GoodGame
10 - Issue 07, 2013
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92
GG Developer: Crystal Dynamics Publisher: Square Enix Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PC Release Date: Out Now
TOMB RAIDER More than just a pretty game I
t’s about time video gaming’s most
Not too loud though... The first 30 minutes of Tomb Raider involves Lara Croft being thrown around like a rag doll, falling into and sliding through rapids, almost falling to her death a couple of times as well as a couple of other cringe-worthy hard knocks. She moans, grunts, and screams a fair bit, so it’s going to sound a lot like a fetish-filled X-rated film. We thought you might want to know just in case mom/the wife gets the wrong idea.
VERDICT
prolific female lead got her own origin story and if you’re a fan of Lara Croft, you couldn’t ask for a better game than Tomb Raider. Besides some subtle (and not so subtle) throwbacks to past Tomb Raider games, fans get to walk Lara Croft through the heroine shaping ordeal that starts with being shipwrecked on a tropical island in the Dragon’s Triangle. Because of the game’s RPG-like system, you slowly upgrade and acquire skills that will open up areas that are otherwise inaccessible without these upgrades. But it isn’t just about the physical growth of our beloved (and coincidentally gorgeous) protagonist. A lot of what (or who) we know Lara Croft to be resides in her psyche and Tomb Raider is where it all begins. It’s actually a little unsettling to see Lara Croft without the confidence and charisma we’ve all come to know to know her for. You’ll start the game with an inexperienced, frightened and fragile Lara Croft who looks like she’s on the cusp of losing her sanity. Besides being separated from her friends, Lara gets subjected to a very brutal series of unfortunate events (fitting of any action movie) but no matter how traumatic instances may be, Lara never fails to display a ripe amount of strength, grit and determination. This is where Tomb Raider successfully bridges the gap between a green Lara Croft and fans of the franchise. Don’t worry about your beloved Lara Croft drifting away from who you’re familiar with, because you’re going to love Lara Croft
more after picking Tomb Raider up. Tomb Raider adopts a hub-style gameplay with some fairly linear and structured sets but almost each level is worth revisiting, as levels are designed to “open up” as your abilities and tools get upgraded. Most levels will feature areas that aren’t immediately accessible and this makes players exceptionally eager to upgrade/acquire new tools/parts (via craft system) as well as abilities (via skill tree) so that they are able to explore new areas, hidden tombs, attain items as well as other secrets. Although Tomb Raider isn’t the open world game that Batman: Arkham City is, revisiting areas feel just as rewarding, and there is both the joy of finally being able to reach certain areas, as well the reward that each “hidden” area promises. Combat is tight, gripping, and satisfying, though not as satisfying as the cleverly crafted puzzles. Puzzles form one of the major columns holding up the Tomb Raider franchise and this installment absolutely delivers. The puzzles in Tomb Raider vary (some being trivial, and some requiring intellect and wisdom), and players will get a sense that the puzzles aren’t just there to stretch the game. The island is as beautiful on the PC as it is on the console that we tested the game on, and apart from some watered down textures and hair physics, Tomb Raider makes current gen consoles look and feel like an even more impressive machines that it already is. Lighting, in particular, is exceptionally realistic (thanks the modified Crystal Engine) and Tomb Raider is as vivid and visually exciting as any AAA game on the market. This game does well in the audio department as well, with tense suspenseful scoring to serenade stealthy approaches and intense beat thumping tunes to escort you into gunfights. The single player experience in Tomb Raider is near perfect, if not for its slightly disjointed pacing in the initial stages of the game. It’s no secret that Tomb
Raider starts you off as a frightened young greenhorn or a character, killing for the first time and struggling to cope with the morality of killing for self sustenance. All this is fine up until you acquire lethal weapons such as arrows and guns and start pulling of headshots like the veteran gamer you are. It seems like Lara gets over the life altering experience of killing pretty quickly, but things could be worst. Crystal Dynamics could’ve put players through a few more arbitrary (and often, draggy) sequences before answering all the questions she has about her humanity but that would’ve weighed the game and character down too much. We are a generation of impatient gamers so upping the tempo and handing us lethal weapons is definitely the right thing to do. Multiplayer, on the other hand, sees some hits and misses. On the whole, the game’s multiplayer is cool, with an array of weapons, attachments, perks as well as abilities and skills. There are also different traps that you can utilise to your advantage. Traversal also plays a role in Tomb Raider’s multiplayer, and on the whole, it does indeed feel slightly similar to Uncharted’s multiplayer One of the more annoying things is how you can’t hip-fire. In order to shoot at someone, you would have to pull down on the left trigger to have your reticle pop up. This would’ve been fine if not for players who spam the Y button (melee) as they approach you but nothing beats “noob tubing” with the grenade launcher. Everyone has a grenade launcher and it is so powerful that you’re likely to start off with it than any other weapon. You only get one shot each time you respawn, so it really isn’t such a big problem until you play on the smaller maps, because it will usually end up in a vicious cycle of “tubing” each other. Your online experiences may differ, so you may not end up with a bunch of whiney pre-teen Noob tubers on the other team.