So today, I just finished the new, “Tomb Raider” game for the PS3. A game made by the company of , Crystal Dynamix. The new game is a re-boot, starting the series over again. It focuses on the origins of Lara Croft. A new era of the franchise.

The story is about Lara,  who planned to travel to an Island near Japan called, Yamatai, in search of lost relics and to investigate a lost kingdom. To get there, she travels aboard on a huge   salvage vessel called, The Endurance, but the ship was destroyed before she even got to the island. Of course, Lara survives and so does several others who survived from the Endurance destruction. While on the search for the lost kingdom on Yamatai, Lara discovers that there is a team of evil cult members who try to kill her. So she uses combat skills and various weapons to survive. Lara’s best friend, Sam, was kidnapped by the cult leader, Matthias, so she must rescue her friend so she and her Endurance survivors can get off the Island alive.

Okay, I was pretty impressed with the game. Story line is nice. I like how the game takes on a new and different direction for Lara Croft. The graphics are pretty insane for the new game, so that’s a huge plus. As far as the game play goes, there’s a lot more action and violence, more than the puzzle solving and exploration. What made the Tomb Raider games important, is because they were mostly known for solving puzzles and exploring archaeological  landscapes, and different locations. I have noticed there was a lot less than that in this new game. Plus, in the older games, you had to figure out Lara’s acrobatic moves, and there is a lot less of that as well. This one was more of a survival, action/adventure, and third person shooter (much like Uncharted, Dead Space, etc). The new game franchise wants to give it a current feeling with the other game franchises. I understand the makers of the game, wanted the Tomb Raider franchise to have more violence and action, but the whole point of Tomb Raider is “archaeology”.

My other gripe about the game is how Lara just wears a tank top throughout most of it. They had her wearing the tank top even in the freezing cold weather and areas where there’s a lot of  lava, and fire. How much punishment can the girl handle? Ah well, it’s just a freakin’ game, right?

Even though, the new Tomb Raider game, had a few minor disappointments, I was pretty impressed with the game. It was phenomenal, and they did a great job for the most part. I just wish there would be more puzzle solving, exploration, and acrobatic moves. Maybe, there will be more of that in the sequel, hopefully? This was just an introduction. So you don’t need to play the earlier Tomb Raider games if you’re just getting into them ’cause this would be a good one to start off with.

I was kind of hoping they would continue the story after “Tomb Raider: Underworld” the last T.R. game, ’cause that game was beautiful. That game was a true Tomb Raider but of course, Crystal Dynamix had to re-boot the series. I’m good with the new game, though. “Tomb Raider” (2013) was great. Gameplay was a blast. It was a pretty long game too. It was also pretty challenging actually. It was a real bitch trying to get past these gun battles. I didn’t use guns that much for weapons. Most of it was bow and arrow. That’s what made the new game fun, a lot of archery. Lara never had a bow and arrow before and it’s a new thing for the Tomb Raider franchise. Of course, they had to make her hot looking with nice boobs and all.

I was most impressed with the game’s sound. Turn your surround sound on while playing this game, and it’ll be better than watching a movie in the theater. Expect a lot of loud explosions, that you will feel the floor vibrate under your feet.

It was a pretty sick game, and I’m already looking forward to the sequel. Hopefully, they fix those minor things. More puzzle solving, exploration, and acrobatics. I only completed 81% of the game ’cause I couldn’t find all the artifacts and diaries. I found most of them, though. I could go back and find the rest of them if I wanted, but they just help unlock more rewards and extras for the game, so that’s not important. It is recommended for all. Even for longtime Tomb Raider fans and newbies.

Kev