General Gaming Shadow of the Tomb Raider OT (update: Definitive Edition Trailer)

[CastlevaniaNut18]

1 minute ago, stepee said:

 

This...kind of makes me want it more.

Definitely get it. If you liked the prior two games, you'll like this. I couldn't care less about the story, it's just a cookie cutter Indiana Jones story, like the Uncharted games. But there are some pretty badass scenes with Lara later on.

[stepee]

2 minutes ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

Definitely get it. If you liked the prior two games, you'll like this. I couldn't care less about the story, it's just a cookie cutter Indiana Jones story, like the Uncharted games. But there are some pretty badass scenes with Lara later on.

 

Yeah, I am regardless, loved the other two. Just need to wait for my 2080ti to get here since I sold my xp a month ago. I was going to wait for the ray tracing patch but eh I’m just going to look at it for a little bit and go ohhhh neat then switch back to 4k anyway.

[CastlevaniaNut18]

I'm pretty pleased with how well it looks and runs on my 980 at 1440p. Only issues have been an occasional half second freeze. I've had a handful of them during my 21 hours, but it's never crashed. 

[best3444]

52 minutes ago, stepee said:

 

This...kind of makes me want it more.

 

[best3444]

48 minutes ago, stepee said:

 

Yeah, I am regardless, loved the other two. Just need to wait for my 2080ti to get here since I sold my xp a month ago. I was going to wait for the ray tracing patch but eh I’m just going to look at it for a little bit and go ohhhh neat then switch back to 4k anyway.

 

I look forward to your impressions.

[TwinIon]

I've put a few hours into this game now and I'm really not enjoying it as much as it's predecessors. Maybe it's that the genre feels more played out, maybe it's that I just finished Spider-Man and loved it, or maybe there really is something lesser about this game.

 

Something that I'm really having a hard time dealing with on this one is how freaking set in stone the puzzles and exploration are. I was just doing a Tomb and I had to get to a platform that looked like a maybe six to eight foot drop. It was an easy jump, and half way through the fall Lara just dies and crumples to the ground. Never mind the insane stunts she's been pulling off or the far longer falls she's rebounded from. I was jumping to a platform I was supposed to climb to, so she automatically died. Everything is like that so far. The path you take is so carefully directed and prescribed that it's mandatory. Thus far even the combat feels that way. There are places they expect you to go to kill the baddies, and if anyone sees you, you're dead so quickly that it feels more like I'm finding the "right" way to get through an encounter than I am deciding how to do it.

 

I feel like Rise of the Tomb Raider was slightly better in this regard. Yes, like so many of these games it was often more or less on rails, but I remember a feeling of a touch more openness. I could approach a scenario from a different angle and tackle it a little bit differently. There were at least a couple ways to climb to a certain destination, and often much more. Either way, it did a better job at giving you the illusion of choice.

 

Also, on a technical note, the loading times in this game are horrific. I'm playing on a base PS4 and fast traveling takes forever. It's also pretty bad that if you jump into a mud pit (sections designed to slow you down to allow loading), you're pretty much guaranteed to run into a pause while the game loads. It also seems like these kind of things, be it something you have to squeeze through or mud to slow your walking, or other obvious loading points, are far more frequent than they should be, cutting up the action and slowing things down. God of War made these kinds of things far more palatable and did them far less frequently. Even Spider-Man, with it's throwback loading screens was far better. 

 

In total it just feels like a regression for the series. I'll probably play it through to the end, but Rise was probably my GOTY, and Shadow won't even be in the conversation.

[best3444]

3 hours ago, TwinIon said:

I've put a few hours into this game now and I'm really not enjoying it as much as it's predecessors. Maybe it's that the genre feels more played out, maybe it's that I just finished Spider-Man and loved it, or maybe there really is something lesser about this game.

 

Something that I'm really having a hard time dealing with on this one is how freaking set in stone the puzzles and exploration are. I was just doing a Tomb and I had to get to a platform that looked like a maybe six to eight foot drop. It was an easy jump, and half way through the fall Lara just dies and crumples to the ground. Never mind the insane stunts she's been pulling off or the far longer falls she's rebounded from. I was jumping to a platform I was supposed to climb to, so she automatically died. Everything is like that so far. The path you take is so carefully directed and prescribed that it's mandatory. Thus far even the combat feels that way. There are places they expect you to go to kill the baddies, and if anyone sees you, you're dead so quickly that it feels more like I'm finding the "right" way to get through an encounter than I am deciding how to do it.

 

I feel like Rise of the Tomb Raider was slightly better in this regard. Yes, like so many of these games it was often more or less on rails, but I remember a feeling of a touch more openness. Like I could approach a scenario from a different angle and tackle it a little bit differently. Like there were at least a couple ways to climb to a certain destination, and often much more. Either way, it did a better job at giving you the illusion of choice.

 

Also, on a technical note, the loading times in this game are horrific. I'm playing on a base PS4 and fast traveling takes forever. It's also pretty bad that if you jump into a mud pit (sections designed to slow you down to allow loading), you're pretty much guaranteed to run into a pause while the game loads. It also seems like these kind of things, be it something you have to squeeze through or mud to slow your walking, or other obvious loading points, are far more frequent than it seems like they should be, cutting up the action and slowing things down. God of War made these kinds of things far more palatable and did them far less frequently. Even Spider-Man, with it's throwback loading screens was far better. 

 

In total it just feels like a regression for the series. I'll probably play it through to the end, but Rise was probably my GOTY, and Shadow won't even be in the conversation.

 

@stepee @CastlevaniaNut18 @Biggie

[Biggie]

I’m passing @best3444  Spider-Man ruined it for me. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

I'm glad I didn't play this on a console. It's why I always choose PC if there's an option for it. 

 

These games have never been GotY material for me. They're just fun action games. I don't really feel like I've encountered the problems he's describing to any meaningful degree. And I've been playing the game with stealth in mind. It's more fun that way.

[Dre801]

Maybe the dev team being different from the previous two games is why this one feels different to some people.

[best3444]

I just beat it. 6/10

 

There is major screen tearing throughout the game. Clipping issues. Platforming can be troublesome because of inconsistent controls and animations. The AI is litterally brain dead. The combat is very clumsy up close. The story was so average and predictable. I could go on and on. 

 

@stepee you've been warned! 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

He's likely not going to have the issues you're complaining about on his powerful PC.

[best3444]

His PC won't magically make it a good game, doe. I'm done even commenting on this. Thank God it's over with, lol. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

You didn't like it. Doesn't mean that others are supposed to hate it, too. It's fine that you don't like it, but it's like you're just dying to make sure others don't enjoy it, either. You've been trying too hard throughout the thread. 

[stepee]

4 hours ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

He's likely not going to have the issues you're complaining about on his powerful PC.

 

Unless I try ray tracing at 4k!

 

Ill probably beat it before that patch tho. Was really hoping to play it this week but sadly looking like another two weeks now.

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Just finished it. I got all the challenge tombs, so I think I'm probably done with it. Pretty fun ride. They didn't take a lot of risks, but I'm still pretty satisfied with more of the same. I'd give it an 8/10. 

[AbsolutSurgen]

I'm 5 hours in, at about 20% completion.  The game has finally opened up a little bit.  There are some really rough parts in the first 4 hours, but it's now getting back to the game I expected it to be.  Looking forward to making more progress!

[Biggie]

4 hours ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

Just finished it. I got all the challenge tombs, so I think I'm probably done with it. Pretty fun ride. They didn't take a lot of risks, but I'm still pretty satisfied with more of the same. I'd give it an 8/10. 

I’ll play it but going to wait on a PSN sale. 

[best3444]

1 hour ago, Biggie said:

I’ll play it but going to wait on a PSN sale. 

 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

4 hours ago, Biggie said:

I’ll play it but going to wait on a PSN sale. 

Well, I got it on a GMG sale, so it worked out pretty well for me.

[Dexterryu]

I'm fairly far into it... I'm pretty luke warm on my thoughts so far. Feels like it has some pacing issues... I'm finding the towns with NPCs to be fairly boring. They probably should have made side quests doable while on the way to/in line with the main quest rather than on their own since they are basically just boring fetch/kill quests.

 

There are parts that are fairly forced... like certain points where Lara loses her guns but isn't able to pick up the guns from fallen enemies so you're forced to force kill shotgun guys with a knife. The combat sections in the first two games felt like I had more options and more sandbox where this one they introduce a mechanic, have an in game tutorial where you use it in that section and then mostly don't use it again because of another mechanic they want you to use.

[TwinIon]

I think I'm closing in on the end and a lot of same stuff is still bothering me. I also just played through the section where you lose your guns and found it frustrating. It wasn't particularly difficult, but not being able to pickup up a shotgun after knifing a guy was such an unnecessary forced limitation. After that you have a section of stealth with your bow, and following that a section of forced gun battles. None of the combat mechanics are themselves that poorly done, but the fact that the game removes whatever little sense of agency you have in combat is frustrating. It's a game that has all the right tools, but doesn't know how to use them to make a compelling package. It's the best example of a title being less than the sum of its parts I've seen in a long time. I'm getting towards the end, but I have to admit that at this point I'm rushing through it just to finish.

[skillzdadirecta]

Started playing the game again today... DAMN this game looks good. I'm still early so I can't pass judgment just yet but it feels like the other two Tomb Raiders which I also loved so, so far so good.

[skillzdadirecta]

Put some real quality time into the game tonight and had to force myself to quit for the evening to watch some TV. Love how bad ass Lara is in this game. Gonna run through the story, but I will definitely revisit these three games once the game rush dies down and replay them to completion... I already know it.

[Biggie]

6 hours ago, skillzdadirecta said:

Put some real quality time into the game tonight and had to force myself to quit for the evening to watch some TV. Love how bad ass Lara is in this game. Gonna run through the story, but I will definitely revisit these three games once the game rush dies down and replay them to completion... I already know it.

The game rush never stops. The games just keep coming!

[skillzdadirecta]

2 hours ago, Biggie said:

The game rush never stops. The games just keep coming!

 

Well for me, after Fallout, I'm not buying anything else day one until next year.

[skillzdadirecta]

Just finished the main campaign... and while I felt like I was watching more than playing sometimes, that was a fun ride. I think the secret to these games is to play the main story first and then go back and do the side stuff. Otherwise you lose the flow of the narrative which in this case, was nothing special, but was at least well written and well acted. There are some truly epic moments in here and this is why I enjoy these games more than the Uncharted series for the most part. I will say this... some of the platforming felt a bit wonky and the straight up combat sections were merely "passable". The game shines in it's exploration and stealth missions and the way it puts Lara in these scenarios were she has to improvise or survive by her wits makes me wish these guys would get The Rambo license or Die Hard or something 

Nothing revolutionary here but what is here is top notch and anyone who loved the first games should definitely check this one out. I look forward to marathoning all three at some point.

[Dre801]

I see that this game is already going for 29.99 on Amazon unless that's some Black Friday price.   Guess I'll grab it now.

 

The first in the reboot trilogy so far is my favorite.

[Keyser_Soze]

14 minutes ago, Dre801 said:

I see that this game is already going for 29.99 on Amazon unless that's some Black Friday price.   Guess I'll grab it now.

 

The first in the reboot trilogy so far is my favorite.

 

It's a black Friday price. It's that price on steam, Xbox, etc.

[Dre801]

Went ahead and grabbed it.  I hear it's the weakest of the three, but I'm sure it's worth 29.99.

[stepee]

On 9/21/2018 at 1:35 PM, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

I'm pretty pleased with how well it looks and runs on my 980 at 1440p. Only issues have been an occasional half second freeze. I've had a handful of them during my 21 hours, but it's never crashed. 

 

The half second freeze seems to be because of how it handles loading, I don’t think there’s anything you can do about it (i tried!) some games just seem to handle it that way even with a ssd and lots of ram.

 

Anyway, I finished it, and you were right, it is a pretty good game. Idk what my favorite Tomb Raider is but I liked this at least as much as the others. I quite enjoyed the focus on puzzle platforming over shooting. I’d give it a solid 8.5/10. And my God the game is gorgeous. The platforming is so fluid on pc, I guess on consoles that might make you put it down a notch. I spent several minutes just staring at some locations. Great artistic detail and top notch use of hdr.

[EternallDarkness]

I enjoyed the crap out of this game

[stepee]

Oh, and regarding the ending:

 

 

In some ways I liked how it wrapped things up, until the very end. When Lara sacrificed herself to restore the sun, she should have died. It’s always teased in stuff but never happens, and that would have been a good time to do it especially since they are just gonna reboot it again next gen. The way it’s set up is just weird, so she sacrifices herself and then they just jump over two days and all of the sudden she is fine with no explanation? Idk, felt hollow.

 

Also story wise I thought part of the point of this game was supposed to be how it turns out what she is doing is wrong. While she mentions being scared of that a few times, she just saves the day at the end. So that also seemed a bit off.

 I liked the whole rebelian aspect of the story though, and I found that more interesting than most of the story from other games in the series.

 
 

 

[Mercury33]

The best thing about RDR II is that it has made every game I’ve played since then seem like a 100/10 game.  It’s like playing RDR was being stuck in a desert for months and all the games after it are the sweet delicious sips of water when you make it out of the wasteland. 

 

Didnt like it as much as the first game but def way better than the second. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

18 hours ago, stepee said:

 

The half second freeze seems to be because of how it handles loading, I don’t think there’s anything you can do about it (i tried!) some games just seem to handle it that way even with a ssd and lots of ram.

 

Anyway, I finished it, and you were right, it is a pretty good game. Idk what my favorite Tomb Raider is but I liked this at least as much as the others. I quite enjoyed the focus on puzzle platforming over shooting. I’d give it a solid 8.5/10. And my God the game is gorgeous. The platforming is so fluid on pc, I guess on consoles that might make you put it down a notch. I spent several minutes just staring at some locations. Great artistic detail and top notch use of hdr.

Glad you liked it and ignored the hater!