should be able to reach, forced combat, forced stealth, and so on. It is okay to view this negatively.
 
ghostwich said:
Is there a New Game+ mode?

I've enjoyed hearing everyone's opinions, and let's be fair- there is a lot of subjective feelings to this. I will say from what I've played I am experiencing a lot of the fatigue of the gameplay being a very "Tomb Raider" game now. Ledges you don't think you should be able to reach, forced combat, forced stealth, and so on. It is okay to view this negatively.
Click to expand...

There is New Game+. Part in bold is true, which wasn't nearly as big of a problem with the last two games. Shadow is okay, but it needed more refinement. IMO.
 
I do agree that there's definitely a feeling of Tomb Raider burnout playing this...but it's the final game of her origin story so maybe that's to be expected...people going in expecting a drastic evolution or change in the formula of the series will be disappointed...but for those that enjoyed the previous 2 games, this is more of the same
 
Flogger23m said:
There is New Game+. Part in bold is true, which wasn't nearly as big of a problem with the last two games. Shadow is okay, but it needed more refinement. IMO.
Click to expand...
I was playing the opening level and the wifey kept saying "don't tell me you are going to make it to that bell/ledge/shelf/whatever" and yet, that was the way you had to go.
 
polonyc2 said:
I respect your opinion but I completely disagree with almost everything you said in your review...I'm not done with the game yet (I'm in that San Juan church area) but I found it to be the complete opposite of your views...I found the first few areas a bit dull and hard to get into the game...it started to get better around the 25% mark once I understood the new feel of the gameplay and mechanics...once I reached the Hidden City the game reached another level of awesomeness...I said it earlier but that's one gorgeous hub area...it feels totally lived in and very real...tons of things to do and explore
Click to expand...

Like what? It looked nice from far, but as I went close it felt pretty generic.

I think you were playing these games solely for the main story and skipping most of the optional quests, crypts, tombs, collection quests etc...that's 50% of the beauty of these games...the series is about exploration...the previous games deemphasized that aspect and Shadow plays it up...I mean you have to know from the first 2 games what these games are about yet you play it in a way which makes it less appealing?...13 hours to finish the game??...I think I'm at 40 hours and around 75%...yes I like to explore everything, do every Challenge Tomb, Crypt etc...I don't know how you can complain about the games length when you are skipping 60% of the game!
Click to expand...

Collecting every last item is not the game, it's only for completionists. I could never do that, because I play games to maximize immersion. If I try to collect every hidden piece that breaks immersion for me. That doesn't mean I'm skipping optional tombs and quests. I do those that come naturally. If I have to go far out of the way of the main quest's context to do some, that I won't do because it breaks immersion. And this is case in point on how much better Rise was, because I was able to complete all optional Tombs in it, without having to force myself into doing things that would've felt out of touch with the main story. If shadow achieves anything it emphasizes the pros of Rise, by constantly falling short of it.

and the graphics...the graphics for the most part are gorgeous...but just based on gameplay alone the game is fantastic and a fitting ending to her origin story (I haven't gotten to the end so I'm basing it on the 2 previous games plus 75% of the current one)...I do agree with you that the skill tree is kind of useless but you said that the best skills are obtained from completing those Challenge Tombs?...No!!...it's the total opposite...they should have given you better rewards for completing those (for example they should have given you important tools such as the Lockpick, Rope Ascender etc through that instead of making you purchase it through in-game gold)
Click to expand...
The rope ascender was the most useless tool in the previous game as well. There was maybe one tomb you couldn't access without it. Apart from that it's only use was that you could get up on ropes faster.
I can't even remember needing a lockpick in the game at all. Maybe there was one chest at the very beginning of the game, that made no sense to return to later.And honestly I completely forgot about it until now.
The tomb reward skills at least I could fathom using, most of the rest not so much.
What about the graphics? I didn't say anything bad about that.
I think you need to appreciate the Tomb Raider series to understand and like this reboot...to me this is an A game...yes it has its flaws but it does what it sets out to do well...it's not trying to be Witcher 3 or Deus Ex etc...
Click to expand...
Then why did I appreciate the previous games? Because they were better. Don't get me wrong I don't think that this is a bad game, just not as good as Rise of the Tomb Raider. And my opinion reflects that.
 
Last edited:
Flogger23m said:
Game was around 20-22 hours for me. I think the length was perfect. The problem was how limiting some of the scenarios were which made the game feel shorter than its predecessors. TR 2013 felt like a longer game but it lasts 16 hours at most; unless you're into collecting every item.
Click to expand...
Yes I'm not complaining that the game was short, I'm complaining that it felt small in scope. TR2013 was even shorter for me yet it felt much bigger in scope. The thing that makes the game feel small is that 90% of it takes place in and around one hub area, that I didn't find interesting.

In both previous games you cover huge areas, you move around, open new areas. Here there is paititi and a few corridor maps that represent the rest of the world. And you keep coming back to paititi.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top