After getting through the emotionally exhausting journey that was The Last of Us, I took the opportunity between reviews to finish up a backlogged game in Tomb Raider and also found myself playing The Walking Dead: 400 Days right after it. Thoughts below:

Games I've finished in 2013:

1/15 - ZombiU [Wii U]

2/13 - Omerta: City of Gangsters [PC]

2/29 - Valkyria Chronicles [PS3]

3/19 - Batman: Arkham City [PC]

3/23 - Orcs Must Die! 2 [PC]

3/29 - Mass Effect 3: Citadel DLC [PC]

4/3 - Dead Space 3 [PC]

4/10 - Dead Space 3: Awakening DLC [PC]

4/25 - Surgeon Simulator 2013 [PC]

4/29 - Professor Layton and the Curious Village [3DS]

5/1 - Theatrhythm Final Fantasy [3DS]

5/3 - Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon [PC]

5/11 - Metro: Last Light [PC]

6/5 - Prime World: Defenders [PC]

6/16 - The Swapper [PC]

6/28 - State of Decay [X360]

7/1 - The Last of Us [PS3]

7/3 - Tomb Raider [PC]

Finally got around to finishing the story campaign on this one a couple of days ago. I remember when I started playing that the characters felt well-done. But after playing The Last of Us and coming back to this, well, just about everything character-oriented pales in comparison to that game, so this suffered as a result.

However, after playing The Last of Us and dealing with its nervous, shaky shooting, the shooting in Tomb Raider felt very tight and satisfying. I particularly enjoyed flinging flame-tipped arrows at just about everything.

I feel like there should have been more opportunities to be stealthy, though. For almost the entire second half of the game, there were next to no opportunities to sneak through a section. You would be teased as such, but while planning your route, you realize that there's an enemy staring static straight down the hallway that you must begin at. So you're going to be seen anyway and might as well start shooting.

Ultimately, though, it felt like an open-world Uncharted with slightly lower production values (certainly forgiveable) and better combat. Tomb Raider also takes itself more seriously than Uncharted and comes off a little hokey at times as a result, but it's still a very enjoyable game with much more going for it than against it. I'm looking forward to a sequel.

7/3 - The Walking Dead: 400 Days [PC]

This one blindsided me. It's like "oh hey this is coming out this week," and then "oh hey this is out." So right after I'd finished Tomb Raider, I decided to jump in and play through what I'd expected to be a relatively short run, if 400 Days was consistent with the previous episodes of the game.

And it was. The 2-hour trip felt very much the same as the other episodes, and that's a good thing. Though the big, immediate difference is that instead of putting you in the shoes of a protagonist and setting you loose, you play in the shoes of five different people. It seems to be a great way to establish new characters, because when it's over, you're immediately connected to what each individual has been through. And there are certainly some cringe-worthy decisions made on all fronts.

It's a great setup for what will be Season 2, and I'm very much looking forward to it.