Tomb Raider Reboot Dated, New Gameplay Trailer Released

[Guild McCommunist]

I think they want to show how she started off. Notice that by the end of the video, Lara was pretty much her bad-ass self. I think they want to give her human, specifically feminine traits because the end-product of the original felt more like a guy with breasts, if like a human at all. They want her to be more realistic and to establish a connection with the player on levels other than "boobs".

That, and Other M's problems are often blown out of proportion.

Well by the end of the trailer I was watching her still scream and cry and almost get raped or something. I mean yeah you saw her climbing and running away from airplane blades and she'll have more character than the original Lara Croft but I don't want her screaming and bitching so much. It seemed more like her crying and going "I CAN'T DO THIS DADDY ISSUES" instead of her going "Well, I'm in a shit situation, but toughen up buttercup and kick some ass!"

With female characters that are previously seen as "independent" and "strong", it's risky business to make a prequel that shows how they got there. Admittedly Metroid Other M wasn't a prequel to the whole series (which was one of its issues) but it's hard to make the character develop to be strong without them coming off as too much of weak cry baby in the beginning.

 

[Foxi4]

I'll reserve my judgement until I play the complete game - so far it shows promise, but like you said, she does come across as a weakling and I hope that they will include her gradual development into the story. That'd be a nice "journey into the wilderness and into self-discovery" motif, I think. The game's made by Crystal Dynamics - with games like Legacy of Kain series on their resume I am more than certain that they can convey a meaningful and interesting story through a game mostly focused on action sequences. I just hope that the platforming element and environment puzzles will not be lost in the process of "uncharting" Tomb Raider and that the game will not be dumbed down for today's audience.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

I'll reserve my judgement until I play the complete game - so far it shows promise, but like you said, she does come across as a weakling and I hope that they will include her gradual development into the story. That'd be a nice "journey into the wilderness and into self-discovery" motif, I think. The game's made by Crystal Dynamics - with games like Legacy of Kain series on their resume I am more than certain that they can convey a meaningful and interesting story through a game mostly focused on action sequences. I just hope that the platforming element and environment puzzles will not be lost in the process of "uncharting" Tomb Raider and that the game will not be dumbed down for today's audience.

I won't pass complete judgment until its release either, it's just tricky to show a vulnerable female character develop into a stronger one. If they do it too early then it's just a "jumping the shark" of characterization. Due it too late and it makes them seem like some frail stereotypical woman.

Ideally I'd see a dramatic shift in her character after the first act. Like she's kinda in shock after the whole incident and she eventually copes, toughens up, and gets to the story at hand (whatever that may be, the story was something about her friends being taken or something but it's also Tomb Raider so there's probably tombs to be raided as well).

It could be really awesome though. I can see some mechanics like Metal Gear Solid 3's survival aspects but a bit more fine tuned (meaning that hunting and food preparation is a bit more of a task), have a semi-open world (meaning generally there aren't any or few dedicated side quests but you're given free reign of the world to hunt, set up camp, find collectibles, whatever), and play in a cinematic fashion but still keep a lot of Tomb Raider platforming with third person shooter (plus some melee) mechanics.