Ecco la traduzione (lunga) in inglese dell'articolo polacco
Se qualcuno poi vuole fare un riassunto con le novità..in Italiano... ben venga XD
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TOMB RAIDER UNDERWORLDI was promising myself a lot about this travel. Ony 22 journalists from the whole world were invited for a presentation in Merida (North-East Mexico), including the only official from Poland - CDA exponent. This exclusive show was suppoused to unveil for a first time the game, that was about to change Lara Croft's countenance. Was it accomplished?
-PAGE 2-The game, as for now, is known under the not-really original title: Tomb Raider 8. Unofficial rumors say that the final version will eventually be released under the Tomb Raider: Underworld name. Though the developers didn't confirmed this, the news about this title being trademarked by Eidos have spread through the Internet. Besides, it's a quite good one and well-describing the content of the game title.
NEXT-GEN FOR THE FIRST TIMEI was really wounded up about the new Lara, because more than a year ago, I spoke with Ian Livingstone, even before Tomb Raider Anniversary release. On a question why does Anniversary looks so similar to it's predecessor, he answered that Anniversary is only a tribute to Lara, not a next-gen game. But a one like that - indeed - is in production. Though he didn't want to tell anything more than it's being developed by Crystal Dynamics and it's working title is Tomb Raider 8. Since then I was waiting for any additional info, and it finally happened. I left covered-by-snow Poland, went through the half of the Earth and...
The intimate presentation took place in a small hotel room. Eric Lindstorm, Crystal Dynamics creative-director was talking about TR8 (or is it TRU?), while Rob Pavey, main programmen, was playing one of the levels live. It's localisation wasn't any suprise. Devs showed us the fourth level, placed in Mexican state of Chiapas, among the ruins left by the Mayan civilisation. I won't hide, that I waited for the moment of game's turn on with a great impatience, wondering how next-gen, modern and based on a completly new engine Lara would look like...
UNEXPECTED TURN OF EVENTSThe schock was significant, but unfortunatley not because of enormous amount of changes and new things. On the contrary, the first scene, with Lara standing in the forest, looked almost exactly like what what we seen in Legend two years ago. I must say, unfortunatley, that we can throw into the bin all the promises about a completly new engine being used and developed. Even an amateur would guess that it's a modified TRL and TRA engine only. Of course it's not a dis by advantage at all - those games still look great. Nonetheless I had to share my frustration with you, caused too excessive expectations.
After I'm done with complaining, I can progress to the next chapter of the story. The goal of the (nearly the whole) level, wich I was able to see, was to eneter the world of Mayan civilization. To do so, in a classic way, our brave miss archeologist had to climb onto tens of ledges, walk on walls, jump on piles (more about her moving abilities later), and of course solve an ancient puzzle, one of those on wich EGM (one of CDA rewievers) always grabs his hair and ask: "of what these Mayans made those springs, that even after thousands years later they're still working?!". Well, there's sth in what he says, but no one should demand too much of realism in Tomb Raider...
The game's presentation was focused on three main aspects, wich will be expanded in the final game. If made in points, it would sth like this: Lara versus the world, Lara affects the world, Lara's doing everything you expect her to do. But I'm warning you pervs, the last point may not be what you're thinking about. Or at leats I don't know of any keybord combination that causes Lara to do a streptese ;-)
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LARA VERSUS THE WORLDAs in all Tomb Raider games, your biggest enemy and at the same time yoru biggest friend is the world. There's won't be any difference in "the eight" in this aspect. Our heroine will still travel through differnt, in most cases very dangerous parts of our planet, where some ancient civilizations left some very precious tresures. There's lots of traps, trapdoors, thorns and wild fauna. Flora, on the other her will be less dangerous, but importunate for Lara nonetheless. I was really stunned when I saw that one animation - when Lara runs through the creepers, she doesn't risk her boobs being cut, but rather push aside with her hands. So small, but so exciting.
LARA AFFECTS THE WORLDWe have to say this clear: Lara needs to retire, or at least be put into a prison, for devestating everything that stands on her way. As a one-person archeological team, the lady doesn't give a ****. In places, where real archeologist would want to use the most modern and if possible the least destructive equipment, she runs into with no 'Sorry', usually leaving lots of debris behind. In Tomb Raider 8 her abilities of affecting the world sorrounding her only get increased, and that is not only in pre-scripted cut-scenes and moments. One of the new abilities is the one of picking up many kinds of staff/lances and sticking them into holes they're fit in (to avoid confusing: I'm talking about holes in walls). Of course it's all needed to bob on it for w moment and perform a jump somewhere.
LARA'S DOING EVERYTHING YOU EXPECT HER TO DOShe won't dance, she won't sing, there's also a very slim chance of her doing a... Forget it. But for sure, our heroine can do now as much as the whole circus team combined and doubled. So, if you expect form a game character to be more skilled than a monkey, jumping 1.5 meter up in the air and her hands never to be - I mean never - chewed, you couldn't find a better adress.
ENOUGH OF THE DIRTY TALK!Let's get to the point. With what the new Tomb Raider will suprise us when released in few months? Lets begin with sth the developers didn't want to tell anything about. We needed a vise to get anything from them - and the amount of juice that came out from them was as little as from a ripe banana. We only know, as it was before, that the game won't take place only in the jungle. As Eric Lindstorm said: "We want to suprise the gamers with many interesting locations. We're not showing them now though, because without knowing the context you would thought that Lara should never end up there. But I can assure you that the plot is cohesive and after getting to know it, everything will be clear. We must remember about gamers expectations and not fantasizing too much. Lara on the Moon wouldn't be really a good thing.
During our conversation, I get to know that the game will take place only in the present time. The're won't be any retrospections, 15 years old Lara etc. as it happened couple of times in the past.The last thing about the storyline is that it'll be linear. Don't expect any revolution here. As in the all games in the series, Tomb Raider 8 will have only one cohesive plot without a possibility to change anything.
BAD YUCKERSThere'll be two main obstacles on Lara's way: not used to think or not very manually skilled gamer, and the enemies. The franchise is backing to it's roots once again. The places Lara will visit, in most cases will be completly wild, not touched by the men for thousands of years. Thus, there's wont be many human enemies. In most of the time, we will encounter many different kind of animals, with wich Lara as usual won't have any mercy, making her guns fire-red (as usual with unlimited ammo). Well - there's no one to fight for animals rights in the jungle.
-PAGE 4-Of the creatures that appeard, I liked spiders the most. Little spiders came out in such a number in one momemnt, as if they smelled a chubby fly. Of course Lara got rid of them efficiently, even when they were litarally jumping to her eyes. Bigger problems were avoided mainly thanks to no need of using the guns, but rather the soles of shoes.
A bit disappointed may be those who liked the fights with the bosses in previous instaltments. Don't expect any epic encounter liek the Lara versus T-Rex one this time. The role of giant enemies in TR8 will be acceded by giant puzzles. The role of fight - by the brain-thinking.
ATTACK!As long as we're in a topic of combat, it'll be good to stay in it for a while, since there significant changes in this aspect. A big fun comes from using Lara's meele attacks. I don't know where she trained, but her kicks and socks are as effective as Krav Mag's, being far more eye-popping at the same time. Beggining from the simple kick/punch/sock, and finishing with a complex smother & throw combos, with the help of legs - self-defensive lessons with miss Croft are fascinating, though the students won't be able to test their knowledge in practise.
Meele combat may be useful on human enemies, but it will propablly a bit harder with the animals. It should be noted, that the AI is good balanced. Homo sapiens know what a granade is and that you have to run away from it. Wild cats don't know it of course, but they're more militant, fast and agile. As usual, you need quite a dose of bullets to get rid of them.
A real new thing, when it comes to battle, is Lara's new ability of uplifting objects. I only saw a scene in wich she took a big staff, and could as well fight with it as throw it into an enemy. What's interesting, keeping something in one hand doesn't mean that the other one is bored in the meantime - you can always take your beretta and use it in a long-distance fight.
WE'LL REACH THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAINSIt's already became a tradition, that with every new installment of miss Croft's adventures, she gets many new moves. Eben in the very first Tomb Raider, she was able to perform impossible, for a normal human acrobations (salto back combined with a meter jump in the air?! How?!), and with every new installment it gets even more incredible. The programmers don't stop in their efforts to vary rock-climbing even more. If you played any of the previous Tomb Raiders, you remember quite unrealistic/impossible column jumping. This time, Crystal Dynamics went even further. Not only you can easliy get to the top of pretty much every column, but even jump onto it's tip. But taht's nothing - Lara, standing nearly on only one leg, can shoot, without bothering about losing balance. It doesn't happens to her - just as tiredness from hanging or bobbing on some pole for too long.
-PAGE 5-During the presentaion, I also saw two other abilities that are new in the series. Rock-climbing lovers will be happy that will be able to do so now also. And not only in the way it used to be, when she moved by using cracks in rocks. Now, on a specially marked parts of wall she can move in any dierction.
The previous circus comparison about Lara's abilities wasn't really out of place, because lady archeologist can now... walk on the line. Do you too have a feeling that in Tomb Raider 10 she will juggle and do splits? When compared to all these new moves, such thing as added sprint doesn't look any spectacular. It's strange that Lara wasn't able to faster her run earlier - it's a very useful addition. All we know is suppoused to be a tip of the mountain. Developers promise that in this installment of the series, we'll be suprised numerous times.
GADGETSThough it's not officially confirmed, it seems that Lara Croft is a born out of wedlock child of Indiana Jones and James Bond. And that is something. To games ago, she got a specific cable wich she could attach to many objects, either to bob, or to pull in something. These functions are still there of course, but there're new ones. The one I could see "in action" really impressed me.
Physics engine in the game is finally quite complex, many objects interacts and affects themselves in a natural way. It wasn't always like that before. That one scene I liked look something like this. Lara was standing on a declivity, and there was a rock laying a few meters further, wich had to be cast off the declivity in order to open a passage. Schooting into was pointless, just as throwing objects. Our intelligent woman tacked a line/cable on the other side of the room, a few meters further than the rock. Then you just had to push the rock with the line in order to cast it. Simple isn't it?
As usual, Croft won't be counting only on her long and beautiful legs all-the time. In couple of places, vehicles will appear - though the devs didn't reveal what kinds of. The only one showed in Mexico was a motorbike. It's function wasn't only about interspersing the gameplay, rather about making it faster. Vehicles in TR8 will be very important in solving the puzzles. In the presented level, in order to get into the Mayan's world, Lara had to get down from a very high declivity really fast. Impossible with foots only, so the better solution was to jump on a bike, and get down the other road driving very fast.
ACTION OR ADVENTURE?The level we seen in Mexico was focused mainly on solving the puzzles, wich was also the thing the devs keep mentioning in every possibility, that the puzzles will play a key role in TR8 -
We try to remember about the gamers that preffered a style of gameplay as in Tomb Raider: Legend - Eric says -
But we didn't want to simplify the gamplay too much, of wich older fans were criticising us, so we choose to take a middle road. We can't reveal now how it's gonna look, but I can assure: there will be a special help/hint system in the game, for the players who expect mostly action from Tomb Raider and don't want to lose time solving the puzzles.A bit dissapointed may feel those, who wanted an expansion of Tomb Raider formula.
We don't plan to add any additional mini-games. - said Eric Lindstorm -
We thought, that they would only break the fun. People expect consistency from us, continuous adventure, any departure form the basic concept of gameplay would only break the continuity. Though we plan to implement a few elements like those during cut-scenes in two previouis installments. When we asked for something more about this, Crystal Dynamics creative-director said only -
As for now we can't reveal anything more, we're still in the early stage of development. But in the couple of months, in Feburary-March we will try to show much more. Well, allright, I'm waiting for another invitation...
NEW, THE SAME LARAAfter the first leftdown about the engine, I started to see all those little things that even at this early stage of development, already make this game looks much better. Main chracter's model was heavliy modified -
The whole model was created from scratch - says Rob Pavey, the main programmer -
We wanted her to look more athletic, without loosing anything from her womanliness. I think we made it. Well, not really hard to hide that our young archeologist didn't suddenly became a humongous gorgon, she'll still use a video games sex symbol.
What always caused the biggest controvertions, wich is bosom, stayed plus/minus the same as before. Wich means: it's still very big, but it's a tradition.
in game 
)...cavolo nello scan in cui è bagnata è bellissima!! O.o 
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