• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Tomb Raider Remastered just quietly censored one in-game detail after most recent patch

nkarafo

Member
Remember, you don't have any control over your libraries online. They can censor or remove stuff (like the GTA soundtracks) at any time.

Copy-paste your game files somewhere and use cracks if you want your games to retain their current status. Or disable updating if that's possible.
 

The Fartist

Gold Member
No No No GIF
 

Power Pro

Gold Member
They made it a crusade, the publishers, game journalists, etc. A crusade of censorship.

I don't give a shit about a texture removed in a game i don't even have. But i do care about censorship being pushed everywhere, big or small.
Right, and so many people like to say "who cares" but obviously the people doing this kind of censorship care, or think it's important, otherwise they wouldn't be doing it.

It's a stupid example with these posters, but this is still another slippery slope in censorship...right now it's "who cares about these posters" and then eventually it becomes "how did games become so bland" when artist aren't allowed to express themselves anymore, or maintain their original vision anymore.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Guys remember that Aspyr create this with love and care and included hires versions of those posters that CD has gone back in to remove.

Punishing Aspyr by saying don't buy it is stupid.

This is Crystal Dynamics, just like they slapped that warnings at the beginning of the game which if you noticed only mentions Crystal Dynamics and not Aspyr.
 

FeralEcho

Member
The gamers who buy this are the problem
These changes were retroactively patched in just recently... So the gamers aren't the problem as they bought a different product than the current version that is selling because the devs feel like imposing their shit views through censorship in a remaster of a 25+ year old game...

Being such soy losers must be awful for these devs so a sincere fuck you Crystal Dynamics!
 
Last edited:

mckmas8808

Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
Everyone has different thresholds. You call this "small updates" and others call this "censoring". Refusing to financially support unacceptable practices is a perfectly valid way of responding to this. It may not be your way, but it is for people who hold the opinion that this (censoring a remaster after release) is not okay.

Cool, but I'm speaking about statements like this.....

Gargle on my unwashed, unshaven sweaty nuts, Crystal Dynamics.


And statements like this.

The gamers who buy this are the problem
 
Last edited:

nkarafo

Member
Does it somehow make the game way worse?
Covering Lara with a burka wouldn't change the gameplay either, if that's what you mean.

I suppose you wouldn't have a problem with that either then? Or do you have a certain line drawn somewhere?

But you know this isn't about gameplay.


Why do I care?
It's fine if you don't care about censorship but stop patronizing others who care.
 
Last edited:

Madflavor

Member
The removal of the posters doesn't concern me nearly as much as the direction CD seems to be taking Lara. That to me is the stake in the heart of Tomb Raider. I love Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider IP, it was a big part of my childhood growing up in the 90s, but if "Truth Seeker ashamed of her words and deeds" is the direction CD is going with her, I genuinely hope the next game fails and the Tomb Raider IP dies.

I'd rather she die a quick death than a long drawn out one, as some sort of imposter barely resembling Lara.
 
Last edited:

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
Covering Lara with a burka wouldn't change the gameplay either, if that's what you mean.

I suppose you wouldn't have a problem with that either then? Or do you have a certain line drawn somewhere?

But you know this isn't about gameplay.

Exactly, it's not about gameplay. As far as drawing the line, this isn't the battle you want, it doesn't mean enough to matter.

It's fine if you don't care about censorship but stop patronizing others who care.

Censorship = Freedom = BS
It's not censorship, it's a creative product that they decided was better off without something, they aren't suppressing your right to speak. Lets get real here and then I won't be patronizing. Talk to me when they say Croft has to be an alien.
 

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots

Ok. Lets go with it's censorship for your sake then. It's such a minor censoring it should not be an alarm bell for you. There are so much bigger fish to fry.

So now it's taken away, it's everyone else's problem for having a problem with the fact?

As I asked, why was it taken away if it's not a problem, as you say, to begin with? 🤷‍♂️

Seems a tad hypocritical on both parts.

It's problem to a few people in the this thread, to 99.9999% of the real world, they won't even notice. So it's not really a problem then, is it?
 

Belthazar

Member
The game was recently re-rated as Teen/12+, instead of the Mature/18+ it got at release... So of course they would remove any form of nudity from the game.

Also, this is so inconsequential that I truly cannot understand why some people are getting so worked up.
 
Last edited:

Killer8

Member
Why do I care? Does it somehow make the game way worse?

Yes, objectively it does. Sex appeal is a part of the character. Between this and that shitty new table top game, it's clear that what Lara once represented is no longer kosher at Crystal Dynamics. What might look like just a few pictures being removed represents far more than just that - it's the slow motion death of an icon.

It was even an advertised feature on the site:

 

laynelane

Member
Cool, but I'm speaking about statements like this.....




And statements like this.

And I'm speaking about what you wrote and what I quoted. You specifically mentioned people taking this game off their "buy" list. Again, to you this may seem like "small updates", but it should be evident by now that others find it far more troubling and even infuriating. You telling people it shouldn't be a "BIG deal" is strange - it is a big deal to some people. That's why they're getting angry about it and why they're willing to put their money where their mouth is in terms of financially supporting this practice.
 
Last edited:

nkarafo

Member
This update is only a "small thing" if you ignore all the other ones that fall into the same censoring and virtue signal category. It's like a puzzle piece of a bigger picture or how a lot of small things add up to a big one. Did you already forget the disclaimer that pretty much declared the old devs and fans are literal racists who cannot be redeemed? Or the whole retcon of the character and her role in other pieces of media which could as well spill in future video games? What other "small thing" will change later on i wonder.

Small things like this are a slippery slope as we saw again and again and again. You give the finger and they take the whole hand. You know the deal.
 

IDKFA

I am Become Bilbo Baggins
Cool, but I'm speaking about statements like this.....




And statements like this.

My response and feeling on this matter are valid.

I understand it's a very minor change, however the change is sill a form of censorship. It's a practice we're seeing more and more of because a majority of people shrug it off as insignificant.

My question to is, what levels of censorship are you comfortable with?
 

Justin9mm

Member
who fucking cares
Lots of people care. You have to understand, it's the principal, it's not exactly about what they took away but how they are manipulating the narrative to suit their own agenda. Where does it stop? It's getting worse and worse, games are turning political with unnecesarry censorship. It's people like you that can't see the forest through the trees and why they get away with this shit in the first place.
 
Last edited:

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
Yes, objectively it does. Sex appeal is a part of the character. Between this and that shitty new table top game, it's clear that what Lara once represented is no longer kosher at Crystal Dynamics. What might look like just a few pictures being removed represents far more than just that - it's the slow motion death of an icon.

It was even an advertised feature on the site:


Interesting that it's in the ad, but wouldn't you say then if she's actually called Lara croft that posters with her with a different name should really be gone to preserve the story properly?

And taking down 2 posters doesn't kill her sex appeal nor isn't the slow death of an icon, your being way overdramatic.
 

mckmas8808

Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
My response and feeling on this matter are valid.

I understand it's a very minor change, however the change is sill a form of censorship. It's a practice we're seeing more and more of because a majority of people shrug it off as insignificant.

My question to is, what levels of censorship are you comfortable with?

Great question. As long as it doesn't break the character with who they are. And doesn't interrupt the story, then I'm fine with it.

I may roll my eyes and think it's dumb, but it wouldn't stop me from buying the game either.
 
Last edited:

hyperbertha

Member
Pretty lame. It's funny to me, that they're trying to redefine Lara Croft as a gaming icon *after* the fact she was hugely popular, at least in part, from her sex appeal.

I'm all for moving forward in a new direction if that's what the devs want, but seems sketchy to try and erase content from the past. That's some real 1984 shit.
Sex appeal is the only reason she was popular. Every single tomb raider game is mediocre at best.
 

Soodanim

Gold Member
Remember, you don't have any control over your libraries online. They can censor or remove stuff (like the GTA soundtracks) at any time.

Copy-paste your game files somewhere and use cracks if you want your games to retain their current status. Or disable updating if that's possible.
One of the reasons I'm happy I have the good versions of GTA3/VC/SA and even 4 on PC. Radio Downgrader/Restoration tools are very easy to come by, and in 4's case can even merge OG radio with replacement radio.

The idea that your paid for product gets downgraded over time without your consent is bonkers to me.
 

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
It's not about the game or the posters. It's about the precedents and the slippery slopes we are sliding down. You can't actually be this dumb can you?

You can't really be this overreactionary about 2 digital posters with the wrong character name, can you? Slippery slope? Did somebody just take away voting rights or turn Lara into a kangaroo? I mean seriously. And then you call people dumb for saying your overreacting........wow.
 
It’s not about the pictures.

There’s an entire debate to be had here about art, who owns it, if creators have the right to go back and alter their works after they’ve been embraced by the broader culture. All works are a reflection on the period of their release, and I don’t want even the most minimal of alterations to any art to bring it up to “modern” standards or sensibilities, because it infringes upon the integrity of that work in the period it represents and was released in. I want this shit in old works of art…..I want racism, I want sexism, I want sexual objectification, I want imperfections….not because I value these things individually, but because I want to be able to peer back to a period and witness works that spoke to it.

Not to be too pretentious (yeah, too late) but I do think it’s a valid and important argument to be had. IMO, companies and creators have absolutely no right to go back and deprive their works, and by extension, the broader culture, of that statement in time that endures through time, imperfect and offensive it may be. It needs to be valued, and it needs to be preserved.

Frankly I’m amazed that there aren’t laws to ensure this, but it is what it is.

I think its pathetic on both sides. On the one hand, I don't get when some 'fans' get worked up over pretty crappy CGI art and 2 crappy pics at that, but then on the other hand. I don't get why the publishers got so upset up about 2 crappy CGI pics of a lady.
No doubt some sad pathetic WOKE nob saw those pics in the game and made a complaint


This is not new and sadly the WOKE era we live in. SEGA made changes with Yakuza game releases cutting out content that could offend some in the Homosexual community
but there I remember SEGA America cutting out the content of the Western Version of Streets Of Rage 3 for fear of upsetting some.
 
Last edited:

hyperbertha

Member
You can't really be this overreactionary about 2 digital posters with the wrong character name, can you? Slippery slope? Did somebody just take away voting rights or turn Lara into a kangaroo? I mean seriously. And then you call people dumb for saying your overreacting........wow.
We are very advanced along that slippery slope right now. We can't even have some slightly sexy posters anymore. You are either pea brained, or belong to the group that is pushing this agenda. What do you think about wokeness in gaming?
 

IDKFA

I am Become Bilbo Baggins
Great question. As long as it doesn't break the character with who they are. And doesn't interrupt the story, then I'm fine with it.

I may roll my eyes and think it's dumb, but it wouldn't stop me from buying the game either.

I don't understand how anyone can be happy with any censorship. I know this change doesn't impact the story or character, but it's the principle of the matter.

In this scenario, CD are telling you that they don't like these posters (which let's not forget are easter eggs to actual 90s adverts) and think they're sexist and misogynistic. However, it's not enough for them not to like them. They need to be erased from history so nobody can see them.

A minor change in this situation of course, but if you tolerate this then you can't complain if somebody else makes changes to the character or story to this or another game.

You're either happy with censorship or against it. There is no middle ground.
 

tommib

Gold Member
Yes, objectively it does. Sex appeal is a part of the character. Between this and that shitty new table top game, it's clear that what Lara once represented is no longer kosher at Crystal Dynamics. What might look like just a few pictures being removed represents far more than just that - it's the slow motion death of an icon.

It was even an advertised feature on the site:

Wait, you’re telling me that the posters are in an area from the expansion that barely anyone played at the time and barely anyone will play now? Do we know why the posters were taken down? Could it be the signatures or some copyright shenanigans?
 
Last edited:

Boglin

Member
Wait, you’re telling me that the posters are in an area from the expansion that barely anyone played at the time and barely anyone will play now? Do we know why the posters were taken down? Could it be the signatures or some copyright shenanigans?
Someone in the thread previously implied the reason could have been to meet the requirements for a recent ratings change from mature to teen. If that's truly the reason then I personally find it a lot more tolerable. However, it's still kind of shit to remove advertised content after people have already purchased the game.
 

nkarafo

Member
You can't really be this overreactionary about 2 digital posters with the wrong character name, can you?
Everyone already told you enough times it's not about the posters in particular but about the non-stop censoring and virtue signalling by the you know who that infiltrated the industry. The same people who accused every fan and the devs of the original games of being unredeemable racist pieces of shit, in hard writing, during the start of the game. But i guess you ignored that too.

"But they didn't slaughter your children" is not the kind of response that would make me not care. It's the principle.
 

NeoIkaruGAF

Gold Member
Look, it’s ridiculously simple.
The question isn’t, “why do people care that stuff was removed?”. It just isn’t, and it’s been answered multiple times anyway.
The question is: “why was that stuff removed?”
This is the question that needs answering. “Because” isn’t a valid answer. “They made, they own it, they can do whatever the fuck they want with it” isn’t a valid answer, either. You need reasons to do things that require time, effort, and dedication. Unless, of course, you’re crazy. An artist defiling their own work, if they’re not crazy, do it to send a message.

So: were the posters damaging anyone?
Did their presence make the game crash-prone, or bug it in any other significant way?
Did their presence violate some rule or copyright, making the game and its makers subject to legal repercussions?
If these are the reasons for their removal, or if there’s other any valid and compelling reason, why not state it officially to the public who payed for the product? Because if you don’t, then you have something to hide, and/or you do not care about your customers. Not a good look.

Given all of the above, it’s only obvious to think that the reasons for removing something so small and inconsequential had to be personal.
And what reasons might those be?
Looking at recent history, answering this is pretty close to adding two and two together.

The irony is, if the posters were removed by the will of self-proclaimed right-wing religious prudes, or if this happened in the age of Joe Lieberman and Night Trap, or if this was a Nintendo exclusive, all the “why do you care?” people in here would be unanimously condemning this.
 
Someone in the thread previously implied the reason could have been to meet the requirements for a recent ratings change from mature to teen. If that's truly the reason then I personally find it a lot more tolerable. However, it's still kind of shit to remove advertised content after people have already purchased the game.

Thank God - 12 year olds will not have their morals corrupted by a grainy pinup whilst shooting people and animals in the face.

Looking forward to the next game where the intro is raiding a tomb and the rest of the game is Lara learning about other cultures, showing them respect by promoting inclusion and diversity in a safe space and personally apologising to and compensating any living descendants of aztecs she can find.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom