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 On 02/25/2017 at 02:32 PM by Super Step See More From This User » |
The reason I'm blogging on a Saturday from my phone is that a certain document in Rise of the Tomb Raider is PISSING ME OFF. Its the last thing I need to clear the Wicked Vale area 100% and the most frustrating thing about it is I've figured out how to get it, but contextual responses from the game and my controller seem to not want to let me.
This has always been my problem with puzzles that get timed platforming in my way. It's always frustrating, it always takes way too long to climb back up to phase 1 ( there's always climbing involved), and it's always frustrating because of the game's mechanics rather than the legitimate challenge of figuring the puzzle out. You can argue precision platforming is the challenge, but I'd prefer we keep that and puzzle elements separate for a few reasons.
I still remember several puzzles in games like Ocarina being harder than they needed to be because of the jump controls. That game could get particularly egregious since the jump control was mostly based on context. It got incredibly frustrating knowing what to do, but having to climb back up several times to do it cause the game kept thiking if you were pressing the joystick forward even a little too close to a precipice, it meant you wanted to kill yourself.
In Tom Raider, one issue I have with the reboots is that Lara's superhuman grip and jumping abilities are inconsistent. Sometimes she can leap 1000s of meters in a single bound and somersault herself to safety anyway; other times she'll die from hitting a platform a few feet below where i have her jumping.
In thus case, how far she jumps from the same place to the same place seems to be based on incredibly nitpicky timing. If I'm not lined up exactly right on my moving platform, I'm gonna go straight into the water when i jump off. Other times when I'm running to the edge of a platform, she'll decide i want her to start climbing down right before i hit the jump button. It's incredibly annoying and makes the challenge less legitimate. It also makes otherwise amazing controls seem overly sensitive and less tight.
Look, i don't mind action and puzzling mixing as ac rule, in fact my favorite genre ( action/adventure) is more or less based on this concept. But if you're going to have that in your game, make sure you're not just bringing the flaws of your control system to light. I want a challenge in the game itself, not a couples' fight with my Dualshock.
While we're at it, why the f* do you not let me see what collectibles i have left in a certain area before using fast travel to get there? I hate going to an area i have 60% completed only to realize none of what i still need is on the map. Then i go to anther 80% area and everything is clearly labeled when i get there, but it wasn't on the map when i was deciding which region to travel to.
It's still a great game, but I needed to vent about how TIMED platform puzzles especially really really suck.
NInja Gaiden (the modern one) is one game I'm constantly replaying. And there's a jump in there, that even after all these years, still drives me fucking bonkers.
Also, in Xenogears - otherwise a turnbased RPG - there are some platforming elements that are just out of fucking control. Grrr, I say.
Grr indeed.
That particular jump mechanic thing is what nearly always makes me stop playing platformers. Why does jumping always have to be done in just one way? I like games with grab mechanics so that if you miss a little you can still grab the edge and pull yourself up.
Tomb Raider does have grab mechanics. In fact, you HAVE to grab ledges for this. It slows you down.
I'm not 100% sure I didn't write this blog.
I actually like the rest of the game. There's your confirmation it wasn't you. lol
I always get a bit nervous with timing puzzles because I don't want to have to get back to the spot and try it again if I make a mistake. It is a pain. For Rise the one towards the end of the game I HATED but thank goodness I made it through in one shot.
Oh goodie, there's one in the main game lol
Hot damn my bad, I thought you played through the game already. Sorry about that.
Not like you spoiled anything plotwise, it's all good. Now I know it's coming. I'll see if I can identify it once I get around to it.
I probably would have finished the storyline a long time ago if I wasn't trying to 100% every area while I go.
I think it might be easier to just come back and try and get 100% after you finish the game. You get some new weapons which makes some of the taskes easier.
I don't finish the challenges I can't find or anything not listed on the map, I just like having the story filled in via documents and relics as I go along. I could leave the "only there as fetch quest" stuff like caches alone for now though. I probably will stop trying to get this stupid document until later, because it's making the game less fun. Gonna try again today and then let it go if I don't get it. Now I know how my students feel when they see they got a 98% on a project ...
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