Tomb Raider is an action-adventure game very similar to Uncharted, but less scripted, more gritty and atmospheric, and more focused on exploration.
Lara Croft is the best female lead I’ve played in a game. She isn’t a female for the sake of being a female and the gameplay is the best suggestion as to why this is such a breath of fresh air. The fluidity of the game is unmatched. She is nimble, quick, graceful, and resourceful all of which explain how she is able to accomplish what she does especially during frenetic firefights and crumbling environments. Using the bow never got dull for one second. The climbing isn’t tiresome or tedious like Uncharted nor does it seem to suffer from too much “convenient ledge syndrome” since the environment is so well integrated.
It feels as if the designers first crafted the island then the rest of the game. It is integrated so well. Games like Uncharted feel like the environments are molded to what is supposed to happen in the game. It’s not like most games where you land in a giant empty room and know there is going to be a huge firefight. Additionally, the graphics are beautiful and the framerate on the PS3 holds very well.
The game’s dark and moody atmosphere is done well and the story is completely unpredictable. This kept me on edge. I really felt the high stakes. The game has a great leveling system. I actually wanted to explore so I could upgrade the weapons. Another positive is the nice menus. Lastly, the game starts off quickly and never lets go.
I have a few complaints. First, the story could have used a better supporting cast. The quick time events are awful and some are the type where they randomly pop out of nowhere and if you don’t hit them then you die. The game could have used a few more hours. It did seem slightly short.
Tomb Raider is one of the biggest surprises and although it has a few minor faults, it is one of my favorite games.