Rise of the Tomb Raider

Would it surprise you if I told you that the Xbox One's best exclusive was the sequel to a storied franchise in gaming? 

And that the franchise wasn't Halo?

Granted, Rise of the Tomb Raider only has a year of exclusivity before it makes its way over to PS4, but I'd be lying if it wasn't a small portion of the reason I decided to invest in an Xbox as well. Whether or not it's a smart business decision by Microsoft, Xbox users got to play this first, and probably more importantly, before Uncharted 4. Had this been a full-on exclusive title, I'd say that Xbox has officially found Uncharted's best competitor. 

A few years ago, Tomb Raider was one of the best surprises of the gaming year, combining the tools/character progression seen in the Arkham games with the gameplay of Uncharted, all while completely rebooting a character loved by many in a dark, realistic (no DD-breasts here), and gritty manner. In short, it was superb and most everyone's complaints were contained to easily fixable issues. I've been excited for a sequel ever since I finished the first. 

And Rise of the Tomb Raider doesn't disappoint in the slightest. A few of my lingering complaints still exist, but I also attribute some of them to just the differences between the Uncharted series (my all-time favorite game series) and this new Tomb Raider. I wouldn't say the leap between Tomb Raider and Rise of the Tomb Raider is as substantial as between Uncharted and Uncharted 2, but then again Tomb Raider was a far better game than the first Uncharted, and it comes damn close regardless. From here onward, I'll try to keep the comparison's of the two to a minimum. 

Ooooo! Puzzles!

I always like to begin with what I didn't like, in order to get it out of the way. Aside from some of the usual control issues that come with a third person adventure game (i.e. jumping in the wrong direction from time to time), I found that the gunplay felt a little off. I got used to it soon enough, but the aiming felt floaty, especially with a bow and arrow for some reason. I also became rather annoyed with the use of clicking the left analog stick for Lara's "sense" ability that reveals pretty much all secrets around her. As a collectible whore (at least on my first playthroughs) I was eagerly pressing that button pretty often. Unfortunately they tied an odd timing mechanism to it this go round and I'd say that about 50% of my clicks didn't take, seemingly because I wasn't "allowed" since I had just clicked it moments ago. 

Featuring the Uruk-Hai from LotR!

My other major complaint, which is kind of me just being petty, is the frustrating instances where you are locked out of an area because you haven't unlocked certain abilities or tools yet. Granted, Tomb Raider basically has a pseudo-open world, but for about the first third of the game I found several areas that could only be accessed by tools that you don't unlock until the latter half of the game. The Arkham games do the same thing, but I think because those worlds are so open from a traversal standpoint, I scoff at it less. In Tomb Raider, getting from one end of the map to the other (without fast traveling) would take you well oven an hour. Not because it's big, but because you are only running, climbing, jumping, etc. to get over there. To me, fast traveling back to a bunch of places to find their secrets got kind of old and didn't really encourage me to keep playing like I feel the developers wanted it too. With the lack of a New Game Plus mode (maybe for the PS4 version?), it's hard to justify some of the locking outs of early territories. Unfortunately, despite the Expedition game modes (which I barely scratched the surface on), there isn't much to do outside of a single playthrough on Tomb Raider because having to start a new campaign back at square one isn't very appealing to me, especially in this insanely busy gaming season. 

But what a hell of a playthrough that first campaign is! Rise of the Tomb Raider features one of the best starts in recent gaming memory near the peak of a tall mountain. It's clear from the very first frame of gameplay that this is a next-gen game. It looks immaculate and boasts some of the best graphics I've seen thus far in 2015. From there, the first 15-30 minutes are basically one large setpiece of near death experiences that will make you cringe and clench your gut. It's the stuff right out of a movie and our protagonist Lara Croft gets beaten, bruised, scraped, you-name-it during that time. The remainder of the game falters to recapture that initial setpiece glory, but there are still some really fun ones throughout. Outside of breathless scenes of grandeur, the game relies on traversal, gun/melee-play, and stealth. Tomb Raider isn't the "best" at any one of these, but instead is extremely competent at all three. It's stealth is the weakest of the three, partially because the AI picks up on where you are a little too easily. I've already discussed the gunplay above and despite my complaints, it's still easy to get a handle of and be good at. Traversal is Tomb Raiders strongest hand though and the developers know it. It's used all the time, and often in creative ways. 

Truly breathtaking scenery...

The world of Tomb Raider, as I briefly mentioned, is absolutely stunning, particularly its environments. For every rough texture or clipping instance you find (of which there are few), you'll find yourself, jaw dropped, staring at the beauties of a world you'll never see in real life at least twice as often. Distant mountain ranges are majestic, with snow whispering off their caps. Caves are eerie and intricately designed, full of stalactites and secrets. And the icy glaciers you'll have to traverse through are full of blue, rippled waves of ice that hold both beauty and dread. Given that most of the game occurs in some type of winter locale, I think this was the first game where I ever felt cold playing it. Wind blowing, causing Lara to pull her jacket closer to her, her drenched clothes after diving in a freezing cold lake -- it all caused me to wrap up in a blanket as I played. Which should be a testament to the character design and animation as well. It's superb, with Lara's actions feeling fluid, natural, and realistic if you overlook the actual mathematical physics of about half of what she does. 

I pretty much fell in love with Lara to be honest. Aside from being one of the most attractive characters ever (the rebooted one, not the original), she's just incredibly badass. Thanks in part to voice actress and motion capture provider, Camilla Luddington, Lara becomes a real entity and the driving force of the game. Her performance as the character is stellar and in the moments where badass Lara emerges, I was head over heels. At one point, Lara's pretty pissed off, given everything she's been through, and an entire room of enemies are sent to dispatch her. Smoke grenades fill the room, Lara's hiding behind a small box for cover, and she barks something to the effect of "Come and get it!". Cliche as hell in a videogame, but the way that it's delivered from Lara made me fearful for the enemies I was about to completely own. The other characters aren't quite as well rounded, but I did enjoy the story and villain overall. A few of the reveals are well orchestrated and the game's pacing is appropriate throughout. The story still suffers a bit from the whole "innocent girl killing masses of people" issue that the first one did, but so do a lot of other games who have an "everyman" character, or in this case an "everywoman" one. 

Lara in this scene: cold, wet, and shivering
Jordan while playing this scene: wrapped in a blanket, sipping hot cocoa, and still very cold

Well this could only end poorly...

The only other mention I'll give before I wrap up is a special shout out to the hidden tombs throughout the game. They are a treat to find, and I found myself giddy with excitement when I did reveal the entrance to one. Once you traverse your way to the often mesmerizing cavern where the treasure is hidden, you must solve a physics-based puzzle in order to open up the treasure's area and claim it. These puzzles were all absolutely perfect. I struggled just the right amount, was never left banging my head against a wall, and was genuinely tickled by how inventive a couple of them were. Outside of the action setpieces, the hidden tombs are this game's highlight. 

Despite Rise of the Tomb Raider lacking much to do outside of that initial playthrough (mine was about 25-30 hours as I sought to collect a lot of the pickups), it's still an incredible game and probably my favorite campaign thus far this year when I really think about it. It's got action, mystery, puzzles, and is truly a great, solid game. And the choice to not go back and play more is more my personal decision than anything because of the busy gaming season. Xbox One fans and owners should be grateful because, even though this isn't a true exclusive, you're getting to play a fantastic game significantly earlier than a lot of other people. Don't skip it just because there's no Halo or Gears in the title and certainly don't skip it because the protagonist is a female. 

Because she's the most badass videogame hero of 2015. Hands down. 

CONS:

• Too many collectibles, many of which I didn't read and/or listen to
• Locked areas throughout the game are frustrating, especially because the world isn't completely "open" like many other games that practice the same technique
• Some floaty gun controls take a little getting used to
• A few uninspired side missions
• Left analog click "sense" ability needs some tweaking to remove the timer
• No "New Game Plus" mode means not much reason to go back and replay, and consequentially, unlock everything again

PROS:

• An incredible start to the game. Basically one long, gorgeous setpiece
• Astonishing graphics. While some areas are better than others, the environments are unparalleled. There were a few times my breath was taken away
• Solid story that paces itself well, features some good villains and backstory, but makes sure to keep focused on Lara and her growth into the Tomb Raider
• Lara is redefining herself and it's enchanting. She's a woman just as tough as any videogame man (if not tougher) and is utterly, utterly badass. Camilla Luddington gives a great performance
• It's not the "best" gameplay at anything, but is highly competent at everything. Traversal is the highlight, then gun/melee fighting, with stealth being fun, but weak
• The hidden tombs are tons of fun, both to find, and to solve. Perfectly designed and inventive puzzles make them standouts
• Eye-popping setpieces throughout
• The character progression system and tool progression system features a lot to unlock, modify, etc. Adds another level of depth and reason to search for collectibles and find secrets
• Amazing production values
• An incredibly well put together campaign that has very, very few lulls in the excitement

Rath's Review Score: 9.5/10