Tomb Raider (2013)

Despite the abrupt opening, Tomb Raider starts slow. At least, looking back, the beginning sure seems like it was pretty leisurely. There's something to be said for the way Lara is introduced as helplessly out of her element, but I still think the first few hours could do with some cutting -- because the remainder of the game is breakneck-explosive-awesome, and it's a shame the ramp-up doesn't start sooner.

One of the reasons the initial pacing seems awkward, is that the game is front-loaded with open exploration areas; there are more such areas later in the game, but not as tightly packed together. I guess this isn't as much of an issue for players who'd rather race through the campaign, but for someone like me who loves exploring nooks and crannies for extra content, Tomb Raider's early moments can drag on a bit.

Another reason is the story. Once it gets going, Lara's tale is intriguing, exciting, and compelling; but until that point, it seems more like she's just faffing around on the island, trying not to die. It's telling that her companions from the ship, who actually become relevant as the game progresses, barely make an appearance for the first several hours.

It's also worth noting that, if you take the time to explore and collect, Lara comes across as pretty stupid. The island is littered with hints regarding the ongoing plot; finding and reading even a fraction of them should help you figure out the game's mysteries hours before Lara does. Note to Crystal Dynamics: consider doing alternate scripts and dialog for cutscenes, depending on whether - based on finding certain collectibles - Lara should have some idea what's going on.

Alright. Those are my complaints. That being said, in spite of the room it leaves for improvement, Tomb Raider is one of the finest games I've had the pleasure of. It's remarkable, not necessarily because it does anything new -- its terrain-clambering, environment-solving, shooting, fighting, level-ups, upgrades, collectibles, and optional levels, have all been done in many other games, and often in combination. But because Tomb Raider executes all of these concepts so well, it elevates itself beyond other games with a mere subset of them.

Uncharted's live storytelling, in Nate and Sully's impeccable banter, is one thing Tomb Raider doesn't do as well. But otherwise, it's hard to pick a feature that Tomb Raider doesn't meet or exceed its peers at.

For me, the icing on the cake is that the exploration and collection aspects are designed with a minimal focus on backtracking. If you only ever explore the areas you're newly introduced to, you'll only miss a minor fraction of hidden items; and you'll still have no problem getting enough experience and salvage to fully upgrade your Lara.

Which is a big part of the game's spirit; just as Lara's character becomes more hardened and durable as the story goes on, your abilities and weapons will also become much more powerful. Tomb Raider rejects Uncharted's late-game scenario, where you feel outgunned by heavily armored foes -- instead, it hands you a magnum and an RPG, and tells you to shoot through them.

There are plenty of power fanatasy games out there, but Tomb Raider is one of the few that feels like an empowerment fantasy. Like a good Metroid, or Batman: Arkham City, Tomb Raider sets you out in a hostile world, but allows you to completely master it by the end. It's a great feeling, and Tomb Raider does a great job of it.

Oh, and I guess, for some reason, this game has some multiplayer too. Really? Man. I mean, at least it doesn't feel like the quality of the single-player campaign is diminished. But really?

Better than: Resident Evil 4, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, every Uncharted game
Not as good as: Batman: Arkham Asylum (because of Batman's high-quality voice acting, and because of Batman)
Approximately equally good as: Metroid Prime, Assassin's Creed III

Progress: Finished on normal, 89% completion