By Josh Crooks
Having not been fully engrossed in a Tomb Raider game since the Year 2000 release of Tomb Raider Chronicles, it came as much of a shock to me as it appears to have done to others when I was presented with a polished, and engrossing new entry to the franchise.
The first sign of danger was that of the Fast and the Furious style name change that came along with the often dreaded idea of a reboot - not a positive sign (see: The Omen, The Day the Earth Stood Still and Total Recall etc.). Of course what I was forgetting that unlike the film industry, video games have taken far better to the retreading treatment, with games such as XCOM Enemy Unknown and DMC topping this years and last years 'Best of' lists respectively.
Having not been fully engrossed in a Tomb Raider game since the Year 2000 release of Tomb Raider Chronicles, it came as much of a shock to me as it appears to have done to others when I was presented with a polished, and engrossing new entry to the franchise.
The first sign of danger was that of the Fast and the Furious style name change that came along with the often dreaded idea of a reboot - not a positive sign (see: The Omen, The Day the Earth Stood Still and Total Recall etc.). Of course what I was forgetting that unlike the film industry, video games have taken far better to the retreading treatment, with games such as XCOM Enemy Unknown and DMC topping this years and last years 'Best of' lists respectively.
The second sign of trouble was that the gameplay shown at the many events it went to was shown to be little more than a clone of the ever popular Uncharted franchise: with its new focus on 'over the shoulder' third person shooting and Prince of Persia style platforming. The world wasn't in need of yet another video game drawing from the success of a more popular franchise; even if Uncharted technically owes much more to the original Tomb Raider than the other way around.
Fortunately, the good people at Crystal Dynamics (who have been developing the games for the franchise since Tomb Raider: Legend) have crafted a game with elements of Uncharted, that's for sure, but something that on the whole is an entirely different beast.
After a brief introduction to the new world that Lara is thrown into thanks to an unlikely journey into the remote islands hidden around Japan, we are shown an open based world that you have the option to explore at your own leisure: saying that, the prevailing idea is that the island you inhabit is much more about survival than anything else.
Fortunately, the good people at Crystal Dynamics (who have been developing the games for the franchise since Tomb Raider: Legend) have crafted a game with elements of Uncharted, that's for sure, but something that on the whole is an entirely different beast.
After a brief introduction to the new world that Lara is thrown into thanks to an unlikely journey into the remote islands hidden around Japan, we are shown an open based world that you have the option to explore at your own leisure: saying that, the prevailing idea is that the island you inhabit is much more about survival than anything else.
The Lara Croft we are introduced to is a slightly naïve and untravelled woman who has to transform into the icon we know and love to overcome the obstacles she's faced with. The way this is done hints at what is arguably one of the low points of the game, as unlike Far Cry 3, the protagonist of this story doesn't have a believable journey from every-man to warrior. The story itself is a mixed bag, for example: the way in which Lara is faced with the surreal elements of the story (her reactions, and the way in which this links in with her inevitable future) is a fantastic plot point... her stereotypical ship-wrecked companions are less so.
Tonally the game also suffers, as such a point is placed on the fact that survival is key, but the game is arguably designed so well in terms of structure and control that the game is rarely difficult; that and the fact that the game is littered with ammo for Lara's bountiful weapon selection. Lara Croft is either incredibly lucky, or the games island natives are very lazy, leaving their valuable resources all over the place.
Tonally the game also suffers, as such a point is placed on the fact that survival is key, but the game is arguably designed so well in terms of structure and control that the game is rarely difficult; that and the fact that the game is littered with ammo for Lara's bountiful weapon selection. Lara Croft is either incredibly lucky, or the games island natives are very lazy, leaving their valuable resources all over the place.
However, to take either of these points too seriously would be forgetting the fact that Crystal Dynamics have produced a game that pays homage to the elements that once made Tomb Raider great, whilst adapting the source material into an experience that will ultimately ring truer than its previous incarnations.
Tomb Raider (2013) is a game that has an epic and cinematic story (arguably also borrowed from Uncharted but we'll just forget about that) with a believable central character who you root for throughout the proceedings. It couples this with clever level design that transforms the simple platforming/traversal mechanics of older games into something that flows with such fluidity that it stands alongside games such as Alan Wake and Portal that have drawn me in to the point where I'm getting lost in the story.
Tomb Raider (2013) is a game that has an epic and cinematic story (arguably also borrowed from Uncharted but we'll just forget about that) with a believable central character who you root for throughout the proceedings. It couples this with clever level design that transforms the simple platforming/traversal mechanics of older games into something that flows with such fluidity that it stands alongside games such as Alan Wake and Portal that have drawn me in to the point where I'm getting lost in the story.
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