An all-new Lara for an all-new Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider is a the reboot of the Lara Croft adventure series, and it's fantastic. It's a kind of origin story, with a Lara who starts out much more vulnerable and less assured than the original. Great graphics and plenty of action and drama await.
While the puzzling and tombs are present in the new Tomb Raider, there's much more to this game. Combat is much improved, and there are more activities, like hunting, to do. Lara can now be 'upgraded' as she gains experience in the game. The opening relies a lot on cut scenes and quick-time events, but eventually the game settles in to more solid gameplay. It's a lot more violent than earlier games.
Tomb Raider has an excellent one player campaign, and the obligatory multiplayer tacked on. This isn't a game you'll buy for multiplayer, but thankfully the single player more than makes up for it.
Playability
Once you've got through the opening scenes, which are very exciting, but don't require much skill, Tomb Raider starts to develop. Lara is still great fun to control, but this time she sounds like she's putting much more effort into her climbing and jumping. Lara is much less of a superhero in Tomb Raider, and it feels like she's still learning.
Controls are well implemented for general gameplay, but some of the quicktime events don't feel right. However, the gameplay overall easily matches that of Uncharted.
Quality
Since the beginning, Tomb Raider games have had great looking environments, and this time is no exception. It's very often a beautiful game, with stunning views and excellent effects. Voice acting is good throughout, and the ambient effects are great.
Conclusion
Tomb Raider is an excellent action adventure. It feels very different to the originals, with a more human Lara, and much more violence. It's darker than the Uncharted games, but while there is lots of combat, it's still a Tomb Raider game, with enough puzzles to keep you entertained.
