Game Review: Tomb Raider

Sup noobs. Awesomecake time. Deal.

Today, I'm bringing you my review of the new Tomb Raider game. I've been waiting a long time for this game, and even longer for a game this good.

The game is a complete reboot of the franchise. Changing the somewhat platformer and puzzle solving style gameplay to a much more hardcore, gritty survival game.

The reboot came as a surprise on two levels. One is due to the fact that they were completely changing the gameplay, namely combat, and a new open world style environment. Two is because the reboot came from Crystal Dynamics, which have made a good number of Tomb Raider games themselves, the latest of which was Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. This latest game made nearly everyone give up hope for Tomb Raider. The past games were subpar, and this new spin was seen as taking it in a direction it was never meant to go. I was very excited when they announced it, and I have to admit my expectations were high.

Please note, if you are offended by the over-usage of the word "great", turn away now.

Please keep arms and feet inside the review at all times. We don’t want a repeat of what happened last time, do we now?

The First Hour

The first hour of the game perfectly sets the scene for the new reboot. Your ship has crashed, there is clearly some strange cultish stuff going on, and you need to get out. You have a good amount of platforming, which gives you a nice feel for the controls. You also have some brilliant moments of blind panic where there are cave-ins, and you have to use button reaction sequences to escape. The atmosphere immediately goes from sombre to intense, and you really do get a sense of suddenly being completely isolated and alone, and clearly in danger. I got it wrong a few times, and you get to see some pretty grim deaths in surprisingly gory detail. You also get to grips with Lara’s new signature weapon: the longbow.
Once you’re out of the cave at the start, the real survival aspect comes into play. You have to hunt for some food, and Lara’s first kill of an animal is incredibly emotional. You get a great sense of just how out of her own element she is. The first hour had me hooked, and it was gonna be a long time before I put my controller back down.

The Story

The story is based around a young Lara Croft, and shows how she went from a timid girl to the hard-boiled adventurer she is known as. It gives an excellent atmosphere that shows all the highs and lows flawlessly.
The story is very well presented. In most games, you start getting a good idea of what’s next around halfway though. With this game, however, I found myself making a guess, and seeing that what actually happens is miles better. There weren't exactly any major twists or anything, but it always kept me guessing, and you always want to carry on playing to know what’s next.
The backstory is done very well. You are on the island because one of Lara's friends, Sam, has an ancestor who was a Japanese queen of the island, and you are looking into the mythology surrounding her rule. The cult who inhabit the island capture Sam because of her blood relation to the ancient queen, and Lara sets about rescuing her. Along the way, you learn of the history of the island, learning not just about it's ancient past, but also that the island played a part in World War 2 too.
The game handles the emotional side of loss, isolation and other survival themes brilliantly. The part that really got me though was when Lara is forced to kill a man. The scene is intense, and the way it was handled is deserving of an Oscar.
It all looked so... I guess... real? Certainly the best ‘acting’ within a game I’ve ever seen. The timing was perfect, and there’s a noticeable lack of clichés. No big speeches about the master plan, no 10 minute long death of a good guy. It all played out like it would have in reality, and I love how it worked.
Magic has always been an integral part of Tomb Raider, and as the game progressed towards the end, I became somewhat weary. In my mind, it was either gonna be some crazy magical stuff and ruin everything, or be some Scooby-doo style trickery, and ruin everything. To my amazement, they actually hit a happy medium. The magical aspect felt like it was still in tune with the realistic aspect of the rest of the game. Many mysteries were left unexplained, and yet it felt right. You understand as much as Lara finds out, and thanks to the lack of cliché monologues, you don’t learn too much past the actual story.

The Gameplay

The first thing many people say about the gameplay is that it rips off Uncharted. They dismiss it then and there as a clone, and are done with it. In my eyes, this is unfair. You have to remember that Uncharted took a majority of its gameplay aspects from the older Tomb Raider games. I see Tomb Raider as taking its most refined aspects back from Uncharted.
The gameplay itself works brilliantly. The movement system feels very tight and easy to use. I found myself effortlessly running though levels, and at points I actually stopped to jump off a ledge just to make sure it wasn't scripted, and that I was actually controlling it. The smooth transitions between different kinds of movement works very well, and the events where objects you are running on are getting destroyed, and the environment is shifting tie in very well with the movement system.
The combat has something missing. I'm just not sure what it is yet. They have managed to work in the stealth aspect very well, and I found myself actually restarting checkpoints at times to try and get the best angle on enemies before they spotted me. I like the bow and pistol as weapons, but the rifle and shotgun felt somewhat cumbersome. They handled pretty realistically, but I feel as though they should have been a little lighter.
The enemies are pretty good. You can either jump in all guns blazing and risk them calling for backup, or wait out their conversations. It felt very situational  and I had to make judgement calls with every encounter. Sometimes it did feel too scripted with where they go, but other times it was a case of wait and hopes to be lucky, or strike now. The AI is pretty good, and they were tough opposition. I found myself having to rethink my game plan after a death, rather than just trying to push harder next time.
You get all kinds of equipment as you progress, and while it all seems very convenient, all the equipment fits in nicely. It all looks like the kind of stuff you would end up finding and using because it’s all you had. The upgrade system involves collecting scrap as a form of currency, then spending it on the upgrades. I thought it worked nicely, and it helped with natural progression. At some points it feels somewhat like the Batman Arkham games. The way you acquire new equipment feels vaguely similar in the timing of it all, and things like the rope arrow, and the accompanying rope pulley thing that lets you quickly traverse the rope, remind me of Batman.
Throughout the game, you come across hidden tombs. Don’t get me wrong, they were pretty good. Each had their own challenge, and every one was unique. The problem was, I wanted actual puzzles. Most of them are simply cases of setting fire to the right stuff, or lobbing heavy stuff onto weighted stuff to make stuff go up and down. Stuff. I wanted to see more classic Tomb Raider style puzzles. Things like moving pillars around, and pressing buttons in the right order. The puzzles that were there fitted perfectly with the gameplay, but I couldn't help but reminisce about older games and the puzzles they had. They were also pretty small scale, and the rewards upon completion were negligible.
The gamplay was very tight and well put together. There were some classic Tomb Raider moments where you see Lara in her classic confident pose, and you get to use her trademark dual pistols at one point.

The Graphics

The graphics are great. They are very realistic. The models are well made, and the textures are great. The animations are brilliant, and small things like Lara shivering in the cold aren’t overdone, and show the severity of the situation clearly.
The graphics overall are great. Everything adds to the ambiance. The right weather and right time of day at the right time ingame all adds to a great immersive experience. The locations are varied, and you get a great variety, from snowy mountains, to dense forests, to murky swamps, to shanty towns and gore filled pits. Everything looks great, and you could easily mistake them for real locations.
The whole ancient island ruins underneath war remnants with the islanders crude buildings on top of them is a great mix. It’s something that sounds like it doesn’t work, but actually works very well. It gives you a great feel of how long the island has been inhabited, and the parts it’s played throughout history.
I love how Lara is always getting cut and scratched. She’s almost always bleeding from some new cut, and it stains her clothes. If you went out in the rain, or under a waterfall, and it washes off. Her shirt does a Die Hard style change from bright blue at the start to dark green by the end, and major wounds stain her clothes permanently. It’s a great little effect that works very well. That being said, I have no idea how her ponytail stays intact throughout. The other characters look great, and there is enough deviance in enemy character models to keep someone as anal as me happy.

The Sound

The sound was very immersive. The effects were well timed and sounded very realistic. I was impressed at lack of ‘over-the-top-ness’. It helped add to the realism. The voice acting was also very good. The music itself only really played for things like chase scenes, and what I can only describe as ‘Epic moments’. Things like ascending a tall building and seeing the view, or approaching a stunning structure. There are also a few classic moments, like the sound that plays when you enter a tomb. You’ll have to play it to understand what I mean.

The Experience

In a word. Breathtaking. I’ve had many chats with my friends, and we all agree it’s one of the best games in years. Personally, I feel this is the best game I have played so far for the current generation Nothing is done to be over the top, and the action plays out like it would in real life. Every aspect has been given the full attention it deserves, and the fact that such a radical change to the franchise came from veterans makes it so much better. I can’t fully express in words just how good this game is. It takes the best aspects of various games, and refines them to a magnificent shine.

The Cake

 My head wasn't to be so critical it’s almost rude. My heart, however, can’t allow it. I usually save the seventh slice for myself, regardless of how good a game is. But I can’t, not this time. This time I have to share. Hell, I’ll bake a whole other cake if they wanted one.

Tomb Raider wins all 7 slices of delicious cake.

It blew me away just how well made the game was. It exceeded all of my expectations, and my expectations were extremely high. If you recorded the gameplay from start to finish, it would have been classed as a 5 star movie. The faults in the game can be overlooked due to the nature of the reboot, and are so small that it matters not regardless.

The Future

They will make another. The game was just too good not to. The real question is: “Will they do it right”? There are tiny little that needs changing, but not many and not by much. They could perhaps increase the open world aspect of the game, but they shouldn't go overboard. The combat could be worked on, perhaps adding in more stealth aspects, and better gun characteristics. A more in depth melee system wouldn't go amiss either. They also need to work back in the puzzle aspect the franchise is known for. Moving random pillars to unlock a door. Activated the right switches in the right order. Things like that. Heck, take a leaf from Uncharted’s book if you have to. I've no doubt if they did, they would be far better than any puzzle in Uncharted.
I can’t believe how good the game was. It’s been a very long time since I enjoyed a game this much. It is genuinely the best game I have played in years. If you like games like Uncharted, and to an extent, games like the Batman Arkham series, you will love Tomb Raider. I recommend it to anyone and everyone. If you’re sceptical, go ahead and rent it out for a couple of nights. All it takes is an hour, and it will have you hooked, and playing though the night. Make sure to stock up on your energy drinks on your way home.

Thanks for reading. I wish you safe ventures on your internet travels.
~Awesomecake

Game Review: Radiant Historia

What’s up everyone? bojjenclon here with a review for you. Today we’ve got the DS game Radiant Historia by Atlus. Atlus is pretty well known for intense, story driven (and somewhat grindy) RPGs. This game follows in that tradition. When I picked this game up, I’d only heard the name tossed around a few times in some obscure forum posts. It doesn’t seem to have gained a whole lot of traction. This is a shame, as it has quickly become one of my favorite DS games, right next to the Chrono Trigger remake.

First Hour:

Within the first hour of this game, I was hooked. It starts off a little slow at first, but then again, most RPGs do. Once it picked up, I quickly became addicted. The combat system was a fresh take on the traditional turned based style found in similar games. The story seemed interesting, and the characters had enough diversity between them to make me want to learn more about them as individuals. Overall, my first impression was very positive.

Story:

The story was gripping and at times emotionally stirring. I genuinely wanted to know what would happen next. The diverging timelines lead to many unique situations and surprises.

In particular, Kiel's sacrifice is incredibly stirring. The whole scene is brilliant. Despite the vast power of the White Chronicle, the scene manages to make you feel helpless; as if no choice is right. You want to save Rosch and Kiel, but you can't seem to find a way to do both. It's truly brilliant writing in my opinion, as most games are afraid to go to such dark lengths.
In fact, the game makes many decisions such as this. Perhaps the biggest is the fact that the main character dies. This is a decision most game makers are afraid to make. I feel it really added to the story.

Many parts of the story get rather dark. However, considering Atlus was involved with this game, this isn’t all that surprising. Personally, I’m a big fan of this. When going into many games, I tend to expect things to be on a level that kids can handle. This is especially true of DS games. Radiant Historia has an ESRB rating of E10+ as there isn’t any direct gore or sexual innuendoes, but had the dark nature of the story been taken into account, I think the game could have easily received a T rating. Don’t play this game expecting a light hearted adventure full of rainbows and unicorns; the story is definitely geared more towards the older crowd.

The Gameplay:

 > The Battle System:

Radiant Historia has a rather unique battle system. Battles are on a 3x3 grid. Enemies take up one (sometimes more, but usually one) spot on the grid. The closer the enemy is, the more damage they do. So you want to keep them back for that reason. But there's more. You can knock enemies into each other to attack multiple enemies at once. Plus, you get bonus experience for stringing together long combos. You get skills that let you knock the enemies in different directions. Another unique mechanic is it let's you switch the turn order. You can use the change command to switch your turn with another character or even an enemy. This makes you weak until you actually act though, so it has to be used carefully. Other than that it's your standard RPG turn based combat. It's a very cool system, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Most battles in RPGs of this nature tend to get boring after a while, but I liked the majority of the battles in this game. I didn’t really try to avoid battles until end-game, and that was only because I just wanted to see the ending.

You acquire various elemental spells throughout the course of the game. Unfortunately, the short combat tutorial never goes over them. I like short tutorials as much as the next guy, but this was a little too short. For a good portion of the game I just randomly picked a spell whenever I wanted one. Turns out there’s a skill to check for weaknesses (Weakness Scan), but the game just expects you to figure it out. This isn’t too big of a deal for an experienced RPG gamer, but I feel it would be a bit of a problem for someone new to the genre.

Instead of relying on random encounters like similar games, Radiant Historia opts for an “enemy on the overworld” approach. In other words, enemies roam around. You can either choose to run into them and initialize a battle, or try to run around them. In addition, you can try to hit them and knock them out to get a special “preemptive attack.” I personally am a big fan of this approach. Random encounters can be tedious. At the very least, this system allows you to know a battle is coming up and get an advantage by going for the first strike.

 > Time Skipping:

The time skip mechanic is brilliant. Overall, I love it and I think it’s done very well. However, there is one major flaw. (Warning, the word event is going to be used multiple times. Try to follow along) Every time you replay an event (i.e. return to a node), you have to read the dialogue again. Now, there is a skip mechanic in place, so this in and of itself isn’t that big of a deal. The problem is, sometimes when you change an event that effects another event, the text might change ever so slightly. The change usually occurs at the end of the dialogue. If you choose to skip it, you may find yourself in the next scene wondering why they’re referring to things you haven’t read yet. This was a bit of an oversight on the developers’ part, but it’s very minor in the grand scheme of things.

> Side-Quests

While the main quest is quite engaging, the game also features numerous side-quests. These usually involve jumping around the timeline. As such, they aren’t all open or solveable right away. This gives a kind of puzzle element to each side-quest. This is fun most of the time, but I did have to look up a walkthrough for a few of them. Most side-quests give equipment or gold. A select few reward you with special skills for your characters. Many of them reward you with story points you wouldn’t see otherwise. Plus, there are special cutscenes you can unlock at the end of the game by completing certain side-quests.

 > Levels, Experience, Skills, and Equipment

There’s a decent amount of equipment to choose from. Changing gear doesn’t change your sprites, but this isn’t too surprising for a DS game. The equipment does come with stat modifiers though. This is where things can get complicated. You’ll often have two or three pieces of gear that all effect slightly different stats. It’s up to you to decide how you want to configure your weapon, armor, and three accessory slots. This is one of those places where it’s hard to give a “good” or “bad” opinion. Choices are great, but it can seem a little overwhelming at times. Do I want more defense but less speed and health? Do I want more physical defense with a serious hit to my magic defense? Do I want high speed and magic but low attack power? These are the types of choices you’ll face with the equipment.

Levels come easily enough. Most of my characters were around level 55 when I beat the final boss. The majority of the game doesn’t require any sort of grinding as long as you don’t skip too many battles. However, this changes toward end-game. You’ll want to level up a bit before the final boss. This last grind can be a little annoying, but fortunately the battle system is entertaining enough to keep the grind from making you want to pull your hair out.

Each character gets a number of skills via leveling and side-quests. Some of the skills are repeated between characters, but each one has something unique about them. This makes experimenting with different party configurations pretty important. You’ll want to figure out what playstyle suits you best.

Personally, I stuck with Stocke, Gafka, and Aht. Stocke is great at knocking enemies around, Gafka can get a skill to pull all the enemies into the middle square on the grid (plus he does some major damage), and Aft has high damage traps as well as healing skills.

The Graphics and The Sound:

For a DS game, Radiant Historia had some really solid graphics. Everything was crisp and fit together nicely. There were a decent amount of unique sprites packed into the game, plus a number of palette swaps. The sound was also nice. The music fit most of the scenes very well. There’s no voice acting, but that’s to be expected with a DS game. The only qualm I had with the sounds were the footsteps. They should have been more subtle in my opinion. As it stands, the footstep sound playing every time you move gets annoying. Other than that, the sound was great.

The Experience:

Radiant Historia was amazing. DS games are usually just casual games I play when I’m looking for a simple way to pass the time. They rarely pull me in with amazing gameplay or compelling stories. This game breaks that stereotype though. I played this game nearly every day since I first picked it up. I wanted to know more about the story and to see what else I could do with my characters. It really pulled me in. If you’re looking for a solid RPG with an amazing, somewhat adult story, you have to get Radiant Historia.

The Cake:

I really can’t praise this game enough. I rarely get this worked up over a game, but Atlus really knocked the ball out of the park with Radiant Historia. I’ll admit, I was already a bit of an Atlus fan due to Persona 3, but this just made me love them even more. The few problems that exist are incredibly minor.

I give Radiant Historia a full cake. Yes, 7 slices of cake. This is a rare event, I rarely ever give out high scores like this, but this game really is that good.

The Future:

The end of the game somewhat sets up the possibility for a sequel. However, I’m not sure if I’d want one or not. If Atlus could manage to make the sequel just as compelling as the first, then I’d be all for it. However, if it’d just be a cheap rehash, they’d be better off making a new game with a similar system.

Well, this has been my review of Radiant Historia. Hopefully you enjoyed it. This has been bojjenclon, signing off.