Rise of the Tomb Raider Xbox Timed Exclusive Buy Now Rating: 7.7/10 Rise of the Tomb Raider of course starts with a huge, dramatic sequence just like 2013’s reboot game. Jonah, a character we all know and remember from the first game, made an appearance almost instantly. I felt as if he was one of the most underrated characters in Tomb Raider, so it was really nice to see him back. The mechanics and controls were familiar the first time I picked up the game, which was strange, but good, knowing that the last time I played the first game was right when it first released on Xbox 360. From walking Lara through beautifully textured snow or grasslands to climbing mountains and setting up campfires, I felt amazingly at home. Crystal Dynamics finally masters the art of combat in this installment. Shooting is precise, making it that much more rewarding to be on the right side of the gun, even just stealthing around. Xbox One has always been lacking something spec-wise as a console compared to the PlayStation 4, but this game restored my faith: the presentation is utterly beautiful in terms of atmosphere, weaponry, character models, and graphics. It kind of hurt to know that I had missed out on this game to play Fallout 4, which was released the same day. It took me about 12 hours to complete the story while also doing a few challenge tombs along the way, providing me with a great understanding of the locations and most of the weapons Rise of the Tomb Raider have to offer. Unfortunately, once I had completed the storyline, I felt the game lost a lot of substance. Crystal Dynamics try their hardest with this game and its new features, but while some succeed, several fail. New movement features feel great, but also very forced onto the player. For example, the “Grapple Axe” skill that is a lot like the “Rope Arrow Swing” trick, only with your pickaxe, is pressured onto you for the first half hour of gameplay like the “Climbing Arrow.” Side quests, or Crystal’s attempt at them, are not terrible, but again, lack substance. I completed a few I ran across while trying to finish the story mode, but they were nothing in comparison to, say, RPG side quests. Trust me, we had a few too many RPGs this year. Verdict: Rise of the Tomb Raider is a great addition to the series and marks progress for Crystal Dynamics since the first game in the series reboot. The story is a wicked fun ride and is quite chaotic. I would recommend this game, but as it is merely ten hours without the challenge tombs or side missions, you might be better off cutting the bull and waiting for a price drop before committing.
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