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CR6
Administrator
Canada
2708 Posts |
 Posted - 04/21/2006 : 02:16:25 AM
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I've been playing through Tomb Raider Legend PC and I'm happy to say it rocks. This is the type of game Eidos should have waited to make after Tomb Raider 2. Eidos was wise to finally release a game that was "ready when its ready" instead of releasing it in beta stage before their financial year-end which was the TR: Angel of Darkness fiasco.
Tomb Raider Legend's graphics are gorgeous. (Especially with a high-end graphics card on a widescreen LCD :-) Lara is back in the tombs where she is supposed to be. The control scheme is much more intuitive and natural than before, and the storyline is better integrated with the game. Note that Nvidia has just released a beta driver specifically for TR Legend to use the "next-generation" graphics option.
Toby Gard, Lara Croft's original creator was brought in to consult on the game. Check out a recent interview where he shares his insights about the TR franchise.!
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snicker
Administrator
USA
2469 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2006 : 02:18:38 AM
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| I played the demo for 360 and I have to say, I enjoyed it. This will probably be one I purchase soon. On a related note, my 2 year old enjoyed moving Lara around. She would make her jump, duck down, etc. |
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CR6
Administrator
Canada
2708 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2006 : 02:25:39 AM
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LOL, getting her into gaming early eh?
Yeah, I'm planning to download the Xbox 360 demo to compare it to the PC version too. The PC version says the next-gen graphics run better on Nvidia cards ... so although there is a PS2 version already, this makes me wonder if a graphics-upgraded TR Legend will be a launch title for the PS3 since the PS3's RSX GPU is based on Nvidia's G70 (NV47) architecture. |
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CR6
Administrator
Canada
2708 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2006 : 02:26:06 AM
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Here's a copy of the interview (for archiving purposes):
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Lara's creator speaks
By Greg Howson / PlayStation 10:07am
Last week I chatted to Toby Gard, the artist who designed the look of Lara Croft. A decade on and back working with Lara it was time to see what had changed and how he felt about the character he created. Oh, and how he was mobbed by French Tomb Raider fans, but that's for another day.
How do you feel Legend turned out? How has it been for you?
It's been a really enjoyable experience. Crystal Dynamics are strong and professional studio and it's been an experience for me seeing how a studio like that is run. The game has turned out so well because there is so much attention to detail from the guys. I came in at pre-production when they had all the game setup and I was bought into redefine Lara's look and then the other characters and the story. I worked closely with the story team too, to help define who Lara actually is. It's a question of adding details to her personality and not just physically.
What are the difference between working on Lara now and when you did originally?
It's all about detail now. The gameplay is fairly similar to what it was in the original game. So you have combat, exploration and puzzles. But it's the fidelity that is the difference now. Big basic blocks don't cut it anymore - you need swaying grass and butterflies now. Also the team for Legend is ten times as big the original team. It's gone from 6 to 60.
Do you think character design is underappreciated in these days of FPS and online RPGs?
I don't think so. FPS games don't need a strong character as that would get in the way of you. Look at Half Life - it worked brilliantly that Gordon didn't say anything. Also people really enjoy creating their own character in a game. The advantage of doing something like Lara is that it helps focus a story and narrative design.
Why do you think Lara captured the mid-90s zeitgeist in the way she did?
She had a real difference to the games characters of the time. Compared to the burly men shooting guns she had a real appeal. She was mysterious and had a danger about her this gave her a real difference to other female game characters that were basically sex objects. Lara had a mystery about her. Also I was very keen to get Lara to animate properly, which no one else at the time was doing. This made her move slowly but look realistic which helped player empathise with her.
How was Galleon?
I learnt a lot about the industry, let's put it that way.
You left Core originally over concerns that Lara was getting "sexed" up. She still seems that way in Legend - how do you feel about that?
It wasn't about her boobs getting bigger. She was always designed to look good - people's psychology is that they like attractive characters on both sexes. What I objected to was the marketing which represented Lara in a way that was nothing like the character. At the time I didn't like that and it prompted me to want to retain control of characters I created in the future, so that's why I left.
How many designs did you scrap before Lara
About four or five. My initial design was a guy in some tombs. But when I started doing proper designs the female character just worked better.
Can Lara become an icon again for the next-gen?
Yes, I think she can. She's a really interesting character and Legend digs below the surface and gives a much clearer idea of her depth. But whether another gaming icon will replace her? I don't know.
This was supposed to be a return to raiding tombs, and yet a lot of the levels in Legend have urban settings?
The previous game wasnt about archaeology and the new one is, so tombs are important. But when you write a story it needs to have some modern day relevance. Lara does have a place in other locations rather than just underground. Especially now we can do it. One of the main reasons the original game was set underground was because we couldn't really do a convincing outside.
Any parts of the world that you haven't used that you'd like to?
That's tough, we're running out of ancient cultures!
Any chance of a re-release of earlier games as a directors cut with Legend quality graphics?
Good idea. It would certainly be an interesting nostalgia trip.
Reviews have mentioned the brevity of the game, how important is the length?
There's a finite amount of development time which obviously limits how you present the game. Legend was designed to be Tomb Raider amped-up. There is a real emphasis on action, even though it is still a fairly relaxed game. We can't make a game that goes on forever and would rather not spread it too thin. It's good that people enjoy the game so much that they want more.
How long can Lara go on for? Will she still be raiding tombs in ten years time?
Tomb Raider is essentially about solving mysteries and exploration and these will always be interesting. So I don't see why she shouldn't be relevant in years to come.
Why are you still using block-moving puzzles?
We've moved along away from switch based puzzles but the real puzzle focus now is on the physics. The goal was to modernise the puzzle elements from before. You really have to think physically now to solve a puzzle.
Do you get annoyed that people only want to talk to you about Lara even though you have worked on other projects?
It doesn't bother me too much at all. Lara is a great character to be associated with.
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CR6
Administrator
Canada
2708 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2006 : 12:20:10 AM
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Another good article at the BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4942382.stm
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Return of the first lady of games
By Alfred Hermida
Technology editor, BBC News website
It has been 10 years since the creation of aspiring British game designer Toby Gard first hit computer screens.
Lara Croft of Tomb Raider fame has gone on to become one of the most famous virtual celebrities.
But for most of this time, Mr Gard has had little to do with her. Instead, they have been somewhat of an estranged couple.
He left shortly after the first Tomb Raider game, angry with how Lara was being sexed up. The most visible sign of this was Lara's breast augmentation.
But the subsequent five sequels also strayed from the original Tomb Raider formula.
Lara's reputation as the leading lady of video games reached a nadir three years ago with the release of Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness.
The widely derided game tested the faith of even the most dedicated fans, as did an equally poor film, Cradle of Life.
Intervention
For Toby Gard, it was time to get back into the fray. He approached Crystal Dynamics, the US developers working on the Tomb Raider: Legend, and was hired to help revive Lara's fortunes.
"I had seen the character go a bit wild," he told the BBC News website. "I felt like I had a wayward child and had to do one of those intervention things."
The most visible sign of his intervention is Lara's look. Her ballooning chest was brought under control, as Mr Gard worked on her look and costumes.
But he also wanted the game to return to the basics of exploration and puzzle-solving that made the original Tomb Raider such a hit.
Shortly after he joined the team working on Legend, Mr Gard convinced them to scrap the original script for the game.
He spent some eight months rewriting the story, so that it was closer to the themes of the original Tomb Raider.
"As a character, Lara Croft is about delving into history," said Mr Gard. "It is about looking into the unexplained.
"At its heart, it is about uncovering mysteries and exploration."
Lara's rebirth
Lara still wields her trademark dual pistols in Legend, but there is less of an emphasis on shooting enemies.
The reworking of the Tomb Raider franchise has hit a chord with gamers and critics alike.
The game has topped the charts in the UK and across Europe, riding a wave of overwhelmingly positive reviews.
Legend is the seventh title to be released in the Tomb Raider series, one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time, with more than 28 million copies sold.
Mr Gard sees Legend as the rebirth of Lara and is already thinking about ideas for the next Tomb Raider game.
"I really think there is a lot more to be done with her character," he said. |
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Tomb Raider Creator Speaks
