Unlike most of you (I presume) I was an avid gamer when the original Tomb Raider was released on PS1. That was such an epic release that immediately captivated the entire gaming world. The game was also extremely difficult and this compelled a ton of people to shell out an additional $10 for the strategy guide since the internet wasn't really widespread in 1996 (hard to believe, i know).
I have enjoyed a number of the games in this franchise over the years but will admit that I probably wouldn't have purchased this game, or ever played it had it not been free or near free with the PS Plus membership or at least seriously discounted in the online store.
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This title popped up for free in July for PS Plus members and after going through 2 months of "Uncharted" which is essentially the same thing but with a dude, I was a little less than stoked about playing it. Therefore I didn't do so until they re-introduced a lockdown in Da Nang, Vietnam. As far as the free games on PS are concerned I would say that this one is one of the better ones, but with a few minor faults.
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Right out of the gate this game begins brilliantly as they teach you how to play the game in a tutorial that is actually fun as you climb a mountainside with a friend while you slowly familiarize yourself with the controls. In many games, these tutorials are badly done and the poor control mechanisms of the game are brought to your attention straight away. That is not the case with Rise of the Tomb Raider.
The controls are simply enough and right away you get this feeling of "alright, i got it!" The button configuration is perfect and as you build up your arsenal of weapons it is very intuitive about how to switch between weapons seemlessly.
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As the game carries on the amount of skills and options you have expand (as you would expect) and this is particularly true with the bow - which was just wonderful for me because it was mine, and I think most people's, weapon of choice.
There are aspects of open world in that you are able to backtrack to certain parts of the game to access areas that you previously were unable to access and there is some level of resource gathering in order to craft new weapons and items that can make storage of ammo much better. This isn't a major part of the game though and to be honest I don't think it is terribly necessary to focus on this because you will accidentally collect more than enough resources simply by following the prescribed path.
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One aspect about the game that i particularly liked was the map system. As you discover more and more secrets the map will reveal secrets to you and give you access to certain areas that you may have missed in the past including "Challenge Tombs" that are totally optional but completely worth it since at the end of them you receive rather powerful upgrades. These challenge tombs are normally completely devoid of enemies and are merely complex puzzles.
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Some of these puzzles are extremely intuitive and others are so perplexing that I will admit that I did go to Youtube a few times for an "I've tried EVERYTHING!" walkthrough. All them were a nice little break from combat since you didn't have to worry about enemies popping out for almost all of them.
Speaking of enemies, this is where we get to my only gripe about the game: Combat is ALMOST perfect, but not entirely.
To be fair I played the game on "Normal" difficulty, but I found the enemies to be extremely easy to overpower using either stealth tactics or "run in guns a blazin!" tactics. It makes very little sense to me that you could be on a raised platform firing arrows through the heads of soldiers patrolling an area and the soldiers don't seek cover even after the guy next to him has been "one shot killed" just a moment ago. I think even the most grizzled combat-veteran would likely seek cover immediately if their buddy's head just exploded right next to them.
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When you are aiming, you also turn waaaaay too slow which can be a massive hindrance if you find yourself in an area where there are enemies on all sides. Sure, you know that a guy is sneaking up behind you but once wielding a weapon you turn around in super-slow mo, this can be adjusted in the settings of course but I didn't realize that until I had already finished the game.
Furthermore, as you progress you are not going to use the pistol at all. I wish there was some practical implementation for this weapon but there just isn't. In past Tomb Raider games the pistols use was maximized by making it the only weapon that would never run out of ammo. This one CAN run out of ammo but don't plan on that ever happening (not on normal difficulty anyway) because you are never going to use it and you are very unlikely to run out of ammo for any of the other weapons either.
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I was also a bit disappointed that they did away with almost all of the blood and gore of the 2013 reboot that was simply called "Tomb Raider" and as you may recall was a bit of a prequel to the entire franchise.
Overall this was a fantastic game to get for free and it is damn near perfect because I am not even a hardcore gamer and while I found it challenging, it wasn't Nioh or Dark Souls challenging enough to make me ever want to quit. I consider this to be a wonderful addition to the game catalog of anyone who likes video games but doesn't think gaming is life.
Having played the game all the way through I don't feel as though it has a great deal of replay value but it is an overall solid release and if you can get it for $10 or less I would say go for it.
I am not sure I ever played any of the Tomb Raider games. I feel like maybe I had one of the versions that came out on the Playstation 2, but I am not sure. That is the last real console that I owned. I had an Indiana Jones game for the PC that I tried to get into, but it just got a bit boring and repetitive for me. This was a great review, I am glad it was able to keep you busy during the lock down.
oh I would have lost my mind a while ago if it weren't for my trusty PS4 during all of this.
Tomb Raider lost a lot of steam and credibility towards the end of the 90's as the devs got greedy and produces a series of really shite games in a row. They took a long break and it turns out the nostalgia factor was great enough for them to reboot it, which I believe they have done very successfully
I remember really liking both the playability and graphics of the original one.....over 20 years ago?!?! Man we are getting old. I have always been a PC gamer though and have never owned a Playstation. This game definitely looks good and your description of the implacability and progression is encouraging. Not encouraging enough to buy a PS4 though!
Lately, my handful of daily gaming buddies have picked up an oldy you would have definitely heard of. Star Wars: The Old Republic. Just getting into it but seems kinda fun so far for a star wars nerd. I will have to spin up a @gooddream style report if we end up having some fun and it is worth reporting.
Thanks for the review and story my friend. 🍁
Knights of the Old Republic was a legendary game but for some reason I never got into any of the sequels. It is probably because they really have beaten the Star Wars horse to death and I'm kinda over it. I think that awful MMO they made was the final straw for me.
PS4 gaming is very different from PC gaming. One of the main benefits is that you know that your hardware is good enough if you have a ps4. One of the most frustrating aspects of PC gaming is the millions of different configurations that your PC could be and how one tiny little thing could disqualify you from being able to play at all. I went overboard years ago out of frustration and built a monster gaming rig only to end up leaving it behind when I changed countries because it was friggin massive and likely would have been destroyed in transit anyway.
I wonder where that is now? Probably gathering dust in the back room of some Thai person's house that uses it for youtube videos not realizing they have one of the most powerful computers in town sitting in front of them.
Haha probably!
I have always been a PC guy and have access to great support technicians and PC building experts. So, I spend $1400 every 4 years and have way too much video card/ram/cpu for anything I ever play. Playing FPS/target shooting games, I can't stand controller cross hairs and I need my mouse!
yeah the controllers on fps games are a bit annoying and i am figuring that out now that i am playing Modern Warfare 2 and getting the crap beaten out of me on just the 3rd level.
At least you never raged uninstalled those games and threw a controller across the house out of pure, unadulterated anger. Yet I still always have the urge to boot up Bloodborne and Dark Souls III at some point. Anyways, maybe I should play some Tomb Raider stuff. I haven't played any of the games except I think Tomb Raider III? Dunno why I never really tried to suck my own dick over the Tomb Raider series.
I look at Bloodbourne because it is on sale quite regularly but I know that I don't have it in me with those difficulty levels. As it turns out I am old enough that I don't actually want to git gud.
The combat is a lot more fast paced in Bloodborne, which I think helps with keeping it fun/less frustrating. At least in my opinion. I haven't played any games in weeks since I got infected with covid, maybe I'll turn on the PS4 in the next few days and give it another go, maybe stream it. At the very least me getting a micro dick out of pure anger would be entertaining content to post here, I suppose.
I thought this game was fantastic, especially the DLC involving the witch in the cave. Did the PS Plus version include that part of it?
Yes, the witch in the cave was included and is likely my favorite part of the entire experience. That boss battle was extremely creative and when it was all done it was actually quite believable unlike a lot of the strange boss fights that have happened with TR games in the past.
I remember this game, or at least seeing my friends play it without passing the remote. Another one, and way less exciting, but probably more annoying.. was Discworld. It came out at the same time or a year or two earlier. So annoying. Horrible graphics, and addictive. Third person point and click. One day a few years ago, I got out the PS1 and popped in Discworld and the wife and I took turns trying to beat it. My whole Christmas vacation we played to finally beat the stupid game.
I suppose the point of my ramble is that I am not a serious gamer, but we all sort of share the same need to be challenged in a fun way, from time to time. What better way to fulfill those needs than through games. Your description and write up on this one was great! Not ready to dive back into games yet, but if I do, it's on the list!!
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