My thoughts on the new Rise of the Tomb Raider trailers
Aug 14, 2015 9:58:24 GMT
Lori Croft likes this
Post by Rident on Aug 14, 2015 9:58:24 GMT
I had previously posted these on my blog, but thought I'd share here too regarding the two released gamescom (I hate that lower-case 'G') trailers.
First up was the Geothermal Valley trailer shown during the Microsoft presentation which you can see here:
Closing out the Microsoft gamescom briefing yesterday, Crystal Dynamics got the opportunity to show off some brand new footage from Rise of the Tomb Raider which showed of some of the vast areas for exploration as well as the various ways in which Lara can use her skill set to take down enemies.
Now Lara is no particular stranger to stealth, having first being introduced as a skill within Tomb Raider Chronicles and more heavily within Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness. She went back to full gunplay within the Crystal Trilogy before it became useful in part within Tomb Raider 2013. In this footage we see Lara’s available tactics have been greatly expanded over shooting with silenced weapons and sneak and strike kills. Lara can now make use of object (bottles etc) to create lures and distractions which assists with separating units and allowing for unseen takedowns.
Lara can also do more than simply sneak up on enemies too, as she can now take advantage of high areas and perform an Assassin’s Creed style leap takedown on a single foe. There is also the option to use deep waters to her advantage and take down an enemy near the waters edge which will help hide those bodies. She can also use an ability which allows her to target more than a single enemy with her bow (and assumed other weapons) which can help quietly clear areas quicker. Now these are likely unlocked takedown options within the camp upgrades.
I am a lover of stealth tactics to take down enemies in games. This is a lot different to previous stealth options which normally involved avoiding enemies all together. I’m sure that is still an option which is where using objects for distraction is an option which is seen during the video.
The flamethrower dude at the end of the gamescom Rise of the Tomb Raider demo reminded me of the one in Tomb Raider II. Hope he is not as creepy and doesn’t make a crispy Lara too often.
I do love the little nods to the classics.
The final part of the briefing not shown in the video above is all about the tombs which myself, like many other fans felt slightly disappointed about in the last game due to being so simple and generic. This time there is more focus on tombs and puzzles. The final video section shows off some of the beautiful ruins for Lara to explore ripe with long lost secrets and artefacts. This is a return to the Tomb Raider I have been wanting. More on this below.
The second video is an extended look at the Syria level featured in the Tomb demo section at the end:
First off, from the get-go I love the location. It immediately feels quite different to where we have seen Lara before upon a huge dusty, rocky cliff-top trail fleeing from an attacking chopper. It is a really nice break away from the forests which reminded me of some areas in Yamatai. First thing spotted which was a nice little Easter egg, was the brown bag in the car which looked rather familiar. Unfortunately she doesn’t grab it and so it is just her and thankfully her pickaxe which she somehow manages to pull out fast before plunging to her death.
When standing upon the cliff edge you can just see how vast the area is with what looks to be a living town in the distance. I expect we’ll be heading there later in the game. Something about this point reminds me of the some of Nevada area in Tomb Raider III. The climbable surfaces seem less obvious than before, which feels much more attuned to classic Tomb Raider than the distinct white/light markings or obvious objects in the previous game. One thing annoyed me while watching this bit was the discovery of a box but not checking it. I am glad though as it is something left for me to discover.
When Lara entered the small hole leading to the Prophet’s Tomb, I was worried it’d be the generic large drop, can’t go back ledges that featured so heavily in Tomb Raider 2013. Those did annoy me slightly. Inside Lara encounters a pillar covered with ancient Greek writing, from which Lara deciphers the word “Prophet”. From what we know, Lara builds upon her knowlege of ancient texts over the course of the game, aiding her to discover many secrets hidden in the world. If you wanted to know more on this ancient text, Tomb Raider community member Marina analysed it in much more detail from her knowledge in ancient Greek. You can view this via her Instagram.
Outside of the cutscene, I can see there is so much to explore in this vast tomb. There are many beautiful images on the walls and plenty of prompts pop up to learn more. Again this was something that had me itching as the explorer in me wanted the demo player to discover everything, but happy I will have this to learn during my gameplay in November with some deep secrets remaining so until then.
Although I had seen it before in the E3 demo and screenshots, Lara’s step outside to see the ruins before her wowed me all the more with the full gameplay, and I am sure it will never cease to amaze each time I get to that point as has been the case in many of the previous games (Sphinx, Sanctuary of the Scion. The view of the ruins in Coastal Thailand). What I really loved about this section was the peace and lack of combat, allowing for plenty of exploration time, which is one of my favourite things in Tomb Raider games. The crawl through the tight cave filled with bugs and skeletons gave a good feel for the tomb, one which was kind of missing in the last round. I loved the set up of ancient traps, which gave purpose to why there were so many dead in the area. It kind of reminded me of the trials within the Temple of the Sun from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade as he seeks the Holy Grail.
The water section shows off the reinstated swimming and was that a dive I saw just then?? YES!! Now hoping there will be the ability to do a classic high ledge swan dive later in the game. (Excitement +10)
The combat section was inevitable, though thankfully the enemy numbers were quite thin. Following this human encounter many of the places I’d liked to have explore some more are quickly destroyed in the fast paced Uncharted-style running section. I guess we all know that’s how it goes for these adventurers after they open up a long lost sarcophagus or discover an ancient mythical relic.
Indy didn't exactly have an easy ride when he picked up the gold Idol or tried taking the Holy Grail.
The final montage of obstacles, puzzles and finally a tomb fills me with so much hope for this game and I can’t begin to explain my excitement to get playing this game, being in control and exploring everything. Great stuff Crystal! Roll on November!!
First up was the Geothermal Valley trailer shown during the Microsoft presentation which you can see here:
Closing out the Microsoft gamescom briefing yesterday, Crystal Dynamics got the opportunity to show off some brand new footage from Rise of the Tomb Raider which showed of some of the vast areas for exploration as well as the various ways in which Lara can use her skill set to take down enemies.
Now Lara is no particular stranger to stealth, having first being introduced as a skill within Tomb Raider Chronicles and more heavily within Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness. She went back to full gunplay within the Crystal Trilogy before it became useful in part within Tomb Raider 2013. In this footage we see Lara’s available tactics have been greatly expanded over shooting with silenced weapons and sneak and strike kills. Lara can now make use of object (bottles etc) to create lures and distractions which assists with separating units and allowing for unseen takedowns.
Lara can also do more than simply sneak up on enemies too, as she can now take advantage of high areas and perform an Assassin’s Creed style leap takedown on a single foe. There is also the option to use deep waters to her advantage and take down an enemy near the waters edge which will help hide those bodies. She can also use an ability which allows her to target more than a single enemy with her bow (and assumed other weapons) which can help quietly clear areas quicker. Now these are likely unlocked takedown options within the camp upgrades.
I am a lover of stealth tactics to take down enemies in games. This is a lot different to previous stealth options which normally involved avoiding enemies all together. I’m sure that is still an option which is where using objects for distraction is an option which is seen during the video.
The flamethrower dude at the end of the gamescom Rise of the Tomb Raider demo reminded me of the one in Tomb Raider II. Hope he is not as creepy and doesn’t make a crispy Lara too often.
I do love the little nods to the classics.
The final part of the briefing not shown in the video above is all about the tombs which myself, like many other fans felt slightly disappointed about in the last game due to being so simple and generic. This time there is more focus on tombs and puzzles. The final video section shows off some of the beautiful ruins for Lara to explore ripe with long lost secrets and artefacts. This is a return to the Tomb Raider I have been wanting. More on this below.
The second video is an extended look at the Syria level featured in the Tomb demo section at the end:
First off, from the get-go I love the location. It immediately feels quite different to where we have seen Lara before upon a huge dusty, rocky cliff-top trail fleeing from an attacking chopper. It is a really nice break away from the forests which reminded me of some areas in Yamatai. First thing spotted which was a nice little Easter egg, was the brown bag in the car which looked rather familiar. Unfortunately she doesn’t grab it and so it is just her and thankfully her pickaxe which she somehow manages to pull out fast before plunging to her death.
When standing upon the cliff edge you can just see how vast the area is with what looks to be a living town in the distance. I expect we’ll be heading there later in the game. Something about this point reminds me of the some of Nevada area in Tomb Raider III. The climbable surfaces seem less obvious than before, which feels much more attuned to classic Tomb Raider than the distinct white/light markings or obvious objects in the previous game. One thing annoyed me while watching this bit was the discovery of a box but not checking it. I am glad though as it is something left for me to discover.
When Lara entered the small hole leading to the Prophet’s Tomb, I was worried it’d be the generic large drop, can’t go back ledges that featured so heavily in Tomb Raider 2013. Those did annoy me slightly. Inside Lara encounters a pillar covered with ancient Greek writing, from which Lara deciphers the word “Prophet”. From what we know, Lara builds upon her knowlege of ancient texts over the course of the game, aiding her to discover many secrets hidden in the world. If you wanted to know more on this ancient text, Tomb Raider community member Marina analysed it in much more detail from her knowledge in ancient Greek. You can view this via her Instagram.
Outside of the cutscene, I can see there is so much to explore in this vast tomb. There are many beautiful images on the walls and plenty of prompts pop up to learn more. Again this was something that had me itching as the explorer in me wanted the demo player to discover everything, but happy I will have this to learn during my gameplay in November with some deep secrets remaining so until then.
Although I had seen it before in the E3 demo and screenshots, Lara’s step outside to see the ruins before her wowed me all the more with the full gameplay, and I am sure it will never cease to amaze each time I get to that point as has been the case in many of the previous games (Sphinx, Sanctuary of the Scion. The view of the ruins in Coastal Thailand). What I really loved about this section was the peace and lack of combat, allowing for plenty of exploration time, which is one of my favourite things in Tomb Raider games. The crawl through the tight cave filled with bugs and skeletons gave a good feel for the tomb, one which was kind of missing in the last round. I loved the set up of ancient traps, which gave purpose to why there were so many dead in the area. It kind of reminded me of the trials within the Temple of the Sun from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade as he seeks the Holy Grail.
The water section shows off the reinstated swimming and was that a dive I saw just then?? YES!! Now hoping there will be the ability to do a classic high ledge swan dive later in the game. (Excitement +10)
The combat section was inevitable, though thankfully the enemy numbers were quite thin. Following this human encounter many of the places I’d liked to have explore some more are quickly destroyed in the fast paced Uncharted-style running section. I guess we all know that’s how it goes for these adventurers after they open up a long lost sarcophagus or discover an ancient mythical relic.
Indy didn't exactly have an easy ride when he picked up the gold Idol or tried taking the Holy Grail.
The final montage of obstacles, puzzles and finally a tomb fills me with so much hope for this game and I can’t begin to explain my excitement to get playing this game, being in control and exploring everything. Great stuff Crystal! Roll on November!!
