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Tomb Raider Review Thread!

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NZGamer - 10/10
It’s pretty clear that Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics mean business with Tomb Raider. No one in their right mind would spend the kind of time and money making a game like this as a one-off, and the game’s ending, too, hints at things to come. That’s no bad thing in my book; if the sequels are anything like as good as this, I’m all in.



Impulse Gamer - 10/10
Tomb Raider is a brilliant game on the XBox 360 and the developers have successfully rebooted the franchise for the 21st century with next-generation graphics and gameplay. Best of all, the developers pay homage to the original game that started it all but flesh out the character of Lara Croft to create this almost life-like person that you can really relate to. I for one hope that Crystal Dynamics will continue to build other Tomb Raider games with their new Crystal Engine as this game was brilliantly good and extremely fun to play!

Highly Recommended!



Telegraph.co.uk - 5/5
Tomb Raider sits comfortably as one of this generation's best action games. It fixes the flaws of past games in the series, without straying too far from its roots to be alienating. Lara's never been represented better, and sits comfortably alongside a cast of nuanced, intelligently-written characters. The environmental traversal is varied, involved and non-linear, and the combat mechanics are fantastic. It's unquestionably the zenith of the series, and since this marks a new beginning for the franchise, that's a very exciting prospect indeed.



Digital Spy - 5/5
With a well written cast of characters, mightily impressive production techniques, sumptuous visuals, tight platforming and surprisingly enjoyable combat, Tomb Raider is most definitely a release to be treasured.



Huffington Post - 5/5
The sum total is that Tomb Raider is one of the very best video game reboots in recent memory.

It keeps the core of the old title intact, but mutates both its story, lead character and gameplay into something far more exciting, convincing - often gruesome but most crucially fun than it's been in a very long time. It's easily one of the best adventure games of its generation. We can't wait to see what Lara - and Square Enix - comes up with for the next one.



Escapist Magazine - 5/5
Bottom Line: This is the Tomb Raider you've wanted for years. It needs a few more puzzles, but that's a small gripe when cast against such a marvelous adventure.



Digital Trends - 9.5/10
Tomb Raider is living proof that reboots don’t have to be terrible. The team at Crystal Dynamics has been sharpening its skills on the series for most of the past decade, and the extended break between this reboot and its 2008 predecessor created the breathing room necessary to deliver something truly special. This is the rare early-year release that is even now all but guaranteed a place of honor in year-end round-ups. It’s an exceptional game from a talented team of developers, delivering quality play that should appeal to longtime fans and series newcomers alike.



Game Informer - 9.25/10
The lackluster multiplayer is absolutely no reason to avoid what is otherwise one of the best action adventures I’ve ever played. Crystal Dynamics has nailed a pitch-perfect new vision for one of gaming’s most recognizable characters, and revitalizes her for what I hope will be many more installments. Whether or not you’ve embraced the previous games that went by this moniker, this is the time to take another look at Lara Croft.



PC World - 4.5/5
Tomb Raider is easily one of the most technically impressive games of this generation. It pushes current console hardware to its limits with immensely large, open-world platforming areas that Lara can (at least attempt to) traverse. Whether you choose to fight straight through the main story or take your time exploring every nook and cranny, things usually start blowing up and going awry pretty quickly (showcasing the fluidity of combat and animation in the process). Despite the somewhat disappointing and unnecessary addition of multiplayer, Tomb Raider is a beautiful, unique adventure that's worth exploring.



GamesRadar - 4.5/5
Even if you've never been a huge fan of Lara Croft's fortune-hunting adventures, Tomb Raider is sure to impress. Its expert sense of pacing, captivating setting, and dark tone create a truly memorable experience that's further enhanced by an immense level of detail. Lara croft, the old Lara Croft, is dead. In place of a dolled-up gunslinger is a do-what-it-takes survivor--and we hope she hasn't had her fill of adventuring just yet.



CheatCodeCentral - 4.4/5
Tomb Raider delivers an evenly paced, action-packed, evolutionary tale that explains the genesis of one of gaming’s most beloved heroines. Along the way, we are treated to top-shelf visuals, a soundscape that rivals a Hollywood blockbuster, and gameplay that is both thoroughly engaging and aesthetically varied. It may not be perfect, but it delivers a must-play gaming experience for action adventure fans everywhere. Welcome back, Lara, you've been missed.



GiantBomb - 4/5
Tomb Raider might be guilty of trying to do too many things at once, but the relative quality of each one of those individual things is high enough that the whole is still pretty satisfying. The game deftly rises above the unpleasant tone of the marketing that preceded it, recasting Lara Croft as a capable young heroine for whom many new adventures inevitably await.



IGN - 9.1/10
Tomb Raider is well-written, sympathetic, exciting, beautiful and just incredibly well-made. The single-player rarely makes a mis-step, and though Lara's quick transformation into a hardened killer seems at odds with the narrative at first, the game quickly moves past it. It is a superb action game that brings a new emotional dimension to one of gaming's most enduring icons, and repositions her alongside Nathan Drake at the top of gaming's action-hero heirachy.



Polygon - 9/10
That unexpected thoughtfulness extends to most of the game. It's easy to point out the many ways that Tomb Raider borrows bits and pieces from other popular games of the last five years, but Crystal Dynamics has blended these disparate strengths into something remarkable. It's cinematic yet open, intense yet laid-back, fresh yet polished. It's a near-perfect embodiment of the age of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 with a hint of what to expect next.



Ausgamers - 9/10
Tomb Raider reaffirms the importance and value of having strong, realistic female protagonists in games, while also successfully transposing much of what people loved about the original titles into an adventure that feels superbly modern. It’s a better Uncharted game than Uncharted 3 was, and goes a long way towards reminding us of the value of the Triple-A blockbuster in a market where smaller indie efforts have started to get so good that we need such reminders. This is an extremely impressive reboot, one that provides me with one of the most enjoyable and exciting adventures I’ve undertaken in quite some time.



Stevivor.com - 9/10
On the whole, Tomb Raider is a very polished title (as it should be, after a delay) with quite a bit to offer gamers. Whether you’re into third-person shooters, love a great story, or are keen on exploring, you’ll find something to satisfy your cravings. Welcome back, Lara – and nice to properly meet you.



CVG - 9/10
Yet, following a bombastic final third, the 10-15 hour long story draws to a particularly memorable conclusion, and these things hardly seemed to matter. It takes around 20 hours to fully explore the entire island, something you'll instantly feel compelled to do, and at the end your thoughts will turn to the inevitable sequel - and how Crystal Dynamics will look to top this.

Because rest assured: Lara is back.



Games Beat - 8.8/10
Tomb Raider doesn’t screw around. It’s brutal and beautiful, anchored by a born-again Lara Croft who finally doesn’t look or act like an empty pin-up doll … or an exploitation victim despite what you might have heard from uninformed sources. This is a lady caught up in an adventure much bigger she is, and it’s a real pleasure to experience her growing to fit it. A number of minor gaffes, an uninspired multiplayer, and a severe drop in tension defuse Tomb Raider somewhat, but nothing stops it from living up to Lara’s legacy.

I’m ready for the encore.



Destructoid - 8.5/10
Tomb Raider could so easily have gone wrong, and its opening gambit looks like it's heading down a most erroneous path. It starts off with some ambushing QTEs and absolutely pummels Lara Croft into the dirt to such a degree, you'd almost suspect the developers were getting off on it. This first impression is an awkward obfuscation, however, one that soon erodes to reveal a savvy, thoughtful, and above all, immensely enjoyable game. In fact, I'm happy to go on record as saying this is the best Tomb Raider game I've played. Tightly produced, competent in both its puzzling and its combat, this is one reboot that manages to be unequivocally superior to its predecessors.

Lara Croft has at last scaled the mountain of relevance once again, and the view's pretty good from up there.



OXM - 8.5/10
These online modes feel like a promising, enjoyable prototype of what’ll probably play a more fleshed-out role in future Tomb Raider games, but their rough-around-the-edges appeal won’t distract you long from the true heart of this one: Lara’s journey. Her adventure — like many of her others — dips into the fantastical by tale’s end, and some of the scripted, action-tastic setpieces (crash through a floor, then slide and shoot things; now do it again!) feel overly familiar on repeated visits. But it’s all deftly anchored by a perceptive, nuanced narrative that helps fashion Croft into a heroine who can weather extraordinary circumstances, while remaining convincingly human throughout. These quieter moments make what’s already a stunning ride even more worthwhile.



Gamespot - 8.5/10
But no matter; the single-player campaign here is the main attraction, and it is excellent. It doesn't try to rewrite the book on third-person action adventure games. But with its excellent controls, engaging heroine, thrilling combat, and fascinating setting, it doesn't need to. Lara may be covering some previously charted territory here, but Tomb Raider is so well-crafted, you won't mind at all.



GameTrailers - 8.5/10
The payoff from this pre-packaged drama and live-target online practice barely amount to the value of a single, raidable tomb, and it’s easy to imagine the resources spent on these being better utlized to bloster the game’s strengths. The road to the triple-A summit hasn’t been reached in a single game, but there’s hope that Lara could reach greater heights in the inevitable sequel.



Kotaku - YES!
That layering—like the overall shift in tone—serves to gin up the experience in a counter-intuitive way. It's the kind of feel-bad that feels good. If you miss the old Lara, you're compelled to finish this title to get her closer to the snarky, actualized persona of the PS1 era. In the game, Lara has been a doubter of the tales her father brought back home with him. "The lines between our myths and the truth is blurry," she realizes at the game's end. The truth here is that this game is a finely crafted reboot, one that ensures that Lara Croft herself won't become a relic of the past. It's gloomier, yes, and laden with a thick sheen of meta-awareness. This new origin story throws more trouble at its heroine than ever before. But the changes folded into this Tomb Raider add a turbulent urgency that the old adventures lacked. We're left with a Lara Croft that we know better. She can handle what's coming, especially when it looks like she can't.



Penny Arcade
The missteps are small and few, and the triumphs are many and large. Tomb Raider re-introduces us to the character of Lara Croft, explains how she came to be the hero we know from earlier games, and then sets her on her way to more adventures. The game’s final line, and the tiny hint at a possible sequel if you know where to look, do a great job at capping off a fulfilling adventure. I walked away from the game as the credits rolled like one walks away from a grand meal: Feeling satisfied and refreshed.



Eurogamer - 8/10
So goodbye, old Lara. Your time is up. Hello, new Lara. If you can stop hacking people to death for five minutes, we'll get along fine.



Edge - 8/10
Yet despite all this, Tomb Raider retains its own identity, and much of that is down to its British heroine. Whether she’s huddled up against the cold or sending five men to their doom with an explosive arrow, this is still Lara Croft, one of gaming’s most distinctive heroes – and now she has a personality that extends far beyond the bounds of her bra straps. If the purpose of a reboot is to redefine a character and set them up for the future, then this is a job well done.



OXM UK - 8/10
We end where we came in. Tomb Raider is an excellent game that, while paying tribute to Lara Croft's heritage, certainly feels like a new beginning - mechanically as well as thematically. It's visually dazzling, narratively affecting, dangerously near best-in-class when it comes to solid shooting, vertiginous platforming and ballsy set plays... and bodes fantastically for any future instalments. If, however, you're a long-time Raider who yearned for this reboot to push your grey matter to its logical limits with switches, inscrutable puzzles and sprawling cave networks... well, you might just want to dig out that dusty copy of Anniversary instead.



EGM - 8/10
Tomb Raider presents a conflict between what I expected and what I received, so to some degree, it’s hard not to be disappointed. However, even with its missteps and missed opportunities, the effort Crystal Dynamics presents here is a respectable first step in giving the Tomb Raider franchise a proper–and much-needed—reboot.



Metro Gamecentral - 8/10
A great cinematic action adventure, with one of gaming’s great lead performances, although its Tomb Raider DNA seems fragmented and even degenerative in parts.



Shacknews
In the end, I enjoyed the Tomb Raider ride, but in a B-grade thriller sort of way. A lot of that has to do with the new direction it takes, which skews towards a much different and action-oriented balance of gameplay than its predecessors, and a script that can't quite bear the weight of the story's serious tone. There are a lot of exciting, cinematic moments and action to experience within, even though they come at the expense of the spirit of exploration and environmental puzzling the IP was originally built upon.



Rev3Games - 3/5



Machinima - 6/10
 

Jackpot

Banned
It's going to be 8s and 9s with no real surprises in the final game. What you saw in the previews is what you get.
 

pargonta

Member
IGN:
"and though Lara's quick transformation into a hardened killer seems at odds with the narrative at first, the game quickly moves past it. It is a superb action game"

this is an issue for me, but these reviews are sounding good!
 

oti

Banned
ConsolAT/Plus: 9/10

(Disclaimer: I'm working for this Austrian/German print magazine, but I didn't review Tomb Raider. Magazine is not out yet, subscribers got it early as usual.)
 

Avallon

Member
It´s called "confidence"..!

I wasn't aware publishers still possessed this. I thought it was all smoke, mirrors, and trickery to get you to waste your money before you even know what you've bought. I give Square Enix respect points for this move.
 
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