Different strokes for different folkes!

The story just didnt capture me at all, the shootouts got tedious and the gameplay doesnt really change itself. It's go to area X, shoot bunch of enemies, platform to area Y and repeat for a long part of the game. Bioshock Infinite and many (nearly all!) other games have similar traits but Infinites story was arguably the greatest I have ever seen in a video game which completely makes that part irrelevant to me. But when gameplay is all I have to go on and it feels repetetive: The game really gets tedious.

Its probably also why Journey and The Walking Dead were so fucking great last year and maybe why the critics are starting to be "harsher". This kind of design is starting to feel cheap, atleast to me it is.

You just didn't kill wave of enemies. I hope TLOU can deliver on the "few shoot-out yet tense" promise that they seem to be aiming for. It's like I am getting bored of the same shooting very early on.

I have a hard time beating Uncharted 2 several times for that reason. While the first time through had such great interaction and storytelling that you didnt mind: When you take that away it becomes difficult too, for me. But Uncharted 3 REALLY varies the gameplay. From the brawls to the chases to the 'slow walks' to the platforming to the puzzles to the horses to the setpieces that alter animation and add depth to the gameplay (Swimming/Vertical shootouts) with pacing breaks like a freaking monolouge during the desert... God it wets my pants to just write this.

TR is a good game. It is. But I personally wouldn't call it great or incredible.

ha that's how i felt about uncharted 3... I found Uncharted 2 better, just like Tomb Raider, then Uncharted 3.

I can understand that on the story part as it maybe didn't click with you. But Uncharted 3 from a gameplay perspective is far more varied than Uncharted 2 which is what I am getting at here. UC3 has about 200 less enemies as well.

Here's the breakdown, section for section :P

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This list is at the very least 95% correct in terms of area 2 area. I have tried to be as correct as possible by checking on each section before writing it.

Notice the lack of brawl, chase, "explore" & setpieces in uc2. There really is 90% shooting and it makes a second run on UC2 very difficult for me personally because they dont mix it up.



Wounded in train:
Platforming


Museum in Turkey:
"Exploring", platforming, stealth, shooting with tranquilizers, platforming x2, chase scene.

Borneo:
"Exploring", platforming, stealth, shooting, "exploring" cave, minor chase scene.

Nepal:
Minor chase scene, shooting, platforming, shooting, shooting, platforming, shooting, shooting, platforming, shooting, shooting, platforming,
chopper setpiece, shooting, platforming, shooting, shooting, platforming, little puzzle, "exploring" cave, huge puzzle, shooting, shooting,
carrying jeff while shooting, chase scene with elena, platforming, shooting, platforming, shooting

Train to Tibet:
Platforming & shooting/stealth x6 + setpiece (chopper) within a setpiece (train) really. Wonderful environment change. Boss battle in shooting. Some free ways to tackle a situation.



Wounded in train, the return:
Platforming, stealth/shooting.


Tibet village:
"Exploring" which slows down the pace wonderfully after the rollercoaster before it.


Mountains of Tibet:
Loads of platforming and "exploring". Shooting a liiittle in middle and more towards the end. Great change of pace.


Back to the village:
Shooting, shooting, shooting, tank chase, platforming, shooting.

Car setpiece:
Shooting & platforming.


The monastery:
Platforming, stealth, shooting, shooting, platforming, platforming, stealth, shooting, shooting, shooting, platforming, shooting, setpiece with bridge, platforming, shooting, shooting, platforming, platforming, shooting, shooting, shooting, platforming, shooting, shooting, platforming, shooting, shooting, platforming, puzzle, platforming, shooting, shooting.


Road to shambala:
Platforming x2, puzzle, shooting.


Shambala:
Chase scene, setpiece, shooting, platforming, shooting, shooting, shooting, shooting, shooting


Boss:
Shooting

Escaping shambala:
Chase scene, setpiece


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And here's UC3 =>

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London - Brawl introduced. Walk in streets "exploring", Platforming, Seeing jizz view, Puzzle, Killing w/Tranquilzer, Stealth, Shooting.


Colombia - Exploring museum, backstory!! (nothing ever made in UC). Following Sully by going through wonderful environments that REALLY help building the atmosphere of the game. Platforming. Chase scene introduced (UC2 only slightly had it and not in the same way).


France - "Exploring" jungle, platforming, puzzles, shooting, chase scene w/spiders, amazing setpiece.


Syria - Platforming. Stealth & Shootout depending on how you play. Chase scene from rpgs. Sniper killing. Tiny set piece feels here and there. Stealth & Shootout again. "Exploring" cave. Brawl with Cutter. Puzzle solving & platforming. Chase scene.


Yemen - "Exploring", platforming, chase mode that turns into brawl, puzzles, chase scene, shootout, slow walk out again -> "exploring", drug sequence, chase scene, short brawl.


Coast of Yemen - Brawl, platforming, stealth & shoot x2, vertical shooting, more platforming, insane setpiece (racing to cruise) which is abysmal compared to the real setpiece. Overall shooting in this level had a ocean simulated giving a whole new dimension. Swimming also.

Once on boat: "exploring", shootouts, stealth. GREAT setting that slows down after ballroom. Drake walks and disrupts the lightning, snapping a neck. Walks along the corridors... Interacts with environment. Im so immersed at this point due to atmosphere work, seriously. Grand finale setpiece ending that incorporates climbing and platforming with chase scenarios.


Airstrip at Yemen - "Exploring" how to advance, stealth (stealthd this fully), chase after plane, sick setpiece.


On plane - Slow crawl through ventilation. Brawl. Crazy set piece. Platforming. Shooting. Setpiece finale.


Rub al Khali - "Exploring". So immersed, I cared so incredibly much about Drake after what the game had given me.


Village in Desert -
"Exploring", platforming, shooting, horse introduced.


Caravan -
"Exploring" with horse, platforming, shooting.


Desert Storm -
"Exploring", stealth, shooting, platforming, puzzle.


Ubar -
"Exploring", Djinn shooting, chase scene, flashback chase scene, Djinn shooting x2, Shooting, some "Exploring", Shooting x2, Shooting to escape, Platforming, Crazy Setpiece.


Boss - Brawl, Platforming, Shooting.

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i feel that i am the only one who really enjoyed the game, i actually got more immersed in it than GoW: ascension which says a lot because GoW is my favorite franchise.
though there are a lot of stuff i want fixed in the next one. audio on a technical level was top notch though the supporting characters just plain sucked (specially the black girl, i forgot her name) she was the biggest pain in the ass. sam was also annoying.

there are some stuff i felt they did wrong

1- when Roth dies. probably the most "emotional" part of the story, but honestly i didnt feel much, i think the reason is because i dont know what roth actually means to lara, i just had to assume it i guess, if u stay at a camp after he dies she explains what roth meant to her, but its too little to late. if they want to kill a character off, make us really care about him/her first. not after.

2- i problem like the one before it in a way, they dont tell us how deep sam's and lara's relationship really is. lara is rather obsessed with sams well being right from the beginning. but we dont understand why, why did lara care for same more than anyone on the ship? why was she obsessed with the girl? they only explain how much they knew each other at the ending of the story when lara see's sams journal on the old ship wreck.

3- when exporing tombs they never show us what we found! they show us the same exact animation of lara's face every time! it really sucks that i dont even see the thing i got out of my and explored for, if they atleast showed us something it would really make me want to explore tombs more

4- at the start of the game lara kills someone. they show us how it effects her. then she goes down and slays everybody in her way. if they want to inlcude how she needed to do what she had to atleast make it an important factor of lara's psychological development throughout the game. that moment only effected her for 5 minutes then she was done. if it truly was a life changing moment for lara then its presence should be shown in the rest of the game. even if she continue's killing others (in the name of self defense) it really should have had some sort of negative effect on her, which it didnt. she just seemed to have the guts to kill. and that breaks the believabilty of the character.

5- the voice acting of the supporting characters was plain and simply horrible. for example when lara's friends were trapped and lara was rescuing them and the floor collapses under them, they seems so calm and go on cheering lara in a rather calm tone. i mean fuck the fact that boiling lava in right under you, cheer the girl. non of them panic, it just isnt even realistic, at all.

6- reyes (yes i googled to find her name) this bitch is just all wrong, one of the most annoying characters ever. we get it, your fuck buddy/lover is dead but its not like you did anything to try save him. you just stay their like an idiot waiting for lara to save your stupid ass, then blame her for his death. an unbelievably selfish character that only likes lara when she needs her help. yet they try to make us like her. wtf? very disappointed she didnt get a bullet in the head

thats all it for now, might add some more later

It's rather funny. Like I want more interaction with other characters but if they're gonna be like the way we just saw them: I rather have Lara be alone. Aside from Roth, I really despised the rest. Be it Sam or Reyes or mr Rampage Jackson from UFC look-alike. They killed Alex which was probably the only one I could've cared a bit for seeming as he kinda was into ..me.. or err Lara lol.

In general though for me:
The cast, gameplay variation and story were not compelling to me and thats why I couldnt get immersed and just pleaded for it to end.

As for GoWA => Im a huge fan of the series too and I would rate its campaign slightly above TR actually (which is still disappoiting for a God of War considering I really didnt enjoy TR that much).

Ascension in general has a few memorable moments and snippets than Tomb Raider. When I think of Tomb Raider, I just see the island and get yucked out. Its really odd I can't explain it better than that. All of the setpieces were there, sure. But nothing like.. stood out in some way. If I was to watch someone play the game; I wouldn't even know what part they are at. That's how much I felt the game was the same throughout.

Despite an nearly non-existant story => The overall gameplay (while repetetive in GoW too) is a ton of fun (and thats also despite me saying they should drop the Chains for the next game, its time to say bye :P).

But the MP puts Ascension up quite a bit. Have you played TRs MP? It's ... one of the worst MPs I have tried.

It really really shouldnt have existed to begin with. Only put two hours into it (I tried to enjoy it) but I ultimately couldnt.

Also if you havent played Bioshock Infinite: Fucking do it! That campaign shits all over GoW and TR in my opinion.

with the set of characters i was glad they didnt interact with them more. though this does open up another flaw in the game, at no point did somebody accompany lara, even though her friends with in touch with her most of the time, always a convenient reason why not to go with her came up.

i didnt say i think GoW was worse than tomb raider, what i meant was that i was more into the game. i think thats probably because of my mood lately, i been in a mood where i just didnt want to play games at all when i played GoW. though thinking about it GoW was much more fun and memorable. 

i wont get near the tomb raider MP. that thing is literally tacked on. crystal dynamics didnt even make it and it wasnt part of the plan to make it. they just added it later. i saw gameplay of it and wow does it seem boring! the GoW multiplayer on the other hand is VERY fun!

Hmmm, I like boobs.

Reminds me:

Whats up with the CONSTANT squeezing through narrow places with that ass in my face 24/7. Honestly the ass part doesnt bother me (:P:P:P) but damn did I go "I bet im gonna have to walk super slowly and crouch under some place now.. YEP would you look at that!"

Also!

I created more tombs then I raided. (Ba-dum-dsch)