[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjNCWe94WGw]
Tomb Raider (2013)
Release Date: March 5, 2013 (US)
Developer: Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal
Publisher: Square Enix
Genre(s): Action, Adventure,
Rating: ★★★★☆
System: PS3 (also 360, PC, Steam)
Review Spoilers: Low
IGN | Gamespot | Metacritic | Amazon
Before this year’s entry into the series, I had never played a Tomb Raider game. I missed out on the bulk of early video games throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. They just weren’t anything I was interested in at the time. I had a few consoles growing up but I never had more than just a few games on either of them and my computer gaming was strictly limited to Dogz, Catz, Sim Park, and the Sims. Lara Croft is such an iconic character that I have honestly felt like I was missing out. Trying to jump into a series that’s been running since 1996 never really appealed to me before and I never got into the movies. So I’ve really been looking forward to this game ever since it was announced back in 2011. The reboot was my way in.
And it is one hell of a reboot.
To be honest, I didn’t expect much from Tomb Raider. It looked awesome in all the trailers and press releases but I had this idea in my mind that it was going to be little more than an Uncharted clone with a popular name and a pretty face slapped on. While the series has certainly taken some inspiration from other popular action-adventure series, Tomb Raider stands on it’s own entirely. The game takes it’s source material and reworks it in a way that not only makes it easily accessible to new fans and players but also sets an impeccable standard for things to come. Tomb Raider is easily one of the better games of 2013 and if Crystal Dynamics keeps on this path we may be looking at one of the next generation’s powerhouse series.
Part of the reason this game was so great – and why the series has so much potential – is that we’re watching a new Lara Croft grow and develop. This isn’t the bad ass, big breasted Lara Croft that has been in the media for a decade and a half now. The Lara we are getting to know is still young and in this game she’s really being tested for the first time. There is a realistic vulnerability that comes along with this story as she leads her first archaeological expedition into the unknown only to have everything come crashing down around her. As things begin to happen quickly you can find yourself caring almost instantly and all that matters is bringing Lara through it all.
I loved seeing Lara as a real person and I think that the writers and developers showed us just the right amount of weakness throughout without making her too much of a victim. Lara very clearly has a hard time dealing with the situations she finds herself in now and again but she ultimately rises to the challenge. Maybe a bit too quickly, though. I had a bit of a hard time reconciling the fact that I was murdering and massacring people all across this not-so-deserted island Lara landed on while at the same time she was still trying to wrap her head around it all emotionally in the cut scenes and conversations with others. Now and again they would also try and remind us that she was actually an archaeologist but while there were a number of nods to the underlying historical and mystical elements of the plot there was a lot less heart in those moments than in others. That made her character development throughout the story a little bit awkward at times even if it was ultimately very fulfilling.
Though, to be quite honest, her character development – while awesome – is almost scary. I don’t know if a survivor has been born or some kind of thrill seeking, borderline suicidal psycho-murderer has been born…
Sadly, none of the other characters really got the same sort of development as Lara. So while she’s running around trying to save people and fighting this crazed cult of shipwrecked mercenaries or whatever I don’t really share her motivations. I’d rather just get the hell off the island. Even Sam – who is apparently Lara’s best friend – sort of gets the stereotypical, weak female marginalization and becomes a lesser character than she might have been otherwise.
![I was actually hoping for a bit of a romantic element here but I was sorely disappointed. [laracroft.wikia]](http://nerdophiles.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/lara_and_sam_photo.jpg)
Gameplay-wise, too, Tomb Raider really is a pretty great experience. I wasn’t a bit fan of the myriad of quick time events. The timing always seemed to be a bit off and I don’t think it was just me. I mean, I’ll accept a very high percentage of the blame for my incompetence but most of the time the QTE were just a bit bothersome and unnecessary. I wouldn’t have minded just putting up with a quick cut scene instead but that might just be me. And, really, that’s the only complaint I had about the game.
I really liked the gameplay. A lot. Combat in Tomb Raider is all fairly intuitive and it’s fun. You’re not just running around like some regular first person or third person shooter just opening fire left and right. You’ve got options on how to play the game most of the time and regardless of your play style (mine generally mirrors the famous mad dash of Leroy Jenkins) you’ll have fun. There’s an element of strategy that can go into your wide spread murder and there is nothing more satisfying than shooting an arrow all stealth-like through a bad guy’s face or even opening up on him with a semi-automatic rifle. The weapons in the game are limited but well chosen and handle well. At no point – as trigger happy as I was – did I ever worry about running out of things to kill people with or ammunition because in the end I could always rip a man’s face off with my ax.
![I am going to murder this guy and then maybe cry about it later. [Polygon]](http://nerdophiles.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/tomb-raider-2013-screen-4.jpg)
The last few elements of the game that are worth mentioning are the puzzles, secret tombs, and the whole ‘survivalism’ theme they start you off with and then abandon pretty much immediately. I guess maybe there is some benefit to collecting plants, pelts, and meat but I did it once or twice in the entire game and it didn’t change the way the story played out. Tomb Raider is styled as a survivalist sort of game but it really plays no part of it in the long run.
Similarly, though the secret tombs were kind of cool and the puzzles they presented were decently challenging at times, they were definitely added in more as a herald to the old school tomb raiding days than anything else. They added a little bit of narrative on the history of the island and things but beyond that were pretty forgettable.
At least the puzzles throughout the game in the main sections were equally as engaging. They added just enough downtime and change of pace in the game to keep you interested and give you a break from the faster-paced action sequences.
The main game took me about fourteen hours to complete but with more time (and motivation) I probably could have gotten through the secret tombs and everything else. And I think my run took a while longer than it would for people who are, you know, way better at gaming than I am.
For my first foray into the world of Lara Croft, I have to say I came away more than satisfied. It was nice to see a redesigned Lara Croft who wasn’t quiet as comically busty as before and have her portrayed from the beginning as an intelligent (if a bit naive at first) heroine that could hold her own in a genre and industry overly inundated with male protagonists. I think that Tomb Raider showed that game developers who continue to claim that the market just isn’t out there for strong, realistic, female leads are full of shit.
Final Thoughts:
Tomb Raider (2013) is probably one of the better games released this year and an awesome first entry into the rebooted series. At no point did I feel that being a new fan limited my enjoyment of the game and I think that anyone who picks it up will enjoy it. I won’t say it’s a ‘must buy’ at sticker price but if you can get it on sale for twenty bucks pick it up. It’ll tide you over until the next generation starts churning out comparable titles. And if nothing else get it and play it to see what you’re missing out on being stuck playing meat-head, stereotypical dude action heroes all the time. Chicks can kick real ass.
Staff Ratings
Therese
I played Tomb Raider in a matter of days, and ended the game loving it. I explored a ton of tombs (often just because I took a wrong turn), I killed crazy cultists in stealthy mode, I survived the wilderness with my own savvy, and I ultimately fell in love with Lara Croft. I played Last of Us not long after this game, and found myself wishing TLoU was Tomb Raider instead. Plus this game got me prepped for all of the QTEs.
★★★★☆
English
This was my first Tomb Raider as well and I was pleasantly surprised.The quick time events are a lot easier on a 360 I think, but I did find them a bit annoying. I’m not the biggest fan of them, I’d much prefer a straight up cutscene.
I bought a couple of the older games on a Steam sale at one point so I’ll probably go back and play through them. But I’m kind of glad that I started with the reboot because, honestly, I think it’s probably a more solid experience for someone like me who didn’t start gaming until the tail end of the PS2 era. I can appreciate older games just fine but I am quite aware of my biases towards things that sometimes seem too dated.
When you finishing playing them you should review them. I’d love to hear about your experience playing them. I did play on a ps2 as a kid and have played older games in the present. I’m still not sure I would like to play an older tomb raider however.
I totally will! I just checked and I have Tomb Raider: Anniversary and Tomb Raider: Legend so. I’ll get on those at some point. I’m playing through the original Halo and Killzone right now and I’m realizing how vain I can be when it comes to graphics sometimes. I didn’t used to be this way. At least I didn’t think I used to be this way, lol.
This was my first Tomb Raider as well and I was pleasantly surprised.The quick time events are a lot easier on a 360 I think, but I did find them a bit annoying. I’m not the biggest fan of them, I’d much prefer a straight up cutscene.
I bought a couple of the older games on a Steam sale at one point so I’ll probably go back and play through them. But I’m kind of glad that I started with the reboot because, honestly, I think it’s probably a more solid experience for someone like me who didn’t start gaming until the tail end of the PS2 era. I can appreciate older games just fine but I am quite aware of my biases towards things that sometimes seem too dated.
When you finishing playing them you should review them. I’d love to hear about your experience playing them. I did play on a ps2 as a kid and have played older games in the present. I’m still not sure I would like to play an older tomb raider however.
I totally will! I just checked and I have Tomb Raider: Anniversary and Tomb Raider: Legend so. I’ll get on those at some point. I’m playing through the original Halo and Killzone right now and I’m realizing how vain I can be when it comes to graphics sometimes. I didn’t used to be this way. At least I didn’t think I used to be this way, lol.
I’ve played the new game and while I thought it was certainly one of the most successful reboots in history, I still prefer the gameplay and Lara of the older games (TR2 remains my favourite TR game to this day). I personally thought the game was a tad too violent (though you do get desensitized to driving a climbing axe into someone’s head surprisingly easily) and thought the secondary characters were pretty stereotypical and only there to act as plot devices. Having said that, I was sad to see Roth die. Shame Sam couldn’t have been sacrificed in his place…
After all those traumatic events on the island, I wouldn’t be surprised if the training level of the next game sees Lara trying to break out of a psychiatric ward…
I could totally see a bad ass Terminator 2-esque escape attempt. But, yeah, I’m going to boot up a couple of the other games at some point on Steam and see what I think. Tomb Raider: Anniversary has moved to the top of my queue.
I’m not going to lie, I liked Roth. I even liked the salty Irish/Scottishman who fell to his death. But of all of them Sam really should have gotten more development. I was seriously hoping for a Lara/Sam romance thing to go down. At least then maybe I would have been more motivated and interested in saving her. I need something beyond “Do it or you never get off the island” and “OMG IDK MY BFF SAM.”
I’ve played the new game and while I thought it was certainly one of the most successful reboots in history, I still prefer the gameplay and Lara of the older games (TR2 remains my favourite TR game to this day). I personally thought the game was a tad too violent (though you do get desensitized to driving a climbing axe into someone’s head surprisingly easily) and thought the secondary characters were pretty stereotypical and only there to act as plot devices. Having said that, I was sad to see Roth die. Shame Sam couldn’t have been sacrificed in his place…
After all those traumatic events on the island, I wouldn’t be surprised if the training level of the next game sees Lara trying to break out of a psychiatric ward…
I could totally see a bad ass Terminator 2-esque escape attempt. But, yeah, I’m going to boot up a couple of the other games at some point on Steam and see what I think. Tomb Raider: Anniversary has moved to the top of my queue.
I’m not going to lie, I liked Roth. I even liked the salty Irish/Scottishman who fell to his death. But of all of them Sam really should have gotten more development. I was seriously hoping for a Lara/Sam romance thing to go down. At least then maybe I would have been more motivated and interested in saving her. I need something beyond “Do it or you never get off the island” and “OMG IDK MY BFF SAM.”
Let’s get one thing straight here; Tomb Raider (any of them) are not Uncharted clones. It’s the other way around. Also, how can you tell this is a successful reboot if you’ve never played the originals?
If you read what I wrote, you would realize that I said it was NOT an Uncharted clone. Though, just because one franchise originated before another does not mean that a reboot of that first franchise cannot be modeling itself after a later franchise. That’s what I was expecting. I was expecting the Tomb Raider folks to disregard their roots and simply try and be Uncharted because it was the hip new action adventure series. They did not do that, however. Which I appreciated.
Also: just because I haven’t played the originals doesn’t mean that I can’t quantify a successful reboot. I can recognize a good game when I see one just as well as anyone else and I can also acknowledge the game’s review scores and sales. I don’t have to have played the originals to tell that the reboot itself was a success. But, as I said, I have a few of them on my Steam account and I do intend to play them.
Let’s get one thing straight here; Tomb Raider (any of them) are not Uncharted clones. It’s the other way around. Also, how can you tell this is a successful reboot if you’ve never played the originals?
If you read what I wrote, you would realize that I said it was NOT an Uncharted clone. Though, just because one franchise originated before another does not mean that a reboot of that first franchise cannot be modeling itself after a later franchise. That’s what I was expecting. I was expecting the Tomb Raider folks to disregard their roots and simply try and be Uncharted because it was the hip new action adventure series. They did not do that, however. Which I appreciated.
Also: just because I haven’t played the originals doesn’t mean that I can’t quantify a successful reboot. I can recognize a good game when I see one just as well as anyone else and I can also acknowledge the game’s review scores and sales. I don’t have to have played the originals to tell that the reboot itself was a success. But, as I said, I have a few of them on my Steam account and I do intend to play them.