Rubbish Exclusive Toby Gard Tomb Raider 7 Interview Inside!

Email interview fails on all levels.

Posted by Staff
We're a bit disappointed with Toby Gard right now. We used to quite like him. He once told us all about Galleon when it was a massive secret but we hadn’t really had any contact since then. But, you know, we assumed he was still a stand up guy.

Well, we organised an interview with Eidos on all things Tomb Raider recently, and wheeled out our resident Tomb Raider obsessive to put together some good questions. And here’s what we got:

Question 1. How, exactly, is this game going to be different from the rest?

Toby Gard: It’s different in every aspect – new development team, new technology, new storyline, etc…

Question 2. Have you reinstated the use of an actual storyline?

TG: Yes. It’s new and separate from anything we’ve done in the past (not tied to any of the other TR games) We’re not saying too much about it yet but Lara will meet a figure from her past and we’ll also get a bit more back-story on her (should help explain what makes her tick).

Question 3. Can we get back to exploring tombs and not trying to be Ms. S Fisher?

TG: Yes – we’re putting her back into environments people want to see her in……adventuring, exotic locations and such.

Question 4. Is Curtis Trent in this one?

TG: No

Question 5: Why not?

TG: Because it’s a new story and not related to Angel of Darkness.

Question 6. Is Lara 9' tall or has she got a 16.8" waist?

TG: Not quite J

Question 7: Will you post a diary of the game on our forums? Just a quick post a week with a few random thoughts? It's worth a review point!

TG: We can try and set something up down the line (?) When we’re further into development?

Question 8: What did you think of the TR films?

TG: They were enjoyable and Angelina was great.

Question 9: Honestly?

TG: I think they were good fun – and I wasn’t disappointed because I went in with that attitude (didn’t place them under the microscope) Everyone has their own ideas though if they could put on their “director’s hat”

Question 10: Have you ever, you know, amused yourself with Lara?

TG: She is quite amusing isn’t she?


Yes, we want our four minutes back too.
Companies:
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Comments

TwoADay 22 Sep 2005 13:01
1/5
If the questions were done by someone at Spong, I'd think about getting them a few classes in journalism. Those questions were for the most part terrible. "Have you ever, you know, amused yourself with Lara?" "What did you think of the TR films?" These are inane, fluff questions. The kind of questions even Barbra Walters (a fluff American Journalist) would even cringe at.

The questions that could be potentially insightful were worded in a way that it could be interpreted as a different question.

A failed interview, yes. But the failures in this interview start at home, I think.
TigerUppercut 22 Sep 2005 13:36
2/5
The interview was conducted over email.
We usually never do this is it rarely works.

As you can see from our exclusive interviews with:

Shigeru Miyamoto

Saturu Iwata

Peter Molyneux

Peter Moore

J Allard

Etc, etc, etc...

It's hardly a typical SPOnG interview. All the rest were conducted one-on-one and face to face.

So, erm... shut up you stupid head.
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TwoADay 22 Sep 2005 17:35
3/5
TigerUppercut wrote:
The interview was conducted over email.
We usually never do this is it rarely works.

As you can see from our exclusive interviews with:

Shigeru Miyamoto

Saturu Iwata

Peter Molyneux

Peter Moore

J Allard

Etc, etc, etc...

It's hardly a typical SPOnG interview. All the rest were conducted one-on-one and face to face.

So, erm... shut up you stupid head.



I'm definately not extending my criticism to previous interviews. The Peter Moore interview was interesting, and fine work.

But come on. Those questions were...not well thought out. Instead of "What's new in this game?" thereby opening the door for an easy answer like "we have better graphics!" one could have asked "Is this game a return to its roots? is there an emphasis on puzzle solving?" or "How does the gameplay of this new game differ from the most recent iterations of TR?" or "The most recent TR games were not well received by critics. What changes in gameplay have you taken in order to improve the series?"

Like I said, Spong's interviews are usually solid (the ones you posted in your reply) but the ball was dropped on this one in my opinion.
Joji 22 Sep 2005 21:37
4/5
I think it would be nice to have a developer diary like feature as an extra for the site.

I pray TR7 (no, not the motor) will regain the series spurs that once made it so great. I'll be watching, don't let me down Toby and CD crew.
Someone 29 Jun 2007 11:47
5/5
I urgently need to speak with the person that interviewed Toby Gard.
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