Tomb Raider

Ask anyone over the age of 25 which are the three biggest icons in gaming and the answers you'll get will be Sonic, Mario and probably Lara Croft. During the late 90's Lara Croft dominated the gaming world with her adventures and managed to be one of the first computer game characters to really transcend into the mainstream.

However later games diluted the franchise to the point that in 2003 the original developers Core were stripped of the game and it was handed onto Crystal Dynamics who had also turned around the Legacy of Kain series. This resulted in the trilogy of titles Anniversary, Legend and Underworld which held a connecting story thread. These titles did pretty well and while they didn't bring the franchise back to its once great heights it saved the series from disappearing.

Fast forward to today and we see the franchise being returned back to its start with a story telling the origins of the Lara Croft we know and a side of here we haven't seen before. But will it be the final nail in the coffin or a glorious resurrection.




With a logo bearing no resemblance to its predecessors and a title which marks its reboot credentials even more so, Tomb Raider presents you a Lara who has yet to reach the levels of confidence we know her to have. Here she is a young girl with little experience of the world's we know her from. The story begins with Lara shipwrecked on a mysterious island with her fellow crew members after a sudden storm. It's not long till they meet some of the island's current inhabitants and things go bad quickly.

It is important to note that the developers have gone to great lengths to show Lara's inexperience of this brutal world. From the very start you hear Lara reassuring herself and pushing herself forward to survive. The learning curve of the game perfectly suits the story too as you learn new skills and abilities as Lara learns to cope with the world she has found herself in. Ok I'll be honest she does learn very quickly but it doesn't seem any more unbelievable than any film or story I can remember. In fact the whole game seems centered on this feeling of Lara doing her best to survive rather than explore, from the new skills she learns to the frantic QTE events which help immerse you in the struggles she is in. In fact the QTE's for once prove their validity as you have to be quick or you will die.

Speaking of which, long term fans of the series will be glad to know that some staples of the series have remained. Lara dies - a lot if you play like me - and 9 times out of 10 she dies in a brutal way. If like me you enjoyed diving Lara off a cliff in previous titles to hear that sickening scream and bone crunch, you'll be glad to know the deaths are as brutal as ever, from machetes to the throat, crushed by rocks or impaled on long metal poles, it's a nice nod to the original series and also reinforces the fact that this is a brutal world she has found herself in, where deaths are not pleasant.




The gameplay is reminiscent of classic Tomb Raider with plenty of platforming and exploring to be done and while the puzzles are noticeable in their absence at times, they do still exist but not in the number we're used to or the complexity. Aside from the optional Tombs which contain complex short puzzles to solve, most puzzles are easily solved and will not tax you as say the Sword of Damocles once did. However as you can expect in this modern day of gaming, the combat has been beefed up. While the twin pistols of old only make a guest appearance, Lara's old favs are still here with shotguns, rifles, grenade launchers and the new addition of bow complementing her single pistol arsenal. All are upgradeable through the collection of salvage and add various buffs or extras on use. The combat itself has a fantastic cover system which automatically ducks you behind cover as you approach it. No button pushing or struggling, just walk up and you're in cover. The only thing missing is a blind-fire option which while not essential feels lacking as you have to reveal your head to aim and fire when using weapons . Not a problem usually but the core weapon the bow takes a while to power up and it is frustrating to have to aim and fire while getting shot at.

The story is superb though and really helps you connect with Lara. Written by Rhianna Pratchett (the daughter of Sir Terry), it really binds the game together and with the lack of loading screens caused by a constant streaming mechanism, you rarely feel disconnected from the game, encouraging you to constantly just go that little but further. There are some superb moments in the game as well where you feel both Lara's triumphs and failures and this is a credit to both the story and the voice acting,

Speaking of the voice acting the quality of it is pretty good. Lara is portrayed superbly and while the supporting cast may feel a little stereotypical they are well performed. Overall the conversations are all worth listening to in full and often hearing out the entirety of an enemies conversation will actually aid you as they will position themselves in improved positions for silent deaths.

Graphically the game is impressive and you really feel that they've squeezed every ounce out of the engine. Every area is full of detail and the characters are well designed. With some stunning landscape views at times of sunsets and storm, it really is stunning to look at. Combine with this impressive explosions and great set pieces really makes this an impressive looking title. Plus the sight of Lara rising out of a pool of blood is truly reminiscent of great action films!




So as you may have gathered the single player campaign is pretty impressive, but what about the multiplayer aspect. Well to simplify it - well it's there. Having now put some time into the multiplayer, I can safely say its not terrible. It's solid and enjoyable with some nice additions which make it somewhat fun. However it doesn't stand out enough to really make it a long lasting piece of the title. Consisting of four different game modes - Rescue ( a variant of CTF), Cry for help ( King of the Hill), Team Deathmatch and Free-for-all. With just five maps as well, its not the meatiest of offerings. There are some nice ideas like XP gained when your losing which helps novice players and the addition of traps and natural hazards add a little spice to the mix but overall its not a fantastic offer and after you've completed the achievements there will be little tempting you back.

Speaking of achievements you'll find the unlocking will be a slow start but by the end of your first runthrough you'll have a nice number. The addition of playing after completion makes mopping up easy and the few missable achievements won't be a pain to do if you miss them due to the sheer fun of playing the game again. The MP achievements are not the toughest apart from two. The hardest apart from these will be winning a ranked version of every gametype, though a little practice shouldn't make this too difficult. The long haul will be the level 60 and purchase everything achievements. Although it can be grinded solo it will still take some time, but good news is that the shopaholic achievement should become easier to unlock soon thanks to the General being given free to all players soon whereas before you had to prestige 3 times to do it!

Putting aside the MP this has to be one of the best action games released for a number of years and will easily be a contender for game of the year. If you're a fan of platform action games you owe it to yourself to play this as it really is fantastic. The MP while nothing superb is enjoyable in small amounts but won't last for long. Personally its fantastic to see a gaming icon regain their placing among the big boys again and with hints of a sequel hidden in the game, it will be interesting to see how Crystal Dynamics improve on an already superb title.

Overall : 9/10

Nice review! The more I read about this game the more I want to play it!

Not sure why they always have to bolt on unnecessary multiplayer though. It's like Bioshock 2 - did it need multiplayer? No, it sure didn't. And was it worth playing. No, it wasn't.

Oh well, better to have a mode you don't use than to lack modes you might miss.

Good review fella. I always have an issue with TR games. For some. Reason they give me awful motion sickness

Good work mate

Great review mate, sounds like a decent game. Although I've heard its quite short too.

I think I've only ever played the first TR game on the original PlayStation, never did get round to finishing it though...

nice review tenners

played the orig when it was released by core and it was ace

found the first 360 game to be a little meh and still have not started the other ones

Nice review mate!

Nice review dude, haven't played Tomb Raider since the second one, tempted to get this when it's cheaper.

Good review mate. Written brilliantly too I may add, keep up the good work.

Good work young Tenners! You're making me want to spend money!!!!!!!

Fantasist review Tenners I will be getting this in the not to distant future but I'm on a buying ban at the minute... I would point out the mistake at the beginning , clearly Boogerman, Captain Quark and the Duck Hunt dog are the three biggest gaming icons?

More of this good stuff please, been missing your daily dose of news

Started playing this yesterday and think I'm at the end now. Can't put it down. Really awesome game. 2 of my friends literally just sat and watched the whole thing. It's like a good movie to them. I wasn't expecting much but have enjoyed every minute. Definitely the best tomb raider ever imo. I already want to start again and do more exploring for the collectibles but my lovefilm runs out on Friday so gotta send it back

Bought the ltd edition of this last week and cannot wait to get it started

Just warming up my QTE reflexes lol

Stunning stunning stunning game! Wait til you get to that mountain shrine! Christ!!

Started playing through this properly at the weekend and have to say that this is great fun and one of the first games I have not been bothered about cheevs and playing through purely for the story. A great one to pick up for those that have not played yet

Yep with you on that Stubbs . Great game and storie.   

the bone version is apparently half price this week on the xbox store


having played the ps4 next gen one I can heartily recommend it as the visuals will be ace

just a shame about the mp and the mass of ach/troph you will miss because of it

I have been reading that you can get a lot of them on your own in mp so I'll have to try and hope for the rest   

Stubbs
Me and tricky will play the MP with you , we need chivo's.

Lighthouseman wrote:Stubbs
Me and tricky will play the MP with you , we need chivo's.

Yeah we will mate. I've got a couple of multiplayer cheeves on my own, but there are a couple that you need 2/3 players minimum. This is one game i would love to have maxxed out.

tenners....any tips on how to bag mp stuff solo?

I'll send a PM later when I get home to tell you, a lot of it I managed to actually get legit through play but its the level achievements which can be done solo, if you're talking about the Xbone version, I'll be starting that soon if you need a hand with any particular MP cheevs

Play every MP game - just set the lowest levels of time etc. I think its four game modes and takes about 30 mins on your own.

Survive ten explosions- SET UP chasm. You will need to be a survivor. Choose frag grenade. Stand about six feet away from a wall and chuck grenade. You should just survive. Wait till health is full and the do again x10.