Re: Lack of female assassins in Assassin's Creed? 'Reality of producti
Thank you, everyone, for allowing me to make things right.
And now....for my next offense........
Just kidding.
Owain, I love the Uncharted series....eagerly awaiting the fourth installment on PS4.
This is more a tech statement, but the Naughty Dog folks really do have a cinematic eye and mind. When I played the first Uncharted, my reaction was: "Wow! This feels like I am playing a big budget, high adventure PG-13 movie!". The character animations (mocapped), and the voice work were top notch. I remember laughing my head off at some of the banter in the game.
Definitely agreed. I feel ND are some of the best developers in the business, who not only understand how to make a great game, but know how to get the most out of hardware. Everyone knew Uncharted 4 would look good on the PS4, but if things look this good so early on, we'll be in for one hell of a treat further down the road.
I love the banter too. I think it helps create the feeling that they might be real people. And I still feel Uncharted 2 could have been a better Indy 4
I think there's a good reason why the Tomb Raider reboot was heavily inspired by the Uncharted series, being more character oriented with interesting setpieces. I think it helped to solidify Lara Croft into a more interesting character rather than being a token of previous games. She's now more human and relatable.
Caveat: If I do say anything in here that sounds sexist, I apologize in advance. I will do my best to ensure that I've taken the least brash route in expressing how I felt about Lara Croft over the years. Please understand, it is simply a personal mindset. Opening this mindset to the general reader is not intended to incense anyone. I don't think I can get much more plaintive than that.
Hi, Owain,
I completely agree that ND certainly knew how to make the most of the PS3 architecture, and in each case, from the first three Uncharted titles, to The Last of Us, they've shown what the PS3 could really do. In the cinematics of the games, you really felt like you were watching a sort of interactive movie. The character motions and expressions were second to none. In The Last of Us, I could not see how anyone could not like/pretty much fall in love with Ellie. Such spunk, and in truth, such wisdom for so young a soul...and a very capable character in her own right. And the tragic story of Joel....wow....in my opinion, if you couldn't feel for the guy, you should just go back to every other first person shooter out there. (And I love the gory FPS games as much as the next gamer.

)
Games like The Last of Us, and Metal Gear Solid 4: Rise of the Patriots were, to me, the
perfect PlayStation 3 titles.
Personally, I've always felt that Lara Croft was human and relatable. Yes, at first, she was sort of "Jane Bond"-ish, if you will. A little stand off-ish, very cynical...but these were the things that, in my humble opinion, kept her alive.
With Tomb Raider Legend, she became a bit more soft edged. (In a good way.) She expressed her love of the exploration...her sentiment for places she may have been to before, and then had to revisit for the story. She also had, it seemed to me, more of a sense of humor.
In Underworld, she seemed to get more of the old, hard edge back.
I will confess that my first attraction to Lara Croft was her manner of dress. (Tank top, short shorts, and well armed.) Physical attraction is usually the first attraction. But, I also knew that she was a highly capable character...she could defend herself, she had considerable intellect, and an insatiable curiosity. To me, that whole package is what defined Lara Croft for me.
Then came the reboot. "Reborn" Lara Croft. I will confess that at first, I wasn't even going to buy the game because I would not see Lara the way I always enjoyed seeing her.
I will confess that I felt that by making Lara look different to the way I always liked her, it felt like the writers and developers were pandering to some female gamers out there who would scream: "Oh, dear God, Lara, put some clothes on!" (The same thing that some female...and even some male gamers/comic book readers, etc...screamed about Wonder Woman, Power Girl, etc.) I was truly ready to write Tomb Raider off.
But, I also knew that this was a step back to Lara's beginnings. Clearly, she was just starting out on her adventures. She would not have the bold confidence and determination that she had when we started knowing her...and we started knowing Lara at the prime of her globetrotting, Tomb Raiding career. If I
truly respected the character of Lara Croft as I claimed I always had, then I had to give this new take a go.
So I did.
I found I enjoyed this game about as much as any TR game I'd played in the past. The story was good. Lara was a compelling character, seen in her more formative stages. I was pleased with the game. I haven't revisited it in quite a while...but then, I haven't revisited any TR game in quite a while. (I was also pleased with Guardian of Light, which featured more of the Lara I knew and loved.) I eagerly await the sequels to both the reboot, and to Guardian of Light.
I came to the realization that I do have a sort of dual take on Lara's appearance. The woman made the clothes as much as the clothes made the woman. Yes, I still love/prefer Lara in her more traditional gear (tank top/short shorts/well armed). Her physical attributes aren't so much a game seller/deal breaker to me. I don't care if she's got super Double D's or if she's a bit more realistically built....as long as she can get the job done. Lara was always meant to be attractive, physically, as well as mentally. I think that her clothing style in the first few games represented a sort of "confidence" and "world readiness" in Lara. Her appearance in the reboot of Tomb Raider seemed to reflect the innocence and vulnerability of a young Lara Croft.
As the reboot storyline progresses, I think we'll see not just a toning up of her confidence to face dangers, but the confidence she shows in her appearance.
In any case, I'm sure I'll be getting the next "reboot" installment...I believe it is called "Rise of the Tomb Raider".
Sincerest apologies in advance if I have offended anyone's sensibilities. Certainly not intended.
