Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration Reviews
Not just one of the greatest Croft games of all time but also one of the best adventure games of all time.
With a wealth of new content to enjoy, on top of the already excellent and expansive base game, Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration just about makes up for its late debut onto PS4.
After such a long wait, PlayStation 4 users finally get to experience Rise of the Tomb Raider in all its glory, and then some.
All in all this package escalates Rise of the Tomb Raider from a strong game to an excellent one. There were a few reservations as to how much gameplay you were getting for your money with the original, but this right here answers that with aplomb. There’s heaps to on top of the standard campaign and for the most part it’s of a good quality. The original faults remain, namely that Rise of the Tomb Raider lacks the original thinking of the reboot, but what is here is slick, polished fun. If you haven’t picked up Rise of the Tomb Raider yet then is without doubt the package to go for, but if you do already own it on a different platform then I’d recommend waiting for a sale to pick up the extras.
The game treats Lara like shit, threatening to freeze, drown, impale, burn, eat, or otherwise murder her at every turn.
It is still hoped that Lara is isolated a bit more in her next quest, as minimal interaction with other characters is where Tomb Raider has worked best, but it has been necessary to shape her personality in this storyline. The rebooting isn't quite there yet, but Rise of the Tomb Raider is sure-fire proof that Crystal Dynamics is on the right track, as the essence of Tomb Raider is alive and kicking here, with plenty of promise for the future. The gameplay mechanics and Lara's determination are more or less solidified, barring an overreliance on the Survival Instincts feature, so now it's just a case of carrying that through into her next adventure and expanding on the already-great atmosphere, freedom and tomb raiding that has been applied in this chapter of Lara's story. There is certainly plenty of bang for the buck in this edition, ensuring PlayStation 4 owners are getting the best deal if they have held out to purchase it.
While I found myself a tad bit underwhelmed when playing through 'Rise of the Tomb Raider' last year, I'm thoroughly impressed with how much has been added to the game since then. Each piece of DLC has added something unique to the package, be it online co-op or an excuse to battle hordes of zombies. Some of it definitely meshes with the 'Tomb Raider' formula better than others, but the amount of variety is appreciated. There has never been a better time to experience Lara Croft's latest adventure, and the great writing found in 'Blood Ties' makes me excited for the next entry in the series.
Rise of the Tomb Raider is frustrating on one level because it’s so completely in thrall of the blockbuster system that you can feel the creative frustration on several levels through the game, from its storytelling through level design. That frustration has resulted in a blockbuster that almost breaks free of its limitations at times, and it’s certainly an enjoyable game. It’s just that it would be interesting to see what the developers could come up with if they had a more limited budget (and thus lower sales expectations, allowing them to go after a more specific audience with a more focused game).
The formulaic plot, and some immersion-breaking moments don’t take away too much from this being quite a fun adventure, with a ton to do and return to. Plus you can unlock pointy-boobs Lara from Tomb Raider.
Finally the wait is over, as Rise of the Tomb Raider is available for PS4 owners with the release of the 20 Year Celebration. It’s packed with added content that ensures that one of 2015 best games now becomes one of the best games of 2016. It’s time to celebrate all things Tomb Raider!
Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration Edition is an incredibly good package, that adds a lot of value to what is already an exceptional game. It is honestly one of the best games I’ve played this year, full of endearing characters, great moments, both big and small and even some of the best layered villains. The combat is fun and engaging, the exploration is on point and story, especially the Blood Ties expansion, is exceptionally told.
Rise of the Tomb Raider remains a sumptuous gameplay cake, and 20 Year Celebration just adds some nice icy frosting for those PS4 gamers who were patient enough to wait.
Not only does this confirm that the Tomb Raider reboot wasn’t a fluke, it proves that Tomb Raider is at its best once more and maybe even better than ever.
Rise of the Tomb Raider is as close to flawless as video games get.
As for the extras, players are most likely to run through ‘Blood Ties’ only once or twice, (depending on whether you have a shiny new PSVR), while ‘Lara’s Nightmare’ has limited appeal, and co-op Endurance mode, while great, may force you reconsider some long-standing friendships if you play it for too long. However, this all just icing…Wait, no, the DLC is the icing. This 20 Year Celebration is the cherry on an already delicious birthday cake for one of gaming’s most iconic, enduring, and beloved series. Happy Birthday, Lara! Here’s hoping you don’t have to reinvent yourself again for your 30th anniversary!
Rise of the Tomb Raider represents a graphical leap forward from its predecessor, but the rest of the changes are merely minor tweaks and refinements to a formula that is starting to feel rather tired due to a certain other series having done this many times before.
Rise of the Tomb Raider is an excellent game. The graphics are outstanding and the story is well written with interesting characters. Overall an enjoyable game.