Tomb Raider GOTY

A bit of a rail-shooter, which isn't my favorite. The writing is pretty milquetoast, but the voice-acting is actually pretty good. Action is really pretty thrilling and cinematic. This is essentially a chick-protagonist Uncharted, and that's not a bad thing. It's pretty darn close to being the star of a decent action movie. I don't know if I'll replay it -- seems like most of the dialogue and cutscenes are pretty yawnworthy, and the whole collectible thing isn't worth the effort other than XP, but it's been pretty darned fun so far. I mean... apart from the fact that any normal human being who goes through what Lara goes through would be dead about 305 times. But still... good, escapist thrill ride. Thumbs up.

I've enjoyed playing this in 2025. - The story, though predictable, nonsensical, and full of tropes is enjoyable. - Exploration is fun despite mostly relying on a single, predetermined route. - Graphics are dated but continue to hold up. - It's fun collecting salvage even if the choices aren't especially impactful. Some cons, both opiniated and technical: - too much combat for my taste, and the NPCs are excessively aggressive even on Easy. - poor weapon system, requiring 2 buttons. - audio crackle, may be due to the game's age and drivers. Overall an enjoyable game and worth playing through once, in my opinion.

I like it a lot. Just because it's Tomb Raider. Not very helpful, I know, but I play for fun and nostalgia, now at the age of 43. So... Yeah. Tomb Raider is great.

Summary: A reboot of the franchise that while storywise is nice, leaves a lot to be desired mechanically. Suffers from pacing issues where far too long nothing meaningful happens. PROS + The story is given more emphasis than in the original games + More collectibles and secrets than in previous games CONS - So. Many. QTEs. So many. All the time. Everywhere. Seriously, this is not what tomb raider is meant to be. - Less combat than the original games - Less platforming and puzzles than the original games - ENOUGH WITH THE QTES ALREADY!!! - Puzzles are too easy Subjective opinion: Would not recommend. I quite liked the original games, the combat, historical/mythological inspirations and puzzles were quite an excellent combination. However, I do not like QTE-fests like this has become, and I truly dislike that the larger story presences came at the expense of gameplay. The franchise deserved better.

Tomb Raider (2013) is not all that like Tomb Raider games prior to it. The game all but abandons the puzzle-platforming the series was known for outside of a few instances that feature light puzzle-platforming near the end of the game and in the optional tombs hidden throughout. Instead the game borrows from Uncharted, becoming a cinematic third-person shooter. While overdone in the modern day, and even at the time this game released, Tomb Raider (2013) still holds up, its nothing too special but it's still fun, and while I may not care too much for the characters outside of Lara, Sam (for all intents and purposes her love interest), and Roth, those 3 make the game for me story wise. If you have time to kill and aren't already flooded with cinematic third-person shooters, I say give this game a shot.