Laura reads the notes herself?

[The Minted Lady]

I beat Rise of the Tomb Raider just yesterday and started Shadow almost soon after. I do enjoy the game overall, but one thing I've noticed has me kinda disappointed in this version. It seems that whenever Lara finds a note or journal entry from another person, she reads it in her own voice. In the previous games whenever there was a note, even an ancient scroll, we got to listen to a voice actor portray the character who originally wrote the message. It added something extra to the reading of the lore, in my opinion. Obviously this doesn't kill the game for me it's just something that I think they shouldn't have changed.

[Holografix]

i actually like that she reads every note. The only thing I don't like is that Lara, a world-class archaeologist and linguist, does not pronounce the words in the different dialects with that language's accent. She butchers the ancient language with her British accent, which to me is highly disappointing.

[The Minted Lady]

Her dictation doesn't immerse me like the voices of the authors did in the previous games. Their reads brought a level of emotion and sound that helped put me in the moment they were describing. I understand that having Lara read the notes is supposed to keep you in her moment of discovering the item, but when she reads them it honestly sounds like she's standing in front of a classroom reading a book report. I wish I could turn it off because I can make up voices in my head that compliment the moment far better. Kind of annoys me that they took out the pause audio option that was in Rise of the Tomb Raider.

[Holografix]

i can hear what you are describing in her voice while she reads the notes. I played Rise before, but so long ago I forgot most of it. So when I heard her voice in Shadow, I was surprised. I think it's a nice touch, but I agree with you that she reads the notes a little stiffly. But, you do know that she's British? The Brits have always been a touch reserved and unemotional.

[The Minted Lady]

I just beat Rise of the Tomb Raider on Saturday so the readings from other characters are vivid in my mind. They did it in the first game as well, so it was jarring to me for them to make this switch. Not saying it's an absolute dealbreaker for me, just that I wish it was back the way it was before.

[Holografix]

I think as you progress you'll realize why the devs decided to have Lara read the notes herself. I won't spoil anything, but her reading the descriptions or notes makes sense in Shadow.

[The Minted Lady]

Fair enough. Other than that, loving the things they've added to the game. Especially the stealth system. I really wanted a better one in Rise and I am so glad they went for it in Shadow.