Launch Station: Tomb Raider

It has been a long wait, but the Tomb Raider reboot is finally here.  Bewitching gamers with its reveals over two years ago as the cover story of the January 2011 Game Informer and its first game footage at E3 2011, Tomb Raider is not the same as we all remember.  This Tomb Raider is a more mature game that looks to characterize Lara Croft as human being than this incredibly sexy female Indiana Jones with unrealistic assets.  A bold move for a franchise that has been so successful over the years no matter the quality of the games, but a necessary move that updates Lara and her franchise to the standards needed to survive in today's video game industry.

Tomb Raider follows Lara Croft on her first adventure.  The story shows Lara's transformation from an innocent, naive and frightened young woman to the hardened confident survivor we all know and love.  Shipwrecked on a mysterious island, Lara has a daunting task ahead of her.  Not only does she have to survive long enough to get help, she also has to find her missing crew mates and friends that have been scattered all over the island.  While there is plenty of danger on this island with the wildlife and the islands' inhabitants, Lara has to face the dangers of merciless band of mercenaries that have stumbled upon the island as well.  Tomb Raider takes elements from the other games in the series and brings it up to today's standards of action-adventure games.  Tomb Raider offers a solid third-person shooting mechanics, new character progression, crafting and skill systems, a whole open world to explore and many animals to hunt and things to scavenge in order to survive this dangerous island.  While the story is a huge focus in Tomb Raider, the open world of the island allows players to complete the many side quests and challenge tombs in the game.  If you cannot get enough of Tomb Raider, Crystal Dynamics has also included competitive multi-player in Tomb Raider.  It is not the focus for the game, but a cool little inclusion for those who would like more chances to dive into the third-person shooting of the main game.

Personally, I have been looking forward to Tomb Raider ever since I read that cover story in the January 2011 issue of Game Informer.  Crystal Dynamics new take on Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider series is incredibly refreshing as it matures a series that many gamers grew up with.  The strides taken to make Lara Croft a much more relatable and multi-dimensional character than she has been in past games have really gotten me excited to play this game.  While many have compared it to Uncharted, Tomb Raider looks to take Lara Croft to heights Naught Dog has reached with Nathan Drake and push it even higher.  This game may not be the Tomb Raider that many remember, but it is the Tomb Raider that will revitalize this franchise and propel it into the future.