Lttp: Shadow of the Tomb Raider

[nihilence]

Trying to catch up on my back log and finally decided to start this. I know it gets a bit of hate..

But do far I like it? Admittedly I am really in the game. But the production and design is pretty well thought out.

So far it's mostly been cinematic. However, the animation and acting are great. The constant calamity is a bit silly, but it's consistent. I think the faces sway between quality.

The adjustability for difficulty is appreciated. You can toggle between puzzles and resources and combat. If you want a clear or obscure objective you can set that. If you want hints or be on your own for puzzles or gathering that's a setting too.

The crafting and items lack just a bit. Some of the resources aren't explained in a menu or legend. And the costs aren't always shown until you build, and then you have to remember.such as 3 linen for a bandage etc.

Overall, I Hope the bar stays high and doesn't fall into a trench.

 

[R dott B]

Fun game.

Easily the best of the last three TR's.

 

[TissueBox]

You actually get to raid tombs in Shadow and I love it. Most balanced of the three imo, though Rise will always be a high point in eighth-generation action gaming.

 

[KORNdog]

Terrible game. I'm glad the trilogy is finally over.

 

[krae_man]

Best Tomb Raiding of the trilogy. Especially if you are playing the definitive edition with all the DLC tombs.

 

[Starlatine]

Its the best game of the new trilogy and the only one that can, in a sense, be called a tomb raider game. story is dumb as bricks (as all the trilogy was) but you actually do get to do what tomb raider was about - puzzles and tombs instead of playing call of duty siberian warfare

as always era hyperbole wants everyone to believe its a 2/10 trashfire so just ignore anything people will post, play and take your own conclusions

 

[Fonst]

Shadow is the last one right? Cause that was amazing. It is the only one I kept. It took all the lessons from the first two to perfect the exploration parts and the tomb raiding in this one. If it wasn't for the super hard difficulty trophy and 3 headphones in 3 seconds trophy, I'd Platinum it.

 

[Clive]

Lara's character and the writing wasn't great, or good, or decent and the highest difficulty has really stupid checkpoints given how imprecise some jumping can be but I thought it was a great game overall. It has a great sense of adventure, solid tombs, good mechanics and is fun to explore. I understand where some of the hate comes from but I was able to look past that and really liked the game overall.

 

[pahlke1]

It's my favourite out of the whole trilogy. I found the setting and tombs incredible. Plus the cutscenes blew me away in HDR with all the gold and lighting on display.

 

[Dead Man Typing]

Shadow has two problems:
The upgrades are pretty meaningless
The story drops off a cliff

Other than those two aspects I really enjoyed the game. There are some cool puzzles and set pieces. Rise just felt more cohesive and I enjoyed the story and progression more.

Really enjoyed all 3 reboot games.

 

[AdaWong]

It is an outstanding game with a very mediocre plot and inconsistent writing.

 

[TimeDevourer]

I enjoyed it. Certainly the best "tomb raiding" experience of the new trilogy, and it's a beautiful game. A lot of fun to explore and track down all the collectibles.

The big negatives for me are the combat which is truly awful and the completely unnecessary skill tree and crafting system.

 

[kamineko]

best tombs by far, and it looks good

but i realized that i don't care about trinity, i never cared about trinity, and i have a hard time believing that trinity could ever exist, even in a made-up video game world. not sure how i made it so far in a series with trinity in it

i hope i never hear about them again

 

[Sheepinator]

I'm surprised to see people praising it as the best of the recent three. I'd rate it the worst. Much of it is boring. The dlc is worth having for all the extra tombs though.

 

[nihilence]

The White Queen is really cute segment. I spent too much time running around the back yard.

 

[Salarians]

the story was bad enough that it ruined the rest of the game for me

 

[Kaswa101]

Tbh I wasn't a fan of this one. The story was really disappointing and it made me kinda dislike Lara as a character lol. Gameplay also felt just kinda serviceable and the ending itself was... oof

 

[WyLD iNk]

Enjoyed the hell out of it. I finished up my Xbox copy just days before it was announced for PS+, and happily bounced back in for the replay there.

I'll never understand the hate.

 

[BabyShams]

It's a very fun game, the semi -openess hurts it IMO. Thats when I lost interest and had toi come back later.

 

[Xagarath]

Best tombs and best overall gameplay of any of the modern games. The DLC is entirely worth it, too.

 

[WhiteNovember]

Worst of the new trilogy, but I like that the focus is on more puzzles and less shooting. Graphics are also very good.

 

[RickPresk]

I've also jut started this, I didn't know it wasn't well liked as I didn't take much notice of it when it came out, I'm really enjoying it though, its good fun to play although I do die alone messing up some of the traversal!

 

[SofNascimento]

My belief is that Shadow lost itself when it tried to be a game that wasn't really supported by the core mechanics of the engine. At the same time they wanted more tombs and exploration they should have revamped the climbing/movement systems. So it's quite weaker when compared to the two other games, but it's still a solid experience.

 

[catboy]

Overall, I Hope the bar stays high and doesn't fall into a trench.

Click to shrink...

about that... :(

i loved tr2013 and thought rise was very good, but shadow felt like a slog to finish. the tombs are really good and i like that there is less emphasis on combat, however the story was just the worst of the bunch.

 

[Sonix]

Liked it the most of the trilogy. Graphics are really top notch I'd say and gameplay wise it was much more what I wanted from a Tomb Raider game than Rise. Story-wise its pretty mediocre but I really liked the "new Lara"-character (I know of the inherent problems of the character and game with all that raiding tombs and invading cultures stuff).
Happily jumped back in when all the DLC was on sale and completed that too.

 

[Deleted member 19533]

2013 and Rise are some of my all time favorites. Shadow is slow, though. It's okay, but it definitely feels like a few steps down. I just ran through it a week ago and really only did the story--it didn't really seem like there was as much to game as the previous entries, and it definitely was lacking in combat and action pieces.

 

[Oneself]

The more linear beginning is much better than the rest, it gets tedious and boring near the middle.
The 1st in the reboot series is still the best IMO even if it's not really Tomb Raider.

 

[Sadire]

Glad you had fun, it felt like a slog to me, much prefer the second one Rise.

I liked parts of it, but as a whole I didn't care much for it. Also it was the only game that picked up on my stick drift, certainly added to some frustration until I fixed it.

 

[bonch00ski]

Shadow has two problems:
The upgrades are pretty meaningless
The story drops off a cliff

Other than those two aspects I really enjoyed the game. There are some cool puzzles and set pieces. Rise just felt more cohesive and I enjoyed the story and progression more.

Really enjoyed all 3 reboot games.

Click to shrink...

This x1000

So much I loved about the game but those 2 things bring it a notch below Rise for me.

 

[Serule]

Best + most tombs of the trilogy.
Best looking too.
Story doesn't work; the set up was decent but it does not pay off; it raises a bunch of thorny questions about if what Lara is doing is OK but then kind of sweeps them all under rug

 

[catboy]

Best + most tombs of the trilogy.
Best looking too.
Story doesn't work; the set up was decent but it does not pay off; it raises a bunch of thorny questions about if what Lara is doing is OK but then kind of sweeps them all under rug

Click to shrink...

100%

also having to wear specific outfits in paititi was a very small but really annoying thing

 

[Lowrys]

It was a decent game overall, but the writing was (like all the new TR games) atrocious.

Also, you could tell they stripped out a ton of combat encounters, probably as an overreaction to the criticism of the amount of combat in Rise. The game has an elaborate crafting and upgrade system for weapons, but you only get into a few fights in the entire game.

The mud camo mechanic was also introduced and then used about twice in the entire game.

I appreciated the extra tombs, but they shouldn't have been DLC.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

2013 and Rise are some of my all time favorites. Shadow is slow, though. It's okay, but it definitely feels like a few steps down. I just ran through it a week ago and really only did the story--it didn't really seem like there was as much to game as the previous entries, and it definitely was lacking in combat and action pieces.

Click to shrink...

This is exactly why i liked it. The action and combat always felt out of place in a Tomb Raider game. The worst about Tomb Raider is when it's trying to be Uncharted.
Did you play the DLCs? Some amazing puzzles in there.

 

[Starlatine]

Also, you could tell they stripped out a ton of combat encounters, probably as an overreaction to the criticism of the amount of combat in Rise. The game has an elaborate crafting and upgrade system for weapons, but you only get into a few fights in the entire game.

Click to shrink...

There was no overblown criticism for the amount of combat in Rise nor overreaction for Shadow. Rise had way too much combat. There was even a fucking zombie killing DLC for christ sake, because that's what comes to mind of people when they think "Tomb Raider", killing zombies. Shadow steered the game back in the right direction.

The criticism about the skill system is just it existing at all, since its pointless. The (little) amount of combat in Shadow and the balance shifting towards exploration and tombs was perfectly fine.

 

[Deleted member 19533]

This is exactly why i liked it. The action and combat always felt out of place in a Tomb Raider game. The worst about Tomb Raider is when it's trying to be Uncharted.
Did you play the DLCs? Some amazing puzzles in there.

Click to shrink...

I have not yet. I actually just got them on the sale. Which started a day or two after I played it.

Ordinarily I'd agree with your premise, as I do love the older TR games as well, but it felt like they were a core component of how the new trilogy was designed. It wasn't necessarily that there was less encounters that was the problem, but the encounters that were there were all very small skirmishes with the exception of the one where she goes all John Rambo. But even that one, relative to the other games is pretty small. I think fewer encounters would be fine if the ones that were there were as well designed as some of the ones in the previous two.

 

[Lowrys]

There was no overblown criticism for the amount of combat in Rise nor overreaction for Shadow. Rise had way too much combat. There was even a fucking zombie killing DLC for christ sake, because that's what comes to mind of people when they think "Tomb Raider", killing zombies. Shadow steered the game back in the right direction.

The criticism about the skill system is just it existing at all, since its pointless. The (little) amount of combat in Shadow and the balance shifting towards exploration and tombs was perfectly fine.

Click to shrink...

Oh I'm fine with the lack of combat in Shadow. I just found the skill/crafting system pointless, as a result.

 

[Starlatine]

Oh I'm fine with the lack of combat in Shadow. I just found the skill/crafting system pointless, as a result.

Click to shrink...

The game would certainly be better if it wasnt there and lara just got skills at story points for sure, but i guess its a requirement for modern games to have *8*skillz trees*8* and rpg elements, but it didnt bothered me much. Unlike Rise, where the combat which is the part i least liked was there all the goddamn time

 

[daninthemix]

Fun game.

Easily the best of the last three TR's.

Click to shrink...

Agreed. Lovely visuals. Enjoyable exploration and climbing. Combat feels good and there isn't too much of it.

 

[Deleted member 91227]

I enjoyed it, but it was my least favorite game of the new trilogy. That's just me as I never liked the games before the reboot as I mostly hate puzzles in games (use my brain all day for work, want more mindless things in my entertainment time) and liked the more combat/action focused first two games in the reboot trilogy.

To me those first two games were Uncharted with worse stories but better gameplay as I enjoyed having upgrade and crafting mats to find vs. pointless items for someone who doesn't care about earning trophys and I like skill trees.

That said, I'm fine if the series goes back to it's roots as it has a lot of and not every game has to be for me of course. I just wish we got more linear, cinematic third person shooter games. So much is online focused or open world these days.

 

[SlipperyMoose]

The story was...whatever but it's a beautiful looking game and I have fun with the tombs and environment.

 

[Not Spaceghost]

Yeah I put 24 hours into this game over the weekend and everyone told me the game wasn't good but honestly it's probably my favorite of the 3.
I've always really enjoyed these games a lot and I like that Shadow's combat is so spread out that when it happens it feels significant, and it treats combat like a puzzle challenge rather than just shoot bang, especially on the higher difficulties.

The story was fine, I feel like this is where the game kinda lost points. I liked Lara in this, I liked the whole cast generally but it just felt like it didn't go anywhere for a bit and we were just stuck in the hidden city running around doing "stuff". Though you know I've always really liked that this TR trilogy really leans into the fact that Lara has murdered thousands of people lmao, especially the scene where Lara goes full terminator, that was great fun.

The talent tree was fine, it was an incentive to get you out there and explore these extra tombs and crypts so you'd have enough XP to buy the talents. The only problem is a lot of talents weren't super useful. Especially the one which made it cheaper to restore vestige gear, which was never really a problem for me because it's not like there is much to use these resources on anyway.

Unlocking the rope ascender and the lockpick by just buying them from a hidden vendor unlocked through a side quest was cool but I really feel like those could've been integrated into the main game instead.

Also the bonus DLC tombs are pretty fuckin fun.

 

[firstseeker]

The story was...whatever but it's a beautiful looking game and I have fun with the tombs and environment.

Click to shrink...

Sums up my view of the game.
I played it on PC, if that matters....

 

[OhMoveOver]

Definitely my favourite of the three in the modern series. Some of the animations in cutscenes did seem a step down from Rise , but the gameplay was more enjoyable .

 

[RedHeat]

Pretty terrible for me. The "open" village hubs were way too big and the general gameplay loop was boring.

 

[Kemono]

Good looking game and the tombs were fun.

Characters, acting, story, semi open world approach and more were underwhelming.

I think Kamala (Avengers) is the first character from a Chrystal Dynamics game in nearly forever that i liked. They're horrible in creating character faces and personalities.

 

[Holyoneturtle]

Definitely a step up from 2 but 2 is my preferred one. I enjoyed 3 a lot though with the exploration and puzzle solving.

 

[nihilence]

So I have one potential gripe so far.

There are tombs and areas in the beginning of the game in Cozumel that require gear that you regain in Peru. Am I supposed to fast travel 2000 miles away to complete them?

Fast travel doesn't normal break the immersion for me. But in this case we just had a plane crash. Did I misunderstand the locations? Or maybe we go back to Cozumel, and could naturally revisit that location?

 

[unknownspectator]

you know what I like?

Here's a bunch of costumes!

Spoiler: restrictions

Oh, you have to wear this certain costume every time your in a village which you spend a third of your time in

 

[Ravio-li]

I'm right now in the middle of Rise - the tombs are the most fun part of that one and it made me think I should upgrade to the definitive edition of shadow before I start that. These games aren't brilliant but for some reason it's one of the few cases where I enjoy collectibles and all of that side stuff busywork.

 

[Cascadero]

I recall having such a good time playing through this. Yes it's a deeply flawed game with its story etc, but the action adventure feeling was great.