Tomb Raider Risen

Lara clings to a rock wall as she struggles toward the mysterious "Source" in Rise of the Tomb Raider.

I recently acquired the not-so-new release Rise of the Tomb Raider for a fresh 50% the regular list price.  Needless to say, I have been spending my holiday break tagging along with the legendary Lara Croft as she stumbles, tumbles, dodges and weaves through her latest adventure.  Was the adventure worth it?  Definitely!

I enjoyed:

Locations/graphics. From the rocky desert tombs of Syria to the frosty mountains of Siberia, this Tomb Raider game isn't lacking in environmental variety.  One minute Lara is scampering up a mountain and the next she's hiding in some foliage in a lush forest.  The graphics are stunning (my default setting was high) and in each environment you are treated to towering ruins, jagged mountain peaks, or massive domes of icy glaciers.  Toward the end of the game I noticed some performance issues (my computer didn't like the lost city of Kitezh.  I had a little bit of lagginess when moving the camera--probably could have turned down some settings and cured it but chose not to).  Overall, a stunning game!  (Sure, you can point out that it's over a year old now.  It's still quite beautiful.)

Gameplay.  There really weren't any true departures from the tried and true Tomb Raider style of play.  The game is chock full of moments where Lara is adeptly leaping from a narrow ledge onto an inches wide log or narrowly scrambling to avoid a giant piece of falling ice.  This time though, I found myself holding my breath--hoping that she made it to the next crazy jump or that I could time it correctly so that she would dig her axes in at the perfect moment.  The game manages to make it feel as if Lara is constantly hanging on by the edge of her teeth...and that feeling is the pulse pumping, adrenaline racing that makes it extremely enjoyable.

In my earlier Tomb Raider post I mentioned that I often disliked how the series always seemed to be extremely linear.  One very pleasant change that I noted in Rise was the fact that there is more of an open feeling (I am hesitant to say "open world" because it's not at all that).  Rather than one path, Lara is instead placed into a large zone that functions as more of a hub.  In that hub there are a number of tasks to undertake--NPC's provide missions, exploration reveals the location of hidden caches of coins or equipment, hunting wild animals provides hides to be used to upgrade equipment, and, my personal favorite, challenge tombs.  Challenge tombs offer a set of puzzle-like obstacles that, if solved, reward players with a powerful enhancement to Lara's abilities.  Some challenge tombs are relatively straightforward, while others require some thinking and experimenting.  I was able to solve all of them so they are definitely very doable for the average gamer.

Each hub also provides a number of optional challenges which offer replayability.  I know that I only completed a small fraction of the total challenges.  These tasks can be rather serious or silly (I completed a task to catch chickens and throw them into a pen) but provide an added bonus.

Voice acting.  I found myself doing the unthinkable--I was listening to all the journal entries and relic descriptions.  They are acted very well and rather than reading some dull description of something, I enjoyed listening to Lara describe an item she picked up or to the musings of some ancient Greek 

story figure.

Facial animation.  In the cutscene moments I found myself paying close attention to the facial expressions of all the characters.  I am amazed by how realistic they are!  There are some games where you almost have to look away because the mouth movements are so bad--this is not one of them.  I had read this somewhere else and scoffed, but the person who wrote it had a good point.

Stealth kills.  I love watching Lara leap out of a tree and knifing some poor bastard down below; it's magical!  The stealth kill system rewards players for attempting to find unique and stealthy ways to eliminate enemies (or just to avoid them all together--which I never opt for).

I Did Not Enjoy:

Remembering.  Each hub generally wasn't fully accessible to Lara--there was always some small part of it that was blocked off and restricted by the need for some mission specific piece of gear to advance farther.  This is fine, but there was absolutely no way that I was going to remember each  area that needed an advanced item to access.  I wish that the game had a better mapping mechanic so that players could be reminded where these areas are.  If I was more patient I could have gone back and tried to find every metal barrier or broadhead climbing area--or it could have appeared on a map!  Simple solution that probably only irritates completionists like me.

Weird cover system.  During combat Lara can take cover behind certain obstacles.  Once behind cover there is no way to shoot over or around those obstacles--you instead have to poke Lara's cute lil' head out of cover to shoot.  This is a minor gripe, but if it was just a little bit different it would have been a lot easier to use (usually Lara is scuttling her butt off somewhere else so using cover is limited).

I mostly enjoyed this game so coming up with things I didn't like is difficult.  I haven't really delved into the additional gameplay modes which seem to be a solution to that replayability issue that I talked about before.  Lara Croft is still the scrappy, tough, independent heroine who has become one of my favorites and Rise of the Tomb Raider is an intense and enjoyable chapter in her epic saga.

Weekend Cringing

I was pleasantly surprised to check my e-mail and find that one of the games on my Steam wishlist is currently on sale!  Score!  With absolutely no hesitation I snatched up Rise of the Tomb Raider:  20 Year Celebration for 50% off.  After a few hours of downloading I have happily stepped back into the frantic story of Lara Croft and her quest to find some new relic, to bust up some new villains, and to perform some breathtaking gymnastic stunts.

In 2012 I picked up the modernized PC reboot of the console classic Tomb Raider series.  Being that I am not a console gamer I had very limited experience with the series.  A few of the console games had made the crossover to PC and I had played a few of those with mixed feelings (the signature gymnastic movement was fun, but the camera controls/angles were garbage).  With that experience in mind I didn't really expect much when I grabbed it on the cheap during a sale.  The new Lara Croft depicted in the 2012 Tomb Raider was exactly the heroine that I wanted from the series.  She's tough, scrappy, smart, but still vulnerable and feminine without being the tarted up "tits n' ass" character from the console days.

Even though I enjoy Lara Croft as a character I have a problem paying full price for the games in this series.  For me the replayability factor in Tomb Raider is lacking--it's the kind of game that I will play once, absolutely love, and then most likely shelve for a long time.  That doesn't mean that there aren't elements that add to replayability--there are always relics to collect, hidden items to find, new game modes to play--but generally I am just not that interested in going back to try it again.  Therefore, paying $60 for a game that will see one 20ish hour playthrough doesn't translate for me.

There is something about the very cinematic-style gameplay that I love about Tomb Raider.  I don't know that I have played many games that have quite given me the feeling of being in the middle of an action/thriller movie.  Playing Lara is exhilarating--out-sprinting a pack of wolves, jumping from one collapsing pillar to another, watching her catch herself as she narrowly avoids falling over a huge precipice....I just haven't played many other games that have managed to capture those same feelings.  At the same time the linear and cinematic-style of play doesn't offer much in the way of player freedom--there aren't any dialogue options, Lara's path through a level is generally very scripted, and as a player you are simply tagging along for the ride--there are few choices to actually be made.

I have barely dipped my toes into Rise of the Tomb Raider, but so far it feels like a worthy successor to 2012's Tomb Raider.  Once again Lara is investigating the remnants of a long-lost relic from a long dead culture.  Of course her journey isn't going to be easy--she's tangled up in a race for those relics with the mysterious Trinity group--your average gun-toting bad guys lead by an even badder guy with very questionable motives.

A scraped up Lara creeping through a darkened tomb entrance.

The second that you start the game you are thrust into the midst of Lara's story.  There isn't much of a tutorial (if you've played Tomb Raider once you should be familiar with the controls) but instead you lead Lara on a journey up an extremely hazardous frozen mountain.  You quickly learn how to use her now signature ice axes to traverse the frozen mountainside and perform a series of ledge jumps.  Each jump feels hazardous and I find myself physically cringing as Lara attempts to hop onto a wall of ice and dig in her axe.  The movement immediately feels familiar and you get a good feel for how to control Lara's vertical movement.

The first chapter finds Lara searching for a lost tomb in the deserts of Syria.  Similar to the last game, Lara really takes a beating--she's constantly tumbling down a hill, falling through a crumbling ruin, or narrowly avoiding an ancient trap.  A short trip up a narrow mountainside path and Lara arrives at the entrance to the lost tomb,...but not really, it's just a chamber filled with murals depicting scenes related to the relic she seeks.  One new feature in this game is finding items that can help Lara learn new languages in order to better be able to translate.  As you guide her to these murals she improves her language skills enough that she can read a monolith in the middle of the chamber.  That monolith shows her a hidden wall that opens up onto a breathtaking scene of a massive tomb built directly into the wall of a mountain.

The action in Rise of the Tomb Raider is making me hold my breath.  Every leap feels like Lara is barely hanging on.  It's a great feeling.  I am looking forward to many more hours of Lara ascending the face of a craggy mountain or taking running potshots at masked enemies.  You can pick up Rise of the Tomb Raider:  20 Year Celebration (which includes several DLC) on Steam for $29.99 as part of the weekend sale.

N7 Day Mass Effect: Andromeda Trailer--Let's Obsess!

It's about a week late (sorry, it's been a little bit chaotic lately), but on November 7th (N7 day for the rest of the Mass Effect nerds out there) a new trailer for the upcoming Mass Effect:  Andromeda was released.  Here it is, it all it's sparkly space glory:

If you haven't seen it yet, then you are probably gloriously happy.  If you have, just watch it again because there's undoubtedly some small detail that you missed.  There hasn't been a lot of news about Andromeda so every little hint is supremely exciting.  Like BuzzFeed, I also like lists.  Here's a handy list of all the things I enjoy or wonder about in this new trailer:

1.) There's a new ship called the Hyperion pictured in the trailer.  Could this be our new Normandy?  It doesn't look as sleek and cool as the Normandy, but it does look large.  Large enough to hold a new, improved galaxy map and any number of amazing new features.  We'll have to keep our eyes peeled for any other hints about this new vessel.

2.) There had been some conjecture on the timeline for this game but the trailer specifically refers to being adrift for six hundred years.  For me, this settles some of the end of the third game cannon issues that were floating around.  It appears as if the new crew has travelled to this new galaxy and that they are leaving all our our old familiar places far behind them.  As much as I loved the good ol' Milky Way, to have made the story take place there again...well, it just wouldn't have worked.

3.) We get to see the male version of our new Ryder.  He's scruffy, handsome and looks like he'll be more interesting than the male Shepard of yesteryear.  In an earlier trailer we got to see the lady version.  Here's to hoping that they are both voice acted well this time around.

4.) We can safely assume that we will be encountering new alien races in the new game.  This trailer hints at a Reaper-like ominous force.  At one point there is a Prothean beacon-like structure with a large structure/ship looking object projecting from it--at least that's the feeling I got.  There are some interesting aliens walking through the rubble--aliens with weird, round halo-like bony projections.  Are these our new Collectors?

5.) Even if you hated the crap out of Mass Effect 3, you can't deny that there was something unbelievably amazing about taking down a full-size  Reaper in ground combat.  One of the most memorable and intense moments came as you had to use the laser aiming device to take out the towering monstrosity on Rannoch.  I still have fond memories of dying and dying before I figured out the movement pattern to avoid getting one-shot and the glorious moment of victory as you watch the missiles find their target and cripple the giant robot.  It looks like our monstrosity conquering moments aren't over!  There is a distinct squid-like giant robot that bursts from the ground and the movement very much reminds me of the Reaper fight on Rannoch.

6.)  I see some signature Mass Effect moments that make me feel oh so nostalgic and that tell me that this game isn't going to totally leave the swaggery, action-hero style completely behind.  Who doesn't enjoy the shots of your team frantically running and leaping out of a dangerous situation and into the loving embrace of your ship?  Come on!  All those slow-mo leaps are exciting!

I am excited for what I see, but Mass Effect has a special place in my heart so I am a little bit biased.  I hope all the other Mass Effect nerds out there are just as excited and are planning for their next adventure.

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Rimworld!

It has been a bit of a video game lull for me lately.  But never fear, my impulsivity usually comes to the rescue in a good or bad way.  This time my random grab turned out to be a great thing.  I picked up the indie survival, strategy, sandbox, [insert random other descriptor] game Rimworld.

In Rimworld you are in charge of a small group of survivors who have crash landed on a random planet.  These survivors each have their own personality, quirks, and skills.  The game starts you off with three characters--you have virtually no control over their stats or skills and are allowed to "roll" to randomize them.  It is impossible to create a perfect colonist with all the skills you want.  This randomness is part of the challenge and can make for some interesting situations later on.

Each colonist has a set of skills that range from shooting to gathering, from extinguishing fires or performing high-tech research.  They also have unique personality traits like being a pyromaniac who randomly sets fires and will never extinguish them or a sluggish laggard who refuses to do any manual labor.  Some colonists have an interest in some skill areas and can raise those skills if they are set to do tasks they enjoy.  Along with these traits is a gender and sexuality set of code that has garnered some eyebrow raising among some sets.  Your colonists flirt with each other, they start relationships--which can be good or bad, and occasionally they get into fistfights if their advances are spurned (once I had one colonist beat another to death).  They also have moods which are directly influenced by their current conditions.  Do they have enough food?  Did they have to sleep on the ground?  Are their clothes in poor condition?  All of these factors can add a mood debuff if they aren't taken care of.

My third colony in its second year.

Initially you get to choose your settlement site and there is some strategy involved in this.  It's something I haven't fully grasped as of yet.  Your colonists crash land and then you set about making a settlement for them.  Colonists have very basic needs--they want shelter, they want to eat, and they want to be protected.  Your first task is creating a shelter, building some beds (no one likes sleeping on the ground), and then making some plans for how to survive.  Planting crops, planning for electricity, temperature, and crafting are all good first steps.

It's when you start to feel comfortable that the game throws a wrench in your gears.  Hostile tribes attack your settlement, a lightning storm starts a devastating fire that wipes out all your crops, a herd of mad animals attacks your settlement...these are just some of the random events that happen along the way.  At the beginning of each new settlement you create you can choose an AI "storyteller" which decides the rate, difficulty, and type of events that are thrown at your little colony.  These storytellers have cool names like Phoebe Chillax who allows for a more laidback approach to play, but who steps it up in the late game.  If you're feeling truly adventurous you can choose Randy Random who will toss anything at you at any time.  I've settled on Cassandra Classic which is a more traditional approach to events.

The difficulty can also vary widely based on the seasons.  The planet goes through a four season cycle where summer and winter can be especially brutal.  Your colonists are prone to heatstroke in the summer and hypothermia in the winter.  Providing appropriate clothing and temperature controls can greatly help with negative mood debuffs.

At first glance Rimworld reminded me a little of Prison Architect, but after playing it....a boatload....I have found that it's a complicated little mess that I enjoy so much more.  The story of your colony can be quite hilarious when spelled out in story form.  My first colony was doomed because I didn't realize that my food was going bad because I didn't have a freezer.  When the winter non-growing season rolled around I tried to scramble and hunt some food, but there was none to be found.  My second colony fell victim to a herd of man-eating muffaloes who rampaged through my camp and managed to disable everyone (I wasn't being cautious enough and told them to attack).  I'm on my third colony now and think I have a better understanding of how things work.  The game will undoubtedly toss a real zinger my way soon and change that.

For an early access game Rimworld offers a vast, quirky, and fun survival game.  There are numerous mods out there that add new storytellers, expand on items in the game, or add any number of new and interesting items.  I was a little hesitant about the $29.99 price tag, but Rimworld has definitely delivered and is well worth it.