finished the game today (360), took me about 12 hours with all optional tombs.
i really wanted to hate this game after all the marketing bullshit and nonsense from the developers. but i cant, the game is really good and i enjoyed it.
yes: it lacks identity and borrows heavily from other games, laras transformation is handled poorly, sometimes there is too much focus on action/combat and its not like the old games (which i loved) at all. its also pretty shallow if you really think about it (like the arkham games and assassins creed are shallow).
so why did i like it that much? the game just plays well, has a great atmosphere, does all the uncharted stuff (combat, traversal, exploration, story, characters, cinematic moments) better than uncharted itself and it looks stunning.
the combat feels and plays better than uncharted, with more interesting combat situations and more options that keep the combat interesting.
the game is what i always wanted uncharted to be: a good mix of cinematic action and adventure/exploration elements. it also doesnt feel as restrictive as the uncharted games (more open levels, exploration is rewarded, replay value).
despite laras unrealistic transformation in the beginning, she is still one of the better written female videogame characters (i know thats not saying much...) and the story is decent. pretty much all of the other characters suck (sterotypes galore. angry black woman, spiritual indian guy, shady scientist, nerd..really?) but in the end, its ok. the whole stuff about the island is well done and almost every hidden item reveals a bit of back story about the stuff that went down.
the visuals are fantastic (one of the best looking console games for sure) but the framerate is pretty bad. the game almost never manages to run with 30 fps, in some later areas its drops heavily (25 ish). at least there is no tearing...
i also noticed that the game stutters heavily for about 10 seconds once you get an achievement.
the optional tombs are a real disappointment: while they look great, they are way to easy and short. each one doesnt take longer than 2-3 minuts to solve. if there is a sequel to this game, i hope they improve on this. i like the idea to "exclude" the tombs from the main game, but they should be longer and harder, not just 2-3 rooms that only look great.
i would rate it 7.5 out of 10. i really liked it but there is a lot of room for improvement.
