Friday 19 April 2013

Tomb Raider

A SURVIVOR IS BORN

What ever you have thought about the Tomb Raider series, this game will completely blow you away. If you have not played any of the previous games, then not to worry as this reboot is a completely new story line and gives the player the opportunity to discover a side of Lara we may have not seen before, young, naive and very emotional; much different from the trigger-happy adventurer we all know and love. The game takes a new setting too on a remote island close to Japan.
It has taken me less than a week to complete the story mode with 85% completion and I have to admit it is one of the most addictive titles you will play this year. The game uses an open sandbox environment for players to explore, unlike previous titles which had a level system in place. The open environment is important as it allows the player to explore the scenery and complete achievements by hunting wildlife, raiding tombs, collecting treasures and much more, though like a lot of sandbox games glitches to have a habit of appearing and this title is no exception, though they are few and far between.

The game begins after the ship you are on sinks, and from then on you must try and meetup with the rest of the crew as well learning to adapt and to survive within the wild by finding weapons, hunting wildlife and of course kicking ass.

The game has been in development for a long time, and thank goodness as this is a game that has clearly meant a lot to every in involved and is a most welcome addition to the Tomb Raider franchise. The graphics are beautifully polished with facial expressions that clearly express how Lara is feeling-as well as her spontaneous monologues voiced by Camilla Luddington.  The narrative is clear and flows well with the game play. Though I may have admitted to completed the game within less than a week it did feel as though as it would never end as new catastrophes occur resulting into further investigation into the strange island.

Fun, exciting and action packed, all you want from a TR titles yes?Minus a flatulent and very cold butler (for those cruel people that locked him in a fridge) The game includes a multi-player option that also includes various add-ons and is developed by Edios. The main game is developed Crystal Dynamics and is published by Square Enix.

Tomb Raider is out now and worth a play. 10/10