Tomb Raider

 PC
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5047 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4,086 out of 5047
  2. Mixed: 727 out of 5047
  3. Negative: 234 out of 5047
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  1. Captiosus
    Mar 5, 2013
    7
    (After five hours of playing, I'm currently at 12% complete.) As an old fart of a gamer, I remember when Lara Croft first burst onto the scene and how she changed the gaming landscape. Since then, many others have duplicated the success of the Tomb Raider series (see: Uncharted) while Tomb Raider, itself, was left to languish as an aging property. The new Tomb Raider doesn't really change(After five hours of playing, I'm currently at 12% complete.) As an old fart of a gamer, I remember when Lara Croft first burst onto the scene and how she changed the gaming landscape. Since then, many others have duplicated the success of the Tomb Raider series (see: Uncharted) while Tomb Raider, itself, was left to languish as an aging property. The new Tomb Raider doesn't really change the genre like the original did but, instead, is content to merely copy off of successful IPs that had originally copied Tomb Raider itself. In case that line sounds confusing, think of it this way: Get rid of Sully and turn Nathan Drake into a woman, and you have the new Tomb Raider. Both games play the same, are loaded with quick time events, and are graphically appealing. The critical difference between the two is that the story of Lara is more gritty and realistic than the over the top stories of Nathan and his quests. Graphically the game is quite a treat. With DX11 support and TressFX, the game looks beautiful. Even something as mundane as rain can make you stop and just look around at the rich graphical detail. Of course, this all comes at a cost. DX11's SSAO and Tesselation are, as always, some of the biggest perfomance consumers and TressFX, while nice, costs a considerable amount of performance just to have more realistic character hair. To elaborate, running on a i7-3770 with a GeForce GTX 550 Ti, I have no problems running "High" level graphics and maintaining a consistent frame rate. Turn on TressFX, however, and the frame rate plummets into the 40s. Not worth it for "hair effects", in my opinion. Despite the graphical polish and more realistic Lara, the game thus far is higher than mediocre but falls just short of greatness. The major complaint I have is that it is TOO linear with a LOT of hand holding. Stand in one place long enough and Lara, no matter how injured, will tell you EXACTLY what to do next. Even if you ignore her constant dialog, tap one key and the world will light up all the critical elements like the Grizwold family Christmas Tree. I know people hate the term "linear" but, much like Uncharted 3, there's little reason to explore beyond the predetermined paths. Actual tombs to raid are few and far between (I've seen 3, one of which was only thanks to having the Survival Edition) while the puzzles within the tombs themselves have not been very challenging. Lara's story starts out engaging but starts to unravel after only a few hours of gameplay when the entire story line becomes muddled. Part of this is due to the way Lara turns from shrinking violet into action heroine. The transition is too rapid and incredulous which causes the game to drop focus on the other characters including the main antagonist. All in all, it's a good reboot that brings Tomb Raider on par with the Uncharted series but what does that really say when Uncharted owes its existence to Tomb Raider itself? Crystal Dynamics did an amazing job graphically and have made a story better than a lot of AAA titles so I do recommend playing the game. However, I can't see it having any real longevity beyond the first playthrough since the only reason to go back is to obtain missed collectables, as the scriped story never changes and the tomb raiding is such an afterthought that any tomb-adding DLC will likely fall flat. At $49.99 (current Steam PC price) or $59.99 (console price), I'm not so sure the price/entertainment ratio is quite worth it for a title that will collect dust after one playthrough. Your mileage may vary of course but, based on the gameplay experience thus far, it is my opinion that anyone interested in the new Tomb Raider should wait for a Steam sale or rent the console variety from Gamefly.… Expand
  2. Tridus
    Oct 14, 2014
    7
    When you're actually allowed to play, the game is pretty fun. The problem is they have this nasty habit of throwing in awful QTEs all over the place, some of which just require flat out memorization of the sequence to get through. I'm docking points for that alone, because they should have known better.
  3. Sh8de
    Mar 5, 2013
    7
    Game is decent especially after the first hour is over with but my only big gripe is this game seems to favor AMD rigs. I have a 690 and I have had crashes constantly and really inconsistent frame rate dips. When the game runs it does run wonderfully but it seems to have a lot of bugs as of now. If you do have a NVIDIA gpu don't even bother turning on TressFX no matter what GPU you have itGame is decent especially after the first hour is over with but my only big gripe is this game seems to favor AMD rigs. I have a 690 and I have had crashes constantly and really inconsistent frame rate dips. When the game runs it does run wonderfully but it seems to have a lot of bugs as of now. If you do have a NVIDIA gpu don't even bother turning on TressFX no matter what GPU you have it will murder your framerate. I'm about 5 hours in though and I am enjoying it.… Expand
  4. dondon
    May 18, 2013
    7
    Let's get some of the obvious out of the way. The game is beautiful, graphic and art wise, the hair physics is incredible if your computer can handle the highest settings. Sound and the music set the mood for the game perfectly. The new cover system is the most impressive of the whole game. Lara will automatically crouch down near or stand up depending on the cover you intend to use. ThisLet's get some of the obvious out of the way. The game is beautiful, graphic and art wise, the hair physics is incredible if your computer can handle the highest settings. Sound and the music set the mood for the game perfectly. The new cover system is the most impressive of the whole game. Lara will automatically crouch down near or stand up depending on the cover you intend to use. This was such a breath of fresh air since I always hated that stick to the wall mechanic other TPS have. There are four weapon slots, on hard mode I did need to switch between at least three of those slots to survive. Enemies do try to flush you out of cover throwing Molotov 's or charging you. There are animals in the game that you can hunt for extra XP. They have no other purpose, don't expect to have a meter showing how hungry you are or use the skin of animals for other purposes. QTE's plaque the first hour or two of the game. On the PC, devs fail to tell you beforehand what button correlates with which QTE icon. This game is very linear, only reason to explore would be to obtain all the relics, documents, GPS caches, tombs, along with the in-game challenges. The tombs are not very mind puzzling like old Tomb Raider games and are incredibly short to do. There is no epic boss fight at the end, it's just littered with QTE's. If you can look past the QTE's this is a great modern day TPS gaming experience.… Expand
  5. nirax
    Mar 8, 2013
    7
    the good news is: the reboot of the series is generally far better than expected. combat is cool, story is cool, the character is believable (although empathizing more on the survival part rather than going full killer after 30 min would have been the better bet)

    one thing that doesnt works out AT ALL are those STUPID QUICK TIME EVENTS which you cant even turn off. man its like a plague    the good news is: the reboot of the series is generally far better than expected. combat is cool, story is cool, the character is believable (although empathizing more on the survival part rather than going full killer after 30 min would have been the better bet)

    one thing that doesnt works out AT ALL are those STUPID QUICK TIME EVENTS which you cant even turn off. man its like a plague since every designer and his mother thinks to involve the player in some kind of press this do this and jump around in your room stuff.
    it totally breaks immersion. On PC it doesnt even tells you what to press (you have symbols which you can look up what exactly they mean) and generally it feels totally repeatedly and unsatisfying to die over and over from QTEs. too bad i didnt read all of the reviews. would i have known that i wouldnt have bought it. at least i wont endorse the game to any of my friends.

    If you want to annoy ppl with QTEs make them optional. bah    … Expand
  6. praXis
    Sep 3, 2014
    7
    Like quick-time events? Goofy cutscenes? Button mashing? Over-the-top gore? This game is for you!
    Like pathfinding and puzzle-solving to gain access to... you know... tombs? You probably want to buy something else.
    Very pretty game with some nicely designed big maps, but gameplay is uninspired at best, and annoying as hell at worst. Combat and movement is laggy while the camera jerks    Like quick-time events? Goofy cutscenes? Button mashing? Over-the-top gore? This game is for you!
    Like pathfinding and puzzle-solving to gain access to... you know... tombs? You probably want to buy something else.
    Very pretty game with some nicely designed big maps, but gameplay is uninspired at best, and annoying as hell at worst. Combat and movement is laggy while the camera jerks around wildly. Very linear in many sections, and the hand-holding for the console kiddies (despite being a very rated M game) is blatant. Tacked-on terrible multiplayer is worth nothing. Single-player campaign has little to no replay value.
    It's amazing how much good content manages to shine through this though, and ultimately it's a mildly entertaining diversion - for those that can stomach its glaring problems.    … Expand
  7. Cell1e
    Dec 26, 2013
    7
    Buggy quick time events spoiled much of this game for me. I also didn't like the very dark atmosphere. Did anyone think it strange how many dead bodies there were lying about decomposing in massive piles in various locations? I mean how logical is it that there must have been tens of thousands of people killed and decomposing but how can this be? A remote desert island that an occasionalBuggy quick time events spoiled much of this game for me. I also didn't like the very dark atmosphere. Did anyone think it strange how many dead bodies there were lying about decomposing in massive piles in various locations? I mean how logical is it that there must have been tens of thousands of people killed and decomposing but how can this be? A remote desert island that an occasional ship or plane crashes into? I think the dead and decomposing bodies were put there to satisfy the blood lust of teenagers who might be enticed into the tomb raider franchise. Its a shame really because there was much I enjoyed about the game, I really felt invested in my Lara and her struggle to survive and keep her buddies safe. I enjoyed the exploration and I liked the combat. But I did find the immersion was broken by the bugged quick time events and the over use of dead and decomposing bodies.… Expand
  8. Skavenger0
    Mar 6, 2013
    7
    I really, really want to give this more that a 7 but can't quite bring myself to do it. The story, graphics and puzzles are excellent. For me there are 2 things that keep this off the 10 spot. Firstly. The quick-time events are awful, clumsy and extremely un-intuitive. I like the little ones if Lara slips while climbing but the major ones are just irritating.

    Secondly. The game tries    I really, really want to give this more that a 7 but can't quite bring myself to do it. The story, graphics and puzzles are excellent. For me there are 2 things that keep this off the 10 spot. Firstly. The quick-time events are awful, clumsy and extremely un-intuitive. I like the little ones if Lara slips while climbing but the major ones are just irritating.

    Secondly. The game tries not to be linear and encourage exploration but the map and navigation system needs improving and the objective view makes the puzzles a little too easy. It changes a puzzle from working out what to do. To working out how you are supposed to interact with the highlighted object.

    Good Game, worth getting but not the GOTY I was hoping for.

    - limited co-op options let it down aswel but I don't think that should effect the rating.    … Expand
  9. JonAM
    Jul 12, 2014
    7
    Not the Tomb Raider game that I was expecting, but since it was more a reboot than a revisiting of the original ideas, maybe turning this game into an Uncharted clone was a fair choice. It still has very good moments where the exploration of the levels is very well performed, but so many combats and annoying quick time events just ruin the rest of the experience. Apart from this, the plotNot the Tomb Raider game that I was expecting, but since it was more a reboot than a revisiting of the original ideas, maybe turning this game into an Uncharted clone was a fair choice. It still has very good moments where the exploration of the levels is very well performed, but so many combats and annoying quick time events just ruin the rest of the experience. Apart from this, the plot is promising at the beginning, but it ends being a bad joke, so don't take this game too seriously.… Expand
  10. Surg3on
    Dec 27, 2013
    7
    This is a good game but not a GREAT game. the reason being that you are lead by your nose though the whole adventure. You never have to do much thinking yourself as the puzzles are extremely basic and all ledges/climbable walls stick out like a sore thumb pulling you out of the game. Bright white rope that you can attach to, bright white ledges just bring home that you are in a GAME not aThis is a good game but not a GREAT game. the reason being that you are lead by your nose though the whole adventure. You never have to do much thinking yourself as the puzzles are extremely basic and all ledges/climbable walls stick out like a sore thumb pulling you out of the game. Bright white rope that you can attach to, bright white ledges just bring home that you are in a GAME not a 'world'. It feels a lot like Darksiders actually.

    My last point is there really isn't much tomb raiding going on here. The tombs are all single room puzzles and are generally quite basic. A real pity that developers can't throw some more difficult stuff into the optional tombs.

    Luckily the plot and desire to see what happens should get you through the game. The beginning and end are very good. its just the middle that suffers from "you are an idiot and we don't trust you to play the game yourself" syndrome.    … Expand
  11. GolovA
    Jul 17, 2015
    7
    The game is good, but i'll start with the bad:

    - While the main plot of the game is interesting, albeit hackneyed, its execution - its writing - is lacking any force whatsoever. The characters are bland , unpronounced, and barely developed. The diary pages which Lara finds all throughout the Island are supposed to drive the story and move the plot, but instead they serve as unlinked    The game is good, but i'll start with the bad:

    - While the main plot of the game is interesting, albeit hackneyed, its execution - its writing - is lacking any force whatsoever. The characters are bland , unpronounced, and barely developed. The diary pages which Lara finds all throughout the Island are supposed to drive the story and move the plot, but instead they serve as unlinked distractions, which cohere together but at such a slow and not discrepant speed that they tend to get easily ignored and forgotten.

    - The action scenes are simply a disaster translated from the consoles onto PC's. I had to run through some of them for over a dozen times to complete. Much of the problem was the limited FOV (Field of View) and the very badly executed third-person camera (see below). Lara's deaths in such scenes is gruesome and uncanny. The game was designed by a sadist (see below).

    - Unmanageable third-person removed camera is not only a distraction, but an annoying obstacle. It's stuck to Lara as a bee on a spring, so each time i would move my mouse to see the surroundings (or enemies) while in motion, the obnoxious camera would return to the position it chose, which depending on the scene - is not necessarily static middle back to front. This recalcitrant camera made a game un-enjoyable and impractical - since i had to constantly fight with the angle of view, with no way of disabling the dynamics of the camera. (Once again - a blissful echo of the Console port).

    - The game was designed by a sadist. The morbid dying sequences are something else. But even when Lara does not die, the dynamics of a situation around her will hurt her, and hurt her bad. Just start the game, play for the first 2 minutes, and you will understand what i mean. Well, guess what - it gets worse :) Lara falls, rooftops crumble on her head, she gets burns, she is burned by explosions, knocked down by brutes, etc. - and she looks pretty torn up by the middle of the game. Wow! Wow - this game was designed or directed by a sadist.

    The above things are what makes the game bad, and steers it away from a score above 7. However, there are good things in the game:

    - Main plot, once again, is pretty good, although never fully developed or explored, and Lara's realization that she is on an Island where something controls the weather, and her inability to recognize the WWII subplot, make her a very imperceptive and unintelligent character, as opposed to her description (smart, cunning, intuitive). Really now, when you are looking at a WWII canon, dead soldiers lying around, and reading a diary which explicitly tells you in a German accent "The Russians are coming, we need to move the weather-controlling research away from them" - won't you be able to tie the things together into a Nazi Secret Project Theme? Well, Lara does not - instead she asks us - "What's going on here?!" Oh, come on!

    - Well, ok. Maybe it wasn't as good... :) Anyway, the leveling up system is pretty cool, and keeps the game dynamic but only up until the middle of the game.

    - Voice acting is mostly pretty good too, with just a few exceptions of inability to produce the proper emotion through over-acting and inexperience.

    - Combat sequences are fun, although repetitive.

    - Graphics are pretty good, and actually pretty well optimized for a port (although not completely - such as the low FOV).

    - Exploring is very fun, up until the point where you understand that all the artifacts you find have nothing to do with the story. And the confusion between Chinese and Japanese dynasties does not help the understanding of the whole story.

    Conclusion:
    7/10.
    Good game. 15-20 hours to complete on Normal. I did not play multiplayer. No replay value, unless you are a completionist and want to gain all achievements.    … Expand
  12. tech-noir
    Sep 5, 2013
    7
    The graphics, environments, and weather effects are beautiful. Everything about this game is high quality and consisting of high production values. Its only flaws are the excessive amounts of quick time events and the overusage of cutscenes to tell a surprisingly good story. There are also many extras to collect.
  13. arkaram
    Mar 29, 2013
    7
    The game is great, but the story doesnt make sense when we speak of Lara as a girl. Just now she was crying about being weak and then she shoots 100+ enemies doing headshots. Graphically its great. Mechanics is great but the plot is dumb.
  14. sinadoom
    Jan 8, 2014
    7
    Square Enix's rebranding of yet another Eidos franchise uses the same design philosophy as Hitman Absolution. The focus is almost entirely on producing a very high quality title, regardless of innovation or sophistication in level design. The game engine is incredible, offering not only amazing graphics, draw distances and of course, hair, but also realistic destruction, superb controlsSquare Enix's rebranding of yet another Eidos franchise uses the same design philosophy as Hitman Absolution. The focus is almost entirely on producing a very high quality title, regardless of innovation or sophistication in level design. The game engine is incredible, offering not only amazing graphics, draw distances and of course, hair, but also realistic destruction, superb controls and realistic AI. Tomb Raider showcases some of the best practices in game programming and doesn't make any mistakes in this department. From intuitive controls to excellent combat mechanics, including an automated cover system. Although you have to always aim first before firing, the shooter sections are genuinely intense and provide a challenge on the Hard difficulty setting. The platforming mechanics and movement animations are meticulous and fluent. The instincts button is very helpful for identifying objects of significance and hints on what to do and where to go so as to minimise frustration. The checkpoint system is perfect, the ability to fast travel will make for some more enticing replay value and best of all, you are rewarded for exploring. Tomb Raider is an extremely linear game, and everything is scripted with a few (not annoying) QTEs and predictable movie-style cliché cutscenes. However, despite the almost automated progression, Tomb Raider will reward those that take the time to explore the extremely detailed environments and optional tombs with both direct gameplay benefits as well as some more backstory. The upgrade system is simple but not tacked on. You don't NEED to buy anything, and the whole game is very simple unlike most RPGs. There aren't a billion different skills and currency types and meters. Whilst this is preferable for non-RPG players like myself, it does lack depth and it would be nice if there was more player involvement and an opportunity to use the weapons. After all, it is a survival game so it should at least depict this in gameplay. The story and character development is OK but could be a lot better. The multiplayer has an interesting game mode with "Cry for Help", and the progression, weapon balancing, perks etc. are well balanced (minus shotguns, which are underpowered), but the quality is not comparable with that of the single player, with a few bugs and laggy matches aplenty. Overall, Tomb Raider is a true adventure game which tries to appeal to the casual audience. It is the kind of game you recommend to a non-gamer and the emotionally sensitive. Although Tomb Raider is a shining example of game quality and practices regarding collectibles, mechanics etc. and has mainstream appeal, hardcore gamers will find more enjoyment in other titles with greater depth and more gameplay-orientated, player-driven approach such as Far Cry 3. If you're looking for a modern adventure game though, Tomb Raider is by far the most polished and appealing even to those that don't like the genre.… Expand
  15. RampantAndroid
    Apr 30, 2013
    7
    I'm only a couple of hours in to the game, so I may need to revise this over time, but here goes.

    This game...does have a lot to like. Great graphics, though those don't make or ruin a game really. They are however glitchy on nVidia 600 series cards look up the kaleidoscope bug. Story wise, it's relatively well done. You're shipwrecked and need to get off the island. You're in a tomb    I'm only a couple of hours in to the game, so I may need to revise this over time, but here goes.

    This game...does have a lot to like. Great graphics, though those don't make or ruin a game really. They are however glitchy on nVidia 600 series cards look up the kaleidoscope bug.

    Story wise, it's relatively well done. You're shipwrecked and need to get off the island. You're in a tomb raider game, so expect supernatural stuff to happen. No surprise, if you're OK with Indiana Jones, you're OK with this IMO.

    Acting: well done. Lara's acting is the best, and she seems like a believable character. She never really is OK with killing, which is a nice element.

    Redesign: Yeah, it's a new Lara, not as well endowed, but the difference is she is a believable character. Frankly, I like the new visual design they gave her. I like the fact we're seeing her kill for the first time, that she doesn't like it, that she struggles. That she's human.

    Gameplay: Well, here it gets a little dicey. Is it fun? Sure. Platforming is a little simple (jump, you'll make it.) The bow and gun are fun I especially like the bow. Silent kills work (bow shot, or strangling.) You can try to play the game like hitman, if you so wish.

    Movement is fine, except early on I would be going around thinking "there might be an enemy here, I should walk and not run" until I realized that the game would make me crouch if I needed to, walk slowly when someone was near. It removes the surprise from the game, it makes it TOO easy. One complaint though is that you're guided too much just when walking. Walking along a cliff that turns to the left? Don't worry about holding down the A key to go to the left, just hold W to walk forward, you follow the ledge automatically. Takes the fun out of the game.

    Combat is alright, like I said before the gun and bow work. It's cover based though, so again it's simplified.

    The AI is...stupid. They pop up to let you get a shot off quickly. The only challenge is timing how long you can hold an arrow taught on the bow.

    Quick Time Events (QTEs) and cut scenes. Yeah. They're there. Sometimes I go into a cutscene and don't know it and am left thinking "no, Lara. To the left! LEFT! Oh, wait...I'm not in control right now." Sometimes I don't know when I'm meant to take over. On the QTEs, I had to replay a scene where a russian guy can't decide if he wants to rape or strangle you. (knee him, bite ear, shoot, mash f key, mash e key, he's dead.) They don't make it explicitly known what key to mash all the time, so I start mashing everything. It's awful. There aren't TOO many of these. So far.

    All in all, I like the game so far. I can see myself replaying it. Will it make best of 2013 for me? No. But it's worth the money to me, I think. I like the redesign of Lara and the re-imagining. I hope Square keeps going, and learns from the mistakes in this game.    … Expand
  16. bobecker
    May 17, 2013
    7
    As someone who has been a fan of most Tomb Raider games I was somewhat afraid of change for the franchise. I did end up enjoying the game but not in the same way that I enjoyed the original series. The puzzles seemed somewhat bland to me, too simple and not as difficult as the puzzles in the original Tomb Raider. Other than that it did make for an overall enjoyable experience.
  17. Alien91
    Jun 3, 2014
    7
    Straight to the point: This is the worst tomb raider ever made gameplay wise. Every moves are linear and it feels like you are watching more than you are playing. It's a fake open-game that only let you one path to choose, beside some mystic temples aside your path once in a while. When you think about it, does it really differ from past games? Not that much, but still it's a step backwardStraight to the point: This is the worst tomb raider ever made gameplay wise. Every moves are linear and it feels like you are watching more than you are playing. It's a fake open-game that only let you one path to choose, beside some mystic temples aside your path once in a while. When you think about it, does it really differ from past games? Not that much, but still it's a step backward with it's linearity and those infamous Quick Time Events that constantly ask you to tap a specific button, either X or Y so you can see Lara suddenly escape a trap, hitting back some dude by her own without your help. Feels like Shenmue. I don't like Shenmue. I hate it. This sort of gameplay doesn't reward you, it makes you watch while you do absolutely nothing. This is for vegetative gamers that can't move a character by their own. Do you remember the moves you were doing by yourself in the first Splinter Cell games 10 years ago? You could take out a guard the way you wanted, you had to be creative and it added replay values. It was more difficult but it was rewarding, then Conviction game out and it became retarded and over simplified. Press a big WIN button and your enemies are down.. talk about stealth. This is the same feeling I had with the most recent iteration of Tomb Raider. This is why this game gets a 7 instead of a 9. The animations on the other hand are amazingly good, the tress-FX adds alot to the beauty of Lara and the textures are really good for a vanilla game. The music is alright and the voice acting is top class. This game hasn't been praised by it's intelligence and freedom, it has been praised by the media because of it's high-professional execution, whether it's the graphic, the sound but most importantly, the presentation, which is stellar compared to previous Tomb Raider games. It's true that it might feel like an Uncharted game and it's no coincidence, it sells. I'm enjoying it despite the linearity and the dumbed-down gameplay, so should you if you are searching for a non-puzzling game. Yes, there are basically no puzzles anymore in Tomb Raider, it's too difficult to search for a door switch for the new generation of tax-payer. Hope you enjoy this non-biased, honest review.… Expand
  18. chocobo
    Mar 23, 2014
    7
    I've played every TR except 1, and I've replayed Legend, Anniversary, and Underworld just to prep for it, that's how much I'm into TR.

    And here's some unpolished thoughts: Puzzle-wise it's lacking in scale and coherence--understandably because it's now in semi-open world format, which means open world travel > tomb/confined spaces > open world travel. And this actually hurts the    I've played every TR except 1, and I've replayed Legend, Anniversary, and Underworld just to prep for it, that's how much I'm into TR.

    And here's some unpolished thoughts:

    Puzzle-wise it's lacking in scale and coherence--understandably because it's now in semi-open world format, which means open world travel > tomb/confined spaces > open world travel. And this actually hurts the immersion you get from tackling long series of great looking puzzles in a grand tomb/ place alone which defined TR. Interestingly, Assassin's Creed's large tombs had given that same kind of immersion to me.

    Social aspect is strong, but i just don't know was it helping or hurting the game because solemn exploration and comrade-helping is somewhat contradictory in nature, and either needs a lot of time and content to be memorable. There were too many different characters, and the focus on each of them was scattered and short-lived (except Sam), not allowing any deep memorable connection to develop.

    The extras (hidden stuff, journals, artifacts) again were overambitious in that they were all trying to cue the player towards various of lore/ side story that would be interesting, but were not quite resolved.

    Enemy placement was unbelievable at times, like spawning from a cave entrance behind which you'll discover afterwards that it's a slide > jump > cling wall place

    It's still a good game in that It has good graphics, focused back story, detailed character movements, fluid combat system, and a solid chunk of non-repeated scripted interactive scenes. But again everyone knows that focusing the game's development resources on these things takes it away from other things (in this case, actual playable puzzles and interactive time between characters).

    To be fair, given the scope/ experimental stuff they did to the game, this TR could only be seen as a prequel (if there will be any sequel since SE thought they didn't sell enough)

    From a player's perspective the game is totally worth it, but critically, it's an experimental TR that misplaced too much of its resources in things that did not define the franchise. The end product is another modern AAA title that doesn't stand out an awful lot.    … Expand
  19. gabrielct
    Dec 10, 2013
    7
    This new Tomb Raider is more like a freaking overextended movie than a video games. What drove me insane is that at one point, like in the middle, it got really repetitive was the same old same over and over again. Like you got in a new area then find some documents, some relics, gps, kill some never ending guys and watch a freaking cut scene! Thats it!!! it repeats for an infinite amountThis new Tomb Raider is more like a freaking overextended movie than a video games. What drove me insane is that at one point, like in the middle, it got really repetitive was the same old same over and over again. Like you got in a new area then find some documents, some relics, gps, kill some never ending guys and watch a freaking cut scene! Thats it!!! it repeats for an infinite amount of times and in the end you just play to know whats gonna happen, cause it is no fun at all. But I do have to admit that the art direction in general was good, also the voice acting and some good sound. Overall its kinda enjoyable at the beggining and really tiresome towards the end. Would rate it a 7.5… Expand
  20. Adel2Mass
    Apr 3, 2013
    7
    Amazing graphics. Good gameplay. So many bugs though (Unplayable in some areas even after lowering it to normal settings). I can't give it more than 7 score.
  21. Penther
    Mar 24, 2013
    7
    Tomb Raider is becoming more a movie than a game. Compared to some of the previous episodes, this reboot is a good thing, but it comes with the defects of many AAA these times. Short video sequences are a good thing for ambiance, but it ruins the rrythm, you're always in the middle of playing when suddenly, "oh i've gotta wait for the end of this cinematics to continue what i was doing".Tomb Raider is becoming more a movie than a game. Compared to some of the previous episodes, this reboot is a good thing, but it comes with the defects of many AAA these times. Short video sequences are a good thing for ambiance, but it ruins the rrythm, you're always in the middle of playing when suddenly, "oh i've gotta wait for the end of this cinematics to continue what i was doing". QTEs are, as always, useless and boring, especially during the first hours of the game. Some animations also ruin the rythm by being too long too often (burning a net with materials, opening boxes). And difficulty is pretty low, for foghting sequences (if you aim with your mouse, you'll headshot most of the ennemies very easily). or for puzzles/exploration (always pretty obvious).
    Beside these defects the game is pleasant, graphics are really nice, and controls are good (some multi-platforms games can't be played without a pad, that's not the case here).
    In the end, I can see a lot of defects, not a lot of qualities, but I took pleasure playing it, that's the most important thing, but it does not make it a great game, only a good one.    … Expand
  22. giappone
    Mar 15, 2013
    7
    Yet again, a great miss. This could have been the game of the year, but in the end ruined by laziness and stupidity. Yet again Square Enix gives us a game that could have been so great and end up average by bad game design and not giving a f**k about the PC gamer community... They need our money, but they sell us ported console-sh*t. Sad.
    From the first moment this game captures you, as a    Yet again, a great miss. This could have been the game of the year, but in the end ruined by laziness and stupidity. Yet again Square Enix gives us a game that could have been so great and end up average by bad game design and not giving a f**k about the PC gamer community... They need our money, but they sell us ported console-sh*t. Sad.
    From the first moment this game captures you, as a blockbuster action movie (a better one). And you think wow, I never liked Tomb Raider's platforming jumpandjackandpush gamestyle but this is something different. And it is, up to the 1st QTE. It's not that they are THAT hard, but it's just not for the PC. The two wont go together, dear developers. Brainless timed button smashing is for the young ones and they buy console. It's as simple as that. A game with QTE is a badly designed game (for the PC). Period. The other thing is performance. I had to take down resolution to 1024x768 to pass a the wolfie QTE, after 7 retries on 1920x1200... Its just missing my button hits... TessFX, thank you very much. 8-10 fps. And I wont buy a new machine fo r ONE game only, given that ALL my other games I play run smoothly on my machine, above 20-30 fps (even the newest ones Far Cry 3, etc). It's like Crysis I had to wait for 2-3 years till I got a machine I could run it maxed out. You can say its my problem, but Crysis 2 ran smoothly on the same rig and looked better. Coding, optimizing VS laziness. Just as here. In Deus ex HR, the bosses screwed up everything (and the console optimized controls), now the QTEs (and the console optimized controls). These games had so much potential. But no. I can't imagine how game companies pay a wealth for designers, who make so stupid mistakes and screw up a game mistakes that even I could tell them not to make...
    So it gets a 7, above average. Its not bad, but if you take the opportunity it had missed... It's a major flop, sadly.    … Expand
  23. theirrelephants
    Apr 22, 2019
    7
    Good game, not as good as Rise of the Tomb Raider but still pretty enjoyable. I rushed through it because I played the second one first and wanted to get to the third game... the tombs are almost entirely optional, so I only did a few, not that there were many to begin with.

    Story was neat, unlike the second game this one has more of a fantasy twist than scifi. A good first person    Good game, not as good as Rise of the Tomb Raider but still pretty enjoyable. I rushed through it because I played the second one first and wanted to get to the third game... the tombs are almost entirely optional, so I only did a few, not that there were many to begin with.

    Story was neat, unlike the second game this one has more of a fantasy twist than scifi.

    A good first person adventure game, I recommend it. If you like it, you'll enjoy the second one even more - as it improves on the first in every single way.

    Downsides:
    The side characters who aren't lara are all extremely irritating. Fortunately, you don't interact with them much at all.

    I figured out who was going to betray me before the end of the game in the PROLOGUE. Geeze.

    Combat can be a bit janky. Probably only noticeable if you've played the second one, which was much more smooth.

    In hindsight, if you play the games out of order, Lara's freakouts in the second game over murdering someone make zero sense. You're in the triple, if not quadruple digits as far as kill counts are concerned by the end of this entry.    … Expand
  24. Muuvinki
    Jul 17, 2013
    7
    This game is average at the most, nice going from game developers to make action & adventure game for casuals. I finished this on hardest difficulty and even though it was suppose to be hard it really wasn't at all. Enemy AI is stupid and even though they are going for cover from you they still leave themselves vulnerable for headshots and easy kills. All these climbing and small puzzleThis game is average at the most, nice going from game developers to make action & adventure game for casuals. I finished this on hardest difficulty and even though it was suppose to be hard it really wasn't at all. Enemy AI is stupid and even though they are going for cover from you they still leave themselves vulnerable for headshots and easy kills. All these climbing and small puzzle things that this game contains are outright boring and don't serve any other purpose than leveling up Lara to get some more skillpoints. Skillpoint system is old and doesn't bring anything new to the gaming. Developers really need to start thinking about new possibilities to improve these kinda games.… Expand
  25. Magdi_alafifi
    Jun 23, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Tomb Raider takes a cliche consumed thousand times, theme and adds a boring historical-archaeological sauce.. Lara Croft starts the game as a smart reasonable strong enthusiastic adventurer who finds herself struggling to survive.. soon though she turns into a super legendary woman who can take entire alarmed armies of soldiers known as "the morons" on her own just with the slight theoretical training of her father-like mentor, Roth, who is a likable interesting character that was able to stimulate our sympathy and admiration.. Lara takes extremely enjoyable badass bow-takedowns.. Katniss croft makes you feel like a beast.. Although the stealth mechanics are not very original something in Tomb Raider still makes the stealth, in terms of fun, very enjoyable. Lara is also very lucky because most of the enemies she encounters have an IQ that ranges between 20 to 40.. the retarded enemies you meet in the game are not just stupid enough to worship a dead queen who they give a ton load of human sacrifices to liberate her soul out of her natural bitc*iness for her to stop the storms.. they also think it's very naturally healthy to slowly approach a person with a rifle and a shotgun in a ridiculous attempt to stab him with a knife.. Lara is also lucky cuz her magical pistol is given to her by Santa in her 7th birthday.. that's probably why it makes much more damage then a rifle or shotgun.. as the game goes on you start getting this irritating itchiness we used to get in Lost season 6.. the story gets lamer and more driven into the super-natural side.. Lara as she gets tougher and more brutal becomes also dumber and more pretentious that she has to end every sentence she says with "I have to end this" and with the less stealth in the later mission.. the game starts to feel boring.. and then....... a huge disappointment in the ending.. so in the end it basically turns out queen Himiko soul is stuck inside a statue or something so she has to consume hot young ladies constantly to slip out of the jail.. and would finally stop jerking around with people using those storms as long as they fully serve her homosexual fetishes for using white young women as blood fuel ..in the final scene we're back to the beginning, back to the boat. And everyone is safe and good.. except now they're only 4 and Lara is now stupid and superstitious.
    Now that my soliloquy is done, I wanna note that although my review may seem critical, I did enjoy the game and currently in a second walkthrough, It's fun, The stealth and arrow kills are simply FUN. a lot of fun.. However, as a story-driven game, I find the writing very clumsy, The story is ridiculous, and with tons of plots holes.    … Expand
  26. Helts_47
    Mar 6, 2013
    7
    Let me start out this review by stating that I've never played any previous tomb raider games, so I was going into this sight unseen.

    Pros - Story - I really enjoyed the story, it moved along at a nice pace and there was a lot of tension to be had. Lara's character progression throughout the game was interesting though perhaps a little hurried at times. Puzzles, Platforming    Let me start out this review by stating that I've never played any previous tomb raider games, so I was going into this sight unseen.

    Pros -

    Story
    - I really enjoyed the story, it moved along at a nice pace and there was a lot of tension to be had. Lara's character progression throughout the game was interesting though perhaps a little hurried at times.

    Puzzles, Platforming Level Design
    - While most of the puzzles are pretty easy, I did have to stop and think a few times, and most of them are very well constructed. The platforming was a highlight of the game for me, there is a lot of different ways you can climb onto things and the level design in general was very solid. Weapon Customisation Scavenging
    - The crafting system in the game revolves around finding crates and boxes full of "salvage" which you can then use to upgrade your weapons. This is handled well in the game, as it forces you to go off the beaten track to look for salvage so you can keep your weapons at the same level as your enemy's. Almost every upgrade will change the appearance of your guns bow, and even the higher level ones still look handmade which is a nice touch.

    Combat
    - Whilst easy, the combat is nice and satisfying, the guns feel nice for the most part, though the pistol could use some work to make it seem less peashooter-y. The bow was the most outstanding weapon in my opinion and it felt great. Lara is not able to hold the bowstring back indefinitley like in other games featuring a bow, and when you shoot someone with it, the arrows actualy act like arrows, they pierce through people with sickening sounds and they are full size, even when sticking out of your prey.

    Enviroments The enviroments are very dark and gritty for the most part which I really enjoyed, and there was quite a lot of tension and atmosphere that really impressed me. You will be playing through caves and tombs, but also through shipwrecks and crashed aircraft ranging from recent to world war 2 era, all on a tropical Japanese themed island.

    Cons -

    Side Characters
    - Most of the characters that the developers obviously want you to care about, cheif amongst which being Sam (who is no exception to the rule) are bland and one dimensional. This isn't helped by the fact that the game will constantly push you outside of the group and force you along by yourself, further distancing you from the characters.

    Difficulty
    - Even on hard difficulty I had little to no problems dispatching massive hordes of enemies either through stealth or by shooting them in the face. This did severly limit my enjoyment of the game. The game is made easier by the fact that you will quite literaly never run out of ammo. I found myself actualy deliberatly not picking up ammo crates to limit myself in combat and I still didn't struggle.

    Linear Gameplay
    - The game is very linear. It pushes you in a certain direction whilst attempting (rather poorly) to disguise this by providing multiple ways to get to your destination. The only redeeming factor here is that there are many many collectibles to find and salvage to get, so there is reason to explore the levels more fully.

    QTEs
    - If you don't like QTEs be warned this game is FULL of them. I don't mind them myself though it is annoying to instantly die because you didn't press a button at the correct time. More annoying is the fact that the prompts that appear don't tell you which button to press. ie. a symbol of a hand will flash up, which means you need to press 'E', a symbol of an exclamation mark means 'F' etc. It would have been much better to just show the letter the game wants you to press.

    Conclusion -
    Overall this is a good cinematic game with great storytelling and character progression. The game is very linear and is peppered with QTEs, but has good level design and intreaging enviroments and puzzles. If you don't mind playing linear games then I would wholeheartedly recommend this game. If however you hate the very notion, then stay clear.    … Expand
  27. Duskspark
    Mar 11, 2013
    7
    Even though the visuals and gameplay are exquisite, Tomb Raider's voiceacting sometimes feels a bit too much. Lara always thinks out loud, and almost every single line she says ends in a higher or lower tone. The beauty of the voiceacting however is when you find relics surprisingly, that's where Lara's voice really stands above many other games.
  28. Tytos
    May 2, 2013
    7
    Best adventure of the last years, even if the story is rushed and there is too much action for old fans of the series, the game manages to entertain, however the dlc-policy is a joke.
  29. fullfrost
    Mar 6, 2013
    7
    The game is pretty decent. Starts off because of the all the quick time events. If you're playing this on the PC, you may have a hard time with the QTEs because the letter of the buttons don't appear. Press E when the comes up and F when the appears. 8-Graphics on the HD 7970 looks good and TressFX hair is amazing. 7-Game play is average for a 3rd person shooter. 9-Controls are solid.The game is pretty decent. Starts off because of the all the quick time events. If you're playing this on the PC, you may have a hard time with the QTEs because the letter of the buttons don't appear. Press E when the comes up and F when the appears. 8-Graphics on the HD 7970 looks good and TressFX hair is amazing. 7-Game play is average for a 3rd person shooter. 9-Controls are solid. 6-Story is meh.
    7-Music is average

    Game plays exactly like Uncharted 1-3, without the humor.    … Expand
  30. Seryin
    Jun 16, 2014
    7
    A great reboot to a franchise that desperately needed it.
    This game reminds me a lot of Assassin's Creed mechanics mixed with a Far Cry theme and survival setting.
    Though the world was open to explore, the gameplay was linear and always pointed you to a specific place or direction. Not much to do aside from the base story other than collect the collectables that we are so fond of in    A great reboot to a franchise that desperately needed it.
    This game reminds me a lot of Assassin's Creed mechanics mixed with a Far Cry theme and survival setting.
    Though the world was open to explore, the gameplay was linear and always pointed you to a specific place or direction. Not much to do aside from the base story other than collect the collectables that we are so fond of in games like these.
    However, what it delivered in the single player campaign was a quality, story-driven experience.
    The multiplayer is already completely dead. Could not manage to get into a multiplayer game after an hour of waiting on two different occasions.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

18
#18 Best PC Game of 2013
8
#8 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
17
#17 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Jun 10, 2013
    92
    The new incarnation of the iconic Lara Craft might very well be one of the best games out there right now. [April 2013]
  2. PC PowerPlay
    Mar 30, 2013
    90
    Everything you could want from an archeological adventure, except having to press six keys to mantle. [Apr 2013, p.80]
  3. DarkStation
    Mar 19, 2013
    80
    While not every promising idea Tomb Raider has is pulled off successfully, it nevertheless turns in a tense and memorable ride that combines modern game design with its forebears’ adventurous spirit in some exciting ways. Some of its missteps may well come at the cost of your enjoyment, but most can’t hope to hurt the adventure in the long run. Although it never fully finds its identity, this is a game and a story worth seeing through.
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