Jump to navigation

Tomb Raider: Anniversary Comments by Ellie Gibson

7 December, 2007

Not remotely.

Read entire article.

Want to comment on this article? Log in, or register!

Comments: 1-50 of 115 in total | next 50 »

Poster
Comment Low-scoring comments hidden. Log in to see them!
morriss
07/12/07 @ 11:36
#1
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Oh dear. I was almost tempted by this.

Btw. Shouldn't it be: "Right? Wrong!"

;)
systems
07/12/07 @ 11:37
#2
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
That's a shame. Another daft control scheme strapped on a decent game then.

Re:"The remote is ridiculously sensitive; the blue dot on the screen jiggles nervously even when your hand is absolutely still."

This can happen in any game and is remedied by the sensitivity menu on the Wii. I have to modify mine quite often when I get the "cursor shakes".
Killerbee
07/12/07 @ 11:37
#3
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Ouch.

Still, I bought the PS2 version way back when it was released, so I don't feel too bad now for not waiting for this.
Murbal
07/12/07 @ 11:39
#4
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
/sharp intake of breath

Now, do I tell my colleague who's just had this turn up in the post?
SEVQA
07/12/07 @ 11:41
#5
-1
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
get your tits out Croft! = 10/10
miiiguel
07/12/07 @ 11:41
#6
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I don't understand why Wii can't have "normal" controls for games as this which obviously don't work with the numbchunk.
There seems to this need of "better new and bad, than normal and perfect".
woodnotes
07/12/07 @ 11:42
#7
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
lol
haowan
07/12/07 @ 11:43
#8
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Eidos will not be happy with this development
ZeroAX
07/12/07 @ 11:45
#9
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
lol. well i hope after mario galaxy they will understand you can make normal controled games on the wii likewise to new super mario brothers did to the ds
UncleLou
07/12/07 @ 11:49
#10
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Daft. Silly Eidos.
Blerk
07/12/07 @ 11:50
#11
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Eidos will not be happy with this development

But will Ellie be in the dole queue by Monday morning? :-)
JohnnyWashnGo
07/12/07 @ 11:52
#12
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Fer christs sake, the game worked perfectly well using the traditional control system, why bother to change it just because the system supports it?

I am sick of companies shoveling games onto the wii and strapping on new control systems just because they can. Whatever happened to making a game that played well?

I was kinda looking forward to getting this game for the Wii but looks like I will have to pass. Still, maybe this will teach 'em that you have to think about the application of the wand and nunchuk and not just add it as an afterthought.
Steroyd
07/12/07 @ 11:56
#13
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Oh no a bad Eidos review, run Ellie, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!
Triggerhappytel
07/12/07 @ 11:57
#14
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Ellie in shit game review shocker. Give her some good games to review, damnit!

"It was the videogame equivalent of Greedo shooting first."

Although I happen to disagree with the point you're making, this is still a great line. I enjoyed the new T Rex battle, although the QTE sections were needless and a bit lame.
manic_mouse
07/12/07 @ 11:59
#15
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
"I don't understand why Wii can't have "normal" controls for games "

Because traditional control schemes are broken and rubbish, that's why we needed the Wii!
Muddtallica
07/12/07 @ 11:59
#16
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Ugh. As everyone other than Eurogamer realised, Resident Evil 4 on the Wii was awesome; I was kind of hoping this might work the same way.

Clearly not.
Telepathic.Geometry
07/12/07 @ 12:04
#17
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Holy shit, 4/10 for the Wii version and 9/10 for the PS2 version? Those controls must really be fucked up. :(
Kryon
07/12/07 @ 12:06
#18
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
^^ Nah, RE4 was only worth a purchase on the Wii if you hadn't played it before, the new control mechanism added nothing to it and it looks like TR is meh on Wii as well. The Wii is for party games and Mario, nothing more, nothing less...
morriss
07/12/07 @ 12:06
#19
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
You know Ellie and Dave McCarthy are married, right?
Telepathic.Geometry
07/12/07 @ 12:07
#20
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
This review does seem pretty harsh, I'll look forward to seeing a reader review on it methinks...
Darren
07/12/07 @ 12:16
#21
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
So it's not only the PS3 that gets sub-standard multiformat games then.

The comment about the lack of camera control in Tomb Raider Anniv, highlights one of my gripes about the Wii which is: while the controller and Nunchuk are great for some games, games that require camera control aren't quite so wonderful due to the lack of a second analogue stick and triggers. I found it irritating in Zelda: Twilight Princess for example: the GC version allowed you to control it, the Wii version doesn't. I'm sure I'd find it equally annoying in TRA on the Wii.
Eighthours
07/12/07 @ 12:17
#22
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
The "Curse of Ellie" strikes again! :)
miiiguel
07/12/07 @ 12:19
#23
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
"Because traditional control schemes are broken and rubbish, that's why we
needed the Wii!"

I don't agree, I think the Wii controls are cool, and work in some games, but I also think Wii owners could/should be allowed to play classic games the classic way. There's no reason why they shouldn't.
Telepathic.Geometry
07/12/07 @ 12:22
#24
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
@miiguel: I think the problem is, the classic controller wasn't packed in with the console, so the game [i]generally[/i] needs to be wiimote + nunchuk compatible!
Mr_Bogus
07/12/07 @ 12:24
#25
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
This review has actually changed my opinion of "not bothered" to "actually want to play it". Out of sheer curiosity.

The only part that holds me back is the bit about frame rate drops, that ruins games for me.
miiiguel
07/12/07 @ 12:25
#26
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
TG: makes sense..., still think they should find a way for it to be classic-mode/compatible.
Edited 1 times, most recently on 07/12/07 @ 12:26
nickthegun
07/12/07 @ 12:27
#27
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
"Never, until now, have I been killed by the first set of bats Lara encounters"

That actually made me lol. I can imagine someone whirling the remote around screaming 'GET OFF ME YOU FUCKERS!'
Telepathic.Geometry
07/12/07 @ 12:29
#28
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Oh yeah. I mean, for me the fact that the PS2 version garners a 9/10 with a dual analogue and the wiimote + nunchuk gets a 4/10 suggests that the couple of days work it would have taken to include classic controller support would have been well spent. How did they not spot it?
Darren
07/12/07 @ 12:30
#29
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
The TR engine must be an absolute heap of crap considering that all versions of Anniversary, be it on the 360, PS2 or Wii, suffer from framerate issues. I mean this game doesn't even run at 720p on the 360 and still has a disappointing framerate so what chance did the poor old Wii have of coping with it? LOL
Garulon
07/12/07 @ 12:32
#30
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Wiimote ruins another game shock.

Why didn't N pack a classic controller in the Wii box? At least then companies would just fallback to that without worrying about lost sales, rather than jamming a control system that obviously doesn't work into a port.
tobsen
07/12/07 @ 12:34
#31
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Who would have ever thought that Nintendo, out of all companies, would proof that commercial success of a platform and the quality of its games can be totally unrelated.

I have so much fallen out of love with this company in just a single year, unbelievable. But I guess they now rather want my mother and sisters as customers anyway, so it's likely mutual.
Steroyd
07/12/07 @ 12:35
#32
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Why didn't N pack a classic controller in the Wii box? At least then companies would just fallback to that without worrying about lost sales, rather than jamming a control system that obviously doesn't work into a port.

That goes against the Wii's existance and Nintendo's belief's, if devs can just port anything without any hard work, not that making them use the Wiimote has changed anything.
Aretak
07/12/07 @ 12:38
#33
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
We're going to need a bigger shovel.
JetSetWilly
07/12/07 @ 12:38
#34
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Sounds exactly like the lock-on free aim mode of Metroid Prime 3.
Sid Nice
07/12/07 @ 12:40
#35
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
More proof that the Wii is just a mini-gaming-gimmick.
Hughes.
07/12/07 @ 12:44
#36
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
OUCH!

Ellie no likey!
chicknstu
07/12/07 @ 12:56
#37
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Another crap Wii game.
erp
07/12/07 @ 13:05
#38
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
:(

PS2 version for me it is then.
manic_mouse
07/12/07 @ 13:10
#39
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
@miiiguel

I was being sarcastic there, I agree with you. Nintendo are the ones who are trying to ram down people's throat that traditional controls are inferior to the Wiimote. And we'll get onto that in just a sec...

"Why didn't N pack a classic controller in the Wii box? At least then companies would just fallback to that without worrying about lost sales, rather than jamming a control system that obviously doesn't work into a port"

Because, as I feared on the announcement of the Wii, it appears to be a one-trick-pony. Nintendo have invested so much on the Wiimote as being the sole reason for the Wii's existance to the point where they've crippled the console in pretty much every other way. Take the Wiimote away and the Wii is quite possibly the worst console ever produced in comparison to it's competitors.

Which means that games either NEED to use the Wiimote or they're going to be a pale imitation of the bigger and better games you see on the PS3 and 360. With a classic controller the Wii is essentially the GC 1.5, and the games will reflect this. Why buy a Wii (or Wii multi-format games) if you're just getting downgraded versions of what you could get on a 360 or PS3?

Wii games NEED to use the Wiimote or they have pretty much no reason for existence. The people who bought the Wii over traditional consoles aren't going to want to buy normal games, since the other consoles do them better, and thus making normal games for the Wii probably wont sell (hence why the traditional "blockbuster" games are on 360 and PS3 normally). There's also no technical reason to make them on the Wii, aside from the Wiimote.

IMO the problem the Wii has is that it relies TOO heavily on the Wiimote as it's raison d'etre. Games designed specifically for it generally work very well and are enjoyable. But the thing is, it's not as versatile as a traditional controller and doesn't work for every type of game perfectly. Hence we get shoe-horned Wii controls on games that would work better with a standard controller.

In the majority of normal games the Wiimote is a solution looking for a problem. The Wiimote was supposed to be the solution to "bad controls" by simplifying and improving game control, but going by the number of games released on the Wii with terrible (and sometimes unplayable) controls I would say it's caused more problems than it's fixed.
Edited 1 times, most recently on 07/12/07 @ 13:16
erp
07/12/07 @ 13:12
#40
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
@Darren

Yeah those have been my recent thoughts about Wii controls too, and it seems my related fears for this game were unfortunately proven well founded. :(
Killerbee
07/12/07 @ 13:25
#41
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I definitely support the call for developers to offer Classic controller (or better: Cube controlller) support for games that are ported from other consoles, but you can't really blame them for trying to fit the game onto the Wii's control scheme.

TBH, from the sounds of the review, the problem isn't so much the choice of controls (although waggle is never really a good idea, is it?). but more the fact that they've completely messed up the sensitivity of the remote pointer. Yes, it does sound a lot like Metroid Prime 3, but MP3 offered a choice of different control schemes for those that liked free aiming and those that don't, and they got the sensitivity pretty much spot on as far as I'm concerned.

Camera control needent be an issue in a game like this either. I for one, much prefer the camera style adopted by God of War, for example, than having control myself, but that does mean level design needs to account for that. And I never once missed the second analogue stick in Zelda: Twilight Princess.

The thing I'm most surprised about is that this took so much longer than the PS2 version to arrive and they added precious little extra content and messed up the controls. That's the real crime / tragedy of this title imho.
andromeda
07/12/07 @ 13:43
#42
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
i dont no why i hate the wii so much, perhaps...
....cos it promised to change the way it played and failed so dismally...
and the smeggy adverising behind it. My gran was never suppsoed to play fuckin games, shes supposed to be finishing my damn sweater for the winter months

oh yeah so theres always SMG ;) ok, one game that is bearable.
I borrowed a wii and copy of Prime 3 , being a huge samusfreak, and gave it back after one night, so nonplussed with the pointless controls i was. How i longed for a standard controller!

Hurry up and die Wii!
TheDudesRug
07/12/07 @ 13:46
#43
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Still, Zelda's a good game. Right?
Der_tolle_Emil
07/12/07 @ 13:47
#44
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
As already pointed out the control scheme shouldn't be that bad in theory. Metroid Prime 3 has just the same control method (moving around, only camera locked and you still have to aim). It works really, really well and I never had a problem with it - it seems like it's just a case of bad implementation here, which is sad.
Mentalist(air)
07/12/07 @ 13:52
#45
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Still, Zelda's a good game. Right?

It was good Gamecube game, too, though, and not significantly better on the wii (apart from being in Widescreen).
andromeda
07/12/07 @ 14:00
#46
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Diomedes
07/12/07 @ 14:02
#47
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Wow ,the PS3 frame drops when it gets direct ports of X360 games and the Wii does the same with the PS2 !

Well ,if actually the Wii has demostrated anything is that it effectively controls worse that the traditional joypads ....
Fitzmogwai
07/12/07 @ 14:08
#48
-1
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I saw Ellie's name at the top of the review and knew it would be a shitty score.

I now offer the prophecy that Ellie reviewing a good game will be a sign of the End Times. If Ellie awards a 9 or a 10 to a game, the skies will rupture, the earth will crack open and armies of angels and demons will begin the eternal war that dooms humanity.

Please, EG, heed my words and continue to keep her away from the good stuff for all our sakes.
SimonM7
07/12/07 @ 14:19
#49
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Crap controls is the most vague complaint you could possibly offer in terms of Wii games. I haven't found a SINGLE thread of consistent criticism towards ANY game related to its controls.

It's like some people just can't wrap their head around them, regardless of their actual implementation. You're saying things like "How could Eidos miss this?", well maybe they reckoned it worked really well?

I'm NOT saying every game on the Wii controls well, but I'm saying SSX Blur, Excite Truck, Resident Evil 4 and more are nowhere near the flawed mess some make them out to be. It's incredibly obvious just how personal these problems are.

Therefore when I read a review like this, particularly after RE4 Wii (which was an AWESOME game where the controls totally added to the experience) the criticisms sort of mean.. nothing to me.

I'm stuck still not knowing whether to try it out or not. It would be nice if someone who's invested in the game and don't need to have a review thrown out in X amount of time could come in here and give some insight into how it performs after a while.


The Wiimote is so new, even now a year later, and you need only recall how awkward it was to play any game for the first time when you hadn't had two generations of the same pad. It's like the gaming nation expects something brand new to feel just as *obvious* as the third generation Sony pad.
Edited 1 times, most recently on 07/12/07 @ 14:20
Telepathic.Geometry
07/12/07 @ 14:20
#50
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
RE4 and Excite Truck control really well actually. :)

Comments: 1-50 of 115 in total | next 50 »

Want to comment on this article? Log in, or register!

Advertisement

X View gallery