After a short festive hiatus, we reopened the PlayBack vault last week with Ninja Theory’s bold reimagination of hack of slash icon, Devil May Cry.
Easily one of the best and most ambitious games of 2013, it was rapid, racy, and had plenty of attitude. The same, however, can’t be said of this week’s pick. Though both reboots of revered video game franchises, last year’s Tomb Raider was a much grittier, more somber experience.
Set entirely on a remote Japanese island, Crystal Dynamics served up a mature origin story for gaming’s most recognised female character. Revising the series’ core mechanics and lead character, Tomb Raider was yet another game on our 2013 Game Of The Year shortlist.
It was also significant for other reasons. The representation of women in video games has been a major focus point in recent years with Tomb Raider arguably marking a steer in the right direction. When making her debut in the 90s, Lara Croft whipped up quite the paradox. Where some argued she was over-sexualised and damaging to how young men saw women, others argued that Lara was a figure of empowerment.
Watching the character progress over the years, Lara has certainly been toned down from the overt poster girl she once was. 2013’s Tomb Raider, however, was even more of a departure, portraying Croft as younger, more inexperienced and more vulnerable.
Best Bit
As much as critics and gamers like to bang on about the characters, story, and setting, it was the gameplay itself that made Tomb Raider such a hit.
Instead of globe-trotting to various exotic locations, the reboot threw Lara and her rag tag band of explorers straight in at the deep end. Quite literally. Being shipwrecked on an uncharted island, Lara would need to hunt game, locate salvage and even kill the island’s hostile scavenger patrols.
Platforming and navigation was simple and intuitive, as was the combat and shooting, all of which shared similarities with Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series. Though many of these features and facets are adopted throughout the third person shooter genre, the common themes and settings make this particular comparison quite relevant.
With that said, Tomb Raider differentiated itself in one major way: by creating a more open world littered with challenges and collectables. Though some will have undoubtedly finished the story and put Tomb Raider on the shelf, there was a wealth of extra content for those that went back to explore those undiscovered tombs, upgrade their arsenal, or scout out certain items.
Worst Bit
Another way Crystal Dynamics added more value to the overall package was via online multiplayer. Featuring a variety of modes, weapons, and customisable elements, it marked a first for the series. However, as many would argue, the inclusion of online play was completely unnecessary.
Jumping onto the servers almost a year after the game’s release, I had to take things with a pinch of salt. Finding a game was easy enough, but lag and disconnections were common – perhaps due to the sparse catalogue of players with less than optimum connection speeds.
Technical issues aside, the multiplayer itself wasn’t bad at all. The gunplay is solid enough while the platforming/navigation also works quite well in the multiplayer environment. However, after a few rounds or so, the novelty soon wore off.
Though there were definitely things I liked about Tomb Raider’s multiplayer, they weren’t strong enough for me to justify its existence. The singleplayer portion of the game is so well-rounded and expansive that, for once, I was not left itching to head online. With that said, some form of online co-op could have been interesting.
Tomb Raider is a must-have if you somehow missed it last year. In short, it’s a successful reinvention and one that doesn’t tamper with players’ preconceptions. Better still, both Lara and the game’s reception will hopefully pave the way for what could be a string of sequels.
For those still on the fence, Tomb Raider’s upcoming next-gen launch may just entice you. The so-called “Definitive Edition” is due to launch later this month on PS4 and XBO with a raft of DLC and a hefty visual upgrade.
hully666
I was sceptical about the tomb raider reboot but I must say I’ve been blown away by it considering the last game I played by crystal dynamics was Gex, I’ve enjoyed the overall game play and plot only gripe I have is the portrayal of us northern folk as rough and ready and up for a fight, this is purely cynical opinion.
Youles
I think that most of the characters are rather stereotypical/cliché – particularly Alex, Jim and Jonah….(not as bad as Dead Island though), and it does spoil the realism somewhat.
bunimomike
But you’re always up for a fight. Just like people with a London accent are always up to no good. Films teach me everything! ;-)
Says the man who’s nearest home town is Swansea where Edward Kenway (AC: Black Flag) came from. So… you know… best you don’t go sailing any time soon.
Arrrr!
double-o-dave
I tend not to speak with an accent else if I appeared in Tomb Raider as a character I’d enter the gaming driving a tractor.
hully666
Could you imagine a geordie shore/uncharted crossover navigating the bigmarket collecting unopened bottles of Newcastle brown while fending of women of ill repute it could even have minigame where you try to squeeze into burgundy skinny jeans while adjusting your quiff
bunimomike
Please be in the game industry.
Youles
I’m really tempted by the Definitive Edition as I’d love to play the single player on PS4, but can’t really justify re-buying a game for £40 or when I’ve got a backlog of games that I haven’t played the once. Perhaps I’ll wait for a price drop. Can also see it coming to PS+ once CD have milked the last bit they can out of it (since it’s been stupidly cheap to obtain on PC and PS3).
boyinastairwell
I’m skipped straight to the comments because I missed it on PS3 and am planning on getting it on PS4!
Cron_13
Ditto – never played it on previous gen, got this pre-ordered already with release day shipping. Hopefully I’ll have finished Assassin’s Creed IV by then too!
Dan Jones
Worst bits for me were the stereotypical characters and general story, they just let down the entire single player for me. Shame, as the gameplay was utterly brilliant, and the visuals were up there too.
double-o-dave
I wouldn’t mind seeing the next gen version but there’s no way I could justify buying it as the current version still looks great but I thought the game itself was… ok. People will moan but I can’t help comparing it to Uncharted.
For some reason, in Uncharted I was like…
‘Cool, I’ve found another treasure!!! How many more do I need??? I’m gonna try and get them all!’
But then with Tomb Raider it was like…
‘Oh… a treasure… goodie gum drops… wonder what I should have for dinner…’
**** it, I’ll say it… To me it was a Poor Man’s Uncharted! ;)
Starman
One of the best games of last year, great gameplay & story and I didn’t even mind the multiplayer.
bunimomike
Same for me, last year. Top effort and looking forward to more. It ran well on my PC and looked downright gorgeous at times. Also, Lara looked great. Believable and actually real-world attractive which is rare for this industry.
Amphlett
I’m really tempted by the PS4 version due to release soon, but a friend of mine was comparing the similarities with Unchartered (which picks the best bits from previous Lara releases) and I just can’t get myself worked up for it.
Instead I’m really getting excited about the upcoming Diablo 3 for PS4 even though I’ve never been one for dungeon crawling and button mashing. Perhaps I’m going a little mad in my old age.
Cron_13
Not at all, Diablo 3 was excellent on the XBOX 360 – definitely lends itself more to a console controller method imo (I struggled with the PC version). I’ll be pre ordering D3 as soon as I can find it for a reasonable price – I think its going to be great fun – and lend itself to remote play VERY well.
JR.
I loved it on PS3 and have pre-ordered it again on PS4 but…
Bland stereotypical characters. Over the top and unnecessary action. Too many (human) enemies. Too many supplies (Weapons/Ammo). No real tombs to explore. Oww, Ohhh, Grrr, Aggghh, Urgghhh. Hardly any puzzles. Average crafting system that could have been so much better.
Fantastic game overall but there’s much room for improvement when they make the next one.
Wardy-77-
Same as JR above easily one of my favourite games of last year and pre ordered again for PS4 brilliant game.
The Lone Steven
The thing that puts me off it is the story trying to make the player feel guilty about taking lives. Then forces the player into gunfights. But that’s what i’ve heard and it does seem like an Uncharted clone. Which is ironic considering Uncharted was originally a Tomb Raider Clone.
bunimomike
It’s definitely not an Uncharted clone in the sense that Saints Row IV isn’t a GTA V clone. Sure, it operates around some similar principles but nothing more than that. Also, it’s not the biggest of guilt trips with the whole killing thing. You see her wrestling with her guilt over things which is understandable seeing as she’s new to all of this. So… with that out of the way, now you might enjoy it! :-)