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. pedRX
    Apr 25, 2013
    9
    Tomb Raider is by far one of the best games of this year because of this graphics, story, dramatic and intense moments and gameplay and characters.
    It has a lot of cutscenes but they are there to help the game do better and the con that is not that big is that there are a lot of quick-time events but they are infused well and you can notice when the cutscene ends and a quick-time event    Tomb Raider is by far one of the best games of this year because of this graphics, story, dramatic and intense moments and gameplay and characters.
    It has a lot of cutscenes but they are there to help the game do better and the con that is not that big is that there are a lot of quick-time events but they are infused well and you can notice when the cutscene ends and a quick-time event starts because of its great transition from one to another.
    Now to talk about multiplayer it seems like a pasted in not that good multiplayer because it does not do any thing new or interesting.
    Overall this game could have been a 10 if it wasn't for some things that draw it back and the multiplayer but still this might very well be one of the games of the year.    … Expand
  2. gun21000
    Apr 25, 2013
    6
    Yes, the graphics are amazing, voice acting is beyond perfect, the story is good, but not impressive. But why in the world its a "Survival" game when you find ammo literally everywhere, Lara pulls out weapons out of her ass, stealth in this game is none, enemy can see you through walls. Collectibles are another story: why does Lara need to light every Buddha statue when she sees it?!Yes, the graphics are amazing, voice acting is beyond perfect, the story is good, but not impressive. But why in the world its a "Survival" game when you find ammo literally everywhere, Lara pulls out weapons out of her ass, stealth in this game is none, enemy can see you through walls. Collectibles are another story: why does Lara need to light every Buddha statue when she sees it?! Doesn't that give away your position to enemies? Why does Lara pick up every artifact she can find? I mean, she is surviving not looking for treasure and where she puts them? Up her ass?! The ending was a little bit disappointing because every character mention a human being throughout the game, but do you get to fight it? NO! Of course not! You fight the same boss twice! TWICE! Overall the game is average.… Expand
  3. ntall1
    Apr 24, 2013
    5
    Easter Egg Hunt: Lara Croft Edition.

    Its a good reboot of the series if they didn't put an Easter egg hunt in every single area of the game. I like doing extra stuff in games I really do. But when its one dimensional and adds nothing to the game its completely pointless, and in turn takes away from the actual game. I like to fully complete my games so when they put in something like    Easter Egg Hunt: Lara Croft Edition.

    Its a good reboot of the series if they didn't put an Easter egg hunt in every single area of the game. I like doing extra stuff in games I really do. But when its one dimensional and adds nothing to the game its completely pointless, and in turn takes away from the actual game. I like to fully complete my games so when they put in something like this I try to do it. However.. by the end of the game I was so sick of finding useless stuff in each area that I didn't even want to complete the game. It started to feel like a chore.

    If you ignore the Easter egg hunting and just play thru the game quickly it is actually pretty good. Without the mindless task of searching the environment for a bunch of useless stuff the game runs at a pretty decent pace, and the story and voice acting are not bad.

    So to sum it all up. Tomb Raider isn't a bad game, but they bloated it up with a lot of useless game play in an effort to make the game seem longer than it really is, and in doing so they really took away from the speed of the game, and it really was not at all necessary. Without all the usless features in the game I probably would have rated it a 7.    … Expand
  4. Majestic
    Apr 24, 2013
    10
    I just finished playing the game, and having played through every game up until the recent installments I was really hoping that this reboot deviated from the worn down pattern of the old games. While they had their charms, especially the first two games, the games were now beyond repetition and consistently suffered from the usualy clunky controls and poor camera angles ("leap of faithI just finished playing the game, and having played through every game up until the recent installments I was really hoping that this reboot deviated from the worn down pattern of the old games. While they had their charms, especially the first two games, the games were now beyond repetition and consistently suffered from the usualy clunky controls and poor camera angles ("leap of faith jumps" anyone).
    The reboot delivered!, and I found myself quite immersed in the game, especially near the end. The gameplay is one of the better ones i've played in a while, and the very few times i missed a jump was probably my own fault. Lara's movement looks natural as she gracefully navigates her surroundings. And the game had some pretty epic setpieces. Having a reasonable computer i was able to play this game on the maximum settings (though nvidia cards still suffer from the tessalation bug), and the visuals were simply stunning (especially compared to the console versions), though some color pallettes are a little questionable, especially the shantytown looked a little murky (i've got a E-IPS panel, it's not me). The TressFX feature is also a nice touch, though this is only a option if you’ve got a decent graphics card. (Make sure you update your drivers if you’ve got a Nvidia card). Bottomline, it should be said that allot of time went into these visuals, and the Eidos/Square Enix gets some kudo’s for that.
    Replayability is good, meaning i will definitely pick it up again after a while. Reason being that the game gives you the option to continue the game to hunt for the collectables after the end. So for the completionists, there is no immediate reason to replay the game again shortly after, you can just continue.
    Besides the story there is enough for you to do, though this ultimately comes down to mostly collectables. There are also allot of Secret Tombs for you to discover, though these seem a tad bit underdeveloped. Having been used to the huge dungeons in Skyrim, i found myself scratching my head when I was done in about 5 minutes sometimes. These had allot more potential as it was really exhilarating when you entered them with only your flaming torch, not knowing what was in there.
    The story is no shakespear, but it presents itself well enough for you to care long enough. The only real issue with the story is the somewhat predictable characters, that sometimes display slasher-movie type stupidity (“Let’s split up!”). I've also got to mention that i do not share the statements that there are huge plotholes, everything can be explained with some common sense, and most of it is also explained in the books/documents scattered arround the island. I think it all comes down how well you're able to immerse yourself. Also there are people mentioning the disconnection between Lara’s story and the gameplay. She seems to quickly go from defenseless girl to badass. It is explained she is not new to this, but just never put it into actual practice (traning with Roth). Though i do agree it is borderline believeable.
    Bottomline, I’m glad Eidos/Square decided to reboot this series. The series didn’t age well, and it was ultimately a gamble for the studios investing allot in this game. I think they did an excellent job and i feel i got my moneys worth. I’m also glad a forgotten icon of gaming history finaly has some of her shine back. I'm anxious to see where the serie goes from here.

    I really hope though, that they keep the emphasis on single player next installment. Who really needs a Tomb Raider multiplayer.. it felt tacked on.    … Expand
  5. Munch1981
    Apr 24, 2013
    10
    Best Tomb raider by far ,not the same puzzle elements as before..... so some hard core fans may miss that but there are puzzles when the temple's are found,but the action is great a lot like Uncharted.
  6. SirRichard
    Apr 23, 2013
    10
    Jesus, I even registered here to write something 'bout this game... Regarding all the Cut-Scene-Quick-Time-Event comments: I play at PC and I hate those console-thingys were you have to manage 25 buttons with 4 variations to go through the game. Tomb Raider is always fair and uses Bullet-Time to give you the chance to accomplish great things, resulting in a huge 'hoaaahh'-Feeling. AndJesus, I even registered here to write something 'bout this game... Regarding all the Cut-Scene-Quick-Time-Event comments: I play at PC and I hate those console-thingys were you have to manage 25 buttons with 4 variations to go through the game. Tomb Raider is always fair and uses Bullet-Time to give you the chance to accomplish great things, resulting in a huge 'hoaaahh'-Feeling. And that's what a good game does (like Mass Effect, Half Life 2). Looking through my list of 100+ games on Steam so far, I can't recall a game where I invested more effort in a short time to play it through and find every bit of a puzzle.
    To sum it up well where shall I begin? The Story? The Gameplay? The Riddles? The Action-Sequences? Maybe the In-Game Cutscenes???? They are just all phenomenal!!!
    Damn it, I've never been a Tomb Raider Fan. Now I am.
    Give! Me!! MOAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!!!!     … Expand
  7. Xanifur
    Apr 22, 2013
    9
    One of the better story driven games I have played. I went into it not expecting much, but was instantly glued to my PC and couldn't stop until it was finished. Amazing graphics sound and story. Disappointed with Lara's development though, before you know it she will be mowing down waves of enemies, which doesn't fit her character at all. Definitely one of the best games so far thisOne of the better story driven games I have played. I went into it not expecting much, but was instantly glued to my PC and couldn't stop until it was finished. Amazing graphics sound and story. Disappointed with Lara's development though, before you know it she will be mowing down waves of enemies, which doesn't fit her character at all. Definitely one of the best games so far this year, recommend it highly, even over Bioshock.… Expand
  8. Troianman
    Apr 22, 2013
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I personally gave this game an 8.6 out of 10 (rounds up to 9) because it was extremely well done and reboots the series in an incredibly entertaining and refreshing way. The Lara Croft we are given in this game is not the same raider of tombs from the mid 90s that we knew and loved she is an inexperienced and younger version who has never ventured into a tomb and this is her first journey. By the end she becomes the Lara Croft that we know and love from the 90s but in an updated and pretty epic way. The very last moment of combat even pays homage to the dual pistol wielding protagonist we remember from our first adventure so long ago. I wish there were bears, I wish there were bats, I love that there are wolves but I definitely wish there were more throwback moments than there are, if only to satisfy the fans of the original series who took the time to play this version.

    The music is fitting for the time you hear it but isn't very memorable afterwards. The voice acting, especially for Lara is extremely well done, which is something I am very glad to finally be saying about more and more games these days. The combat is very well done when it allows you to do your thing but when quick time events are necessary to defeat particular enemies it gets a bit annoying and some of those events are slightly bugged so it sometimes takes a few tries which only adds to the annoyance factor. Sadly the game is very easy (even on hard difficulty), puzzles are not complex or in depth, you can easily get all upgrades, the game pretty much holds your hand the entire way but that ultimately detracts very little from a game that does a beautiful job of rebooting a series that many including myself feared might be dead after being run into the ground by so many terrible sequels.

    The characters other than Lara are unfortunately not very well developed throughout the game, with the exception of your main enemy. Through the journals you pick up over the course of the game you learn bits of information that you would not otherwise know even from Lara's friends/companions. However the only journals that shed any light on much of anything are those from your enemy, and there are a few others that have nothing to do with your group that add to the overall story of the game in a very interesting way. The reason I did not lower my score much for this is because her friends really do not matter in the long run. They are amusing at times but the majority of the narrative takes place without them and Lara is really the only character we are meant to care about.

    The island is beautifully crafted and I have not seen any version that does the game justice that is not on a PC with the graphics completely juiced. There are moments that I caught myself just running around and looking at the environments and smiling because they looked absolutely gorgeous on my PC. Even the particularly gruesome deaths that you cause look rather traumatizing at some points and they should as shooting people in the face with an arrow is not a pretty thing.

    One of the defining moments in the game is Lara's first kill and this is cut a bit short mostly because the game does not have several hours to let you recover from this but it still feels important and it should as the character will never be the same again. After this she slowly turns into the female version of Nathan Drake, which is kind of funny because Nathan Drake was highly influenced by the original Lara Croft but that link has no negative impact on the game as Uncharted is a great series itself and not taking that into account would have been a mistake that I am glad was not made. By the end her transition is very satisfying and very enjoyable to experience. While there are likely no life altering moments about this game that make anybody want to run out and become a game developer it is an extremely well crafted game that any fan of the original series should play as it reboots the entire thing in such a refreshing way that there will almost definitely be sequels to look forward to in the near future.    … Expand
  9. squeax
    Apr 22, 2013
    4
    Tomb Raider [2013] is an interactive visual novel about a girl with gravity defying hair who ends up stranded on an island in the South Pacific after an accident. During her quest to survive she will be injured one way or another about every 5 minutes or even killed if she does not correctly executes a quick time event.
  10. meediocre
    Apr 22, 2013
    8
    Thoroughly enjoyable romp, with some jaw-dropping settings, atmosphere and perilous Croft-action. Lacks some of the puzzles and and feeling of totally getting lost that used to be part of the staple for the original three games, so there's a distinct lack of a mechanical challenge for the player. The story is also rather standard fare, and that's why I'm giving this reboot an 8 out of 10.Thoroughly enjoyable romp, with some jaw-dropping settings, atmosphere and perilous Croft-action. Lacks some of the puzzles and and feeling of totally getting lost that used to be part of the staple for the original three games, so there's a distinct lack of a mechanical challenge for the player. The story is also rather standard fare, and that's why I'm giving this reboot an 8 out of 10. I cannot fault the game, however for its ambition and detail with the level-design. Combat was solid enough and upgrades to Lara's weapons and tools were a cool feature. Let's have a bigger and badder sequel soon please!… Expand
  11. GunslingerX1983
    Apr 21, 2013
    10
    Tomb Raider is a superb action adventure! I never expected to be this impressed by it but it is a very well made and balanced 3rd person action title. I really think i prefer this to Uncharted as well it has a more serious and dramatic tone to it. The atmosphere the game creates really sucks you in and leaves you in awe at every cut scene especially on PC. Well worth everyone's money.
  12. ScottReid
    Apr 21, 2013
    10
    I came here to give Tomb Raider 2013 a score of 10. I've done this. Tomb Raider has great voice acting, great graphics, great environments, great story, great characters, great multiplayer. great gameplay. I've been playing games all my life. I know games. Trust me. Buy this. You will not regret it.
  13. crisuxx
    Apr 20, 2013
    10
    Best tomb raider ever AND best game of 2013. The story is amazing the new lara is amazing the graphics is amazing and the gameplay is FLAWLESS the multyplayer is not as good as the single player however i've seen worst multyplayer.
  14. jim008
    Apr 20, 2013
    10
    This is how you reboot a game, it's really a 8 to 9 but I wanted to balance out all the idiots who gave it a 4 or less due to bad reasons. The quick time events are fine because it was the only way for me to actually feel surprised when I have to press something out of no where. None of them are even hard, you have like two different buttons to watch out for and sometimes you have toThis is how you reboot a game, it's really a 8 to 9 but I wanted to balance out all the idiots who gave it a 4 or less due to bad reasons. The quick time events are fine because it was the only way for me to actually feel surprised when I have to press something out of no where. None of them are even hard, you have like two different buttons to watch out for and sometimes you have to press left and right. If you get caught off guard, the death scenes are very well done. How can anybody say there's not enough exploration? You have the (keyword)choice of exploring an entire island and there's a ton of things to explore. I like the assassin creed like instinct thing, I guess some people enjoy mentally keeping track of where they are in the world but I prefer to not have to look at the map all the time. This does make the puzzles super easy though, I didn't google a single solution, they were all very straight forward and sometimes Laura will even blurt out a hint. The story definitely starts out pretty strong, but it gets pretty predictable towards the end. I was never sure if they were going to go with a scientific explanation or magic until about half way through. The game is a bit on the too easy side, the only time I died was from surprising quicktime events and the huge fire fights at the end. However, it's definitely fun, it's one of the few games in the recent years where I had to finish it.… Expand
  15. happy-argentine
    Apr 20, 2013
    7
    This was one of those cases when the game play got in the way of the story; and broke my immersion in a definite way. Cut-scene Lara was a scared, inexperienced, beautiful young woman; game-play Lara was a raging murdering psychopath with no remorse, perfect aim and adamantium bones, mowing through hundreds of beings in an efficiency rivalling trained SEALs. It's a great game, wellThis was one of those cases when the game play got in the way of the story; and broke my immersion in a definite way. Cut-scene Lara was a scared, inexperienced, beautiful young woman; game-play Lara was a raging murdering psychopath with no remorse, perfect aim and adamantium bones, mowing through hundreds of beings in an efficiency rivalling trained SEALs. It's a great game, well developed, AMAZINGLY acted and fun to play, but a missed opportunity in my opinion. I think a 7 out of 10 does it justice....oh...almost forgot: no end boss battle???? really???? WTF?… Expand
  16. Bulldozer
    Apr 19, 2013
    10
    There is only one word that could approximate a definition for this game: "Masterpiece".

    I'm an old TR fan to let it understand to the few people who can understand it around the world, there are not many ones who can say "in Tomb Raider II I entered THAT door", well, I'm one of them. I was waiting for a game like this since.... Well, back to the review, this game is 100% well    There is only one word that could approximate a definition for this game: "Masterpiece".

    I'm an old TR fan to let it understand to the few people who can understand it around the world, there are not many ones who can say "in Tomb Raider II I entered THAT door", well, I'm one of them. I was waiting for a game like this since.... Well, back to the review, this game is 100% well balanced, to point out few things I would improve: 1) the level design is "nearly perfect", only I'm missing a little the "how the F... I can reach that spot feeling, I hope that in a sequel this could be addressed cause the platforming is however rewarding as never but I feel that a bit more challenge could add to the experience. 2) Lara is responding in a perfect way, in the game you really feel you ARE Lara Croft and not just driving a mannequin, this boost that already spoken "I want more" from the (outstanding) environment. 3) the very well implemented RPG options could be implemented better, the first two survival skills for example, if I'm not missing something are pretty nearly useless throughout the game, adding more vicious animals to defend from and the need to feed yourself to keep health regenerating could have given a meaning to those. 4) When you have the right equipment there is too few backtracking that could be done in order to discover more, there are no reasons to explore again an already 100%ed sector except to gain some experience from enemies, a couple of "ok now I have this, let see if I can access that spot" per sector could have been an HUGE booster for the overall experience. 5) The upgrade system is well crafted and enough satisfying but hiding the upgrades in the menu could give that feeling of "what now that is thrown away from the complete visible list. 6) The above also works for collectibles, I hate games in which you knows in advance what you will find in them, this applies even to this beautiful game, knowing in advance how many collectibles I have to find is one of the worst part of this title, an "I feel like I'm still missing something in this area" would be a much more effective way to manage the whole thing, as well as get rid of percentage counters, as well as giving a more puzzle meaning to collectibles while being able to see them as you find them not in advance. 7) Tombs, those are very well crafted but really feels too short for a true TR lover, I'm expecting to see more of them and more complex along with some well crafted underwater mess on the sequel. 8) Secondary bosses: it could be nice to hear Lara commenting on her equipment and physically see the parts of it as well as seeing Lara assembling those parts ...and having secondary bosses to fight experimenting on them the new acquired firepower while tasting the new discovered within herself passion for raiding tombs. 9) the story: it's really well crafted but could be balanced better, at an emotional level the story requires you to keep going while the gameplay requires you to explore, well, it is balanced but it could be more, from a gameplay perspective everything that's "hurry on" is out of place in a TR game, also the acting is top notch but could have been polished aligning it with the above point of view. 9) Enemies: sometimes it's like I'm facing the old chapters enemies, well the AI is not that bad but sometimes is not polished as it should be resulting in too few options at your enemies to choose from making the mass-murder them a bit too easy while sometimes they can spot you too realistically when you don't have any chance to spot them making impossible to sneak past or avoid or stealth kill someone that even knowing you are somewhere on the island shouldn't know you are "right there". 10) Indicators: I think that a lens could suffice to point out the presence of something, no need to show the button everytime, it slightly detract to immersion.

    However the above are only my suggestions in case of an unlikely reading of my review by someone from Crystal Dynamics that, however, does not detract a bit to the gorgeousness of the game, the game is already 99,99%, the above only could boost it at 100% and a sequel to 200%

    Despite the above this game is a helluva BLAST that's worth every penny, a "back to those days" for TR fans and a good point to start from for those who are not...yet..

    Thanks SquareEnix, thanks Crystal Dynamics, playing it I can feel all the efforts you made to make not only a generic masterpiece but a Tomb Raider masterpiece, I'm one of the biggest fan of TR on planet Earth and you made me proud again of being, I sincerely hope it could have the success it deserves as well as seeing sequels of the same quality in which I will be able to hear the "Oh-hh!" turn in the well known "Ah-haa!", if you knows what I mean.. :)

    This stuff was for SQUEX and CD, to everyone else all I can say is that this game is truly one of the best games ever made, it looks gorgeous, it sounds great, it plays amazingly.    … Expand
  17. Scottixboy
    Apr 18, 2013
    5
    For the first 5 hours of game-play, you will come to love Lara Croft and her journey to being an official bad ass, Being ruthless and aggressive, Being stealthy. At this point, I was ready to give the game a 8-9 even 10 Score, That's how much I was falling in love with this title, The random Tombs hidden around, The great graphics, the very well scripted events. But then, about 5 hours in,For the first 5 hours of game-play, you will come to love Lara Croft and her journey to being an official bad ass, Being ruthless and aggressive, Being stealthy. At this point, I was ready to give the game a 8-9 even 10 Score, That's how much I was falling in love with this title, The random Tombs hidden around, The great graphics, the very well scripted events. But then, about 5 hours in, Lara Croft Turns into your average Dull shooter, It's difficult to explain why, but I think I know. First, The gun physics aren't great, but I can excuse that because I like to go into all the situations stealthy, which brings me onto my second point, At about 5 hours in, the game stops giving you the option to use stealth, You are FORCED! into Shooter situations which then, turns the game into a dull 3rd person shooter with a bad cover mechanic, So lets treat it like a shooter then, Well it has a bad recoil system that doesn't make much sense, seems like Lara is always firing from the hip and can't actually AIM a gun, the spread system is the same, just like firing from the hip bullets fly off in random directions meaning you need to use the rifles in a semi auto style, but that's difficult considering there's no firing mode options, The gun models aren't great either they look all washed out and fake, The upgrades system is very sub par. Now this takes me to my third point, You cannot go into and out-of stealth, the game decides whether you use stealth or not, and it's not like Splinter cell, Deus ex, Far Cry and Crysis, where the play can run and hide from the enemies giving them a chance to sneak up again, Nope, as soon as your detected, The AI knows where you are like they have some magical Laradar, You cannot hide after being detected, which ruins the entire stealth mechanic. Now my fourth point is about a common thing in gaming these days, Lara croft is plagued with the Button presses in uncontrollable action cutscenes(Known as quick time events) I personally think if these were more dynamic and would let user control effect the outcome, It would be better, as you would feel more in control of what your actually doing in a "VIDEO GAME" which costed you £40.

    BUT The game excels well in the "TOMB RAIDING" part of this game, Sadly there are far too little tombs and puzzles, some of them are too easy to solve, there is almost no challenge compared to the old Lara Croft/PoP/TLOZ games.

    So what are you left with? Your left with a dull third person shooter with poor shooting mechanics. A broken stealth system that has more quick time events than gameplay, An interesting story with a weak ending and finally a pretty puzzling mechanic which looks fantastic but is too easy and unsatisfying.

    I had high hopes for this game, It has it's good points, But they are overshadowed by the games crippling problems.

    If your interested in the story your better off watching a play through, if you want a proper jump puzzler, Go for Prince Of Persia: The forgotten sands, If you want a proper stealth-shooter game, get Far Cry 3.    … Expand
  18. Sizaki
    Apr 16, 2013
    9
    I didn't expect much to be honest, with the quick time events and the awkward story. But it surprised me in every way. The quick time events just fitted perfect, even when it was in-combat events. The story was interesting and made you carry on for hours just to complete the whole story.
  19. max1c
    Apr 13, 2013
    7
    Being a big fan of original Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider Anniversary this game is just OK. Tomb Raider 2013 being a typical console port actually doesn't ruin the game that much. Nice graphics and semi generic game play with some elements of cute story telling makes this a decent game. I have to admit that some parts of game play were pretty cool. However, this is just another genericBeing a big fan of original Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider Anniversary this game is just OK. Tomb Raider 2013 being a typical console port actually doesn't ruin the game that much. Nice graphics and semi generic game play with some elements of cute story telling makes this a decent game. I have to admit that some parts of game play were pretty cool. However, this is just another generic shooter in which you kill literally hundreds of enemies which keep spawning and running at you. If you like puzzles and shooting this game is for you. Overall worth playing.… Expand
  20. iamthespark
    Apr 12, 2013
    8
    This game exceeded my expectations! From the story to the gameplay (which reinforces the story), I was (or am, as I have not finished the game yet, but close!) captured into the journey and the struggle that is Lara's plight.

    This game really took me back to TR 1, 2, and 3, which I loved so much, but it is definitely its own game and no real comparison can be made between old and new.    This game exceeded my expectations! From the story to the gameplay (which reinforces the story), I was (or am, as I have not finished the game yet, but close!) captured into the journey and the struggle that is Lara's plight.

    This game really took me back to TR 1, 2, and 3, which I loved so much, but it is definitely its own game and no real comparison can be made between old and new.

    STORY

    The story is really "survival", first her own, then everyone elses'. The quicktime elements forces me to make snap movements/judgements, it forces me to be on edge, it forces me to wonder "what's around the corner", and that is exactly what Lara is feeling. These quicktime elements do an excellent job of connecting the gamer to the character.

    Of course, Lara is pleasantly fleshed out a s a character, but no one else is as she spends 99% of her time alone. So when people die, the gamer doesn't care. Its hard to make the gamer care when there isn't a chance to get to know the other characters, so I am not sure what the developer could have done to assist. They tried leaving books around, and some video, but that wasn't enough to connect. Perhaps if we got to play Lara before the crash.

    GAMEPLAY

    Lara is motivated to survive, and this is believable. There are no strange quests that have you bringing something useless to someone else, its all just centered around getting things done to live. Which makes sense.

    Gaining experience and having loot/salvage is also useful, so looking for boxes/items is valuable and also believable.

    The controls for the PC were easy to learn and I had no issues with my keys.

    Lara's clothes actually deteriorate though the game, which actually makes sense since she's battered ALL the time. I like that she's wearing full pants and two tanks, rather than short-shorts.

    TOMBS

    This is where I have my biggest beef. Its hard not to compare to previous games, it really is hard and as I said in the beginning, one should NOT make the comparison.. but the thing is called Tomb Raider, so.. here goes:

    The tomb puzzles are not puzzles. They are really easy "walkthroughs". Like.. lame easy. flick a switch and you've discovered the solution.

    I'm not sure what happened here. Did the developer think we (the audience) were 10 years old? or that we thought like them? Not sure. The tombs are almost useless (if it wasn't for the experience and the salvage). I'm only going through them now to confirm that they are all indeed that easy.

    Oddly enough, the hardest one I encountered was at the beginning with the plane.

    VOICE ACTING

    I think Lara Croft's VA did a great job in conveying pain, sadness and anger through the many different avenues that Lara communicates with the world.

    UPGRADING SKILLZ

    I wanted more from this, since I reached a point in the game that adding a skill didn't do much for Lara; though updating weapons did.

    CONCLUSION

    What surprised me about the game was the believable survival aspect of the game and how the gameplay reinforced that story, along with Lara's journey from innocent to survivor.

    I enjoyed the stealth side as well as the direct attack sequences, and I think I may always remember ziplining through the beautiful backdrops of the game.    … Expand
  21. sayedstafa
    Apr 12, 2013
    8
    It's like combining Uncharted with Batman Arkham Asylum. It has a similar cinematic feel such as Uncharted with platforming, 3rd person shooting, and a few puzzles to solve. The world is not quite open world like Far Cry 3 but it's more like Arkham Asylum, in which you move down a linear path but you'll end up revisiting a few areas and you'll have new gadgets/abilities to allow you toIt's like combining Uncharted with Batman Arkham Asylum. It has a similar cinematic feel such as Uncharted with platforming, 3rd person shooting, and a few puzzles to solve. The world is not quite open world like Far Cry 3 but it's more like Arkham Asylum, in which you move down a linear path but you'll end up revisiting a few areas and you'll have new gadgets/abilities to allow you to open up new paths. There's a lot to explore. Graphics look great. The TressFX hair is technically impressive but I turned it off because it would drop the frame rate a bit. The story was really predicatable. Overall, it was a good experience. I recommend using a controller to play this game because there are a lot of QTEs and it wont tell you which keys to press if you use keyboard.… Expand
  22. FruitCakeHD
    Apr 12, 2013
    6
    Tomb Raider (2013)

    Seems to me like a game that i won't really spend my money on its next title, hopefully. This game has absurd QTEs and buggy and glitchy platform parkours. Not to mention the unrealistic amount of times that there is a NDE (Near Death) in the story-line. Absolutely not worth the full price. Also the frequent frame drops with my 7970 makes me wonder if this is the    Tomb Raider (2013)

    Seems to me like a game that i won't really spend my money on its next title, hopefully. This game has absurd QTEs and buggy and glitchy platform parkours. Not to mention the unrealistic amount of times that there is a NDE (Near Death) in the story-line. Absolutely not worth the full price.
    Also the frequent frame drops with my 7970 makes me wonder if this is the standard game's coding and engine. Quite disappointing from Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics.
    Finishing the game for me is such a pain in the neck.
    The brighter side of the game is its retail version, it already gives the player 9/18 DLCs, not something you would see very often.
    Got it for S$52.90, did not really regretted or enjoyed.

    6/10    … Expand
  23. FireDagger12
    Apr 11, 2013
    9
    The Game gives Everything you could want from an archeological adventure game. The Story was nice. The Gameplay and it is also graphically stunning... The ending was a bit weak but still it is worth the journey.... Great job Crystal dynamics Go on making good games..
  24. Dynasma
    Apr 11, 2013
    9
    Tomb Raider was actually very enjoyable. The QTE's are well made and didn't afflict greatly the general feel. Awesome job with the graphics and animations.
    These little things such as Lara placing her hand on the mountain rock when she is near cliff to keep balance, or protecting herself from fire and wind really had me amazed. The sound was just supplementary, nothing special. The plot    Tomb Raider was actually very enjoyable. The QTE's are well made and didn't afflict greatly the general feel. Awesome job with the graphics and animations.
    These little things such as Lara placing her hand on the mountain rock when she is near cliff to keep balance, or protecting herself from fire and wind really had me amazed. The sound was just supplementary, nothing special. The plot was nothing special but still it didn't draw back from my enjoyment.
    The only aspect where I had problem with was the difficulty of the game. It's way too easy and the optional tombs have ridiculous riddles. Also the destruction of the environment at a time convenient to the plot had me 'meh' a little.
    Overall though I enjoyed the game. It's so well made it would not be fair to rate it lower. Recommended    … Expand
  25. diddupink
    Apr 9, 2013
    8
    Semplicemente fantastico, coinvolgente, non mi sarei mai aspettato un ritorno a questi livelli, se penso al primo mi vengono i brividi...il rapporto qualità prezzo più che giustificato.
  26. Spawn1942
    Apr 9, 2013
    9
    Im gonna go ahead and start by saying that i agree that the tombs in this game are to easy and i would have loved to see more difficult ones in this game, add some more challenge. That being said, this origin story for Lara and all the obstacles she has to over come is just amazing! visuals are great, especially if you have the hair effect on (adds some more flare), the dialogue isIm gonna go ahead and start by saying that i agree that the tombs in this game are to easy and i would have loved to see more difficult ones in this game, add some more challenge. That being said, this origin story for Lara and all the obstacles she has to over come is just amazing! visuals are great, especially if you have the hair effect on (adds some more flare), the dialogue is outstanding, some amazing action moments to break up some of the stealth (if thats the way you go) of the game, and this story is easily one of the best i have seen this year so far.Only reason i wont say a 10 is just cause of the tombs and i haven't tried the mulitplayer out yet. But i hope that this leads to more Tomb Raider games, hopefully with challenging tombs … Expand
  27. Knightshade
    Apr 8, 2013
    10
    It is rare that a game will come up and take my breath away and even more rare that it will hold it for so long. Tomb Raider is one of those rare games that accomplishes both. I'd like to start off by saying I'm no fan of the Tomb Raider series. I was always ambivalent to the series. I have never played one all the way through and never found any of them all that compelling that isIt is rare that a game will come up and take my breath away and even more rare that it will hold it for so long. Tomb Raider is one of those rare games that accomplishes both. I'd like to start off by saying I'm no fan of the Tomb Raider series. I was always ambivalent to the series. I have never played one all the way through and never found any of them all that compelling that is until now.

    It is rare that I come across a game with such a well-written story and such rich character development. Square Enix really outdid themselves this time. I have always been a huge fan of video games in general, but always wished they would focus more on good writing and character development something sorely lacking in a vast majority of games today. This game really came through in this department, and I feel I really understand the character of Lara Croft so much better now. It has drawn me into the mythos that I was so disinterested in before. I certainly cannot wait for future titles, and hope this game ends up where it belongs holding a place in history as one of the better examples of great story, writing, and character development in video games and perhaps even sparks a renaissance of good writing that this industry so badly needs.

    As far as gameplay, graphics, sound, and all the other aspects of what makes a game good or great Tomb Raider really hits the mark on each of these. The exceptional combination of each of these aspects of the game only help to support the real thrill here and that's being along for the ride of this great adventure with Lara and her crew. It really feels like I'm playing a movie but almost never do I feel like I'm doing so on rails. I feel in constant control, and always in a manner where my decisions decide the fate of Lara and her crew members. This is what a game should be. Highly Recommended!    … Expand
  28. slipperygun
    Apr 8, 2013
    9
    Great third person shooting and exploration. Quite brutal fatalities, this game is really gory and bloody. Decent Indiana Jones-esque story. Main character undergoes an arc. Starts out as a vulnerable everyday girl who nearly gets raped. Becomes a hardened survivor and merciless killer. If you're looking for a tough female protagonist who can really take a beating, look no further.
    Game    Great third person shooting and exploration. Quite brutal fatalities, this game is really gory and bloody. Decent Indiana Jones-esque story. Main character undergoes an arc. Starts out as a vulnerable everyday girl who nearly gets raped. Becomes a hardened survivor and merciless killer. If you're looking for a tough female protagonist who can really take a beating, look no further.
    Game is easy, so set it to Hard difficulty. Be warned, QTEs abound. You can "fast travel" back to most areas to fully explore them, but the lack of enemies makes it kinda boring. This should have a chapter select or at least manual saving.    … Expand
  29. pennti2
    Apr 8, 2013
    8
    While there do seem to be more cut-scenes and QTE's in the new Tomb Raider than what I was used to from the previous series, they compliment this modern version. Environments are linear at times, but beautiful and fluid. The pace is up to you for the most part, and there are plenty of in-game challenges with incentive to complete them though they're not as challenging as they were in theWhile there do seem to be more cut-scenes and QTE's in the new Tomb Raider than what I was used to from the previous series, they compliment this modern version. Environments are linear at times, but beautiful and fluid. The pace is up to you for the most part, and there are plenty of in-game challenges with incentive to complete them though they're not as challenging as they were in the old Tomb Raider. They completely did away with the drawn-out arbitrary puzzles (finding batteries on far corners of the map just to open a door which allows you to drop a crane allowing you to find a key, etc), but there are themed optional tombs that teach you (if you decide to complete them) various ways to use the environment, while presenting some interesting but isolated challenges. The new Tomb Raider is a little simpler and a little easier, but polished. They made sure that Tomb Raider was still an experience, while, for better or for worse, removing some of the user's responsibility. Because it isn't a grueling challenge to beat, the ending doesn't feel as satisfying as you'd hope, but it leaves the door open for a continuation of the series which I am sure will offer new challenges. In this way, the franchise can move forward without getting boring. I'm looking forward to the next installment.… Expand
  30. emacinnes
    Apr 8, 2013
    9
    After quite a number of lacklustre entries in the series, none of which really got the controls down correctly, this one, for me, just nails it completely, with excellent controls, fluid movement, a strong sense of danger, awesome set pieces and a generally coherent story that stays focused throughout the entire experience, staying (mostly) true to it's new tone, with a mild case ofAfter quite a number of lacklustre entries in the series, none of which really got the controls down correctly, this one, for me, just nails it completely, with excellent controls, fluid movement, a strong sense of danger, awesome set pieces and a generally coherent story that stays focused throughout the entire experience, staying (mostly) true to it's new tone, with a mild case of Terminatoritis setting in later on, but the game never letting the mythology bog down the proceedings, while also not being paper-thin and directionless either. Level design is strong, and interactions with the levels are generally glitch free, falls to your death will be at your own making, rather than Fudgey Fingers Syndrome. The downside, some of the companions are a bit underwritten, they could have maybe used some additional development, one obvious "turncoat" in the bunch, but nothing that really distracts. It's like getting a birthday cake and somebody accidentally bent one of the candles slightly out of place. Unfortunate, but the cake still tastes great.

    The multiplayer is weak sauce though, standard deathmatch fare, but not necessary either. In the aforementioned cake analogy, this cake came with a complimentary sachet of ketchup. Inappropriate, but easily discarded. There are other, much more robust, multiplayer experiences out there, that it's half-hearted inclusion here I suspect boils down to either a poor marketing decision to tick a bullet point, or round 1 of multiplayer practice for the technical team for something more ambitious to come later. With the DLC bizarrely choosing to focus on the multiplayer only, I suspect the latter to be closer to the truth. Co-op multiplayer on the other hand, was a sorely missed opportunity here, the game practically begging for it, with two distinct characters. In the absence of the other player, then either AI controlled and/or player hot-swappable between characters. See: Mass Effect, Portal 2, Splinter Cell Conviction, any Lego game. Maybe in version 2.0.

    Technically, it's a very strong package. Beautiful vistas, great camera direction, massive draw distance, great effects mostly, reasonable AI. Couple of dodgy fire animations here n there when Lara is literally up to her neck in it, but an otherwise stellar effort visually. The only really negative technical point was that on first playthrough, the game was really unstable, crashing regularly, but a quick Google on this issue, and subsequent disabling of the Tesselation feature in the graphics options sorted that. Clearly a misstep in the QA process there, between Square, Crystal Dynamics and NVidia.    … Expand
  31. ren1011
    Apr 7, 2013
    10
    Excellent game, non stop action from start to finish and very finely tuned, highly recommended. It follows in the same vein as Uncharted, but with the ability to revisit previous areas to find all the collectibles sort of like Metroid or the Batman: Arkham games.
  32. Morring
    Apr 7, 2013
    6
    I believe this game has some major problems. First things first: this is not a Tomb Raider game. Not just because this is a reboot. That would be fine. Problem is, this game has a completely different idea behind it. The previous games were about exploration, a sense of danger and wonder, and they played it straight: Lara was a female Indiana Jones able to walk in and out of every sort ofI believe this game has some major problems. First things first: this is not a Tomb Raider game. Not just because this is a reboot. That would be fine. Problem is, this game has a completely different idea behind it. The previous games were about exploration, a sense of danger and wonder, and they played it straight: Lara was a female Indiana Jones able to walk in and out of every sort of adventure, and you got the sense that she, in fact, did that every day. The necessary tension to keep the game interesting came from the gameplay: limited life, limited ammo, scarce ammunition for most weapons. The puzzles were interesting and challenging, set in beautiful environments.
    Some of these elements kind of survive in this reboot, some do not. The puzzles are absolutely, boringly easy, and you also get an "highlight the objects I need" function, just in case. Some environments are still noteworthy, but as good as the graphics may be they fail to reach the same charisma of games like "the last revelation" or the recent remake of the original, and not even the platform elements remain intact. The "tombs" look like they were thrown in at the last moment just to be consistent with the name, and they usually contain one room with a single easy puzzle and a box. That's it. Now, I remember those challenging times when I did a few too many mistakes and kept going on, only to find myself with 1/4 of my life and 0 medkits in the old games. And getting past those moments was a rewarding experience. Now there is ammo everywhere and life regenerates (STOP TAKING THE GAME OUT OF MY GAMES). While the previous games created tension trough gameplay, this game tries to create tension mostly trough narrative. This is another mistake, as games are not supposed to be movies, but it could still work. However, they didn't play that right. If you want to create tension trough narrative, then the *spectator* (which should be a player, amirait?) should feel that there is something at stake, e.g. Lara's life. But Lara keeps being pierced, falling, and getting her feet in a bear trap, and falling, beaten, and then she just gets up and keeps on going! If you can see the main character basically brushing off almost everything that happens to her, then the tension is gone, no matter how much blood you want to show. Being too violent in this case spoils the effect, working against suspension of disbelief when the character just keeps on going. Later on in the game she is suddenly in need of medical assistance (even tough having been trough much worse), but the problem is solved is such an hasty way to make it as believable as the good ol insta-heal kits. But we accepted those kits in terms of gameplay, because it was in fact a different genre! Now, there were two road they could have taken: either go with the original formula, a female indy with over the top abilities we just take for granted, which does happily allow for much less realism, or a girl with little or no training except an archeology PhD that learns and refines her skills on the ground, forced to survive in a realistic and unforgiving environment. You would see her getting around clumsily at fist and gaining confidence trough her adventure. They obviously tried the latter approach, but excessive violence and a disempowered gamplay takes this game off the mark, not to mention how the added realism makes all the silly an unrealistic elements stand out, and there is very little character progression. Shes' already awesome to begin with, she just looks more insecure, again spoiling the tension. There is nothing at stake. Those two approaches are very different and you can't apply them both at the same time.
    Oh, I almost forgot: quick time events. Quick time events are a stupid excuse to make a long cinematic look like you're still interacting with a videogame. I'm fine with long cinematics, I hate "press E very fast to make the cinematic go on!!!". The number of too many QTE in your game is 1.
    It's not an exceedingly bad game tough, by all means buy it if you find a copy under 5 bucks, as there is much, much worse out there, but even if you're fine with it not being actually a tomb raider game, this is still a missed occasion.    … Expand
  33. Rhagic
    Apr 7, 2013
    10
    This is story lead, character driven survival game and absolutely loved it.

    The story is compelling, the visuals are stunning, the voice acting is outstanding. The bow is a highly effective weapon in the game. I found some of the other weapons significantly less useful, but I think that facilitates varied personal play styles. There are cutscenes and quick-time events, for the    This is story lead, character driven survival game and absolutely loved it.

    The story is compelling, the visuals are stunning, the voice acting is outstanding.

    The bow is a highly effective weapon in the game. I found some of the other weapons significantly less useful, but I think that facilitates varied personal play styles.

    There are cutscenes and quick-time events, for the most part I didn't find them too intrusive or annoying, it's hard to tell a good story without them.

    One frequently criticised aspect is how quickly she changes into a hardened killer, this didn't bother me at all and neither did it seem jarring.

    Lara is utterly charming and scarily determined. A delightful detail in the game is how she geeks out over artifacts she discovers. These often come at welcome moments to lighten the tone when the atmosphere is otherwise bleak.

    There are several negative comments regarding it being more of a movie than a game. I instantly think of Uncharted and have to disagree. Yes Tomb Raider is cinematic, but it is definitely more of a game than a movie, you set the pace and you can back track to explore.

    I find many of the complaints puerile and hyperbolic:
    - "There's a button to show you what you need to look at if you can't figure it out"
    - "Don't press it if you don't want to"
    - "But people less awesome than me will still be able to play through the game"
    - "Get over yourself"

    - "There aren't enough weapons"
    - "She isn't Duke Nukem, and the weapons she does have can be improved throughout the game"

    - "If I wanted a story I'd watch a movie or read a book"
    - "Some games are story lead and others are 'And the upshot is you have to kill everything that moves', this one falls into the first category, it might not be to your taste but that doesn't make it a bad game."

    - "There's regenerating health"
    - "You want to go back to Gordon Freeman on 4% health back tracking for med-stations? You found that fun?"    … Expand
  34. Filben
    Apr 7, 2013
    10
    Great reboot and great game!

    This game has by far one of the most incredible graphics (when playing on a modern PC with all its features and TressFX enabled). The texture are really HD quality which is not achieve by every game nowadays. The story is interesting and the atmosphere is quite dark and creepy (you'll find a lot documents from people with different backgrounds all over the    Great reboot and great game!

    This game has by far one of the most incredible graphics (when playing on a modern PC with all its features and TressFX enabled). The texture are really HD quality which is not achieve by every game nowadays. The story is interesting and the atmosphere is quite dark and creepy (you'll find a lot documents from people with different backgrounds all over the isle and you just want to know what the hell happened here and what is still going on?). The gameplay is similiar to the latest TR titles of Crystal Dynamics.

    The controls are direct and precise. And after five classic and three modern titles of TR this reboot was necessary. And it succeeded! Lara is scared, she freezes and killing is not easy for her in the beginning. But that bothers the fluent (combat) gameplay later on. Fights are not that much like in Uncharted where it was sometimes very annoying. Tomb Raider is the perfect mix between exploration, climbing, running and jumping and fighting. She has to learn many things like close combat moves. She finds salvage in order to upgrade her weapons (which is very authentic because you don't get any fancy M16 rather than a full taped AK which looks kind of improvised.

    The voice acting is stunning. I'm from Germany and played it in English. Since English isn't my native language it might different to an English speaker, but I think it is just great (the German voice overs are very good, too, but I do really like that British accent, especially when women speak like that ).

    So in conclusion you got a lot of action, a lot of exploration and climbing, an intense atmosphere and story driven game with great cutscenes, awesome graphics. There is simply nothing wrong with this game.

    The only downside I could find is the easy difficulty. I play games on normal because I don't that much of a challenge and just want to enjoy the game and its story without being stuck at the loading screens. But in this game I set the difficulty on hard because finding so much ammo is simply too easy (you get never in situation were you run out of it, you even get perks to get more ammo and IF you run out you just take another of your four weapons).

    But this is not that bad and may suits less talented players very well in order to enjoy this great piece of art.    … Expand
  35. worldcitizen19
    Apr 6, 2013
    10
    Awesome game and plots. Real challenges. Love the gameplay and graphics and found that I soon got very immersed in the game and really felt I was being hunted. My Game of the year. Beats Bioshock Infinite hands down and is the quality of Far Cry 3. This is a game worth the money whatever you pay for it.
  36. lagendofdoom
    Apr 6, 2013
    10
    AmazingAwesomeIncredibleOutstandingExcellentMarvellousBreath taking.
    This is how I would describe Tomb Raider, since the first time I saw the gameplay at E3 I knew that I'll love it, I knew that I had to buy it, and it was my most anticipated game of 2013. My anticipations were high but there is no doubt that Tomb Raider not only met with my anticipations but also surpassed it. You are    AmazingAwesomeIncredibleOutstandingExcellentMarvellousBreath taking.
    This is how I would describe Tomb Raider, since the first time I saw the gameplay at E3 I knew that I'll love it, I knew that I had to buy it, and it was my most anticipated game of 2013. My anticipations were high but there is no doubt that Tomb Raider not only met with my anticipations but also surpassed it. You are playing Lara Croft before she became the legend that we know today, she is just a young woman who is searching for legendary myth with her crew-friends, unfortunately for her a storm hit their ship and everyone is stucked on an unknown island and to make it worse there are people in the island, very dangerous people that will kill anything in their sight. Lara needs to learn how to hunt, how to kill and how to survive on this island. this is where the legendary Lara Croft is born and you are going to remember the moments, the hardship that Lara is going to endure. This is the first game that I ever cared about keeping the main character alive cause if you don't you will witness many gruesome deaths that even the mortal kombat can't be compared to. If you think about buying it don't think just buy, and remember it isn't the multiplayer that makes this game amazing its the single-player campaign that you will remember for a very long time. Tomb Raider is without a doubt 2013 game of the year    … Expand
  37. Orito
    Apr 5, 2013
    9
    Awesome game. Graphics are beautiful, you can easily get attached to the characters, and the weapon upgrades are enough to keep you interested never mind the story (which is great).

    I do have to down-rate this by 1 simply because I completed the game, on normal, just over 3 hours at 78% completion. A friend of mine who spent more time (~25 hours) in the game resulted in 83% completion.    Awesome game. Graphics are beautiful, you can easily get attached to the characters, and the weapon upgrades are enough to keep you interested never mind the story (which is great).

    I do have to down-rate this by 1 simply because I completed the game, on normal, just over 3 hours at 78% completion. A friend of mine who spent more time (~25 hours) in the game resulted in 83% completion. So I figure I didn't miss much on a normal play-through. Other then that, I hope to see Crystal Dynamics back with a sequel to this. I could take or leave Square Enix's production.    … Expand
  38. Shasow
    Apr 3, 2013
    4
    I was having fun in this game, it's pretty solid, but I ran into a serious bug that prevented me from further playing the game. At one point in the game, I went the wrong way and explored an area I was suppose to explore later in the game. As a result, my game is now all bugged up and the quest will no longer progress. It's really sad, I was looking forward to finishing this game.
  39. Howard
    Apr 3, 2013
    0
    I am simply astonished by this game astonished by the unbelievable praise it is receiving. This game is a litany of bad design, a shopping list of every single thing that is wrong with gaming right now. All it needs is EAs hateful "always online/MMO DRM" and it would be a perfect storm of utter dross.
    Poor, shoddily executed graphics (don’t even get me started on the Pantene hair) pale    I am simply astonished by this game astonished by the unbelievable praise it is receiving. This game is a litany of bad design, a shopping list of every single thing that is wrong with gaming right now. All it needs is EAs hateful "always online/MMO DRM" and it would be a perfect storm of utter dross.
    Poor, shoddily executed graphics (don’t even get me started on the Pantene hair) pale into insignificance when you try and play. It is not a game, but a cut scene, one in which you inexplicably have to press the occasional button to proceed. It is the QTE to rule all QTEs, a non-interactive, bewildering story of screaming, talking to yourself and boring, rehashed piffle that Ms Pratchett should be mortally embarrassed about. Worst of all though, the bejewelled turd festering atop this rotting carcass, is the camera and the controls. So desperate, so obsessed are game devs now about making their game cinematic, that CD have just gone the whole hog, removing any pretence that this is a game. The camera sways, rolls, pitches and tilts with Lara's every footfall and this game now stands as the first in 30 years of gaming to give me motion sickness. It is eye-wateringly idiotic in its execution and was the final reason I gave up and hit uninstall. This is a game, devs: you are not directors or producers, you are coders and artists start bloody acting like it! In most games I am complaining when the camera is taken away from my control in TR 2013, it is never IN my flamin' control. It rolls around, looking at whatever it pleases while the devs sit and grin, nodding sagely as they animate water rolling down its imaginary lens.
    This has to be one of the worst games I have ever seen and that it is liked by anyone at all simply terrifies me.    … Expand
  40. 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.
  41. mook
    Apr 3, 2013
    6
    There's nothing especially wrong with Tomb Raider. The team have done an admirable job rebuilding the Lara Croft character to be less the vacuous masturbatory aid she has been in the previous games and more a strong-willed female with a story to tell. Still there's not a lot that's different about this game either. The game mechanics are functional, the island everything takes place onThere's nothing especially wrong with Tomb Raider. The team have done an admirable job rebuilding the Lara Croft character to be less the vacuous masturbatory aid she has been in the previous games and more a strong-willed female with a story to tell. Still there's not a lot that's different about this game either. The game mechanics are functional, the island everything takes place on is... well, it's monotonous. It feels like you're progressing through the same Jungle=>Cliff=>Temple=>Cliff=>Jungle settings all the way through the game. The opponents you encounter are limited (Wolf, 2 types of human, samurai thing, bigger samurai thing) which adds to the repetitive feel of the game. There is very little variation here, by the time the game finished I was just glad to stop playing, I was thoroughly bored.… Expand
  42. zmaint
    Apr 1, 2013
    2
    I give it a 2 for being pretty. Other than that, wait until it re-releases for $4.99 on a Steam sale. Game is not open world RPG/Action. Game is a some user-participation required never-ending cutscene. Kinda sucks all the fun out of it when EVERY critical even it scripted. Whole lotta potential here before they killed it.
  43. Disacar
    Apr 1, 2013
    9
    Very good game. Everything was almost perfect, the learning curve of Lara Croft was well developted trough the game, from a crying girl lost in a LOST island (no pun intended) to a badass at the end (if you use the talents). Graphics are awseome and well optimizated (50 fps in 7770 at ultra), the gameplay is the best i ve seen in a 3rd person shooter, stealth is ok tough not the best....Very good game. Everything was almost perfect, the learning curve of Lara Croft was well developted trough the game, from a crying girl lost in a LOST island (no pun intended) to a badass at the end (if you use the talents). Graphics are awseome and well optimizated (50 fps in 7770 at ultra), the gameplay is the best i ve seen in a 3rd person shooter, stealth is ok tough not the best.... I ve played the game exploring everything i could and havent found any bug, not even minor bugs in the gameplay. VERY FLUID cover system, its even better then Gears of War or Max Payne 3 cover system... It aways responded well to my commands. Some things stay from the other games, like the insane 10 meters jump, but this is Tomb Raider signature.... My only negative point are the secondary characters, i didnt care if any of them was going to die, in fact, i wanted someone to die just to see lara`s reaction, she is the only well developed character in the game. 9,5/10… Expand
  44. phdr_vrba
    Apr 1, 2013
    8
    As many others PlayStation positive I have expected the new TR to be a meh Uncharted clone. As it turns out this new Lara has a few tricks of her own and I can say I had more furn with the new Tomb Raider than I had with the Uncharted 3. It is basically the same shooting/climbing formula, but with a few twists: What I admire about the new TR the most is how it often isn't really linear atAs many others PlayStation positive I have expected the new TR to be a meh Uncharted clone. As it turns out this new Lara has a few tricks of her own and I can say I had more furn with the new Tomb Raider than I had with the Uncharted 3. It is basically the same shooting/climbing formula, but with a few twists: What I admire about the new TR the most is how it often isn't really linear at all. At several places you get this rather big area filled with collectibles to find, even the linear sections have their small share of detours and dead ends with some kind of reward to be found there. Lara occasionaly returns into some of those big locations with new gear that opens previously sealed paths, Zelda-style. Combat is where older Uncharted games come off better, but that does not mean firefights in TR are bad. Just a bit less polished. You won't really be able to stealth/bow your way through the enemy, but to some extent this is always a possibility and even in open firefight the bow is still quite handy against a smaller group of enemies. From all the bow-enhanced games that came out lately, TR seems to handle it the best. Graphics are pretty great, too bad that after all those patches and driver updates I still can't afford to run the tessaltion unless I'd fancy me some glitches and crashes now and then. It is really a shame for this is probably the first time I found it worth having tesselation turned on. On the bad side of things, characters aren't likeable at all, story might as well be nonexistent and the way devs torture Lara throughout the game is just plain sick. Regarding the "rape" scene how the can anyone see a rape attempt in that, unless they have a fetish for strangling or suffocation?! Leveling-up is a nice addition, same goes for weapon upgrading, though I'd wish for a bit more realistic approach to this. Puzzles are simple and short and I am perfectly fine with that. Overall great easy fun game hindered by lame characters and dull story.… Expand
  45. Dastreeter
    Mar 31, 2013
    10
    Great and Nice game and alot of actions And amazing store
    But not much in graphics
    I like it to much Even it support more then language like arabic
    And there is alot of hidden things
  46. kobenator24
    Mar 31, 2013
    10
    First Tomb Raider game i ever played and i am amazed. Awsome graphics (TressFX is unbelivable),well writen characters,very balanced and challenging combat (played on hard difficulity),story with revalations of island secreds,lot of awsome collectibles (esspecialy documents) and much more. Only issue i have with this game is that first hour is Lara scared,hurt,freezig and after kiling deerFirst Tomb Raider game i ever played and i am amazed. Awsome graphics (TressFX is unbelivable),well writen characters,very balanced and challenging combat (played on hard difficulity),story with revalations of island secreds,lot of awsome collectibles (esspecialy documents) and much more. Only issue i have with this game is that first hour is Lara scared,hurt,freezig and after kiling deer she is shocked and with her first kill she almost trow up but after kiling first enemy shes like rambo perfectly handling weapon shooting dozens of enemys and knocking enemy heads of without any hard feelings… Expand
  47. AlekZhelyazkov
    Mar 31, 2013
    10
    This game is the perfect example of how to revive a dying franchise. It has good visuals, good level design(but not truly open world), a very good combat and cover system and most importantly a excellent story that really helps Lara Croft to become Lara Croft. The side characters are cliched and forgettable, but they do their job. On the other hand Lara's voice acting is superb and we canThis game is the perfect example of how to revive a dying franchise. It has good visuals, good level design(but not truly open world), a very good combat and cover system and most importantly a excellent story that really helps Lara Croft to become Lara Croft. The side characters are cliched and forgettable, but they do their job. On the other hand Lara's voice acting is superb and we can only congratulate Camilla Luddington for her voice and motion capture work. The multiplayer is irrelevant to the game and I can't find a reason for any big criticism directed towards Tomb Raider. This is definitely one of the best games of 2013.… Expand
  48. cbib46
    Mar 31, 2013
    8
    very good game, good fights, enigmes are not that complicated (for once I didn't need google!!!). I really enjoy playing it. However I have no desire of playing it again. 8 out 10 is in my view the right score.
  49. Kaniya
    Mar 30, 2013
    8
    Tomb Raider reboot is an amazing start. LAra croft arrives at a mysterious island, and as you probably expect the story will start. Our new lara still looks like the old lara but the minimal changes made in design of her in fact made her more perfect than before. She doest hold up her signature dual guns, instead she holds a bow which is quiet match with the nature of the game). She is inTomb Raider reboot is an amazing start. LAra croft arrives at a mysterious island, and as you probably expect the story will start. Our new lara still looks like the old lara but the minimal changes made in design of her in fact made her more perfect than before. She doest hold up her signature dual guns, instead she holds a bow which is quiet match with the nature of the game). She is in more trouble than she was before as well. Tomb raider truly has become more action than you expect, the story is being told fast and seems quiet quickly, however it has not much of a depth, but its just an excuse to introduce a new Lara. In this game you will feel her...she will let you know how scared she is, you will hear her thoughts and all this amazing things together made her character just as perfect as other cool video game characters. Gameplay is all about surviving, solving few puzzle, quick time events and platforming. Overall sometimes the actions gets boring, but it holds up very well as you discover new parts of island. Every part has its own optional Tomb where you can find more loot for upgrades upon solving a simple physic based puzzles. Each area is quiet big and lets you to discover for collectibles. Areas have different design which makes the game not to be boring. Sadly enemy types are quiet same untill the very end of the game but still their AI holds up a good action for the gamer. Finally TOmb raider is kind of a flawless game and its really recommended to everyone who hated the series or loved it im sure this game will change your mind about tomb raider series.… Expand
  50. RFD
    Mar 30, 2013
    8
    I really enjoyed this game, they do a good job of getting you emotionally invested in the game early on. The young and attractive LC will constantly leave you wondering if you could be as tough and as she if you were in her place. While others criticize the cut scenes and quick time I enjoyed them, they do not "load a movie" your character interacts in the 'in game' environment in aI really enjoyed this game, they do a good job of getting you emotionally invested in the game early on. The young and attractive LC will constantly leave you wondering if you could be as tough and as she if you were in her place. While others criticize the cut scenes and quick time I enjoyed them, they do not "load a movie" your character interacts in the 'in game' environment in a prescribed way to give the gamer a unique experience. If you are a run and gunner you probably will not enjoy this game as much, don't get me wrong, there is plenty of that, but it is more of a game element (like a character in a haunted house) than a objective (kill as many enemies as we possibly can to win the war). The gameplay is pretty linear, you can fast travel around if you missed something, but you pretty much get the just of where you need to go and what you need to do, not once did I turn the game off in frustration because I needed to step away from a tough puzzle. They were complicated enough that you had to do a little trial and error to get it right, but not too complicated so you can get through them and get back to the awesome story line. The only Con I have is that it could have been a little longer, I completed the game in a little over 12 hours and I was left wanting more, but like all games these days I am sure we will get plenty of expansions.… Expand
  51. tainanlctr
    Mar 30, 2013
    10
    Sim nota 10 e vou vou informar que apesar de algumas falhas esse game épico merecia 11 mas como justamente nada perfeito toam um 10 XD
    A única coisa um pouco falha o modo multiplayer o restante tão absurdamente perfeito
    Começando com os gráficos que são supreendentes. andei acompanhando o desenvolvimento desde o inicio final de 2010 e sempre nos foi mostrado gráficos péssimos e    Sim nota 10 e vou vou informar que apesar de algumas falhas esse game épico merecia 11 mas como justamente nada perfeito toam um 10 XD
    A única coisa um pouco falha o modo multiplayer o restante tão absurdamente perfeito
    Começando com os gráficos que são supreendentes. andei acompanhando o desenvolvimento desde o inicio final de 2010 e sempre nos foi mostrado gráficos péssimos e inacabados, eu realmente fui pego de surpresa na versão final principalmente com a maravilha revolucionária TressFX.
    A jogabilidade tem uma vasta combinação mas tão simples executa-los. Os movimentos da Lara estão incrivelmente realistas, a Camilla fez um ótimo trabalho oral e corporal.
    A trilha sonora mais que perfeita, fico pensando quão gênio esse Jason Graves que conseguiu superar o que sempre desde sempre o ponto auge da franquia. Cada som intensifica as sensações
    o enredo apesar de bem clichê a maneira que a Lara evolui incrível, pegaram o tema perdido numa ilha bem passado e desenvolveram de uma maneira inovadora.
    Enfim simplesmente ÉPICO, mais que um simples jogo para ser salvo uma vez e ser deixado de lado. volta com força total de um ícone chamado Lara Croft    … Expand
  52. macishiryu
    Mar 30, 2013
    10
    The graphics are awesome. DirectX 11 runs perfectly, with bloom, FXAA and excellent textures. The tesselation is a litlle heavy and downs 20 fps. Fantastic gameplay, solid plot, and wonderful music. As deep as Uncharted, multiple routes to take through quests. Lara is very cute in this game. I just miss more costumes.
  53. Verdan
    Mar 30, 2013
    9
    Female character for change? Check. Good quality graphics? Check. Intense mood and story line that makes you want to see what happens next? Check! This game provided me an interesting story, very nice gameplay and plenty of fun to do. Just amazing piece, reminds a lot of Batman series, but in very urban environment. Some people complain about cut scenes. For me, they are in perfect place.Female character for change? Check. Good quality graphics? Check. Intense mood and story line that makes you want to see what happens next? Check! This game provided me an interesting story, very nice gameplay and plenty of fun to do. Just amazing piece, reminds a lot of Batman series, but in very urban environment. Some people complain about cut scenes. For me, they are in perfect place. They carry the story forward. I get a moment from time to time that my character is actually thinking, since Lara Croft keeps talking to herself. This game is solid 9 due to everything included and i can only suggest everyone to try to for yourself.… Expand
  54. SPARTAN-1079
    Mar 30, 2013
    10
    I have to agree with the majority of other players here, the game is stunning (PC Version maxed GTX670 260 x 1600), in every conceivable way. The graphics, sound, action, story telling, cinematic scenes are all excellent. I give it 10/10 because I'm calling the first Tomb Raider game of this fashion & it is perfect. The only thing I would like to see in a sequel (please bring manyI have to agree with the majority of other players here, the game is stunning (PC Version maxed GTX670 260 x 1600), in every conceivable way. The graphics, sound, action, story telling, cinematic scenes are all excellent. I give it 10/10 because I'm calling the first Tomb Raider game of this fashion & it is perfect. The only thing I would like to see in a sequel (please bring many sequels out!) is some smarter enemy AI & maybe a bit more stealthy options, Enemys that can track foot prints & on the other hand enemies that can't see through bushes, also crawling through bushes for stealth kills. It's the first game I've wanted toplay through & complete everything 100%!
    Thankyou Square Enix for sharing such an amazing piece of art with us all!    … Expand
  55. a9249
    Mar 29, 2013
    8
    I would have given this a 9 for story, but the quick time events have become so annoying and such an obvious crutch in place of good game play that I cannot ignore it. Perhaps it is because i Just played a scene over 30 times trying to get past yet another damned quick time event... At any rate, let my rating of this game show that NO GAME with UN-passable quick time events should ever beI would have given this a 9 for story, but the quick time events have become so annoying and such an obvious crutch in place of good game play that I cannot ignore it. Perhaps it is because i Just played a scene over 30 times trying to get past yet another damned quick time event... At any rate, let my rating of this game show that NO GAME with UN-passable quick time events should ever be considered acceptable! They essentially break the game, thus what was a 9 is now a 0.… Expand
  56. Rogyapa
    Mar 29, 2013
    9
    Tomb Raider is great. Here's a quick rundown of all the things that make it great in my opinion: 1. Camilla Luddington feels appropriately vulnerable in parts of the story and bad-ass in others, and was a great casting choice. The acting in general, is great (though there's only 3 guys doing the voices for basic enemies, which is nowhere near enough).
    2. The bow and the ice axe feel    Tomb Raider is great. Here's a quick rundown of all the things that make it great in my opinion: 1. Camilla Luddington feels appropriately vulnerable in parts of the story and bad-ass in others, and was a great casting choice. The acting in general, is great (though there's only 3 guys doing the voices for basic enemies, which is nowhere near enough).
    2. The bow and the ice axe feel appropriately weighty and all the weapons deliver satisfying kills/executions. 3. Controls are absolutely fantastic (very responsive). The cover system is simple and very effective overall (no button presses necessary, just get close to it).
    4. If you've got a high level graphics card you'll be in love with the visuals. 5. The level design is fantastic, there are multiple ways around (at least in the bigger areas) and plenty of secrets to be found. 6. I really loved the UI, which was simple and effective (not quite Dead Space level UI but still great) Cons:
    1.The tombs are fun but there aren't enough of them, and they're all quite easy
    2. Game will force you to fight certain enemies for setpiece moments (like Uncharted), instead of being given the option to sneak around (this is relatively rare though) 3. the survival instinct button is basically like detective vision in arkham asylum and not necessary imo.

    Single Player is the only reason to play this, although multiplayer is fun if you can actually find people to play with.    … Expand
  57. 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.
  58. JLX
    Mar 28, 2013
    7
    tl;dr: It's a console port of style over substance and leaves out the signature Tomb Raider feel. It's beautiful with remarkably dull to frustrating game play. One more re-skinned console action game.

    The game is beautiful. "TressFX" is actually a nice change from the plastic hair helmets. The gritty edge to this re-imagined Lara is also a welcome change. What ISN'T nice is that    tl;dr: It's a console port of style over substance and leaves out the signature Tomb Raider feel. It's beautiful with remarkably dull to frustrating game play. One more re-skinned console action game.

    The game is beautiful. "TressFX" is actually a nice change from the plastic hair helmets. The gritty edge to this re-imagined Lara is also a welcome change.

    What ISN'T nice is that the core of what made Tomb Raider games fun is largely gone. The wonderful acrobatic puzzles and free roaming is basically gone. It's more of an adventure game where you need to jump through hoops to see the next sequence and move the story forward. It is also obviously a console port (eg: "Mash these buttons to fight" or "Press X" then sit back and watch the show...) which is highly disappointing at best and maddening at worst!

    While I'm curious to watch the wonderful graphics and see if there is a worthwhile story to be told, I'm already at a point where I have to jump through hoops and find just the right combo of keys to hit in the right order to win a fight. And the fight just starts over and over until I learn by trial and error what the combo is. So, it's likely I won't bother finishing.

    One more uninspired style over substance console port. If you like console style games, you'll probably like it but I'd suggest buying the console version and using the controller, etc. For PC users, don't be lured by the pretty graphics give it a miss.    … Expand
  59. Anaya
    Mar 28, 2013
    6
    The game play and story both were both enjoyable, however the ending was very weak. There were hardly any bosses or harder enemies to kill. This is not a typical Tomb Raider game and my biggest compliant would be the embarrassingly easy puzzles, which there were very few of.
  60. MmmCookies69
    Mar 28, 2013
    10
    Tomb Raider had great graphics. I loved the game how they made an innocent Lara Croft into a survivor. I really got into this game. I do hate action cut scenes, but other than that it really was a good game. I think they did a wonderful job.
  61. JimHarbz
    Mar 28, 2013
    8
    Best:
    •Combat is exciting and thrilling.
    •Laura's character is deep and interesting. •Visuals are beautiful and life-like. •The game's UI is one of my favorite parts. It never felt too cluttered but never too simple. It also had some amazing effects. Good: •Puzzles are not too hard that you stop playing out of frustration, but not too easy that they just become obstacles to    Best:
    •Combat is exciting and thrilling.
    •Laura's character is deep and interesting.
    •Visuals are beautiful and life-like.
    •The game's UI is one of my favorite parts. It never felt too cluttered but never too simple. It also had some amazing effects.

    Good:
    •Puzzles are not too hard that you stop playing out of frustration, but not too easy that they just become obstacles to gameplay.
    •Boss fights were fun, but I never felt as if I accomplished very much afterwards. They could have been slightly harder.

    Bad:
    •Main storyline was predictable and didn't feel very interesting.

    Worst:
    •Side characters were boring, cliché, and annoying. They were so poorly made as compared to the rest of the game, that they were extremely distracting.

    Score: 8/10    … Expand
  62. OwenSaund
    Mar 28, 2013
    7
    The story takes place in an island, this is a prequel to the other games and shows Lara developing as a strong character. Going through various trials to get to the end goal of getting off this island. At the start you are put in a situation where you are alone in a cave where you have an hour of fun filled… quick time events. Well at least the graphics are good and you get to see her haveThe story takes place in an island, this is a prequel to the other games and shows Lara developing as a strong character. Going through various trials to get to the end goal of getting off this island. At the start you are put in a situation where you are alone in a cave where you have an hour of fun filled… quick time events. Well at least the graphics are good and you get to see her have super human strength by grabbing on to massive ledges and pulling up her bodyweight with minimal training. Archaeologist must be from some sort of different planet. But yes you will find throughout the game that this woman can literally do anything. Except from raid tombs, this barely ever comes up, except for a couple of side missions. There are a couple of rewarding mechanics, shooting a deer or a human with a crossbow is always fun. And the gunplay is rewarding and there are upgrades to keep you engrossed all through the game. The island has a lot to explore and multiple collectables. This is a very gory game so I would say it should be for a 15 year old or higher.… Expand
  63. Mystril
    Mar 28, 2013
    9
    I really enjoyed this game, and on the plus side of things you have: The graphics, the aesthetics, the gameplay, the story, the atmosphere and the fact that the puzzle tombs are an option and not a requirement (though some puzzling and platforming is required for the story, ofcourse). Negatives: The amount of stuff you 'have' to pick up is insane and most of it makes no sense. Relics,I really enjoyed this game, and on the plus side of things you have: The graphics, the aesthetics, the gameplay, the story, the atmosphere and the fact that the puzzle tombs are an option and not a requirement (though some puzzling and platforming is required for the story, ofcourse). Negatives: The amount of stuff you 'have' to pick up is insane and most of it makes no sense. Relics, mushrooms, gps cache's etc. All of this is just dumb, the only things actually worth picking up is the documents, because they add to the story and character development, other than that you just get an xp bonus.

    I would have liked to have the survival aspect of the game more thoroughly pronounced, I like that you have to salvage stuff to create your/upgrade your makeshift weapons, but they should have gone a bit further on that note if you ask me. Hopefully they will do that in the next game.
    I would have loved to see less QTE's aswell, or at least make them more apparent as to what you are supposed to do during the QTE, there was one where all it said was hit the button (not which one) when the circle blinks, and I have a keyboard, so there are lots of buttons to press. Anyway that would go down as a bug and something you can accept, since you will forget it later on.
    Also, stop with the achievement announcements and "model unlocked" stuff that happens almost constantly, it takes away from being completely gripped by the game. I would have been completely swallowed by it had these things not happened.
    A last negative is that the nVidia drivers for the game were horrible, which was both part crystal dynamics and nvidias fault, even if the game is "made for AMD" it makes no sense to have it so horribly optimized as it was for nvidia cards at launch. Crash to desktop, insane fps drops, weird gpu usage etc. This has all been fixed, but still, it should not have happened in the first place.

    My verdict is a 9/10, the issues I have listed are, for me, enough to drag it down a point, but no further... This is a masterpiece, and 2013 has shown to be a great year, so far, for gaming, if you ask me.    … Expand
  64. djboy2
    Mar 28, 2013
    10
    Very nice Game, it is a completely different game than the previous parts!
    Nice graphic, levels and sound. In my opinion buy it, play it...
    PS: Lara is very sexy...
    ... good work graphic-artists
  65. Mikikukac
    Mar 28, 2013
    9
    In the times Tomb Raider series started I was glad to jump around climb and solve puzzles with Lara Croft. After many years the video games developed to be much more that that. To tell the truth the first Tomb Raider was very good. After that the whole series was not too good at all until Tomb Raider: Legend. Than came my favourite Anniversary. I just mention Underworld, but not so goodIn the times Tomb Raider series started I was glad to jump around climb and solve puzzles with Lara Croft. After many years the video games developed to be much more that that. To tell the truth the first Tomb Raider was very good. After that the whole series was not too good at all until Tomb Raider: Legend. Than came my favourite Anniversary. I just mention Underworld, but not so good too.
    The this new Tomb Raider with a completely new Lara Croft character is amazing.
    Lara has personality now. She is not just an attractive but blue blooded and cold supermodel than before. People complained here in the their critics that this game more like a cinema than a game. Partially I agree with them. But this impact disappeared for me as I played the game after 1-2 hours. But this interactive cinema thing gets you much closer to the character of Lara and as you found the diaries of the crew you can find out their stories and feelings too. (There is no courage without fear.)
    This game has a strong emotional impact. It grabs you in the story if you let it. The new voice actress of Lara (she makes the movements too) did a very great job. I really was worried about her. I always looked twice my steps to "help her". The atmosphere and the graphics (with the partially fixed bugs and glitches) of the game is excellent too.
    (I am writing this during my second play-trough, and I think there will be more too, so it is not just a first impact.) I highly recommend this game, but first forget the previous Lara Crofts and Tomb Raiders.
    I "only" gave a 9/10 score because I also tried the multiplayer part. That one is not that good. It is playable, but you have to die way too much to improve your character. A cooperative like multiplayer game would be much better. (Just like in Mass Effect 3 or in Left for dead.)    … Expand
  66. finallyanime
    Mar 27, 2013
    8
    FinallyAnime! "Too Long; Didn't Review: Tomb Raider vs. Uncharted"

    I’m not completely through Tomb Raider yet, but I’ll let you know right now: anytime I play it, I don’t want to stop. For the idiots who haven’t played it comparing it to Uncharted...stop it. It’s not “Uncharted or Far Cry with Pause for a minute and lets go over a terrible analogy. Uncharted is a visceral game    FinallyAnime! "Too Long; Didn't Review: Tomb Raider vs. Uncharted"

    I’m not completely through Tomb Raider yet, but I’ll let you know right now: anytime I play it, I don’t want to stop. For the idiots who haven’t played it comparing it to Uncharted...stop it. It’s not “Uncharted or Far Cry with Pause for a minute and lets go over a terrible analogy. Uncharted is a visceral game primarily focused on action, charm, and puzzle-solving with a variety of environments. More or less, the new Indiana Jones. If Uncharted had a color assigned to it, it’d be a cool blue: something majority will like and goes good with pretty much anything. Tomb Raider is also action-based, but far more spread out. In place of hilarious quips and lovable supporting cast, self-development and realization are key focuses, with a lot of brown and green healthily sprinkled in. The assigned color to this game is more like an earthy orange: something that might not initially catch your eye, but when you take a closer look, realize it’s a wonderful addition to any palette.

    Whereas Uncharted is more polished and fun, like a fresh comic book, Tomb Raider’s akin to a worn graphic novel because while you might have seen the story somewhere else, it’s still a wonderful sit-down read. For those who enjoyed TR of the past for awful controls and infuriating puzzles, you might be sad to know the new puzzles aren’t particularly challenging at all. You might get stuck like I did for 5 or 10 minutes on something you oddly miss, but otherwise, nothing to be desired. Tomb Raider’s more story focused this time around with optional tombs to desecrate. Uncharted is better suited for puzzling. Now even though TR might not have as much concentrated combat compared to its chronological elder, combat while incredibly simple (and almost too criminally easy at times) is PROFOUNDLY satisfying. The sense of impact is nailed with perfect sound design. The weapons (shotgun, AK/GL, pistol, bow) though a bit vanilla are still a blast to shoot. Oh, and the cover system/camera in TR is perfect. It’s kind of like your car seat ..it always gotchu.

    Story-wise, Uncharted is much more “fantastic” with numerous flights of fancy and well-timed humor. Tomb Raider, however, is focused on one thing: escape. It just so happens the mystery to investigate is the main avenue through which to escape. Of course, I’m not finished yet, but so far, the story seems done before & very lackluster, BUT you still want to find out what happens to Lara Croft. This isn’t to say the theme or atmosphere aren’t amazing, but only that the source material evokes no real emotional arousal from me. If you’re concerned about graphics, both are similar, but it doesn’t take a genius to know TR wins in this department. Get it on PC if you can. I’m only able to play at around barely 30fps on high/ultra settings and I’m still having a blast despite feeling crippled by an aging computer.

    I don’t have any glamorous quotes to assuage any remaining disbelief if it hasn’t already been stomped out, but what I can say is whether you’ve played Uncharted or not, Tomb Raider is worth your money. Don’t listen to people who say otherwise. The games are indeed similar, hitting some of the same notes, but veering off to craft a unique song. In closing, I can confidentially say if you like truly good games, Tomb Raider should be music to your ears. I give Tomb Raider thus far, an 87/100 with deductions primarily for a boring story & replayability lacking a new game+. I would have marked it lower, but the game really is excellent and super fun...but only by itself unfortunately.

    P.S. Oh and multiplayer apparently sucks monkey balls…apparently.

    P.P.S. It DOES suck btw.    … Expand
  67. SoManyGames
    Mar 27, 2013
    2
    After playing this game I wanted to kill myself. Maybe all of the voice acting, X-treme graphics, and awesome quicktime events got me so freaking IMMERSED I couldn't ever face reality again...or maybe this was just a reaallly game. Before the "modern" game itself...lets talk about the obvious to anyone who is or knows a woman...the character is grotesquely sexist. They made her aAfter playing this game I wanted to kill myself. Maybe all of the voice acting, X-treme graphics, and awesome quicktime events got me so freaking IMMERSED I couldn't ever face reality again...or maybe this was just a reaallly game. Before the "modern" game itself...lets talk about the obvious to anyone who is or knows a woman...the character is grotesquely sexist. They made her a "REAL" girl this time. You can tell by the way they shrunk her boobs and made her cry/complain at every point in the game! The whole time I found myself saying "Wait, we just established that shes a serious straight A anthropology student whose been on expeditions and has been through plenty of survival training, (something a dumb with big could never do LOLOL) why is she crying when she has to kill a deer? Why does she need a man to OBI WAN her every time she has to do the simplest task (like use a bow and arrow)" The writers couldn't figure out if she was a strong independent woman, or a girl who will grow into one...so they half assed it and made her both, a conflicted poorly written character. At least the old Lara was what she was. To simplify it, if Lara was to break the fourth wall and see me rolling my eyes at her tears, the new Lara would call me an insensitive jerk (and probably run off crying, only to get super serious when she discovers an artifact...cause no man will tell her she cant be a scientist). The old Lara would just put a bullet through my head. Now to clarify my tit beef, its simple, backtracking on a popular established character design is patronizing. You are telling the audience that you fed them and they are for liking it. Ultimately, its the New Coke. They should have spent time making her sex appeal the least interesting part of her character development, but instead they just hacked off her breasts and made a big deal about "realism" which is cruel to real girls with big breasts who wish to be taken seriously. In a nutshell, I wouldn't throw D cups on Alyx Vance and call her sexy, nor would I make Lara into slender Angelina Jolie ideal, and call it "realistic". A mans doing.

    How about that gameplay? The whole game is running through a hallway. But dont worry, the explosions and quick time events will remind you just how plot filled and immersive those hallways are. Just make sure you pay attention, sometimes you have to press e! Remember the old tomb raider? Each room was a platforming puzzle filled with traps and baddies? Here each room is a straight line filled with motion blur and ledges painted white (how else will you know that you should climb them!?!?!). Combat? I hope you like gears of war. Close zoom over the shoulder slow walking with cover. Everything else is a quicktime event...god you better love them quicktime fights...

    This game is everything I hate about the industry in one package. Remember how in HL2 you did everything yourself, left your keyboard with white knuckles and sweaty palms, and you felt like you knew Gordon Freeman better than your best friend, even though he never said a word the entire game? Yea, that was sweet...but that was Citizen Kane, this is Avatar.

    2/10 nice graphics and sound    … Expand
  68. mswain607
    Mar 27, 2013
    8
    I'm so glad this game turned out to be what it was. When I first heard that they were rebooting the Tomb Raider series again, I was quite disappointed as I thought they'd end up messing it up but they made it even better. The new direction this series has taken in this game has been brilliantly deployed, and I'm not even finished it yet!
  69. ChrisOzzie
    Mar 26, 2013
    10
    I have never been this pleasantly surprised by a video game before. Unfortunately, this is my first Tomb Raider game, so these aren’t the thoughts of a diehard fan. Therefore, I can’t tell you whether the franchise took a step in the right direction or not. I was personally anticipating Tomb Raider to be a mediocre copy of an Uncharted game, and I don’t think that my inaccuracy has everI have never been this pleasantly surprised by a video game before. Unfortunately, this is my first Tomb Raider game, so these aren’t the thoughts of a diehard fan. Therefore, I can’t tell you whether the franchise took a step in the right direction or not. I was personally anticipating Tomb Raider to be a mediocre copy of an Uncharted game, and I don’t think that my inaccuracy has ever brought me this much happiness. In fact, comparing this with Uncharted is rather silly, because the similarities between the two games end rather quickly. Tomb Raider is its own game with its own unique features. The gameplay is everything I could’ve asked for, and more. You gain XP and purchase skills that are divided into three different branches, or “skill trees”. There are many different ways to gather resources, which allow you to upgrade the 4 weapons Lara finds throughout her journey, each of which have unique advantages in combat. In addition, challenges and collectables are introduced with rewarding incentives, which will encourage you to dive into these fun optional features. While the characters may not have these remarkably appealing personalities, Crystal Dynamics gave us an incredibly strong protagonist. Lara Croft is a clever and tough woman who plays the “hero role” perfectly. Character detail and animations are nearly lifelike and the cut-scenes are cinematically brilliant. So far, many of the releases this year has disappointed me, but Tomb Raider was a friggin’ home run. My game of the year for 2013 may have already arrived.… Expand
  70. screege
    Mar 26, 2013
    9
    This game has everything great story, solid gameplay, stunning visuals, thanks for doing a great reboot of tomb raider, my only complaint the game seemed a Little too short for me.
  71. Zzgashi
    Mar 26, 2013
    8
    In a time where it's popular to make terrible reboots that miss the point of the original series, Tomb Raider is one of the few that actually improves a series. I would of liked to see more puzzle and jumping elements like the original games (though they are still core to the game), but nearly every other aspect of the game has been improved. I really liked exploring the environments andIn a time where it's popular to make terrible reboots that miss the point of the original series, Tomb Raider is one of the few that actually improves a series. I would of liked to see more puzzle and jumping elements like the original games (though they are still core to the game), but nearly every other aspect of the game has been improved. I really liked exploring the environments and finding all the hidden items and improving your equipment and skills, however I would of liked the skill tree to have more meaningful choices (the amount of unlocks required to unlock the next tier of skills means you will get pretty much be getting everything anyway). The story has it's ups and it's downs. Discovering what happened on the island is quite interesting, and is told through the environment, enemies, and diaries, however your cadre of multicultural stereotypes that represent Lara's companions is probably the weakest link as it doesn't ever give you a reason to care for them, and luckily they are a very small portion of the narrative. Overall the game is quite good, and I feel it was worth my money.… Expand
  72. Chapa9dj
    Mar 26, 2013
    10
    I knew this wasn't going to disappoint considering this Tomb Raider was inspired in one of the best PS3 games, the Uncharted Series.
    This is a fantastic reboot and a step in the right direction. I just hope we get a sequel soon, because i loved and enjoyed every minute and completed it %100.
    The environment and the atmosphere is insane, the storyline is really good. It's amazing how    I knew this wasn't going to disappoint considering this Tomb Raider was inspired in one of the best PS3 games, the Uncharted Series.
    This is a fantastic reboot and a step in the right direction. I just hope we get a sequel soon, because i loved and enjoyed every minute and completed it %100.

    The environment and the atmosphere is insane, the storyline is really good. It's amazing how Lara personality change over the course of the game in her first adventure. She changes from a naive and scared Lara Croft, to the badass Lara we all know from the past installments.
    The gameplay is fantastic and it adds a lot of value the fact that you can fast travel and go back to the beginning of the game to collect whatever you left behind during your playthrough. I enjoyed a lot going back to different areas after finishing the game, just to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the island without being chased by freaks trying to kill me.

    The only thing they could have improved is the MP, which is not that good when you compare it with Uncharted MP. But still, when you play a Tomb Raider game, you play it for its single played and the storyline.

    What else can i say?. Tomb Raider is one of my favorite franchise since my very childhood when the first TR came out. This really was a nice surprise and i hope they keep making more like this. They did a tremendous job with this game and even if competition is tough this year, i hope it wins the GOTY or some other awards.    … Expand
  73. Mudo675
    Mar 25, 2013
    9
    The game is very good, there are some people giving it bad scores and talking crap like the game is not like the old tomb raiders and etc. I'M GLAD the game is not like the old tomb raiders, the game evolved into a different style. The old games were not selling well, and you know why? because they kept the old formula, they didn't change anything, the solitary game play, actionless, itThe game is very good, there are some people giving it bad scores and talking crap like the game is not like the old tomb raiders and etc. I'M GLAD the game is not like the old tomb raiders, the game evolved into a different style. The old games were not selling well, and you know why? because they kept the old formula, they didn't change anything, the solitary game play, actionless, it wasn't working. So they changed it! And i'm glad they did, because the new tomb raider is amazing! the game is rich in details, it's a huge world to explore, divided in small sections, and inside each small sections, puzzles, enemies and secrets to discover. I've been playing this game for around 30 hours and it's only 40% complete!

    game is amazing, the story is amazing, the cinematics, the new lara, the quick time events are very good too! it just makes the story even more interesting! and doesn't even allow you to leave the game!

    I gave it a 9 out of 10, because there is only one flaw in this game, which is the puzzles. I love the new tomb raider, but it needs more solid puzzles, which is something i'm sure they won't miss on the sequel. Don't think twice, buy this game. worths every penny    … Expand
  74. TadejVig
    Mar 25, 2013
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I can't help it but compare this to the Resident Evil 6. I don't get it how the new Tomb Raider, a QTE fest game that destroyed its fanbase with over the top emphasis on bland mediocre combat, "puzzles" that are offensive to my intelligence and clunky platforming/lol so epic action sequences is so highly praised while Resident Evil 6, a QTE fest game that destroyed its fan base with over the top emphasis on bland mediocre combat, "puzzles" that are offensive to my intelligence and clunky platforming/lol so epic action sequences is considered VERY bad by so many reviewers and players.
    I would understand if the reviewers would be bought but the players act the same way (RE6 has somewhere around 5 on metacritic user score, Tomb Raider has freaking 8.6). I'm not saying that Resident Evil 6 is a great game, I'm just saying that both game should be lower as they are, especially Tomb Raider which is a reboot that changed most of the things we love about the series (ACTUAL exploring, solving grand mechanical puzzles for 1 hour straight, little action and most of it with animals, great platforming, instead we got around 6 two minute puzzles, fast "keep pressing a direction and she'll do the platforming for you and about 70% of the game at least are action sequences where you have to shoot at people in an unresponsive, non-satisfying combat). Resident Evil 6 at least has a decent lenght and didn't change much from the action roots of RE5, yet they still bash it for that. So Tomb Raider would be a much better game if it did its own thing, that is focus on survival (horror) elements, for example the time when you go into the wolf cave or fall into the river of blood, or if you had to hunt to eat and cure yourself (like in MGS3 Snake Eater), and of course focus on grand puzzles again then the game would have an identity of its own and wouldn't just be a bland Uncharted clone.

    I hope this devs don't go back to their Legacy of Kain they would just completely ruin it.    … Expand
  75. fredthebeard
    Mar 24, 2013
    9
    With a $45 dollar Steam pre-order (with unlock rewards), a YouTube documentary series, and a Multi-prize sweepstakes, it was clear that Square Enix's goal was to offer up a Franchise reboot that would attract new players, and entice sceptical Lara veterans. And it worked. Really well.

    I was reminded of Batman Arkham Asylum when playing this game, and though there is a free roaming    With a $45 dollar Steam pre-order (with unlock rewards), a YouTube documentary series, and a Multi-prize sweepstakes, it was clear that Square Enix's goal was to offer up a Franchise reboot that would attract new players, and entice sceptical Lara veterans. And it worked. Really well.

    I was reminded of Batman Arkham Asylum when playing this game, and though there is a free roaming aspect to it, the world feels much more contained than other "open-world" games. The puzzles and ''tombs'' in the game are really quite easy, with most areas only requiring you to complete one or two challenges before allowing you to progress. It is very likely that this was done to keep the action flowing and eliminate any chance of player frustration. That being said, I would have liked to see longer and more challenging puzzles in the "optional" tombs.There seems never to be any downtime in the story, and there is always an important quest calling to keep the player moving. Large parts of the game are scripted, but it feels more like you're playing a Lara Croft action movie rather than visiting a Tomb Raider theme park.
    The single player took me about 15 hours to 100% on hard, meaning that its not a terribly LONG game, but it it does have some replay value in terms of game play. The combat, plat-forming, and stealth are all implemented extremely well, including a really convenient "survivor mode" which cuts out a lot of the BS that a game like this can contain (enemies detecting you for no reason, trying to climb on things that aren't interact-able, etc). The animations are great, as well as the context based rag doll and cover systems. Lara moves like a jungle cat while crouching, dodging, and rolling to avoid and take down enemies. Kill moves and cinematics feature the tried and true quick-time-event method, where you press one or two buttons to perform actions.
    While the single player is an excellent game all around and I'm really excited for a sequel, the multi player suffers from Max Payne 3 syndrome. There are no dedicated servers, leading to laggy player-created lobbies and eventually meaning a shorter shelf life. The controls don't translate too well and the action feels wobbly. Players sometimes warp around and kill you before you see them, and its WAY to easy to spawn camp the enemy team (or get spawn camped). All and all, Crystal Dynamics did what they set out to do; reboot an old and beloved action adventure series in a whole new way. The multi player may seem tacked on, and will likely only survive for a month or two, but the Single Player experience will excite and amp up players for the future of this (not so) brand new Series.    … Expand
  76. Mendel99
    Mar 24, 2013
    0
    Remember the terrible movies? Did you think to yourself: I wish this was more cliche and it stopped every 30 seconds so I could hit a button? Me neither. Terrible dialog, no control of Lara (auto duck, auto balance, auto PLAY), and really boring mechanics. This is as far from a good game as you can get. Its not even a game so it gets a 0. Im really not sure what all the 9's and 10's areRemember the terrible movies? Did you think to yourself: I wish this was more cliche and it stopped every 30 seconds so I could hit a button? Me neither. Terrible dialog, no control of Lara (auto duck, auto balance, auto PLAY), and really boring mechanics. This is as far from a good game as you can get. Its not even a game so it gets a 0. Im really not sure what all the 9's and 10's are about. If TR is your first game, you might enjoy it. If you have gaming experience... move along and dont waste your time.… Expand
  77. 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
  78. oso
    Mar 24, 2013
    9
    Excellent game, had about 13 hours of gameplay to finish it. What i especially like is the gamedesign. It looks way more mature compared to previous TR titles. It is also a perfect example of how to do a console portation the right way. Graphics are really good, gameplay perfectly adopted to mouse&keyboard and i have encountered absolutely no bugs at all.
    What i would like to see in near    Excellent game, had about 13 hours of gameplay to finish it. What i especially like is the gamedesign. It looks way more mature compared to previous TR titles. It is also a perfect example of how to do a console portation the right way. Graphics are really good, gameplay perfectly adopted to mouse&keyboard and i have encountered absolutely no bugs at all.
    What i would like to see in near future is some free downloadable content. Atm there is just nothing to do after finishing the game. Didnt try the multiplayer so far.    … Expand
  79. aznassassin
    Mar 24, 2013
    10
    One of the best games Ive played in recent times. I have never been a big fan of the actual Tomb Raider games (I loathe platformers!), but this reboot prequel really does everything right. Graphics, voice-acting, presentation, set-pieces, plot, gameplay, music, the open world...it nails everything almost perfectly. Probably the only aspect which I found frustrating was the quick-timeOne of the best games Ive played in recent times. I have never been a big fan of the actual Tomb Raider games (I loathe platformers!), but this reboot prequel really does everything right. Graphics, voice-acting, presentation, set-pieces, plot, gameplay, music, the open world...it nails everything almost perfectly. Probably the only aspect which I found frustrating was the quick-time events which felt forced and really detracts from the gameplay. Thankfully, they're far and few while the rest of this amazing game more than makes up for it. If only all modern games can have this kind of polish and well-executed. Tomb Raider (2013) is a triumph and shows that the gaming industry can still produce solid titles that can be original while warding off the intricacies of distributor manipulation (such as micro-transactions and DRM). If you call yourself a gamer, buy this game.… Expand
  80. Pepe5125
    Mar 23, 2013
    10
    So i just signed up to write a review on this game. I've never done this before but I felt like this game deserved it. First of all, I was never really into the older Tomb Raider games and my review is focused only on the game how i experienced it. I'm not going to name everything that this game offers but I'll write down my general Impressions and things that I think are worth mentioning.So i just signed up to write a review on this game. I've never done this before but I felt like this game deserved it. First of all, I was never really into the older Tomb Raider games and my review is focused only on the game how i experienced it. I'm not going to name everything that this game offers but I'll write down my general Impressions and things that I think are worth mentioning. The Gameplay, which is in my opinion one of the most important parts of a game, is outstandingly good. The combat, the exploration, the search for items and collectables and the skill based passages are top notch. The combat is very intense and responding, the collecting of items and exploration is rewarding and the platforming aswell as the few puzzles loosen the overall progression through the game. All these different contents are not only very well executed but also extremly well paced. Coming to the presentation which is one of the games most notable features. The balance between smooth and relaxing parts such as exploring/collecting and tense parts such as the combat and various environmental destruction, weather and quick time events was overall very well done what makes the game feel very diversified. The plot is well presented and the voice acting (at least in the german version) is pretty good aswell. The plot itself might be a little bit predictable sometimes but the player will forget these flaws very fast because of the astonishing presentation which is never overdone. The different parts of the island are pretty much open but small and limited. In order to visit parts of the island you've already discovered, you can have a rest at various bonfires which will let you teleport to other bonfires. The progression through the game is generally very linear but you are able to go to places you visited before any time you want and for example collect things you've missed. The character development is a major part and is very immersive. Through the course of the game, the main character Lara goes through different changes and the player really feels with the her (at least I did). The other characters stay a little bit shallow and are not nearly as interesting as the protagonist itself. They're more like a help to get Lara's development throughout the happenings of the game apparent and interesting to experience. The atmosphere is very dense and let's the player forget his or her surroundings. While I'm playing this game I really get lost in it and can nearly scent the different smells of the environment. The new Tomb Raider is one of the most immersive games I've ever played and the excellent audio really adds to this. The creak of the old wood in the wind, the ripple of the rain, the crackling of the fire. The soundscape aswell as the beautiful soundtrack is extremely well done and surrounds the player with a living and breathing environment. The visuals really add to this. The technical part, so the engine is pretty nice to look at and the game is very well optimized. What really amazed me is the beautiful art direction. The color palette and the ex- and interiors are wonderfully crafted and especially the exteriors are packed with tons and tons of details that feel very natural and hand made. There are some flaws here and there like the confusing and not easy to use, the quick time events sometimes feel a little bit wasted and the characters, besides Lara Croft, are not very interesting. All these little flaws are not really notable while looking at the game as a whole but they're worth mentioning. All in all this is one of the best games I played in a very long time and the best action adventure I've ever experienced.… Expand
  81. britneyavril172
    Mar 23, 2013
    10
    one word: imposible !!!!!
    she is back, better than ever
    she aren't too sexy, strong, profestional. But she young, lifely, beautiful
    i hope tr2013 is a begin of a huge and legend new series
  82. Kisuke
    Mar 23, 2013
    10
    This game is simply epic. There is not much to say than "good job Crystal Dynamics". I've played that game in two or three days, now waiting for the new Nvidia patch to play it again with TressFX. The graphics are amazing. The Story is perfectly told. The gameplay is awesome and addicting. I'm not having any quicktime event problems like most people tell. It's just working fine. I justThis game is simply epic. There is not much to say than "good job Crystal Dynamics". I've played that game in two or three days, now waiting for the new Nvidia patch to play it again with TressFX. The graphics are amazing. The Story is perfectly told. The gameplay is awesome and addicting. I'm not having any quicktime event problems like most people tell. It's just working fine. I just wish the story would be longer but i think there will be more Tomb Raider stuff coming out this year. :)
    A 10 score because this game is simply perfect. All other developers shouldt cut their piece out of Crystal Dynamics and their game Tomb Raider.    … Expand
  83. Seveventeen
    Mar 22, 2013
    10
    Presentation is key, and that's what Tomb Raider really does best. Every feature of the game is delivered in a sensible fashion at the most relevant time. Shipwrecked, you can't help but to know you're on an island. Punched in the face? You're probably kidnapped. Right after that, the very first puzzle is essentially an exercise in crawling before walking, and there's the, "Ah-ha!" momentPresentation is key, and that's what Tomb Raider really does best. Every feature of the game is delivered in a sensible fashion at the most relevant time. Shipwrecked, you can't help but to know you're on an island. Punched in the face? You're probably kidnapped. Right after that, the very first puzzle is essentially an exercise in crawling before walking, and there's the, "Ah-ha!" moment where you learn how to move and that momentum is an actual mechanic that's used throughout the adventure.

    It's my opinion that the most wonderful thing about this title is how incredibly enthralling the narrative is. From the initial sequences, you'll find yourself immediately attached to Lara and the struggles she's forced to endure. That moment when control is first relinquished to the player, there's an urgency to proceed; you want the helpless, stranded protagonist to escape and reunite with her companions. The first enemy encounter already begins subtle character development, and it's clear that the conflict has shaken Lara but that she has no choice but to come to terms with it all.

    The dreary, bone filled cave of the intro is a testament to how well orchestrated all the scenes are; it's outright terrifying just as it's intended to be, but this is only the first of countless gorgeous views. Emerging from there and into the lush woods brings another fantastic vista. Villages amongst mountains, a fortress in the snowy mountains and a beach laden with several wrecked vessels are just a few of the fabulous places to be seen on the island. Best of all, exploring these is a breeze.

    The controls are among the most intuitive I've encountered, and I feel as if Tomb Raider does free running in a league superior to Assassin's Creed. Tools to overcome obstacles come one by one, and a new toy is only laid down after you've had ample time to master the one before it. Any surface that you suspect you can climb, you almost certainly can.

    There's an elaborate level-up and upgrade system in place. Defeating enemies, hunting wild animals and plundering optional tombs all grant piles of experience to use on skills that enhance Lara's prowess. Weapons are improved by finding salvage in the world, and your armaments are visually enhanced for every upgrade you perform such as adding a scope to your assault rifle. The skills will allow you to gain additional perks for skillful kills, loot additional salvage from kills, see collectibles through walls, and even traverse terrain more quickly among several other perks.

    Combat itself is a delight. It's fast, fluid and just plain works! Lara's clever enough to duck behind cover while in a fight and will pop up whenever you try to aim. Enemies may be disabled by shooting at their limbs and can be executed with a keystroke if you've mastered the skill. They'll use similar tools to what you have, including grenades, shotguns and even the wonderful bow and arrow. That said, you can largely avoid combat by taking the stealth route. The bow makes for silent kills, approaching an enemy from behind allows for a quiet execution; and eventually, you may even add silencers certain weapons.

    Ample collectibles are strewn throughout the game; and via a fast-travel system, you're free to revisit previously conquered territory to find these things. There are relics to peer at which help to express the background of the island, documents that are fully voiced over by their writers and so much salvage and weapon parts. "Challenges" exist that involve finding all of a certain item or destroying evil totems among so much more. That goes without mentioning the non-combat puzzle tombs that really make for an excellent hiatus between story arches. Better yet, there's a Metroid-esque feeling to using all your new equipment to reach places that you previously could not.

    There's also a multi-player aspect with a few run of the mill game modes. Deathmatch is here, but there's also a couple of unique experiences. Present too is a progression system not dissimilar to the single player. You can upgrade your skills and weapons much the same way, but it sort of feels like a Call of Duty clone with a rustic coat of paint. There wasn't much here to keep me interested for more than a couple of hours.

    All in all, I absolutely adore this title. The story is engrossing, the stealth and combat mechanics are clean, and I was having a blast just climbing around and exploring. There was a certain relief in Tomb Raider's climax and epilogue, and I only wish that there was more! Crystal Dynamics built a masterpiece whose only flaw is a multi-player experience that's far out shined by its story mode.    … Expand
  84. skeith
    Mar 22, 2013
    10
    Absolutely amazing! This game is so engaging and I could not put down my controller for hours and hours. Interesting story, fine combat mechanics, exciting adventures! The game has much to do even after the main story. Revisiting areas with new gears and find collectibles. Watching how Lara change and grow throughout the game is also very intriguing. Buy it.
  85. dimitrii_ss2
    Mar 22, 2013
    10
    This is the best game out in 2013 so far, graphics, story, combat, sound everything is AAA quality and the new TressFx was just lovely and i didn't have any performance issues(on ultra settings-on a amd build pc). I went all out woke up in the morning and i just couldn't leave until the game finished.
  86. McTurbo
    Mar 22, 2013
    10
    The best game that I've played in the last 30 years. Tomb Raider is beautiful, has stunning graphics, amazing sound effects, you will feel immersed in an adventure as if you were experiencing first hand. Beautiful story, plot twists, puzzles and lots of action and spectacle. Do not miss this great game. Who knows when we'll see another at these levels. Supreme!
  87. fmelish
    Mar 22, 2013
    9
    Great game if you like the original series on the console, this one just makes the franchise better. The new Lara Croft is awesome she's more like a real person and less like a cartoon. The voice acting and the graphics are very well done. The story is immersive and compelling. So many titles for the Xbox are just rehashing the same old stuff, but that's not the case with Tomb Raider.
  88. NoNerfAu
    Mar 22, 2013
    9
    This game has a lot of positives, and very little negatives. Stunning visuals, great sound/voice acting, intense story and gameplay that will leave you incredibly satisfied with your purchase. One thing that stands out in my opinion is the level design. The way the game directs you, leaves you options and controls your reactions to certain situations is just amazing. I think that is greatThis game has a lot of positives, and very little negatives. Stunning visuals, great sound/voice acting, intense story and gameplay that will leave you incredibly satisfied with your purchase. One thing that stands out in my opinion is the level design. The way the game directs you, leaves you options and controls your reactions to certain situations is just amazing. I think that is great considering many people worried about this game looking to action/adventure shoot-em-up than the creative level-designs from the previous games. I'm glad to say that everything is balanced fantastically, and just the right amount of optional completion. There are a few problems with the PC drivers, but a couple of patches later fix this almost fully. The aging consoles bring this game down too much and with my rig running this on ultimate setting at a comfortable 60fps it's hard to say that you should play it on anything else. The PC version is the way to go and even the keyboard and mouse feel more comfortable than the controller.

    9/10    … Expand
  89. davidfregoli
    Mar 21, 2013
    10
    The best thing about this game is that it's fun! You always feel compelled to go on, every action feels natural and simple but rewarding.
    Art direction is amazing and the environments and characters look gorgeous.
  90. iisfitblud
    Mar 21, 2013
    8
    Tomb Raider has always been a rather unbelievable series. I thought it was going to change with this one, but apparently Lara is invincible and no amount of falling can kill her. Apart from that this is a brilliant game that made me wince multiple times at just how surprisingly brutal it is. Very good game, but also very short.
  91. Facet
    Mar 21, 2013
    9
    The game feels so great and polished. Its just flow. The graphic is supreme. I think this is the best game i personally played since arkham city. But i must say than. Even doe that the game feels so nice and shiny. I still feel that the game have been to much setup for you. Not so much choosing of you own. Just follow the path. All the escapes and collapsing runs a stunning work and setup.The game feels so great and polished. Its just flow. The graphic is supreme. I think this is the best game i personally played since arkham city. But i must say than. Even doe that the game feels so nice and shiny. I still feel that the game have been to much setup for you. Not so much choosing of you own. Just follow the path. All the escapes and collapsing runs a stunning work and setup. But its just to controlled and as the player i feel like i have no control. Then i would have liked to see more advance puzzle. And not so easy a way to find all the treasures that just pups up on the map and gps track on them. The treasures also feels like something completely unnecessary in the game. But but.. As i give this game a score on 9 just say that the overall off the game still works totally awesome. I just see a lot of things that would make this game epic. It really have a lot off potential. So i look forward to the next chapter in Lara crofts life..… Expand
  92. Feinz
    Mar 20, 2013
    8
    great game fun story, i like games that have a bit of a cinematic feel to them so if that's up your alley go for it,
    it feels like a smaller scale Prince of Persia with the puzzles, and very much alike Uncharted. This game was great for PC but i actually wish i got it on Xbox just cause i had a bit of framing problems with the Tressfx hair.
  93. RealMuthaF
    Mar 20, 2013
    8
    A successful reboot of a long-going series, the new Tomb Raider is pretty much summing up most of the recent gaming trends in one. The plot reminds of Far Cry 3 (I am aware that they were developed simultaneously) a story of setting the character, "a survivor is born", and of Uncharted (yeah, one can't avoid comparing TR to this action-adventure golden standard) adventuring in mythic landsA successful reboot of a long-going series, the new Tomb Raider is pretty much summing up most of the recent gaming trends in one. The plot reminds of Far Cry 3 (I am aware that they were developed simultaneously) a story of setting the character, "a survivor is born", and of Uncharted (yeah, one can't avoid comparing TR to this action-adventure golden standard) adventuring in mythic lands with supernatural stuff closer to the end. A point where Tomb Raider loses to the mentioned Uncharted series are the secondary characters they aren't near as likeable as in the latter, and mostly worse written the only character you actually get to like is the one that's given sufficient screen time Conrad Roth. I actually felt sorry for the old warrior. The game's overall tone is gritty and dark, and that's what makes the plot quite inconsistent with the gameplay Lara whines and moans a lot (damn frequently the game actually sounds like a porno), cries over her dead comrades and after making her first kill in the cutscenes, but then the gameplay leads you to brutally murder dozens of random people. The gameplay itself is fun, killing (especially with the bow) feel satisfying, puzzles are short but well-made and actually require you to think and action setpieces are gripping. The campaign is structured as Batman: Arkham Asylum, so it isn't exactly open-world, but you may revisit the deserted locations to finish collecting stuff only you won't really want to do it after the main storyline. As for multiplayer, it's quite bland, a poor version of Uncharted's. To sum up, Tomb Raider is not exactly a gem, it doesn't bring anything new to the genre, but nevertheless it's a potent game and a great set-up for the future games (And boy, will there be sequels)… Expand
  94. RayDotNet
    Mar 20, 2013
    9
    Stunning, amazing and beautiful. Playing this game on the PC is a plus! Dynamic and exciting storyline drives players to spend time or Lara Croft and her first adventure. The art was beautiful even on low settings of the game. Controls and combat were really smooth especially when Lara Croft jumps from a hanging rope to climb the white rocks. There were a few areas that needed to beStunning, amazing and beautiful. Playing this game on the PC is a plus! Dynamic and exciting storyline drives players to spend time or Lara Croft and her first adventure. The art was beautiful even on low settings of the game. Controls and combat were really smooth especially when Lara Croft jumps from a hanging rope to climb the white rocks. There were a few areas that needed to be improved such as quick-time events that caught the player in such a sudden. Or notify that the action button of E and F are being used as a quick time event button. Other than that Tomb Raider can allow players to discover more tombs and secret areas if the player chooses to stay off the storyline. The levels in the game can be very linear sometimes but that does not defeat the purpose of the game. Crystal Dynamics did a wonderful job and this game could have chosen the 59.99 price range but chooses not to was a smart move. This game is worth the money and players are suggested to buy this game!… Expand
  95. Iyuna
    Mar 20, 2013
    10
    When users score its so high its for a reason. Appart of having best graphics to date, as usual on any tomb raider, i mean they are stunning but you just get that with all tomb raiders, stunning but not surprising, i already expected best graphics to date.

    What surprises me its the gameplay, one of the best games ive ever played, replayable as hell, fun as hell, honestly ive just played    When users score its so high its for a reason. Appart of having best graphics to date, as usual on any tomb raider, i mean they are stunning but you just get that with all tomb raiders, stunning but not surprising, i already expected best graphics to date.

    What surprises me its the gameplay, one of the best games ive ever played, replayable as hell, fun as hell, honestly ive just played like 20 hours but i am comparing this to ocarina of time, goldeneye, mgs 1... etc.

    A must have,fan or not    … Expand
  96. kaje
    Mar 20, 2013
    10
    Enfin nous avons notre Uncharted sur PC Que dis-je notre Tomb Raider sur PC !!!

    Les qualités du jeu ayant été maintes fois abordés. Je n'ajouterais que la beauté du jeu en 3D active. La 3D est de toute beauté (sur projo 3D 1080p 24Hz, image base 2.50 m). Une immersion totale. Une profondeur qui vous subjugue. On en vient souvent admirer les arrières plans en relief plus que Lara.    Enfin nous avons notre Uncharted sur PC Que dis-je notre Tomb Raider sur PC !!!

    Les qualités du jeu ayant été maintes fois abordés. Je n'ajouterais que la beauté du jeu en 3D active. La 3D est de toute beauté (sur projo 3D 1080p 24Hz, image base 2.50 m).

    Une immersion totale. Une profondeur qui vous subjugue. On en vient souvent admirer les arrières plans en relief plus que Lara.

    Le jaillissement hors de l'écran est excellent. On voit les branches ou les morceaux de bois dans les souterrains qui vous percutent l’œil lorsque vous vous déplacez vers eux. Lors des scènes d’action les objets vous arrivent droit dans la figure. Surprenant !

    Les particules de poussières virevoltent devant vous dans l'air. L'eau aussi vous tombe sur la tête.

    Une 3D digne d'un film 3D natif. Honnêtement le jeu n'a vraiment rien voir en 3D. Voir Lara et vivre l'histoire en 3D change le jeu de façon extraordinaire.    … Expand
  97. JustRandom
    Mar 20, 2013
    9
    There is just no words to describe this new Tittle. I was always Fan of Tomb Rider and i really was afraid that they will ruin with this new installment reboot. I was wrong. The Graphics are breathtaking The story telling is one of the best today and the mechanics are platform is still there. They Manage to make a Game that although feels like a movie which is not a bad thing it offers aThere is just no words to describe this new Tittle. I was always Fan of Tomb Rider and i really was afraid that they will ruin with this new installment reboot. I was wrong. The Graphics are breathtaking The story telling is one of the best today and the mechanics are platform is still there. They Manage to make a Game that although feels like a movie which is not a bad thing it offers a entertainment that most games are not. The platform from all games is still here the shooting is fun and the new Upgrade mechanics are really nice new additions. The only problem with this Title was the Quick Time Events. Although they really did a awesome job and thats how QTE should be in a Game. In most cases (In PC mostly) you didn't know what button to press in order to complete it. But other than that this game is a Fine example of how a QTE should be created The Wolf scene at the start was amazing.

    I recommend this title to every Fan old and new of Lara Croft.    … Expand
  98. CriticoDubioso
    Mar 19, 2013
    10
    Summary: a worth buy due to good combat/upgrade system which makes the control good for adventure combat.

    First of all, I am new to this series. So, I will comment more on the game system and plot. Combat/upgrade system: This incorporate many elements from several famous games, like dodging system (Alan Wake), cover taking/stealth kill/instinct (Hitman Absolution), character skill    Summary: a worth buy due to good combat/upgrade system which makes the control good for adventure combat.

    First of all, I am new to this series. So, I will comment more on the game system and plot.

    Combat/upgrade system: This incorporate many elements from several famous games, like dodging system (Alan Wake), cover taking/stealth kill/instinct (Hitman Absolution), character skill upgrade (many action games have this nowadays), resource/weapon part collection (Dead Space 3). Its implementation is so good that the combat can be carried out smoothly with the help of above elements. Lara also interacts with the environment flawlessly, she knows to take cover when needed to, and crouch for stealth encounter when needed to. Very smart indeed. The character skill upgrade are generally helpful as well, but balancing. The use of visual icons to prompt for QTE is generally user friendly to players as well. Excellent.

    Plot/Adventure: As a reboot from series, Lara starts as a newbie, and she gets more skill/tactics as she advances through the story, which also allows some back-tracking to previous places for treasure hunting. A good setting! And the developers have guts as well, if it needs to have gore and violence in order to present the cult atmosphere, so it will be. Good try.

    Optional quests Action: The game also does not deviate from its main purpose. Yes, tomb raider! So, visiting optional tomb, finding treasures via solving puzzles or climbing jumping, with some cool and exciting jump drop in between. By doing so, players can have some understanding about items, and gain more XP for skill upgrade, a good incentive and fun way to enhance the game play, rather than simply killing enemies.

    Overall, a good combat and adventure system and character development throughout the game, with the nice elements implemented, it is really fun to explore the island and complete the side quests.    … Expand
  99. TAMPjackoon
    Mar 19, 2013
    9
    9 10 AMAZING, easily the best Tomb Raider game to date, it's an incredible mix of open-world exploration and intense action sequences. Excellent presentation, good (while unoriginal) story, and an amazing singleplayer campaign.

    PRESENTATION: All of the visuals are amazing, whether it be the depth of field, particle effects, animations, or the textures. Just make sure to optimize it to    9 10 AMAZING, easily the best Tomb Raider game to date, it's an incredible mix of open-world exploration and intense action sequences. Excellent presentation, good (while unoriginal) story, and an amazing singleplayer campaign.

    PRESENTATION: All of the visuals are amazing, whether it be the depth of field, particle effects, animations, or the textures. Just make sure to optimize it to whatever your computer's strength may be. The sounds are great too; voice acting is great (especially from Lara's character), music is phenomenal, and the effects are all great. Camera angles have always been a major problem with the Tomb Raider series, but this one fixed that up and it's "fine" now. However, why are the liquid drops on the camera? That makes no sense, and just gets annoying. If this were first-person, it'd make sense, but now?

    STORY: It love the story, it has a very Indiana Jones style feeling. The game has a great mix of intense, gritty, and brutal moments with moments that just feel like pure light-hearted adventure. A feeling I haven't had since I played Twilight Princess back when I first got a Wii. I like the characters, only a few have a critical impact on the story, but I actually ended up being able to distinguish them all, and liked them all for their individual quirks. (except for Wittman, that pansy)

    GAMEPLAY: Platforming, combat, RPG-like system, and the huge world off of the given path are so perfect, it's a little breath-taking. The cover mechanic is actually amazing, which is surprising considering how clunky other games have used it. There's some decent stealth, but the assaulting moments are the beef of the gameplay. HOWEVER, the multiplayer is so downright awful, I couldn't believe it, I don't even suggest touching it. I forced myself through a few matches just so that I could bring you this lack of information, it's terrible. But the rest is great! I'm done here, thanks for reading!    … Expand
  100. JudgmentJay
    Mar 19, 2013
    8
    To be honest I'm surprised at how much I like this game. It probably helps that I went into it knowing that it would be a "Push X to win" type of game. I was expecting more of a movie and less of a game, and that's really what it is. Depending on what you're looking for, this can be a positive or a negative. In my case it was a positive. Thanks to the ridiculously good visuals, sound, andTo be honest I'm surprised at how much I like this game. It probably helps that I went into it knowing that it would be a "Push X to win" type of game. I was expecting more of a movie and less of a game, and that's really what it is. Depending on what you're looking for, this can be a positive or a negative. In my case it was a positive. Thanks to the ridiculously good visuals, sound, and voice acting I was able to immerse myself into the story and enjoy the action-packed ride. The story itself isn't anything special, but it's good enough. Combat is fluid. QTEs aren't my preferred gameplay mechanic, but they're well done. Exploration is satisfying and rewarding, though I could have done with less hand-holding as far as discovering tombs and items is concerned. I don't feel compelled to 100% most games, but I feel like this is one where it would actually be fun to do. In short, if you're in the mood for a relatively short but satisfying game that feels like you're watching/participating in an action movie, Tomb Raider is a great choice.… 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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