Talk:Samantha Nishimura/@comment-2038153-20170129080837/@comment-2038153-20170131054325

Before I start I do want to say that part of this was for comedic effect. I mean I am pissed because of the last four pages which is a rather week finish to such a emotionally charged arc, for me at least. And as always I mean no offense in any of my comments as these are just my opinion and you are free to disagree with me.

In regards to your first point, I'm not entirely sure I can agree that they don't plan to not follow through on Lara/Sam romantic option as given that LGBT representation is becoming a bigger deal year after year. However, I'm not 100% sure that Crystal Dynamics will make it canon, odds are good that if they bring Sam back that they'll keep ambiguous for one of two reasons.

Either A) Crystal Dynamics are scared that Lara being gay will hurt sales. I find this one to be unlikely as the most successful games over four years, both critically and commercially, have all had main playable characters who have been confirmed to be either gay, bi or pansexual. Ellie from The Last of Us, Half the Cast in Dragon Age: Inquisition, Ciri from The Witcher 3 and Tracer from Overwatch so I don't think that CD should be worried about having Lara being gay.

Or B) They want to keep it ambiguous to let fans speculate. I admit I would be okay with this as speculation is fun and that's good for the series as it gives fans something to debate about. So long as they don't introduce a random guy into the story to prove that Lara is straight I'm good.

As for Tomb Raider being put on the back burner so that they can focus on their Avengers game I figured as much and am completely okay with it as that gives them more time to figure out what the story will be and hopefully improve the gameplay like giving us a better melee system. Honestly if it gives us a better game and story I'm okay with waiting another 3 years.

As for Sam's popularity I do think the hate for her has died down since the first game as I have personally held a number of polls asking fans a few questions in regards to Sam's popularity. What fans thought/hoped would happen to Sam in Choice and Sacrifice, if they wanted her back in Lara's life and how popular she along with the other characters like Jonah, Sofia and Nadia. Rhianna Pratchett and Gail Simone were nice enough to Re-Tweet these polls which helped to get the highest numbers.

In regards to the latter two most fans wanted Sam to make it through C&S and wanted her back in Lara's life and she also voted as the most popular character in the reboot with Jonah as a close second. Now in the end this is just a poll but it should be taken into account that the number of fans who voted were nearing the 100s with the last poll, most popular, being 401 votes.

One last point to take into account is that Sam has a huge following in China according to Tomb Raider China which houses 1 of the largest TR fanbases in Asia according to several developers and 20 Years of Tomb Raider. But yeah according to TR China Sam is one of the most popular characters in the reboot series with only Lara being more popular then her. In fact one poll that was held on the TR China fan site was who was the most popular characters in Tomb Raider across the entire franchise and Sam came in at number 2, ahead of other such characters like Winston, Doppelgänger Lara Croft, Natla and the T-Rex (yeah they counted the T-Rex as a character, isn't that cool :).

I think one of the reasons I'm so annoyed me so much with Sam's treatment is that part of the draw of the reboot was that it was about making Lara more human and relatable which was best shown, in my opinion, with her relationship with Sam. Some of my favorite moments in the series has been in the comics where Lara interacted with Sam, Jonah, Reyes and Kaz and where she was showing clear signs of PTSD which were well received by fans.

Indeed, Blood Ties was likewise praised for showing more of Lara's human side and many consider Blood Ties to be the best part of Rise. From what I have read many fans actually took issue with Rise's departure from what the Reboot had established by trying to make Lara more like classic Lara. The Lone Wolf who works alone, but for me I think that's a bit dated as it takes away what made this incarnation of Lara such character which is why I want Sam back and to play a major role in the series.

Again I don't intend to be rude and if I have come across as such I do apologize for doing so.