And should we be okay if it isn't?The original Tomb Raider was extremely important. Zelda in 3d, Prince of Persia in 3d, hell... most any action adventure game in 3d owes a great deal to the original Tomb Raider released back in 1996. I cannot imagine Team Ico even existing without the birth of this series.
The last three games in this franchise were all good, and Tomb Raider Anniversary is probably the best Tomb Raider game I have ever played. The problem with low sales is not quality. Yeah, this last game could have used a few more months of polish, but the game was still great. Better than any Prince of Persia game I have played, better than Uncharted, and even Mirror's Edge in certain areas. Tomb Raider can't be fairly compared to those games though.
The sad part of all this is that Tomb Raider really is, after 12 years, still a unique experience. 3d Zelda is probably the closest I get to the Tomb Raider experience these days, and those don't come around very often. Don't say Uncharted. Don't say Prince of Persia. Those games are nothing like Tomb Raider. If people know of any under-the-radar gems that can give me the sense of exploration and puzzle solving like in this series, please let me know.
And a personal note to Eric Lindstrom and Crystal Dynamics: You were right. Right about the two very different types of Tomb Raider fans. They made developing Tomb Raider games difficult and often contradictory. But guess what? The ones that both you and I really dislike deep down -- the ones who only want to run around shooting stuff with a big breasted woman... they don't care anymore. They have moved on to play Gears of War and now rely on internet porn for their personal needs. Start making the hardcore Tomb Raider that the true fans want. Make your own Tomb Raider Anniversary without all the bullshit. Make it long and difficult. Fuck the combat. Do Tomb Raider better than the original team did it back in '96. The mainstream has given up on the series, so it's time to give up on them. Bring respect back to this franchise, as it's the only way that this is going to work.
And to Eidos: Shut the fuck up and let them make the Tomb Raider game that needs to be made. That or sell the IP to a publisher that can. And quit putting the game out on every fucking console known to man. It never helps the reputation of a series.
As of now I could care less if Tomb Raider is never again a mainstream success. I'm just worried about the desperate lengths Eidos will go to try to revive the un-revivable.
Does anyone know November NPD sales for Tomb Raider: Underworld?
Brad
9 comments:
I personally don't think Tomb Raider will ever again achieve huge numbers in sales.
I'm not okay with that. In this generation, games cost so much more money to make if they don't make a reasonable amount of profit on the Tomb Raider series... bye Lara Croft.
Hello new I.P.?
As a character Lara isn't really relevant anymore, the combat in Tomb Raider is and apparently will always be bad. Basically, the only things Tomb Raider does well is exploring and puzzle solving.
Apparently, it's written into the Tomb Raider game design bible that in every new TR there MUST be 4,000 dudes you have to kill and each one can take 10 shots to the head before going down...
So why doesn't Crystal Dynamics make a game only about exploration and puzzles? I have no idea.
I personally don't want Lara to go away. Tomb Raider Underworld was one of the best gaming experiences I've had this year. But, there is so much baggage with the Tomb Raider name...
I don't know about you but personally, the best Tomb Raider game I ever played was the original Soul Reaver. Just sayin'.
I may be retarded for even thinking this but...open world tomb raider?
Sure it sounds gimmicky but the linearity of TR is something that has always plagued me, i always felt i was just going from puzzle to puzzle and that i could get the same accomplishment from a game of tetris.I'm talking about Shadow of the Colossus stuff, big world, yours to explore,
Hey Brad is you read this i hope you can maybe make it a topic in the next podcast or at least discuss it because i might have struck something here in terms of not saving TR, but at least putting a band- aid on it
Tomb Raider did have a semi open world experience at one point with Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness. That game was very poorly received simply because Lara Croft wasn't scantly dressed and didn't have dual pistols throughout.
The Angel of Darkness did have a number of bugs, but honestly they weren't much worse than the current generation's glitches. Angel of Darkness is an example of Tomb Raider trying to be a little different and after it's failure they just went back to the old formula, now even that's not working.
I still haven't played Underworld yet but i hope to run through it this year on a rental.
Honestly I think the Tomb Raider franchise needs to step up its game, the target of the casual gamer looking for tits just isn't cutting it anymore.
In addition I really want them to get back to the Angel of Darkness story which was left unfinished.
Soul Reaver is a good series to give me that TR fix. Problem is... the series went dramatically downhill in terms of quality. And I don't want to go back to play the PS1 original.
Way too much block flipping in that game anyway.
I could see an open world Tomb Raider. With the fun that came from screwing around in Crackdown. . . all the moments of "can I get there" and feeling like you actually did something pretty cool when you figured out how to get to some ridiculous place. While that was mostly just Superman caliber leaping in most cases Tomb Raider could take it back a notch and just make a good sized area to explore with a bunch of crazy areas to try to get to, to test your ability at figuring how to get there.
I guess when I stop to think about it I'm thinking of a slower paced Mirrors Edge basically. Take out the enemies. Take out the hectic "gotta run" mentality (which is fun but not really Tomb Raider-esque)and just let you explore. Maybe have a few puzzles of some sort that help you get higher or further out, maybe some swimming (lakes or perhaps sewer pipes). Once in a while have a building or some piece of the environment collapse to give a sense of danger (I'm picturing a giant boulder and a fleet footed Harrison Ford right now). This could create a little tension as well as change the environment for further exploration options. . .
While I enjoy a good story, perhaps Tomb Raider needs little to no story. Just "you are Lara Croft and you are exploring this area" and put some relics and odd stuff scattered around to find (like Grand Theft Auto with a million things to try to find hidden in the environment). No more of this major fate of the world type stuff.
I would love to see TR come back, at least for the fans of the exploration/puzzle side of the game. I put Angel of Darkness down probably half way into it and haven't gone back to the series (didn't want current crap to spoil my fond memories of the original greatness that once was). However, I'm hearing more and more that I really should play Anniversary so when I finish this pile-o-games I have here I think that is the next one for me to pick up.
*mind keeps churning*
What about Lara Croft in a Bethesda game? Fallout 4 Staring Lara Croft?
If Tomb Raider was to be made into an open-world game, I see it taking place on an island.
The island concept should be able to provide different enough environments to keep gameplay fresh. They could utilize the jungle, mountains, ocean/rivers, and even a volcano. Imagine exploring these areas to look for hidden temples.
If they absolutely need combat, it should be kept to a minimum. Why not have Lara go up against other raiders similar in skill to her? They could act as a boss battle. Maybe there's one temple that has a raider get to the treasure/artifact before Lara does and part of the battle is chasing him back out. Another boss could be in the jungle that has a battle that resembles the fights with The Fear and The End from MGS3, only in a realistic manner. As long as they keep the fights varied in style, they could be a welcome addition.
My personal favorite Tomb Raider games were The Last Revelation and Anniversary. Both had incredible puzzles and beautiful graphics.
I myself also miss the old days of non-combat oriented Tomb Raider. Lara has been my idol for years, and without her I don't see myself havng ever becoming a gamer.
Eidos and Crystal Dynamics need to have a nice sit down and remember WHY we loved Tomb Raider. Sure, it's no longer the most popular franchise, but it's not dead, especially to it's hardcore fans.
*agrees with Brad 100%*
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