What do you get when Uncharted, Arkham, Die Hard, and the original Tome Raider get tossed into a blender?
This game is the answer. If that sounds like a fun time to you. Just get it and play it. You will not regret it.
When you start the game you find Croft on a boat looking for a island, something goes wrong and the boat sinks. When the game really starts you are tossed into a world that is just beating you down for most of the game. And Croft takes it all, and grows from it in both her character and her combat skills.She will never just die. And the enemies start to get that...Throughout the game you come across pages that flesh out the world and everyone in it worth reading/listening to.
The first thing you notice when you get control is some strong Uncharted aspects. From the way you are running around an environment that is just falling apart to your hand brushing the wall as you go by it to steady yourself. This is not a bad thing, it is a great look and makes the game look and feel so much more alive than without some Uncharted tossed in. If it was only a straight copy of the Uncharted gameplay, this would review would not be here. The game has a look all its own.
And man do the environments look good from the start of the game where you are running through some caves to the end where it seems like the world itself is just trying to beat you down. And we will not talk about the hair on the PC. (it is damn awesome though) It all mixes very well and all looks fantastic.
We do come across the same char models for the enemies you face throughout the game. Par for the course with games, but still always jarring A few of the bad guys that have a bit more screen time also seem to look a bit alike. That I find a huge downer. The game also does most loading times really well. When you change from one big zone to another a lot of the time you are moving slowly in a small pathway. Love that loading system and wish other games would follow that.
I found the combat very fun. The fact you do not have to hit a button to hide behind cover is in itself a great gameplay system. Then adding in the very fun combat system that rewards (in exp) you for taking risks just adds to it never feeling like a drag or wanting the combat to just end so you can go run and jump around. The skills start off just giving you ways to get more exp so you level up more. It is not till about half way through maybe that you start getting skills that just make you a machine if you play right. This happens at about the same time there is a change in the character of Croft.
Getting around the world is done in a few ways, environmental puzzles are abound. No real move block A to slot B. Sometimes you do feel like you are just pushing up as you watch something unfold on the screen with out you doing much else, moments like that are few but still noticeable when they happen. You also are constantly getting new gear, like arrows that shoot ropes, or a flint so you can light your torch whenever you want. Most all gear upgrades open new paths for you to explore or go farther in the story. Backtracking to see what you can find after you get new gear is always fun to me. Loved it in Arkham, and love it here. I say Arkham cause a lot of time Croft just duct taped items together to make a new one. Batman did that once or twice and thought that was cool.
In the end I think the game is well worth playing for anyone that enjoys the games I listed in the title and Die Hard. It has elements from them all. And that makes for a very enjoyable 15 odd hours.
