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[Dr_Boris_Goltz]

It's so boring. The game consists of combat encounters that are incredibly easy (I'm playing on the difficulty below the absolute hardest), exploration that is essentially an OCD-fest item collectathon, and everything is punctuated by far too many audio logs that completely disrupt the flow of the game. Why the hell can't we listen to them on the go? The fact that they break up combat encounters is nearly inexcusable.

Lara is a headshot MACHINE. Enemies peek their idiot heads out in plain sight in every scenario. They seriously have no thoughts of self preservation in their moronic AI routines. They simply grab cover with their heads jutted all the way out, as if they're begging Lara to beam them. I was streaming the game for my brother and he said, "Is she fucking spetznaz?" Doomguy would be envious of her accuracy.

Here's a video of her prowess in action.

Yes it's the first encounter with the rifle but it's still a solid representation of the combat.

As for the collectathon aspect of the game, I feel like it preys upon the perfectionist nature that is inherent in so many gamers. Even during combat you're constantly hitting R3 to bring up "Lara vision" (or whatever) to make sure you're not missing any of the little bits of bullshit scattered around absolutely everywhere. Like with the audio logs, it majorly disrupts the flow of the game. Everything feels disjointed and stuttery.

Outside of combat the game is also dead silent. I think they forgot to turn on/up the ambient noise. You'll hear the occasional tribal drum track, but for the most part it's just a slight wind sound, Lara's footsteps, and nothing else.

I realize I'm pretty early in (Steam says 5 hours), but I believe that's enough time to get a feel for the game's character.

I'll say something positive instead of making this a total bitch fest: Lara's facial animation is stunning. Actually, I really like Lara Croft. She goes a long way in making me WANT to like the game, but sadly I don't have it in me.

PS: WHY IS SHE A MOUTH BREATHER?!

 

[faridmon]

I enjoyed it. The story was engaging and I found the combat system very engaging.

 

[LilJoka]

Boring and feels like your just on a roller coaster and cab only enjoy the view. It's too linear.

 

[Finaika]

What's a mouth breather?

 

[Jangowuzhere]

Yup, that game is just straight up terrible.

The new Tomb Raider games are just a mish mash of modern video game tropes, but done poorly.

Oh, but it looks pretty. I guess that's why people like it?

 

[Novocaine]

I really enjoyed the game but there were a few things I wish were done differently, the audio logs not being playable while playing was one. The way hunter vision worked annoyed me also, I wish they would have just done away with it and made the tells a little more telling.

 

[Tomeru]

Its a great game, I enjoyed it very much. If you want a little challenge (if any), crank it up tothe hardest available difficulty.

 

[Creamium]

I had high hopes for Rise, but ultimately I'd rank it lower than the reboot. I thought TR13 was okay, but there was room for improvement, something Rise could bank on. One aspect was the upgrades, and how useless they felt. Rise fell into the same trap: none of the upgrades feel like they have any real impact on the gameplay, and in the end you're just upgrading for the hell of it. That's so disappointing. If you have un upgrade system, at least make it useful and feel rewarding.

Story and characters were pretty laughable in the reboot, but Rise is definitely no improvement here either. Villain is very forgettable, and I found myself zoning out for most of the story beats. Definitely not the game's strength. That's the optional tombs. If you want to play some well designed sections, they're not optional but required content. Otherwise the game'd feel pretty shallow. Nevertheless, even the tombs were better in the original. The best ones were put up front, and the later ones were too easy.

Overall Rise was a wasted opportunity. There was so much to learn from TR13, and that doesn't show at all while playing Rise.

 

[Tizoc]

The only good thing about the current Toom Braider series is the Bow and Arrow, there's no quality game in there like any of the old better TR games.
Just have fun Headshotting fools and killing them with you Special Arrows.

 

[Moozo]

What's a mouth breather?

Someone who breathes through their gills

 

[The perfect Dark]

It's terrible compared to the first game. I don't understand the good scores.

 

[sammyCYBORG]

I too am baffled by the love for it. TR2013 is much better.

 

[Starbuck2907]

I like it. Liked the reboot too.

 

[RedAssedApe]

don't get how people would like the first and not the second. is it because its more of the same?

to each his own i guess...

 

[Jack The Nipper]

you are missing better games but this is what happens when formulas are copied. UC already has or had enough problems of its own

 

[Joey Ravn]

Someone who breathes through their gills

Lies. Blatant lies. Mouth breather. It obviously refers to cutaneous respiration. Like frogs.

The game was OK. Wasn't as ground-breaking as the first, to be honest. It was solid, but hit diminish returns fast.

 

[ThatEuroGuy]

Tomb Raider 2013 was the best Uncharted game ever made gameplay-wise
Rise of the Tomb Raider is probably the biggest disappointment since then

At first I thought Crystal Dinamics outsourced the game to some B-TEAM of sort but then I saw the same director behind this second installment and my mind blew up in disappointment. They lost the whole mojo and then another gazilion of it

 

[Joejoe123]

I agree with all your criticism, but I still enjoyed the game.

If you actually take the game and story-line seriously, you pretty much have to conclude that Lara is a delusional narcissist based on her actions and dialog throughout the game.

 

[Bandersnatch1]

Loved TR2013, but Rise was such a disappointment. Couldn't even be bothered to finish it. Felt like an Ubisoft game with Lara tripping over artifacts and crap on the map all the time.

"This must be an ancient ceremonial vase from the ancient city of Kitezh!"
"This priceless golden spittoon must have belonged to the Prophet!"

I could have been a writer on this game.

 

[Starzonedge]

I struggled to finish it, mainly because I found the dialogue so boring. Combat was serviceable, environments were beautiful. Not worth the 60 dollars I paid for.

 

[Cave Johnson]

Lara is a headshot MACHINE.

The inclusion of an aimdot system is just so fucking bizarre. It's not doom or quake and it lacks the balance intracacies of both designs.

 

[Alpha Phoenix]

I liked the pacing of TR2013 much better. While RotTR improved on key aspects of the last game, it just wasn't as fun. The hub worlds are collectible fests and really were more distracting than not.

 

[Rodney McKay]

I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed Tomb Raider (the first of the new ones). The story kept me interested, the game play felt great, i liked thebset pieces well enough, and I liked the upgrades as you moved through the game.

I was excited with how great the reviews were for Rise of the Tomb Raider, but I waited for the PC version and I've been disappointed with it.

I just beat RotTR and felt no interest in finishing it. The story was a dumb holy grail quest, none of the characters were interesting, none of the plot points kept me interested (some SUPER obvious plot twists), the environments were boring, the weapon unlocks were bad (the starter bow was the best IMO), and the extra tombs they added to explore were all quick and easy to beat.

The combat was fine and the platforming was fine, but I remember liking everything about how the first game played better than this one.

And a minor thing that bugged me: I LOVED how the last Tomb Raiders ended with Lara

Spoiler

getting her signature dual pistols at the end

, but they were nowhere to be found in this game (unless they were a secret somewhere)! What the hell?! Was nobody who made this game involved in the first one?

 

[Dmax3901]

The characters, writing and general narrative are so generic and frustrating. It was actually a chore to me finish by the end. Made no sense whatsoever.

 

[daninthemix]

Wow. I just bought this and I thought Tomb Raider 2013 was rubbish. From reading the above I do not have high hopes that I'll like Rise

 

[NinjaBoiX]

I don't get the headshot complaint at all. Are you pissed because bullets hit where the crosshairs say they will?

Why?

"The controls are too accurate" is the weirdest complaint ever.

 

[KratosEnergyDrink]

It's a cinematic linear shooter, like Uncharted & Co. You like these or you don't...

 

[Fahzgoolin]

Yup, that game is just straight up terrible.

The new Tomb Raider games are just a mish mash of modern video game tropes, but done poorly.

Oh, but it looks pretty. I guess that's why people like it?

just like Uncharted.

 

[drotahorror]

I loved 2013. Paced very well, the linearity of the game was a massive strength for it as well.

Then it went open world. I just couldn't get engaged for some reason. I stopped playing it when I reached the jungle like open area. Just wasn't feeling it anymore.

Sort of reminds of me of Castlevania LoS 1 and 2. The first is one of the best action/adventure games of all time imo. Then they went open world with it and jacked it up.

 

[nubbe]

Each to their own
I enjoy RotTR more than TR'13
It is a cinematic game and does it really well

 

[JBwB]

It's okay.

I found TR 2013 to be better to be honest.

 

[silva1991]

I thought it's as good as Uncharted 4 overall(8/10 games)

I don't recall it was that easy to headshot enemies, but then again I'm bad at shooting in video games.

first game was better and more memorable tho.

Wow. I just bought this and I thought Tomb Raider 2013 was rubbish. From reading the above I do not have high hopes that I'll like Rise

I really doubt you will like it if you thought teh first one was garbage.

it's not impossible though I mean some people love Demon souls and hate Dark Souls and vice versa.

 

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

I can't disagree with anything OP said but I still overwhelmingly liked it. Perhaps I'm susceptible to cheap feedback? I also thought the combat encounters were generally quite easy, and then later on when the groups get too big to deal with sequential headshots, some of the upgraded arrow types and other weapon mods still offer very easy rapid kill capabilities. I honestly never felt too challenged, and that even goes for Survivor Mode.

And I do love to explore and collect, too, and that gives you a huge resource advantage in RotR when it coms to availability of the aforementioned weapon mods. I also like Lara's character, but didn't think the story in either of the Tomb Raider reboot games was anything particularly special.

So, I don't know. It was one of my most enjoyed games in 2015, but I completely know it's as weak as OP says. And I think 2015 was a pretty great year all around, with games like Witcher 3 and Bloodborne as well.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

I liked it a lot. I guess I don't have much to say, the story is mediocre but that's nothing new for these sorts of games. Too many crumbling surfaces and near-misses and such, but again, nothing new. Out of this and UC4, this was the game that wasn't afraid to let me play it for long stretches, so I enjoyed it more as a result.

 

[Jennings]

Aren't they expecting the PS4 release to make up for the embarrassing sales numbers from when it was an exclusive last year? Based on the word of mouth since then I wouldn't expect PS4 owners to all jump in at full retail price. Will it bomb again this year?

 

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

Kind of a small addition to my previous posted thoughts: my impression when I first played the game is that it kind of had a feedback loop similar to a 3D Legend of Zelda game, though it did vary significantly in several areas of actual design.

But there was a sense of semi-openness, equipment upgrades allowed access to expanded areas within that semi-open world, plenty of optional treasures hidden everywhere, etc... Very similar feedback loop, and I personally love that feedback loop.

Combat's kind of easy in Zelda, too -- even many of the bosses in those games aren't particularly challenging IMO.

 

[watdaeff4]

It's okay.

I found TR 2013 to be better to be honest.

This is how I feel. I actually liked the initial reboot a lot when I played it and was anticipating Rise.

While it's a solid game, I quickly traded it in as I will never have any desire to play again. The collect-a-thon was too much also, i skipped most. I usually do skip collectathons as I find most dull, but this was worse than most

 

[black070]

Aren't they expecting the PS4 release to make up for the embarrassing sales numbers from when it was an exclusive last year? Based on the word of mouth since then I wouldn't expect PS4 owners to all jump in at full retail price. Will it bomb again this year?

I'll grab it on PS4 when it's on sale further down the line, there's just way too many other games releasing for it to hold interest.

 

[mrklaw]

Like the first game, this one got me good with the collectathon. 100% both. for me it was much more manageable than eg ubisofts approach. I don't know if TR actually has far fewer collectibles but it seems so.

 

[Jangowuzhere]

just like Uncharted.

At least Uncharted presents itself rather well and has a much clearer focus. The new Tomb Raider games are just a mess.

 

[Melchiah]

Here's a video of her prowess in action.

Huh, I didn't know it slows time while aiming, a bit like Max Payne.

 

[GreyOcelot]

i agree OP. going from uncharted 4 to rise was a huge shock because i actually liked the reboot. the level design, story, and combat is just so much better in uncharted vs. tomb raider. and i really, really hate how the tombs and puzzles are optional areas

 

[Fredrik]

I liked it a lot. More so than TR 2013 and the bow stealth action, crafting and more open game maps with new gear opening up caves to new secrets made it better than most other games in the genre, it's much much less linear than Quanthum Break and Uncharted 4 for example. It really clicked for me once I got to the The Sovjet installation map and started going for a 100%, The Geothermal valley was awesome too. I believe it's available on Steam Summer Sale for $35 right now, well worth the money imo.

 

[Brhoom]

Safe games=Shit games

Spoiler

Couldn't finish it, made me want to play the old Tomb Raider

 

[nOoblet16]

I like it more than TR2013.

 

[AHA-Lambda]

Nah just like its predecessor I thought it was pretty much junk

 

[Cromwell]

Nope. Game is fucking terrible with probably the worst writing of anything I played in 2015. Those endless monologues made me want to scratch my ears off, the unbearably self-serious tone was just too much to handle. By the last third I was actively skipping cut scenes and couldn't even be bothered to complete the last mission since I had zero investment in the plot. Boring, boring, boring.

TR 2013 at least had a little bit of awareness that it was a totally absurd action game, and had good pacing. Rise was just a morose, bland mess with tons of pointless shit and no drive at all.

 

[-MD-]

I managed to get toward the end of Rise but got insanely bored of it I couldn't force myself to finish.

Uncharted at least has some fun characters/banter while you're playing through it, these TR games have like nothing going for them.

 

[Lingitiz]

I liked it a lot. I guess I don't have much to say, the story is mediocre but that's nothing new for these sorts of games. Too many crumbling surfaces and near-misses and such, but again, nothing new. Out of this and UC4, this was the game that wasn't afraid to let me play it for long stretches, so I enjoyed it more as a result.

I liked it a lot too. Uncharted 4 was a more memorable and impactful experience, but I had more fun playing RotTR.

 

[sublimit]

I'm more curious if there's really an option to make Lara shut her mouth and stop giving you hints everytime you are in combat or in a puzzle.I know that the survivor instinct is optional (thank God this time there are no constant prompts telling you to use it every 5 seconds) but Lara telling me what to do is even worse.

Some people said this is possible but all the gameplay videos i've watched have Lara blatantly giving solutions to puzzles or hints in combat.