Rise Of The Tomb Raider Review

Rise Of The Tomb Raider is quite simply the best game I've played so far on the Xbox One.  It is a shear rip roaring adventure from start to finish with jaw dropping graphics and edge of your seat action with production values that truly are a match for Naughty Dog  at their best.

And yet Crystal Dynamics have done an excellent job of defining Tomb Raider again and setting it apart from Uncharted and regained some of it's own identity with a strong focus on story telling and high level action but does well at bringing back the challenging platforming and puzzle solving in the tombs of the title that are more reminiscent of the older games though not nearly as complex they are highly enjoyable.  Most of the tombs are optional extras and are an aside from the main story.

There are lots of side quests and collectables which vary in their quality and level of depth much like most other games with side missions though a lot of them are enjoyable extras many equate to simple fetch quests and busy work that are common place in a lot of other games but as optional extras they provide some nice distractions.  The optional challenge tombs on the other hand are an essential part of the overall experience and are all brilliant and varied with just the right amount of puzzle solving to give you a good sense of satisfaction in figuring them out but wont leave you scratching your head for days like some of the older games.  They have all been lavished with the same polish and high production values as the main campaign and are far more than the simple side tombs in the last game that seemed like an afterthought because they suddenly remembered the game had Tomb Raider on the box.

The crafting and upgrade system is deep and varied with plenty of freedom in choosing upgrades that suit your play style.  I didn't mange to unlock every skill and upgrade in one play through so there is scope for multiple plays to try different upgrades out but annoyingly no new game plus mode to try and unlock everything.  Combat is excellent great gunplay and lots of freedom in approach, you can use stealth and pick off enemies silently from the trees and bushes with the bow or silenced weapons or go on a bloody rampage with guns blazing or even sneak past without killing anyone in most sections though some force you into all out action.  New gear and weapons allow access to new areas in the Metroidvania style with some series staples like the grappling hook making a welcome return as well as being able to swim underwater though a bit more underwater exploration would have been nice as these sections are entirely linear.  My only real disappointment is that there are no vehicle sections usually a series staple and the setting is simply crying out for a high speed snow mobile section, maybe next time.

Overall its an outstanding package and even if you just played the main story and the extra tombs you're looking at a good 15 hours of which I enjoyed every single minute as a long term fan though the game is perfectly approachable for someone who is brand new to the series and although I would recommend playing the last game before this new one because it is excellent despite the aforementioned disappointing tombs it also reinvents the character of Lara Croft, though it isn't essential as everything you need to know is explained perfectly well in the new game for newcomers without prior knowledge.

Crystal Dynamics have done an outstanding job of rebooting my favourite game series and I really couldn't be happier with Rise Of The Tomb Raider as it truly lives up to it's forebears and they have transformed the female bond type one dimensional sex symbol of Lara Croft into a much more believable and human character and a hero who you can truly look up to and admire and is an utter joy to play as.
9/10

Big Angry Dad82(gamertag)

great review mate.I loved this game, spent about 48 hours on a 100% Survival playthrough and got all but 4 skills within that.

I think it is worth noting that unlike the reboot Rise of the Tomb Raider does not have a rubbish multiplayer but instead has a Score Attack mode where you score by killing enemies, collecting the collectables and special score attack extras to keep a score multiplyer going. In this mode you also have cards which you can earn in game by completing challenges or purchasing packs with IAPs these change the gameplay up slightly by giving you certain abilities or weapons or altering how you heal or interact with things or just crazy things like having a rainbow stream behind you.

Cheers Segendary yeah I haven't even mentioned the expedition modes in my review. It's hard to remember everything the game is massive just so much content. One of the most complete all around packages Ive seen this gen too. Plus there's still 3 sizeable DLCs to come yet. I'll definitely be picking up the season pass soon!

Nice review. Might check this out one day if I ever leave eso

Nice review mate, I'm looking forward to playing it. But i'll have to wait until christmas.

Awesome review mate. I haven't played much of this but what I've played I have enjoyed.

Nice review mate.

Once I finish the previous games I will look for it in a sale etc

Moved it to unofficial as we need to encourage the publisher to send us review codes I can provide you guys etc

Yeah no worries. Not really played any good indies in a while or seen anything coming out soon. Except Unravel that looks awesome. I am going to try Knight Squad soon if anyone fancies playing it online gimme a shout also that Van Helsing game that's free with gold this week looks interesting so I'm gonna work on reviews for those two. I think Van Helsing has coop in it too so again gimme a shout if you wanna try it with me.

Anyone know when Ori & The Blind Forest DLC is coming out? Was meant to be this year.

Nice review mate

You ake it sound really good, may add it to the top of my rental list

Nice work mate. Want want want this. The last game is one of my fave games of recent years although it wasn't really classic tomb raidery enough for my liking.

I want that feeling of isolation at times from a Tomb Raider like the good old days.

Rise goes a long way to capturing the feel of the old TRs, especially in the tombs though they aren't quite as mind bending as the older games they are fairly challenging about as good as we can expect in an age where everything is tailored for mass appeal. But they are very very good. Where this new rebooted series succeeds is in its story telling and character development of Lara Croft and she really comes into her own in Rise to become a hero you can really get behind (no pun intended . Plus she is a much more human and a much more grounded every woman which makes the whole thing all the more believable. Its also took alot of inspiration from the Batman Arkham games giving you new equipment throughout the adventure which mixes up the gameplay as well as some nods to previous games' equipment that are especially a joy to knowing fans like myself and can also be used to go back to previous areas to open up new paths ala Zelda, Metroid, Castlevania.

Nice review mate I really enjoyed the first one so an looking forward to giving this one a go

I know its a bit late but its better than nothing lol. Nice review there, enjoyed the little read there. Will be picking this up soon.

Really looking forward to playing this, having just played through the Free Trial that is now available.

The intro looked and played just as good as the previous game. Just gotta wait a few days to be able to play the rest of it now.