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[derFeef]

I've only just begun. Still working on my MGR review since I'm behind (almost done). As for my first impressions... really blown away by everything so far. From sound design, exploring, upgrading, story, gunplay, and graphics. Just such outstanding production behind this game and it shows. I'd expect a review up this weekend or launch day.

Thanks, sounds nice
Passed on Aliens to get this, was the right choice it seems.

 

[The Smoking Bun]

So 3rd person Far Cry 3 with a more restricted world. Gotcha! No thanks!
The negatives far outweigh the positives in opinion. Jungle shoot-bang with limited puzzles.
Should be the other way around. Dr. Kawashima's Jungle Puzzler with the occasional gunfight.

 

[Lime]

The road to the triple-A summit hasn’t been reached in a single game"

I think I'm going to use the "road to the AAA-summit" much more in the future. The metaphor works extremely well in terms of explicating good and bad with such a journey, imo.

 

[Eideka]

That's gorgeous. I hope the artbook is well done.

 

[chickdigger802]

“@botherer: Console Tomb Raider reviews go live, while PC code promised to reviewers still hasn't appeared. Way to go, everyone involved.”

Is it because of embargoes with that new hair tech?

 

[Kurdel]

I did not expect this at all! Awesome.

 

[Stitch]

PC Games - 87%

Wow so there are only 7 Tombs. Every Tomb is just a room with a little puzzle.

 

[Relaxed Muscle]

And what fear was that?

- Focus on combat
- Simple tombs that are mostly contained on a single room
- Uncharted plataforming
- Dozens of collectibles
- Survival elements are a joke
- Exploration that is mostly going through a few branching paths.

 

[Soi-Fong]

Maybe that secret tech allows us PC gamers to have that kind of hair like in the art.. That'd be awesome.

 

[sleepykyo]

Glorious cg cleavage shot.

 

[stktt]

Making your way through complex, challenging but satisfying tombs (puzzles) with some controlled shooting elements of the 90s vs dudebro action with some kiddy puzzles every now and then, today. Outdated what, exactly?

Not like the 90s genres won't make their come back though, we're already seeing it in games like Dark Souls.

Wait until Dark Souls 2 adopts Tomb Raider's gameplay. The original games's mechanics will finally be proven to be archaic, as the new version sells three times as many copies!

 

[inky]

Disagree. I'm more inclined to reviewers such as Edge, who withhold such information. Yes, it's nice to know an individuals taste and if your own matches up, but it should be irrelevant. If a company is operating as a whole, as they should, then there should be no need to distinguish reviewers. Professional reviewers should be objectively critical in their reviews, personal subjective comments have no place and therefore knowing the reviewer makes no difference.

Whether reviewers do such, however, is another matter.

I absolutely disagree. Reviews are subjective by definition, defined and colored by the knowledge and experience of the person doing it (which is very different from a company's collective vision), and games certainly aren't a homogenized media that allows for objective comparability, even with a fixed scale. Having opinions and diverging tastes doesn't preclude the reviewer from accurate and fair criticism, in fact, it helps us as readers understand those points better.

Objectivity will always be an ideal, but games involve so many different forms of art mixed together and rely a lot on characteristics that are very hard to define (gameplay) that that personal, individual perspective is absolutely needed. Maybe technical and performance aspects are the only ones that could be judged in the way you mentioned, but to wish there shouldn't be a voice and personality attached to an opinion is bonkers to me.

 

[dreamfall]

- Focus on combat
- Simple tombs that are mostly contained on a single room
- Uncharted platforming
- Dozens of collectibles
- Survival elements are a joke
- Exploration that is mostly going through a few branching paths.

Which is exactly what we got. Outside of the Uncharted platforming perhaps.

But there's polish, and promise. And everyone seems to like aspects of combat.

It won't feel like a TR game, but it'll stand on it's own.

 

[Headhunter]

All hail Lara. Haters can suck the muzzle. Aw yeah!

Is that ingame?

 

[ironcreed]

Have not read every review. Any mentions of length here?

 

[Tricky I Shadow]

'Review screens'

SO GOOD! This is easily one of the prettiest looking games this gen. Dat art-style and attention to detail!

 

[HYDE]

I'll get the game for cheap but this game definetly kill the Tomb Raider games as we know it.

Thank goodness...because they were gross.

 

[Hanmik]

@Jim Sterling.

I watched the Gametrailers review. Two things that really stood out to me.

- The multiplayer looked to be a different game engine. It does not look like the same game. You call it "quite decent" in your piece. Is there really that much of a difference between the MP and the SP graphically..? how does it compare to Uncharted Mp..?

- The setpieces.. oh my that looked so "wrong" in the GT review. Plane crashing and the lot. Looked to much like Nathans stupid "I barely survived" set pieces..I just want to know how much they play a role in the game..? are they there all the time ..? or just something that happens 3 -4 times during the wjole game.?

 

[Jim Sterling]

Great explanation Jim, any chance you'll do a review of DW7:Empires (feel like you're the only reviewer I know of that likes the series)?

More than likely. Frankly, my interested in Empires has gone way down since DW8's so close, but I'll endeavor to write this up.

 

[Heart Attack]

You can pick a line out of any review and make it look like the reviewer hated it.

Oh you mean like the OP, who picked out lines to make it look like reviewers loved it and had no complaints? read the reviews dude.

 

[antitrop]

After hearing Tomb Raider MP back in December, I said this:

Spec Ops: The Line all over again.

After reading the reviews, looks like I was right.

 

[Messofanego]

Tomb Raider Falling For One Minute

Nathan Drake has competition.

 

[chickdigger802]

Any reviews or footage mention if Lara can dual wield pistols or not?

 

[Zeth]

Is this supposed to be a looker on PC? If it's anything like Sleeping Dogs on PC, I'm in.

 

[Soi-Fong]

SO GOOD! This is easily one of the prettiest looking games this gen. Dat art-style and attention to detail!

You serious? Texturing like I said is not bad, but disappointing...

http://image.noelshack.com/fichiers/2013/09/1361806542-10169tr9-screenshots-v1-lara-monastery8.jpg

 

[leaf_]

oh the frustation of the haters is so yummy!
Time to find that sentence saying bad things about the game through each review and pray for a bad review.

 

[OwlyKnees]

I absolutely disagree. Reviews are subjective by definition, defined and colored by the knowledge and experience of the person doing it (which is very different from a company's collective vision), and games certainly aren't a homogenized media that allows for objective comparability, even with a fixed scale. Having opinions and diverging tastes doesn't preclude the reviewer from accurate and fair criticism, in fact, it helps us as readers understand those points better.

Objectivity will always be an ideal, but games involve so many different forms of art mixed together and rely a lot on characteristics that are very hard to define (gameplay) that that personal, individual perspective is absolutely needed. Maybe technical and performance aspects are the only ones that could be judged in the way you mentioned, but to wish there shouldn't be a voice and personality attached to an opinion is bonkers to me.

Fair enough, just my opinion and I respect your views too!

 

[Wuthering_Heights]

Wow, glad to see the game is getting such great reviews. Could be one of the best games of the year.

Can't wait to pick it up!

 

[ebullientprism]

So, it sounds like Tomb Raider is mostly a checklist of things other games have already done?

Checks every box but for the one that says Tomb Raider.

 

[stktt]

SO GOOD! This is easily one of the prettiest looking games this gen. Dat art-style and attention to detail!

On a scale of 8-10, how excited are you right now?

 

[Jawmuncher]

Knew the game would turn out well.
Sucks for the other people who didnt like it from the get go but oh well.
They were kidding themselves if they thought it was going to turn out bad for what it was.
Hell it's messily going to be the best selling TR game since some time.

 

[REV 09]

seems people are still finding ways to dislike the game despite the good reviews (omg bribez). Why does GAF hate triple A releases nowadays? Seems like every big budget game gets shit on here. Even if it's initially praised...it'll end up being shit on (halo 4).

it's not like the current gen tomb raiders have been stellar games either. this is gearing up to be the best reviewed of the bunch.

 

[Heart Attack]

SO GOOD! This is easily one of the prettiest looking games this gen. Dat art-style and attention to detail!

hahahahahahahahha. you've posted the same post a million times since the game was revealed. There a plenty of better looking games. stop posting here and go back to the tomb raider forums.

 

[razgriz417]

More than likely. Frankly, my interested in Empires has gone way down since DW8's so close, but I'll endeavor to write this up.

Thanks, yea I'm in the same boat, trying to decide if I should just hold off for 8

 

[Tricky I Shadow]

The lackluster multiplayer is absolutely no reason to avoid what is otherwise one of the best action adventures I’ve ever played. Crystal Dynamics has nailed a pitch-perfect new vision for one of gaming’s most recognizable characters, and revitalizes her for what I hope will be many more installments. Whether or not you’ve embraced the previous games that went by this moniker, this is the time to take another look at Lara Croft.

 

[Curufinwe]

I'm glad it turned out well, even with them wasting time and resources on multiplayer. Once the price drops I'll pick it up.

 

[Kaako]

Great scores. Color me pleasantly surprised!

 

[Erasus]

This seems interesting. I wont get it for full price though, as I wont play the MP. Looked awful, Ill stick to UC3 for 3rd person mp. Ill get it on PS3 or PC later as I do love Uncharted and played the "old" Tomb Raiders

Ill have to see how my 7770 does with it, will there be a demo?

Also Ill see DF for PS3 performance.

 

[The Smoking Bun]

This game will give you cancer!

Final Score: 10/10

--- Eurogamer & Gametrailers

Seriously, don't look at the scores.

 

[iNvid02]

sounds good, i didnt mind nate being a mass murderer either

 

[kunonabi]

game sounds like it turned exactly how i thought it would based on the reviews. if the voice acting was better and the tombs/platforming weren't such a joke i probably would have given it a shot despite all my other issues with it.

 

[Brinbe]

Some of y'all need to stop complaining about the scores. For an all-encompassing audience, these scores are probably well-within that 7/8 and your average gamer will get an above-average experience with TR.

But for those of us who've paid close attention to development of this game, and take issue with those dumbed-down mechanics and how they've handled Lara, you already know what's in store.

 

[Rafa=FedKilla]

So how open is this compared to Uncharted? That series is unplayable to me with all the QTEs and closeed nature of it.

 

[BioHazard]

Wow, I am all of a sudden more excited

 

[Lime]

I don't really get this comment. Let's go look at Metacritic averages for 2013 games based on the most reviewed version:

Tomb Raider: 87
Devil May Cry: 86
Crysis 3: 79
Metal Gear Rising: 79
Dead Space 3: 78
Aliens: CM: 49

Are there a lot of numbers near 80? Sure, but there are also pretty clear bands of separation here.

Nirolak, I think the claim is motivated by what we also "discussed" earlier in the Dead Space 3 review thread, cf. Stump's post:

Based on the predictability of gaming media and the usual correlation between review scores and development budgets, I expect this to end up with an 86-89 Metacritic score.

Worked out pretty well for Resident Evil 6 and Medal of Honor: Warfighter.

There are obvious exceptions and high profile misfires, but there's also no doubt that a certain kind of sleek, polished, expensive, and safe production can fairly consistently achieve high review scores.

I don't disagree, but I do also feel that 2012 and onwards has been notably harsher by about 3-5 points on average at least looking at games like Halo 4, Assassin's Creed, Need For Speed, Black Ops 2, and of course the real outliers that are way down.

 

[OwlyKnees]

hahahahahahahahha. you've posted the same post a million times since the game was revealed. There a plenty of better looking games. stop posting here and go back to the tomb raider forums.

Ah, so you're angry today, huh?

Play the game. I have. Posted impressions earlier. The game is without a doubt one of the best looking games on consoles (and I have little to go on to worry that the PC version will not look especially nice).

 

[i-Lo]

The GT review caught me by total surprise. After highlighting mostly the game's shortcomings, they hand it an 8.5. And journalists wonder why people bitch about a game with a score of "8". They themselves are responsible for shrinking the scoring system to between 7-10.

 

[Currygan]

still not interested. Maybe when its super cheap

 

[CambriaRising]

So were all those threads and arguments worth it for you at this point?

I mean, how vindicated do you feel right now?

 

[Darkkn]

Gametrailers review tone is very off from the score(8.5) that they gave. I was expecting like 7-8 from all what the reviewer said during the review.

Seems like scores less than 8 can't be published as a part of this embargo :/