Raiders of the Lost Tomb

So, it has been a really long time since I've played a relevant or recent game.  After such a long and dark road of shitty games I have had to play, it was a nice break from the groove to play something new and exciting.  I have always been a fairly large fan of the Tomb Raider franchise, Lara Croft has always entertained me to a fairly large degree, so when I heard of a reboot for the series, I was a little bit on the defensive.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?  Well, considering the shear number of previous titles, shit was getting pretty stale, luckily Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics figured out a way to keep the Tomb Raider feel while creating a fresh experience all the way through.

Before we dive in, I'd like to point out that this game is basically Uncharted 4.  It really feels like an Uncharted game when you play it, it has overly cinematic pieces, spot on gun play, and a large variety of gritty animations that really pull you in.  It's clear that this game was inspired by Nathan Drakes adventures.  Still, just because it seems a blatant ripoff, doesn't mean that we should judge it for being so.  Uncharted was good shit, and this game picks up the pieces rather well.

Story:

What lies in waiting for you in this gritty reboot for the series is a heart-felt progression and growth throughout the beginnings of one, Lara Croft.  It seems it all started with a big storm and a ship being ripped in half.  Lara races to survive the wreck through stormy waters to be washed ashore on the mythical land she has been in search for during her archeological debut, kinda bitter sweet if you ask me.  Just moments after seeing her friends Lara is knocked out, dragged, and hung upside down in some sort of shrine, likely left to die.  Through perseverance and a slight tutorial phase you begin your adventure proper on the island tomb raiding and fighting off crazed islanders.  Its not all that different from any other survivor story you may have heard (aside maybe Gilligan's island).  Lara's character is weak and emotionally unprepared and it really drives a sense of attachment to the character that few other mediums capture.  Thanks to spot on voice acting, a decent script, and some seriously terrible situations, you become enveloped in the tale that Lara is living.  If it wasn't for her ridiculously proficient combat maneuvers, Ezio like agility, and god-like accuracy, you might actually feel like she is a normal girl trapped in a horrifying circumstance.  With crazy tombs, lost friends, crazy spontaneous weather anomalies and deity worshiping hostile islanders ready to shoot first, there aren't too many relaxing moments.  There are a few expected twists throughout the story, but its gripping enough to keep you interested and it would make a fairly entertaining movie, so all in all I think it was a very well implemented story.  I'm not sure if it holds true to the origin story of Lara Croft you might expect, but it won me over.

Gameplay:

Ms. Croft handles like a new car.  Combat is smooth and exhilarating, nothing says I'm having fun like a pickaxe through the skull of a crazed islander.  Platforming elements are clean with enough leeway to not deter beginners and just enough difficulty to keep you one your toes.  The optional tombs have puzzles to solve and additional tricky platforming elements.  Just about everything in the game grants you experience or salvage, used to upgrade Lara's skills and gear respectively.  Killing rats, opening lockers, looting corpses, climbing ladders for the first time.  Almost everything is a means to your leveling end.  And since there is always something to explore and never a dull moment to have, you'll find a reason to use all of the skills and equipment acquired in all the right ways.  The gameplay is the heart and soul of Tomb Raider, combat is streamlined well, platforming feels great, and the leveling aspect of your skills and weapons progresses not too quickly but not too slowly.  Genius design for a third person action/adventure title if there ever was any.  I can't deny it's similarity to a game like Uncharted or even Assassin's Creed, but neither of those games were bad, and this one succeeds, at the very least at recreating those other brilliant interfaces and systems in a new universe, and with a hot ass heroine.

Multiplayer is kinda shit unfortunately.  It just kinda waters down the single player campaign controls and has you pitted against eachother in survivor vs. locals with various modes to take on.  It sucks, just know that.  The controls don't feel great while trying to kill a human controlled opponent and when you try to traverse the terrain, you just end up opening your back up to some lucky bow sniper.  They promise additional DLC expansions for the multiplayer, but I don't see it getting much better. 

Presentation:

The game looks as great as it feels.  Breathtaking environments await every corner with different weather patterns filling up your screen with rain, snow, fire, etc.  Lara looks almost as good as the tombs she is raiding, she has a new, less endowed appearance, but her animations, dirt covered skin and cloths, luscious hair (Tress-FX hair physics and look for the PC is ridiculous), and beautifully acted voice make her all the more gorgeous to watch in action.  Amazing detail is put into Lara's movements both in and out of cutscenes.  She goes through many of the motions for even the most menial tasks, like lighting fires or climbing a ledge.  Its the little things in the game that really sparkle.  It really shows the level of detail the developers were willing to polish.  Top notch job through and through.  The music is amazing and appropriate during every gunfight or cinematic. High grade voices really shed light on the emotions being felt by the characters.  Down to the last rain drop the games appeal aesthetically can be seen radiating from the cover art.  There is very little to put your nose up at when this game attempts to dazzle you.

Result:

It is seemingly more common now for well set franchises to be seeing reboots nowadays.  Most of them seem like shit, they just don't hold true to the foundations set by the previous entries, you know, the reason those games did well...They just deviate so far from home that the game ends up suffering, and you end up looking at games like Soinc '06 or Final Fight: Streetwise (or Dante's emo incarnation from DMC).  Thankfully Square and Crystal Dynamics teamed up to create a superiorly rebooted reboot for Tomb Raider.  Lara is proud to call this her most recent incarnation.

96% 

+ Superb voice acting

+ Stimulating visuals

+ Smooth combat controls 

+ Enjoyable platforming

+ Expansive world with plenty to explore
+ Teleporting between save points (saves so much time).

- Extremely forgettable multiplayer
- Not long enough of a main story

This game is a crowning achievement for reboots all over.  This is how it is done ladies and gentlemen so take note.  They took a franchise that was beloved, reworked it's gameplay (not changed it entirely) and created something spectacular.  This game is like crack for your adrenaline levels too.  If you want a game that will keep you going until the sun rises with intensity and charm, you need not look any farther than Lara's latest adventure.

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