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[harrisk954]

So, I finally got around to playing Rise of the Tomb Raider on my PS4 after buying it on sale over the holidays... Here are my thoughts about this game (and the prior Tomb Raider reboot).

I have to say that I just don't get all of the praise that was heaped upon this game. First, the game looks really pretty good graphically. But, to me, it was nothing special. For example, I think that by comparison Horizon looked far better and it was fully "open world". And, although I don't think that comparisons with Uncharted are really fair, since the games are kind of different in tone and story, Uncharted 4 was on a different level, graphically, than RotTR. Graphics are certainly not the end all of games, but I remember seeing a lot of comparisons with this game and U4 on various websites and I just don't think they they are anywhere close to one another in that department.

Nor do I think that RotTR tells a very good story -- certainly not a story that is anywhere as cohesive and engaging as Uncharted 4 (or 1, 2 or 3) did. The story/script itself was (to me) bland and unmemorable, with characters who as I sit here after playing the game for more than 10 hours, I couldn't tell you the names. The first Uncharted started with a bang and introduced so many memorable characters that were so well developed and you cared about them from the get go. Not so in TR, where I didn't even think that Lara was all that well developed. We are into the second game and I have no emotional attachment to any characters, including Lara.

Spoiler

Other than a few very short cut scenes of her childhood, the game had zero emotional resonance for me. I mean, honestly, there was zero build-up to her father's death. And the game did not demonstrate to me the obsession that the writers wanted to use as motivation for Lara

In addition, while not every villain in the Uncharted games were the "best ever", the villain in this game was so bland and forgettable and not compelling in any way.

But, perhaps the biggest problem that I had with the story was the same problem that I had with the TR reboot -- that, in an effort to make the game "fast paced", you had scene after scene of Lara falling, sliding, being in landslides, hit with boulders and basically getting pummeled to such an extreme level that I just thought it was too over the top. Look, I know it is a video game and, in real life, a person would not survive the types of events that you see in these adventure games -- whether we are talking TR or Uncharted. I know that Uncharted has its own issues -- waves and waves of mercenary soldiers that appear out of nowhere to shoot unlimited ammo at Nate. In other words, these games are not real life. But (to me), the new TR games have both been so over the top and so absurd in the extreme, nonstop abuse to Lara, that I lost any sense of excitement. It just became annoying. It also lacked the grandeur of Uncharted -- at no time did the set pieces didn't make me stop and say "wow!" -- you know, places in the game where I just to pause to look in awe at the world around Lara, like I did with Nate (or like I did with Aloy).

Gameplay-wise, the game was not good to me either. With the exception of shooting arrows (which I actually really liked), I cannot say that I liked much else about it. It might have been me, but I felt like the platforming was "off" a bit and I fell to my death for no reason more times than I should have because Lara did not jump exactly like she should have. It was a slog with too many difficulty spikes that made several sections of the game unbearable to get through -- even when I lowered the difficulty level. I may not be the best video game player, but I am decent after 40 years of playing games and still had issues in several parts of the game.

I wanted to like this game so much -- I really did. I tried and tried. I pushed myself through it. It just fell flat to me. This is a game (and series) that should really be in my wheelhouse. Hell, I played the original TR on my PlayStation back when it was first released. I loved, loved, loved the Uncharted games. My favorite games are story-driven adventure games. But, something just doesn't sit right with me and these last 2 TR games.

I know that not every game is for every person, but am I missing something?? Does anyone else feel this way?

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Im actually going through it right now and these are my exact thoughts i legit turned to my wife 20 mins ago and said jesus christ we get it laras a bad bitch she escapes death every 5 secs

 

[Fbh]

I really like the more open areas and optional puzzles in these games.I think it's the one thing uncharted could have learned from this franchise (instead of expiration just being rewarded with meaningless collectables).

But the stories are really bland and they have turned Lara into a boring and unlikable character that I found it hard to care for the things that happen to her throughout the game.
And yeah, the "set pieces" are mostly bad and mostly consist of you running in a straight line while shit gets destroyed or explodes around you.

 

[phamilton]

I completely agree that Laura as a character and the story in the main game are bland as hell. However, I enjoyed the puzzles and the environmental story telling enough that I ultimately really liked the game. To me, the positives of RotTR exemplify exactly what makes video games so interesting and unique. In traditional modes of story telling, the audience has to be explicitly carried through the story. In a video game, however, players have agency and are able to discover (or completely gloss over) much of the story on their own. I loved the way this game used the environment to layer different levels of history (the Byzantine period, the Soviet period, and the present). Much of this part of the story wasn't simply offered up - you could only experience it by exploring and adequately paying attention. So while I agree the actual story line was pretty boring, I felt this was made up for by the part of the story that required self-discovery.

Even if you didn't like the main game, I would really encourage you to check out the Blood Ties DLC. I won't give away too much, but it's tonally very similar to Gone Home and it really fleshes out Laura and the history behind the Croft family. It's all about exploring the artifacts in Croft manor, so no need to fear any of the somewhat ridiculous action set pieces of the main game. To me, Blood Ties really transformed RotTR from being good to great, and I wish it had been included in the main game so everyone could play it.

 

[wipeout364]

I found the characterization of Lara excellent in this game. I really enjoyed the relationship aspects that were explored between her father, mother, step mother and butler. I find Lara a more compelling character than Nathan drake who I like but find very flat. I totally agree though that Nathan is surrounded by much more memorable supporting cast. I think it’s hard though when Lara is such an iconic character to take the focus away from her to focus on other characters.

I think the gameplay systems in rise of the tomb raider are more interesting than uncharted I recognize that this is a personal opinion but I found uncharted 3 and 4 very boring outside of the story.

 

[Alter_Fridge]

100% it and I enjoyed just about every minute of it (like I did the 1st one)

Gimme dat Shadow news rite now!

 

[wagrez]

I couldn't finish it... it was too much over the top for me.

 

[blackjon24]

of course the graphics aren't going to impress the game was made with xbox one in mind....jk

Haven't played rise of the tomb raider will probably wait until its like 5$. Don't really care much for reboot lara

 

[Poppyseed]

First Tomb Raider reboot was way better. I found RotR a snooze-fest, especially mid-way through the game. Puzzles simply weren’t interesting and the story was a giant meh. You know that feeling when you just want the game to be done so you can play something else? I had that feeling big-time.

 

[bratpack]

And, although I don't think that comparisons with Uncharted are really fair, since the games are kind of different in tone and story

And then proceeds to compare almost everything to uncharted yourself lol

 

[Bryank75]

Felt the same about the first game, 'torture porn' I believe people were calling it... I wasn't a fan of the 'breathy' voice acting of Luddington either but I get annoyed by small abstract things like high heels on tiles or over pronunciation of the letter 'p' so it kinda pops at the start... but I digress.

I thought combat was good and level design too... Characters were just terribly boring though and the more upbeat tone and one-liners always made me feel like Indiana Jones in Uncharted and that has huge appeal to me. I can see why people like it but toning down the character made her less iconic to me and I think Aloy will easily overtake her in the next few years...popularity wise.

 

[Kadayi]

I enjoyed the reboot games. However, I agree that the writing is not up to much, and the characterization is a bit too broad (no issues with Luddington as Lara though). The narratives themselves didn't really have any surprises to them because everything is kind of telegraphed and obvious, which really seems to be a failing of a lot of games generally. Given the average age of gamers and a long franchise legacy, it seems outright weird to dump it down to a YA level. Criticisms aside I still had fun though and I'm looking forward to the next instalment. I just hope going forward they put a lot more thought into storyline and characterisation.

 

[octiny]

Loved it! Can't wait for the next one. Hurry up E3.

 

[Koala Driving a Ferrari]

That's a shame to hear that you didn't like it OP. It's been on my backlog for eons. I originally planned to pick up the PS4 version with the nice booklet & cover on launch but I just had too many other games buy at the time.

 

[Zimmy68]

Just finished it for the 3rd time a couple of days ago. (Finally got the One X version).
I had trouble getting into it and it sat (PC version) idle for a few months but like any game like this, your experience depends on how you want to play.
If you are just going from point a to b the fastest, you will find it pretty boring.
My last playthrough, I did every optional mission, picked up every item as early as I could and of course the Tombs when available.
This yields skill points, gear, and abilities that make the game much more interesting.

If you like the bow, work on getting the headshot perk. You can take out 3 guys all at once.
Do the Baba Witch (whatever it is called) as early as possible and get the bow that makes the enemies fight each other.
I didn't even bother shooting for the head, I would shoot at their feet to create chaos.
The game becomes much easier and more fun. I was playing it like MGS3 instead of Rambo.

So, use your eagle vision all the time, pick up everything you can, upgrade your equipment and do all the optional stuff when available.

 

[VAL0R]

So, use your eagle vision all the time, pick up everything you can, upgrade your equipment and do all the optional stuff when available.

I hated this mechanic. I'm pressing this stupid button the entire game just so I can see items I can interact with. Just save my thumbstick 10,000 presses and have the freaking things glowing without my constant intervention.

 

[xviper]

this game was heavily underrated thanks to the big mistake Square enix did with it's exclusivity, it's better than the first game in every aspect, and it is was better than Uncharted 4, at least RtTR doesn't put you to sleep by forcing you to climb over and over and over,

the game's biggest problem was the gunplay, it's really weak and unsatisfying compared to Uncharted 4's gunplay and gameplay overall

 

[The Bloody-Nine]

First Tomb Raider reboot was way better. I found RotR a snooze-fest, especially mid-way through the game. Puzzles simply weren’t interesting and the story was a giant meh. You know that feeling when you just want the game to be done so you can play something else? I had that feeling big-time.

Agree with this. I didn't even finish it. I did finish the previous one and enjoyed it a lot more.

 

[Halo0629]

I like the gameplay more than uc4 but storywise, world, and characters uc4 is still superior imo. Kinda hated lara though, her character and personality are so inconsistent in rotr.

 

[harrisk954]

And then proceeds to compare almost everything to uncharted yourself lol

lol... you are so right... I fell into my own trap!!! I knew I was doing it and couldn't help myself!!

 

[Koala Driving a Ferrari]

Just finished it for the 3rd time a couple of days ago. (Finally got the One X version).
I had trouble getting into it and it sat (PC version) idle for a few months but like any game like this, your experience depends on how you want to play.
If you are just going from point a to b the fastest, you will find it pretty boring.
My last playthrough, I did every optional mission, picked up every item as early as I could and of course the Tombs when available.
This yields skill points, gear, and abilities that make the game much more interesting.

If you like the bow, work on getting the headshot perk. You can take out 3 guys all at once.
Do the Baba Witch (whatever it is called) as early as possible and get the bow that makes the enemies fight each other.
I didn't even bother shooting for the head, I would shoot at their feet to create chaos.
The game becomes much easier and more fun. I was playing it like MGS3 instead of Rambo.

So, use your eagle vision all the time, pick up everything you can, upgrade your equipment and do all the optional stuff when available.

I think you just sold me on the game .

 

[visiblemode]

Bingo, OP, I’d actually go as far as saying it’s one of the worst games I’ve ever played. Boring faux-open world, dull gameplay, buggy, terrible AI, poor scenario design, and insanely bad story. I despised it. This coming from loving TR 2013. Massive disappointment.
The only upsides, imo, were the nice graphics and the enviromental puzzles.

 

[SpiceRacz]

One of my favorite games of the generation. Game is more enjoyable if you take your time and do all of the optional tombs and missions.

 

[sephiroth7x]

So I am playing this myself for the first time as well...

I completely agree with you. After all the hype it received and talk of it being the game that Uncharted 4 wanted to be, I have been nothing but disappointed with it.

It is really bland... that is the word I would use. I think the story is weak. The acting in the cut scenes is terrible and Lara's especially so... everything she says sounds like she is either out of breath permanently, or she is saying it slow so we can understand her. And things like

Spoiler

Ana double crossing her, didn't even remotely have an impact because the character had never been developed. As for the attempt to say the C word... it kind of summed up the way the game was trying to cheapen and without trying, skip emotions.

The game wasn't all bad though. I mean, the actual game was really good. Yes it throws a few too many set pieces at you to a point of farce but the game is quite good. Its a well made game and the optional tombs are great (probably better than the main game). The shooting is a bit below par, but not much worse than Uncharted for example... though no where near as satisfying as say Mafia 3 which despite its issues the gun work was immense.

 

[bratpack]

So I am playing this myself for the first time as well...

I completely agree with you. After all the hype it received and talk of it being the game that Uncharted 4 wanted to be, I have been nothing but disappointed with it.

It is really bland... that is the word I would use. I think the story is weak. The acting in the cut scenes is terrible and Lara's especially so... everything she says sounds like she is either out of breath permanently, or she is saying it slow so we can understand her. And things like

Spoiler

Ana double crossing her, didn't even remotely have an impact because the character had never been developed. As for the attempt to say the C word... it kind of summed up the way the game was trying to cheapen and without trying, skip emotions.

The game wasn't all bad though. I mean, the actual game was really good. Yes it throws a few too many set pieces at you to a point of farce but the game is quite good. Its a well made game and the optional tombs are great (probably better than the main game). The shooting is a bit below par, but not much worse than Uncharted for example... though no where near as satisfying as say Mafia 3 which despite its issues the gun work was immense.

Lol @ the character had never been developed this is video games where talking about here what development do any characters have in games they go from point A to point B in games with a cutscene thrown in here and there.

Most video game story's are garbage anyways in the end it all boils to gameplay resi4 story is standard fare but the gameplay makes/made it king

You say you were disappointed with it then go on to state the actual game was really good so.....

 

[Jigsaah]

I haven't played all the Uncharted games. Speaking from that vacuum, I will say I enjoyed the puzzles in this game. However I also think the first reboot of tomb raider was more interesting because it was an origin story and had a really mythical theme. I miss Lara's confidence as a raider. She's like a child in this game, full of curiosity and still a bit naive. I'm ready for her to grow into the confident, apparently wealthy Lara, who practices acrobatics in her own personal gym, who dual wields 45 caliber pistols and has a clever response to every remark and a fearless approach to every mission. I guess I'm kinda tired of her being so vulnerable because it doesn't feel realistic for the situation she in given the outcome it yields through natural gameplay. What I mean, is if she's so scared and vulnerable, she isn't expected to survive many if any of these encounters, but she does....however somehow her vulnerability remains somewhat constant. You'd think she'd be more hardened over time, more confident. There should be progression towards "Oh my, I just realized I'm actually a bad ass, and I got this" mentality.

Just my thoughts.

 

[harrisk954]

Lol @ the character had never been developed this is video games where talking about here what development do any characters have in games they go from point A to point B in games with a cutscene thrown in here and there.

Most video game story's are garbage anyways in the end it all boils to gameplay resi4 story is standard fare but the gameplay makes/made it king

You say you were disappointed with it then go on to state the actual game was really good so.....

I think he probably was talking about the game play itself. For my part, even though I didn't love the game, I still really liked the archery mechanic. Also, in regard to writing, they tried (poorly) to create tension and give some emotional heft to the story, but I think that it just completely failed on all levels. I play these types of games for the story more so than the game play. Game play is always important, but story trumps the game play in this type of game. Versus a game like CoD, where there is a basic story, but people play it more for the game play. Uncharted is a masterclass in how to do story telling and character development in video games. Horizon, likewise, did an amazing job and that game is completely open world. But, there needs to be a balance between story and game play. The story and over-the-top scenarios in the TR games, to me, have been so subpar that it borders on distracting and takes away from the game for me.

 

[Jigsaah]

Maybe it's just the PS4 controller but I felt the shooting in uncharted 2 felt so awkward. It's part of why I didn't really get into the subsequent games. Maybe I'll get the drake collection and give it a real go. I saw a pic of a PS4 Xbox-esque controller. Not sure if that's real or not but if so I would by it just to use on PS4 shooters.

I also enjoyed the bow mechanics, especially the zipline and the suppressive fire that threw off your aim even though you weren't actually being shot.

 

[V2Tommy]

Loved RotTR. Wonderful Metroidvania experience in a beautiful 3D world. I've played every Uncharted and every Tomb Raider and don't find them comparable at all.

 

[Filben]

Those 4k textures were insane and the game definitely has some great picture-like scenes, although throughout the game it's not on par with Uncharted 4. The similarities in gameplay are unmissable though: many climbing and plattforming sequences, over the top destruction of things around where you have to make your escape, gunfights with some basic stealth elements, and all that tight together with a narrative. But Tomb Raider adds some Metroidvania elemtns to it, like these recent Batman games which I really like.

RotTR has some flaws, and I like the overall tone and story of 2013's Tomb Raider much more: I really wanted to discover what it's about this mysterious island; I listened to every single audio log and read every single text. I did not so in RotTR, because the plot is so common (two factions hunting for the same treasure, and of course this treasure is about the Fountain of Life) and forgetable. But I do like the plattforming, the gunfights, the somewhat simple puzzles and the action sequences and that I got to visit early areas again. It's by far no masterpiece but for me it is an slightly above average action adventure. I enjoyed it a lot, like every Tomb Raider chapter, since the very first one since 1996.

Lol @ the character had never been developed this is video games where talking about here what development do any characters have in games they go from point A to point B in games with a cutscene thrown in here and there.

Most video game story's are garbage anyways in the end it all boils to gameplay resi4 story is standard fare but the gameplay makes/made it king

You say you were disappointed with it then go on to state the actual game was really good so.....

Just because "most video game story's are garbage" doesn't mean it has to stay like that (although I strongly disagree on this one). Then it's even more urgent to present a game with a story not being garbage. Same goes for character development. I, personally, also disagree on the gameplay argument, since that's what gets repetitive, no matter if you're playing an open world RPG or a shooter, for instance after ten hours I discovered every gameplay mechanic in Skyrim (and beat the first dragon after 5 hours into this game) – I was pretty much done with that game at this point. The story is it then what fuels my motivation to play on, and if the narrative doesn't deliver, I'll drop it.

 

[MDSLKTR]

I was so disappointed by it that it made uncharted 4 retroactively better... U4 lost legacy is the real tomb raider game though.

 

[Unity2012]

At first I wasn't feeling it but once I started using eagle vision more and went after all the optional tombs and upgrades, the game got a lot more fun. I still hope Shadow of the Tomb Raider goes after more of what make the originals so much fun... and, colors; I can't do another desaturated game.

 

[sephiroth7x]

Most video game story's are garbage anyways in the end it all boils to gameplay resi4 story is standard fare but the gameplay makes/made it king

You say you were disappointed with it then go on to state the actual game was really good so.....

Although some people have answered in my place and pretty much summed up what I said I will still answer this.

Most videogame story's are garbage is a very loose statement. However it completely depends on what you play a game for. When a game is marketed as a 'next chapter in Lara's story' or 'find out what happened after the island', 'what is the secret of...' and so on, the game seems to be selling itself based off its story. I mean, if the story wasn't important to them, they wouldn't have hired Rihanna Pratchett in order to develop their story and characters.

So in that sense, I do believe they failed because the story was really boring (for me, remember this is all opinion) and the characters way underdeveloped and rushed. And saying they only exist to go from point A to point B - if this was the 80's or a Nintendo game I would have agreed with you, but nearly every single game now has a narrative drive in order to keep the audience hooked. Its no longer get from A to B, its why are you going from A to B and what is your motivation to do such a thing... some games tell this better as an action (for example the development of Link in Breath of the Wild or in Journey) rather than in cut scenes and speech by Tomb Raider is very obviously not attempting to go in that direction.

As for saying the actual game was good... yes it was. The gameplay mechanics were fairly tight (especially the bow) and I enjoyed my time playing the game but was incredibly disappointed in the story, development of a character (if movies can do it in 2 hours, then I am sure games can do it in 10) and to be honest, unless they improve that aspect of it I probably won't be a fan. They will just be average games for me.

For me, add Mafia 3's gunplay in this game, and then tighten the story up to a polished and well developed level and then you've got a great game...

 

[Zimmy68]

I'm in the middle of Uncharted 4 and Lost Legacy and they are certainly AAA titles but I enjoy ROTR much more.
Maybe it is the Ubisoft honk in me, but I enjoy skill upgrades, weapon variety, crafting, etc.
What I don't enjoy is driving a jeep around for miles listening to dialog.
The voice acting is top notch, It just isn't my bag.

 

[OldBoyGamer]

As said in OP, I'm never been sure why it gets as much praise as it does. It's not a bad game and maybe if it weren't a TR game, expectations would have been lower. The original reboot was better IMO. Had better pacing, better bad guys (I really hated the bad guys in Rise - they were awful for me) and though I think the first one just fell into too much combat, Rise goes even heavier in that direction. I liked the game world itself - really liked the cliffs and climbing mechanic. My biggest complaint though is that it felt like an unnecessary elongating of her origin story. We've seen new Lara being a frightened and unconfident character. By the end of the previous game she was a killer and her confidence had grown. personally, I was hoping that Rise would see her return to the kick ass gal I knew and loved.

My other big complaint was that the combat wasn't enough to carry the game all the way to the end. I started getting bored and frustrated about half way in but persevered to the end. At which point, I was so bored and so frustrated that I never bothered beating the final scene.

 

[Kremzeek]

Loved it! Can't wait for the next one. Hurry up E3.

Yup I loved it too! I'm glad they're not having another lame exclusivity window for the new game.

 

[Silent Viper]

I disagree with OP in every way. ROTR is absolutely fantastic game. I have it on all platforms and it's easily one of the best games of this generation. Story is weak but it's still serviceable and not terrible as some people are claiming.

If I have to choose between TR and UC now, then I always choose TR games eyes closed over UC coz gameplay is far better and more indepth in new TR games than UC. I'm not a fan of UC gameplay which I find extremely generic and Boring.

UC excels in character interaction and story but fails miserably in gameplay and pacing department, UC 4 is worst offender of it imo.

I like UC but if compared to new TR, I take TR everytime. CD just knocked it out of the park with new TR games. Iam super hyped for Shadow of Tomb Raider.