Tomb Raider (2013)
I grew up with the original series of Tomb Raider games, and although I wouldn't rate the series among my favourite childhood titles, the games do still have a certain nostalgic feel to me. Lara Croft is name synonymous with 90s videogames and female protagonists, spawning several games and two semi-successful movies. Whatever you're into, it's tough to find some kind of aspect of the series you wouldn't find entertaining. That being said, the newest entry into the Tomb Raider franchise, a reboot developed by Crystal Dynamics, is possibly one the worst games I've played in 2013.
But before I explain why, let's outline what Tomb Raider did right. First off, the areas in the game are for the most part large, with lots to explore outside of the single-player campaign. There's a small wealth of side missions and collectibles to find, as well as upgrades to acquire and use. It's also hard to deny the game isn't detailed, and to some degree polished. Graphically, it's impressive and easy on the eyes. That's where the positives end.
Foremost, if you want to play Tomb Raider for a deep story and detailed characterization then sadly you're outta luck. Whilst Tomb Raider does feature a detailed historic catalog of references and artifacts, the main storyline isn't anything to write home about. Lara and crew crash on an island they'd hoped to explore, only to find out there are crazy people with machetes that want them dead. There is more to it of course, but that would be straying into spoiler territory. For the most part however, the story does remain bearable throughout and will no doubt be far more interesting to those who have a keen understanding of the historic elements it contains - even if it is possible to storm through it in under ten hours.
On the other hand, the characters that make up the storyline are awfully written. If you can think of a cliche, they probably make up part of the game's protagonists. A strong, yet irrationally angry black woman? Check. A helpless and young girl whom you have to save? Check. A Scottish, hard-nut ship captain who headbutts people? Check. And worst of all, a twenty something geeky guy who is great with technology and wears a funny computer-themed t-shirt? Check. Even Lara isn't immune to bad characterization, going from sobbing over the death of an elk to mercilessly killing ten guys only thirty minutes later. Not to mention the fact that she's barely 120 pounds, yet somehow has the upper body strength to fire a WW2 trench shotgun with ease. Of course none of this would matter if the game didn't push so hard for the player to empathize with Lara, constantly and severely injuring her to gain our pity. It's hard to feel sorry for her when she headshots hundreds of cult members, even if she does it in self defense.
To say Tomb Raider is boring to play is an understatement. The game offers nothing new or exciting to the third person shooter genre. You have a selection of four weapons, which include your generic shotgun, pistol and assault rifle. You jump in and out of cover by simply pressing Lara's body against boxes and shoot until the bad guys are dead. There's little to no enemy variation. You have your bog-standard guys with guns, then you have guys with guns wearing armour, and then you have guys with guys and a shield. That's about it. If you're looking for innovation, look elsewhere.
While we're on the topic of innovation (or lack thereof), Tomb Raider seems to lift a lot of it's mechanics from other games. The worst offender is the climbing mechanic, which is pretty much just a less detailed version of the climbing mechanics featured in Assassins Creed and Uncharted. Shimmy along ledges, press a direction and jump to clear gaps, occasionally mash one button not to fall, swing by alternating between forward and back, slide down ropes and so on. The issue with this, besides from the fact it will make you feel like you've played this game five times already, is that none of the mechanics feel as tight and responsive as they do in other games. You?re instantly going to be reminded of other games you've played as you climb, and Tomb Raider will suffer in comparison as a result.
And then there's the puzzles. The Tomb Raider series has always been known for having little brain teasers sprinkled throughout the games, which challenge you just enough to make them worthwhile. They've never tried to be too difficult or too smart, simply little roadblocks for you to get around. The Tomb Raider reboot on the other hand gives you little more than obstructions which you can bypass with the simple press of a button - your ?Survival Instincts" as the game calls it. Pressing this button at any point during a puzzle will literally highlight the solution in bright yellow. Not only does this negate any kind of challenge the puzzles might provide, but it also serves to completely negate the point of the puzzles at all. Why include them if you're going to allow the player to bypass any kind of free-thinking and simply give them the answer?
But, without a doubt, the worst part of Tomb Raider is the endless quick time events. Around every corner is a button prompt to stop Lara from getting impaled on a spike or shot in the face. It's incessant, and even after a short while becomes extremely aggravating. In fact, I don't think it's possible to play the campaign for more than ten minutes without running into a QTE. Not only is it tedious in cutscenes, but it also makes up half of the melee combat mechanic - which was already bare enough to begin with. There's nothing worse than the looming realization that a series of quick time events are incoming, and there's nothing you can do to stop them.
Ultimately, Tomb Raider offers nothing new or exciting. Jack of all trades but master of none, whether it be the half-assed mechanics or the one-dimensional characters there is little it can offer you that you haven't seen elsewhere, but better. If you're a history nut or simply can't pass up another opportunity to play as Ms Croft, maybe look into picking it up. Otherwise, save yourself some money and watch someone else play through it on YouTube - it is pretty, after all.
I grew up with the original series of Tomb Raider games, and although I wouldn't rate the series among my favourite childhood titles, the games do still have a certain nostalgic feel to me. Lara Croft is name synonymous with 90s videogames and female protagonists, spawning several games and two semi-successful movies. Whatever you're into, it's tough to find some kind of aspect of the series you wouldn't find entertaining. That being said, the newest entry into the Tomb Raider franchise, a reboot developed by Crystal Dynamics, is possibly one the worst games I've played in 2013.
But before I explain why, let's outline what Tomb Raider did right. First off, the areas in the game are for the most part large, with lots to explore outside of the single-player campaign. There's a small wealth of side missions and collectibles to find, as well as upgrades to acquire and use. It's also hard to deny the game isn't detailed, and to some degree polished. Graphically, it's impressive and easy on the eyes. That's where the positives end.
Foremost, if you want to play Tomb Raider for a deep story and detailed characterization then sadly you're outta luck. Whilst Tomb Raider does feature a detailed historic catalog of references and artifacts, the main storyline isn't anything to write home about. Lara and crew crash on an island they'd hoped to explore, only to find out there are crazy people with machetes that want them dead. There is more to it of course, but that would be straying into spoiler territory. For the most part however, the story does remain bearable throughout and will no doubt be far more interesting to those who have a keen understanding of the historic elements it contains - even if it is possible to storm through it in under ten hours.
On the other hand, the characters that make up the storyline are awfully written. If you can think of a cliche, they probably make up part of the game's protagonists. A strong, yet irrationally angry black woman? Check. A helpless and young girl whom you have to save? Check. A Scottish, hard-nut ship captain who headbutts people? Check. And worst of all, a twenty something geeky guy who is great with technology and wears a funny computer-themed t-shirt? Check. Even Lara isn't immune to bad characterization, going from sobbing over the death of an elk to mercilessly killing ten guys only thirty minutes later. Not to mention the fact that she's barely 120 pounds, yet somehow has the upper body strength to fire a WW2 trench shotgun with ease. Of course none of this would matter if the game didn't push so hard for the player to empathize with Lara, constantly and severely injuring her to gain our pity. It's hard to feel sorry for her when she headshots hundreds of cult members, even if she does it in self defense.
To say Tomb Raider is boring to play is an understatement. The game offers nothing new or exciting to the third person shooter genre. You have a selection of four weapons, which include your generic shotgun, pistol and assault rifle. You jump in and out of cover by simply pressing Lara's body against boxes and shoot until the bad guys are dead. There's little to no enemy variation. You have your bog-standard guys with guns, then you have guys with guns wearing armour, and then you have guys with guys and a shield. That's about it. If you're looking for innovation, look elsewhere.
While we're on the topic of innovation (or lack thereof), Tomb Raider seems to lift a lot of it's mechanics from other games. The worst offender is the climbing mechanic, which is pretty much just a less detailed version of the climbing mechanics featured in Assassins Creed and Uncharted. Shimmy along ledges, press a direction and jump to clear gaps, occasionally mash one button not to fall, swing by alternating between forward and back, slide down ropes and so on. The issue with this, besides from the fact it will make you feel like you've played this game five times already, is that none of the mechanics feel as tight and responsive as they do in other games. You?re instantly going to be reminded of other games you've played as you climb, and Tomb Raider will suffer in comparison as a result.
And then there's the puzzles. The Tomb Raider series has always been known for having little brain teasers sprinkled throughout the games, which challenge you just enough to make them worthwhile. They've never tried to be too difficult or too smart, simply little roadblocks for you to get around. The Tomb Raider reboot on the other hand gives you little more than obstructions which you can bypass with the simple press of a button - your ?Survival Instincts" as the game calls it. Pressing this button at any point during a puzzle will literally highlight the solution in bright yellow. Not only does this negate any kind of challenge the puzzles might provide, but it also serves to completely negate the point of the puzzles at all. Why include them if you're going to allow the player to bypass any kind of free-thinking and simply give them the answer?
But, without a doubt, the worst part of Tomb Raider is the endless quick time events. Around every corner is a button prompt to stop Lara from getting impaled on a spike or shot in the face. It's incessant, and even after a short while becomes extremely aggravating. In fact, I don't think it's possible to play the campaign for more than ten minutes without running into a QTE. Not only is it tedious in cutscenes, but it also makes up half of the melee combat mechanic - which was already bare enough to begin with. There's nothing worse than the looming realization that a series of quick time events are incoming, and there's nothing you can do to stop them.
Ultimately, Tomb Raider offers nothing new or exciting. Jack of all trades but master of none, whether it be the half-assed mechanics or the one-dimensional characters there is little it can offer you that you haven't seen elsewhere, but better. If you're a history nut or simply can't pass up another opportunity to play as Ms Croft, maybe look into picking it up. Otherwise, save yourself some money and watch someone else play through it on YouTube - it is pretty, after all.
Final Rating: 5/10