Tomb Raider Review

Tomb Raider Review | March 10, 2013
Xbox, Windows, PlayStation

After four years in development from Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix, finally a real Lara Croft emerges in this outstanding reboot of the Tomb Raider series and we could not be happier. This 3rd person action shooter with a major focus on platforming centers on Lara Crofts first expedition before she becomes the super confident bad ass. She is unsure of herself but is still willing to try and push forward. You travel to an island off the coast of Japan in the Devils Triangle searching for the Sun Queen. The ship suddenly runs into problems and sinks stranding Lara and the rest of the crew on the island. They soon find that they are not alone. A strange cult is also on the island and is attacking and kidnapping the crew to cover up that they are there but why?

This reboot of Tomb Raider has Game of the Year written all over it. The voice acting and storylines are exceptional. Even all of the documents that are scattered over the island are read to you using the voice of the actors selling the story. The game not only lets you explore but encourages you to explore. Looking around will not just give you upgrades and ammo but more information about the crew, the history of the island, the cult and the Sun Queen. There are many tombs all over the island with puzzles to solve and once again helps you figure out more about the Sun Queen. They are optional but why would you not explore a tomb in a game that is named Tomb Raider.

You get to play the game anyway you want. You can sneak up on people and take them out stealthy, you can play it as a shooter and you can play using hand to hand combat, it is up to you. We did a little of all three because they are so fun and worked well together for the most part and the platforming elements are spot on. The best part is that after you do more combat in the game the dialog changes with your enemies. At the beginning Lara is asking them “Why are you doing this?” As they shoot at her and the bad guys are trash talking. As Lara starts kicking their ass and blowing up stuff up the roles change, Lara dialog start trash talking and her enemies (all men by the way) start the start yelling “Help she’s here”, “She’s destroyed the temple, Why can’t we stop her”. It helps with the evolution of her character and it is funny to hear the change as the combat goes forward and it never gets old.

The only problem with the game is sometimes during fast pace action scenes the camera, maneuvering Lara and aiming are off. There are several parts in the game where you are attacked by multiple enemies at the same time coming from different angles. You need to move, aim and set the camera all at the same time. It does not work all the time so you have to reset and try again because you will miss your target. During some boss battles it becomes a problem too. It is minor mostly but still a problem throughout the whole game. This Tomb Raider reboot has an honest portrayal of not only the woman Lara Croft but of both the men and women in the group and the situation that they are all facing as they try to survive. Gone are the cheesy one liners and flirty looks. They are replaced by intense action sequences excellent combat, a huge world to explore and several storylines to find. Even the inventory menus are cool and the camera is used in unique ways dealing with Lara falling down waterfalls, climbing up cliffs and of course finding her way into a Tomb. The game took us 15 to 17 hours to play through and that was with a 93% item find rate. That is including many of the extra stuff and the secret tombs. Another 2 to 3 hours to find the other things. Replay is high because the game is outstanding and you will want to explore the island to find everything that is hidden. Buy this game and embrace the new Lara Croft!

9.5 out of 10
We Love this game

9.5 out of 10
We Love This Game

Rated
M for
Mature

Rated
PEGI 18