To Raid Survival.

Tomb Raider
Rating: M
For Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language

So I went and picked this one up because I passed a redbox and it was in there. Basic premise of the game is that Lara Croft is trapped on an island with a cult that is trying to kill her and despite their massive amounts of disposable  guys and their machine guns they can't seem to beat one girl in a tank top. First off I have to say I did like the game but it does have several things that bothered me. A game like this where the main theme is survival needs a health bar. That way when things go south, and they always do, instead of Lara merely soaking up the damage it could create a tense moment as you scramble around looking for a health pack to fix her up. Overall combat works well and I was especially fond of the game's belief that the player is smart enough to get behind a wall when there are enemies nearby. That Lara automatically takes cover behind that wall was even more gratifying. I did want a command crouch but that was just a moment of wanting something completely inane since Lara crouches whenever you are being sneaky. That said, when you are sneaky the only weapon you can really use is the bow and arrow, which is fine, but the game wheels out armored guys that can't be killed in one shot which then alerts them and anyone around them that there is a prowling college co-ed. Once they've been alerted you enter the game's combat system which I'll admit I was expecting to be awful and clunky but it's actually well implemented. Of course it's basically a bog standard third person cover based shooter, it's hard to really screw that up, so the enemies will go down like peanut butter M&M's. During combat in some sections you do hear them shouting at each other and some of those lines are actually pretty good. The absolute worst part of this game though was the quick time events and the moments where you are sliding down a river. Both of these are moments where one screw up kill the character and the game just loves to let you know you messed up. I don't mind the events that are contextual in combat since those were unlocked abilities. I mean the ones in cut scenes, and the one that I missed because it was hiding in the bottom corner of the screen and I didn't even see it till just before I failed it. Obviously with Lara being the main character she cannot be hurt for long in the actual combat but I was constantly aware of how badly she was being beaten up through the game. The very first thing that happens on the island is she falls on a spike and is running around just fine with a hole through her side. I freely acknowledge that adrenaline can do some amazing things but once that's over with? I think the dumbest part of that is when you meet up with other survivors who see that there is a big bloodstain on her side and nobody talks about it. I couldn't help but wonder if the developers just hated their main character given how many times she gets the crap kicked out of her.
 Linking all of this together is an element of platforming, or if not that moving around the environment in other ways than in a straight line. Which basically translates into climbing up obvious walls with her trusty ax or the longest bundle of rope in history. Most of her gear upgrades but the main thing that you need to move about is the bow and the ax. Having never played one of these before I'd heard about the puzzles in the game and there aren't that many and most of them I figured the solution out almost immediately upon entering. I only had trouble with one puzzle that I can recall and it was a timing thing.
I think the biggest letdown is that a bunch of the game is based on finding the things that have been scattered across the island, but all they do is unlock things like character sketches. Now this might just be me but that is not worth my time of finding all of them. Given a choice I'd have liked them to make some unlockable costumes or something else. You know show that they put some thought and effort into this. Letting the player see those kind of things isn't really work, they had to make them anyways. I don't mind them being in the game but its odd to consider it a true reward for your effort.
Final verdict: I liked the game and had fun playing it. I just don't think it has any staying power whatsoever. Now I didn't play the multiplayer but the single is iffy as multiple playthroughs don't appeal and if you find everything there's nothing else to do. I'd buy it at a max cost of thirty bucks.

Good Gaming everyone!
Hambone Out.