I knew it was going to happen... life got in the way. I've been able to play the games for the last couple of days, I just haven't been able to do the write ups. I hope to get them both done today. I will not let life stop me. I will overcome life.

For Backlog 365 I plan on playing one game on my backlog everyday this year and write about it. For each game I will decide if I want to put it on my "Shelved" list (games that I plan to come back to and play in depth) or put it on the "Retired" list (games that I will delete or sell and move on with my life).

• January 5
• Xbox One
• Time Played: 42 minutes

Another interesting draw. Rise of the Tomb Raider was one of the games I got recently for Christmas. It was on the shortlist of games to possibly start after I finished Fallout 4, which I'm currently playing. From the way the Giant Bomb crew have talked about Rise of the Tomb Raider I thought that this game might threaten to knock me off my Fallout 4 kick completely.

I had absolutely no interest in the original Tomb Raiders and never even played them. I had even less interest after Angelina and the Tomb Raider movies. Hence, it took me by surprise when I ended up loving the Tomb Raider reboot. From what I played of Rise of the Tomb Raider, it looks like it's shaping up to be on par or better then the first one. It's got plenty of Lara Croft sighs and grunts, she still seems to make really bad choices, and the game seems to be setting up an absolutely ridiculous story. I think it's going for da Vinci Code level absurdity. When I play these treasure hunting adventure games I always wish someone would make a realistic tomb raiding game. It would be part dungeon crawler and part simulator. You would have to apply for grants, organize your team of unpaid volunteers and grad students, and bribe local governments. Then, you go through the tomb meticulously itemizing every thing you find. Everyone loves inventory management right!? One can only dream.

Before I even started the game, I felt pretty confident that Rise of the Tomb Raider was going to get Shelved. It would be pretty damn disappointing if it didn't. Not liking this game would retroactively ruin Christmas. Well, I'm pleased to announce that Christmas is saved. I really dug the time I played, it gripped me, pulled me in, and convinced me to come back the next day. That's right folks, Rise of the Tomb Raider is not going to get Shelved, it is going onto the Playing list. But will it convince me to break up with Fallout 4? Only time will tell. But for now, I will just go on living with Tomb Raider as my mistress - I mean she is much more beautiful. (Shhh, don't tell Fallout.)

Judgement: Playing

It's easy to get stuck in hyperbole about this game and set expectations too high, but it's just a damn good video game. Its got fun mechanics that are used well; smart puzzles that aren't time-consuming but are satisfying to solve; exploration for areas that are expansive and feel pretty well 'lived-in;' and combat that is challenging, but not unfair (the combat is probably the weakest part).

It's a game that is better than the sum of its parts.