View Full Version : Shadow of the Tomb Raider (PS4, XB1, PC)
SmoothPancakes
06-10-2018, 07:27 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbvOjcn3wfc
Looks good. The first game was really good although the log method of telling the back story was weak. The second game was a letdown imo. Tried to go open world a bit but it didn’t work. The environments weren’t varied enough either. This game should just try and be similar to Uncharted with RPG elements. Definitely interested.
The game will offer a “new game plus” mode. What is cool is that you retain all your final skills and weapons but the game also unlocks 3 specialty skill trees with new things to unlock.
https://tombraider.square-enix-games.com/en-us/news/shadow-of-the-tomb-raider-new-game-plus
Path of the Serpent
You gameplay features an emphasis on stealth and subterfuge. Take down your foes one by one, using sound and decoys to sow chaos among their ranks. Mud and camoflague lets you lash out your foes before slipping back into the shadows.
Path of the Jaguar
Your gameplay features an emphasis on hunting and combat. Strike down your enemies with an unrivaled ferocity. Your agility and close-ranged prowess tear through your enemies with knife takedowns.
Path of the Eagle
Gameplay features an emphasis on traversal and resourcefulness. Observe your enemies from afar, scouting out to plan your next attack. Traverse with ease, attacking enemies from long range.
Rewards
Each chosen path will unlock a variety of exclusive rewards that further compliment your playstyle and gameplay.
By selecting a path, you'll unlock mastery skills featuring a variety of unique new abilities. From Jaguar Rage to Eagle Sight, each skill expands your game play.
On top of new skills available, chosen Paths feature unique themed weapons and outfits that further take your game.
Each chosen path will unlock a variety of exclusive rewards that further compliment your playstyle and gameplay.
By selecting a path, you'll unlock mastery skills featuring a variety of unique new abilities. From Jaguar Rage to Eagle Sight, each skill expands your game play.
On top of new skills available, chosen Paths feature unique themed weapons and outfits that further take your game.
I’ve been happy with what they have shown so far. Lots of different ways to explore, 3D exploration under water, some cool combat. Just hope the more open world doesn’t detract from the story. The sequel struggled with that.
Personally I think Spiderman is getting all the love but this game is more appealing to me. Just hope it meets expectations.
bdoughty
08-16-2018, 08:04 AM
I buy every Tomb Raider and this will be no different. More concerned about the Tombs. We need more and there needs to be a bit more difficulty.
This game does have different difficulty options for gameplay vs puzzles. Some of that stuff dictates how easily ledges, clues and paths are highlighted for you. Innovative way to do things. Uncharted difficulty for platforming was non existent. TR made it a little more difficult. I think if games want to add platforming you need to add an element of risk and difficulty.
Review embargos end at noon eastern today. Hopefully they are good.
bdoughty
09-10-2018, 09:51 AM
Matters not to me. It's not like they can completely screw up a tried and true formula from the last two games with even more Tombs being added. Bought the digital version that includes the season pass, been installed for a week and ready to roll.
I’ve just got too many games I have to finish. Trying to finish HZD and have Spiderman which I’m lukewarm on. I do think I will like TR better but NBA 2K also awaits me. May still keep my preorder as I got a good deal. I may just dump/put aside Spidey too. I’m not hooked on that game. It’s a solid open world Spiderman but it’s not GOTY material imo. Not close.
77 on PS4 right now
https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4/shadow-of-the-tomb-raider
Early impressions on Reddit are a positive. Many there also felt the second one was a letdown.
https://www.reddit.com/r/PS4/comments/9f8tbx/shadow_of_the_tomb_raider_for_those_who_got_the/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/9fgqba/shadow_of_the_tomb_raider_early_impressions/
bdoughty
09-13-2018, 07:30 AM
Just an amazing looking game so far. Uncharted 4 and Horizon Zero Dawn were my graphical benchmarks but this surpasses it so far. Playing on the XB1X on performance setting and it runs a silky smooth 60FPS, where the other two were stuck at 30 making it all that more impressive. There is a great section early on where you get to play as a young Laura in Croft Manor and the backyard which gives a great glimpse into how she became what she is today.
You are making me jealous and want a Pro. Getting to play games that look great AND in 60 fps would be nice.
My game should have actually been in today (pre-release shipping gets to me a day early 50% of the time) but the Post Office sent the game to Windsor instead of my home town (30 minutes away). So likely tomorrow. Still trying to finish HZD and only 11% done Spidey!
bdoughty
09-13-2018, 09:54 AM
There are 9 Challenge Tombs and two in the first main (open) section. Nothing overly difficult so far. You do spend a lot of time with Jonah at your side early on. He can be left to wait while you seek out tombs and hunting in some instances but he tries to keep Laura in check and lordy does she need it in this game. Starting to think some of the lower review scores were focused on the story and how she is portrayed because the gameplay is relatively unchanged so far, outside of a few things (you can rappel now) and to me that is a good thing.
The only real glitch I have seen is in some caves the flashlight never comes on. Since there is no way to toggle it on/off, it has cause me to go to the options/graphics/crank brightness a few times.
If you invest in a Pro be sure and see what models make the least amount of fan noise. I will probably get a Pro down the line to play TLOU2 and a few other exclusives I missed but they need to fix that and also a price drop, so I am in no rush.
The Pro is supposed to be loud. This last gen may be a bit better but I'm surprised they haven't come up with a Pro Slim that is all around quieter and cooler. Plus the X is better than the Pro so the difference between a basic XBox and the X is bigger than my PS4 and Pro. I haven't even seen one on display.
The story may be iffy. I had read that the combat is more stealth based and there is less of it compared to exploring.
One guy on OS had his game screw him. He was doing a puzzle and ran out of arrows. Can't craft any more to finish the puzzle and is locked in a loop with no return. Hopefully that's a minor bug that can get fixed. Seems like those that have the game are enjoying it.
bdoughty
09-14-2018, 09:52 AM
One guy on OS had his game screw him. He was doing a puzzle and ran out of arrows. Can't craft any more to finish the puzzle and is locked in a loop with no return. Hopefully that's a minor bug that can get fixed. Seems like those that have the game are enjoying it.
Have not run into that yet, generally if there is a tomb/puzzle where the bow is required there will be a ton of spare arrows lying around. Even in a tomb or catacomb you can go back to the entrance and go out an cut down some wood. Must be a story puzzle?
It seems that it's just us two posting on this forum nowadays. Might be best if they just close up shop since most of you guys post at OS anyways. Wish JB and CDJ the best and appreciate what they have done over the years.
Keep posting your impressions. I just got the game today and will likely check it out this weekend. I can't remember a time where there were so many good games out at the same time. Not to mention Red Dead (although I'm in the minority that doesn't care for it that much) in October.
SmoothPancakes
09-14-2018, 04:52 PM
Keep posting your impressions. I just got the game today and will likely check it out this weekend. I can't remember a time where there were so many good games out at the same time. Not to mention Red Dead (although I'm in the minority that doesn't care for it that much) in October.
Hell, I thought last year was nuts. This year is crazy. Just for games I'm planning to buy, since the start of this month, Spider-Man, NBA 2K19 (once it goes on sale, hopefully around the holidays), Red Dead Redemption 2, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Just Cause 4, I'm still debating on Fallout 76, but I am leaning towards buying it more than I was in the past, The Walking Dead: The Final Season (once the last episode is release and the entire season is available at once).
Every year I think the fall game release schedule can't be topped, and each new year, they find a way to top the previous year.
bdoughty
09-16-2018, 11:25 PM
They really could use a bit more combat in the game. I love exploring but killing things is fun too. Combat has really gone stealth heavy. You can get messed up pretty quick if you try to go in guns blazing in a few of the scenarios with human enemies.
I remember thinking GOW could have used more combat at times. And I was also disappointed in the amount of stealth in HZD but since I’m almost done that I will just have to keep that in mind.
Is the story weak so far?
bdoughty
09-17-2018, 08:35 AM
I remember thinking GOW could have used more combat at times. And I was also disappointed in the amount of stealth in HZD but since I’m almost done that I will just have to keep that in mind.
Is the story weak so far?
Typical Tomb Raider fare. Searching for trinket, Trinity and it's new boss are searching for same trinket, you meet at the same place at the exact same time, rinse repeat. Laura is pretty one track mind when it comes to find the treasure, screw everything else. Event happens and she changes for a split second only to go back onto looking for the trinket, rinse repeat. There is an exception where you go through like five stages of her personality, then as expected, gotta find that trinket. You will know it when you play it and probably laugh throughout because it seems at times like the writers did not want to hamstring her but it's Laura Freaking Croft, Tomb Raider. Tomb Raiders need to Raid Tombs. Nathan Drake is the same mold so I tend to expect this from both series. Both are psychopaths with an obsession for shinny things. There have only been a few games where I actually gave two shits about the story. The Witcher 3, TLOU and Red Dead Redemption. If I want a good story, I hit Netflix/Amazon Prime and watch British TV.
As an example of the stealth in the game, midway through the game, there is about 20-30 guys you have to beat using only stealth since you only have a knife. They felt this was not stealthy enough so they throw in a new character type that has night vision googles, so no hiding in bushes and you will spotted instantly if they are looking your way as you move from solid object to next solid object. It was a slog but you get a really cool reward for getting past these guys. Guns just seem to do more damage in this game, so it is best to fight them this way throughout. There are other enemies that do not use guns which in turn allows you to some bow/gunplay. One nice addition is that some Tombs actually have enemies as you are trying to figure out what to do.
TLOU was a great story. I remember being blown away by UC1 in terms of story. Uncharted (outside the third one) has always had an interesting story for me. The first TR was good too except how they told it. Those collectable tapes/journals was a poor media imo. A great story isn't a requirement but it being interesting or having a cool twist is something I like. Open World games tend to lack good stories and become fetch quests to complete map icons. I don't like side quests to feel like chores that block the advancement of a good story/main mission.
I should add that I can still like open world. I liked AC Black Flag, Mordor (but quit part way through the sequel) and a lot of these types of games including HZD I would call open world. I probably just get burnt out on certain styles after awhile and need a break.
bdoughty
09-18-2018, 01:33 PM
All 9 Challenge Tombs completed. A few good ones in the bunch but a few relied too heavily on tactics from previous games tombs. I think the pirate ship was my favorite. Only had to look up a solution once. It was a confusing final step. There is logic to the solution but it was the farthest thing from my mind.
Putting hints on hard may have been a bad idea. I think I need them. Not a strength for me.
bdoughty
09-19-2018, 09:14 AM
Finished the game. Wacky ending is wackier than usual. There were no major fights that were a QTE fest, which was a plus for me (something both Uncharted and TR are guilty of far too often). I would say it was around an 7.5 out of 10. Good game, great graphics but the lack of combat for long periods of time and heavy focus on stealth were not for me. Still not fond of the, "Unable to enter area because you do not have "X" ability yet." To make it even worse they have certain paths in the game that are blocked out, yet you will see treasures, coin caches, etc, right on the path. Going to save you a bunch of time that I wasted endless hours trying to find a path that does not exist. It does exist but only opens up after you start a specific side mission. There were about 5 of these and is just lazy game development. Holes in walls magically appear once a side quest is started.
Ended up with about 95% of all treasures, caches, relics, etc done. Will go through it and clean the rest up over time. Going to start a new game + and run through it on hard difficulty. Something to keep me busy till the Season Pass stuff comes out
Having lower expectations will help for me lol. How many hours did that take you?
bdoughty
09-19-2018, 12:10 PM
Having lower expectations will help for me lol. How many hours did that take you?
25 to 30 but a bunch of that was trying to figure out the places I was talking about above and collecting. If you run straight through the story and side missions 15 to 20.
bdoughty
09-19-2018, 10:31 PM
Welp, not going to play it on hard (Deadly Obsession). Was reading that the only saves are the campfires and one slip up has you going all the way back, people are losing up to an hour of gameplay for one simple slip up, as it takes you back to the last campfire. Even on normal I had plenty of traversal deaths due to glitchy jumps and the axe not sticking. Will just wait for the new Tomb's and Paths to pop up, apparently one a month starting in October.
I do agree that the game could have been smarter about blocking you from certain paths. Even at the beginning seeing big white font saying I need an axe to go here or whatever breaks the immersion just a tad lol. Just have Lara talk to herself saying I need an axe would be better. This series has never done the story as well as UC although I thought the premise of the first game (and subsequent movie) was good. I honesty feel this game tried to make it different from UC but had more misses than hits in doing so. I really dislike the story telling being done through finding journals and reading stuff. Lara could at least comment on what I found while I continue to play instead of pausing and reading. HZD did too much of that too.
This game is pretty although Lara hair textures at times look bad. PS3 quality on my normal PS4. One scene looked like their were four separate chunks of polygons for hair. Was just odd when so many things look good and then this clunky stuff stands out.
I’m too clueless to play on hard for clues and puzzles. Everything to normal now. Just taking me too long to figure some things out.
The game is very exploration based. I’ve also died a lot in platforming either due to bad jumps or not knowing where to go. The audio isn’t great in spots. The NPC characters in this jungle village are way louder than the rest of the game. And I don’t like that Jonah starts talking and if I move away I can’t hear him well. He should follow me around a little better lol. Still very early in the game. Not much combat so far. The story is nothing special and they didn’t even seem to try. Trinity is doing something bad. Stop them.
You were correct. I'm 25% in and there is barely any combat. And most of the scenarios are set up with stealth in mind. I find it funny that it says to hit SQUARE to cover yourself in mud but it only lets you do that if combat is coming. I can walk through muck while exploring and can't do it. And it is odd that you can find a crypt while exploring and see that white cpu writing that says I can't go there because I haven't progressed far enough. I think I'm still pretty early in the game so I don't think I've really unlocked what is supposed to be a major hub I guess. I'm in Peru and doing the Trial of the Eagle right now (like 5 of the 14 levels in the game). You can explore but the world doesn't feel really big. I liked how Uncharted transported you around the world more and it was more combat based and fun that way.
I have enjoyed playing this game but there is nothing special going on either.
This game is so mediocre. The story is weak, combat scarce and platforming a bit frustrating at times. This could have been so much better. Instead I think it’s the weakest of the 3 games so far. I am largely playing it because I paid for it. I think I would have enjoyed replaying UC4 instead. There is just nothing special about this game. Over halfway through the main missions as I’m on 14/21. Maybe everything picks up but I won’t hold my breath.
http://www.powerpyx.com/shadow-of-the-tomb-raider-full-walkthrough-all-story-missions/
bdoughty
09-28-2018, 07:44 AM
It gets a little better but nothing to write home about.
I can definitely see people liking it more if they are more into exploration and platforming. At the moment I'm just trying to power through this and sell it. I'll have no desire to replay it.
Haven't dove into this one yet but bought at launch because I enjoyed the 1st two sooo much. Sadly, your negative impressions seem to be pretty common and apparently spot on so I'm not looking forward to it but will try to slog through it just to finish the trilogy.
Some of the stealth areas are poorly designed. I’m only armed with a knife, I kill a guy with a gun but can’t pick up the gun? Why? Simply because the game doesn’t want me too.
There are a number of good RPG options but I can’t help but feel there are too many as the game isn’t long enough to even use half the stuff they provide. Lots of scavenging and upgrading but I’m not sure it really feels useful enough with the lack of combat. Maybe that is designed for NG+. The game is finishing up when you finally get some things. You should be able to sell weapons back to vendors, even at reduced prices. Bought a shotgun and it’s not even as good as the one I had.
CLW, there are a number of people that still love the game. I’m not one of them but don’t let that hold you back. I’d just advise you to wait on a good sale. I got it for C$50 instead of $80 over here. That makes me feel better. This game is a 6.5 or 7 for me. If Naughty Dog made this game it would have been so much better. The story is too weak. Little reason to go from point A to B other than being forced to. I do think they mixed in the linear aspect of a story and giving you freedom to explore a bit better than the last one. It just feels like this game was made by a B team instead of an A team.
bdoughty
09-29-2018, 12:49 PM
It just feels like this game was made by a B team instead of an A team.
Because it was made by a different developer. Crystal Dynamics was not the lead developer of the game. Eidos Montreal is.
https://www.destructoid.com/why-isn-t-crystal-dynamics-the-lead-developer-on-shadow-of-the-tomb-raider--500551.phtml
It is amazing to me that some massive structures and “hidden” areas are in the back yard of these tribes and undiscovered all this time lol. You can make that claim about Uncharted to a degree as well but not like this. I think the TR team wanted to keep everything largely in one spot to keep the map connected and allow for exploration but it also makes the total area smaller and stuff like this is a bit unavoidable. Just glad the diaper wearing Peru natives can speak English so well!
On a less sarcastic note I’m in the final chapter. I’ve barely done any side stuff and that is a mistake. I have virtually no upgraded outfits as a result and haven’t unlocked many tomb RPG elements. I think the game should have had more combat in the story so that it makes me want to relax more and explore. Instead the first half of the game lacks so much combat I don’t want to spend any more time just screwing around. The game is definitely more for the exploration type gamers.
Finished the story today and it's ok but it's by far the worst if the 3 . Really disappointing and with obviously poor sales worried this might be the last we see Lara Croft for awhile
bdoughty
01-01-2019, 07:58 PM
Finished the story today and it's ok but it's by far the worst if the 3 . Really disappointing and with obviously poor sales worried this might be the last we see Lara Croft for awhile
It was the finale of the trilogy. Game will go back to Crystal Dynamics and it will be rebooted when next gen consoles come out.
Still have all the DLC to play. 2 have been released but I will wait for all of them o come out before playing them.
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