Rise of the Tomb Raider

2016 is a bit late for any 360 games to come out. Ubisoft and Bioware are arguably pushing it a bit with two big released in November that are on Next Gen AND previous gen.

For those that haven't seen it, here's Angry Joe's and AlphaOmegaSin's reaction to Tomb Raider's Xbone exclusivity.

This feels like Bayonetta 2 all over again. Count me in as one of those that believe (hopes) that this is timed, as I have zero interest in the Xbox One, and releasing it on one console only (not in special cases like Bayonetta 2 in which it flat out wouldn't exist without the big publisher funding it) does seem a lot stupid from both a business and fan point of view.

edited 12th Aug '14 8:09:16 PM by nigelstack345

This isn't like Bayonetta 2 because Nintendo is publishing and helping to make that game, just like Bloodborne.

This is pure money hatting.

,

One of the Youtube comments in Angry Joe's video suggested that this exclusivity deal might be similar to the Bayonetta 2 deal: Square Enix was probably hurting for money to the point that they wouldn't be able to make this newer Tomb Raider without MS's (or any other big publisher's) money to fund it.

Heh, speak of the devil: Rise of the Tomb Raider is coming to both Xbox One and Xbox 360

Aand: Microsoft confirms Rise of the Tomb Raider Xbox exclusivity deal "has a duration"

I would say "rejoice" but how long said "duration" will last for is another issue, I suppose.

Of note: Dead Rising 3 was exclusive for exactly a year before being announced for PC.

SE aren't hurting for money thanks to FNC, BD, ARR and FFXHD(they needed it after Spirits Within lost them everything). MS must have paid A LOT for this.

Spirits Within and, more importantly, FFXIV: Shit Version, which destroyed what recovery they had from Spirits Within. But yeah, the last year seems to have been pretty good for SE.

edited 13th Aug '14 9:43:49 AM by TheAirman

Plus Kingdom Hearts for one, is still a big money maker.

MS announces Xbox One 6 months exclusivity. Fans go batshit crazy, of course.

6 months and then it comes out for PS 4 right?

I hope so.

Oh, gods, why must the Internet be so stupid? Really, who on their right minds would go after the writers over this? They obviously have no fucking say on such thing.

Phil Spencer wanted an Uncharted.

If Spencer said, "Fuck commercial confidentiality, the duration is X, then it's available on other formats" then folks may not be as quite as incoherent with rage as they are. Because hiding behind commercial confidentiality on something this inflammatory is just pouring kerosene on the flames.

I don't mean to necro this thread, and I don't know if this is related entirely to this game, but I heard from (unreliable) sources that there were initially plans for the rebooted Lara to be a lesbian. Am I the only one bummed that that didn't work out? I mean, assuming that her sexuality isn't played for cheap titillation like it might have been in the past.

First I've heard about that at all actually. I wouldn't really mind it provided it wasn't just there because lesbians are hot.

Speaking of, any news on the game? I stopped following it when I learned it was Xbone exclusive.

Could've sworn it was also confirmed that it would be a timed exclusive. But other than that, there hasn't really been any major news out of it since the reveal.

It wasn't planned, but I remember an interview with the writer where the interviewer asked about the lesbian subtext and the writer said she didn't notice it, but would have loved to have made it canon had she known in hindsight.

I'm of the opinion that I'd like to see some heterosexual female protagonists first.

What few female protagonists we do have tend towards homoerotic if not outright homosexual relationships, because writing a female protagonist as "Standard male protagonist, but with tits" is an easy shortcut for creating a Strong Female Character.

Female P Cs are typically either asexual or gay; it's rare to see a player-character display actual sexual desire towards a male character.

edited 27th Oct '14 9:36:43 AM by TobiasDrake

I don't necessarily disagree, but what are some examples of gay female protagonists that you think they're so typical?

Agreed because I'm afraid I don't understand either. I see far more straight characters than gay ones.

Faith from Mirror's Edge, Cell from Portal, Elizabeth and Rosalind Lutece from Bioshock, Lara Croft from TR, Clementine from The Walking Dead (or any female from that game), Jodie from Beyond: Two Souls, Princess Peach, Samus Aryn, and Princess Zelda are all straight or the concept of sexual preference never comes up in their games (which doesn't count as representation).

Ellie from The Last of Us is probably the only lesbian I can think of outside of Bioware games that is intentionally gay or non-heterosexual character in video gaming. Can't think of a gay male protagonist.

It would be wrong for me to reply Raiden there, wouldn't it?

Raiden's married and has a kid. Plus robot arms that he keeps losing.

Ah yes, I'd forgotten that it's not 2001 anymore.

It's mainly typical for a love interest to not exist at all for female protagonists - often, if the topic of the protagonist's sexuality even comes up in regards to men, it will be as a subject of fear, such as Reboot Lara's brief rape attempt or Heather Mason's rape themes in Silent Hill.

However, when the issue of the main protagonist's sexuality is approached for a female Player Character, it's typically done by giving her a damsel of her own - to rescue, if necessary. Lara in the Tomb Raider reboot may not officially be a lesbian, but the subtext is still there, complete with Lara bringing Sam down the mountain in the classic "Husband carrying his bride over the threshold" pose rather than any pose that would actually be reasonable for transporting an injured person. Similarly, of Final Fantasy XIII's three female protagonists, one falls under the Asexual umbrella of her sexuality never really becoming a factor, while the other two are a lesbian couple - which Word of God confirmed to be a consequence of gender-swapping one of the two to create the game's 3/3 gender balance, resulting in Fang literally being a Man With Tits.

Princess Peach and Princess Zelda aren't playable characters. They're straight because they're damsels; they are the object of a male character's sexuality, and don't actively seek out a romantic or sexual relationship of their own volition.

The rest of the examples you named fall under the Asexual category; their sexuality doesn't come up at all, with the exception of Ellie, who is playable during a romantic encounter and is therefore a lesbian by default. Faith from Mirror's Edge is even given a damsel to pursue in a non-sexual manner by virtue of her sister.

There are very few games in which a character you play as pursues a male character in a romantic capacity - whether you're playing a gay male or a straight female. Bioware gets away with it by giving players a choice of who they want to romance, but they're just about the only ones. Right now, the games industry will prove to me that they're serious about diversity when we start seeing playable gay males and playable female characters who are actually willing to pursue a male love interest. Adding a bunch of lesbians just strikes me as trying to sweep both issues under the rug by writing male characters and overlaying them with a female skin.

edited 27th Oct '14 10:57:51 AM by TobiasDrake

They are. Not in the main game of their franchises, but still.

Anyway, I do agree with you there is a problem with the way women sexuality is treated in game. But I don't agree this mean there can't be lesbian main characters. It would be nice if there have been more romance subplot for female protagonist. It would also be nice if there was more queer protagonists. One thing shouldn't exclude the other.

That is a lot of assumptions about those non yet written characters. If that become the case, than, yes, it is the problem. Until then it seems crass to assume all lesbian protagonists would automatically be "men with boobs".

edited 27th Oct '14 11:00:05 AM by Heatth