"Tomb Raider: Legend" Thoughts

[BespinReactorShaft]

Anybody here with a 512MB video card care to comment on the Next-Gen performance?

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: BespinReactorShaft
Anybody here with a 512MB video card care to comment on the Next-Gen performance?

I just tried it on my brother's new X1900XT (which convinced me to purchase an X1900XT for myself), and for the most part it was very playable at 1600x1200 with all settings up, including AA (however much the in-game setting applies; looks like at least 4x). There were a few slowdowns, but it looked awesome and probably mostly ran between 25-45fps, which I think is pretty sufficient for this kind of game. I didn't do extensive testing, but I think it would be a lot closer to 60fps if you knocked down the resolution one level (1280x1024 or thereabouts).

 

[StrangerGuy]

Originally posted by: SKORPI0
Tried the game on my XPS M170, 2.13GHz, 2GB DDR2 & 256 mb 7800GTX.

With NextGen on, graphics (1600x1200) pauses for a while.

Next Gen On - note the texture on the seats/carpet/wood.
Next Gen Off

Finally her assets look believable enough.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: StrangerGuy

Originally posted by: SKORPI0
Tried the game on my XPS M170, 2.13GHz, 2GB DDR2 & 256 mb 7800GTX.

With NextGen on, graphics (1600x1200) pauses for a while.

Next Gen On - note the texture on the seats/carpet/wood.
Next Gen Off

Finally her assets look believable enough.

they're still quite large. they don't look so big in that pic

 

[SynthDude2001]

Just thought I'd bump this thread to give a tip if anyone's interested...I just got an X1900XT yesterday and this game was still kinda slow with Next Gen Content - until I read on another forum to disable shadows. So I did that, and my framerates literally doubled (from 20-30 before to 30-60 now, both at 1680x1050 4xAA/16xAF). IMO the character shadows didn't look that great anyway, and all the "important" shadows/lighting is still there. Looks awesome, and plays like a dream now.

(I also disabled the Depth of Field effect for a few more frames, since I wasn't a fan of it and it looks clearer without it anyway...)

 

[VIAN]

Thx for the tip, I'll try that.

 

[VIAN]

It didn't work as well as I'd hoped because the hiccupping was still very much there. Even at 1024x768, it seems that I need 512MB of VRAM.

 

[raystorm]

Originally posted by: SynthDude2001


(I also disabled the Depth of Field effect for a few more frames, since I wasn't a fan of it and it looks clearer without it anyway...)

Thats my one big criticism about the visuals. That is one ugly depth of field effect. It doesn't look right at all. If you ever play the horrid TR: Angel of Darkness you'll see a superior depth of field effect with a nice soft focus look that gradually gets sharper. Very well done. I turn off the DOF effect for Legends as well.


I have a X1800XT (512mb version) myself and get pretty darn good performance with none of the stuttering I had with my 6800GS. Not saying I get 60fps but its very smooth. What a nice game and its great to see the TR come back in great form. I hope the next one is more open ended with more exploration and more wide open tombs.

 

[VIAN]

updated OP to reflect on the game instead of the demo. Patch 1.2 was released so I updated the NexGen paragraph about it.

 

[VIAN]

I keep getting a lot of crashes. I'm 50% done with 6 hours in and I'm reading the readme know to see if there is anything I can do. So far, even with all the crap, crashes, glitches, and a few annoying controls, I think the game is good enough to almost overlook those. I'm a lot of fun, maybe more than I've had in a looong time. If you haven't yet, check out Laura's Mansion, it houses some complex puzzles.

Notes:

There are some graphical glitches that affect gameplay, specifically, the ground Laura is standing/driving on becomes translucent and the images showing through are confusing.

Vehicles in this game are a welcomed change of pace, however, sometimes the camera really gets in the way. The mouse view should have been locked. Since the mouse's sensitivity is somehow dramatically decreased in vehicle mode, recovering from accidentally changing the camera angle can be fatal. The target system is also F'd up. Still, the vehicle levels are awsome.

 

[SynthDude2001]

What kind of crashes? I get crashes to desktop somewhat often (after 30+ minutes of gameplay) too, mostly "Out of memory" errors - never mind that I have 2GB of RAM and 512MB on my video card

Still, I've had a blast so far, definitely reminiscent of old school Tomb Raider action. I'm about 63% done so far (wish the game were longer), but I'm currently stuck fighting what seems to be an impossible boss.

And yeah, the manor was done really well I think...my performance is great for the most part too, now that I turned off that performance-sucking Shadows option. 40-60fps easily (usually closer to 60 than 40) in the manor at 1680x1050 4xAA/16xAF...very impressed. Miles ahead of the slideshow I got on my 6800GT with Next Gen on

 

[VIAN]

I guess the crashes are about every half hour as well for me with an out of memory error.

I almost feel like the game could end right now after 6 hours of play with 50% done and it would still have been worth the money.

 

[VIAN]

Alright. Now I'm pissed! I'm 60% done (laura's cleavage looks best at the title screen this far in) and I hate these crashes, it seems like they're happening every 10-15 minutes or so now. It's not enough time to play. So I'm gonna wait for another freakin patch or something so that I can finish this game.

What a shame, a good game with bugs up it's ass. I'm gonna go start hitman: blood money for the time being.

 

[spaceghost21]

I've never enjoyed tomb raider before. Is this just more of the same? Anything new or innovative?

 

[VIAN]

It's a nice mix of different environments.

 

[Yossarian]

I got stuck on one of the bosses and gave up. The one that kept saying "you think you're better than me?" or something like that. I couldn't take it anymore.

 

[Maxspeed996]

I've been playing on the PS2 , got it last Saturday , beat it Friday night with just a few hours of play a day. Haven't seen the PC version of it other than screenshots. Play is very good on this game , which makes it easier that the older games in the series.
Working on unlocking every "outfit" in the game now. I've got the last two stages "time-trials" to complete , and I'll be done. that should give me the Swimsuit , the black bikini and the white bikini...along with the last few cheat codes available in the "special" menu, allowing me to wield excalibur , which is MEAN.

 

[VIAN]

I turned off the NEXT GEN GRAPHICS and my system didn't crash any longer.

 

[NiKeFiDO]

Lara Croft... her attitude is now more girly and has lost most of the sofistication that she used to have. Her voice is different and is more girly. Even her face sometimes reminds me of Jessica Alba. This Laura Croft is more fun.

this isn't a good trait IMO

 

[VIAN]

I should've changed it to "some" instead of "most". She's still sophistocated, but in a girly way. I guess what I'm trying to say is that she's different. Her voice isn't always serious and monotone. She now says things with a little more feeling while still maintaining some sophistication.

I like her better this way, but nostalgia might battle this idea.

 

[VIAN]

*********** SPOILER
ALERT *************


So I'm trying to beat the last boss, but I can't. I tried hitting him till he gets down and then slicing him with the sword and nothing happens. Then, since I was stuck, I went to look at a FAQ and it told me to do what I've been doing. I'm pissed. Is there anyway I could possibly be doing it wrong?

 

[pontifex]

*************SPOILER ALERT******************




i'm stuck right after i get excalibur and the floor crumbles away. There's a few places i can jump to on pillars, but I can't figure out what to do next. there's nowhere else on the main area to jump to.

 

[VIAN]

Originally posted by: pontifex
*************SPOILER ALERT******************




i'm stuck right after i get excalibur and the floor crumbles away. There's a few places i can jump to on pillars, but I can't figure out what to do next. there's nowhere else on the main area to jump to.

*********** SPOILER
ALERT *************


the floor crumbles away, you jump to the pillar on your left, then the pillar on your right, then the pillar in front of you and then jump again towards the platform that leads to the door on the other end of the hole.

 

[VIAN]

Originally posted by: VIAN
*********** SPOILER
ALERT *************


So I'm trying to beat the last boss, but I can't. I tried hitting him till he gets down and then slicing him with the sword and nothing happens. Then, since I was stuck, I went to look at a FAQ and it told me to do what I've been doing. I'm pissed. Is there anyway I could possibly be doing it wrong?

*********** SPOILER
ALERT *************


You just press the Fvcking 'E' key. Wow! What a stupid move the developers did. " Yes, let's confuse the player by showing a target and the caution icon that's been used to signify things explode all throughout the game." That is pretty stupid.

 

[VIAN]

my full review is up.