Tomb Raider reboot: Lara's new look.

Delayed. Probably just as well. Don't fuck up the reboot.

Jonah Falcon

I still haven't finished Underworld...the Camera Screw was just too much for me and the motorcycle sections are awful, hated the Mexican jungle ruin stage.

Hoping this one is better.

edited 14th May '12 5:53:18 PM by VertigoHigh

New trailer released, game still looks unconfortably torture porny as hell:

That looked fantastic. Even that brown colour scheme works in its favour*

, since it so helpfully differentiates the game from the Uncharted series. This game, though it shares a lot of the set-piece based action-adventure elements that characterises Uncharted, seems to be a far grimmer, and far tenser. I don't know if anyone's checked out the gameplay footage of one of the early levels, but the game looks to be a real adrenaline rush and, while not dabbling in traditional horror, is pushing the suspense way up. That's really exciting from this kind of game. It's a action/suspense game, instead of an action/adventure like Uncharted, or Dead Space 2's action/horror.

Plus, I can see why they've readjusted Lara's design. It's not just because the old one was more than a little gross, 'cause it was. It's because this game's dealing with a protagonist that seems to be under as much sexual threat as she does physical. She's still attractive by any means, but the change in design makes it seem like the developers are attempting to fend off the inevitable complaints about objectification and the male gaze. I just kind of wish that it'd been Lara's mother giving her the sage advice from beyond the grave. They seem to be telling a story particularly about feminine empowerment and what it might mean to be a woman in a space that's so grossly overpopulated by men. Kinda appropriate given where the character's relevance and contextual history. The reboot looks to have more than one kind of origin story going on. Allegory, go!

edited 1st Jun '12 4:05:33 AM by Nicknacks

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It's funny how realistic, small-scaled violence can be much more disturbing than Ludicrous Gibs… that looks awesome in terms of adrenaline, as said above, but it looks like you will need solid guts to play this game.

edited 1st Jun '12 6:13:02 AM by Lyendith

Flippé de participer à ce grand souper, je veux juste m'occuper de taper mon propre tempo.

I was led to believe that the game was not as actiony as this, but I'm definitely still interested. You guys have said it all really, looks very grim, suspenseful (is that even a word?), and cinematic.

Day 1.....most definitely

youtube.com/Fire Trainer 92

I've not heard much of this one, but the torture-porn-y video caught my attention. It reminded me a lot of assassin's creed, and it looks incredibly interesting. I'd love to play a young, scared Croft, rather than the cocky and confident older one.

Very big Daydream Believer. "That's not knowledge, that's a crapshoot!" -Al Murray "Welcome to QI" -Stephen Fry

:[

Looks like everything wrong with today's big budget games.

Sorry guys, not feeling this new direction they're taking. Seems like a Grimdark TR fanfic made into a game.

This is odd coming from someone who's only experience with the franchise was the first few levels of Legend, but...

I'll admit it looks very nice and seems to have some cool concepts, but I honestly can't say I like the whole reboot aspect. This was a series where, in the very first game, you could fight a T-Rex. Here? Something tells me that you won't even be able to go Guns Akimbo...

"If you're out here why do I miss you so much?"

Coming from someone who hasn't given most of the games a second look, I have to say that I enjoy the lean towards realism it seems to be going for, towards this adult fear of pain and isolation and lack of comfort, and if they pull it off well, all the more power to them, but I can see how it would rankle the fans of the previous games.

And if they make the gunplay more interesting than Uncharted, I'll definitely be happy.

edited 1st Jun '12 10:53:25 PM by Enkufka

Very big Daydream Believer. "That's not knowledge, that's a crapshoot!" -Al Murray "Welcome to QI" -Stephen Fry

Oh, I'm sure there'll be a monster or two. It's true to the series, true to Uncharted, true to the trends in third-person shooters.

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I love the new trailer. This game looks like it will have plenty to add to the series' Nightmare Fuel page. That's interesting because the first game was very scary IMO.

I liked it better when Questionable Casting was called WTH Casting Agency

Am I the only one bothered by how Lara is portrayed in these trailers? She's scared and helpless in most of them, this is starting to look like Other M levels of Chickification, it's borderline creepy even. It's almost like they're fetishizing her torment. Hell, the entire game looks like it's taking itself too seriously. Aren't the stories in Tomb Raider supposed to be cheesy and nonsensical (like the Indiana Jones movies)? This seems to be going for the typical "Darker and Edgier" approach.

I don't mind Lara getting dirty in her adventures, but for gods sake, don't make it looks so goddamn creepy.

Time to leave them all behind

No they're not cheesy and nonsensical. A tinge of lightheartedness =/= nonsensical. That said, I agree with you on everything else.

Completely disagree.

I understand why you'd draw those conclusions, but I think there's quite a bit of stuff there that elevates the material by suggesting an emancipation narrative. Torture Porn isn't bad in and of itself. It's just potentially problematic.

The fact that you play as a female character pretty much circumvents the problem by providing the "tortured" woman a sense of agency and independence. Plus, that trailer shows her kicking ass and taking names and demonstrating herself to be strong, independent and tough. So it's not like she's being punished or neutralised for being strong.

I'm not going to defend the work on terms of it being wank bank material — it's clearly capable of being that. But it's clearly more than that, in the same way that so many exploitation movies are.

edited 3rd Jun '12 10:30:21 AM by Nicknacks

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There's also the fact that this is supposed to be her first ever adventure, so of course she would be relatively inexperienced and scared at what's going on, as well as frantic.

Watch Symphogear

Is that a particularly useful defence, though? They clearly saw some benefit in making her so defenceless, or else they would have taken some other tact with the material.

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Not a fan of the franchise but am I the only one who does not find Lara attractive at all aside from her 2007 appearance? And even then that depends on the picture.

Am I the only one who thinks this is going to be a really hard THINK FAST OR DIE FASTER kind of game? Some of the gameplay I've watched on gametrailers seems to be somewhat linear at times and set-piece-ish but given how easily cover can be destroyed and how poorly armed you usually are in comparison to the bad guys, it seems it'll really emphasize acting really fast and finding any small advantage there is to use against your enemies.

Only Death Is Real

I've been a huge fan of Tomb Raider since I was a little girl, and I am still very ambivalent on this new installment.

On the one hand, I'm glad they're trying to lower Lara's obvious sex symbol status. But that whole trailer still made me rather uncomfortable. Someone put a lot of effort into making her look pained, exhausted, and hurt. I'm not asking for Miss Insta-Badass-Just-Add-Water-And-A-Smudge-Of-Dirt, but it did give off serious Torture Porn vibes.

I can see why people would get these vibes but IMO, in a way it adds to the experience. Not in an exploitative way however, as much as merely emphasizing the general vulnerability and sense of fragility she bears as just an average jane thrust into an insane situation where the threats can be environmental to sexual.

At the same time, I get the vibe that a large part of the game will be learning how to master and overcome them through a mixture of strength of character and an eye for adaptability. Yeah, there is the torture but there's also the mastery as well so it strikes me as a sort of rising-up-from-your-ashes kind of deal - how she goes from a terrified castaway to an experienced survivalist.

Only Death Is Real

Yeah, this game looks mighty fascinating, as you will actually have to survive in addition to explore. Sort of like Metal Gear Solid 3.

And with this, Lara Croft has proved herself more interesting and credible than the overrated invincible hypocritical Mary Sue Nathan Drake.

I don't think you know what Mary Sue means.

I was joking.