Tomb Raider gets first review

GamesMaster has high praise for Tomb Raider, reveals game length, and more.

[Namikaze_Minato]

1st review... high praise.

Nothing to see here.

[aviator189]

"nothing to see here"

um...why?

[Namikaze_Minato]

Possibly biased.

[aviator189]

@namikaze_Minato

again...why?

[JP1369]

People often imply that the first reviews are biased because they assume that the establishment getting somewhat preferential treatment from the publisher will engender feelings of good will toward them. The result is a higher review score. And others will assert that bribery has taken place. I have to say, the scores do seem higher during the first wave, just as the later reviews seem to be abysmally low to generate hits. I usually read and watch reviews from people I trust and I also like reviews that don't give scores, instead relying on letting the reader or viewer make up their own mind given the reviewer's comments.

[Red_Orange_Juice]

nvm

[The Killer]

out of topic i know.

but what happened to FF vs 13? will it come on ps3 or ps4? its been 7 year or so and the talk is still on it.

[jetlian]

its from a magazine so they played it first do to it being print media there's no other reason!

the game looks badass anyway. watch episode 3 http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[-Alpha]

The review is actually unbiased. It says so right on the cover:

http://www.abload.de/img/to...

[Root]

@JP1369

Very well said

Look at RE6...the first bunch of reviews were very positive...then the truth comes out

I'm not denying TR isn't a good game or doesn't look it BUT I'm really getting sick of reviews taking a well known franchise which seems to of moved away from it's roots, basicaly what made the game what is was, then give it a near perfect score despite the game not being once what it was. Look at dmc...high scores yet non of the reviews gave evidence to why they give it that score and why it was better then the previous instalments, when, lets be honest, the new dmc is inferior .

New IPs...fair enough give them the benefit of the doubt, it's a new game with nothing to match up to but an old franchise which looks more like Uncharted then Tomb Raider...come on.

[vitorizzo]

i remember when homefront came out and most of the first reviews that were "leaked" or just came out before the embargo was lifted were good it was getting a few 8s and alot of 9s....

[NonApplicable]

I'm sure this game will be worth getting. We have good reason to believe Tomb Raider will be a great game.

[pompombrum]

It's a sad state of affairs that people see a first review high score and ultimately pass it off as them being overly generous for having the privilege of being the first reviewer. Sadly though,with the amount of money involved in the games industry and it's not hard to see why publishers would want to stoop this low. I've seen it in the consultancy industry, where people who are looking for exposure offer free services and expect their clients to post reviews and they'll demand the clients email them the reviews before posting them.

Sadly it probably is best to take first reviews with a grain of salt and wait until more come in for a more accurate general opinion on the game.

[Temporary]

FFvs13 will never come out. Just pretend it doesnt exist, I find it helps.

[ajax17]

Aren't the first reviews of any game always generally really high? I can't remember a game getting a terrible first review. If someone can cite an example, please do. Excluding Duke Nukem Forever lol.

[Hazadess1]

@Root

There was nothing wrong with RE6. Best laugh ive had playing a game in ages. Yeah it has probs (mostly fixed in patches) but so does new Dead Space and I'm loving it.

DMC is a reboot and while not my thing I still found it fun.

[Eyeco]

I agree with you, Now while I do enjoy the reviews from Gamespot, pre 2006 IGN, 1up etc the problem I have with them is their use of numerical scores the problem is it crestes a system of what should defines a 10/9/8/7 game, the problem is how should you define a 10, or a 9 ?

I remember a game came out on the Wii years ago called The Conduit, Jeff Gerstman from Giant Bomb reviewed it he brought up the saying "pretty good for a wii game" The Conduit was an FPS on a console that had hardly any, or any worth mentioning to say the least. In the case of that game considering the platform it's on it's a pretty good game but compared to the shooters on the ps3/360/PC it was pretty mediocre.

The problem was do you judge it for a Wii game in that case it would be great (9-8), or for an overall game in that case it would be mediocre (5-7), this also goes back to how do you define a quality game ? do you have to factor in the console platform, as well ? that's nonsensical because Super Mario Galaxy would be a 10 if it was on the 360/PS3/PC as well as the Wii, to call that game pretty good for a Wii game is just unfair, and it undermines the qualaties of that game that would be outstanding on any platform.

This is why i love Classic Game Room like JP1369 said "I also like reviews that don't give scores, instead relying on letting the reader or viewer make up their own mind " look at their review of Timesplitters 2 what kind of game does that look like to you ?

[Old McGroin]

"1st review... high praise.

Nothing to see here."

What a lovely tinfoil hat you're wearing!

[CryofSilence]

I think he's commenting on possibly ulterior motives or possible fraud of the review.

I really hope the game turns out well. Then they can make another Legacy of Kain. ^^

[NonApplicable]

First reviews are to be taken with a grain of salt. It has become common knowledge that early ratings are commonly inaccurate.

Dead Space 3 is a recent example. The first review(game informer) it received was 10/10. On Metacritic today, the game has a 76 average without any other perfect scores.

[haymoza]

tinfoil hat? I'm sorry, Squeenix has a history of crooked behavior with early reviews. Remember Dues Ex? Squeenix basically said the following, "If you want early access to our game for reviewing them, you have to give us a 90% or higher." I kid you not. Go read up on it.

[Old McGroin]

"First reviews are to be taken with a grain of salt. It has become common knowledge that early ratings are commonly inaccurate."

Commonly inaccurate? According to who? How can someone's opinion be inaccurate?

Who's to say that the person who reviewed Dead Space 3 and gave it 10/10 actually thought it was good enough to warrant a 10/10 score? Is that so hard to believe? Not every game gets perfect scores, in order to back up the conspiracy theories EVERY first review for EVERY game would need to receive a 9 or a 10.

No, I think the commonly known thing is that tinfoil hat wearing folk believe that everything positive is the result of a large bag of cash and that everything negative is someone just being honest. Please.

[NonApplicable]

@Old McGroin

Yes maybe Game Informer thought it was a perfect game. The point was, to take early reviews with a grain of salt because of how often games are originally overrated. There are countless occurrences where the first scores on games are substantially higher than what their averages become. The Dead space example was to show how often it happens, because that game was JUST RELEASED. WE KNOW that some publishers will green light early reviews only if the content is overwhelmingly positive.

I never suggested "everything positive is the result of a large bag of cash". You put words in my mouth. Your Pie in the Sky ideals sound good, but their formed around Naivety.

[DragonKnight]

It's been shown that early reviews can be "bought." Eidos did when they told reviewers that the only way they could get their review (I believe it was for Deus Ex: HR) on the box cover was if they scored the game high. It was also said that Tameem Antoniades thanked a site for giving DmC a 9 on twitter even before the review went out.

There is justification for suspicion as publishers have tried many methods to buy favourable scores.

[admiralvic]

@ Old McGroin

Believe it or not, an opinion can in fact be inaccurate. It's just a matter of how the opinion is formed and more importantly how is it backed up.

There are countless examples, but it all comes down to whither or not your fact is actually factual. Like Metal Gear Rising has Wigs, but you're not made aware of their existence till you collect 10 officer hands. If someone was to look at Rising and not work at this collectible, then they would probably think there aren't any wigs.

Another example would be the hidden raid boss in Borderlands 2. A lot of people didn't know Verm existed till a week after release, so if someone complained that there was only 1 raid boss was lame, then they would be incorrect. On the other hand, sometimes people make a gross assumption that leads to an incorrect perception. Like Shin Hokuto Musou (Ken's Rage 2) has roughly 5 unlockable costumes, so if you played 2 characters and unlocked 2 costumes, then you might view costumes as favorable without knowing they're actually limited.

Ultimately any event that can lead to a misconception could lead to an inaccurate opinion. Not every reviewer is going to have time / desire to do every aspect in the game and sometimes people aren't going to bother with something they think is pointless. While I don't hold anything against these people (or reviewers as long as they have a respectable time in / completed the title in question), any opinion based off an incorrect assumption can be deemed as inaccurate. So long story short, yes an opinion can be inaccurate / wrong if it's based off something that is inaccurate or wrong.

[DigitalSmoke]

No he's right, and it clearly happens more then you're aware of, tin foil my ass.

[-Superman-]

Because first reviews always gives high score to games. Same thing with movies.

Those magazines gives 9/10 last 2 years almost for every populary game.

[WarThunder]

Don't believe reviews these days. There are so many ways to test a game before buying it...

Btw i never liked TR games...

[WitWolfy]

Trust me dude this game is like Uncharted, very story driven and well worth the price of admission!

[Mounce]

I'd expect better judgment from a wise Hokage....

Guess you're just a BIG FAT PHONY!!!

HURRR HIGH MURRRKS, ERT BER TEH BIUS!!! BUSSSS BIUASS!!

[Root]

" there aren’t many quick time events. "

Really....see that's suspicious to me because everything we've seen for it so far...and I mean EVERYTHING, there's been a ton of quick time events

I like the look of the game, it looks playable but it reminds me too much of Uncharted

Oh and I getting sick of this

"See how see became a legend crap"

THIS LARA....ISN'T THE REAL LARA...the one we grew up with. She's a totally different Lara

If they stuck with the original Laras backstory then fair enough

Oh by the way N4G readers, have you seen the first comment on the article by "N4GSucks" apparently we are all PS3 fan boys ¬¬

[Jockamo]

that guy rules

[Hazadess1]

The real Lara would be what? 16 years old now.
Most people buying the new Tomb raider will be about that age as well, so they did'nt grow up with her.

On a happier note, at least she nearly legal:)

[Kingdom Come]

GamesMaster aren't bias, nor are they bought. Their scores have often been the first released, yet have been absolute, acting as a true indication of the games quality:

Batman Arkham Asylum: http://m.computerandvideoga...

Nintendo Land/New Super Mario Bros. U: http://m.computerandvideoga...

DmC: http://m.computerandvideoga...

[ritsuka666]

This game could get 0 scores across the board and I still buy this game day 1.

[DarkFireHawk]

Sadly the game got leaked:
http://n4g.com/news/1179888...

I guess we will eventually know how true the review is in the following days.

[Theyellowflash30]

Nice Avatar Minato, but we all know who the real YellowFlash is... LOL

Yeah I'm always weary of first game reviews, but you never know.

[Jason143]

you have no idea do you

[wastedcells]

I have High hopes for this game. Tomb raider 1 on ps one was such a trip at the time.

[Dark11]

"Sitting back exhausted we were left with just one question dribbling forth from our gaping jaws. How on earth are they going to top this in the sequel? Because of one thing there can be no doubt. Lara is back"

Can't freaking wait!
i have been waiting for this game for so long!

[Walker]

GotY Contender .

[stage88]

Contender but not winner.
Remember we have The Last of Us, Beyond: Two Souls and GTA V.

[peowpeow]

Yes? And how are you so sure?

[Gamesgbkiller]

Like every other first review games.
Really excited .. Hope the multiplayer is GOOD.

[Dfooster]

Will n4g please quit with these new intrusive ad banners, they are ruining this site.

Right rant over I'm really looking forward to this game, it sounds like something to get really lost into for a few days.

[Heisenburger]

Yeah the ads are ridiculous on the mobile site, which I use.

It's very difficult to close the advertisement without actually just opening it up. Though I'm sure that was *done* intentionally.

Not only do I now enjoy my time here less, I also spend less time here. It's not worth the constant agitation.

Ot: I love games that have games that can't be beaten in a single normal sitting.

I'll get it new, just not full price. Looks good!

[MikeMyers]

Totally agree. On my computer it's not bad but on mobile it's ridiculous.

Good to see a good Tomb Raider game come out again.

[Pintheshadows]

Glad i'm not the only one who is sick of the stupid ads on the mobile site. 'Oh you want to click that article do you, well you can't because i'm just going to float here in your way.'

[e3kehoe]

Its getting to the point where i want to go to another site. They are ruining the experience on this one :-(

[stage88]

These ads are driving me INSANE!

[squarecircle]

Why don't you guys just download Adblock? I haven't seen adverts for like 3 years.

[Good_Guy_Jamal]

Very excited for this game. Lara's triumphant return!
20 glorious hours!!

[supraking951]

yay Uncharted with backtracking

[Old McGroin]

Uncharted is the original Tomb Raider with cover based shooting and some melee attacks, this Tomb Raider is gonna take back the the copy cats crown!

[dafegamer]

nope uncharted is more indiana jones than tomb raider. tomb raider was special for its dungeon puzzles

[Studio-YaMi]

You don't dare call Naughty Dogs copy cats,or maybe you'd rather call Tomb rider a copy of Indian Jones & Pitfall !?

Naughty Dog took a Genre to a HEAVY new level,take notes son!

[Old McGroin]

Tomb Raider took it's inspiration from Indiana Jones and was originally meant to have a male protagonist but was changed to attract a larger chunk of the target audience, teenage to mid twenties males. Most people think Uncharted is completely different to Tomb Raider just because the one is a man and the other is a woman. In actual fact, Uncharted was just the natural progression in evolution for Tomb Raider, and as Studio-YaMi rightly pointed out, Tomb Raider was the natural progression in evolution of the Pitfall formula.

Seriously Uncharted fans (of which I am one), stop deflecting the fact that Uncharted borrowed heavily from Tomb Raider, it's so obvious that the very fact that you argue it is embarrassing.

[Imalwaysright]

In case you haven't noticed Uncharted is a game. A game that follows the template that was set by TR in 1996. Like it or not TR is one of the most influential games this industry has seen and inspired many games. Uncharted is one of those games.

@ yami Uncharted was heavily inspired TR, MGS, RE4 and killswitch. There isn't an ounce of originality in that game.

[clintagious650]

Glad shez back to being awesome like she was in the ps1 days. Good to see her back & more badazz.

[whiteyjuice]

Um.. if it sucked, no way Sqaure would be ending the embargo a week before the game comes out.

[maximus1985]

EXACTLY! the embargo ends this monday. You dont do that unless your confident or foolish.

[firelogic]

So far MGR is the GotY for sheer spectacle.

[isa_scout]

One thing is for sure, with them lifting the embargo a week before the game releases they are showing a lot of confidence in the game. Looking forward to getting my hands on it the 5th.

[GiantFriendlyCrab]

how much of the game is action and how much is puzzle solving?

[squarecircle]

I have a feeling this game is going to be a lot more action oriented, which I'm worried about as a massive Tomb Raider fan.

[GiantFriendlyCrab]

im waiting for the user reviews first, i have doubts in this game

[whiteyjuice]

By the way, you can pick it up on PC for $36 from Green Man.

[aliengmr]

Says $44.99

Not sure where you got $36 from. Clarify?

[Tdmd]

"How on earth are they going to top this in the sequel? Because of one thing there can be no doubt. Lara is back.”

So freaking glad to read this!

[maximus1985]

i was thinking the same. the sequel to this would no longer be a scared girl slowly becoming a badass it would be an experienced Lara Croft. Thats the main appeal of this game, you feel the vulnarabilty and fear because your controling an uncofident inexperienced Lara.

[despair]

Glad the QTEs are few, I like them in some games (naruto uns series and GOW games come to mind) but the are unnecessary and poorly done in others.

[Y_5150]

I forgot this game is coming out soon. I stoped being interested since they nnounce that horrendous looking multiplayer. Someday I'll play the Single player though. :)

[DEATHxTHExKIDx]

ive never played a tomb raider game.

[maximus1985]

good youll be able to play this unbaised

[BLAKHOODe]

I've never finished a Tomb Raider game.

[Rampaged Death]

Thank goodness. Glad there are some extra things to do on the side as well. Day one for sure !

[Kratos_1986]

i love the uncharted games and this one looks like its similar to them so ill buy it

[MontyQ]

I luv croft and her pixel parts since ps1 lol cant wait for pc version ooot ooot whos yo daddy lady croft

[Automatic79]

I have been keeping this game on my radar. Hope it turns out to be a good game.

[SlyFamous02]

Iv been a huge TR fan since the PS1 days, I really hope this game does well. Off to a good start.

[level 360]

Got the chance to play the demo over here in EXPO 2012 Australia and have to say first impressions - definite positive high marks, it is a damn fine game indeed!

[duplissi]

Yay, cant wait for it to release.

[ame22]

If ever learned anything from this generation, it's to never trust magazine reviews.

[PersonMan]

By the way... what's wrong with more games being like Uncharted. I would be flattered if I were Naughty Dog.

[okmrman]

typical idiot that thinks uncharted is original

[PersonMan]

I'm not an idiot.

The old Tomb Raider games were nothing like Uncharted.

First of all, Tomb Raider was not a shooter. Tomb Raider focused more puzzles than combat. Tomb Raider did not have a cinematic feel.

[Quadraxis]

It looke like an extremely average game.

[Pieman523]

Really excited for this game. I can't wait to check it out.

[vividi]

Really looking forward to play tomb raider, looks beautiful

[Red_Devilz]

Game: 9/10

[Orionsangel]

Awesome review! Much better than the overrated overhyped Uncharted series. Okay, bring on the disagrees bitches!

[Gigglefist]

I watched The Indiana Jones trilogy again the other day (Shut up, there is no 4th movie). I was amazed by how many things Uncharted directly ripped from Indy.

That being said, Uncharted was still fun. I don't regret playing it, and the 2nd was easily the strongest.

Overhyped? Maybe a bit. Still worth playing through at least once, though.

[MadLad]

Have high hopes for this one.

[Gigglefist]

Square Enix is generally hit or miss for me.
They made Deus Ex: HR. Yay.
They also made both FF XIII games. Not yay.
They made Hitman: Absolution. Yay.
They also made Kingdom Hearts: 3D. Not yay.
They made Dungeon Siege III. Yay.
They also made Kane and Lynch: Dead Men. Not yay.

I could really go on and on.

Still, I have high hopes for this.
I think they'll make 'Ol Pyramid Boobs relevant again.

[stuna1]

The last game you listed was a not yay! So through the process of elimination, this game is guaranteed to be a yay!

[Gigglefist]

Gotta love logic XD

[TronEOL]

I expected nothing less from this new Tomb Raider game. I absolutely can't wait to play it (already pre-ordered on Steam).

[Silly gameAr]

Always had high hopes for the reboot. I think it's going to be pretty awesome.

[BigStef71]

The old ones for ps1 were pretty fun from what I remember watching my older brother play when i was younger. I want to get the hd trilogy just to get acquainted with the series again before I try this. For all the people saying this game is going to suck because its an uncharted clone or its going to be better than uncharted which is a TR ripoff just stop it right there. Both are great series' that have complimented each other. I'll definitely get this reboot but probably when they come out with a complete edition because I see theres allot of dlc and I would rather just wait till I can get it with everything

[smashcrashbash]

Well I personally am waiting until I hear more reviews.You can disagree with me all you like but many things they said about this game sounds like it isn't worth the purchase at all. With so many other games coming out I have to be careful. Tomb Raider does not sound like a good game to me and my instincts are also giving me that vibe too.

[Chucky2003]

15-20 hours?it got my interest

[x5exotic]

Anniversary and Underworld were better than the mediocre Uncharted that caters to gfx-whores. (Story-wise they're all meh)

I hope it doesn't lose the TR feel and become another UC

[Nes_Daze]

LOL not even close, Uncharted 2 is light years above those games...

[x5exotic]

Not really, generic 3rd person shooting, not so impressive locations and puzzles, mediocre score, bland art style sacrificed in exchange for realistic graphics (in a freaking game about exploration).

Mediocrity at its err...finest?

[Nes_Daze]

I see some fanboys are still bitter about Uncharted's success..sad, anyway, great for the tomb raider series, can't wait!

[DevilishSix]

cause they are lefting the embargo for reviews on this game 8 days before launch. This might be a really great game and if it is I will get it and be happy that Tomb Raider is finally back.

[optimus]

if this becomes a major hit will be a good thing cause that would mean that angelina jolie won't be able to play this younger version if they make a movie about it.

[rocky047586]

Angelina Jolie made the character a household name even further than the games did. My grandmother knows who Lara Croft is because of Angelina Jolie. Anytime I play Underworld and she sees it she says "Is that the Angelina Jolie lady on the game too?" So don't go dissing Jolie for making the character even more popular. If anything they need Jolie back again to play the role because with anyone else at the helm I just have a feeling it's not going to do well no matter how good the movie actually is.

[optimus]

hilarious; i was implying that the tomb raider movies sucked so if they do make movies from this one it won't be likely that they would get angelina to play this lara croft because this is a prequel game and lara is in her teens... the fact that your grandmother knows who lara croft is because of angelina is irrelevant... hollywood likes to get big names for movies that they find risky in order to pull more money from the audience...
did your grandmother also like The Rock in the Doom movie?? :p

[iMaim]

Guys, watch the "Guide to Survival" videos and you'll see that the score is justified.

[fingazblank]

From seeing the first videos to being a week away from release i gotta say im excited for the return of a more realistic lara experience. bring it on!

[rocky047586]

@Optimus, but they didn't suck at all and are considered the most successful video game franchise films from Video games ever. The Resident Evil series is second but that's because of the worldwide box office and not the US alone like Tomb Raider. Angelina Jolie was just fine as Lara Croft and the movies were good enough, they certainly weren't the worse out of all video game to movie releases that's for sure.

[optimus]

You obvious liked them but you're only looking at numbers whereas from a gaming standpoint most gamers above the age of 12 didn't like them. And you're wrong about "successful franchises" seeing as how there are about 5 resident evil movies to just 2 tomb raider flicks...not that those were any better cause they sucked too.

[Tornadobounce]

Sweet. Look forward to playing it.

[rocky047586]

@Optimus, no I'm not wrong. I specifically mentioned "worldwide" the RE series fares better but in the US Tomb Raider is the most successful game to film franchise. Obviously most people liked the two films otherwise they wouldn't have made that much money now would they? Anyway, there's nothing wrong with getting a star to star in your film if it's going to make money that way. I think Jennifer Lawrence or Maggie Grace from Taken fame could play the young Lara Croft. I just think that Angelina Jolie perfectly captured Lara Croft on screen whether the movies themselves are bad or not.

[optimus]

Wow, you are a true fan...here's how it works...tomb raider 2 cost 95 mil to make and it pulled in 65 mil in the u.s... No matter how you want to slice it, that is considered a flop and the reason they didn't continue with it...angelina may have done a decent job but i would have gone with rachel weiz (the mummy returns)...

IF they do a new younger tomb raider i would put emma watson as a front runner provided they don't wait 5 yrs to do it cause she would be too old by then. Not that your choices are bad, if they can pull off a british accent without sounding fake then great...and since this is my last bubble "that's all i got to say about that."

Pro Tip: when you want to reply to someone directly just hit the reply button on the bottom right of their comment instead of the reply button at the end of the thread(unless other people posted in the same comment thread)...difference being that the person would get notified of the reply, the other way they don't.

[rocky047586]

First, I said as a "franchise" they are the most successful, again, look at Boxofficemojo.com for the results for "game to film adaptations" and you'll see it's number 1.

Second, the reason they didn't continue isn't because Angelina's 2nd film was a "flop", which it wasn't worldwide wise it was enough to bring in another sequel, but because Angelina said that she explicitly didn't want to play the character anymore at that point.

Third, I disagree with both Weisz and Emma. Both are good actresses but neither would convincingly play the part in my opinion. Weisz I've seen in action films and she doesn't seem believable, and Emma doesn't even look like any kind of action heroine at all, she looks too much like a school girl.

Fourth, good speaking to ya again, no hard feelings for sure and I can't wait for the game, if you want to talk further PM me or something since you don't have any bubbles, and I guess I can help you get another one?

*Even bigger Pro Tip* Not all messages or replies have a "reply" button at the bottom, yours sir, twice now, hasn't. This is the first one that has.