Tomb Raider ~ The Watcher

Well this game was a welcome Valentines pre-order (Who says romance is dead!). I have always loved Tomb Raider, the action puzzler with a supernatural twist but previous games have always been lauded/ laughed at, for their blatant sexual-ism of the character. Indeed with the ever increasing chest and dodgy viewpoints there was little  to separate her image from a Page 3 star. All this did make for an attractive package which was only enhance by the ability to unlock costume changes.  (I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that has see Miss Croft dancing about frozen landscapes wearing a fetching string bikini.)

However this game was to be different and re-invent the franchise, the trailers showed a lost girl, confused and scared. They managed to strip all the gossip column 'fakery' and get back to basics but to get Lara from that level of naivety to the gun toting character we all love was going to take more than a series of 'I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!'

Lara is off on her first archaeological adventure in search of the lost Japanese nation of Yamatai. Needless to say she finds the island, albeit with the help of a ship destroying storm. Being Tom Raider; its not all archaeology, there's more than a little shooting too. In this plot its the Solarrii that provide the metaphorical cannon fodder, fellow stranded people who are led by a very crazy Mathias. They all worship Himiko, the Sun Queen and see her, and brutal ritual sacrifice, as essential to getting off the island. Mathias and his gang of blood thirsty men quickly realise that Lara isn't exactly cult material, and the chase ensues. If this is where Lara started, its no wonder she's phased by nothing in later life! (I would love to see her therapy bill)

It is worth noting at this point, that the game itself plays much more like a Uncharted episode than the traditional Lara Croft. The puzzles have been massively sidelined, and everything from the fight scenes, right through to the fight musics closing notes, is quite 'Nathan Drake'. That's not necessarily a bad thing, they did warn us that it wouldn't be the Tomb Raider we all knew. I for one do feel a little cheated but, being a fan of Uncharted, I can live with the disappointment  Besides collecting random shiny objects to hide in her cavernous back pockets, there are definite nods to future story lines. The much reported "I hate tombs" brought a cheesy smile, as did a few other 'spoilers'. It is nice to see the thought put into the origins of things, that were just always accepted as part of Lara's character.( I think the origin of the magic breast enlargement must feature in a later game.)

The story line pivots around Lara running around doing essential errands for those incapacitated by wolf bites, gun shots or their own sheer laziness. All the while avoiding the mass spamming of baddies. Killing these guys can be some serious fun, your first weapon is the bow which was heavily showcased in the trailers. A very effective tool at range, the slower reloading time makes it much tougher for use in close combat. There is also a heavy reliance on your survival skills, with the ability to loot those you've killed and retrieve arrows from them, as well as being able to see your surroundings in a Batman Arkham style (without the neon skeletons!) All the weapons and the survival skills are upgrade-able, from the XP points you gain shooting people, and the various animals, and also by looting boxes and bodies.

Previous Tomb Raiders have been famously sketchy with the viewing angles, I have seen many a leap of faith when she's stuck on a cliff and refuses to look anywhere, but this game is a little different. It seems that Lara only developed her obscure tunnel vision later in life. However, swan dives to her death are still achievable, and some of her death scenes are unexpected and impressive, almost worth being too slow on the buttons to see! 

I was a touch disappointed in the graphics, the cut scenes were amazing; but in game, I felt that the scenery was lacking. Unless there was direct interaction, it appeared to be clouded in fog or blended to form generic background. This was especially obvious  upon reaching the highest point of the island; doing a 360, only to find that the tourist views were obscured by mist ( After a climb like that I would have demanded a refund!). I did spot an amusing torch glitch and insisted on faffing around to get a good photo, but so far just one.

I did love this game, the mix up of Lara's very steep learning curve and her origins flowed extremely well with the story line. More like this would be great, but with an increase in the puzzles. Some people believe they slow down the game, but for me they are an upgrade from simple viewing and make the game more interactive. I am also completely aware that my over enthusiastic 'back seat' gaming does need more tack and less 'helpful' suggestions (especially when I'm not the one holding the controller).

Speaking of The Controller (after adjusting to the Nathan/ Lara issue), he seemed quite content with the game. Which is always a relief, because when a game ends up on the shelf, watching the ending on YouTube is quite a disappointment  The absence of beach Barbie Lara wasn't commented on, and I think her usual wardrobe issues might even have gone unnoticed. Fingers crossed that continues for a few more games!

Edit :  A recent comparison of Lara Croft through the ages on the site Halloween Costumes, has some pretty nifty images detailing both in game and promotional variations of our lovely leading lady.