Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Release Date: 3/4/2013
Available On
This is exactly how you do a game series reboot, right? I wish I could end my review with that, but I need to tell you why. Tomb Raider suffered through a few mediocre games during the first run of the series during the late 90’s and early 2000s. The first reboot did well for the series by maturing Lara and giving us better controls and a more cinematic experience. Now comes Tomb Raider (2013), a fantastic game that shows the more human side of Lara. The game starts out with you and a science crew on a ship on the way to an archeological site, but things go awry when Lara decides to head to the Dragon’s Triangle off the coast of Japan. A mysterious storm destroys the boat, and Lara and the team are stranded on this island. There is a mysterious cult trying to sacrifice people to a sun goddess to end these storms. Lara has to deal with this if she wants, of course.
What makes Tomb Raider so memorable is the struggle she goes through while surviving. She is nearly raped, suffers tremendous injuries, and has to cope with herself, dealing with the fact that she has to kill to survive. She is not comfortable with this at first and really struggles to pull the trigger. This adds layers of depth to her character that weren’t seen before. Not only is her personality more memorable, but her looks have changed. No longer is Lara wearing the short shorts and tight shirt with her huge bust. She has been knocked down a few cup sizes and is much younger, straight out of college, in fact. It’s hard to really describe her more than this; you have to play the game to really connect.
The gameplay in Tomb Raider has completely changed, but yes, there is platforming and gunplay. Both are tight and very well crafted. Gunplay consists of using scraps to create a pistol, bow, machine gun, and shotgun. That’s it. As you progress and find salvage in crates and dead bodies, you can upgrade these to look and feel like better weapons. There are many upgrades that increase damage and accuracy, as well as adding new ammo types. Lara’s animations are very well done and realistic, and this falls into combat. She scrambles around and ducks behind cover; the guns feel great to shoot, and you can see how inexperienced Lara is; she’s not a Navy SEAL or commando. Unlike other games like this, her stumbling animations don’t interfere with the game at all. You can still move around, you can dodge, and there’s even some melee thrown in. As you upgrade your skills (done at various campfires throughout the game), you can dodge, and through quick-time events, you can do some pretty gruesome kills.
While gunplay is tight and fun, exploring is just as important. This island is massive, and you can go anywhere; there are no limits. Fast travel via camps really helps, but there’s a reason for moving around everywhere: collecting hidden items. These range from relics, GPS caches, documents, etc. There are hidden tombs found throughout the game that hold area maps for these items. These tombs consist of cleverly made physics puzzles that are really fun to complete. You get rewards like art and 3D models to view. The whole game just has an amazing atmosphere and is so much fun to explore.
On top of all the climbing around, you get a climbing axe, which is an important tool for climbing and combat. Your bow is used for shooting ropes across valleys and canyons to pull items to solve puzzles, break doors, and access new areas. The whole exploring ideal in this game is just fantastic and really fun. I did have to think about how to get to new areas and actually try to navigate and experiment with that good game design. There is a Survival Instinct ability that highlights map markers and objectives, and when you unlock the skill, you can see items through walls.
The story itself is a bit confusing; the whole spiritual thing is a bit unbelievable in such a realistic world like this, but that is what Tomb Raider is known for. Lara is the main character here, and what she goes through was the main story for me. I loved every second of the story. The voice acting is awesome, and the graphics look amazing—some of the best on PC yet. The new DirectX 11 features like Tessellation and the new TressFX technology applied to Lara’s hair look nice, but there were a lot of bugs and glitches for Nvidia users during launch (they are now fixed). You will need a monster rig to play this game on the highest settings.
The multiplayer was tacked on late in development and is pretty boring. The combat was designed for cinematic gameplay, not multiplayer. It feels just like it does in the story, but it just doesn’t suit multiplayer well. I played all three rounds and got bored of the game. Some people may like it, but there are better multiplayer shooters out there.
Overall, Tomb Raider is one of my favorite games of all time and is really memorable. The voice acting is solid, and Lara’s new personality makes her more human and more relatable. The graphics are outstanding, and the gunplay and exploring mechanics are fun and very cinematic.
Reviewed On
thebinarymessiah.com 
Nice review! Sorry I never picked your answer as best answer, I was out of town :(! Which game did you like better, AC: III or Tomb Raider? I one time started a video game review blog, but it never got very far (I have also made a few game video reviews but they weren’t too good). I really like yours, it deserves many more views. I got AC: 1 like you suggested, and once I beat it I will rent AC: 2. Currently, I am playing AC:1 as well as Dishonored.
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AC3 and Tomb Raider are two completely different games. That’s like asking if Mortal Kombat or Final Fantasy is better. I chose AC3 as last year’s game of the year because Ubisoft just keeps making each entry better and more magical. So far, TR is my pick for game of the year this year, but that could change, I also have BioShock: Infinite as a pick as well.
As for your blog site, most people don’t like video reviews of games unless it’s like AVGN or JonTron where your reviewing older games that are really bad and it has a lot of humor. My blog took forever to even get 10 views a day. I have to go around promoting the site everywhere on forums and other sites to get views and hits. It takes a lot of dedication.
I’m glad you’re enjoying AC1. It’s very repetitive, but still beautiful (hopefully you can play the Director’s Cut edition for PC that has DirectX 10 graphics) and has a great storyline. When you play AC2 you will see where the changes were made and how all the future games were set in stone.
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Sorry, I just assumed they were more similar. As for AC:1, I think it is pretty good (I probably judged it too much from the IGN review). I like that you can approach situations from numerous perspectives unlike the other games in the series which seem to reward only one type of playthrough. I actually am playing on an unofficial Mac port (yup, I’m a Mac gamer). I do own Bootcamp (run Windows on a Mac) but it isn’t worth the hassle and it runs slowly. The game surprisingly works near-flawlessly other than a few control and audio glitches. Once I beat it I am gonna rent AC:2 for Xbox 360. One more question (sorry, I’m probably being annoying)… do you think a PS3 is a worthy investment? The only reason I would really want it is for it’s exclusive games which look really cool (such as Heavy Rain, Naughty Dog games, and that new game by Quantic Dreams). As for Heavy Rain, I basically know how the whole story goes (thanks to Youtube walkthroughs), so is it really worth playing then considering the whole game is based on it’s story? Story is my favorite element in games.
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Yeah, but you won’t get the DirectX 10 visuals because that’s a Microsoft architecture. As for the PS3, yes it’s very much worth it. I bought a PS3 a few years ago JUST for the exclusives since I already owned a 360 for some time. There are quite a few exclusives to consider buying a PS3 worthwhile. One of which is Journey which is quite literally one of the most magical games I have ever played. I even got my sister to play it, she beat the game 4 times in one night.
Heavy Rain is a fantastic game and it’s not exactly quick time events like in God of War or other games, they are more based around controls. You press buttons to decide what your character does and then you get scenes where mini-games play out, but it’s not as easy as you think. The YouTube walkthrough thing wouldn’t spoil much because there are multiple outcomes based on what choices you picked through the story. I bought this game for $60 when it came out and it was well worth it, I still need to go back through and play again.
Have you ever played Mirror’s Edge? I’m just wondering because a lot of people have never heard of it.
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For Heavy Rain, I basically know how everything turns out because I was a total junky for it once I learned about it (even though I don’t own a PS3) and could probably name every ending by heart and every line of the first half of the game. As for Mirror’s Edge, I have not played the console version but it is somewhere on my Gamefly list. I have however played the mobile version but it is a lot more like Canabalt (ever heard of that game?) And for AC:1, one thing I noted was that the lip synching in it is surprisingly better than any of the other games in the series (even though cutscenes are handled poorly in it). Too bad I don’t really like Altair’s voice actor (it sounded much better in Revelations.) Also, it’s a shame that I know Al Mualim is a traitor. That plot twist would’ve thrown me off considering I like him and think he is quite wise, unlike Altair :P. Just wondering, am I the only one who really really likes Desmond’s story and the story of the AC franchise in general (okay, I know a lot of people like the memory stories however not too many people like the modern story)? While others complain that Ubisoft is releasing too many AC games I want more because to me it almost feels like a really good TV show or movie series. Desmond’s gameplay sequences are quite boring (and the graphics in them are much worse *cough cough* AC: 3 Desmond Missions) however I really like the characters (especially Shaun, who is freaking hilarious).
Thanks! I just saw you checked out Mirror’s Edge and gave it an 8.5, do you think it’s a game I would like?
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I do like Desmond’s story but they didn’t flesh it out enough or give him enough parts in any of the games. I like how you could control him more in AC3 and found them entertaining, but there weren’t enough of those missions.
As for Mirror’s Edge on iPhone Canabalt is actually copied after Mirror’s Edge. It was a revolutionary iPhone game that changed the way platformers were done on mobiles. Mirror’s Edge is one of my favorite games of all time. There have been petitions for EA to make a sequel, but they just won’t listen. The game has a fantastic soundtrack, and the first person parkour system is ingenious and the story is amazing, but the game is pretty short. For the low price it is now I would get it. It’s an instant classic.
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Yeah, it’s because Mirror’s Edge didn’t sell too well and EA is kind of greedy when it comes to money.
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I know this decision is probably going to be ridiculed, but I chose a Wii U Deluxe (thank goodness I have a hard drive, 35 GB is ridiculous) over a PS3 with 500GB and 1 free year of PSN Plus or whatever it’s called- which just by chance also costs less than the Wii U. Why? Two reasons. The first is because I felt like I would only be getting the PS3 for a few exclusive games and then be done with it until the PS4. The second is because I have tons and tons of Wii games which brings me to tons and tons of memories of me playing them with my friends when I was younger. Hopefully the Wii U will start getting more buyers, because my console of choice if I have to choose between a multiplatform game on either 360 or Wii U is the 360 (for example, I got COD: Black Ops 2 on the 360 because my friends have it on the 360 and the Wii U version has barely any online multiplayer players).
Also, speaking of the PS4: I really wish the PS4 could play PS3 games which would make the PS4 a worthwhile investment for me because then I would get to experience games like Journey.
As for my opinion on the Wii U: I really (well sorta) like it. My sister will finally play video games with me. After we put the Wii on the shelf (we mistakenly assumed it was broken when in fact the TV we were using just stopped working with the Wii) my sister hasn’t played many video games with me other than Kinect, which we don’t use anymore. Now she’ll play Super Scribblenauts or Nintendo Land with me. Too bad the loading times are so incredibly ridiculous. As well as the two previously mentioned games, I also got ZombiU and New Super Mario Bros. U. Sorry to share all of this- I know my opinion doesn’t really matter. I totally understand if you skipped everything I said.
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Right now the WiiU isn’t worth a purchase to me and the fact that many developers are abandoning it scares me even more. For how cheap the PS3 is you can at least get one used on eBay for like $150, also don’t forget that PS3 games will be available on the PS4 via Gaikai.
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Sorry, I worded my Heavy Rain question weirdly. I know it is a story-oriented game and I certainly don’t care for the quicktime scenes (however I couldn’t imagine the game being any other way), but do you think I could still enjoy the story if I know how everything unfolds?
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Sorry about the long wait without any comments from me- my computer hard drive failed and has been broken for two or so weeks :(! While it was broken I read your blog from my phone though. Anyways, I currently have (from Gamefly) Tomb Raider on the 360 and it is quite good. Some things take some getting used to, like the lack of a sprint button, but I’m really liking it and it looks gorgeous. As well as that, I bought the Mass Effect trilogy and so far I’m in ME2. Have you played the Mass Effect games? As for the Wii U, it is fine. Just wished more games were being released for it and Nintendo did a better job at advertising it.
Oh yeah, I beat Dishonored- quite an amazing game. I played on Low Chaos and the ending was pretty disappointing in my opinion (a freaking slideshow?! Really?)
I also thought the plot twist was really freaking obvious however the game makes up for that considering that *spoilers* it doesn’t end when you find the princess, unlike other games, and then it still doesn’t end when you kill the bad guy (Lord Regent), unlike other games.
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I actually recommended the ME games to you. I have reviewed all three on my site. They are one of my favorite games of all time. I absolutely love the lore and have read (most) of the books. If you ever get a chance try playing TR on PC. The console versions actually look pretty bad, but you would have to play the PC version to see that. The PC version uses DirectX 11 and Lara’s hair has TressFX which makes each individual strand move on it’s own.
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Oh yeah, I remember. Sorry, my memory is short-lived :/. I’m loving the games, but Mass Effect 1 had some parts which really pissed me off (the Mako driving parts, how short the game was, and the horrible, and I mean horrible, autosave) and I didn’t really find the gameplay fun but as you know story means the most to me so I loved it anyways. ME 2 fixed all of those gameplay issues AND has a great story so I’m really loving it. It tries to make its world seem so real by adding things like bathrooms, stores, and advertisements which really sucks you in.
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