Tomb Raider

 PlayStation 3
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1519 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,248 out of 1519
  2. Mixed: 172 out of 1519
  3. Negative: 99 out of 1519
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  1. ezioauditore
    Mar 9, 2013
    9
    As a die-hard Uncharted fan I can easily say that this game is a game to be reckoned with and to boast about. Crystal Dynamics has done a great job in terms of storytelling and especially gameplay, with the bow and arrow being a pleasure to use. It's Naughty Dog's turn now, hopefully if they release Uncharted 4 they will have the Tomb Raider standard to have to top.
  2. guyphs
    Mar 6, 2013
    4
    I very much wanted to like this game. I remember playing the first TR game the day that it came out and being blown away by it. This, however, is not a Tomb Raider game. The closest and most succinct description that I can give is that it is Uncharted with breasts and XP. There's some exploration crack that's sprinkled on it, but for the most part here is the bulk of the gameplay:I very much wanted to like this game. I remember playing the first TR game the day that it came out and being blown away by it. This, however, is not a Tomb Raider game. The closest and most succinct description that I can give is that it is Uncharted with breasts and XP. There's some exploration crack that's sprinkled on it, but for the most part here is the bulk of the gameplay:

    Follow a linear path.
    Encounter a group of armed thugs and chest high walls.
    Kill aforementioned thugs.
    Loot.
    Rinse and repeat. The game is mostly set pieces and constantly holds your hand. It comes complete with a win button that you can use to get the game to tell you what to do in case you can't figure it out, which never happens anyway because the way the design is done it's basically got sign posts telling you exactly what to do at every point in the game. Also, I'm about 3/4 of the way through and there has been exactly zero swimming, which would make this the first TR game without swimming. It is also nowhere near as gritty as we were led to believe, nor do you ever really feel vulnerable. The cutscenes and voice acting are well-done generally, but outside of them it's boom headshot time. This isn't a Tomb Raider game. It's barely an action-adventure game. It's mostly just an action game, complete with a heavy melee unit that shows up right on cue. But, for an ACTION game, it's decent. It plays a lot like Spec Ops, but has a more interesting main character, platforming, a less interesting narrative, but better combat. It isn't an awful game. If you LOVED Uncharted, and you KINDA LINKED the previous Tomb Raiders, you might want to check this out. If you came looking for an honest-to-goodness reboot of the Lara Croft franchise, well then I'm afraid I've got bad news for you...    … Expand
  3. GracefulDemon
    Nov 21, 2013
    4
    If you expect to raid tombs in this game, this game is not for you. Yeah, I know. You would think Tomb Raider would be a game about raiding tombs and exploring the truth behind awesome legends and myths, like every previous Tomb Raider. Ah well, too bad for you.

    If you expect to play with the iconic bad-ass heroine that is Lara Croft, this game is not for you. Oh, don't get me wrong,    If you expect to raid tombs in this game, this game is not for you. Yeah, I know. You would think Tomb Raider would be a game about raiding tombs and exploring the truth behind awesome legends and myths, like every previous Tomb Raider. Ah well, too bad for you.

    If you expect to play with the iconic bad-ass heroine that is Lara Croft, this game is not for you. Oh, don't get me wrong, she is still named Lara Croft, but instead of being... well, Lara Croft, she is actually a whiny girl who does whatever her buds as her to do, because she must not have a mind of her own. And you know that promise they made, about this experience being the reason why she becomes the heroine we love and that in the end we would, in fact, get to see THE Lara we should have played with the entire game? You've guessed it. It is a load of bull-crap. She ends the game just as stupid minded as she begins. Do I feel betrayed? Utterly.

    Needless to say at this point, if you expect the narrative to be an emotional ride that will leave you weeping but satisfied, this game isn't for you either. Tomb Raider (2013) is among the stupidest stories I've ever experienced in a video game... ever! And it suffers even further for taking it's bad narrative so seriously, to the point where it will make you laugh and flip off your screen at just how cringe worthy it is. (I honestly had to take a break for a few hours... it was like reading a terrible book, filled with more clichés, melodramatic moments, and plot holes than you could possibly handle except this one is in game-format.)

    If you expect breathtaking music to go along the repetitiveness that is to shoot tons of men, solve a five second puzzle, and repeat, then this game isn't for you. Also, don't play this game without headphones you don't want anyone to think you're watching hardcore porn... or maybe you do. But that has nothing to do with me. You were warned though. (This means the voice acting is atrocious, by the way... and the gameplay too, unfortunately.)

    And finally, if you expect this game to take your breath away with it's gorgeous graphics and the magnificent setting, then I guess this game is for you. The settings are simply beautiful, from the Japanese temples, to the forests... this is a VERY good looking game. Absolutely stunning. And that is why I've rated it a 4 just for how beautiful it is. It almost makes me cry that the setting was completely wasted in this game.

    And that was all!
    By all means, play this if you want to, but you were warned.    … Expand
  4. chesaro
    Jun 21, 2015
    6
    I've just finished the game, and i realized my expectations where too high, the A.I. is dumb as hell and there is so little exploration for a game about... Exploration, the game play is just ok, but it feel like it was imported from a template, is very generic. To be honest i didn't like the original tomb raider from the ps1 and i never finished (or played more that a couple of hours) anyI've just finished the game, and i realized my expectations where too high, the A.I. is dumb as hell and there is so little exploration for a game about... Exploration, the game play is just ok, but it feel like it was imported from a template, is very generic. To be honest i didn't like the original tomb raider from the ps1 and i never finished (or played more that a couple of hours) any game of the series, but this was so "whatever", it's not the game i expected.… Expand
  5. WiSeSage357
    Aug 23, 2014
    7
    Even though I don't agree with some of the big scores for Tomb Raider I felt it was a nice experience. Although the playing online was not the best I kept playing do to the pretty good story they had in the campaign. Although the main reason I felt it was not that amazing was (in my opinion) the game play did not feel smooth and the gun play felt like a peashooter even though they wereEven though I don't agree with some of the big scores for Tomb Raider I felt it was a nice experience. Although the playing online was not the best I kept playing do to the pretty good story they had in the campaign. Although the main reason I felt it was not that amazing was (in my opinion) the game play did not feel smooth and the gun play felt like a peashooter even though they were weapons that were made on the spot. The game play never felt satisfying to me enough. The leveling system never appealed to me and felt lopsided to specific skills instead of exploring new tactics. If you like the IP of Tomb Raider then I do recommend buying it for PS4 or the cheaper last gen console version or just wait for the sequel to released.… Expand
  6. azeitona
    Nov 24, 2014
    7
    I wanted to like this game a little bit more, I really wanted, but something in this game doesn't "click" with me. Amazing graphics, amazing atmosphere, amazing voice acting and amazing soundtrack. The gameplay also is vastly improved from previous games. The logical puzzles are far more easy to figure out, but there's too much shooting and too little exploration or jumping puzzles. AndI wanted to like this game a little bit more, I really wanted, but something in this game doesn't "click" with me. Amazing graphics, amazing atmosphere, amazing voice acting and amazing soundtrack. The gameplay also is vastly improved from previous games. The logical puzzles are far more easy to figure out, but there's too much shooting and too little exploration or jumping puzzles. And the story, although gritty, it just feels... bland. The characters are empty, with the exception of Lara. The campaign is too short and the multiplayer is BORING. No way it's a bad game, it's just... not exactly there. It wants to be so much more, but it falls short.… Expand
  7. beatlemnkyhuman
    Nov 27, 2014
    7
    The story leaves much to be desired.

    The combat forces you to play a certain way or you will die.

    The voice acting is quite bad.

    It looks good and feels good but that's not enough for me.
  8. UKKIWI
    Mar 6, 2013
    10
    After years of poor tomb raider games a reboot was well needed. The new gameplay is fun as you can either choose to sneak around killing everyone or go in all guns blazing. The story is interesting and the exploration is fun. The multiplayer is this games only let down but im not going to let it affect my score as any true fan knows tomb raider is a single player game!
  9. HDFR
    Jun 17, 2013
    4
    For a game with so much hype surrounding character portrayal the supporting cast is weak. Sassy black chick serves as the critical voice to all the Lara’s concerns over the islands supernatural qualities. Cute Chinese girl functions as a plot device by being kidnapped like that guy who always disappears in The Hangover films. Large framed and even larger hearted Hawaiian guy keepsFor a game with so much hype surrounding character portrayal the supporting cast is weak. Sassy black chick serves as the critical voice to all the Lara’s concerns over the islands supernatural qualities. Cute Chinese girl functions as a plot device by being kidnapped like that guy who always disappears in The Hangover films. Large framed and even larger hearted Hawaiian guy keeps everyone’s spirits up while the island’s indigenous shower them all with fire based projectiles. The supporting cast is a too wide and nobody gets enough screen time or engaging dialogue to make a real presence, the main protagonist included. Lara isn’t well fleshed out either. She displays brief turmoil following her first kill, but she soon goes on to find new and outlandish ways to expose the inner craniums of hundreds more men without showing any further remorse or having the excuse of being drugged up to the eye balls like Far Cry 3’s Jason Brody. The writers attempt to book end the narrative with mournful references to her dead dad, but everything in between reads like the script of your average cookie cutter action flick.

    A lot of the narrative’s credibility has been tied to the portraying of Lara in a vulnerable light, but this doesn’t instantly make for thoughtful characterizing. If someone rewrote Mansfield Park and recast Fanny Price as a busty gun toting whore I doubt it’d be met with such appraisal, or perhaps it would; Pride and Prejudice and Zombies did alright, but I digress. While we’re talking literature, it’s worth mentioning that Tomb Raider attempts to embellish it’s narrative with collectable diaries and documents la Bioshock, but they don’t embellish it so much as contain every scrap of what could have made this story interesting. Additionally they’re so monotonously voiced and lengthy that players are like to harvest them for xp and swiftly move on. In further regard to the vulnerability aspect of Lara, it’s a tone that fails to resonate when she’s brushing off twenty foot drops every few seconds like some sort of human bouncy ball.

    Average writing aside game play isn‘t particularly jaw dropping, not to say that it‘s altogether poor as it functions fluidly, but remains uninspired. The box art is tag lined “A survivor is born” although survival elements are sparse. An opening tutorial has Lara murder and cook Bambi for nourishment. Later a heavily injured Lara has to abandon aggressive modes of combat, instead making use of throw able objects, bow kills and takedowns. However such scenarios were gimmicky and fleeting when instead they could have been more intricate and permanent features.

    More often or not oppurtunities to employ stealth are scripted and conclude with forced fire fights in which players need to hunker down in the same spot to pick off foes from behind cover. You can’t give a player the option to approach combat in their way for so long only to snatch it away. That’s like being invited to a dinner party where the first two courses are comprised of lobster and caviar, but turns out that desserts a massive un-optional sandwich.

    A.I isn’t too intelligent, take out one enemy by yanking him with rope and arrow from a platform and his buddy two feet away will assume they’ve went for a spontaneous paraglide session. Enemies endlessly gravitate towards flammable barrels like they were full of winning lottery tickets and the island’s rigged with more explosives than a Wile. E. Coyote cartoon so combat soon becomes pretty, but stale.

    Environments make impressive use of vertical spaces, but routes for dispatching enemies are persistently linear. Camera angles are occasionally an issue in woodland areas resulting in the player’s view being obscured by more shrubbery than if they were being tea bagged by a tree beard from Lord of the Rings. Woefully enemies can make better use of the vertical spaces than the player during combat and anytime the opportunity to perform impressive manoeuvres arises the game has the nasty habit of cutting to a cinematic or QTE, alarmed that the players satisfaction levels may be spiking.

    Out with combat, tomb raiding is optional activity and when the ’tombs’, read ‘small caves’, are encountered they’re usually preceded by long needless crawls towards an area containing remarkably simple puzzles. The purpose of these is supposedly to give the player a long look at Lara’s arse so there goes you feminist angle.

    The undeniably present lack of free will displayed in the game’s set pieces leads to the theory that it may have been Crystal Dynamic’s wish to produce a Tomb Raider movie. The abundant use of slow motion, cut-aways and the way the screen goes film noir when Lara takes damage would certainly suggest so. This in mind here’s the alternative to buying the game. Watch one of the old Angelina Jolie films with controller in hand and press the trigger every time Lara wastes some guy.    … Expand
  10. thegreatsage
    Mar 17, 2013
    6
    I just finished Tomb Raider and felt like I had to write something about the game as I feel I disagree with a lot of the gaming websites positive reviews. My experience was really all over the place with Tomb Raider, I felt the game had little to no identity of its own. Tomb Raider is like playing Uncharted, Assassins Creed & Arkham City all in one. The game play itself is nothing newI just finished Tomb Raider and felt like I had to write something about the game as I feel I disagree with a lot of the gaming websites positive reviews. My experience was really all over the place with Tomb Raider, I felt the game had little to no identity of its own. Tomb Raider is like playing Uncharted, Assassins Creed & Arkham City all in one. The game play itself is nothing new although there can still be a few fun moments in this game. Raking up head shots with the bow and arrow was a highlight, I used this for the majority of the game and found some of the other weapon options fairly pointless until very late in the game. Being a big fan of the both Tomb Raider and the Uncharted series I was really excited for the release of this game and it was disappointing that for the majority of the game I felt like I just wanted it to be over. Unfortunately they made Lara a whining cry baby who moans and makes painful noises when you do basically about anything in this game, apparently this is to show her emotional side and her struggle but instead just gets really annoying. Tomb Raider has a dull story line filled with unmemorable characters who add no substance to the experience what so ever. The majority of the characters are only introduced to you for a few seconds leaving you with no attachment or understanding of their characters at all. So when one dies, you seriously couldn't care less. Another thing that irritated me with this game is Lara’s face… It may as well have had no eyes or mouth on it at all, it remains plain and expressionless for the entire game and any close ups leave you wondering why they didn't put more detail into the main character.

    It may sound like it but I didn't really have that bad a time with this game, I just wish they had put more emphasis on the storyline, It just left me feeling like I wasn't doing anything with purpose in the game and instead was just jumping around from ledge to ledge picking up bits of wood to upgrade my weapons. If you are however into picking up lots of useless stuff in games, this one is for you. The tomb puzzles were fun but could have been a bit more complicated and longer.

    Again I just felt like the game was lacking its own identity, I can see how people would enjoy this game but it just wasn't for me. If you can borrow it over buying, I’d go for that option.    … Expand
  11. kirkkh
    Mar 12, 2013
    6
    It's Uncharted with a girl. Which could be fine --unless you were looking forward to raiding tombs. Fans of quicktime events and enemies to gun-down are in for a treat. (for a "girl-becomes-a-women" origins-shtick, she sure murders a lot). Now, If you wanted to solve puzzles and again raid-tombs, then well...
  12. AD_Phoenix
    Mar 12, 2013
    9
    Lara Croft is back and the best she's ever been! Since Tomb Raider: Underworld's release, Crystal Dynamics has been hard at work putting together this origin story, and it definitely pays off. An unbelievably unique game in many ways. It is true that some inspiration is taken from modern titles like the Uncharted series, but to be honest, if it hadn't the outcome may well have been aLara Croft is back and the best she's ever been! Since Tomb Raider: Underworld's release, Crystal Dynamics has been hard at work putting together this origin story, and it definitely pays off. An unbelievably unique game in many ways. It is true that some inspiration is taken from modern titles like the Uncharted series, but to be honest, if it hadn't the outcome may well have been a completely different game. I believe Naughty Dog's series gave Tomb Raider the boost it needed to evolve for more mature audiences. The script is brilliantly written by talented Rihanna Pratchett, already having worked on female-driven action games. The gameplay is tense, adrenaline-fuelled action and adventure, with a lot of exploration opportunities. The most important feat Crystal Dynamics has accomplished is that they have created an entirely new, 3-Dimensional Lara Croft who is so much more human. I have yet to complete the game and I must say I am nowhere near disappointed in any way. The over system is unique in such a way that I expect other games to adapt this revolutionary technique in future titles. An absolute must-have! Even if you were not a Tomb Raider fan previously, now is the time to get in on the action.
    NOTE: Having now completed the game, I deducted a point based purely on the multiplayer. Although at times fun, it shows just how rushed and un-evolved it is. The single player may well have been improved with a longer duration.    … Expand
  13. PneumaticHat
    Mar 8, 2013
    5
    Tomb Raider shows off its team's technical strengths and provides adequate gameplay. Every single point of my review goes toward the craftsmanship involved, which left the same sort of impression on me as a sturdy wooden chair or endtable. It has shape, polish, and function, and fits right in with the other well-constructed action games of its ilk. But then, it gets weird. It gets really,Tomb Raider shows off its team's technical strengths and provides adequate gameplay. Every single point of my review goes toward the craftsmanship involved, which left the same sort of impression on me as a sturdy wooden chair or endtable. It has shape, polish, and function, and fits right in with the other well-constructed action games of its ilk. But then, it gets weird. It gets really, really weird. It gets weird enough to knock off more points than a videogame story should/ Not since Lifetime's worst-rated films have I cringed through such uncomfortable, pedantic, pandering female-empowerment-exploitation schlock. Not content with mediocrity, the plot clashes against its gameplay, employing torture porn and revenge-killings as the only means of character development. Lara Croft, a plucky young girl on an innocent adventure, has to shoot through hundreds of specifically male strangers to grow into a strong woman, yelping like a pornstar every minute of the way as she's beaten, stabbed, eviscerated, crushed, drowned, shot, impaled, burned alive, eaten, gored, and otherwise violated by everything. Thanks to the genre setpieces, Lara seems to like these beatings so much that she goes out of her way to get more, crossing deadly terrain when everyone else clearly uses safer means. She stops her bizarre thrill-slaughter only long enough to whimper her insecurities and angst over piles of dead bodies. This wannabe blockbuster script slathers itself greasily on top of a standard yet solid game, deforming Tomb Raider into a jarring, uneven, and unsettling experience. Just don't.… Expand
  14. JSheryn
    Mar 18, 2013
    6
    This Game really brought me back to the older games with the bizarre Story line, but they defiinitely have taken the tomb out of the raider, there was just a sheer lack of them old tomb experiences which we all experienced in the previous games
  15. kingofkoopas
    Mar 30, 2014
    4
    Look at all the high scores from both users and reviewers, how is this possible? I'll tell you how, the hype for this mediocre game and the want to love this game has blinded everyone to how terrible this giant turd is. I bought the game and I did beat it, after a few hours or so, the feeling of guilt began to plague me. I knew I had made a bad purchase. I still kept playing though,Look at all the high scores from both users and reviewers, how is this possible? I'll tell you how, the hype for this mediocre game and the want to love this game has blinded everyone to how terrible this giant turd is. I bought the game and I did beat it, after a few hours or so, the feeling of guilt began to plague me. I knew I had made a bad purchase. I still kept playing though, telling and trying to convince myself that this game was actually good. I read the IGN review for this game, where the reviewer states that the tombs are actually challenging and that they will make you feel like you accomplished something!....Nothing could be further from the truth, those tombs are designed so that your average first grader can do in less than a minute. There is no gameplay at all in this mediocre cash cow for mindless drones that believe anything other people say. An enormous amount of handholding, a ton of QTE's, set pieces that play themselves. Uncharted has a good amount of set pieces, yet you still retain control of Nate, not in this game. In this game the set pieces play themselves and there is a lot of them. There is about 2-3 different kinds of bad guys with very very poor AI. People talk about stealth, but even the first MGS does it much much better. The game's hard difficulty is a joke, you'll even read a lot about that from the fanboys of this game. Post game content? Lol all the things to do after you beat this game for casual babies are totally uninspired and worthless. Lara is supposedly more realistic but that is far far from the truth. This 120LB woman makes Big Boss look relatively green. The supporting cast is so dead, so insipid, you might just want them to die. This game will provide no challenge for you at all, none whatsoever. The bad guys just love to throw molotovs at you, they are really fond of that. They love to stand next to exploding barrels so that you can end their pathetic lives all the much easier. The graphics are really nice, that is all this game has, nothing else. Don't be an idiot and disagree with this review. Just admit that you like sh**** games, it will make you a much much smarter person. This insipid, shallow, mediocre, uninspired, challenge lacking(to the most extreme) game gets a 4.… Expand
  16. MediaFreak
    Oct 6, 2013
    6
    Highly overrated game. It's just a poor mans uncharted. Graphics are stunning, and for the first hour or so the game play is fairly enjoyable. But then it's just Lara vs about 20 guys over and over, with the developers seemingly running out of creative ideas for these set pieces other than throw in a couple more baddies or giving them better weapons. The strategy is same and repetitiveHighly overrated game. It's just a poor mans uncharted. Graphics are stunning, and for the first hour or so the game play is fairly enjoyable. But then it's just Lara vs about 20 guys over and over, with the developers seemingly running out of creative ideas for these set pieces other than throw in a couple more baddies or giving them better weapons. The strategy is same and repetitive through out, little to no variation of how to approach each set piece. Bravo to those that finished the game, because boredom sets in about a third of the way through when puzzles and platforming become minimal and replaced with mind numbing boring duck and cover shooting that has been done to death on this generation of consoles.… Expand
  17. BradJay17
    May 18, 2013
    4
    I tried so hard to like this game but at the end I couldn't. As amazing the graphics are, it couldn't help save the lack luster story, clunky controls, and the game is far too easy even on the hardest difficulty.
  18. Aaronmcc1
    Mar 9, 2013
    8
    I went into this hesitant, mainly because I wanted to see would Crystal Dynamics butcher this franchise, and they haven't! I've enjoyed this game tremendously and cannot wait to see where this series' future will head towards.But for those of you who wish to know why this is a beautiful, well-crafted game, I have compiled sections of mini reviews on each aspect of the game down below.I went into this hesitant, mainly because I wanted to see would Crystal Dynamics butcher this franchise, and they haven't! I've enjoyed this game tremendously and cannot wait to see where this series' future will head towards.But for those of you who wish to know why this is a beautiful, well-crafted game, I have compiled sections of mini reviews on each aspect of the game down below.

    Gameplay: 8/10

    This is where this game really hits it home.Lara begins her journey into survivor-hood with a basic bow and a couple of arrows, but over the course of the game she gets everything from a tactical pistol to a grenade launcher.These weapons can be upgraded giving the bow such things as napalm arrows, (Which do a nasty amount of damage!) but the upgrades come with a cost."Salvage" is your upgrading currency and can be found throughout the island, make sure to scavenge as much as this as you can, because you'll need it! Skill points play a major part in "upgrading Lara" as they allow her to gain cool new moves from the "Brawler" category of skills.These upgrades are done through means of attaining a set amount of xp from completing challenges, killing enemies and so on. Other neat additions to the gameplay is the climbing axe which allows you to traverse high cliffs, and the puzzles,(Albeit mediocre) found all over the island's secret tombs.The gameplay would've gotten a 10/10 from me but the inclusion of Quick-Time Events prevents that, they cause cheap deaths and really added nothing to the game, only detracted from it.

    Story:7.5/10

    For Crystal Dynamics to make Lara a compelling personality and true survivor, they needed an equally compelling story and true experience of a survivor. The trapping of Lara an her friends on an island in the Dragon's Triangle provides just that. Lara really feels like a human in this, when confronted in different situations such as saying sorry to the first deer she's killed to feeling full of sorrow after murdering another person. Seeing Lara undergo the change of an innocent woman, to a dual-wielding badass was truly amazing, although the pacing was quite quick.The motive pushing Lara on, is to rescue her friends from the ever mysterious Mathias and his following of cronies, and to escape from the island engulfed in madness.Lara is without a doubt, the most fleshed out character in the story and apart from Mathias, her best-friend Sam, and father-like figure to Lara, Roth, the supporting characters are essentially a bunch of stereotypes. This is definitely a game that does better in gameplay over story in my opinion.

    Graphics:8/10

    While the graphics aren't up to par with the console's best this gen "Uncharted 3", they're certainly very pretty. There was also no framerate issues with the game for me, which I was surprised with. The island provides elegant scenery with everything from the smallest plant, to the grand snowy cliffs, are done to a high detail. Graphics are usually a bonus to me anyway,they don't make a game in my opinion. So if you are one who favours nice graphics, you might want to give this game a try.

    Sound: 9/10

    Jason Graves certainly composed an excellent soundtrack for this game, and captures the emotions of each scene perfectly, but I felt no track in particular stood out. Each arrow fired, to the howling of wolves are all very crisp and sound life-like. All of this makes for a brilliant and immersive experience in my opinion.

    Overall: 8/10

    Solid campaign, unique gameplay, enough story to keep you enthralled in the game, the score is well done, but where the game really loses credit is the multiplayer. I admit that it is fun to an extent,incredibly inspired by the Uncharted series' multiplayer, but it feels lacklustre.I feel as if the game could've done just fine without it. but hey, I guess it adds some value to it! Amazing experience for me and I'd recommend it to anyone with a thirst for adventure.    … Expand
  19. FLETCH1975
    Mar 30, 2013
    4
    Very disappointing.

    Graphics are very pretty but the game is way to linear with far to many cut scenes. Lots of the encounters just involve following prompts on screen to press triangle, or square, etc and you spend more time watch cut scenes than playing. Then when you do get to play, there's only one route to go it's very very boring. Especially after having just played the brilliant    Very disappointing.

    Graphics are very pretty but the game is way to linear with far to many cut scenes. Lots of the encounters just involve following prompts on screen to press triangle, or square, etc and you spend more time watch cut scenes than playing. Then when you do get to play, there's only one route to go it's very very boring. Especially after having just played the brilliant Far Cry 3.    … Expand
  20. Strike2
    Oct 24, 2013
    7
    I should point out before I start that my score is lower for this game then I expected it to be. I had high expectations since the critic reviews for this game were so positive and unfortunately, I feel a bit let down. This game is very good but I just didn't enjoy it as much as many did. Firstly, I feel like it is too similar to Uncharted. There are action set pieces everywhere, youI should point out before I start that my score is lower for this game then I expected it to be. I had high expectations since the critic reviews for this game were so positive and unfortunately, I feel a bit let down. This game is very good but I just didn't enjoy it as much as many did. Firstly, I feel like it is too similar to Uncharted. There are action set pieces everywhere, you slaughter more enemies then you could possibly count and there is even a supernatural element. Perhaps I was comparing it to Uncharted too much but I think the similarities are too frequent and obvious to be ignored. Lara and Drake are extremely similar, they both have a superhuman jump length, both are capable of taking extreme pain and both are capable of taking on 100s of enemies. The difference is that whereas Uncharted is more lighthearted and fun, Tomb Raider is being much darker and serious which I think lets it down. I could love Uncharted for all of its flaws because it doesn't take itself too seriously., one of these being pain tolerance. Lara goes through hell in the first 5 minutes of the game after surviving a shipwreck, fire, being impaled, attacked by animals and numerous falls but I can't accept this like a could in Uncharted because one of the main plot points is about Lara becoming a survivor on this island. The island made her stronger emotionally yes, but when trying to tell a mature story with someone who is almost invulnerable from the start who should be dead, it becomes difficult to accept.

    The gameplay itself is fine though, with lots of variety, weapon upgrades and really fun puzzles. I just think that It doesn't suit the story well, or more the story doesn't suit the gameplay well.    … Expand
  21. DemonKnight94
    May 25, 2013
    5
    This game might have it´s moments but so does Unchartad which is much better in my opinion. Tomb Raider has stolen so much game mechanics and level design from Uncharted you could think it´s the same series. How can the reviewers miss that it´s obvious if they ever bothered to play Uncharted.
  22. celtqy
    Jun 27, 2013
    5
    First there was the original Tomb Raider with kinda scary atmosphere and enemies clever and somewhat challenging puzzles and jumping sections and overall interesting gameplay, it gradually went to and then Uncharted appeared taking large portions of the original Tomb Raider assets and dumbing them down for the wider audience. So its not so weird that the new Tomb Raider game with itsFirst there was the original Tomb Raider with kinda scary atmosphere and enemies clever and somewhat challenging puzzles and jumping sections and overall interesting gameplay, it gradually went to and then Uncharted appeared taking large portions of the original Tomb Raider assets and dumbing them down for the wider audience. So its not so weird that the new Tomb Raider game with its overblown budget that was supposed to appeal to that wide audience looks and plays so much like Uncharted and it not a surprise that it is overhyped generic linear spectacle with a female heroine that has a fit about killing one poor dear but doesn't mind killing hundreds of people, effectively throwing her supposedly dramatic character arc out of the window. And where did she even learn to shoot in the first place?… Expand
  23. JackOfAllGames
    May 3, 2013
    2
    Tomb Raider has come a long way, and for better or worse I can say I've been with it almost all of the way, having bought every main console game since the first one on release day. Very few people can claim to have been looking forward to this game as much as I was, especially having to look at it every day but being unable to play due to a busy work and school schedule. Unfortunately, asTomb Raider has come a long way, and for better or worse I can say I've been with it almost all of the way, having bought every main console game since the first one on release day. Very few people can claim to have been looking forward to this game as much as I was, especially having to look at it every day but being unable to play due to a busy work and school schedule. Unfortunately, as I had suspected the game is a giant disappointment, not only as a Tomb Raider game, but as a game in general. With today's technology they had the potential to do something truly great, something amazing. Instead, they saw an opportunity capitalize by making an uncharted game and branding it with Tomb Raider and a Lara Croft skin for a few extra sales. It's sad seeing the series decline to this, sure Angel of Darkness was bad but at the very least that game can say it's its own game, this on the other hand can't even claim that. What once had been greatness has been thrown out the window in favor of creating what must have been a desire to compile every tired, overdone, unwelcome, noob friendly trend of modern gaming they could possibly pull out of the last couple years. You name it Tomb Raider 2013 has it, regenerating health, strong focus on cover based shooting mechanics, quick time events, linearity, over the top set pieces, unnecessary catering to nongamers, ect the list goes on. The game also seems very forgetful and insecure with the very entertainment medium in which it is a part of. For a video game, you spend an awful lot of time watching cutscenes, doing/repeating poorly implemented quick time events, dealing with other scripted events, and an underwhelming amount of time being in control of the character of this so called "video game". It doesn't say much for the game that I died tons of times due to stupidly done QTEs and not once during the actual gameplay. The time in which you do actually spend in control playing the game treats you as if you've never played a video game before in your life. The gameplay is paint by the numbers, in some cases literally stopping and telling you exactly what button you need to press and when to press it, the game is even so insecure with itself as to incorporate what amounts to an "instawin" button just incase you happen to be braindead or sleeping and get stuck on any of the simplistic puzzles or lost in the 80% of a line map. Is this what gaming has come to? At this point we're literally regressing back to the days of Sega CD and FMV games, because that's exactly what this game feels like, an FMV game. With the depth of gameplay and complexity of platforming and vastness of levels the original game had 17 years ago, there is absolutely NO excuse for this game to have inferior gameplay, absolutely no excuse, IDC how low standards are today. I remember the original games invoking feelings of excitement and terror, prompting you to hold down that X button extra strong because you were shimmying over an enormous void and one slip would send you plunging down to the ground in a cringe-worthy "crunch" sound. This game has none of that, anything cool that could have been done is done through quick time events instead of gameplay. Seeing all the praise this game gets makes me genuinely worry about where games are heading. Plotting an imaginary line of gameplay regression over the past few years would have believe we'll soon all be playing on the next gen playstation CD.… Expand
  24. nathandrake1983
    Mar 8, 2013
    10
    Just finished the game. One of the best games this gen. If you love Uncharted you'll love this game. The story was cool, the graphics were top notch for a multi platform game. And the setting and set pieces were stunning. I love those asian set pieces like Uncharted 2 also did. Great work Crystal Dynamics keep 'em coming.
  25. Polaris1020
    Mar 5, 2013
    10
    Tomb Raider is back and better than ever. What's awesome is that, despite being a reboot, the classic aspects of Tomb Raider that we all know and love is still very much present in this game. There is still a huge emphasis on puzzles, platforming, and exploration. Combat, this time around, is much more prevalent which isn't necessarily a bad thing; it works well, and is seamless. The coverTomb Raider is back and better than ever. What's awesome is that, despite being a reboot, the classic aspects of Tomb Raider that we all know and love is still very much present in this game. There is still a huge emphasis on puzzles, platforming, and exploration. Combat, this time around, is much more prevalent which isn't necessarily a bad thing; it works well, and is seamless. The cover system itself is innovative, eliminating the chunkiness of taking cover that plagues most third person shooters. Instead, Lara blends with environments with ease. The new Lara is a huge improvement over the past iterations. The story is also stronger than the past games which gives us incentive to care about the characters. All in all, an amazing game. It's no wonder that, after 9 games, Lara is considered an icon. She is a legend. Enough said.… Expand
  26. kevinjr16
    Mar 6, 2013
    8
    Yes it borrows heavily from the mechanics of Uncharted, but it also makes it frankly better and refreshing next to Nathan Drakes arsenal. All the tools Lara has by the end really make you feel like a badass and able to take on anything, but in fun and interesting new ways. I have nothing bad to say about the game other than normal gaming issues and bugs. Also the water is extremelyYes it borrows heavily from the mechanics of Uncharted, but it also makes it frankly better and refreshing next to Nathan Drakes arsenal. All the tools Lara has by the end really make you feel like a badass and able to take on anything, but in fun and interesting new ways. I have nothing bad to say about the game other than normal gaming issues and bugs. Also the water is extremely pixelated. It's weird.… Expand
  27. wesker2012
    Mar 8, 2013
    8
    This is a great reboot for the Tomb Raider Franchise. I rate it a high 8. Everything in the game is well done. The island is very atmospheric with its awesome weather effects. The controls are solid. Tomb raider takes pretty much something from every triple A franchise before it and implements it into its own design just as well as those franchises did. There's stealth elements thatThis is a great reboot for the Tomb Raider Franchise. I rate it a high 8. Everything in the game is well done. The island is very atmospheric with its awesome weather effects. The controls are solid. Tomb raider takes pretty much something from every triple A franchise before it and implements it into its own design just as well as those franchises did. There's stealth elements that feel like your playing a Splinter Cell game, combat and climbing that feels like Uncharted, bonfires from Dark Souls, brutal kills from Gears of War, etc. Everything is incorporated brilliantly while allowing Tomb Raider to still feel like its own game. The game starts off like the typical action adventure that you have played countless other times, but as you progress further and further into the game, the adventure starts opening up and throwing more variety and twists and turns at you. The game gets better and better as you move further into the adventure. An interesting note to make is that in relation to previous Tomb Raider games, this one is a lot more combat/action oriented than puzzle solving. This helps keep the games pace up, but old fans might be disappointed. The tombs are nowhere as cool as Uncharted's, but still a nice break from all the action. Also, finding the collectibles in the game adds a nice bit of challenge and reward for exploration. The reason, it doesn't get a 9 from me is that it never really does anything totally new or had me saying holy that was awesome! For every cool moment, there usually would be countless annoying deaths that followed which would mess up the feeling of excitement. And that's another big con for the game, there will be parts in this game that will piss the out of you, you will want to hurl your controller at the screen. The game starts off relatively easy to moderately easy but near the end gets annoyingly difficult and sometimes it's difficult to tell where to go or Lara just won't do what you want her to do. But overall, it's a huge accomplishment that the game is able to implement so many different features into its design so well for the first time and I'm looking forward to see what Crystal Dynamics can do with the next game.… Expand
  28. Stone666
    Mar 5, 2013
    10
    Tomb raider is one of the best game had ever play.The graphics are amazing, the puzzles are like side missions and feels very rewarding to discover the way to its end. I wish a sequel and DLC
  29. chicagopoetry
    May 12, 2013
    4
    I'm about halfway through Tomb Raider (already, after sitting with it for just a few hours just three times) and I have to tell you, it is boring as all heck.

    First of all there is way too much combat. Tomb Raider is suppose to be an exploration game with some gunplay on the side; it's not suppose to be a shooter. Also, the gameplay is very linear and every five minutes there's another    I'm about halfway through Tomb Raider (already, after sitting with it for just a few hours just three times) and I have to tell you, it is boring as all heck.

    First of all there is way too much combat. Tomb Raider is suppose to be an exploration game with some gunplay on the side; it's not suppose to be a shooter. Also, the gameplay is very linear and every five minutes there's another cutscene. You never really get to relax and explore the world because you're always on a mission to advance the story, and quite frankly I have no idea what that story is. Lara is on an island with a bunch of bad guys trying to kill her for no apparent reason while her lost friends are communicating with her by radio telling her to go here, go there, do this, do that, so that's what she does. I have no idea what the map even means either.

    Also, if you do not have a fairly large HDTV don't even attempt to play this game; all the text is tiny and blurry and you will have to stop the game and look up every upgrade on the internet to find out what the tiny little blurry letters say. I did manage to finally hook it up to a decent TV and admittedly the graphic are cool but looking around is very choppy and limited so even though it looks realistic it's not a realistic experience. And even on the HDTV it was boring because every five minutes I was in another shooting match with another army of men who wanted to kill me for who knows what reason. And if you die in one of these battles which you are likely to do because you are after all one girl against an army of men throwing dynamite at you and shooting machine guns at you, you'll have to start the entire battle all over again. YAWN.

    I kept asking myself when do I get to climb a pyramid for a couple of hours and actually RAID A TOMB? You explore for at the most five minutes before you find yourself in another long drawn out gun battle or sliding down some collapsing debris ala Uncharted, forced to push a series of buttons in a certain order just to get through another segment of the linear gameplay. YAWN.

    And yes, I understand that this is a prequel and Lara isn't the woman yet that she is in the other games, but come on, enough with the annoying whining and crying. For someone who can slaughter armies of men and go around shooting helpless animals for money and loot (huh?) Lara sure is a bit of a crybaby

    All in all I'm very disappointed with Tomb Raider. I was really looking forward to enjoying playing a traditional Tomb Raider game except with more awesome graphics but instead got a really bad Uncharted rip off. I've played all three Uncharted games and there was nary a dull moment in any of them. I'm only halfway through Tomb Raider and I'm starting to wonder if it's even worth finishing it. I mean I already know what's going to happen next. She's going to climb some more ropes, scale some more walls, kill more men who are rushing at her like maniacs, nearly reach one of her friends before whatever she's standing on collapses making the hour it took to get there completely pointless, and repeat.    … Expand
  30. lock3r
    Mar 29, 2014
    0
    I've always been a big fan of TR, since I was a child. I'm really disappointed by this game. This is not tomb raider. This is a horrible sequence of QTE and cut-scenes, with no tombs to raid. This game should be called Lara Uncharted or Female Uncharted. This is definitely not Tomb Raider. I want my money back.
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Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best PS3 Game of 2013
6
#6 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2013
12
#12 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. Armchair Empire
    Apr 11, 2013
    90
    This reboot of the series not only surpassed my expectations, but it is easily one of the best games I have played in a long time. If you're like me and love story driven games that offer a great gaming experience then Tomb Raider is definitely for you.
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  2. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Apr 3, 2013
    90
    There’s no denying Tomb Raider is a heavily influenced work, both mechanically and aesthetically (its nods to Neil Marshall’s The Descent are so happy to be there at one point Lara even re-enacts the “girlrising-out-of-sea-of-blood” scene). While it offers nothing wholly original, its salvaged parts combine to produce an experience that is consistently better than anything its own heroes have produced. [April 2013, p70]
  3. Hyper Magazine
    Mar 28, 2013
    90
    Despite occasional dissonance between narrative and game mechanics, Tomb Raider is a highly polished, highly accomplished reboot. Kudos, Crystal Dynamics. [Issue#235]
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