Old-School Action With A Few New Twists
With Dungeon Siege III, developer Obsidian Entertainment brings the hack-and-slash RPG series to consoles for the first time. The game is firmly entrenched in old-school tropes, but it does add a few more contemporary enhancements. Continue reading
If you read our six page preview on Final Fantasy XIII-2, you already know the important details regarding Square-Enix’s next big RPG. However, a few smaller facts have surfaced such as how far the game is in development, along with a big name change for the battle system. Continue reading
Ryan Mac Donald closes out GameSpot’s E3 2011 Live Stage Show with an awesome demo of Tomb Raider!
A New Level Of Tomb Raider Unveiled In E3 Demo
Square Enix gave us a behind-closed-doors demo of Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider reboot, one that showed off a previously unseen level. The first half of the presentation revolved around the familiar sequence where a young Lara escapes death in a waterlogged cavern — a scene first described in our Tomb Raider cover story and shown a few days ago at the Microsoft E3 Press Conference.
However, things got interesting in the second half of the demo, when a new level of the game was shown, one that takes place in a mountain village. It provided us with a little more of the game’s attempt to develop Lara Croft as a character, and also showcased her legendary platforming abilities.
The sequence starts with Lara stumbling upon Conrad Roth, her mentor of sorts, locked in a battle with a wolf. The deadly lupine eventually retreats, but not before mauling Roth badly. Lara rushes to his aid, helping him walk closer to his base camp and the campfire.
Things are bad. Roth need medical attention and a radio transmitter he left in the wolves’ den. Lara is forced into action and begins platforming over the building in the village to reach the opening to the abandoned mine that serves as the den. Overall, the platforming seems easy and fast — more akin to Assassin’s Creed than the laborious platforming of earlier Tomb Raiders. Weather also factors in, making things more difficult; at one point Lara slipped off a rainslicked fuselage of a crashed plane suspended in the mountain.
After Lara makes it to the highly perched mine, she enters the dangerous den. At one point, she’s attack by a wolf and is forced to use one of her arrows as a weapon, an encounter that plays out like a brief quick-time event. Finally, she finds the transmitter and the first aid kit. From there, Lara negotiates her way back down the base camp and minister to Roth’s wounds. At this point, the presenter stopped to tell us that base camps serve a purpose in the game, as they are points where Lara can buy new skills and upgrades, craft new gear from salvage, and fast travel to other campsites.
Here, we get to see a more emotional side of the game. Roth tells Lara she has to be the one to find and climb the radio tower to install the transistor that might bring them help. As opposed to the quippy Lara of past games, this Lara is unsure of herself and scared but also willing to risk her life to help her mentor. It’s a nicely done sequence and helps cast Lara in a more complex light. With this nice end to the demo, I once again came away impressed by Tomb Raider.
Still Rough Around The Edges
Many gamers were disappointed when Square Enix revealed that Deus Ex would miss its original March 2011 release date. However, if what I saw at E3 is any indication, the game needs the extra time in development. Continue reading
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