Game is just bad (no spoilers).

[Glistening]

I can't believe no one's talking about the quality of the game. I found it hugely disappointing. I thought this would be a step up from the last game at least in some ways. But it was mostly a re-hash of all the same elements, except with even worse writing, fewer characters, boring locations, and just worse everything. The writing in the first game was pretty good, although weak when it came to characters. This game somehow got even worse writing and an awful plot that by this point has been done a thousand times already, and done better at that. There wasn't a single bit to it that I couldn't predict, every single little plot "twist" is perceivable miles away, and most of the potentially interesting plot points were dropped and left unexplained. Very indicative of low effort. Even the logs you find have poor writing to them. Tone-deaf and very simple.

I mean, a secret sect of religious fanatics who have an army of mercenaries? That's the antagonistic force for this game? And their backstory is just non-existent. They drop hints but they have no idea how to make hints actually mean something. At least in the first game the enemies actually had an interesting and tragic backstory. They were also cult believers but it actually worked, the reasons were well-established and the atmosphere was amazing, and it was fun and interesting to unravel their backstory and believe it. This game just has enemies. Very lazy ones at that. I haven't played all Tomb Raider games but I would bet this one is the worst.

This game was a bore, plain and simple. Mostly because the writing is not fit for an AAA game. The game itself played fine and looked fine, but it was just a copy+paste of successful elements from the last game.

Bottom line: I didn't find this worth the 26€ I paid for it. I usually don't pay that much but I thought it'd be good. 15€ would be a more reasonable price.

Buy this game if you want a Hunger Games simulator with ledges and "puzzles".

Definitely buy it if you like collecticting, scavenging and hunting. Like, non-stop. Also there's MINING in this game. You literally mine metal ore from solid rock. I am not kidding.

Don't buy this game if you like a story which is even somewhat interesting.

Don't buy this game if you want a continuation to the first game. The first game is referenced a bit but not in any way that offers any new perspective on it. The new plot is just garbage and Lara is droning on about daddy issues the whole time.

Don't even bother buying it if you like good graphics - the game is mostly set in very simple environments so the extra graphical power is pointless to show off. The first game already had far more diverse environments and sequences to show off. There isn't really anything of the same grandiosity in this one.

[Sam]

Interesting review.
Are you aware that posters is this forum have already purchased the game?
This post would be better served on the Rise store page.

[Mork]

EDIT: would've been more convincing if the critic knew where to post his criticism.

[FreeToaster]

Maybe most people arent talking about it because it's not as bad as you think? I dunno. could be a reason.

The gameplay is largely similar to the first, it's fun, the graphics are some of the best available on PC currently and the writing while certainly not the best ever did manage to win an award and I thought the story was fine overall.

The tombs are overall better and more plentiful than the first game, which is a plus. I'd still like to see more fleshed out tombs though. Collectibles are plentiful and there is plenty of backstory to be found with them which help flesh out much the story bits you seem to feel are lacking so you probably ignored them or didnt listen to them.

I'm not sure why you would make such a big deal out of the mining thing though, such a strange complaint.

Either way, its still a solid title, not GOTY or anything but still a great game overall.

[Glistening]

Originally posted by FreeToaster:

Maybe most people arent talking about it because it's not as bad as you think? I dunno. could be a reason.

The gameplay is largely similar to the first, it's fun, the graphics are some of the best available on PC currently and the writing while certainly not the best ever did manage to win an award and I thought the story was fine overall.

The tombs are overall better and more plentiful than the first game, which is a plus. I'd still like to see more fleshed out tombs though. Collectibles are plentiful and there is plenty of backstory to be found with them which help flesh out much the story bits you seem to feel are lacking so you probably ignored them or didnt listen to them.

I'm not sure why you would make such a big deal out of the mining thing though, such a strange complaint.

Either way, its still a solid title, not GOTY or anything but still a great game overall.

I'm amazed the writing won an award. All of it was just bad. I don't think I'm being harsh at all; the writing definitely sucked. Very very predictable and very lacking in basic depth. It's definitely the worst I've seen in a Tomb Raider game. Even worse than the Tomb Raider films.

I did find many of the backstory logs - like I already said, even the writing in those seemed very simple and tacked-on. It wasn't just lacking, it was just bad even when it was there.

The basic core of the game is "good"... but all of these elements were pasted from the previous title and not even developed much beyond that. The combat was fine, but that's hardly a selling point these days when hundreds of games have fine combat mechanics. So the main selling point of this game seems to be the survival aspect. Which was already done better in the first game.

The mining thing I mentioned because it epitomizes how much padding the game has. Mining for raw metals just seemed like extra thoughtless padding. I don't think that's a sign of a good game nor do I think the stuff in between the padding was worth it. Granted, I don't like collecting random stuff in games anyway, but I can deal with it since its so common. This game just went overboard on the padding and it shows. Likely to compensate for the weak writing. Every few seconds there's something else to pick up and it's really tedious. Maybe they thought more stuff to pick up = a bigger game.

[Sam]

Originally posted by ><FISH'>:

Originally posted by FreeToaster:

Maybe most people arent talking about it because it's not as bad as you think? I dunno. could be a reason.

The gameplay is largely similar to the first, it's fun, the graphics are some of the best available on PC currently and the writing while certainly not the best ever did manage to win an award and I thought the story was fine overall.

The tombs are overall better and more plentiful than the first game, which is a plus. I'd still like to see more fleshed out tombs though. Collectibles are plentiful and there is plenty of backstory to be found with them which help flesh out much the story bits you seem to feel are lacking so you probably ignored them or didnt listen to them.

I'm not sure why you would make such a big deal out of the mining thing though, such a strange complaint.

Either way, its still a solid title, not GOTY or anything but still a great game overall.

I'm amazed the writing won an award. All of it was just bad. I don't think I'm being harsh at all; the writing definitely sucked. Very very predictable and very lacking in basic depth. It's definitely the worst I've seen in a Tomb Raider game. Even worse than the Tomb Raider films.

I did find many of the backstory logs - like I already said, even the writing in those seemed very simple and tacked-on. It wasn't just lacking, it was just bad even when it was there.

The basic core of the game is "good"... but all of these elements were pasted from the previous title and not even developed much beyond that. The combat was fine, but that's hardly a selling point these days when hundreds of games have fine combat mechanics. So the main selling point of this game seems to be the survival aspect. Which was already done better in the first game.

The mining thing I mentioned because it epitomizes how much padding the game has. Mining for raw metals just seemed like extra thoughtless padding. I don't think that's a sign of a good game nor do I think the stuff in between the padding was worth it. Granted, I don't like collecting random stuff in games anyway, but I can deal with it since its so common. This game just went overboard on the padding and it shows. Likely to compensate for the weak writing. Every few seconds there's something else to pick up and it's really tedious. Maybe they thought more stuff to pick up = a bigger game.

Opinions are like a-holes...every body has one.
This your opinion, so write a letter to the developers and be done with it.
Nobody likes a whiner

[Glistening]

Originally posted by MChief Sam:

Opinions are like a-holes...every body has one.
This your opinion, so write a letter to the developers and be done with it.
Nobody likes a whiner

Your opinion that my opinion should be put in a letter to the developers and done with is whiny. And nobody likes a whiner. If your opinion is such then maybe you should read something else.

Thanks for the bump but now that you've been proven redundant, maybe you can say something that has the remotest value. No more redundancies though... It takes more words for me to invalidate your redundancies than it does for you to drool them out.

[Sam]

Originally posted by MChief Sam:

Interesting review.
Are you aware that posters is this forum have already purchased the game?
This post would be better served on the Rise store page.

[Jac]

Your OP might have had some valid points but honestly I cannot be bothered reading it. I've seen a few similar threads where people ♥♥♥♥♥ about various gameplay mechanics and how they didn't exactly meet their own requirements. It's toddler level entitlement usually.

You can leave a review on the store page if you need to but why you feel the need to pout on the forum baffles me.

Just so you know, I will not be reading your inevitable response to this post either.

[OTCountdown]

I agree with most of the original poster's points. I've played nearly every Tomb Raider title, and story wise, this is one of the most bland. Lara's personality is pretty much non-existent in the last two titles. What made her so great in the past was her sass and cockiness. I don't mind if they developed her personality into that over time, but you could literally place any female into this role and it wouldn't have made a difference.

It took me awhile to beat the game, because I could only tolerate it in small doses. It's not a terrible game, per se, it was just a very 'meh' experience. And yes, I preordered the CE, because I love Tomber Raider games. I only hope they utilize Camilla Luddington's voice talents more so in the future and bring in some better writers both for Lara and the overall story. (Search for the item that gives you eternal life!!!!) Where have I heard this plot before?

It's a very pretty game, but for the love of god, please get us out of the snow and show us the crazy exotic ruins we've come to expect in this series. I played through Tomb Raider (2013) twice because I enjoyed it, but I won't be doing the same with this title. To those who love the game, more power to ya, this was just my 2 cents.

[Lobstersaurus]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEN5obhFRj4

Just ignore the body count, Lara is only killing for her survival guys...

Shouldn't the gameplay be counted as part of the story? I mean it's hard to suspend my disbelief about Lara after seeing her kill nearly half a thousand men.

[Metals]

Originally posted by MChief Sam:

Originally posted by MChief Sam:

Interesting review.
Are you aware that posters is this forum have already purchased the game?
This post would be better served on the Rise store page.

Nope, not all of them have. I’m on the fence when it comes buying or skipping this title. Lately, I’ve started feeling apathetic when playing AAA titles. They all feel the same, at least at the core. Complete predictable quests. Assist random npc’s with repetitive, agency-less quests. Fight off or kill mob after mob of idiots that attack you without provocation. Collect a ♥♥♥♥ ton of trinkets that give you experience and bit of backstory. I loved the first tomb raider, but I’m not quite sure that I want to experience the same thing over again.

[Ezekiel]

What about the gameplay? That's what I'm wondering about. I already know the story is going to be bad, as these types of games are the equivalent of soulless summer blockbusters and Lara was a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ character in the last game. But what bothered me most about the last game was the gameplay. It was dull, all the bad habits of modern gaming rolled into one. I keep looking at the sequel and it looks just as lackluster and dumbed down.

[Lobstersaurus]

Originally posted by Ezekiel:

What about the gameplay? That's what I'm wondering about. I already know the story is going to be bad, as these types of games are the equivalent of soulless summer blockbusters and Lara was a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ character in the last game. But what bothered me most about the last game was the gameplay. It was dull, all the bad habits of modern gaming rolled into one. I keep looking at the sequel and it looks just as lackluster and dumbed down.

If you didn't like the last one, the gameplay in this game is exactly the same...

TBH, I got swept up in the high praise and was expecting much better from this game considering it won the writers guild award.

[danman]

Say what you want, I like it. I also think they struk a good balance with the tombs and stuff. Looking forward to the next one. We don't get enough 3rd person action adventures on PC.

[Dracon]

Originally posted by FreeToaster:

Maybe most people arent talking about it because it's not as bad as you think? I dunno. could be a reason.

The gameplay is largely similar to the first, it's fun, the graphics are some of the best available on PC currently and the writing while certainly not the best ever did manage to win an award and I thought the story was fine overall.

The tombs are overall better and more plentiful than the first game, which is a plus. I'd still like to see more fleshed out tombs though. Collectibles are plentiful and there is plenty of backstory to be found with them which help flesh out much the story bits you seem to feel are lacking so you probably ignored them or didnt listen to them.

I'm not sure why you would make such a big deal out of the mining thing though, such a strange complaint.

Either way, its still a solid title, not GOTY or anything but still a great game overall.

I agree with OP, story in this game is so big pile of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ that its out of charts. No one talk about it because game is prety weak(gameplay is not that good) compared to last one.