Preach! Shadow with all the assists turned off is the best Tomb Raider game of all time. Criminally overlooked.
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What's the better Tomb Raider game out of these 3?
- Thread starter Deleted member 12323
- Start date
Preach! Shadow with all the assists turned off is the best Tomb Raider game of all time. Criminally overlooked.
Which ever one you played first because the games are pretty similar so you don't need to play the entire series to experience what the games have to offer.
Tomb Raider 2013, definitely. I LOVE the classic games and sorely missed the exploration, sense of dread, and puzzle solving in 2013, but the game has a really strong sense of drama and momentum that's thoroughly fun and engaging. Rise and especially Shadow work hard to add in more exploration and puzzles, but the pacing is SIGNIFICANTLY worse in those games with far more intolerable storylines and characters. 2013 doesn't have a great story, but it does feel like it has fire, passion, and a lot of fun grit to trudge through. Rise and Shadow feel sanded over by comparison with a far more boring Lara and less exciting combat encounters. The added puzzles and apparently "classic" style TR elements are nice, but they feel stitched into games that are still just overall handily worse than 2013.
2013 was the LOST game I wanted. Rise just never held my interest despite seemingly being everything I wanted. Didn't bother with Shadow.
Shadow had too many forced sections that stripped options from the player and a brain dead plot.
Rise had a brain dead plot that was laughable but has the best gameplay and exploration.
2013 has the best plot (not saying much) and solid gameplay that got improved in rise.
It's Rise if u can ignore the plot.
Rise had a brain dead plot that was laughable but has the best gameplay and exploration.
2013 has the best plot (not saying much) and solid gameplay that got improved in rise.
It's Rise if u can ignore the plot.
I liked them all, but Tomb Raider 2013 is still my favorite. The whole Metroidvania design and overall setting of the island just sits very well with me. Shadow is probably my second favorite.
They're all shit, but if you were forcing me at gunpoint to play one, I'd probably choose Tomb Raider (2013).
Assuming you're not being forced at gunpoint, play the original games instead.
Assuming you're not being forced at gunpoint, play the original games instead.
2013 has the best/least worst story if only for the lesbian (sub)text.
There is nothing heterosexual about this.
In terms of game design, I feel 2013 is the best at borrowing from Uncharted while also doing its own thing.
I flip flop on whether Rise or Shadow is better out of those two, since they both have their faults. I'd have to give Shadow the edge for having better DLC tombs and overall game design.
There is nothing heterosexual about this.
In terms of game design, I feel 2013 is the best at borrowing from Uncharted while also doing its own thing.
I flip flop on whether Rise or Shadow is better out of those two, since they both have their faults. I'd have to give Shadow the edge for having better DLC tombs and overall game design.
The first "reboot" is so fucking bad.
All about murdering every 2 seconds.
Even uncharted wasn't this obnoxious.
And when 4 finally did away with this design to be more like an actual Indiana Jones film, they were doubling down on that with tomb raider, urgh.
I didn't play shadow yet but it makes me more interested to check it out then.
Mechanically, Shadow is the most compelling of the three even though it doesn't really do anything super original. One of its problems is that they wore the formula thin by then. The other games are similarly okay. I think they're worse than Shadow though. TR 2013 is super middle of the road with tedious combat, whereas Rise is slightly more interesting until it unravels into the exact same story as the previous game, and there's similarly way too much boring combat for its own good.
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I respect your take on the story mattering but since I would say the story is shit anyway in those games, the fact the pacing is so TERRIBLE for a tomb raider game makes it a hard pass for me.
I never said the story was good. 😂 The cutscene direction is horrible in 2013.
Because it felt like Classic Tomb Raider and was almost playing like them, at less it brought back the underwater free swimming and exploration which was one of the most stupid decisions ever made to be taken out from the first two Rebooted games.
I thought the pacing in Shadows was close to unbearable. Maybe I just grew tired of the formula, or it was a case of one too many collectathons added to the overall formula, but I still haven't finished it and don't plan to.
Tomb Raider and Rise are both, to me, equally enjoyable and equally flawed. I give the edge to Rise for being a more refined experience gameplay wise.
Tomb Raider and Rise are both, to me, equally enjoyable and equally flawed. I give the edge to Rise for being a more refined experience gameplay wise.
TR2013.
World building is just miles beyond the other two games and the atmosphere is quite creepy and more intense in TR2013. Combat somehow become worse with Shadow (and I don't mean encounter frequency). Only thing Shadow did better was proper underwater navigation and exploration. It was a joke in Rise and non-existent in TR2013; it doesn't make up for another fragile, father-complex having and naive heroine with bad combat and poor environmental interaction.
World building is just miles beyond the other two games and the atmosphere is quite creepy and more intense in TR2013. Combat somehow become worse with Shadow (and I don't mean encounter frequency). Only thing Shadow did better was proper underwater navigation and exploration. It was a joke in Rise and non-existent in TR2013; it doesn't make up for another fragile, father-complex having and naive heroine with bad combat and poor environmental interaction.
They're all awful, but Shadow is the least awful of the lot.
Shadow is by far the worst one of the 3.
Did ERA have falling out with the new trilogy? I don't get the hate in here. The reboot is beloved among PC community. I personally 100%'ed 2/3 games and loved every moment.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider was so bad IMO. The Aztec lore made the game feel like a big slog. I wanted the game to end so bad but it over stayed its welcome. It's one of these games I regret forcing myself to complete.
2013 has the best/least worst story if only for the lesbian (sub)text.
There is nothing heterosexual about this.
In terms of game design, I feel 2013 is the best at borrowing from Uncharted while also doing its own thing.
I flip flop on whether Rise or Shadow is better out of those two, since they both have their faults. I'd have to give Shadow the edge for having better DLC tombs and overall game design.
Couple of besties!!
2013 is the best because it's less "open world" than the newer two meaning that you don't do nearly as much backtracking.
Backtracking in a game about exploration, fucking hell. How did they even thought that this is a good idea?
Otherwise they are all weak. Weak stories, weak characters, mediocre gameplay. Shadow is especially bad in story and characters, it's just pure nonsense at this point.
The best TR is the Anniversary remake followed closely by Underworld.
Backtracking in a game about exploration, fucking hell. How did they even thought that this is a good idea?
Otherwise they are all weak. Weak stories, weak characters, mediocre gameplay. Shadow is especially bad in story and characters, it's just pure nonsense at this point.
The best TR is the Anniversary remake followed closely by Underworld.
era just doesnt like or care about certain popular games
outside this forum and other gaming forums, the reboot trilogy is widely seen as pretty good but not spectacular games with poor stories and fun, easy-to-pick up gameplay
I really liked the first one. I have zero fondness for the original TR games so I enjoyed it for what it was and the way the world gradually opened up as you found more skills seemed really well done. I'm pretty sure I 100%ed everything in this one.
The second one was bigger in scope and I enjoyed it as well but the puzzle/dungeon sections were the most fun and they simply didn't give you enough of them. Many of them were way too short too. I think I found nearly 100% of the stuff in this one too, I know I at least unlocked all of the upgrades.
I only got to play a couple hours of the 3rd and it seemed ok enough, but was taking way too long to get me into the real gameplay. It seemed like a lot of flashbacks and tutorials. I'd love to play through it but I doesn't seem like they are ever coming back to gamepass and I'm cheap...
I didn't actually pay for any of these now that I think about it so maybe that set my bar lower? I got the first one as a gift in giveaway in the old site and the second one came free with my video card at the time. I got into gamepass too late and the 3rd was removed before I could really play it.
The second one was bigger in scope and I enjoyed it as well but the puzzle/dungeon sections were the most fun and they simply didn't give you enough of them. Many of them were way too short too. I think I found nearly 100% of the stuff in this one too, I know I at least unlocked all of the upgrades.
I only got to play a couple hours of the 3rd and it seemed ok enough, but was taking way too long to get me into the real gameplay. It seemed like a lot of flashbacks and tutorials. I'd love to play through it but I doesn't seem like they are ever coming back to gamepass and I'm cheap...
I didn't actually pay for any of these now that I think about it so maybe that set my bar lower? I got the first one as a gift in giveaway in the old site and the second one came free with my video card at the time. I got into gamepass too late and the 3rd was removed before I could really play it.
Shadow, on 'one with the jungle' difficulty and with all the sliders up and assists off, and with all dlc (i.e. definitive edition). Felt the most like a TR game to me, nice sense of exploration and danger. Also the mythology and archaeological details were really well done, some cool tombs and stuff!.
I went back to play a bit of Rise recently, not as good as I remember it.
I went back to play a bit of Rise recently, not as good as I remember it.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider easily because it has a lot less combat and a lot more tombs/puzzles/exploration.
When it comes to the reboot trilogy, Era seems to be made up of two groups of people:
1) Those who think the games in the reboot trilogy range from a 6-10 in quality, depending on which game you're talking about.
2) Those who think the entire trilogy is 1/10 gutter trash.
Seriously, the folks who dislike these games, really fucking dislike them. As is always the case, the people who hate something are often louder than the ones that like/love it.
2013 is the best paced game, has the best set pieces and is the most fun to replay and has the best story. Most tight level design.
Shadow has the best platforming and puzzle solving and the lack of white levels makes traversal the most engaging.
Rise has the best reference to Planet of the Apes.
Shadow has the best platforming and puzzle solving and the lack of white levels makes traversal the most engaging.
Rise has the best reference to Planet of the Apes.