TOMB RAIDER
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Game Info:
Release Date: March 5, 2013
M for Mature
Genre: Action
Publisher: Square Enix
Developers: Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Studios

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Synopsis:
Tomb Raider delivers an intense and gritty story of the origins of Lara Croft and her ascent from frightened young woman to hardened survivor, armed with only raw instincts and the physical ability to push beyond the limits of human endurance. Superb physics-based gameplay is paired with a heart-pounding narrative in Lara's most personal, character-defining adventure to date.

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Story: (Contains no spoilers)
The plot of Tomb Raider games is usually the story of Lara Croft, an adventurer/archaeologist who, like the name implies, raids tombs and goes on adventures. The story of Tomb Raider (2013), however, is far different from any TR game from the past. The story follows a young Lara Croft, who is on her first adventure as a archaeologist in training. She, along with her friends and associates, is searching for the lost land of Yamatai, which was believed to have been led by the legendary Sun Queen Himoko. Although all clues point west on their voyage, Lara is convinced that Yamatai must be in the Dragon's Triangle, which is quoted to "make the Bermuda Triangle look like Disney World", as Himoko was said to have been able to conjure storms, and her elite guard was known as the StormGuard. However, due to the storms and dangerous waters of the Dragon's Triangle, the ship crashes into a nearby island, with the crew scattered. As Lara sees her group and begins to call out to them, she is knocked out by an unknown assailant. When she wakes, she is being dragged and hung upside-down in a cave filled with bloody corpses. Lara manages to escape (you are controlling her by this point) and makes it out of the cave by completely destroying it with explosives. As you head into the light for the first time, and observe the beautiful world you are about to encounter, Lara stares into the distance towards the sun, and the title of the game scrolls across the horizon.

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Gameplay:
The gameplay of Tomb Raider feels similar to the other games, and is comparable to games like Assassin's Creed or FarCry. As you embark on your quest to save your friends, stop the bad guys, and find out the mystery behind the island, you also have to practice basic survival instincts. You won't live long if you don't find food and water, so Lara finds a makeshift longbow, becoming the first and possibly most used weapon in the game. This is used for stealth kills, and also, hunting. You also find tools such as torches, axes, crowbars, and various guns and ammo. As you journey around the island, you can find crates of 'salvage' which can be used to upgrade your tools. An example of this would be upgrading your crowbar to pry open larger and stronger doors. Salvage may be in the open, but there are larger amounts of it in more secret places. As you walk around there are also treasure chests to be found, with ancient artifacts, journals, or things to help you on your journey, like GPS extensions (adding to the map). There are also hidden tombs where you can find large amounts of treasure if you can make it through the tunnels. However, the core point of the game is to find out what happened to your friends, and kill the enemies, so you can return to those tombs freely. The game itself is open world, yet there are places you must go to finish the game, resulting in a cross between Assassin's Creed and Dishonored, or maybe even Far Cry 3.

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Combat:
The combat in this game, while it takes some getting used to, is great. You feel like you are in the game, as every little detail is instigated. You have to draw the bow before you shoot it, the less you pull on the string, the less damage and range it has. Shooting a gun requires you to cockback and load it first, unlike some games where you just grab akimbo assault rifles and go guns-a-blazin. Your form of combat must also be taken into consideration. While playing this game, I often thought to myself "Do I want to kill these enemies with the bow to avoid drawing attention, or just risk the bullet and get the kill?" You will be presented with these decisions many times, as the number of enemies you face will always change, and that number will ultimately decide what to do. While the multiplayer is good for single player, it does not suit the multiplayer whatsoever. The multiplayer has common game modes like Team Deathmatch, FFA, and Capture the Flag, but how are you supposed to kill enemies when in third person, with non-CoD controls? The multiplayer of this game doesn't even get its own section from me, as it is one of those MP's that feel tacked on, like Dead Space or Uncharted. The multiplayer, however uncoordinated it may be, does not ruin the singleplayer mode, and the combat in Tomb Raider feels like it should.

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Graphics:
The graphics in this game are just beautiful. The game looks stunning, as the shadows and lighting give everything a mysterious appearance. Everything looks realistic, and in my opinion, no other words can describe the game's beauty. Here are some screenshots from the game:
Intro: [ Register or Signin to view external links. ]
Lara opening a pack: [ Register or Signin to view external links. ]
Waking in the forest: [ Register or Signin to view external links. ]
Hunting in the forest: [ Register or Signin to view external links. ]

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Controls:
The controls are very easy to master. Anyone who has played Assassin's Creed should feel very at home with these controls, as they are very similar.

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Ratings:
Story: 9.5
Gameplay: 9.9
Combat: 8.8 (For multiplayer)
Graphics: 10
Controls: 10
Overall: 9.64 or 9.7

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Tomb Raider is a very addicting game, however, it is held back by a pitiful multiplayer. Although this is a turn off for many people, it does not bother me, and Tomb Raider is still one of my favorite games this year.