Tomb Raider (Xbox 360)

Adventurer Lara Croft has encountered and defeated a variety of foes in her two decades of tomb raiding, but her biggest challenge yet is the dreaded reboot.? Simultaneously hated and loved, reboots give developers a chance to take familiar characters in new directions, but at the risk of alienating a dedicated fan base. It's a delicate undertaking, but developer Crystal Dynamics deftly navigates the reboot waters with Tomb Raider, a (mostly) refreshing take on the iconic Lara Croft character.

Pleased to Meet You
Essentially "Tomb Raider: Episode 1," Lara Croft's latest PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360?adventure is her first adventure. Young, fresh out of college, and green to the core, the archeologist embarks on a quest only to find herself and her companions shipwrecked on a mysterious island within The Devil's Triangle.

This sets the stage for the Lost-like adventure. Wounded and short on tools and supplies, Lara must endure a harsh environment?and mysterious island inhabitants?to make it off the island alive.

Hope You Guess My Name
Tomb Raider?s Lara Croft depiction is more human and well-rounded than in any previous series entry. Gone is the cocky adventurer with short-shorts, mid-riff tops, and one-liners; in her place is surprisingly vulnerable and realistically modeled archaeologist who takes an absolute beating as she makes the transition to season adventurer. Video game sexy time this is not.

Lara struggles with nearly everything she does. Due to the shipwreck, she's dirty, bloodied, and walks holding her side when heavily damaged. When Lara lands a high jump, she stumbles and catches her balance. When she climbs across a gap hand-over-hand, she loses her grip and needs the player to help her finish the task. Lara's grunts, film-like cinematics, and swelling soundtrack are designed to make players feel her struggle?and you do. In fact, some of her death animations (such as being mauled by wolves or receiving a broken neck) may prove disturbing to some.

Traversing the beautifully realized island is a fittingly treacherous affair that brings death with a misstep. Lara plank-walks over deep pits, scales rocks, leaps chasms, and battles blood-thirsty humans and animals. These typically demand swift button presses, as well as acing the occasional Quick Time Event sequence that may prove tricky at higher difficulty levels.

Lara washes ashore without her iconic pistols, so she must tackle island dangers with a combination of your wits and found items. Crystal Dynamics supplies numerous upgradable tools and weapons that you can use in both expected and unexpected ways. The pick axe, for example, can be used to jimmy doors, help Lara scale the sides of steep cliffs, or kill enemies. The upgrade menu isn?t as confusing as FarCry 3?s, but it may take some time getting used to due to its multiple areas and sub-areas.

But What?s Puzzling You?
Lara dispatches enemies with a variety of ranged and melee weapons, but approaching combat as you would in an older Tomb Raider titles is foolhardy?at least in the game's early stages. Light stealth elements allow you to guide Lara behind objects to avoid being spotted by the heavily-armed guards. It's not a Metal Gear Solid?level of stealth, but it does break up the action nicely.

In years past, Lara would have simply moved from combat sequence to combat sequence mowing down foes, but in Tomb Raider 2013 she feels the impact of taking a human life. Lara's first kill causes the adventurer to break down, but the sequence doesn't have as much impact as I would've liked, given the hype surrounding her more fleshed-out character. Unfortunately, this whole question quickly becomes moot as Lara ends up mowing down baddies with the determination of a '80s action hero.

Successfully completing challenges nets XP that are used to enhance Lara's abilities and transform her over the course of the game into the death-defying adventurer who's thrilled millions. Between powering up her body and weapons, Lara can execute a number of moves that aren't available when you first boot the game.

Lara is a relatable and likeable character, but the secondary characters seem to exist simply as plot devices. They are well-voiced for the most part, but none truly make you care for them in any way as the script is something you?d expect from a summer blockbuster film. It?s not Michael Bay bad, but don?t expect riveting material.

On the upside, the secondary characters, Lara, and the island itself are beautiful. Both people and animals move realistically through the dark tombs and environments. Crystal Dynamics has created some very impressive set pieces in which to adventure. The island isn?t open-world, but there are enough paths in any given section to make crossing any given area less linear.

Note: Tomb Raider also includes a multiplayer mode, but we didn?t touch upon it in this review due to the sparse number of people to compete against in the game?s pre-launch days. We?ll update this review very soon with our post-launch impressions.

?Is The Nature of My Game
Tomb Raider feels very much like a fresh start?a fresh start that manages to keep the essence of the character and series. Tomb Raider?s new direction?with its focus on character instead of bust line?is a welcome change in an franchise (and industry) that?s often accused of producing titles through a teenage boy?s gaze. Lara Croft is back.

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