Tomb Raider

I am a big Tomb Raider fan from way back. Huge. I wasted a lot of time in college doing sideways somersaults while unloading twin pistols and solving arcane puzzles made of giant blocks. In latter years, the series had fallen into disarray, with several disappointing entries, as well as, in this reviewer's opinion, a couple of awful movies. Suddenly, a beacon of hope. Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics joining forces to resurrect our beloved Lara? Do tell. Tomb Raider jumps you right from the gate and really never lets you go from start to finish. The story is good, the acting (because let's be honest, it's not really just "voice acting" anymore, is it?) is top notch, and the graphics are the best I've seen on current generation console hardware. But let's talk gameplay, because that's really where the rubber meets the road, no? Otherwise, you're just watching a movie. I don't think I've ever -- and this statement encompasses all comers, from Nate Drake to Ezio and Solid Snake -- played a game that made me feel more like a stealthful badass. Lara has an array of upgradeable weapons and tools that gradually take her from meek survivor to warrior princess, but the star of the show will not be denied. Enter, the longbow. Ms. Croft's new signature sidearm is both weapon and multitool as she explores the lost island of Yamatai and battles waves of foes, or, more accurately, silently slips among the shadows and picks off one unsuspecting enemy after another. The level design and excellent AI combine to make you feel like you're up against real opposition, as one slip-up will bring reinforcements crashing down on your head. But even in the toughest fights when you're feeling totally overwhelmed, you'll find that Lara has the skills to pay the bills. The combat is so tight and progresses so smoothly, and the enemy AI hits that uncanny sweet spot between being too dumb to believe and too smart to beat so perfectly that you always feel like you have the ability to get out of any sticky situation. Which is not to say she never bites the big one. On the contrary, I've rarely seen a more wince-inducing array of brutal death animations outside of a Mortal Kombat game. You are given the tools to play however you want, from loud and nasty to silent and lethal to cautious explorer, and there's a time for each role, but when given a choice, I went ninja, and it was good. This reboot not only does the original justice, it surpasses that series in almost every way, while ever-so-subtly elevating the bar for storytelling action adventure puzzle shooters, a genre the first Tomb Raider practically invented. I have no qualms about putting this game in the same neighborhood as the Uncharted and Assassin's Creed franchises, with consistency being the only question mark as to whether this new series belongs in such rarified company. Can they do it again? Can they keep it up? I, for one, am anxiously awaiting the next installment to find the answers to those questions. Well done.

I've enjoyed the Tomb Raider franchise (most of the time anyway) since the very first game, which a friend loaned me for PC when I was in college, and I later bought the Gold edition, then the next 3 games. The series lost its way for a while there, but the last, soft reboot was pretty solid (the Anniversary/Legend/Underworld trilogy). This new game is a truly excellent piece of work, though, giving Lara Croft a level of personality - without compromising her sense of power - that she's never really had before. The puzzles are interesting without being too hard or opaque, the combat is really very solid (though perhaps a bit excessive), the overall plot is good (if not without its fair share of fridge moments), nearly all the characters are excellent (except for Samantha, who is the epitome of the helpless damsel, and a bit tiresome as a result), and the graphics are lovely. As mentioned earlier, there is perhaps too much combat, and it ramps up to it very abruptly - Lara's first kill is handled pretty well, suggesting how upsetting it is to have to end a life even in self-defense, but after that first one it becomes an almost casual affair nearly immediately. The sheer volume of human enemies on this island becomes a little comical if one stops to consider it for a moment, too. But still, the combat remained both challenging and fun throughout - from a gameplay perspective it was very well done. In terms of the writing, about the only thing that could be considered a real flaw is Samantha. Her utter lack of agency is a bit sad, especially in a game with so many other interesting characters, and featuring more than one solid woman. I can totally understand that not everyone can confront adversity like Lara Croft, or even Reyes, but Samantha never once does anything to help her own situation, even when a reasonable person would (for example not putting up any sort of resistance even when she knows rescue is coming and that she is too valuable to kill), and in a few places makes things worse for herself (such as firing the machine gun mounted on the boat while it was being repaired, or wandering off in a burning building full of hostile forces when explicitly told to stay close). All of this adds up to making her a singularly unlikeable character, which is unfortunate, since rescuing her drives the entire story. After these, the game's biggest weakness is that there isn't enough of its best features. Much of the best puzzle-solving is in the optional "tombs" scattered about the island, each of which is a clever physics problem or maneuvering exercise. There aren't nearly enough of them, even though there's a healthy number, and it was a great source of disappointment that none were added as DLC (the only DLC the game received were multiplayer additions, which didn't interest me). For all that, though, these are minor complaints. The complete package of the new Tomb Raider turns out to be one of the best games I played in 2013. I only hope Square Enix is smart enough to recognize that this game deserves a sequel, and that we'll see another in the same kind of vein in a couple years.

■GOOD■ ○とにかく、圧倒的なグラフィック。 全ての物が美しく、背景だけでは無く、 オブジェや生き物まで良く描き込まれてる。 水面の表現や、雨の雫の表現、 藻が浮いた様な汚い地下水の表現等、 かなり美しい。 ○映画さながらの、素晴らしい演出。 序盤からハラハラするシーンが多く、 ララを操作してて楽しい。 カメラを自由に動かせるので、ララの正面に カメラを持って来ると、不安そうな顔で周りを キョロキョロするララが可愛い。 ○操作性の良さと、改善。 今までのシリーズをプレイして来て、 このゲームも同じ様な感じなのかなと 思って不安でしたが、操作が一気に 快適になった感じがします。 色々な場所に行くにも、操作がし易くて良い。 ○行ける場所が多く、自由度が高い。 基本 一本道な感じですが、ステージが広い為、 自由度が高い。 行ける場所が多いので、散策するのが楽しいです。 ○ムービーが美しく、まるで映画の様。 ○効果音やBGMが、映画っぽくて世界に入り込める。 ○滑落シーンや、落石のシーンでも操作が必要で、 コレが面白い。 ○ララが可愛く、少し幼くなった印象。 セクシーな感じでは無く、清楚な感じに なってます。 ○嫌味の無い、丁度良い難易度の謎解き要素。 ○迷ったらL2ボタンを押して、行く場所のヒントが 貰える(目的地が光る)ので、殆ど迷う事は無いです。 ○常に、いつ何が起こるか分から無い緊張感が有る。 ○ララのスキルUPに加え、拾った部品で武器の強化等も出来る。 ○敵だけでは無く、細かい小動物等も弓矢で狩れる。 ■BAD■ ×特に無いのですが、死んだ後の リトライのローディングが、ほんの ちょびっと長い程度。 ■感想■ まず最初に、ララに一目惚れしましたｗｗｗｗｗｗ 序盤から物凄い展開で、主人公がボロボロの 状態から始まります。 演出が上手いし、グラフィックが美しいので、 スッと世界に入り込めると思います。 急に敵や獣に襲われる事も有り、常に緊張感を 持ってプレイしてます。 まさに、サバイバル アクションの名に相応しい ゲームだと思います。 操作も簡単で、自分は北米版を購入したのですが、 英語が分から無くともサクサク進んでます。 次に何が起こるか分から無い感じが、 凄く好きです。 物語が進むに連れて、ワクワクします。 アクション性の高いゲームで、皆さんが おっしゃってる通り、アンチャーテッドみたいな 印象を受けました。 パズル要素とか謎解き要素は大嫌いな自分ですが、 今回のトゥームレイダーは、難易度的にも 少し考えれば出来る程度なので、英語版でも 快適にプレイ出来ると思います。 歴代のシリーズで、ララが こんなに魅力的で、 可愛いと思った事は無いです。 プレイ中、ララがピンチになったりすると、何とかせねば！ と言う気持ちになり、助けて上げたくなる展開が多い。 トゥームレイダーのシリーズの中で、この作品が一番 好きです。

I was never a hardcore tomb raider fan. i had played the first 2 games occasionally, but at the time, they were not at all my cup of tea; most of the games that really kept my attention at the time were more of the plethora of hardcore first-person shooter games genre that exploded in the gaming industry over the course of the last decade. The wildly successful Uncharted franchise was enough to introduce me to the 3rd-person adventure/puzzle genre. the first game was great for what it was at the time, but it's the 2nd and latest 3rd installment to the franchise that really got me hooked. Uncharted 2 "Among Thieves", i can proudly say, is one of my most favorite games on the PS3. and though i have completed it several times ever since i first bought it, it is one of the handful of games that i intend to keep for as long as my gaming hobby keeps me entertained. when i first heard about this game, i was highly skeptical. i wasnt sure if this was going to be a revamp of the already existing franchise, or if this was going to be an entirely new vision of Lara altogether. even more so, because of the overwhelming success of the Uncharted franchise, my initial reaction was to brush off this new Tomb Raider game as merely attempting to be a clone, riding on the coat tails of nathan drake and the success Naughty Dog has had with the Uncharted franchise. as i read initial reviews of critical acclaim from sites such as Metacritic, i knew that this initial judgement could not be any more further from the truth. after reading over dozens of reviews of the course of one afternoon, i knew that this Tomb Raider game had to atleast be given a fair shot. so, since i was really in need of a new game to play over the course of the past few months, i bit the bullet and ordered the game from Amazon. i was surprised that the Amazon Exclusive was selling at the price that it was (about $29 cdn) while brick and mortar retail outlets were selling the game for $49. this was no-brainer decision for me. not sure if they still offer this exclusive deal but if they do, jump at the chance to order it! i ordered the game on a friday afternoon, and i recieved it the following tuesday. Amazon's expedient process of delivery has always shined in my eyes and it continues to stand out as being the ideal place for all of my bluray and ps3 game orders. over the course of roughly 2 weeks since i first recieved the game, i beat the game in about 3 or 4 days, with a final completion score of 82%. i would play the game for a couple of hours at a time, and always looked forward to coming back to it. the game is in fact an origin story. that is, provides an interesting idea of how lara croft did became the strong survivalist character we identify with her as a being pop culture icon we know her as today. The game is developed by Crystal Dynamics. to my knowledge, they havent done anything previously that has really stood out to me in the gaming industry (though if anyone wishes to suggest a game of theirs i should check out, please do). they have done a truly great job with the game. the overall visual design of the game is absolutely beautiful and the play mechanics of controlling Lara are smooth, clean and precise.. the sound design captures the immersive environment incredibly well varying from a thick jungle to a sprawling mountain town with accompanying various changes of realistic weather as you progress through the game. the combat, which drives about 75% of the gameplay, borrows subtle incredients from the recent Resident Evil games we've seen in recent years and is fluid, engaging and thanks to the rich various different environments, i never found dull. if you appreciate the more technical aspects of current gen games, the game has a lot of great visual effects that add to the overall experience which one would really appreciate, not to also mention things like realistic destructible cover during the intense shoot out scenes and its environments, ragdoll physics mechanics with the bodies of enemies as they hurl through the air during explosions and the like. overall, these elements done so amazingly well help to drive a fun game play experience. the game has a compelling storyline with a few subtle plot twists, and it is easy to identify with lara as a protagonist. this game is rated 'M' for mature and for good reason. Lara gets bloodied, beaten up and in an extreme capacity that would make even the most hardened gamer or even horror movie fan of gore cringe occasionally. the game is of course an adventure/shooter game with lots of shoot-out set pieces. it offers lots of use of weapons for lara to find and learn to use - anything from a pick axe,a pistols, machine guns and even (my favourite) the awesome bow and arrow. this game offers a warm welcome to such a primitive weapon. it's fun to use and being able to pull off headshots is just incredibly satisfying. one of the great things about the game is that offers tons of replayability. you're able to return to previous places in the game you couldnt originally access, thanks to new gear you find and upgrade later in the game. by accessing these new areas, offers new treasures to be found, which of course provides reward to the player. extending on this, is the upgrade and experience system. lara is able to upgrade her weapons as well as her skills (survivor/brawler/explorer), and by doing so, lara is rewarded a boost of XP (experience points) during fights, and through various interactive activities as she progresses through the game. one thing i of course must mention is the puzzle solving aspect to the game. the puzzles arent as heavily placed in prior games. in fact, they are entirely optional to pursue. you can get by without engaging in any of them - which are found in tombs placed all throughout the game, but ignoring them completely even on a second playthrough would be discouraged. the rewards from solving these puzzles rewards Lara very generously with bonus XP - and that is always a great thing! on a personal note though, i felt that they often slowed down the pace of the game and as i came across these tombs, i really debated with myself if i really wanted to do them at all. as said earlier, the story line is engaging and rarely has a dull moment. the action never lets up, and is a great game that offers the player tons of replay value to return back to previous locales to look for any outstanding secret areas. i cant see this as game that too many people will be returning, trading or selling for something else in the long term. i recommend this to anyone who likes the puzzle/adventure games but also enjoys the intense action of 3rd person shooter. This Tomb Raider game has in some ways set the bar for future games of its kind to model after. i would happily rate this as one of the top 10 games for 2013. don't miss out on it !

このシリーズは好きで昔やっていましたが、最近は距離を置いていました。 今回、は生まれ変わったということで購入しましたがかなり面白いです。 ・まず、キャラクターが魅力的で日本人にもなじめるにララになっています。 ・グラフィックが素晴らしく、水に濡れた感じなどがすごくきれいです。 ・まだ、前半部分ですがサバイバル感やキャラの成長が感じられます。 たしかに、ストーリーが用意されてる感覚はありますがそれをも補うゲーム システムとグラフィック、魅力的なキャラでハマリ度は高いです。 英語は苦手ですが、日本版を待たずに先行で購入して大満足できる作品です。 お勧めの一本です。

Very cool game, works good. Thank you.

英語版でプレイ。クリア5日でした。英語に関しては大学生以上ならプレイに問題ないと思います。ゲームはコールオブデューティ(CoD)のような一本道です。理不尽に人を殺すところも似ていると感じました（洋ゲーってこういうの多い） ララがカッコイイ！ 弓を背負う姿、しゃがんだときの姿勢、ピッケルを使ったロッククライミングがとてもかっこよく描かれてます。スタイルも良くてセクシー。私はアンジェリーナジョリーが好きで、それに近い魅力があります。ずっと同じ服で後半になるとスボンが破れたりもします。しかし、タンクトップの肩紐は何故か切れない。 ストーリーがチョット ストーリーを期待するのが間違ってるかもですが、ちょっと無理があるかも。ロシア人っぽいのが結局なぜいたのか。日本人や卑弥呼伝説が出てきますが、なぜが雑魚敵は軍隊で弓矢だし。死体を天井から吊るすオブジェ的なものが多く出てきますが、特に深い意味は無さそうだし。お宝ゲットシーンで何をゲットしたか分からないのも残念。 一度行ったところはワープ可能でアイテムを回収できたり、スキルが絵で表現されていて英語力が無くても理解しやすかったりと、親切設計で快適にプレイできました。面白いのですが、女性キャラでのグロ表現で、グロが嫌という訳ではなく、もう少しかわす方法があったのではないか思いました。星4つ。