"Tomb Raider: Legend" Thoughts

[ibex333]

Originally posted by: VIAN
http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=8620

I'm DLing it now. I'm still waiting for another Tomb Raider 2.

[UPDATE]
Here's an interesting tidbit from the README file:

"For installer size reasons on this demo version, the ?Next Generation? graphics option has been de-activated. However please check back after the 7th April 2006 for an update which will unlock all the high-end content and fully optimise the demo to that of the full retail version."

The recommended system requirements are as follows:

CPU:
Pentium 4 3.0Ghz or Athlon XP Equivalent
RAM:
1GB
GRAPHICS:
100% DirectX 9.0c compatible 512MB 3D Accelerated Card (Nvidia GeForce 7800 / Ati X-1800)
SOUND:
Microsoft Windows 2000/XP compatible sound card (100% DirectX 9.0c compatible)
DVD-ROM:
Eight-speed (8x) DVD-ROM drive or faster
HARD DRIVE:
9.9GB free disk space


[MY THOUGHTS]
Lara Croft... her attitude is now more girly and has lost most of the sofistication that she used to have. Her voice is different and is more girly. Even her face sometimes reminds me of Jessica Alba.

The graphics --- She looks like she's made of plastic, just as all the other models do, even the cars. These models don't seem very realistic. However, when Lara get's wet, it's realistic and her skin looks like wet plastic just like barbie dolls. I know yall wanted to know... and yes, her boobs sway, just don't expect something like Dead or Alive. You can see it with close ups. Lara and the other models, badguys and guns on the floor, etc. don't match to the environment that well. The models are clear and sharp, but the environment is soft and dreamy, attempting to have a HDR bloom effect. The environments by themselves look nice, especially the waterfalls, they're almost real, but almost like a drawings done in pastels. With the models though, they look weird sometimes. I also expected the textures to be sharper. All in all, it runs well with all options on at 1280x1024. But remember, Next Gen graphics aren't enabled on this version of the Demo. We'll have to wait till April 7th.

I find the camera sometimes a bit too close, but the controls are excellent compared to Prince of Persia. The camera jitters to a minimum and never spun out of control. I found it acceptable jumping and from ledge to ledge, although you have to make sure you're jumping where you want to. Depending on where your mouse if facing, your movement is different. It will take some getting used to, but not bad. There weren't any hidden items to find in the demo. The item available for pickup in plain site were health packs and dead enemies' weapons (one extra weapon is all you can carry other than your dual pistols). There is a targeting system in place to shoot enemies that's easy to use. They don't seem very difficult, but a handful of them will require some strategy. The puzzles weren't that hard, but it looked like a beginner level. Let's just hope that puzzels and levels get more complex. It is a demo anyway.

I'm interested in it. I'll wait for a review before making my final decision.

Having played the demo, I disagree with just about every single thing you said.

1)If Lara looks plastic to you now, I cant understand why she didnt look plastic to you before... If we are going to go there, name one game where the character doesnt look plastic. They all do.
It's a game! Dont expect life-like looks.

2)Her attitude is more girly? Ammm.. Did you want her to act like a man?
As for her face, I think it looks better than ever, it has more detail this time. Like the eyelashes. The lips look a bit more realistic now, and so does her figure. That said, I did expect more improvement in the graphics department.

3)You say that bad guys and guns dont match the environment well.... Did you want the bad guys to look more like ancient aztecs, or mabe some kind of aboriginals? And let me guess... Instead of guns, they'd drop spears, and voodoo dolls when they die.. Would that match the environment?

4)The camera is somewhat suspect. I agree.

As for next gen gfx, I spoke to several people on the net that were able to unlock them. Their advice is, dont even bother. Next gen is extremely taxing on your system. A guy with 1900xtx(or whatever that beast of a card is called) could barely run the game smoothly with next gen turned on.
IMHO, this is the best looking Tomb Raider game ever, even without the next gen(whatever it will be).

Overall, I give the demo a B, compared to all the crap that came after Tomb Raider 2, that I would rate a C at best. Hopefully when the full thing comes out, it wont dissapoint.


PS: My rig is:

AMD Athlon 64 3200+
eVGA 6600GT 128mb (oc'd to max)
1gig ram.
running at 1024x768 with AA, and everything at max at 48fps on average. (no next gen)

 

[TanisHalfElven]

how do i turn on next gen content. remember its still incomplete and unoptimised so its bound to slow for some (ATI) cards.

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: tanishalfelven
how do i turn on next gen content. remember its still incomplete and unoptimised so its bound to slow for some (ATI) cards.

I'm pretty sure you can't turn it on until they release an update for the demo (supposedly on April 7), or unless you already have the full game.

 

[TanisHalfElven]

no only the demo.

 

[gi0rgi0]

I liked it. Nice graphics. Im using a 1900xtx @ 1680x1050 2005ws , 2gigs, and its nice and smooth with aa+af and all that jazz and sh!t. My thing is though im planning on getting an xbox360 and
was wondering if anyone here dl'ed the demo for the 360 and how does it compare to a rig like mine ? Reason for x360 cuz id like to utilize my 42" hdtv and HT5.1 setup sitting on a comfy
couch and whatnot.

 

[BespinReactorShaft]

Originally posted by: SynthDude2001
Also, if anyone's interested, I uploaded a set of screenshots I pulled off a fan site; some of them are really impressive. I'm sure it'll make my 6800GT cry though...

Lara looks somewhat slimmed down or at least less muscular than in TR1 and TR2. In a way, yeah, more girly/feminine. Boobs are slightly less oversized too. Not bad.

Other than that, pretty nice graphics. What's the engine?

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: gi0rgi0
I liked it. Nice graphics. Im using a 1900xtx @ 1680x1050 2005ws , 2gigs, and its nice and smooth with aa+af and all that jazz and sh!t. My thing is though im planning on getting an xbox360 and
was wondering if anyone here dl'ed the demo for the 360 and how does it compare to a rig like mine ? Reason for x360 cuz id like to utilize my 42" hdtv and HT5.1 setup sitting on a comfy
couch and whatnot.

I don't have an Xbox360 (and likely will never ) so I haven't tried the demo for that system, but my understanding is that the 360 version should be pretty much identical to the PC version with "Next Gen Content" enabled (except at a lower resolution of course).


BespinReactorShaft: I have no idea what engine the game is using.

 

[MX2]

Picked it up and am already stuck right where the demo leaves off. The demo is the very first level of the game. There is an area where the floor drops and a white arrow flashes on screen. What the heck I am suppose to be doing here

edit: Duh....:roll:

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: MX2times
Picked it up and am already stuck right where the demo leaves off. The demo is the very first level of the game. There is an area where the floor drops and a white arrow flashes on screen. What the heck I am suppose to be doing here

I believe you just have to push the arrow/movement key as indicated on screen (down, up, whatever).

 

[MX2]

Originally posted by: SynthDude2001

Originally posted by: MX2times
Picked it up and am already stuck right where the demo leaves off. The demo is the very first level of the game. There is an area where the floor drops and a white arrow flashes on screen. What the heck I am suppose to be doing here

I believe you just have to push the arrow/movement key as indicated on screen (down, up, whatever).

Thanks I had a horrible bong hit moment

 

[MX2]

Update on graphics/gameplay for the full version for those who care

I am on the third level or so now. I think the graphics with everything turned on look FANTASTIC! I wasnt runnning it in "Next Gen" content and see no need to at this point. Runs perfectly fine on my 6800GT and system at 1680x1050. The gameplay is great so far as well. The puzzles are not overly hard or long. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure them out, but if you are one who hates this type of puzzling solving, you might get irritated from time to time. Camera angles can get bothersome once in awhile, but rarely does that happpen. I have been playing with a controller since I started the full retail game, and that works just as well as the keyboard/mouse

 

[blurredvision]

So did they release a demo with the so-called "next generation" graphics enabled? I'm a marketing whore, and I refuse to play this game without some next generation graphics dammit! The link to fileshack still shows a release of 3-31, and I'm too lazy to look elsewhere .

 

[TanisHalfElven]

i don;t think so. i found a patch on 7 th march but it said tomb raider was not installed.

 

[Fenixgoon]

hmmm, sounds like this is an nvidia game (1900XTX running like crap, 6800GT owning?)
lets see how my x800pro does! haha

 

[VIAN]

Added a Next Generation Graphics section in the OP.

 

[VIAN]

added small update to OP

 

[skace]

I just started playing this also, haha. I'm running it at 1680x1050 widescreen with the nextgen graphics. It's running at 18 FPS! But the game looks freaking unbelievable. I've taken 3 or 4 screenshots of the backgrounds in some areas. I don't have any of the graphical complaints in the OP but that is probably because of the rediculous settings I'm running it at. I'd normally tune a game down for performance, but since this is an SP Lara Croft title and the world looks as gorgeous as it does, I'm probably gonna stick with the low FPS.

 

[Looney]

Well i just finished the game. I thought it was fantastic. I never played any other Lara Croft games, but this was surprisingly good. I don't know what the OP is saying about plastic looking models, i thought they were great to the point of distracting. I played it on the 360, and even though i finished the entire game, i still wasn't that great at the controls. But strafing was int he game... you just needed to be in autoaim mode.

 

[Horus]

Originally posted by: SynthDude2001

Originally posted by: MX2times
Just played through it and I liked it Ran @ 1680x1050 with everything on /up high and ran just fine on a 6800GT. Controls were very comfortable for mouse and keyboard.

Yeah, it took me a little while to get used to the controls (it's been years since I played a Tomb Raider game, I mostly do FPS's ), but once you get the hang of the screen-relative instead of character-relative controls, it works well...

Y'obviously didn't have the Next-Gen graphics on. They made my 6800GT/3000+/2GB ram cry like a little bitch. Even when I upgraded to a 3700+, it still chugs. But does it ever chug PRETTILY! I think this game will save the Tomb Raider series.

 

[OMoT]

Lol, 10 gigs just to install it

 

[skace]

I beat it this weekend. Jesus the game was beautiful. I am still amazed at some of the scenes and they deffinitely did Lara some justice. I think immersion would be the word of the day with this game. I love the ice mountain level towards the end, I really felt like I was there.

I missed quite a few of the extras, not sure if I want to replay all the levels a whole bunch of times to get them though, still plugging my way through a massive backlog.

The Lara's house level is completely amazing in it's own right as well. Anyone who plays this game, make sure you check out her mansion also, it's got a lot of great jumps.

 

[Looney]

Yeah, i beat it too not to long ago, and it was awesome. The game and Lara was so gorgeous it was distracting at times. I never played any other LC games before, but i'm so looking forward to the next one. I played it on the 360.

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: Horus

Originally posted by: SynthDude2001

Originally posted by: MX2times
Just played through it and I liked it Ran @ 1680x1050 with everything on /up high and ran just fine on a 6800GT. Controls were very comfortable for mouse and keyboard.

Yeah, it took me a little while to get used to the controls (it's been years since I played a Tomb Raider game, I mostly do FPS's ), but once you get the hang of the screen-relative instead of character-relative controls, it works well...

Y'obviously didn't have the Next-Gen graphics on. They made my 6800GT/3000+/2GB ram cry like a little bitch. Even when I upgraded to a 3700+, it still chugs. But does it ever chug PRETTILY! I think this game will save the Tomb Raider series.

I tried the Next Gen graphics and they did indeed bitch slap my 6800GT. That's one of the reasons I've just sold that card and am now in search of an X1800XT/X1900XT before I bother playing through the game...

 

[pontifex]

i'm still playing through it.

the graphics are gorgeous most of the time, however, there were many times where i could see through textures, mostly in stairs. There are also a few places where stuff just appears out of nowhere. there's this one spot with a waterfall and 2 wheels. well, the top of the waterfall begins out of mid air! also in the same area i believe, another beginning of a waterfall begins out of thin air until you fill the room with water, then it looks ok.

The character models are never consistent in quality. One time they look f'ing gorgeous and then the next, its looks like i'm playing a game from 1998.

The music is pretty good too.

 

[SKORPI0]

Tried the game on my XPS M170, 2.13GHz, 2GB DDR2 & 256 mb 7800GTX.

With NextGen on, graphics (1600x1200) pauses for a while.

Next Gen On - note the texture on the seats/carpet/wood.
Next Gen Off