Tomb Raider reviews

Being a long time player of Tomb Raider (I bought the first one in 1996, and I’ve bought every one since) I was very interested in the fact that they were going to reboot the franchise. There was so much hype approaching this release and everyone was asking “will it be worth it-” Well – yes it is. This game is awesome!

The graphics are amazing. The environment throughout the game is minutely detailed, and when you’re standing on a cliff top, the island seems huge. The character models are extremely well-detailed, especially Lara, and as the game progresses she receives more injuries, and her clothing gets dirtier and more damaged.

There are various levels of detail in the setup menu, and if you choose the higher levels, there is something called TressFX, which, when enabled, renders Lara’s hair almost strand by strand. You need a reasonably powerful PC to run this, though. I only have a GTX580 graphics card and I can enable TressFX, but at times I have quite a lag. Hopefully there should be some new drivers coming through which will fix this. Still, with TressFX disabled, the graphics are just as amazing.

Sound is very well done. Voice acting is excellent and the ambient sounds give you a feeling of desolation and dread (that’s a good thing). The music is brilliant and gives a very cinematic feel to the game.

Interestingly, the tombs in this game are an option. If you really want to raid tombs, there are plenty hidden on the island, but if you want to complete the story without the tombs, then you can do that too.

So what about Lara herself- Well, this time around she is 20 – 21, fresh out of archaeology school and still naive. She’s a little athletic, but not superhuman, and you have the opportunity to level up her combat skills during the game. Lara is very vulnerable, and very unsure of herself, but as the game progresses, so she progresses into a very determined and more confident woman.

This game is very realistic and very gritty and the developers have carefully thought through every minute detail. For instance, Lara suffers a very bad injury at the beginning of the game, and throughout the game you can see that the injury is bothering her. In fact, about three-quarters of the way through she reopens the wound and is unable to make any jumps at all until she can find some way of treating it.

So, yes – this game is worthy of the TR name, and any TR fan should love it. People new to the franchise should also pick it up, as it’s a completely engrossing and enjoyable experience. Great graphics, great sound, amazing attention to detail and a brilliant storyline. Highly recommended.

Doesn't have much of replayability. Also feels a lot more linear than other tomb raider games. Doesn't give the same free roaming feel that older games did.

I went into the game unsure, not being a fan of franchise reboots and found myself pleasantly surprised. It's not the tomb raider I remember, the exploration is less frustrating and the story and world more engaging, I finished the game feeling positive and that I would enjoy more.

The changes to the combat system and less acrobatic Miss Croft did feel unusual but the switch to a more visceral fight where aiming and melee felt more important seems like a move in a better direction. The ‘survival’ nature of the game is a little weak, It's more like xp grinding on woodland creatures.

Plenty of hints showing this Lara shaping up to become more like her iconic self but maybe with a bit more character as well. All in all I'd recommend playing and I'll certainly buy the next.

(Some of the death scenes can be grisly or shocking, parents of young children be advised.)

Bring on the dinosaurs!!

The game is generally quite good but was largely spoiled by console button mashing and cut scenes that railroad the player along the scripted action scenes. Was I actually playing the game or merely guiding Lara from cut scene to cut scene-

As a PC gamer, I've never felt so much like I was playing on a console as I have with this game. I was sorely disappointed with the port to the PC. Nothing in this game takes advantage of PC features. Even the save slots are limited.

Good game but PC gamers will feel insulted.

Amazing new dark look on a classic part of gaming history.

Is a must have.

Doesn't matter if you're new to the franchise, or have played all the other games. This one is well worth the purchase. There is a staggering amount of background detail and the animation is fluid and adds to the realism. Voice acting and graphics are both excellent, and the storyline is told well, with many excellent character moments.

Gameplay is a bit linear, although this is offset by being able to revisit previous areas to look for collectibles. (A little backtracking is required to get all the collectibles as you get improved equipment, but this is never onerous, and can be skipped entirely if you're not the type that likes collecting things, although they do help you to level up your skills and equipment.) An interesting variety of weapons are available, although to be honest using the bow almost exclusively is just too fun.

This is not a shoddy PC port – the controls are well adapted to mouse & keyboard play. While there are a few QTE sequences they're generally well blended and not painful on keyboard. (You can also unlock some QTE finishing moves for combat in the skills, but these are optional.)

Short version: buy it, you won't be disappointed.

This is by far the best Tomb Raider game I have played. Loved every minute!

If your on the fence thinking whether or not to get this game, I would say buy it for sure its awesome. I haven't played tomb raider since I was a lad and this was a very welcoming comeback. Cool combat (the bow is epic) good physics, graphics are nice, story is good. Sometimes it feels like your playing in a movie which is cool. All up id recommend as this game was sick

This is a great game featuring Lara Croft in an all new story. The gameplay and graphics are very good though you have to install it through Steam.

As a fan of this franchise since the beginning, I was not disappointed. This “reboot” is a breathe of fresh air that brings Tomb Raider into a new level of gaming. Yes, a lot has changed, but much of it is for the better. Lara is younger and more naïve, but still amazing in survival situations. Unlike previous games, Lara's movements and interactions with her environment are more realistic and less limited. There is a lot of combat, but there is more control and strategy involved. The bow and arrow is an awesome weapon! And her skills and weapons improve a lot along the way.

There is a main story to follow throughout, but you often have opportunities to explore the island and some tombs along the way. The story is dramatic and adrenaline-packed, though the lengthy cut scenes do make it feel more like a movie at times.

This was an exciting start to Lara's new adventure!

Can't review it yet as I can't get the friggin thing to go. Understand there are some OS and setup issues with Steam. Hope to get this sorted and then will review.

I've been a long time Lara Croft and Tomb Raider fan having played the games since I was young so, naturally, I was very excited for the launch of this game. I watched all the game demos and trailers up until the release and preordered it for $90 (it's, of course, very cheap now).

I was not disappointed and savoured playing the game over months. We get to see the very gritty beginnings of a young Lara in beautifully rendered graphics – would recommend highest settings if your computer can handle it. There were times I just stopped what I was doing to look around at the highly-detailed backgrounds.

If you've played previous Tomb Raider games you will know of Lara's brutal death scenes which can be even more vicious in this and is, overall, quite a dark but inspiring game. You do go through a journey as Lara develops from a relatively naïve and unsure young woman to a hardened warrior. I loved developing her arsenal as the game went on. There are many many ways to kill your enemies. It IS different from other Tomb Raider games in the fact that there is less tomb raiding and more combat but I didn't mind the change.

I think it's a very human story about what happens if you get stranded on an island, your friends are in trouble and you are forced to step up to the floor to face your enemies. The voice actor for Lara is spot on (although there are some annoyingly repetitive lines) and I loved the soundtrack. I felt very immersed in the game and at times it was very stressful. I'd have to pause and take a breath on occasion.

Even when you finish you can go back to find treasures, raid tombs or do mini-quests. I haven't played the multiplayer part but heard that it's not that good. I felt immensely satisfied when I finished this game and I'm looking forward to the next one.

FYI there's several gigs of patch that you need to download after installation. If I'm lucky I might be able to actually play the game in a day or two. :/

Exceeded my expectations, the game gets better and better as you go through. A lot more brutal action than what I thought it would be. The bow is awesome to use too!

Multiplayers fun, but didn't hook me as much as the campaign did.

Salvador-Bahia-Brazil, 09/07/2013. Thank you Mighty Ape

As always one more time my order arrived on time. Love shopping at Mighty Ape!

Nilza Perez

Intense game play, great story line and awesome graphic!!! love it, just love it!

I have played through all previous TR games. This one is different enough to be interesting – and same enough to be familiar. The graphics are fantastic, the audio well done. The game style has shades of Far cry 3 to it (especially the upgrades system & hunting). The only thing to let it down slightly may be the plot, and an unbelievable number of cadavers and skulls littered everywhere which seems unrealistic. All in all though; a nice 14 hour ride.

This game was quite fun, not as good as the older lara crofts. It was definatly alot easier and involved very little time to figure out all the little puzzles involved with the game. The fighting is heaps of fun and the leveling up seemed to be a bit pointless considering how easy the game was already. The game also offers a special view identical to eagle sight like in assains creed that reveals hidden items, quests and other mysterious things in your surrounding witch took even more thinking out of the game.

It was very simple to follow. Easy to learn. Definatly not as good as the previous tomb raider games but it was still a really good game with some pretty decent graphics and gameplay. The game itself isnt very long and some of the bonus stages you can download were pointless and not very well thought up. Still found the game to be very enjoyable.