Tomb Raider (2013) Review

INTERFACE - 3 out of 5

VISUAL - 4.5 out of 5

CONTENT 4 out of 5

AUDIO - 3.5 out of 5

CONTROL - 4 out of 5

In the vast expanse that is the gaming world, few if any main protagonists stay in the forefront of the human mind,let alone one of the female persuasion. One of the exceptions of this paradox would be Lara Croft. Two decades of half mediocre and half progressive titles with this buxom temptress, have left most gamers wanting more. Until now...

Published by Square Enix and developed by Crystal Dynamics, comes Tomb Raider (2013). A solid and incomprehensible leap in a franchise more bountiful and rich than most can appreciate. Beginning in the 90's on the PS1, Tomb Raider was a marvel in technology bringing gamers into a 3D world they had not seen before. Looking back it was a monumental achievement for its developers and for consumers the like. Square Enix though has taken an evolutionary step as to "Reboot" this title and breathe a whole new life into a seemingly dying empire.

We start with Lara. A twenty something, exceedingly gorgeous wannabe adventurer setting off aboard a sea faring vessel known as the Endurance. Along with a crew of science and muscle, Lara sets off to help a desperate (and bankrupt) archaeologist find the lost kingdom of Yamatai, to uncover the resting place of its former ruler the Shaman Queen Himiko aka The Sun Queen. After dubious debate with her crew, Lara convinces them that they are to head toward a treacherous domain not unlike the Bermuda triangle, aptly named "Dragons Triangle". After hitting a life threatening storm we find ourselves shipwrecked on an unknown island.

With no supplies or ammunition to spare, we set upon this questionable landscape in search of our goal. But all is not as it seems. This mysterious land is inhabited by a group of lost souls, a cult that call themselves the Solarii. A group that plans to release the demon Sun Queen in hopes of lifting a curse on the island allowing them to escape. But the only way to do this is to sacrifice the rightful heir to the Queens throne. Sam. Lara's best friend and counterpart is kidnapped by the Solarii and it is up to you to save her and the rest of your friends or the world is lost.

INTERFACE

The menu's and inner game interface are not unlike any you have seen before. This is not a surprise seeing as many if not all games fall back on what people know. Unlike my previous review of Dead Space 3, Tomb Raider uses a basic menu system and somewhat intuitive system for inventory. Gadgets and weapons are easily accessible so as not to leave Lara vulnerable in tight situations. Being able to switch weapons on the fly is not a new concept, but it seems as though Crystal Dynamics made it easy and necessary to do so.

VISUAL

Tomb Raider in a few words is visually stunning. Right from the lighting effects and character animations down to the terrain and environmental textures. The opening cut scene alone gives foreshadow to the gritty, bloody and often times downright smutty violence found within the single player experience. This pugilistic endeavour is matched only by the use of a dynamic camera (along the likes of the Uncharted series PS3), making your adventure seem alot more like a movie than a game. The only thing that holds this title back at a visual stand point is the lack of colour. At most points and areas throughout this world, the colour pallet suffers into a depressing and often bland use of earthy tones tied with the dark of night. It seems as though they were going for a darker tone to set the mood, but it would have been nice to get some greener vistas to break up the emotion.

CONTENT

The level of content in this game however, left almost nothing to want. The RPG style upgrade system (known to most next-gen titles now) makes for and enjoyable progressionary jump that previous Croft titles were missing. It seems most big budget titles emerging nowadays, are taking a more complete approach to their projects. Including weapons upgradability and character upgradability was a smart choice on behalf of the developers. From silencers and increased ammo capacity with weapons to environmental awareness (treasures, hidden rooms and animal detection) to hand to hand combat upgrades and combos, all making Lara seem more "BADASS" as the game moves forward. The aspect that grabbed my attention were the main weapons of course. Leading the pack was the Bow. The way they integrated the bow in Tomb Raider was ingenious. In most games the large array of weapon choices leaves you tied down to your favourites, leaving all the others almost useless. Every weapon in this game has its desired usefulness and you find yourself going back and forth between them depending on your situation.I cannot forget to add that the Survivor Instinct button helps indelibly in almost every environment you find yourself in. Being able to locate your current objective and/or hidden treasures in the area is a remarkable addition. The AI was also an immense achievement as I never felt as though they were scripted and tied to a point of reference as I know they were. I wont spoil too much, as discovering these things for yourself will bring a satisfactory reward.

AUDIO

The score in this game was not all I had expected it to be. It doesn't fail by any means but also doesn't leave me in awe. The situational ambiance and main track are fluid and convey the proper emotion, but I didn't find myself humming the tune after Id turned off the game. ( As I did with Uncharted) On the other hand, the weapon and environmental sounds made this game come to life. I felt that all the weapons sounded powerful, although didn't seems as powerful visually. That said, effects were as one would expect. To talk of VO however, (Voice Overs) I felt they were lacking. In intense action sequences the actors seemed to have the proper motivation, but in regular dialogue is where the talent seemed to drop off. Lines were delivered in almost robotic fashion at times leaving me feeling nothing for the supporting characters. Lara's character representation was almost without a doubt flawless with leaving you a little underwhelmed at times.

 

CONTROL

Controlling Lara was a treat. The Dynamic camera gave a feeling of humanity at most points and didn't really take away from the experience more than it added to it. Forcing you at pinnacle cave raiding moments  to adhere to their camera choice gave a feeling of entrapment and unsureness's one would expect from being in her place. I never felt trapped by the camera, especially in combat sequences and always felt empowered to impose my will on opponents. From the traversing obstacles and opponents to puzzles, Tomb Raider has a little bit for everyone and I implore you to give this title a chance. ( Please do not support multiplayer for games that don't need it.....thank you)

OVERALL RATING - 4 OUT OF 5

Feel free to leave comment or suggestions below
Also check out this already released demo of the game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBt7m3aYZw0