Rise of the Tomb Raider is a sizable step down from its 2013 predecessor in almost every way.
The setting was pretty boring and one note, the Siberian snow gets real old real quick, and lacked the variety of the jungle that the first (reboot) game had. In the same vein, the story also did nothing to inspire, not to say the previous game had an innovative or memorable story, but it felt more true to the character Lara was. Here, the story that traces back to familial root could be good, however it lands fairly flat, especially as the game goes on.
Gameplaywise it's the same as the previous entry, so nothing reinventing the wheel there, however fights against the latter enemies felt quite tedious, though against the normal goons it played out a little better.
Lara came across as a much better character in the 2013 Tomb Raider, hungry to make a name for herself with a ragtag cast of likeable characters. In this release, she's still a great protagonist, however her journey doesn't feel as inspired, even though it should be, as she shares the same mission as her father.
I still prefer this series to Uncharted though, that comparison has probably been made quite a bit, because of the freedom of gameplay in platforming and combat, as well as Lara's character.
The setting was pretty boring and one note, the Siberian snow gets real old real quick, and lacked the variety of the jungle that the first (reboot) game had. In the same vein, the story also did nothing to inspire, not to say the previous game had an innovative or memorable story, but it felt more true to the character Lara was. Here, the story that traces back to familial root could be good, however it lands fairly flat, especially as the game goes on.
Gameplaywise it's the same as the previous entry, so nothing reinventing the wheel there, however fights against the latter enemies felt quite tedious, though against the normal goons it played out a little better.
Lara came across as a much better character in the 2013 Tomb Raider, hungry to make a name for herself with a ragtag cast of likeable characters. In this release, she's still a great protagonist, however her journey doesn't feel as inspired, even though it should be, as she shares the same mission as her father.
I still prefer this series to Uncharted though, that comparison has probably been made quite a bit, because of the freedom of gameplay in platforming and combat, as well as Lara's character.