Tomb Raider Reviews
With Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, Square Enix has provided action gamers with an impressively upgraded version of one of the best games in existence.
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition's enhancements are cosmetic-only so the flaws present in the game's last-gen version are still present. Even so, it's a great game made greater, so for those yet to play it, this is the version to get.
Tomb Raider itself is well-worth the purchase—it's a great game. The decision you must make is if improved visuals are enough to warrant buying this Definitive Edition. Frankly, I'm convinced that its release is more about profitability on a product that's already crafted than it is about bringing a vastly superior next-generation version of Tomb Raider to the market. For $59.99, it's not that much better than the PS3 version aside from some visual sprucing. Those that have already experienced the game aren't missing much with the Definitive Edition. However, had you missed Tomb Raider on the PS3 and have interest in Lara Croft's surprisingly fast transformation into a resilient killing machine, then you may as well pony up the extra cash to play the best version of the game: the Definitive Edition.
The Definitive Edition of Tomb Raider is a marginal presentational enhancement to the undeniably excellent 2013 release.
It's one of the best Tomb Raider games ever made, and it'll live up to the Definitive Edition moniker for those gamers who never set foot on Yamatai Island last year.
Definitely the best version of Tomb Raider and it shows exactly what the new generation of consoles has in store for us in the very near future.
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition really is the best looking version of the game, managing to surpass even the PC version.
Personally, I think this is one of the best games on the console at the moment and the developers should be commended for not only taking the series to a new level but successfully rebooting the franchise for the 21st century and still paying homage to what came before it.
Reactive hipoints on enemies would have been a much more "definitive" way to go here, but like the core story and animations, it's delivered in the same broken (or unrealistic) fashion as the 2013 release. Combat is the least fun in the game, but it's passable regardless. What's best to take away from this is you get the full game and all content released, updated visuals that actually make the game look next-gen, and that same rewarding sense of adventure and exploration coupled with Lara's personal, traumatic ascension to true Tomb Raider. Bring on the inevitable sequel, I say.
Tomb Raider is one of the games of the last generation and now it's that little bit prettier, and better for it. More realistic, more visceral as a result and an absolute delight to play through one more time. If you missed it first time around buy it now, if you loved it originally it's better the second time around and if you are still on the fence, trust us when we say you really should pick up the definitive version as soon as your wallet allows for it. A great release to fill the void before some decent games come out on both next gen platforms.
Tomb Raider remains one of the better action games to have been released in the last twelve months, and it gives the next generation consoles some life in a rather dry time. This is without doubt the definitive console edition of Tomb Raider, but the completeness and subtle visual enhancements are not enough to warrant another playthrough.
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, is certainly not a misnomer - if you're picking up the game for the first time, this is absolutely the one to go for. It's the same brilliant game that came out last year, all polished up and looking its finest. For returning adventurers, on the other hand, there's so little in the way of new content that there's not much point buying the new version unless you had an urge to replay it anyway.
Tomb Raider was already a gorgeous game, but seeing it on one of these newer consoles is breathtaking.
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is a tough sell for those who have already embarked on Lara's adventure, but those who have never played it will find a lot to like here, and the numerous upgrades make this the best version available to those without access to a gaming PC.
Did Tomb Raider really need a Definitive Edition? No, it didn't. Honestly, I would have been happy with a straight port, but it did allow the developers to bring an amazing game to consoles that are desperately starving for good content. At the end of the day, Tomb Raider looks better, plays better, and (for the most part, stupid controller echo) sounds better than it ever has before, and contains all the DLC that was released in one easy-to-buy package. I guess it is a Definitive Edition after all.
This isn't a package made for those who've already explored Yamatai, this is for those first setting foot into Lara's adventure. For them it's an essential purchase, for everyone else it really doesn't matter.
As an action-adventure game, Tomb Raider needs to have you spend eight to ten hours shooting people in the face. That the developer at least tries to address this dissonance in earnest is perhaps commendable—so few games strive to account for the expected incongruities that even the ambition distinguishes the effort. And yet their attempt makes their failure more pronounced.
If you never had the chance to experience the game a year ago, then the Definitive Edition is an absolute no-brainer. In fact, we're even slightly envious of those people that waited, because Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is one of the Xbox One's best games.
I was absolutely wowed by this game the first time I played it through because I was paying so much attention to the cut scenes and redesigned Lara Croft was a joy to behold. The Definitive Edition adds a few neat little features like alternative costumes and a comic book describing the events before the game, and I can't remember that being in the original game release. But having had a year to sit and consider the game's broader meaning, the second time around the game's flaws are all the more apparent.
The different gameplay elements that comprise Tomb Raider are very well done, and they are a lot of fun. During the TPS parts, Tomb Raider is competent. During the survival horror parts, Tomb Raider is competent. During the survival crafting parts, Tomb Raider is competent. This doesn't leave the whole package as competent, though. Even if someone used the best noodles possible, the best chocolate syrup, a lavish Lamborghini steering wheel, and a $900 pair of shoes, a lasagne made out of these ingredients wouldn't be very good—even if all the different parts are high quality. Tomb Raider needed someone to stand up and tell the marketing department that disparate gameplay elements weren't going to be shoehorned in simply to increase sales by 0.025%. Lara Croft does a wonderful job of redeeming Tomb Raider, and is the only reason it's playable, but it's only marginally more fleshed out than the myriad of mini-game collections found for the Kinect and Move.