LTTP: Rise of the Tomb Raider, better than Uncharted 4?

[Redneckerz]

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I picked up Rise of the Tomb Raider 20th Anniversary Edition on sale a few days ago and it's an absolute blast. First of all, this game is gorgeous in motion. The environments are beautiful and the animations smooth. The set pieces have been really enjoyable from a visual standpoint with some really fun art design. I'm really loving my time with it so far.

Now to the real discussion here. Do you prefer RotTR to Uncharted 4? Furthermore, do you prefer the 2 new TR's to the Uncharted series in general? I understand they are different styles of a similar motif, but I feel they are comparable.

As I'm playing this game I'm constantly having fun which makes me compare it to Uncharted. Now, I know it's been discussed before, but I really don't have a lot of fun playing Uncharted. The story is wonderful and the characterization is top notch, but the game play is beyond dull to me. There are some of the best set pieces in videogames inside those games, but unfortunately, I found them to be lessened by the game play itself.

On the flip side we have Tomb Raider. In my opinion, both games play fantastically. Stealth is fun, shooting works well, and there are plenty of upgrades for both skills and weapons that provide incentive to play in different way. The activities are varied and, oh yeah, I'll never get tired of headshotting dudes with the bow. Where they fall short for me is the story. Particularly in the characterization department, which is exactly what Naughty Dog nails.

So, I'm left struggling with how I feel. It's the classic game play vs. story debate. I think Tomb Raider wins narrowly for me because I just have more fun playing it. However, I've noticed that Uncharted leaves a longer lasting impression on me because of the narrative.

What do y'all think?

 

[Ghost]

I played it earlier this year on PC.

I absolutely adored 2013's Tomb Raider, and RoTB is right up there with it for me. Great action, fun story, nice maps to explore. But I have to give the edge to Uncharted 4. Naughty Dog's attention to detail, level design, cinetic storytelling and character work is just one step above Crystal Dynamics, for me.

But really. It's a Coke vs. Pepsi situation for me. I'll always favor Coke, but I'll never complain about drinking a Pepsi.

 

[KrillinLikeAVillan]

I prefer tomb raider by far, i cant stand the gameplay in uncharted.

 

[NullPointer]

I had a hell of a lot more fun playing Rise of the Tomb Raider (and replaying it, twice over). Its more focused on gameplay and rewarding exploration than UC4. And I say this as someone who really, really did not enjoy TR2013. RoTR just has a much better balance of gameplay elements, less arena battles and almost or maybe even no QTEs, thankfully.

UC4 is a pretty amazing accomplishment, but RoTR feels more player-centric than story-centric, which is where I prefer the focus to be. That's probably why I also enjoyed The Lost Legacy a lot more than UC4 as well.

 

[Razgriz-Specter]

One thing I definitely greatly preferred with Tomb Raider is how more "technical" the adventuring feels.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

Youll get roasted since Uncharted is a sacred franchise, but i agree. Loved both TR games and especially rise. Couldnt stand any uncharted until 4 which i thought was just ok.

 

[Paul]

I thought the writing in Rise was so terrible that I had a hard time really enjoying it. Gameplay was ok, some missions were beautiful, but the writing...just so bad.

Uncharted 4 is a masterpiece of popcorn AAA gaming. Well written, always stunning, fun to play.

Tomb Raider 1 was pretty good, lot better than Rise. The writing was not amazing but at least I was not facepalming through every cutscene.

 

[BarryFishFinger]

Didn't like Rise. It doubled down on all the stuff I disliked in the 2013 reboot (which generally I enjoyed). Uncharted 4 wasn't perfect but it was, for me, the vastly superior experience. I find Lara to be such a non character these days, poorly written. And there is something deeply irritating about the voice actress. Can't put my finger on what though.

 

[Deleted member 1185]

Whatever mechanical advantages ROTTR had over Uncharted (traversal) was completely undermined by its limp story and utterly unlikeable cast. I cant remember a thing about that game and it was a struggle to finish it. Uncharteds narrative pushed me through the more tedious parts and had me invested.

Overall i dont think the games are even in the same league but i still respect people who can find enjoyment in ROTTR. the bigger tombs were great puzzles and id like a game that focused more on that than fighting boring people

 

[Comic Obsessed]

The Tomb Raider reboot offers exactly what I wanted from Uncharted after playing the first entry. An adventure story with a huge emphasis on exploration and treasure hunting.

Unfortunately, Uncharted obviously ended-up becoming more of a third person shooter (Not saying that is bad, loved Uncharted 2) which makes me happy that TR exists.

 

[amnesties]

Lost Legacy and Rise of the Tomb Raider > Uncharted 4

 

[Sheng Long]

I know a lot of people liked RotTR but I liked UC4 much more. TR just felt off to me.

 

[TitanicFall]

Rise has better puzzles and exploration and is less linear. The side tombs are much more clever than anything Uncharted 4 has. Uncharted 4 has better combat and story.

 

[SLB1904]

It's not even close lol

 

[Strangelove_77]

No. Rise isn't even better than the previous Tomb Raider.

 

[Ahasverus]

It absolutely is. In fact, after having played the 4 uncharteds in a row this year, the TR games are so much better I can almost understand why people hate them.

 

[Deleted member 32679]

I loved the reboot but i got bored and disinterested on Rise. Uncharted 4 was amazing.

 

[KrillinLikeAVillan]

It's not even close lol

Click to shrink...

 

[Lackless]

I've always enjoyed the new Tomb Raiders way more than the Uncharted series.

 

[MercBerserk]

personally hated rise. Gameplay was tight, but everything else was wooden dry and felt like a chore to play. Odly enough, I loved the first.

uncharted 4 is a personal fav.

 

[Yerffej]

I love Uncharted but this blew away 4 for me.

 

[astro]

I enjoyed TR 2013 more than UC4. Although that's gameplay only (the writing/story/characters/acting are all quite bad).

UC2 is the best, but they just be nostalgia.

RotTR was horrible, though.

 

[TheCrackedJack]

It's not better for my tastes, but it's still a great game.

 

[FA!S]

Rise is an amazing game. It has some similarities with Uncharted, but it does it's own thing quite well. I think Rise shines when it does it's own thing. If it's better than Uncharted 4, it depends on who you are and what your taste is.

I for one, strongly disagree with your point. I think Uncharted 4 is the better game as well as it being the best Uncharted game ever. But to each there own.

 

[Selvaria]

Like many have already said, the gameplay in the new Tomb Raider games are to me a lot more enjoyable than the Uncharted games. This is even more true with Uncharted 4 where there are entire chapters that are essentially walking simulators. Those games have become too concerned about telling a story. Gameplay is always more important for me.

 

[Animal Liberation Ⓥ]

I prefer tomb raider by far, i cant stand the gameplay in uncharted.

Click to shrink...

It's not even close lol

Click to shrink...

Click to shrink...

Ironic you would avatar quote him.

 

[gueras]

In gameplay terms? For sure!

 

[gogosox82]

I cannot stand the rebooted TR so Uncharted wins by default.

 

[Deleted member 437]

Uncharted 4 is master class. I love the gun play. It feels so good, plus the rope is an awesome addition that really spices things up. TR feels sloppy.

 

[Poimandres]

It absolutely is. In fact, after having played the 4 uncharteds in a row this year, the TR games are so much better I can almost understand why people hate them.

Click to shrink...

Wait, what?

The worst aspects of the new Tomb Raider games are the hard push for cinematic flair. It just doesn't come across convincingly to me, especially compared to Uncharted. If there's one thing Naughty Dog excel at it's surely presentation! So, Tomb Raider would be better if it moved further away from Uncharted. More exploration and puzzle based, less explodey action.

 

[Jobbs]

It's hard to A/B them because they're so different. ROTR has a lot of open areas and exploration and light RPG elements -- UC4 is extremely limited, structured, and linear by comparison.

Personally, I liked ROTR far more. I thought UC4 was an absolute snooze, putting me to sleep multiple times (literally. I played it before bed for several days before giving up about half way through). I found the main character extremely off putting (he's a fucking dickhead) and the gameplay tedious. YMMV

 

[KrillinLikeAVillan]

Ironic you would avatar quote him.

Click to shrink...

 

[Harlequin]

I don't like the TR reboot games for a few reasons:

• I'm a fan of the old Core Design Tomb Raider games (back when the series was still a challenging 3D-platformer with puzzles, exploration and some combat, not a third-person shooter with exploration, some oversimplified "platforming" and a few puzzles that barely deserve the name) and the reboot is even further removed from those than Crystal's LAU trilogy was. It's like they made a completely new game and just randomly slapped the name Tomb Raider on the box when they were done.
• I generally don't like shooters and combat-centric games. The only reason for me to ever put up with a game like that is if the story/atmosphere/characters are good and the Tomb Raider reboot fails horribly at that (perhaps not quite as much with the atmosphere but certainly the plot, the dialogues, the pacing, the characters, etc. tend to be incredibly poor in the reboot games).
• And while I can appreciate that the first reboot game did a lot of things well from a gameplay perspective (even though I personally didn't really enjoy it being so combat-heavy), Rise just seemed like a step back in that regard. The hub design felt unfocused and it wasn't a whole lot of fun to explore hubs in Rise (which, it was at least somewhat enjoyable in the first reboot game) and the crafting and pseudo-RPG stuff just felt shoehorned in, unnecessary and annoying. Sure there were more/bigger optional tombs but those honestly weren't all that good, either. And some of them almost relied on you using the game's dumb survival instinct mode. (Also, while the stealth stuff was a welcome addition, compared to Uncharted 4's stealth mechanics Rise's just felt undercooked and almost more like a gimmick than a fully integrated feature.)

Basically, my view on the matter is that Crystal tried to copy Uncharted but they didn't have the main ingredient: a good story. (Now to be fair, some games in the Uncharted series were lacking in the story department as well but almost never as badly as the TR reboot games are.) They're constantly trying to be "cinematic", shove cutscenes, story moments and character development in your face at every twist and turn but because the story and characters are so bad, all that ends up doing is basically shining a huge spotlight on the weakest element of the game. And where these story moments tend to be what holds the experience together in a good Uncharted game, in the TReboot and Rise, it's where the games really fall apart.

 

[M1chl]

I liked it more, but I don't think that they are comparable, like 1:1. In RotTR there are a lot of open spaces and you can be lost there without proceeding with main story. I feel like Tomb Raider 2013 was far more comparable to Uncharted and it was worse than any of them, really didn't like that game.

 

[kaputt]

I prefer the exploration of Rise of the Tomb Raider. However, Uncharted 4 story and writing is miles ahead in my opinion.

When it comes to gameplay, it's... complicated. Aside the bow, I'm not a big fan of shooting in Rise of the Tomb Raider, but it's ok. Uncharted is much better in that regard. But overall, even though I don't dislike any Uncharted 4 mechanics, I think I prefer playing Rise of the Tomb Raider, I believe it has a bigger variety: more interesting stealth sections, puzzles, exploration, and the secret tombs (which are awesome and the best part of the game in my opinion).

It's a weird choice for me, but, even considering that there's a lot of stuff that I firmly dislike about Rise of the Tomb Raider, it feels like the best game for me - well, I put more than 60 hours playing and replaying it so far. I still hope they can improve the gunplay in the next game and hire someone other than Rihanna Pratchett to write the story, then it will be a masterpiece.

 

[space_nut]

Definitely the rpg elements and exploration is top notch

 

[mario_O]

I couldn't finish ROTTR. The level up system that forces you to do these annoying sidequests was just bad. It was a chore. I didn't enjoy the grinding. And I don't think these type of games need a level up system. The gunfights were okay but not as good as Uncharted. The writing is poor, I mean nothing witty or funny like Uncharted, and with forgettable characters.

 

[Creamium]

Didn't like Rise. It doubled down on all the stuff I disliked in the 2013 reboot (which generally I enjoyed)

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I thought the writing in Rise was so terrible that I had a hard time really enjoying it.

Click to shrink...

Both of these, I could never get into it and was so disappointed to see that it was just more of the '13 reboot, only not improved and with worse writing.

Uncharted 4 is one of the weakest Uncharted games, but at least it's a better experience than Rise. My answer is The Lost Legacy, which easily beats both.

 

[Nimby]

Playing through this as well, it is enjoyable for the type of game it is. I just cannot wait until this arc of TR games is finished so we can get a more traditional Tomb Raider again. I personally think the series would benefit from a different combat system all together, something more akin to RE4/5 rather than standard 3rd person combat we have now. Old TR games had their share of ammo conservation and inventory management that is missing in new TR.

Level design was a whole lot better in classic games too. Exploration is barely a requirement in this game, which is the biggest problem with it. ROTR is very straightforward much like TR2013, they upped their puzzle game, but it's hard to become immersed in literal unexplored territory when the solution to completing a zone is to just walk forward. And to 100% it, then you need to explore, but it's hardly memorable this way. I remember levels in classic TR games like I do zones in Souls game, this game doesn't quite accomplish this.

I think I prefer UC2 to both of the new TR games, but I like them more than UC1 and 3. I just watched my roommate complete UC3, and while the action was top notch, I felt the story was a bit non-sensical, and the villains felt like they had much of their development cut. Marlowe to me seemed like she would amount to more than what she actually did. Talbot was a goon-level tier villain that should have been dealt with halfway in to the story. What happens to the villains at the final section of UC3 reminds me of Eternal Sonata on the X360 (only on 360) and that is not a good comparison. UC1 feels pretty dated to me in multiple aspects, game is not as long and the characters aren't quite there yet like they were in 2 and 3.

So yeah, I think these games are good for what they are, but they don't quite scratch the itch previous games do. I just got to the Geothermal Valley, so I predict there's still a good portion of the game remaining. I will probably end up liking it, but I don't think it will end up accomplishing the above.

 

[sam777]

Rise of the Tomb Raider, definitely.

 

[silva1991]

More fun gameplay, but UC4 is better at everything else.

LL is better than both.

 

[Ringten]

I enjoyed the first tomb raider. Not sure how you can like one but not the other.. They're very similar. Rotr had way more/better tombs so that's very much appreciated, but that's about it. I would have liked a decent story and more locales (global adventure). Oh, and I do think the bow was more satisfying in the first game.

Uncharted is my favourite franchise. Uncharted 4 however I actually found boring, but it was at least memorable for me.

So ehhhh I'l do you one better: uncharted the lost legacy is better than U4 / ROTR

 

[supernormal]

When I finally played the reboot on the PS4 I thought it had better gameplay than all the previous Uncharted games. Uncharted offered the better spectacle and story though.

The thing is, when ND revamped the gameplay for U4 it was pretty much perfect for me. It clicked for me when I got caught around the Scotland tombs( I always play stealth) and I was able to seamlessly transition between stealth,action and platforming, keeping the experience tense the whole time.

I still enjoy the RPG elements in in Rise and the Reboot and look forward to what they can achieve in their next entry.

 

[G_O]

I much much prefer the rebooted tomb raider games to the originals. Both fantastic

But Uncharted edges them out for me

 

[Diarrhea Day-Lewis]

I enjoyed the first 90% of UC4 more than RotTR. I liked the moment to moment gameplay of TR a bit more but UC's story, cast, settings are so much stronger.

As far as final set piece, final sequences I prefer TR.

I'd say UC4 is the overall better product but TR had some advantages

 

[The Almighty Tria]

I haven't played Uncharted 4, but I found Tomb Raider reboot and Rise to be better than the Uncharted series. So much more fun to play.

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

I think the overall tone from the onset puts me off of the new TR's but I say that with next to no knowledge of what the second one is about.

I much prefer the light-hearted, adventure tone of the Uncharted series and even if I was down on 4 for its over-dramatic presentation, I still appreciated the characters and knowing they'd eventually have to get to this point to complete their arc. But I'm hoping for more "back in the heyday" adventures to come.

 

[Gamer @ Heart]

Uncharted was a better experience in terms of set pieces and story by far.

But tomb raider was the better game when it came to traversal and exploration. It helped it had a more open structure.

Combat to me is equal in both.

 

[Violence Jack]

I loved the gameplay more in Rise of the Tomb Raider than I did UC 4. But UC has the better characters to me.

 

[somedaythefire]

can't stand either new tomb raider games. bad games.