I can finally say that I played and completed Crystal Dynamics’ Rise of the Tomb Raider. It only took me a few months after purchasing the game, but I’ve played approximately 20 hours of this latest installment on PC.
Overall, I am happy with the game. Lara Croft continues to win my nomination for iconic female protagonist in a video game, and this game only continues to humanize her into an acceptable and notable female character whose popularity is not dependent on how much flesh is on display. Lara kicks ass, shows her insecurities, and is, at times, as naive as you might expect a young adult to be.
Rise of the Tomb Raider places a renewed emphasis on tombs and puzzle solving as Lara searches for immortality in Siberia. I did have to laugh every time Lara commented on the frailty of the tombs and objects of antiquity since around every turn she inevitably brought down and disrupted every tomb she entered. But, it is a video game.
The game looks gorgeous and it ran perfectly fine on my PC. But for some odd reason I don’t feel any immediate urge to re-enter Siberia and solve the remaining optional tombs and grab all the collectibles. It might just be where I’m at in my life currently, but I’m perfectly content in knowing I completed this chapter of Lara’s story. I will certainly purchase the next Tomb Raider game, but until then I’ll retire Lara to the ole gaming log.