Tomb Raider – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com The best place on earth for nerds. Sat, 05 Dec 2020 22:10:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://nerdsonearth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/cropped-nerds_head_thumb2-100x100.png Tomb Raider – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com 32 32 All the podcasts from NerdsonEarth.com, under one umbrella. We create short run podcasts for nerds, covering D&D, Marvel, Starfinder, and more! You vote for your favorite shows and they just might get a second season. Tomb Raider – Nerds on Earth false episodic Tomb Raider – Nerds on Earth jason.sansbury@nerdsonearth.com podcast All the podcasts from NerdsonEarth.com, the best place on Earth for nerds. Tomb Raider – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/noe-podcast-logo.png https://nerdsonearth.com/blog/ Looking Back at the Magnificent Tomb Raider Soundtrack https://nerdsonearth.com/2017/09/tomb-raider-soundtrack/ Sun, 24 Sep 2017 12:08:39 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=14748

Nerds on Earth looks back at the magnificent Tomb Raider soundtrack.

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Everything about this cover is deliciously, horribly 90s.

I’ve played videogames since getting a Game Boy for Christmas in 1990. I grew up playing Tetris and Super Mario Land on my treasured gray brick, trying to beat Shinobi III on my neighbor’s Genesis, and pouring all the quarters my dad would give me into the local arcade’s Golden Axe cabinet.

But my first true videogame love came in 1997, when my family went to California to visit my older brother.

My brother was (and is) the coolest. At the time, he was living near San Diego with his wife and baby daughter. He’s a big nerd like me, and while we were visiting he let me play his PlayStation to my heart’s content.

The main game I remember playing was the original Tomb Raider, and it blew my ten-year-old mind (he had Darkstalkers too, but it was too hard to enjoy). Tomb Raider was the first game I had ever played that didn’t feel like a videogame. It wasn’t 2D (or even pseudo-3D like Donkey Kong Country); it wasn’t garishly bright and colorful like Super Mario World; the game moved, looked, and sounded like nothing I had ever played before.

I fell in love instantly, and have remained so ever since.

This is not a Tomb Raider apologia. The game suffers all the problems common to mid-1990s releases (bad controls and poorly-aging graphics being the main offenders). I don’t want to write about the game itself; I want to talk about Nathan McCree’s excellent soundtrack. Tomb Raider’s greatest strength was the game’s ability to create a distinct mood and feeling, something top-shelf games still struggle to create today. That is primarily due to its stellar sound design and soundtrack.

Tomb Raider sounds unusual right from the start menu. The main theme begins with a lonely, elegant oboe solo that leads into swelling strings and an enchanting, dancing melody played on plucked harp. This is music that creates an atmosphere of mystery and enchantment, and its understated beauty leaves you wanting more.

The game is full of motifs and cues that are generally short, and it makes you earn these musical treats. They’re triggered at specific times by various in-game events like discovering a secret, a sudden animal attack, or a dramatic vista.

Otherwise, Tomb Raider is a quiet game—you hear Lara’s footsteps and breathing as she trots through snowy caves, the stifling silence of deadly, long-untouched tombs, perhaps the far-off rumble of a huge waterfall or the quiet flutter of bats’ wings, and not much more. When you finally hear the next piece of music, it feels like a much-deserved reward.

Each piece is haunting, gorgeous, and heightens the excitement and wonder of exploring Vilcabamba, St. Francis’ Folly, the Tomb of Tihocan, or any of the other mystery-filled locales of Tomb Raider (if you’re wondering, I did not need to look up these names—I’m just that much of a TR nerd).

The sudden appearance of a Tyrannosaurus Rex out of the gloom was one of the best moments in an excellent game. The soundtrack elevates it into a seminal moment in gaming history.

Take, for example, the piece “Longing For Home.” To me, this piece goes a long way toward fleshing out a character that might otherwise be described as “Indiana Jones-but-a-hot-girl.”

The piece feels like a cross between the icy, cool toughness of the James Bond theme and the sensuous, tender “Marion’s Theme” from John Williams’ Raiders of the Lost Ark score. Solving the lethal puzzles and traps of Palace Midas or the City of Khamoon gives you the same feeling a sense of accomplishment, the feeling you can handle anything the game throws at you, that “Longing For Home” creates.

The whole soundtrack is full of masterful moments like this, from “Where the Depths Unfold” to “A Long Way Down” or “A Friend Since Gone.” To make this incredible soundtrack even more amazing, all of it was recorded using synthesizers. All of it—that sinuous oboe, the poignant male choir, those lush strings—was done with a keyboard.

Tomb Raider’s soundtrack has continued to receive love since its release over 20 years ago. A Kickstarter campaign dedicated to “The original Tomb Raider music by Nathan McCree, extended and re-recorded with a live orchestra at Abbey Road Studios, London” started in 2016. It’s been hugely successful, and the Tomb Raider Suite is schedule to release in November 2017.

The Tomb Raider soundtrack deserves all of the praise and attention it receives. I’ll even leave you with a bonus track—“Venice” from Tomb Raider 2 (also composed by the incredible McCree). Now, go dig up this incredible game, immerse yourself in its classic soundtrack, and thank me later.

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The Top 7 Female Video Game Characters https://nerdsonearth.com/2016/04/top-female-video-game-characters/ Mon, 25 Apr 2016 12:29:50 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=6694

Nerds on Earth lists the top 7 female video game characters of all time.

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When I was little, I played video games like “Mario” and “The Legend of Zelda”, which are amazing games. Don’t get me wrong. This post isn’t about bashing the classics. I would drop everything to play “Mario” again but alas, my brother has the NES in north Georgia.

So, I’m stuck with my PS3 and PS4 (what a hard life I lead).

And as I was playing Mass Effect 3 for the hundredth time, my friend asked who my favorite female video game character was.

And this list was born.

The Top 7 Female Video Game Characters

1. Commander Jane Shepard (Mass Effect Trilogy)

Female Video Game CharactersShe’s voiced by the amazing Jennifer Hale. And honestly, that would be enough for me. But Bioware went even further. Commander Jane Shepard (who can also be male if you so choose) is an elite soldier who saves the galaxy not once, not twice, but three times. All while gaining the loyalty of other humans and different aliens.

Mass Effect is a RPG trilogy that took the gaming world by storm. And when asked why they love it so much, fans will say “Shepard”.

But why Jane Shepard for me? Why is she the first one I list? Because you have so many video games with a male protagonist saving the world and being sexy at the same time. Not taking any crap from anyone. Now, while you have other great female characters (duh, this list is here for a reason) they usually have some sort of stereotypical aspect; a girly scream, a giggle, a moment of fear, etc.

Shepard doesn’t. Shepard gets down to business. She doesn’t take crap and she hits hard. However, she does have a favorite store on the Citadel.

2. Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)

Female Video Game CharactersOne of the first female protagonists. She premiered in khaki booty shorts and a blue tank top with pistols on both thighs. Her boobs were pointy and her lips big.

She has now evolved into a grad student with cargo pants, a couple of tank tops, and scars. She kicks, punches, bites, shoots, and raids some tombs.

The Tomb Raider games started off strong but slowly dwindled in popularity and, let’s be honest, storyline. Lara Croft became a joke.

Until 2013 that is. She came back with a vengeance. The new game featured amazing graphics, great story, and a Lara that made the player empathize with her. She got hurt but kept on going, to save herself but more importantly, her friends. In fact, if it wasn’t for her dying screams echoing in my ears, I would have her next to Shepard.

3. Marian Hawke (Dragon Age 2)

Female Video Game CharactersAnother Bioware character who can also be male. “Dragon Age 2” is said to be the weakest of the trilogy of Dragon Age games. It has repeating dungeon layouts and is more on rails than the other games. That being said, DA2 is my favorite. And why is that? Because of Hawke.

Escaping the village of Lothering with her mother, brother, and sister, Hawke is suddenly put into the position of protecting her family from not only darkspawn (evil ugly creatures from Hell, basically) but Templars, mercenaries, assassins, and more. Her life isn’t easy.

But along the way, she keeps on smiling and helping people. She makes friends, gains their loyalty, and tries to save her city. Whether she succeeds or not is still up for debate.

4. Evie Frye (Assassin’s Creed Syndicate)

Evie FryeShe’s an assassin. And honestly, that should be enough. Ubisoft made a stupid comment a while ago about women being harder to design than men in video games. They have rectified that mistake. Evie is awesome. She has hidden knives and a sword in a cane. I mean, honestly, what could be better?

The fact that she’s slightly smarter than her brother? Or the fact that she is sassy? How about all of that. Every time I jumped her from rooftop to rooftop, I would grin. She was an assassin and a girl! It had finally happened!

5. Samus Aran (Metriod)

Female Video Game Characters
“Samus Aran: Battlescars” by transfuse on DeviantArt.com

Really? You thought I wouldn’t mention Samus in a list of female video game characters?! How dare you! Jennifer Hale voiced her at one point! But no, I kid but Samus is pretty amazing. Her first game came out in 1986 and people thought it was a guy underneath that helmet. But oh how wrong they were! Japan pulled the rug out from under players and, surprisingly, people weren’t that upset.

Samus rocks! She has a canon arm on her suit, for goodness sake! She’s a bounty hunter! An ex-soldier! I mean, do I really need to say more?

6. Ellie (The Last of Us)

Female Video Game CharactersShe’s a kid, I know. But, boy, is she strong! All she knows is the zombie apocalypse. She has no parents, her friends are dead, and she’s immune. And then she meets Joel.

They team up and are a team to beat all teams. He’s old enough to be her father and by the end of the game, you see them as just that; a father and daughter duo travelling through the apocalypse together. And Ellie can hold her own. She can shoot, run, punch, and sneak with the best of them. She even hunts food at one point. She’s who kids should want to be.

7. Sophitia Alexandra (Soul Edge)

Female Video Game Characters
“Sophitia Alexandra” by LordHayabusa357 on DeviantArt.com

Yes, I’m ending with a Greek sex-bomb, no shame. But she was always my first pick whenever I played the Soul Series games. She fought with a sword and shield, prayed to her gods, and kicked ass, all while having massive cleavage.

But it was her backstory that drew me in.  She was ordered by Hephaestus (yes, the god) to destroy the evil sword Soul Edge. Guys, she talked to a god. And fought in his name all while being just a baker’s daughter. Sound familiar?

She did end up destroying it and came back each game to fight evil again. She was joined by her younger sister in later games and even got married and had kids. But she would continue to fight for good. And that is why she is so awesome!!


So, there you have it. My list of favorite female video game characters. Don’t agree or have another one to name? Let us know in the comments below!!

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Weekly Nerd Chat: What Video Games Are You Geeking Out On? https://nerdsonearth.com/2016/01/weekly-nerd-chat-what-video-games-are-you-geeking-out-on/ Wed, 20 Jan 2016 13:48:18 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=4924

Us nerds like nothing more than to banter back and forth on nerdy topics in Slack. Here is one of those chats, very lightly edited. Adkins (Co-founder of Nerds on Earth and master of X-Men Legends): This week during our  Slack Chat, Morgan, Jennifer, and I are going to discuss the video games that are currently occupying our […]

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Us nerds like nothing more than to banter back and forth on nerdy topics in Slack. Here is one of those chats, very lightly edited.

[divider] What video games have you been playing? [/divider]

Adkins (Co-founder of Nerds on Earth and master of X-Men Legends): This week during our  Slack Chat, Morgan, Jennifer, and I are going to discuss the video games that are currently occupying our every free minute. Not that we have many free minutes, mind you, so we have to be as choosy about the video games that occupy those fleeting minutes as some moms are reportedly choosy about peanut butters. Morgan, Jennifer: What discs are currently spinning in your consoles?

Jennifer (Still celebrating N7 day): I currently have Assassin’s Creed Syndicate in my PS4. This is the first one I’ve played since Black Flag. And I am loving it.

Adkins: Okay, so two follow up questions from someone who hasn’t touched the Assassin’s Creed franchise since Brotherhood:

1) What do you love most about the franchise?

2) What is unique to Syndicate that has you playing it at every opportunity?

Jennifer:
1) Meeting the historical figures is awesome! I just met Florence Nightingale. And I geeked out a ACSyndicatelittle. And Dickens. He made me grin.

2) This is the first one where you can play as a woman. Evie (the woman assassin) is awesome. Her stealth kills make it look like a dance. She’s like the Lara Croft of 19th century London.

Adkins: I like those descriptions! Took the franchise long enough to include a femme fatale, yeah?

Is that what drew you back to Assassin’s Creed following the lapse after Black Flag?

Jennifer: It’s exactly what drew me back. A friend of mine told me how awesome she was and I was like, “Well, I guess I gotta go buy it now.” Ubisoft suddenly realized that designing a woman assassin wasn’t ​*that*​ difficult.

Adkins: Only took them eight games.

Morgan, what are you playing at the moment?

Morgan (Understands time is never wasted in Fallout 4): I just finished one of my longest play-throughs of a game, Fallout 4. I’m pretty obsessed.

Adkins: FINISHED?!

Morgan: Finally! You want to know how many hours I put into it? 5 days plus a few more hours. So just think of how many hours are in 5 days.

Jennifer: But she’s not obsessed. At all.

Adkins: I read an article recently in which one of the developers had put in 400+ hours and was still finding things to do in the wastelands. You’ve got some hours yet to go, ma’am!

Jennifer: No! Don’t tell her that. We will never see her!!

Adkins: I’m an enabler.

Morgan: Exactly. I could have kept going but the bad thing about Bethesda are the lovely bugs and glitches. And some bugs messed with my play through.

Adkins: How so? I’m assuming they were more than cosmetic…?

Morgan: Spoilers!fallout-4-power-armor-2

With Fallout 4 you have 4 factions you can join, you ultimatey have to join one, be an ally of another,
and become enemies with the other two. I was on a mission to romance a certain character, which meant to join a faction I detest. Welp game bugged and locked me out of the romance, so I had to reload back to the moment where I decided to pick the awful faction and went with a better one. So many hours wasted!

Adkins: That’s the worst! That means you ​literally​ wasted hours of your life.

Jennifer: Oh my! I would have cried.

Morgan: Well, good thing is your PS account keeps track of your trophies you earn, so I ended up gaining more trophies than I would have if the game actually went right. Like certain main quests for the “wasted hours” still counted. I try to look at the positives!

Jennifer: Too bad those trophies aren’t real and make you money…

Morgan:
…too bad I’m not playing video games for money. I would have been making bank off my Fallout 4 play-through.

Adkins: Okay, so nerd confession time from me…

Brace yourselves.

Jennifer: Braced…

Morgan: I’m excited

Adkins: I own Fallout 4 and escaped the vault…and its been collecting dust in its box ever since.

Morgan: Don’t worry. Jennifer has done the same thing.

Adkins: Its not that I don’t love Fallout – because I do. But I made the rookie mistake of buying two huge RPGs on the same day and the other one intrigued me more. Its called ​Divinity: Original Sin.

Morgan: I have done the same thing. I did that with Borderlands 2 actually.

Also, what consoles can you play Divinity on? I’ve heard of this game from a friend but don’t know too much about it.

Adkins: It plays a lot like ​Diablo until you enter combat, then it flips to a turn based combat fueled
by action points for both movement and attack. The strategy level even early on is incredible. Sucked me right in and I haven’t been able to return to ​Fallout since.

Jennifer: That sounds awesome!129

Adkins: I’ve got it on the One. It is fantastic and super challenging. Even the ​dialogue​ is tricksy.

Morgan: I’ll have to check and see if it’s available for Ps4. That sounds right up my alley.

Jennifer: I love RPGs! I may need this.

No….I do need this.

Adkins: Now I ​do flip over to ​Shadow of Mordor​ occasionally. It can be played in 20-30 minute bursts; unlike ​Divinity. It plays like the beautiful offspring of the ​Assassin’s Creed games and the Batman ​Arkham​ games. So much fun!

Jennifer: I tried Shadows. I couldn’t get into it for some reason. Beautiful game though.

Morgan: I have wanted to play Shadows of Mordor, but I was going to wait for a price drop.

Adkins: I love the Sauron’s Army mechanic. You kill an officer and another takes his place. That, and you can avenge the deaths of people on your friends list who are also playing the game. I’ve avenged Jason many, many times.

Jennifer: That is a very cool mechanic. I just couldn’t connect with the character.

And I need that for my games.

Adkins: I hear you, Jennifer. But all I need most days is to feel unstoppable, and I get that from ​Mordor.

Okay, so what game(s) are you looking forward to most in 2016 and why?

Jennifer: Rise of the Tomb Raider for PS4. I NEED that like…yesterday.

Morgan: I’m surprised you didn’t say Mass Effect Andromeda.

Jennifer: Lara Croft is an amazing character. I need more of her story. I need to see her struggling with PTSD and her newfound drive.

Oh girl, I’m not naming that because I’m nervous excited.

No Shepard? No Jennifer Hale? I feel sad.

Morgan: It looks pretty cool though either way. And you know good and well they are going to make a Jennifer Hale cameo.

I’m excited for Horizon: Zero Dawn

Jennifer: Of course they are, they put her in as Shepard in the trailer. But as Shepard…signing off. Tears….

Adkins: Is Andromeda your submission, Morgan?

Morgan: Horizon: Zero Dawn is mine. I have yet to play the Mass Effect series.

Jennifer: You know what? Let’s put me down for Andromeda and TR. I can have two right?!?

Adkins: Absolutely!

Jennifer: It may not have Jennifer Hale but I’m sure Bioware will still have an awesome character for me.

Adkins: I’m looking forward to ​Battleborn. Since ​Destiny’s​ newest DLC basically ruined the game for me and my gaming buddies, we’ve been playing old, remastered Halo​ games on the One. Which is fine and all, but we beat some of them ten years ago I’m pretty sure! ​Battleborn​ may be the game we’ve been waiting for.

Plus we loved ​Borderlands…like A LOT…and ​Battleborn​ is by the same folks. Can’t wait.

Jennifer: The game industry has really stepped up its…game. Haha. Get it?!?

Adkins: And on THAT note…!

Jennifer: I’m so clever. Don’t hate.

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7 Best Video Games of 2015 https://nerdsonearth.com/2015/12/7-best-video-games-of-2015/ Sat, 19 Dec 2015 23:19:26 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=4530

With 2015 wrapping up soon, it is always nice to look back to see what this year blessed us with. There’s always great video games being pumped out every year, but 2015 was on a roll. Here is my list of the 7 best video games of 2015 in order from earliest to most recent. The […]

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With 2015 wrapping up soon, it is always nice to look back to see what this year blessed us with. There’s always great video games being pumped out every year, but 2015 was on a roll. Here is my list of the 7 best video games of 2015 in order from earliest to most recent.

The 7 Best Video Games of 2015

lifeisstrange

1.Life is Strange

Life is strange came out early 2015 and sent out episodes throughout the year. The last episode came out October and left the world in tears.

The third-person game is centered around you playing as Max Caufield, a high school student struggling to break out of her shell and fit in. Max has to make many decisions that can change the fate of many future situations.

The first episode has hilarious dialogue and a fluffy high school angst, but as the game progresses, it develops into something more dark and serious. The writing is so well done, and the soundtrack features great artists. Highly recommend you play this game if you haven’t!

You can get it here.

 

2. Ori and the Blind Forest

Ori and the Blind Forest is a game only available on PC and Xbox One. However, if you don’t own a PC or Xbox, you need to at least watch a Let’s Play video of this gorgeous game. Not only is this game visually breath taking, the music is probably one of the best video game scores of 2015.

The story is magical as well as heartbreaking. But in games, with heartbreak, always comes hope and strength. The video game shows the main character, Ori, go through many trials on  his quest to restore the magical forest through puzzles, strategies, and battles.

 

witcher

3.The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher is a great action role playing game series. May of 2015, Witcher 3 came out with beautiful graphics, amazing characters, and a huge open world to explore. The cool part is how this game tackled and improved the gameplay.

You start out with a male lead protagonist, Geralt, in search of his lost lover, but as the story progresses, you can also play other characters in the game. With every role playing game comes a great story, and man does this game have an amazingly well thought out story.

Check it out here.

 

4. Undertale

This RP video game is only available for anyone who has a PC or a Mac. It has the old school graphics, but with new school story and humor. Undertale is also on the list of best video game scores of 2015.

In the game you’re controlling a human child and guiding them under ground where you come across several “monsters” that were characters banished from the surface. In your journey you get to decide whether you help or kill these monsters. This game is such a great tribute to all old school video games, and is refreshing with a modern twist.

 

5. Until Dawn

If you love games that make you jump at any given moment and almost soil yourself, this is right up your alley. Unfortunately if you don’t own a PS4, you can’t play the game. Please watch a Lets Play video, my favorite is youtuber Markiplier’s run through.

The game is your typical horror story with 8 college age kids going up to some cabin in the woods on a snowy night, but only 6 remain (cue spooky music)! Except the plot is way more than just that and it’ll leave you on your toes from beginning to end.

The decision making in this game focuses on the butterfly effect where pretty much whatever you do can come back and reward you or bite you in the butt. The best part of the game is that you get to play as every character in the game. The ultimate goal is to end the game with everyone living. So play, if you dare!

Grab it here.

 

fallout 4

6. Fallout 4

The Fallout series shows world destruction and dysfunction in an intriguing way. Fallout 4 starts you off in the future of 2077, but with this 1940s vintage vibe. A Third World War nuclear attack on Boston starts off the whole story.

In the game you play as a lone survivor beating all odds on an ultimate quest to get back what was taken from you. As you run through the wasteland listening to old tunes featuring Ella Fitzgerald, you pick up supplies, companions, hardcore weapons, armors, and so many side quests. The open world game  has a wonderful story as well amazing characters that make the game worth playing. Now get your Uranium fever cured by playing more Fallout 4!

It’s available here.

 

7. Rise of Tomb Raider

We were introduced to the new and very much improved Lara Croft in Tomb Raider 2013. Rise of the Tomb Raider shows Lara Croft now truly accepting her roll as a kick butt lady who might actually like raiding tombs. The combat style and world setting is even more detailed and impressive.

Where Tomb Raider showed you on a coastal island, Rise of the Tomb Raider shows scenery ranging from snowy mountains to ancient sunny ruins. Microsoft might have gotten the advantage to sell the game first, but Ps4 users eagerly wait for the beginning of 2016 when Rise of Tomb Raider will be graced upon the majority.

Here it is.

 

2015 definitely brought it’s A game. I can’t wait to see all the great games 2016 has in store for us. Comment and/or share about your best video games of 2015, because I would love to see them!

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