Tomb Raider: Legend (X360) Preview

[RainOfTerror]

In Tomb Raider: Legend, Lara comes alive with intricately animated expressions, moves and abilities. An arsenal of modern equipment, such as a magnetic grappling device, binoculars, frag grenades, personal lighting device and communications equipment. Ahead of its release next week, WorthPlaying (http://www.WorthPlaying.com) had a chance to check out a recent Xbox 360 build, here is a snip :

The camera angle can be changed if you want to, but the developers intended that you would never need to. During our time with the game, the camera kept up with Lara's athletic feats with no problems at all. This was a definite improvement over TAoD, in which the camera would occasionally flip-flop from one scene to the next, causing controls to switch around as well. Sometimes, upon arrival at a new location, the camera pans around the environment and highlights your ultimate destination. It's reminiscent of Prince of Persia, and it helps to jumpstart the cognitive process so you can figure out the best possible solution to the environmental puzzle. Check the full Tomb Raider: Legend preview (http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=33116) over at WorthPlaying.

[Wadmaasi]

For some reason I'm excited about Legend. I've never really played a TR game, and I dislike platformers in general, but the demo sold me on this. Doesn't hurt that the PC version is only $35 from GoGamer, either. Must justify 360 Controller for Windows purchase...by spending more money! w00.

[CaptStu]

When does this thing hit the store shelves?

[RainOfTerror]

next week, April 11th

[Grimmjow]

i hope its like TR2, the rest was garbage

[bapenguin]

I hear there's a demo going to Live today as well.

[Grimgrock]

I hear there's a demo going to Live today as well.


I know I'll be trying it out. The PC demo version was decent enough. Question is which to buy...

[Wadmaasi]

Question is which to buy...
Doesn't hurt that the PC version is only $35 from GoGamer, either.
It's all about the mortgage, and the car payments, and the taxes, and...

[Player 1]

It's a good game and a huge improvement over the rest of the series. Lara's fluid and fun to control.

BUT

The game is tiny. We're talking smaller than King Kong. What's worse is that you won't even know that you're on the final stage - even the end scene talks about going to a new environment as if there is more to follow. All that follows are the credits.

I was so shocked I ramped up the difficulty and went through the game again. Three and a half hours later I was at the end.

Great game. Too short. Rent it.

[Royal Fool]

It's a good game and a huge improvement over the rest of the series. Lara's fluid and fun to control.

BUT

The game is tiny. We're talking smaller than King Kong. What's worse is that you won't even know that you're on the final stage - even the end scene talks about going to a new environment as if there is more to follow. All that follows are the credits.

I was so shocked I ramped up the difficulty and went through the game again. Three and a half hours later I was at the end.

Great game. Too short. Rent it.

Sure you didn't just accidentally download the demo instead of the pirated version? :)

[Player 1]

Sure you didn't just accidentally download the demo instead of the pirated version? :)

Yes, I'm sure. (http://www.rllmukforum.com/index.php?showtopic=122249&st=220)

[Mortis]

Demo on Live would be sweet, looking forward to this next week.

[Heretic Machine]

Gameplay was solid in the PC demo, I plan on renting it for my 360. I'd advise everyone to get console versions if it is an option, as these games control much better on a controller than keyboard/mouse.

[chilifries]

<snip>
Must justify 360 Controller for Windows purchase...by spending more money! w00.
Damn. Here I thought I was Mr. Smarty-pants by buying an extra wireless controller for my 360. I didn't realize the wired controllers could be used for windows games. Anyone know if a wireless controller + play n charge kit can be used in windows like the wired controllers?

[TRiLoGY]

I will be picking this up on Friday (out on the 7th in the UK)

Looking forward to it.. I loved the 1st 3 TR and was dissapointed with the last game, however, everything I have read and seen about this looks great. Seems like Crystal Dynamics Have Brought TR back to Life :)

[Sl1pstream]

@chilifries: It'll just charge the controller, nothing more.

[Returner]

Fuck Toby Gard.

[Franjo]

Only the wired version can be used on the PC

[Wadmaasi]

Anyone know if a wireless controller + play n charge kit can be used in windows like the wired controllers?
Franjo already said it, but no. From what I understand, the play'n'charge kit just charges the batteries; the controller still communicates with 360 via wireless.

Very comfy controller; first I've purchased for PC. I used my original Xbox controller via a dongle and the XBCD driver, but the 360 controller just feels very smooth in your hands. For reference, I don't really like the PS2's Dual Shock; I only bought a PS2 last week, and the placement of the left thumbstick irks me. (Holy fuck God of War is balls-out fun, though.) I've had a little bit of trouble getting the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time demo to play nice with the 360 controller, but the TR: Legend and the X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse demos have both been very responsive with it.

[johnperkins21]

I hear there's a demo going to Live today as well.

I saw that there is a trailer, is there really supposed to be a demo? That would rock.

[92miata]

yes a demo on live would rule.

off topic. does anybody have info when the wireless 360 controllers will work with the pc? i read something months ago but can't find any new info.

thanks!

[Wadmaasi]

Well, I re-downloaded the PoP:SoT demo and, using the XBCD drivers hacked to work with the 360 controller instead of the official MS drivers, the controls were flawless this time (ha ha) around. $14.90 from GoGamer = sold the next time I pick something up.

[MasterKwan]

I was so sold on this game, I was going to pick it up release day....

Then I played the demo. Using a 360 controller I'm sure it plays the same way the 360 version does, 1280x960 FSAA, the works. Ran smooth as hell.

I'm probably not going to get it now. The camera in this game drove me insane. Main problem is the camera seems to be maybe 6 feet behind her. I couldn't see what was happening around me. Just looking up and around was a chore because the field of view was so small. The last TR game wasn't this way.

I've just played through the PC versions of Prince of Persia, Warrior Within and Two thrones last week. I consider them to be direct competitors of this game. The movement was more natural on PoP, your character can do more, combat was more interesting and last but not least, the camera was good.

Maybe if I hadn't played those games recently I wouldn't feel the same way but, it really, really got in the way of me enjoying the game.

[Wadmaasi]

I've just played through the PC versions of Prince of Persia, Warrior Within and Two thrones last week.
All in one week? Holy howling hell. I've been playing God of War since late Sat afternoon, and I think my savegame time is only at ~6 hours. I've died a lot of times in a row at certain points, and I'm not sure if the replayed sections are incremented each time.

Just from the PoP:SoT and TR:L demos, I can see where you're coming from but disagree that the close camera is bad in TR:L. Let's not kid ourselves and acknowledge that the star of a TR game is the avatar for Lara, so it makes sense that they'd put the camera closer to her in order to show off the model + textures + animations. The TR:L environments are also more compact than the ones in PoP:SoT (with the caveat that we're talking strictly about the demos here); you don't need to see as much of the environment at once, because there isn't as much of it.

All that said, the alternate\landscape view function in PoP:SoT is pretty damned cool, and I can easily see some of the grapple-puzzles in TR:L taking extra time to spot due to the closeness of the camera. *shrug* Weird how the demo had opposite effects on us.

[Lon Lon Rabbit]

Haha just went looking for info on the Xbox Live Demo and found my answer with this little program from the main site.

http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/6638/trhelper4dz.th.jpg (http://img159.imageshack.us/my.php?image=trhelper4dz.jpg)

Seems there will also be themes/trailers/picture packs of both in game and RL Lara Croft model Karima Adebibe.

[MasterKwan]

For me, what's happened is like what's happened with ID and Valve. Neither company makes bad games but, Valve has moved the bar so high that, even decent games that don't try to at least address the users new expectations won't be seen as being very good.

TR:L simply hasn't been updated to match the raised bar set by PoP.

Yes, I like looking at Lara but, I like seeing what's going on around me too. All I'd need would be a narrow and wide angle view or even a user settable zoom level. I kept moving the view stick back hoping to see more while playing.

[Lon Lon Rabbit]

Just played the 360 demo, and noticed a bunch of you guys were playing/downloading it too.

It's deffinitely a must buy for me, it seems really solid, and it looks a lot prettier than I thought on the 360.

I also found a few extra moves while mucking around in the demo, if you do her dive (not the roll, jump and quickly push b) then keep hammering a or b she does a series of crazy gymnast flips, a different set depending on if you're mashing a or b. Not sure if it has any practical use as you don't jump very high with it, and you can't shoot while doing it, but there's a chance it damages enemies in your path, I've not tried it out yet.

Great fun nonetheless.