When you have such a critically acclaimed game like Tomb Raider (the 2013 version), of course another installment in the series would be made and that's exactly what we get. Rise of the Tomb Raider was one of the highlights of Microsoft's E3 2015 Press Conference and was shown in their opening film as it were alongside the new instalments in Gears of War, Halo and Forza among many others and I got to say, it has lived up to expectations. From what I understand, its remaining as an Xbox One and Xbox 360 exclusive with a PS4 and Windows version being released sometime in 2016 so this is considered a timed exclusive where its out on one or two platforms, but will be released on other platforms at a later date. Also while I have talked about the last game and will talk about this game in this very post, I realise that I haven't said much about some of the other Tomb Raider games that have come before so I'll give you a quick review of those and then, we'll go straight into this game. Let's raid:
Trilogy
This is a PS3 exclusive compilation of the Tomb Raider games Legend, Anniversary and Underworld.
Legend is the game that marked the franchise's 10th anniversary and has since been hailed as the highest rated game of the franchise and one that bought the franchise into the 21st Century in more ways than one.
Anniversary is a remake of the very first game of the series which was originally released in 1996 (I would've been 5 for most of that year). Its not the most successful game of the franchise, but is considered better than Legend despite the bad camera angles and its even one of the few video game remakes that's better than the original from the way I and many others, see things (though I'm saying this based on what I've seen of the original game). And
Underworld serves as a direct sequel to Legend and while it can't compete with the last couple of games, I consider it a great game for those who just like to explore, solve puzzles and want a 7th gen experience like no other. Overall, the the trilogy has a great pack of games that are worth your time if you're a fan of Tomb Raider, its competitor Uncharted or just general treasure hunting and puzzle solving games with some action packed moments thrown in. 9/10 for all three games.
The Prophecy
So this game was the first Tomb Raider game I ever played. It was a GameBoy Advance exclusive and by comparison, it doesn't live up to other games in the series. The gameplay and style is reminiscent of the other games, but if you're after a Tomb Raider experience on a portable platform, this will serve you well, but not for a great deal of time I wouldn't think. 7/10
Now onto what you all want to hear. My review of Rise of the Tomb Raider. Let's go raiding:
Taking place one year after the first game in this rebooted series, Lara goes on a quest to find the truth behind immortality, leading her to Siberia where she finds out what she is destined to be while tackling wild animals, ancient beings and an organisation called Trinity along the way. It feels a bit strange that the second game of this rebooted series to take place in an Arctic environment because that's where Uncharted went in their second game, albeit with more areas than just the one big open world area. The game follows similar gameplay mechanics to the last game where you get equipped and craft things at camps, find secret tombs to solve and raid, all while finding other collectibles and taking on a wide range of enemies. There are some new tools that can be used and chances are that if you've played a hardcore game like this in the last few years, you'll be very familiar with those tools. Throughout the game, Lara can improve her language skills to read things like plagues, maps and other things. And following what other games like this have done, you can also do some side missions to help in the game. There's even a little marketplace in game where you can get tools seen in the last game for a price (don't worry, there's no in game purchases like in Assassin's Creed Unity and Syndicate) and there's also some kind of trading card system as well which can be used to give your game some bonus content. Now as we all know, this game does have a few issues, mostly being minor. I have come across a few glitches which haven't affected the gameplay, but are quite funny to watch in this very serious game such as a character going through a floor and an enemy flying once dead. Not only that, but there are some stereotypes in the game and a couple of cliches, but nothing to big in that remark.
All I can say to this is that it does at points feel like a copy and paste of the last game in its story as well as what Lara has to go through in the game. Despite this, this game manages to build upon the last game in many ways and is one of those few sequels that is actually just as good if not better than its predecessor. Its action packed, has plenty of great characters (some I think defy the laws of death and physics in some respect) and is a game where with the exception of the occasional ally, Lara is completely alone which for a game like this, is appropriate. 8/10
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