Will there be a hard copy to buy? I like having a hard copy because my gaming computer is not used online and there is always the possibility of problems from the downloading site as L4L said.

I found a DVD version at Amazon.com so it's probably available at retail brick and mortar stores as well.

In fact I saw an advertisement on TV the other day that indicated that it was available at Walmart.

Kaki's Sister, sometimes the disk versions still require an internet connection to register and/or play. Left 4 Dead was like that - I still needed to connect to Steam to play it.

Just like oldman pointed out, hard copies are still being made. But you have to be sure to check for either "internet connection required" or "Steam"

Thanks oldman, Draclvr and Smiley. If I can get a hard copy but have to activate online then I guess I'll eventually use my gaming computer online just for TR.

Definitely agree with you there.

Biggest Con: there is a multi-player mode. Period. This is Tomb Raider, I don't want ANY multi-player content, it is entirely irrelevant to me and Lara!


That Tomb is available if you're playing the PC game, it's a free download from Steam.


A good deal of my games these days are Steam games; it's no longer an issue for me, and it's not as if they're requiring an "always on" connection, it's only idiots like Blizzard and EA that think that's a good idea in a single-player game.


I disagree, the ending worked well for me. Loads of open-ended possibilities, which is what you expect from an 'origins' story.
You can get enough salvage to upgrade all weapons. I nearly did it today, but I was about 100 points short at the final 'fast travel' camp, so I missed out on 100% completion by just one weapon upgrade. (I was playing 'Hard' combat level too :), it's not much harder than 'Normal' though, the bad guys are a bit tougher, and can aim slightly more accurately, that's about all I could tell)


I've stopped worrying about Steam being online, but then my study is stuffed to the gunnels with hard-copies, whereas Steam copies only take up space on my HDD when I want them to, and I can still play games I bought on Steam in 2009 without having to root around in dusty piles of DVDs, or worry about a disc being missing, or leant to a friend....
My only long term concern with Steam is if they go out of business, or I can no longer get to my games.

Thanks Gremlin, I have discovered that I very seldom replay a game, so have stopped worrying about the hard copy issue as well.

I love replaying the TR games! I get better at the challenges every time!

Gerry, I just read that this Tomb Raider was the best selling in the franchise's history.

Actually it's 2.50€ for that Tomb on Steam

I wonder if it is different for the US?

No idea, but here's what I found out after doing some search.

IGN



Pre-Order Offers

Looks like a day one DLC

Thanks Smiley

L4L maybe all that TV advertising helped increase sales!

Off topic: Well, Square Enix reported a slightly less revenue from sales. So the President is stepping down.

Link

On topic: There are rumors about a new Tomb Raider game being planned.

Here

And anyone who is expecting more single player DLC content. There won't be any for the time being (being focused on the multi player).

Yes, I saw those and thought it was a good example of how statistics/numbers can be interpreted.

I prefer single player too. That's what adventure/action gaming is all about for me!

Yes, I was very disappointed to learn that. The first three TR games all came with Gold versions with extra content about six months after release, in a sort-of pre-DLC-era DLC. I wish Crystal Dynamics would do that too, though given the way the story of TR 2013 ended, that's a bit trickier to imagine.

The other way they could add Single Player DLC for TR 2013 would be to insert more and more elaborate tombs into the existing game, giving another reason to replay the existing story.

But I'm not holding my breath.

Gremlin I still have and play the Gold versions of TR along with the originals!

They were quick to roll out a whole selection of "micro-transactions," however, to milk every last cent out of the game. In much the same fashion as Dead Space 3 (where one could purchase resources with real-world money rather than scavenge for them in-game - way to kill the horror, guys!), impatient players may simply buy skills and weapons as $0.99 downloads. Like all this tacked-on co-op and multiplayer business, it's a becoming a disturbing trend in modern gaming. Easily enough ignored for now, but give 'em an inch...

(Of course, in the very same post, I must reluctantly confess to shelling out a buck for the Aviatrix skin, because, well...badass bomber jacket Lara. Who could resist that? I regret nothing. :P)

On the topic of profits, it's frankly a bit mind-boggling that three million sales in as about as many weeks was deemed "ineffective" by Square - especially considering that this doesn't include digital copies, which is looking more and more like the future of distribution. Not to mention the aforementioned record-breaking first week sales.

But all this is secondary to the game itself, which is easily my favorite Tomb Raider (then again, I've only played a few). My first playthrough's save is currently stuck at 99% (I'm literally one pesky mine away from a perfect completion score at this point), and I'm usually not the type to seek out every collectible and side quest in a game. Most of my gameplay quibbles are minor ones, and already covered in this thread (QTEs are the bane of gaming, and, really, the game should probably be called Room Raider, with the actual tombs brief as they are rare).

Micro-transactions do seem to be the wave of the future.

99% WOW Fee88! Impressive!

And yet. That one, pesky, mine...

By now, I'd settle for an accidental detonation. (Sorry, Lara.)

Re. the last mine:
... I got to 100% in the end, on Hard mode too. (not that Hard is much Harder that Normal anyway)

Hmm. If that's the one I immediately thought of...

...then I've already got it! Thanks, though. I almost didn't click; it'd be a shame to get this far only to have to resort to a walkthrough for the last one friggin' percent. I'm sure I've walked/waded by it many times, too, wherever it is. It's funny, that I ended up having less trouble with, say, the dreamcatchers and sun emblems, and they were much smaller. I'll find it eventually; truth be told, it's sorta on the back burner while I replay the story, anyway.


Now that earns a "WOW!" and then some.