Crystal Dynamics put a lot of effort into crafting this game and it shows in
almost every detail.
The locations are beautiful, some of the tombs such as the first one you come
across just look stunning. The variety of scenery is a welcome change from the
bones and candles of the previous game.
Bug free – it seems virtually every game I get these days requires
patches – this one I only found one error in the landscape tucked away in a
hidden corner – otherwise I played a bug free game – which made a nice
change.
Puzzles – these are well balanced – they require some traversing around
the tombs and some thought but you shouldn't need to go online to find an
answer – they aren't super simple but neither are they too hard
Combat – more of the same of the last game, I find it disturbing that
Lara has such a high body count but they have tried to tie that in with the
story a lot more.
Survival – in the base game this is a bit weak though there is a season
pass/DLC that makes it more meaningful – pretty much shoot every animal you
see as you need their skins for upgrades – I felt like I had committed some
terrible crime against the animal kingdom by how many deer and rabbits I had
slain by the end of the game.
Collectibles/challenges – these are every where and make up half the fun
of the game – I found I was often more interested in getting the
collectible than in fighting the bad guys (it's always guys you fight because
apparently the evil bunch don't recruit female mercenaries).
Story – a bit tired, you'll guess what's going on reasonably early on
though if you play through the credits there's an extra scene at the end which
adds value to Lara's character and sets up the next story. The game doesn't
really give you enough time to converse with the other characters to learn more
about Lara or them but this is an action game not a companion game.
Style of game – this is a hybrid RPG/Action game, there are lots of RPG
elements in crafting, side missions, chatting to people, buying stuff, upgrading
gear and it doesn't feel as linear as the last Tomb Raider – still it is
primarily an Action game so there is only one way forward.
Overall I was wowed by the quality of the game and hope they go on to make
another.
The special edition I got from Mighty Ape was disappointing though – the
T-Shirt was not an official one and the size was too small, I had rang before
my order asking for a larger one and was told that would be noted on my order
but it wasn't, the poster is just one that goes up in a store with a big Xbox
Exclusive bar above and below which felt cheap – within 2 weeks this version
was on sale with over $20 off – I felt a bit ripped on that – 2 stars to
Mighty Ape for being a bit cheap (first time I've experienced that from
them) – but 8 stars for the game so on average 5 stars overall
