2006-04-06 12:06:02 Tomb Raider Legend

Alright, the demo on the marketplace made me all giddy and happy, but the framerate issues are quite pronounced. I haven't tried it in normal SD resolution, and from what I've gathered, people who play it in that seem to experience no chugginess.

However, I'd really like to know first and foremost from people that have the final game and play it in HD; how is the framerate?

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An Elegant Tapestry of Aphorisms - The musings of a brilliant self proclaimed gaming philosopher.
http://aetoa.blogspot.com

2006-04-06 12:21:39

Yes, as you can see, I got that right.

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An Elegant Tapestry of Aphorisms - The musings of a brilliant self proclaimed gaming philosopher.
http://aetoa.blogspot.com

2006-04-06 14:04:09

I played the demo, on a SDTV (@60Hz), no framerate-issues there..

The game looks very nice.. Looks the same on my PC as far as I can tell (so dunno what these next-gen features are that are disabled in the PC demo), only the water is different on the Xbox 360 (nicer I'd say).. Overall very nice looking game, with the classic very good Tomb Raider gameplay..

A few things bothered me though..

1. The gunfights are a complete joke with the auto-aim
2. The way car- and enemymodels look and move is not next-gen at all
3. The way dead enemies dissapear is not next-gen at all

To bad the Xbox 360 version is obviously just a PS2/Xbox port with nicer graphics.. Tomb Raider fans will love it, and imho the consoleversion plays much better then the PC version (because the game is very obviously desinged for consoles)..

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www.cyberwarriors.nl

2006-04-06 14:13:36

I think the gunfights are just the right amount of insignificant. I hated the fact that you had to fight people in Prince of Persia (so I hated WW even more where it was obviously emphasised more) and I like that they keep them hassle-free here. It's nice that you can vault off enemies for slow motion gunning, too.

I must say I really enjoy the game, but if the framerate issues are present in the final game in HD, then they really get in the way of fun-having and grave-robbing. I played the demo in SD, and sure enough the framerate issues are gone, but the game doesn't look as breathtaking as the HD stuff at all. In fact, I'd say this is one of the most dramatic increases in visual quality between SD and HD I've seen in a 360 game so far.

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An Elegant Tapestry of Aphorisms - The musings of a brilliant self proclaimed gaming philosopher.
http://aetoa.blogspot.com

2006-04-06 14:25:25

I dunno, I played the PC demo in 1280x1024, and the Xbox 360 demo in 864x480 (widescreen 480i), and I think they both look pretty simular.. More jaggies obviously on the TV, but that's just because of the lower resolution..

You're probably right about the gunfights, the game is not about that.. But the way some models looks and move, and how dead bodies dissapear is not what you expect from a "next-gen" game, I think others will agree..

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www.cyberwarriors.nl

2006-04-06 16:58:46

What is the problem behind the 360 outputing in HD and SD, I was under the impression that the 360 renders in 720p and then scales it to the output settings.

I have heard a lot of people comment on slow down in HD which is a bit worrying.

Not having a HDTV i wouldn't know..

Hopefully they will tweak it before it's released for sale.

The gun fights are great the way they are, TR is more about exlporation and falling into pits of spikes or drowning under water than fighting..

2006-04-06 21:51:45

There's a BIT of slowdown in HD, but it's not terrible by any means..a little dissapointing (I wanted smooth as silk 60fps, or atleast smooth as something slightly less smooth 30fps) but not game breaking by any means..

I do think the gun fights are sort of weak--but this isn't Max Payne..so it's also acceptable. I know it's primarly about traps and platforming (being what TR essentially is, POP in 3D--with guns) but that doesn't mean the gun fights have to feel so tacked on and well..meaningless..in the demo you can easily go guns a blazing with your dual pistols into the middle of an area surrounded by guys with assault rifles and you'll always come out on top..they could use a little work in that area I think.

Looking forward to playing this one soon..nice game..the "next gen mode" lighting enhancements are especially nice.

2006-04-06 22:09:25

Grift.. Are you talking about the demo when you say there's a bit of slowdown in HD? Because I, uh.. I know about the slowdown in the demo. :D

Essentially what I'm wondering is if it's done away with in the final game. The IGN review suggests it is, as they mention slowdown as part of the "cranking up the resolution to 1080i", but they don't talk about any issues with smoothness apart from that.

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An Elegant Tapestry of Aphorisms - The musings of a brilliant self proclaimed gaming philosopher.
http://aetoa.blogspot.com

2006-04-06 22:40:52 In reply to SimonM7 (2006-04-06 22:09:25)

2006-04-06 22:45:50

Oh no need to apologize, mate, just checking so that I don't end up with the wrong info. :)

Dammit, it's not out until the 11th in the states apparently, and I dunno what's up with european press, they don't seem half bothered to check it out. Either that or they haven't recieved review copies.

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An Elegant Tapestry of Aphorisms - The musings of a brilliant self proclaimed gaming philosopher.
http://aetoa.blogspot.com