What was your favourite game from the rebooted Tomb Raider trilogy?

[oni-link]

Now the dust has settled, what do you think was the best game from the rebooted Tomb Raider trilogy

I just finished replaying 2013 and I think that's maybe a hair better than Rise in my opinion, though I think it's really close

So Era, what was your favourite game from the rebooted Tomb Raider trilogy, and why, and where should the series go next?

 

[Cocolina]

They're all great but I think the first one really set out the stall in a way that the sequels didn't fully capitalise on.

 

[Legacy]

The first one, by a mile

 

[oni-link]

They're all great but I think the first one really set out the stall in a way that the sequels didn't fully capitalise on.

Click to shrink...

Playing the first game again, and only a few months after Rise, kind of highlighted to me how much better the pacing was in 2013

I loved Rise and it still looks spectacular, but when you get to the hubish areas and have to do side quests it really kills the pacing, whereas the first game is paced really well (Even when factoring in the hidden tombs)

 

[.exe]

Interesting results so far. The first one didn't gel with me that much. The environments were cool, but I didn't like the setpieces, the shooting was eh, didn't like the grizzly deaths and the QTEs were off the charts. I'm still working my way through Shadow, but I like it most so far simply because it has less shooting, which has been mediocre at best in this series.

 

[ZeroX]

Probably the original. A solid Uncharted copy with potential that would sadly go unfulfilled.

Shadow definitely shows that it's from the B-team and Rise has absolutely atrocious climbing.

 

[jukeboxhero2396]

first 2 are some of my favorite games of the decade. Never played 3 because the reviews were so mixed.

 

[8bit]

The first one, I didn't finish the third one as I was absolutely furious with it for some reason by about half way though.

 

[Musubi]

Rise is by far my favourite.

 

[NeoBob688]

The first one, but it is hard to say because that is the only one I maintained interest in enough to finish. The other two are better in some ways but suffer from "more of the same."

 

[Zalman]

I liked the first one quite a bit. I started Rise, but never finished it. Never bought Shadow.

 

[skeezx]

first game was surprisingly decent, was pretty excited to see where they'd go with it. RotTR the kibosh on that pretty quick though it's not a bad game by any stretch. i don't know if you could pay me to play Shadow i'm just so disinterested at this point but i hear there's less combat which intrigues me a bit. maybe on a rainy day

 

[ShinUltramanJ]

I'd have to replay the 2013 TR to really remember it well enough, but I had a great time with Shadow. It starts off a bit slow, but once you get going there's a good mix of combat and puzzles.

2013 May have been the better game overall though.

 

[Bowl0l]

Only played 1. I bought the other 2 but didn't play at all because I'm wary of another exclusivity deal.

 

[Ahti]

I love the first one and Rise, but since the first game has fantastic pacing, it gets my vote.

 

[Deleted member 16876]

I was wondering which trilogy you meant.

The first game is the most inspired game of them all. The story wasn't great and the characters sucked but there was potential to fix it.
The gameplay and setting was great and overall it just felt inspired.

The next two games were just uninspired.

 

[GlitchyDegree]

I still need to play shadow but out of the first two, it's Rise. It's tied with Underworld & Anniversary for my favorite in the series.

 

[Noppie]

They only got worse with each new installment, unfortunately.

 

[CanUKlehead]

Shadow was my favourite, but since it's not as big and pretty linear, I've only replayed the first.

 

[oni-link]

Can the people who enjoyed the first game or two but disliked Shadow explain what they thought was wrong with Shadow?

Is it a bad game in your opinion or was it just more of the same?

 

[plagiarize]

I liked the exploration and puzzle focus on shadow so that one was my favorite. Also very pretty compared to the other two. Tomb Raider probably deserves the most praise though for doing such a good job reinventing the template.

 

[Cor]

Can the people who enjoyed the first game or two but disliked Shadow explain what they thought was wrong with Shadow?

Is it a bad game in your opinion or was it just more of the same?

Click to shrink...

the combat and tombs in shadow are at their most refined, but the story aint even remotely as interesting as the ones in the previous two, actively detracting from the experience, and the hubs are godawful.

 

[ItchyTasty]

I really liked 2013, was a bit "Eh.." on Rise and haven't played Shadow.

Only played 1. I bought the other 2 but didn't play at all because I'm wary of another exclusivity deal.

Click to shrink...

Wait you already bought them? What not play?

 

[oni-link]

I liked the exploration and puzzle focus on shadow so that one was my favorite. Also very pretty compared to the other two. Tomb Raider probably deserves the most praise though for doing such a good job reinventing the template.

Click to shrink...

I agree with this but the template has been spent now. I doubt we'll see Twilight of the Tomb Raider in 2022, and if we do, I doubt it would perform well, so it begs the question where does the IP go from here?

Another reboot? Pivot to open world/another genre?

 

[Mozar]

the first part was the best

 

[Deleted member 8196]

I have yet to play Shadow, but between Rise and TR, is TR by a country mile.

 

[Ahti]

Can the people who enjoyed the first game or two but disliked Shadow explain what they thought was wrong with Shadow?

Is it a bad game in your opinion or was it just more of the same?

Click to shrink...

It´s definitely not a bad game. I love that they`ve implemented chooseable difficulty modes for certain elements of the game, the game feels much more like a traditional action-adventure without hints and the puzzles are great.
But the leveldesign lacks the brilliance of both predecessors, Shadow is less like a Metroidvania and more linear.
And there`s some terrible dialogue and acting.

 

[flattie]

The first was probably the best. I thought the island was really nicely realised and its physical structure was quite satisfyingly coherent.

That being said, they never got anywhere near the atmospheric highs of the original Tomb Raider, even with Anniversary.

There is no denying that Crystal Dynamics make good games, but i don't think they ever really found the mark with any of their TR games.

 

[Sanctuary]

The original (2013). I thought I would enjoy Rise more due to it having "more tombs" to explore, but with the way they are handled in the modern iteration of the series, it just kind of killed the pacing for me. The first game was an OK take on being the Uncharted/Tomb Raider hybrid that it was and at least had relatively good pacing. With each consecutive game though, my enthusiasm just progressively waned.

Absolutely loved the first two Tomb Raider games on the PSX though.

 

[Donniewahlberg]

The first game for sure. Better setting and atmosphere , better pacing, just a really good game. Like Rise well enough, didn't really like shadow of the tomb raider, but both were really just an exercise in adding more extraneous bloat imo.

 

[Harlequin]

They were all a bit shite but the first one at least had its moments. The other two were just dreadfully dull all the way through. Just give the franchise to someone who isn't afraid to make a proper Tomb Raider game, please.

(That being said, from a technical perspective, they were quite well-made and the art was pretty great for the most part, too. It's just the story and gameplay that really didn't do it for me. And they managed to ruin Lara's personality even more than they already had in their previous three games.)

 

[Nida]

I've only played the first unfortunately.

2 is on Game Pass. How's the Xbox One version?

 

[Agni Kai]

I'm halfway through my Shadow of the Tomb Raider playthrough and I can say that the first game is, by far, the better game. It's more engaging and way better paced. I think I legit spent around 2 hours walking around The Hidden City looking for collectibles for the sole purpose of earning XP.

 

[ghostcrew]

Rise for me. Pretty solidly. I liked the first one quite a lot but it didn't ever get out of 'lesser Uncharted copycat' mode for me.

Rise bought some of it's own flavour to the mix with the hub areas, side quests, scavenging etc. Once I got into the groove I was absolutely hooked.

I'm still plugging away at Shadow every now and again but, as a day one buyer, it's never sunk it's hooks into me the same way Rise did.

 

[darthkarki]

2013, and it's not even close. I was super surprised by how much I enjoyed that. Super fun environments, great gameplay, interesting story, decent characters. Had a lot of fun upgrading weapons and all that.

Rise was just a massive disappointment. There were some fun improvements to the game play like crafting smoke bombs, but the story and characters were just terrible, the environments were pretty boring. I've played 2013 several times now, but haven't felt compelled to play Rise again since I've beaten it the first time.

I haven't played Shadow yet, it looks like just more of Rise to me. And I just can't stand anymore of Camilla Ludington. She's just awful. Bring back Keeley Hawes please.

 

[IvanJCroft]

Shadow was the closer to classic TR (still disappointing) so that.

 

[elenarie]

first 2 are some of my favorite games of the decade. Never played 3 because the reviews were so mixed.

Click to shrink...

You should. :p If you liked the first two, you'll like this one too.

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

2013 has better pacing and doesn't get as bogged down by the more open nature of the sequels. It also has the most enjoyable combat and most satisfying conclusion. It's the game I've replayed the most.

Shadow has by far the best platforming though, and some really good puzzles. Getting rid of white ledges was a game changer. Unfortunately Shadow doubled down on my issues with Rise with the excessive collectibles and needless open design that led to poor pacing, plus the combat was the worst of the 3.

 

[VenomousCoffee]

Can the people who enjoyed the first game or two but disliked Shadow explain what they thought was wrong with Shadow?

Is it a bad game in your opinion or was it just more of the same?

Click to shrink...

I liked the gameplay, and it looks very good, but the story just completely falls apart at the end. I also didn't like the hub areas at all (largely because of the stupid costumes). TR and Rise have the right kind of nonsense plot, while Shadow has the wrong kind (is the best way I can put it).

 

[Clive]

I think Rise struck the right balance between exploration, crafting and action. Some of the tombs were excellent too. 2013 had too much action and Shadow had too little of it.

 

[RespectThySole]

Definitely the first one

 

[Cactuar]

The first one, and it's not close. They actually got progressively worse.

 

[Sulik2]

Rise was a tremendous game, one of my favorite open world games of the gen and easily the best of the trilogy. Shadow was an embarassment coming after this game.

 

[Cheesy]

Honestly wasn't big on any of them, or at least the first two, never bothered with the third, but I really had to push myself to finish the second one.
I kinda prefer the older ones like Legends and Underworld. The reboot trilogy just felt so bland to me.

 

[Dphex]

first 2 are some of my favorite games of the decade. Never played 3 because the reviews were so mixed.

Click to shrink...

when the first two are your favourite games of the decade, maybe play the third one for yourself instead of listening to reviews.

i never get this review obsession these days, there can be games rated a 6 and they are great and games rated 9 can be ass.

on topic: the first one was good, Rise felt too gamey and artificial to me, the puzzles were nonsensical. Shadow is more classic TR than the first two though, they toned down the action too.

for me, the trilogy is the definition of Sequelitis

 

[BDS]

The first one was really fun and refreshing and made me want to see more of the characters and world. Then they flushed that all down the toilet in the sequels even if the gameplay was still pretty decent.

 

[Damn Silly]

In a weird way, I feel if Shadow came out first I would place it head and shoulders above the other two, but by that point I was kinda done with it, so it's TR2013 by a distance. Sam's still the best character.

 

[Styrman]

The reboot was great.
Rise was terrible.
Shadow was ok.

 

[psilocybe]

2013 for sure.
The combat in Rise is an improvement. But the game was less focused.

 

[Mushlikeahusky]

The reboot was great played on PS3
Got rise on Xbox one then never played it and sold it because I couldn't get into it
Bought the 20th anniversary edition on ps4 and finished it in a couple days because it clicked at the time
It was decent
Got shadow on Xbox one X and can't get into it but plan to try again here soon