As a loyal Tomb Raider fan and follower since day one back in 1996 I can honestly say that while the series has had its highs, there was sadly more than a fair share of lows. Why? Well, that’s because after years of advancement and breakthroughs in gaming technology the Tomb Raider franchise has had a hard time adapting its rather primitive and archaic gameplay formula to the modern conventions of today’s mainstream video games. The Tomb Raider games were simply stuck in the past while the gaming industry kept evolving around it.

The series’ development team addressed the issue of a waning interest in all things “Tomb Raider” when they decided to wipe their slate clean and start over again with a completely new “reboot” of their video game. It was a desperate move, but a bold one. And it paid off.

So without going into a verbose and elaborate sentence that sums up this game and how spectacular it is, let me just throw it out there now that Tomb Raider is a smash hit. Here’s why.

Lara Croft is back, but this time around she is a perky college grad who is on an archaeological expedition that’s filming a documentary regarding ancient Japanese culture. The game begins right away when the salvage vessel Lara and the film crew were navigating the seas with traverses into the Far East’s version of the Bermuda Triangle and wind up shipwrecked on a mysterious and uncharted island off the coast of Japan.

Tension ramps up rather quickly when Lara and company find out that they aren’t alone on the island. They soon discover the island’s savage natives are actually a cult-like coalition of men who have been marooned on the island themselves who don’t take kindly to newcomers – especially badass women like Lara Croft. Without spoiling too much I will just say that adventure ensues and within Lara “a survivor is born.”

Tomb Raider is a beautiful looking game. No seriously, I’m not kidding. Crystal Dynamics really outdid themselves with their new “Crystal Engine” which they used to build the game upon. The game brandishes magnificent fire, lighting and explosion effects and sports majestic vistas of the island. The game’s frame rate never hiccuped or bogged down when many things were happening on screen at once either. One segment of the game that really impressed me with its graphical power was when I was ascending a mountain during a brutally violent wind and lightning storm all while bad guys are shooting at me. It. Was. COOL! And the game ran it smoothly.

Now the gameplay is where Tomb Raider truly flexes its might and distinguishes itself from the rest of the Tomb Raider titles. Aside from being the first Tomb Raider game to be rated M for Mature audiences due to the violence and some of the language, Crystal Dynamics’ major overhaul of Tomb Raider’s gameplay centered on the game’s approach to action and exploration. The older Tomb Raider games felt like clunky, boring and solitary experiences with brief glimmers of excitement thrown in just to keep our interest, whereas the new Tomb Raider flips the script and keeps the tension and energy flow of the game constantly on the up and up.

Also unlike previous games where Lara travels to various locales around the world this game takes place entirely on the mysterious island. This lends to there being a lot more depth to the game’s environments and also gives the player the option to backtrack all the way to earlier parts of the game in order to explore areas that you previously didn’t have access to. Scattered throughout the island are several campsites where you can take a breather and use experience points to learn new abilities and use scavenged salvage to upgrade your weapons. The leveling and upgrade system incorporated into the game along with being able to travel back to previous areas is a first in the Tomb Raider franchise.

The game handles very well in terms of its controls. If I had to draw any comparisons, Tomb Raider actually feels like a mix of the newer Resident Evil games with a dash of Gears of War style gameplay (minus the clunky-ness). There weren’t any camera issues (the original Kryptonite to a Tomb Raider game) and jumping and climbing have been simplified in this game and made more fluid. However, the combat has been the biggest overall improvement to Tomb Raider by far. A manual aiming system has finally replaced the terribly outdated lock-on targeting system and I couldn’t be happier. In the past I loathed fighting enemies in Tomb Raider games due to the monotonous combat design, but in this game? Hell, I look forward to the next fight! Lara sports weapons like the surprisingly fun and efficient bow and arrow, rifle, shotgun and handgun. By picking up salvage these weapons can be upgraded to do anything from carry more ammo, do more damage or fire specialized ammunition.

The biggest thing that could be held against any single player game is its replayability. Is Tomb Raider worth the money? I think so. For starters the game isn’t short and turned out to be a lot longer than I originally anticipated by offering about 15+ hours of gameplay. You could even spend more time in the game finding hidden items and artifacts as well as searching for all of the tombs that are hidden in the game.

Tomb Raider also comes bundled with a multiplayer component that offers several different gameplay modes to satiate your need to play Tomb Raider competitively. The only downside to the multiplayer is that it was outsourced to a different developer while Crystal Dynamics focused solely on the single-player campaign … and the difference in compassion for the project shows. I just wasn’t too impressed with the multiplayer to be honest.

So you might be wondering if there are any glaring flaws in this game — as I’ve given Tomb Raider nothing but praise. To be honest, the only real blemish on this game is the tacked on multiplayer mode that just didn’t feel as captivating as what it could have been. But other than that? I’m just disappointed that the game had to end. And that it’ll most likely be a couple years before we see Lara’s next adventure which is bound to happen, especially with the game selling so well after having only been out for a couple days.

I’m not a betting man but my guess is a “Tomb Raider 2” release for 2016. Right around Tomb Raider’s 20th anniversary. Now that would be awesome. Just like this game.

Hurry up and pick up Tomb Raider! You can find this gem for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

FINAL VERDICT: 9.5 out of 10 (blame the multiplayer for keeping this game from being perfect)

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Single-player video games have it rough. After the initial play-through of a single-player game there isn’t much left for players to do with the game — a common issue with most, if not every, single-player game.

Tomb Raider fans should be happy to learn that, earlier this month, Crystal Dynamics announced that a multiplayer component will be included within the game, in addition to the standard single-player campaign, giving gamers a bigger bang for their buck and extend the longevity of their play time.

Tomb Raider’s multiplayer has been developed separately by Deus Ex Human: Revolution developers Eidos Montreal and includes competitive game modes where players take control of teams consisting of Lara’s shipwrecked shipmates and the the island’s deadly and savage inhabitants. Players will be able to gain experience over time to increase their performance stats and purchase new characters to play with their own specific weapon loadouts.

“Team Deathmatch” mode will traditionally pit the Survivor and Scavenger teams against each other in a best of three matches where players alternate between playing as the opposing teams after each round.

Another multiplayer game mode called “Rescue” is where the Survivors are tasked with delivering medical supplies to various locations scattered throughout the map while the Scavengers press on to gun them down. The winner is determined by whether or not the Survivors deliver all of their packages before the Scavengers reach 25 kills.

Finally, there is the “Cry for Help” game mode, which isn’t directly as competitive as the other game modes, and the focus of the matches is based on exploration and discovery. While the developers’ description of the game mode was very limited, it appears that Cry for Help will play very much like a scavenger hunt.

To keep things interesting, the environment will also play a large role in Tomb Raider’s multiplayer. Booby traps are laden throughout the maps and even the weather can play a pivotal role in turning the tide of battle. In video gameplay demonstrations of Tomb Raider’s multiplayer, a huge sandstorm had developed amidst a deathmatch and blinded a team of pursuing attackers, putting them at a severe disadvantage and ultimately costing them the match. Parts of the environment are also destructible, so you can take out a key bridge to funnel your enemies into a kill zone and gain an upper hand.

Last year, Mass Effect 3 surprised the world with its hugely successful multiplayer mode that was included with the legendary single-player title, and it seems that other game developers are beginning to follow suit with multiplayer modes being added to the upcoming God of War: Ascension and Dead Space 3.

The multiplayer addition to Tomb Raider even has some gamers reconsidering their initial stance on the game, now knowing that it boasts multiplayer capability. Tomb Raider looks like a well-rounded and solid gaming experience that promises to be a sure buy.

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In the fall of 1996 we were first introduced to the adventurer Lara Croft when Tomb Raider launched on gaming platforms and instantly became an overnight success. Gamers welcomed the big-lipped, buxom, dual-pistol wielding female equivalent of Indiana Jones and the Tomb Raider franchise went on to spawn a huge cult following, multiple sequels, action figures, comic books and even two summer blockbusters starring actress Angelina Jolie as the iconic Lara Croft.

The Tomb Raider franchise’s revolutionary parade began to lose steam however in 2003 when the sixth game in the series fell short of commercial expectations and wasn’t received well by critics and fans alike, which in turn led key members of the development team to leave the company. The responsibility of the Tomb Raider property then fell into the hands of the Redwood City based game developer Crystal Dynamics, which after producing a couple above-average entries for the series barely managed to keep Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider franchise afloat.

With the ever constantly changing demographics in what gamers were playing and the window closing on the influence of action/adventure titles, the developers had to think outside of the box and do what other game developers weren’t doing with their intellectual properties. Something had to be done in order to revitalize the Tomb Raider brand. Something drastic.

In a bid to keep Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider property relevant in today’s grittier era of modern video gaming, the developers stunned the industry when they had Lara grace the January 2011 Game Informer magazine cover in a world exclusive feature article to announce the forthcoming installment of the Tomb Raider series – but it wasn’t the Lara we were familiar with nor was it a continuation of her adventures. This Lara was younger, sported a realistic appearance, and was regarded as inexperienced and vulnerable — a far cry from the flawlessly hardened heroine we’ve been accustomed to all these years. Not only was it surprising to see that the developers rebooted the franchise into an origin story for Lara Croft’s tomb raiding escapades, but what’s more of a shocker is that the Tomb Raider reboot will be the first in the series to carry an “M” for Mature rating (the gaming equivalent of an R-rated film) while all previous Tomb Raider titles were rated for Teens and were marketable to a much wider audience.

The new Tomb Raider game features a 21-year-old Lara stranded on an island off the coast of Japan for her debut adventure. The game kicks off when the salvage vessel Lara is traveling on runs into a violent storm that snaps the ship in half and leaves Lara shipwrecked and separated from the rest of the crew. Starting out with no food, water, or weapons players must take control of Lara to brave both the elements and environment in order to survive as she tries to locate the rest of her crew and find a way off the island — all while trying to stay one step ahead of the island’s threatening wild life, indigenous tribesmen and deadly mercenaries.

In a completely new gameplay aspect of the series, players must now hunt and gather food, build fires to keep warm, and harvest items in order to craft tools and fashion new weapons such as a bows. Tomb Raider’s trademark puzzles will also be returning and have been reported to be more challenging than ever, requiring Lara to utilize elements such as wind, water, fire and even friction in order to solve them as she navigates and explores tombs while the game unfolds.

The new Tomb Raider game is definitely shaping up to be a major hit and a breath of fresh air in a video game industry that’s dominated by shooter titles that are subjectively beginning to all look and play the same. Be sure to check out Tomb Raider when it hits store shelves for the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on March 5th, 2013.

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