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A brief introduction before I get started. I’m thinking about taking up game reviewing as a hobby and ideally as part of a career (incidentally, if anyone knows of any good places on the internet for getting this sort of thing out there, let me know). Videogames have always been a passion of mine. I find games and the ways they work increasingly interesting to discuss whenever I can and I also aim to become a better writer. For now, my plan is to warm up my writing muscles by going back to review games in my current library. The main reason being that I can save up for a new PC so I can finally break into that particular realm of gaming (seriously, bollocks to this new generation).
I actually played developer Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider reboot back in March when it came out but then never gave it a second glance until now. I was kind of underwhelmed by how it held up as a game and although I was mostly comfortable with the handling of Lara’s character, my opinion overall seemed to clash with the game’s undeniably popular reception.
Surely this game would be interesting to revisit first, for two reasons. A) to see if I can explain and justify my slightly negative stance on Tomb Raider, and B) to see if my opinion has softened any over time.
So yesterday morning I started up Tomb Raider to begin a campaign on normal difficulty. Then I had to back out and sit for over twenty minutes to install the game because I couldn’t hear any dialogue in the opening cutscene over the sound of my Xbox 360 straining with effort (seriously bollocks to this new generation!).
Anyway, after a 5-10 minute opening sequence in which a young, shipwrecked Lara Croft escapes capture from a cave littered with cinematics and quick-time events, we start piecing together the story. Lara brings an ethnically varied crew of archaeologists and documentary film makers to the mysterious Dragon’s Triangle, an island off the coast of Japan, to aid an expedition she believes will reveal the secrets of the lost kingdom of Yamatai. Sadly for them, an unnatural force corrupting the weather forces their boat to crash ashore, separating Lara from her friends.
Soon they reunite and what struck me immediately about Lara’s supporting cast is that every single one of them are stereotypes who exclusively exhibit their one unique personality trait. There’s the nervous geek, the sassy black lady, the big tribal guy, the veteran Irish sailor, the seasoned adventurer who’s like the father Lara never had, and the supportive best friend who exists only to get lost or captured whenever she isn’t talking about Lara or Lara’s work. If you know your arse from your elbow you could take an accurate guess at what their respective roles in the plot will be and even start counting down for some of them.
In fact, the first inkling I got that the strength of the narrative may not be all it’s heralded to be came about half an hour in during a scene where Lara reunites with the aforementioned BFF character, Samantha, now merrily accompanied by a big, shady stranger named Mathias who stares at them with cold, dead eyes while speaking in a low monotone, takes clear interest in Lara and Sam’s business on the island and couldn’t be more obviously evil incognito if he were a Disney villain being played by Mitt Romney.
About an hour in when the game stops being so obnoxious with the scripted stunt scenes that simply demand the player press a button when prompted, Tomb Raider becomes more exhilarating as the outdoor environments open up and Lara gathers her hunting and climbing equipment. The platforming isn’t as flippy-aroundy as in the classic Tomb Raider games, though jumping precision is more elegant and the ledge grabbing is thankfully more responsive.
I found the most enjoyable parts of the game to be when Lara and I would abandon our obligations to the storyline and embrace nature, zip-lining to the tallest points in search of collectibles and detouring into secluded tombs and caves to find relics that aid Lara’s research. While exploring, you can complete side challenges (just more collectibles, really) that grant experience points and you can hunt animals and scavenge enemy salvage to gather resources that improve your equipment. Skills and equipment can be upgraded at campsites you pass through as the game progresses.
What’s disappointing is that a lot of the puzzle-solving, wildlife hunting, organic platforming freedom that people presumably play Tomb Raider for isn’t really present enough in the core game. The titular and expected “tomb raiding†aspect largely feels like an extra-curricular activity you do outside the story. The only gameplay reward for exploration is XP and doesn’t aid Croft’s adventure in any discernible way, it just feels disconnected and inconsequential to events in the game.
Another way in which Tomb Raider puzzles me is that there isn’t really a central mechanic at all. It’s one of those games I leave to fall under that stupid banner of “action game†because there isn’t one gameplay aspect prominent enough for me to determine what kind of game it’s trying to be.
Platforming sections definitely are present throughout the story as well as a handful of thoughtful puzzles, but because of the game’s Hollywood-esque storytelling format the gameplay is extremely linear, so the platforming bits often exist just to connect the player from one set piece or combat scene to the next. Moments when the jumping and climbing do get kind of tense, it’s usually very scripted. There’s a very common scenario that occurs where Lara’s surroundings will start collapsing so if you don’t start running in the one direction the game wants you to go, along a strict path with the camera panning involuntarily to the next ledge it wants you to climb to, then you’ll die and have to start the sequence again.
It’s like the developers were afraid that designing the levels to be sprawling enough for the player to create their own unique moments using the game’s own physics engine wouldn’t look as stylish and dramatic, so the running will always consist of the player running obediently running along a predetermined course, while the camera has been wrestled away and explosions go off whenever the player steps into the most dramatic angle to view them from. At their worst, these bits also interrupt the player with some pretty agonizing QTE’s where control of Lara is completely taken away from you in favour of another scripted scene, then you just press a button when the game instructs you to avoid dying and watch Lara do the rest.
Of course the crux of the action sequences involve over the shoulder, cover-based shooting, which is a shame because the gun combat in this game feels terribly unrefined, mostly owing to the upgrade/progression system making the guns feel sloppy and ungratifying to use until you’ve acquired the necessary materials to upgrade them, as well as the cover physics being awkward and sometimes unreliable.
I remember the TR games I played as a kid actually being fun when it came to enemies because you could dispatch them with your duel pistols while flipping around the level like a monkey and making the most of the game’s mechanics for maximum acrobatic fun. The reboot misses this opportunity by restricting most of the gunfights to tight, indoor environments and actively encourages you use the uninspired cover system to hide from danger until the regenerating health tags you back in.
The end result is a game that tries to mash a combination of prominent videogame features together to create an experience with a bit of everything for everyone, but doesn’t have the room to give any one gameplay aspect enough meat or depth. There’s no core game feature in Tomb Raider, it’s just a game full of things to do, managing to be just average across the board with nothing that really shines.
Another thing I assumed going into the Tomb Raider reboot, aside from it being more like Tomb Raider, is that it would be a reboot. I thought that word implied we’d get insight into Lara’s origins, learn where she came from, how she acquired her skills and her growth from a normal young woman into a legend.
As far as I could tell, the game is about Lara’s first adventure and not much else. It’s established passively that Lara has already been trained extensively in combat, survival and orienteering by her mentor Roth and is capable of handling any situation she’s in despite whatever kind of pain she’s in. Ultimately, I failed to see how the Lara Croft character evolved or changed in any way from title screen to closing credits, what exactly she learned or achieved on this journey. It seems like a lot of Lara’s actual character development took place sometime before the game, hence the term “reboot†sounds a bit disingenuous.
To summarise, Tomb Raider is a game that seems to sacrifice player contribution using linear and rigid level design and predetermined gameplay so that the game is experienced precisely the way the developers intended, which isn’t to say the experience can’t be enjoyed. Some of the movement, levels and fights were admittedly thrilling. But playing the game feels like a fussy mother is trying to help you with the controls and nothing it does is all that spectacular. Combined with a story that doesn’t feel comfortable taking Lara Croft to any truly uncharted territory, it feels less like a legend has been “reborn†but more homogenised.
-----
What do you want me to review next?
Far Cry 3
Portal 2
or Hitman: Absolution?
I actually played developer Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider reboot back in March when it came out but then never gave it a second glance until now. I was kind of underwhelmed by how it held up as a game and although I was mostly comfortable with the handling of Lara’s character, my opinion overall seemed to clash with the game’s undeniably popular reception.
Surely this game would be interesting to revisit first, for two reasons. A) to see if I can explain and justify my slightly negative stance on Tomb Raider, and B) to see if my opinion has softened any over time.
So yesterday morning I started up Tomb Raider to begin a campaign on normal difficulty. Then I had to back out and sit for over twenty minutes to install the game because I couldn’t hear any dialogue in the opening cutscene over the sound of my Xbox 360 straining with effort (seriously bollocks to this new generation!).
Anyway, after a 5-10 minute opening sequence in which a young, shipwrecked Lara Croft escapes capture from a cave littered with cinematics and quick-time events, we start piecing together the story. Lara brings an ethnically varied crew of archaeologists and documentary film makers to the mysterious Dragon’s Triangle, an island off the coast of Japan, to aid an expedition she believes will reveal the secrets of the lost kingdom of Yamatai. Sadly for them, an unnatural force corrupting the weather forces their boat to crash ashore, separating Lara from her friends.
Soon they reunite and what struck me immediately about Lara’s supporting cast is that every single one of them are stereotypes who exclusively exhibit their one unique personality trait. There’s the nervous geek, the sassy black lady, the big tribal guy, the veteran Irish sailor, the seasoned adventurer who’s like the father Lara never had, and the supportive best friend who exists only to get lost or captured whenever she isn’t talking about Lara or Lara’s work. If you know your arse from your elbow you could take an accurate guess at what their respective roles in the plot will be and even start counting down for some of them.
In fact, the first inkling I got that the strength of the narrative may not be all it’s heralded to be came about half an hour in during a scene where Lara reunites with the aforementioned BFF character, Samantha, now merrily accompanied by a big, shady stranger named Mathias who stares at them with cold, dead eyes while speaking in a low monotone, takes clear interest in Lara and Sam’s business on the island and couldn’t be more obviously evil incognito if he were a Disney villain being played by Mitt Romney.
About an hour in when the game stops being so obnoxious with the scripted stunt scenes that simply demand the player press a button when prompted, Tomb Raider becomes more exhilarating as the outdoor environments open up and Lara gathers her hunting and climbing equipment. The platforming isn’t as flippy-aroundy as in the classic Tomb Raider games, though jumping precision is more elegant and the ledge grabbing is thankfully more responsive.
I found the most enjoyable parts of the game to be when Lara and I would abandon our obligations to the storyline and embrace nature, zip-lining to the tallest points in search of collectibles and detouring into secluded tombs and caves to find relics that aid Lara’s research. While exploring, you can complete side challenges (just more collectibles, really) that grant experience points and you can hunt animals and scavenge enemy salvage to gather resources that improve your equipment. Skills and equipment can be upgraded at campsites you pass through as the game progresses.
What’s disappointing is that a lot of the puzzle-solving, wildlife hunting, organic platforming freedom that people presumably play Tomb Raider for isn’t really present enough in the core game. The titular and expected “tomb raiding†aspect largely feels like an extra-curricular activity you do outside the story. The only gameplay reward for exploration is XP and doesn’t aid Croft’s adventure in any discernible way, it just feels disconnected and inconsequential to events in the game.
Another way in which Tomb Raider puzzles me is that there isn’t really a central mechanic at all. It’s one of those games I leave to fall under that stupid banner of “action game†because there isn’t one gameplay aspect prominent enough for me to determine what kind of game it’s trying to be.
Platforming sections definitely are present throughout the story as well as a handful of thoughtful puzzles, but because of the game’s Hollywood-esque storytelling format the gameplay is extremely linear, so the platforming bits often exist just to connect the player from one set piece or combat scene to the next. Moments when the jumping and climbing do get kind of tense, it’s usually very scripted. There’s a very common scenario that occurs where Lara’s surroundings will start collapsing so if you don’t start running in the one direction the game wants you to go, along a strict path with the camera panning involuntarily to the next ledge it wants you to climb to, then you’ll die and have to start the sequence again.
It’s like the developers were afraid that designing the levels to be sprawling enough for the player to create their own unique moments using the game’s own physics engine wouldn’t look as stylish and dramatic, so the running will always consist of the player running obediently running along a predetermined course, while the camera has been wrestled away and explosions go off whenever the player steps into the most dramatic angle to view them from. At their worst, these bits also interrupt the player with some pretty agonizing QTE’s where control of Lara is completely taken away from you in favour of another scripted scene, then you just press a button when the game instructs you to avoid dying and watch Lara do the rest.
Of course the crux of the action sequences involve over the shoulder, cover-based shooting, which is a shame because the gun combat in this game feels terribly unrefined, mostly owing to the upgrade/progression system making the guns feel sloppy and ungratifying to use until you’ve acquired the necessary materials to upgrade them, as well as the cover physics being awkward and sometimes unreliable.
I remember the TR games I played as a kid actually being fun when it came to enemies because you could dispatch them with your duel pistols while flipping around the level like a monkey and making the most of the game’s mechanics for maximum acrobatic fun. The reboot misses this opportunity by restricting most of the gunfights to tight, indoor environments and actively encourages you use the uninspired cover system to hide from danger until the regenerating health tags you back in.
The end result is a game that tries to mash a combination of prominent videogame features together to create an experience with a bit of everything for everyone, but doesn’t have the room to give any one gameplay aspect enough meat or depth. There’s no core game feature in Tomb Raider, it’s just a game full of things to do, managing to be just average across the board with nothing that really shines.
Another thing I assumed going into the Tomb Raider reboot, aside from it being more like Tomb Raider, is that it would be a reboot. I thought that word implied we’d get insight into Lara’s origins, learn where she came from, how she acquired her skills and her growth from a normal young woman into a legend.
As far as I could tell, the game is about Lara’s first adventure and not much else. It’s established passively that Lara has already been trained extensively in combat, survival and orienteering by her mentor Roth and is capable of handling any situation she’s in despite whatever kind of pain she’s in. Ultimately, I failed to see how the Lara Croft character evolved or changed in any way from title screen to closing credits, what exactly she learned or achieved on this journey. It seems like a lot of Lara’s actual character development took place sometime before the game, hence the term “reboot†sounds a bit disingenuous.
To summarise, Tomb Raider is a game that seems to sacrifice player contribution using linear and rigid level design and predetermined gameplay so that the game is experienced precisely the way the developers intended, which isn’t to say the experience can’t be enjoyed. Some of the movement, levels and fights were admittedly thrilling. But playing the game feels like a fussy mother is trying to help you with the controls and nothing it does is all that spectacular. Combined with a story that doesn’t feel comfortable taking Lara Croft to any truly uncharted territory, it feels less like a legend has been “reborn†but more homogenised.
-----
What do you want me to review next?
Far Cry 3
Portal 2
or Hitman: Absolution?
