Newsletter
  • Guides
  • Previews
    • Indie Games
    • PS4
    • PC
    • Xbox One
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo 3DS
    • PS Vita
    • PS3
    • Xbox 360
    • Wii U
  • Site Info
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Staff Directory
    • Join Our Team
    • Privacy Policy
      • Cookies Policy
    • RSS Feeds
    • Social Media
      • Youtube
      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • Twitch
      • Instagram
      • Tumblr
      • Linkedin
      • Pinterest
      • Discord
  • Discord
  • Store
  • Logitech G
  • green man gaming
  • Affiliates
    • GAMIVO.com
    • Logitech
    • Astro Gaming
    • Nord VPN
    • Best Buy
    • Namecheap Hosting
    • Blue Mic
    • Ultimate Ears
    • Jaybird
Wednesday, March 29, 2023
BG
  • News
    • All
    • Esports
    • Interviews

    Wanted: Dead Enemies and Bosses Explained Video

    8 Minutes of New Atomic Heart Gameplay

    Chance to make money with valorant?

    Valorant, CS: GO, Dota 2 – Just Online Games or an Opportunity to Make Money on Bets?

    Amazon Luna Games Coming in February

    Wanted: Dead Finishers Explained Video

    Current CS:GO Team Rankings! What’s the Best Team at the Moment?

    Wanted: Dead Shows New Combat Gameplay For A Bloody Valentines Day

    Eminence in Shadow Mobile RPG Gets New Trailer, Available Now

    Crunchyroll Announces 8-Bit Adventure Gam Hime’s Quest

    Trending Tags

    • Top Stories
    • PlayStation
    • Xbox
    • Nintendo
    • Retro Games
    • Mobile Games
    • Indie Games
    • Square Enix
    • Sony
    • Microsoft
    • PAX
    • EGX
    • Gamescom
    • Rockstar Games
    • Electronic Arts
    • Activision Blizzard
    • E3 Expo
  • Reviews
    • All
    • Flash Game Reviews
    • Google Stadia
    • Indie Game Reviews
    • Mobile Game Reviews
    • Nintendo 3DS Reviews
    • Nintendo Switch Reviews
    • PC Reviews
    • PS Vita Reviews
    • PS3 Reviews
    • PS4 Reviews
    • PS5 Reviews
    • Retro Game Reviews
    • Reviews RoundUP
    • Xbox 360 Reviews
    • Xbox One Reviews

    No More Heroes 3 PS4 Review

    Neptunia: Sisters vs Sisters PS4 Review

    Wanted: Dead Review

    The Legend of Heroes Trails From Zero

    The Legend of Heroes: Trails From Zero PC Review

    Amnesia: Memories + Later x Crowd Review

    Dusk Diver 2 PS5 Review

    Yurukill: The Culmination Games

    Yurukill: The Calumniation Games Nintendo Switch Review

    Matchpoint Tennis Championships Live Review

    Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II Nintendo Switch Review

    Trending Tags

    • Resident Evil
    • Call of Duty
    • Final Fantasy
    • Destiny
    • Borderlands
    • Halo
    • The Elder Scrolls
    • Fortnite
    • PUBG
    • Bioshock
    • The Witcher
  • Opinion
    • All
    • Second Opinion

    Manga Review: Summertime Rendering Volumes 2 & 3

    buying, szelling, and trading csgo skins

    What To Expect When Buying, Selling, & Trading CS: GO Skins

    What Are the Best Ways to Gear Up in Retail WOW?

    Chance to make money with valorant?

    Valorant, CS: GO, Dota 2 – Just Online Games or an Opportunity to Make Money on Bets?

    megaways vs regular slot machines

    Are Megaways Better Than Regular Slots?

    Current CS:GO Team Rankings! What’s the Best Team at the Moment?

    game night with friends tips for success

    Top Tips for Games Night Success

    10 benefits of online gaming

    10 Benefits of Online Gaming

    The 5 Most Popular Video Games that Feature Casinos and Gambling to Play

    Trending Tags

    • Is It A Classic?
    • Remember When
    • Do We Even Care Anymore?
    • Humpday Haikus
    • Top Series
    • Thirsty Thursday
    • Aging Gamer
    • On The Way To E3
  • Podcasts
    • All
    • The BagoCast
    • TSR BagoCast

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – The Future of Game Journalism

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Social Media & Esports

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Politics in Video Games Games

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Content Creators vs Game Journalist 2

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Titan Fall and Apex: Legends Hacked

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Content Creators vs Game Journalist

    BagoCast EP: 12 – Code Vein and the DLC

    Debate/Discussion: Bad Video Games That We Love

    Discussion/Debate: Is Bioware Gone?

    Trending Tags

    • Film Fallout
    • 8Bit Proof
    • Gaming Historia
    • Bago Anime Cast
    • Gamers In Beta
    • Gamers Unscripted
  • Videos
    178614

    So, You Wanna Play Junker Queen?

    178081

    Matchpoint Tennis Championships Live Review

    176052

    Void Slayer – Review

    174993

    The IDEAL Spider-Man VR Game

    174963

    Crunchyroll Panel Full Video @ Anime Frontier

    174259

    BPM: Bullets Per Minute – Shooting to The Beat (Review)

    173523

    She Will Punish Them – Warning: Mature Content (Early Access Review)

    172416

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – The Future of Game Journalism

    172189

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Social Media & Esports

  • Geek Culture
    • All
    • Anime and Manga
    • Anime/Manga Review
    • Collectibles
    • Comic Books
    • Cosplay
    • Movies
    • Tech
    • TV Shows

    Manga Review: Summertime Rendering Volumes 2 & 3

    Pwnage Releases New Info On Stormbreaker, The Magnesium Alloy Gaming Mouse

    Eminence in Shadow Mobile RPG Gets New Trailer, Available Now

    Crunchyroll Announces Anime Frontier Panels and Premieres

    Crunchyroll Announces Hell’s Paradise, The Ancient Magus’ Bride S2, and More Upcoming Anime

    The Quintessential Quintuplets Movie Gets New Key Visual, Tickets Now on Sale

    Crunchyroll Rich Presence Now Available on Discord

    Udon Entertainment Announces Persona 4 Arena & Ultimax Manga Coming 2023

    Steve Aoki Releases All-New Remix for the “One Piece Film Red” Original Soundtrack

    Trending Tags

    • Movie Reviews
    • Movie News
    • TV News
    • TV Episode Review
    • Episode Guide
    • Competitive Gaming
    • Tech News
    • Tech Review
    • Anime and Manga News
    • Anime and Manga Review
    • Comic Book News
    • Comic Book Review
  • Forum
No Result
View All Result
Social icon element need JNews Essential plugin to be activated.
Social icon element need JNews Essential plugin to be activated.
  • News
    • All
    • Esports
    • Interviews

    Wanted: Dead Enemies and Bosses Explained Video

    8 Minutes of New Atomic Heart Gameplay

    Chance to make money with valorant?

    Valorant, CS: GO, Dota 2 – Just Online Games or an Opportunity to Make Money on Bets?

    Amazon Luna Games Coming in February

    Wanted: Dead Finishers Explained Video

    Current CS:GO Team Rankings! What’s the Best Team at the Moment?

    Wanted: Dead Shows New Combat Gameplay For A Bloody Valentines Day

    Eminence in Shadow Mobile RPG Gets New Trailer, Available Now

    Crunchyroll Announces 8-Bit Adventure Gam Hime’s Quest

    Trending Tags

    • Top Stories
    • PlayStation
    • Xbox
    • Nintendo
    • Retro Games
    • Mobile Games
    • Indie Games
    • Square Enix
    • Sony
    • Microsoft
    • PAX
    • EGX
    • Gamescom
    • Rockstar Games
    • Electronic Arts
    • Activision Blizzard
    • E3 Expo
  • Reviews
    • All
    • Flash Game Reviews
    • Google Stadia
    • Indie Game Reviews
    • Mobile Game Reviews
    • Nintendo 3DS Reviews
    • Nintendo Switch Reviews
    • PC Reviews
    • PS Vita Reviews
    • PS3 Reviews
    • PS4 Reviews
    • PS5 Reviews
    • Retro Game Reviews
    • Reviews RoundUP
    • Xbox 360 Reviews
    • Xbox One Reviews

    No More Heroes 3 PS4 Review

    Neptunia: Sisters vs Sisters PS4 Review

    Wanted: Dead Review

    The Legend of Heroes Trails From Zero

    The Legend of Heroes: Trails From Zero PC Review

    Amnesia: Memories + Later x Crowd Review

    Dusk Diver 2 PS5 Review

    Yurukill: The Culmination Games

    Yurukill: The Calumniation Games Nintendo Switch Review

    Matchpoint Tennis Championships Live Review

    Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II Nintendo Switch Review

    Trending Tags

    • Resident Evil
    • Call of Duty
    • Final Fantasy
    • Destiny
    • Borderlands
    • Halo
    • The Elder Scrolls
    • Fortnite
    • PUBG
    • Bioshock
    • The Witcher
  • Opinion
    • All
    • Second Opinion

    Manga Review: Summertime Rendering Volumes 2 & 3

    buying, szelling, and trading csgo skins

    What To Expect When Buying, Selling, & Trading CS: GO Skins

    What Are the Best Ways to Gear Up in Retail WOW?

    Chance to make money with valorant?

    Valorant, CS: GO, Dota 2 – Just Online Games or an Opportunity to Make Money on Bets?

    megaways vs regular slot machines

    Are Megaways Better Than Regular Slots?

    Current CS:GO Team Rankings! What’s the Best Team at the Moment?

    game night with friends tips for success

    Top Tips for Games Night Success

    10 benefits of online gaming

    10 Benefits of Online Gaming

    The 5 Most Popular Video Games that Feature Casinos and Gambling to Play

    Trending Tags

    • Is It A Classic?
    • Remember When
    • Do We Even Care Anymore?
    • Humpday Haikus
    • Top Series
    • Thirsty Thursday
    • Aging Gamer
    • On The Way To E3
  • Podcasts
    • All
    • The BagoCast
    • TSR BagoCast

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – The Future of Game Journalism

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Social Media & Esports

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Politics in Video Games Games

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Content Creators vs Game Journalist 2

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Titan Fall and Apex: Legends Hacked

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Content Creators vs Game Journalist

    BagoCast EP: 12 – Code Vein and the DLC

    Debate/Discussion: Bad Video Games That We Love

    Discussion/Debate: Is Bioware Gone?

    Trending Tags

    • Film Fallout
    • 8Bit Proof
    • Gaming Historia
    • Bago Anime Cast
    • Gamers In Beta
    • Gamers Unscripted
  • Videos
    178614

    So, You Wanna Play Junker Queen?

    178081

    Matchpoint Tennis Championships Live Review

    176052

    Void Slayer – Review

    174993

    The IDEAL Spider-Man VR Game

    174963

    Crunchyroll Panel Full Video @ Anime Frontier

    174259

    BPM: Bullets Per Minute – Shooting to The Beat (Review)

    173523

    She Will Punish Them – Warning: Mature Content (Early Access Review)

    172416

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – The Future of Game Journalism

    172189

    Bagocast: Interview with Upper Echelon Gamers – Social Media & Esports

  • Geek Culture
    • All
    • Anime and Manga
    • Anime/Manga Review
    • Collectibles
    • Comic Books
    • Cosplay
    • Movies
    • Tech
    • TV Shows

    Manga Review: Summertime Rendering Volumes 2 & 3

    Pwnage Releases New Info On Stormbreaker, The Magnesium Alloy Gaming Mouse

    Eminence in Shadow Mobile RPG Gets New Trailer, Available Now

    Crunchyroll Announces Anime Frontier Panels and Premieres

    Crunchyroll Announces Hell’s Paradise, The Ancient Magus’ Bride S2, and More Upcoming Anime

    The Quintessential Quintuplets Movie Gets New Key Visual, Tickets Now on Sale

    Crunchyroll Rich Presence Now Available on Discord

    Udon Entertainment Announces Persona 4 Arena & Ultimax Manga Coming 2023

    Steve Aoki Releases All-New Remix for the “One Piece Film Red” Original Soundtrack

    Trending Tags

    • Movie Reviews
    • Movie News
    • TV News
    • TV Episode Review
    • Episode Guide
    • Competitive Gaming
    • Tech News
    • Tech Review
    • Anime and Manga News
    • Anime and Manga Review
    • Comic Book News
    • Comic Book Review
  • Forum
No Result
View All Result
BagoGames
No Result
View All Result

BagoGames > Articles > Game Reviews > Xbox One Reviews > Rising, Raiding, and Misbehaving – Rise of the Tomb Raider Review

Rising, Raiding, and Misbehaving – Rise of the Tomb Raider Review

Patrick Kennedy by Patrick Kennedy
7 years ago
in Game Reviews, Xbox One Reviews
Reading Time: 6 mins read
1
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Iconic figures have their origin stories, and what comes next is usually their transition into greatness; their struggles and ventures are what craft their bold personalities and develop the moral codes they believe in. Lara Croft is one of gaming’s most beloved and celebrated heroes, and the rebooted series has seen its praise and spawned a sequel to her gritty origin tale. Rise of the Tomb Raider is set to deliver an even more action packed adventure and the return to what made Lara Croft so great …. It’s raiding tombs, if you haven’t heard. But do we get that epic adventure Tomb Raider fans crave and a reason to buy the Xbox One? Or should the series be left in the tombs for future raiders?

Good thing she put on eye liner for the cold weather (Rise of the Tomb Raider, Square Enix/Microsoft)

Lara has made a name for herself after the events of the events of the first game, but the news and gossip aren’t not good. People claim her venture on the Japanese island was all a hoax and that she’s just as mad as her late father who believed in a city which housed the key to immortality. So, Lara decides the best thing to do is to continue her father’s work and find the Divine Source located in Siberia. Along the way, you can guess there’s going be some religious extremist making things difficult for our English Rose, and Lara must once again toughen her skin and battle head on with the beast known as Trinity.

Sounds like a pretty solid plot right? Well…

RelatedStories

No More Heroes 3 PS4 Review

3 weeks ago

Neptunia: Sisters vs Sisters PS4 Review

3 weeks ago

The game’s major flaw, sadly, is the flat and incredibly predictable storyline. It’s something you’ve seen a million times before, with elements that hardly differ from any Uncharted game. Compared to the edgy and bleak story of the last game, this Tomb Raider returns to familiar elements but doesn’t improve or heighten the narrative structure. It’s pretty much a paint by numbers story; Lara wants to the find the source (never mentioned before) to clear her father’s name (some standard daddy issues included but not explored very well), but a super evil religious organisation wants the divine power along with the standard betrayals and all. Even if you didn’t like the story in the 2013 Tomb Raider, you could at least admire how it took Lara in a new and refreshing direction.

(Rise of the Tomb Raider, Square Enix/Microsoft)

You can guess every betrayal, where the story will turn, and even how Lara will overcome her personal struggles. Rise of the Tomb Raider could have packed a few narrative punches. Maybe examining a Lara, who is broken individual, recovering from the past experience in the last game, possibly even tackling PTSD. This could have been a very interesting theme along with some new ideas for enemy types, or something more original for Lara to look for other than the Divine Source. The story could have continued the gritty and harsh, yet gripping tone of storytelling which this new Lara was born from. The game even takes elements from the last game, bringing in immortal warriors akin to the Sun Queen’s army, and dressing them up as Greek warriors. They are very cool, but it’s a recycled concept from the last title. There are some interesting diary entries, delving deeper into character motivations and past events, but many are, again, unoriginal and uninteresting.

However, the voice acting and soundtrack in Rise of the Tomb Raider are flawlessly executed. They never miss the mark and only add to the refined aesthetics of the game.

With the weak narrative, Rise of the Tomb Raider excels in other fields, and gameplay is the major improvement. This installment evolves the action adventure structure further with new mechanics and gameplay elements. Siberia is represented with a fantastic looking and deeply immersive game world, which is far larger and far more engaging than before. The game world itself looks stunning and feels highly organic in comparison to the previous game, with a larger involvement of wild life and weather making the game feel more alive. The detail in textures, colour and dynamic lighting really stand out, making this one of the best looking Xbox One games along with Ryse: Son of Rome and Halo 5.

Rise of the Tomb raider brings back the glory days of what Lara Does best …. raiding Tombs, duh. (Rise of the Tomb Raider, Square Enix/Microsoft)

New features include actual side quests from NPCs, more methods and gear to traverse the environment, bigger set pieces, and a major improvement on the tomb raiding aspect with some wonderfully designed environments that history has long forgotten. There is a huge amount of content to engage with around every corner, and each of the larger open areas demand you to return to them and seek out the hidden loot and tombs they hide. It was shocking to see how much each location had to offer in context of exploration, loot, and unlockable content. There is even a merchant who sells additional add-ons for your gear and weaponry. The game can be completed without ever visiting him, but it’s a nice touch for those looking for advancements on their gear.

The tombs are incredible and are the one feature that has been vastly improved with more complex designs, stronger lateral elements, and greater depth in back stories and artistic value. The aesthetics have greatly improved, taking Lara to locations such as disused Soviet mines, flooded bath houses, Golden Tombs, frozen Viking ships, and more. Each tomb offers a mini adventure in itself and each takes a great deal of time to complete. It’s advised to take advantage of these tombs as they now hold vital skills as rewards, as opposed to weapon upgrades like in the previous installment.

Rise of the Tomb Raider does another great job at bringing some intense and brutalizing action–it isn’t for the faint of heart. You’re given a mixture of grand scale set pieces, involving avalanches or out running attack helicopters on a railway bridge. To large open areas for exploration, and encounters that can be tackled with predator like stealth, using trees and traps to your tactical advantage. Or you can blow the crap out of everything with a range of heavy weaponry. You can even use the environment to kill your enemies, such as setting off a warehouse explosion.

There are a host of new skills to learn and tactics to develop over the course of the game, from making smoke bombs to booby trapping dead bodies for passing NPCs. Some skills will feel a little redundant towards the end of the game, but the options are open enough for players who use stealth or action to have freedom over what they learn and use. Even the weapons have been given a major boost with new additions, such as poison arrows which cause a toxic cloud to kill off anyone caught in the radius. Some items like the poison arrows can make the game feel a little too easy, seeing as I could kill five enemies with one arrow, some players can abuse this technique for a number of segments. With the lower difficulties feeling way too underwhelming, it’s best for seasoned adventurers to consider the higher difficulties for their first time playing.

The fire Rises! (Rise of the Tomb Raider, Square Enix/Microsoft)

The game is also long. The campaign can last around ten hours and along with the side quests and extras, you can double that time easily. Other new implementations include the language skill, which is an interesting (if not odd) idea but is still something new to the series. It allows Lara to find more secrets in the world by translating monoliths, paintings, and scrolls scattered in the game world. This pushes players to improve and read documents (some of which can be very amusing) to tighten the language barrier and find hidden secrets and gold, which used for improvements and upgrades.

Along with the campaign is a new game mode called Expeditions. This allows players to replay tombs and sections of the game world again for the sheer joy of exploring a tomb, acquiring high scores, or playing the game with some added tweaks. As they progress, players will earn cards which have modifiers, cheats, and other game changers for the Expedition mode. These include harder NPCs, increased weapon damage, big headed NPCs, and shooting chickens from your bow (I’m not kidding). It’s not a major or innovative concept, but it’s one that is pretty enjoyable and definitely worth while to those who fancy playing through some of the excellent tombs and settings with added bonuses to make the game refreshing and dynamic on every play through.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is a vast improvement for Lara, making this one of the most dynamic Tomb Raider games and her greatest adventure since The Last Revelation. This will appease old fans that enjoy the more puzzle/exploration focused elements of older games.


An Xbox One copy of Rise of the Tomb Raider was provided by Square Enix/Microsoft for the purpose of this review

 

Rise of the Tomb Raider

$59.99
Rise of the Tomb Raider
9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

  • Fantastic improvements on mechaincs and gameplay features
  • Excellently designed game world
  • Brutal and engaging combat
  • The tomb raiding has never been so good!
  • Lara is still pretty bad ass

Cons

  • The weak story
  • The ending is... meh

Tags: GamesLara CroftMicrosoftSquare EnixTomb RaiderTop StoriesXbox
ShareTweetShare
Previous Post

New Trailer Released for Neverwinter: Underdark

Next Post

Monster Hunter X Promo Videos Posted

Subscribe
Connect with
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
guest
The comment form collects your name, email and content to allow us to keep track of the comments placed on the website. Please read and accept our website Terms and Privacy Policy to post a comment.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser cookies for the next time I comment.

I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
guest
The comment form collects your name, email and content to allow us to keep track of the comments placed on the website. Please read and accept our website Terms and Privacy Policy to post a comment.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser cookies for the next time I comment.

1 Comment
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
trackback
Rise Of The Tomb Raider Has One Of The Better PC Ports
7 years ago

[…] review of Rise Of The Tomb Raider; we already have one for the Xbox version, which you can see here. I’ll briefly go over my thoughts on the game as a whole, but I won’t go into much […]

0
0
Reply
wpdiscuz   wpDiscuz

BAGOGAMES WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Get this week's top news, reviews, guides, videos and opinion for your favorite games, movies, TV and tech in your email every Friday.

Don't worry, we don't spam.

BagoGames

BagoGames.com © 2020 BagoGames LLC. All rights reserved.

Navigate Site

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Staff Directory
  • Join Our Team
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter
  • RSS Feeds
  • Discord Server
  • BG Store
  • OpenCritic
  • green man gaming
  • Logitech G
  • GAMIVO.com
  • ASTRO Gaming
  • Logitech
  • Namecheap Hosting
  • Nord VPN
  • Best Buy
  • Blue Mic
  • Reviews
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Guides

Follow Us

Social icon element need JNews Essential plugin to be activated.
  • Login
  • Sign Up
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Opinion
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Geek Culture
  • Previews
  • Guides
  • Short Videos
  • Forum
  • Site Info
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Join Our Team
    • Staff Directory
    • Privacy Policy
    • Newsletter
    • RSS Feeds

BagoGames.com © 2020 BagoGames LLC. All rights reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
wpDiscuz