Tomb Raider

      Lara Croft is back and she is more bad ass than ever before.  This is probably the best idea that Square-Enix have ever had re-booting the Tomb Raider franchise.

     

^tombraider.com

       From the moment you begin your story, the action sets in straight away and you really can’t help but feel incredibly sorry for our heroine Lara.  There are a lot of differences in tomb raider now that sets it miles apart from it previous titles, for instance, medipacks are now a thing of the past, but with this comes a whole new level of detail because when Lara is hurt it leaves a lasting impression on her.  This just demonstrates how far gaming has come with the level of detail that has gone into not just the character but the beautiful surrounding too.  Another change is the levelling up system, for Lara levelling up consists of new fighting skills and better salvaging, but my favourite part of this is the levelling up system for the weapons, where upgrading them also adds a visual difference to the weapon.  Lara has also lost the dual pistols that she was so well known for and instead is now sporting a bow and arrow, this is an amazing addition as it makes the game feel so much more gritty and real which fits in very nicely with this re-telling of how Lara became the woman she did.

      

      There are a lot of games out there that should be taking a tip from Tomb Raider by re-booting the franchise (Hint Resident evil)

      So as I've mentioned about the lasting damages to Lara, there's also the dirty gritty look that becomes dominant on Lara through all the hardships and challenges that she must endure, but these types of visuals are also reflected in the landscapes of the enormous map and also in the enemies that you will encounter and also in the wildlife that inhabits the mysterious island that you have to explore.

      During gameplay, you will see and amazing array of stunning cut scenes, talented voice acting and a storyline that is so gripping you will not want to put the controller down.

      Moving away from the story, you also have an online multiplayer mode where you take control of either Lara and her shipmates or the islands inhabitants known as the scavengers.  There are a total of four online modes to play:

Rescue - This is basically a retrieve and capture mode, where if you play as the survivors you will need to secure five medipacks to bring back to your base camp.  But if you are the scavengers you will need to have 20 kills to secure a win.

Cry For Help - In this mode, the survivors must try to activate radio transmitters, where as the scavengers need to take the batteries.

There are also a team death match mode and a free for all which I feel are both self explanatory.

      At first the multiplayer modes are incredibly fun, but they soon become very bland and repetitive after a few rounds. Also the levelling system becomes a pain, where it works in story mode it seems to become unnecessary in the multiplayer.  Also the weapon load-outs and skills seem over complicated compared to what they actually bring to the experience.

       

      So if we forget about the multiplayers lack of innovative ideas and enthusiasm and focus on the main game, this title is probably among the greatest games that 2013 has to offer and is a must to any gaming collection. 

      

      I personally feel that Tomb Raider is an outstanding game and that the much needed re-boot is very refreshing and extremely well thought out.  The story is thoroughly engrossing, the visuals are stunning and the gameplay itself is frankly just sick!!

     

      Tomb Raider gets a well deserved 9 out of 10 from me; my only criticism is that the multiplayer really lets it down.

^tombraider.com