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    Shadow of the Tomb Raider

    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8426
    Join date : 2011-12-28
    Age : 50
    Location : Pacific Northwest

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    Post by genkicoll Sat Sep 08, 2018 3:11 am

    Shadow of the Tomb Raider
    by  Eidos-Montréal, Crystal Dynamics, Nixxes software - September, 2018

    Series links: Tomb Raider, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Shadow of the Tomb Raider

    Available at:
    GamersGate
    Humble Bundle Store
    Steam

    Shadow of the Tomb Raider Header

    ABOUT THIS GAME:
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider SOTTR-Combat1-616x213_-_Copy
    Experience Lara Croft’s defining moment as she becomes the Tomb Raider. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Lara must master a deadly jungle, overcome terrifying tombs, and persevere through her darkest hour. As she races to save the world from a Maya apocalypse, Lara will ultimately be forged into the Tomb Raider she is destined to be.

    KEY FEATURES

    • Survive and Thrive In the Deadliest Place on Earth: Master an unforgiving jungle setting in order to survive. Explore underwater environments filled with crevasses and deep tunnel systems.
    • Become One With the Jungle: Outgunned and outnumbered, Lara must use the jungle to her advantage. Strike suddenly and disappear like a jaguar, use mud as camouflage, and instill fear in enemies to sow chaos.
    • Discover Dark and Brutal Tombs: Tombs are more terrifying than ever before, requiring advanced traversal techniques to reach them, and once inside they are filled with deadly puzzles.
    • Uncover Living History: Discover a hidden city and explore the biggest hub space ever found in a Tomb Raider game.

    Mature Content Description
    This Game may contain content not appropriate for all ages, or may not be appropriate for viewing at work: Frequent Violence or Gore, General Mature Content
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider Ss_06a2446b7ccef5eaac1ef4200acdb3f02dac9ae0.600x338
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider Ss_191adc1f11bf9d13498cb411ac71f29221732e86.600x338
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider Ss_3fcd62a2831bcc1e557a0fe2a061b6369ba030d1.600x338
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8426
    Join date : 2011-12-28
    Age : 50
    Location : Pacific Northwest

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    Post by genkicoll Thu Sep 13, 2018 9:18 pm

    Less than 12 hours 'til release! Happy bounce    heart flowers  Happy bounce
    luvtoread
    luvtoread


    Posts : 1171
    Join date : 2012-09-06
    Age : 63
    Location : Johnstown, NY

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    Post by luvtoread Sun Sep 23, 2018 4:07 am

    I have 2 of the Tomb Raider games for my PS4 and have so much fun playing them-just finished
    Rise of the Tomb Raider.
    This one is a definite future buy for me.
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8426
    Join date : 2011-12-28
    Age : 50
    Location : Pacific Northwest

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    Post by genkicoll Sun Sep 23, 2018 10:33 pm

    For me, as well. I'm just waiting for a sale, and then it's mine! Evil Grin
    luvtoread
    luvtoread


    Posts : 1171
    Join date : 2012-09-06
    Age : 63
    Location : Johnstown, NY

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    Post by luvtoread Sun Nov 18, 2018 12:34 pm

    PS4 has SOTR on sale.   I wish I sprung for the Croft Edition as that includes the Season Pass.
    But I got the Deluxe Edition.   So I will still enjoy.
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8426
    Join date : 2011-12-28
    Age : 50
    Location : Pacific Northwest

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    Post by genkicoll Sun Nov 18, 2018 11:09 pm

    Still patiently waiting... Hope you enjoy it!
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8426
    Join date : 2011-12-28
    Age : 50
    Location : Pacific Northwest

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    Post by genkicoll Wed Aug 21, 2019 12:26 am

    I started SotTR tonight, and have had absolutely no technical troubles at all!

    My first session's screenshot count: 176

    Here are a few from the first area of the game. People and things we see for only a moment (unless you're like me and run around pausing the game every few seconds and taking screens of EVERYTHING.)
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider A534E9BE6AC6C7D5FFE0411BB30435489C7269C3
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider A5FA0C687EDA1099DE753011B119B575182A6D21
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    Shadow of the Tomb Raider DAC78BE726A98393467A77DE012CCD31900FCDDD
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider CFF317C22E927D3E34579BF4909F35D0B9BA66EC
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider 6B84EB254DE7A5B03F83E36750E027EF1E9452F7
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider 237152735AEFD5FCD8FE3F0C8AF21D57CA23319B
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider 5F3152957A7BAFA0A633CA96CFCF5C86F1D0A624
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider 3D91B011FDAB6966EA91EE20AA3C4B15E672BBAF
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider 2D57B22B124722E6D6AFFE79C6D33D3CFA7419C5
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider 45B8C126BC1DBD8D33327E14728E301494604E34
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider B8E41178E4BA575D06C2FF859914409826CD2711
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider 56B668A02A5F0212680CDC979DB2FE5724FCB391
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider EAC8B33054F1EC86F945D33243691A43BFAA0832
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider 2C2212792B047385CB5CF794B0C22A5EEE8A0AEB
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    Shadow of the Tomb Raider 49CE670AB01A9E1697F0ABD8AEF76D5673032F1F
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8426
    Join date : 2011-12-28
    Age : 50
    Location : Pacific Northwest

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    Post by genkicoll Wed Aug 28, 2019 7:12 pm

    Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Action-adventure)

    A game of exploration and survival.  Contains no story spoilers for this or the previous games.

    If you've not yet played Tomb Raider (2013) and Rise of the Tomb Raider, do yourself a favor and play those first.  They're excellent games, and this one ties in heavily with the story from the last game.

    A few of the most notable Options: 

    • Keys/buttons can be re-mapped
    • Brightness slider
    • Language Immersion: Many characters will speak in their native tongue (with subtitles) by default, but you can have them speak in YOUR native language, instead, if you wish
    • Three preset difficulties, BUT, you can adjust the difficulty of combat, exploration and puzzles separately

    There are many options to help improve performance, but at the end of the day, you're going to need a pretty kick-a$$ rig to play this.  Luckily, there is a DEMO available, so go check it out if there's any question!

    I had only a couple of very minor glitches that lasted a few seconds.  I have a small gripe, which is that sometimes you have to stand in just the right place before you can loot or interact with some items. 
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider 6116479849A5DA1DDE58762BDA9D7CED44259431

    Story:

    Lara has been trying to outwit the antagonist from Rise of the Tomb Raider ever since she discovered their existence, but they always seem to be a step ahead of her.  Now it's become a race to find the artifact that can stop the Mayan apocalypse, or die trying.

    The game is rich in lore, with many collectibles that draw you deeper and deeper into the cultures as you explore.  The scattered murals teach you about local history, and will eventually give you the ability to translate ancient monoliths.  If you can solve the monolith riddles, they will direct you towards a nearby treasure trove, so there's a nice incentive to really look around.

    Gameplay:

    Lara Croft - A heroine with the strength and resilience to outperform the most skilled Ninja Warrior, and the tactical knowledge and brawn to take out entire companies of the military's finest soldiers.  That being said, there is MUCH less combat in this game than in the two previous installments.  The fights you do have seem to be on the short side, with only one "boss fight" in the entire game.  There are also times when you'll be limited to bow-only, although there's a story-related explanation for this.  Luckily, when you need them the most, all of your weapons will be available.

    The true focus of Shadow of the Tomb Raider is exploration and discovery.  The tombs and crypts that we find are well-integrated with the story, making them feel more natural and less like an add-on than in previous installments (based upon standard game - I don't have any of the DLC). 

    It seems like the puzzles were also harder to figure out, though of course that could have been just me. Conversely, the Quick Time Events seemed easier this time around, with only one that I had to redo more than a couple of times.

    The MAP is absolutely invaluable.  Not only does it have a marker for your current objective, but it also has green markers for the optional quests and a blue marker for custom waypoints.  Activating Survival Mode will, as always, give you these color-coded directional markers, as well.

    There are some brand new game mechanics such as rappelling, and a revamped skill tree to use your skill points on.
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider 69817B9702BAD7A76BA961B203B3432AFCC60464

    Sights and Sounds:

    The first thing I noticed upon entering the game was not the fantastic graphics, it was the audio.  Every facet of the sound work from the tiniest peep from a bird to the music to explosions in the distance is cinematic in quality.  The voice-overs are absolutely superb, and almost every character's voice was perfectly-suited to what we were seeing.

    I am a huge fan of the 2013 Lara design, and I wasn't really impressed with the changes that they've made to her over time... That is until I started playing.  The incredible acting and diversity of emotions that she - and indeed every character - expresses quickly got me past my bias and turned me into a fan of the new design.

    This game is absolutely a dream come true for people like me who love to take screenshots, not only because of the impressive quality of the visuals, but also because of the in-game photo mode.  Although not quite as amazing as the mode is in Hellblade (where you could pause and move the camera around during a cut scene!), there are plenty of options, and I loved getting just the right shot without having to hurry to hit the screenshot button.  Fun fact: I spent the first hour of gameplay pausing the game every few seconds so that I could admire EVERYTHING. I took 176 shots during that first session! lol~
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider 2B9FFF6F14C95ABD4D6B2389362F91B3E2BAA29E

    Thoughts:

    I adored the game, but it is not without its faults.  I can't/won't go into any details (no spoilers!), but I have to say that I questioned Lara's actions more than once during the course of the game. It's funny that if it had been a male protagonist doing these things, it wouldn't have seemed so out-of-place, but it bothered me because the person involved in the scenes is a woman.  That really made me stop and think about the double-standards that exist in our society. 

    There are some gory moments in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, although this kind of thing is present in the previous games, as well.  There are also some scenes that reminded me uncomfortably of the movie Apocalypto, and although we are more removed from the savagery in this game than in the show, it's still disturbing to see.

    Verdict:

    This is what $60 games *should* look like, with the highest quality in every aspect of the production.  Shadow of the Tomb Raider is a cinematic experience, combining superb acting and immersive gameplay with the unrealistic-but-oh-so-awesome drama of your favorite blockbuster. Although there are some predictable story elements, the writers managed to surprise me a few times during the course of the game; something which I value highly.  If you're looking for combat and non-stop action, this may not be for you, but it you love a compelling story, gorgeous graphics and exploring to get get every last collectible, you'll definitely want to give this a try!  HIGHLY recommended!

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