Tomb Raider

  If you want a summary of how games played in this current gen Tomb Raider maybe perfect game to use. Crystal Dynamics borrowed elements from Uncharted, Batman, Metroid and basically all big blockbuster action games; put them all in a blender and added loads of polish. I honestly can't think of anything this game does bad, it does everything very well but it almost feels it has no identity of its own.
  At it's core Tomb Raider is mostly like Uncharted. The majority of the game you will be in gun battles where you hide behind cover or you can maneuver around a level to get in close for some melee attacks. You will also be jumping around environments using Uncharted style platforming. Where Uncharted has blended the platforming and action into one, TR keeps them separate. Most of the gun battles seem simple as instead of giving you large areas to mess around with most funnel you into specific battle areas. Basically it has more scripted battles than free open battles which is a shame cause the open ended battles are fantastic.
  Lara's has all the basic weapons you find in any third-person-shooter but with a bow and arrow. All weapons are upgradable and add secondary fire and new firing types. Lara can also use stealth to get some instant kills on enemies. Melee attacks are basic with a really easy dodge move, not as interesting as Uncharted's melee but at least it allows for close battles. When the game mixes enemies well and starts to throw in large destructible environment the action becomes as good as any action game. The only unique aspect to the gameplay is how Lara can manipulate the environment with fire or pulling objects with a rope arrow.
  There are gigantic epic action moments spread throughout the game. These set pieces are visually stunning and really help to inject some energy into the basic storyline. While incredible events are happening on screen this game separates the action and the scripted running from stuff or QTEs so much that it feels like you watch the big action moments then play the usual battles. Uncharted mixes the gameplay with the big events, for instance when a boat is sinking you are still fighting as the entire world is rotating around you, Tomb Raider never does anything like that.
  This is where the Uncharted comparisons end though, as Tomb Raider has a whole exploration element to it. The game areas are rather large and are interconnected, think Metroid but more linear. As you play you gain new abilities that allow you to reach new areas or find secrets that were unreachable. All throughout the game world are objects to find. These serve as exp boosts so that you can upgrade your moves, a few do add some backstory. For the most part it is busy work just to say it has exploration but there is are some that are very well hidden, even need to solve a puzzle or two to reach. If the whole game hid these objects behind a small puzzle, like say Batman AC, then it would be special but too many are simply right out in the open.
  That said the platforming feels fantastic and exploration allows for a nice change of pace to the action. The game world is stunning, believe me you will want to search every inch of it. I must say I love the vertical nature of many of these areas, they become almost mazes of zip lines and rock climbing, really unlike any areas I have seen. Some areas have "secret" tombs that are practically impossible to miss. Inside these there is usually one physics based puzzle to solve. At first these are very basic but in the last few hours of the game you start to get some puzzles that make you think. Sadly one puzzle rooms aren't that exciting. With all the cool things they do with physics CD could have added some excellent puzzles, you see that at certain moments. Such a shame almost 90% of them are basic boring stuff.
  Tomb Raider will take you over 15 hours to play if you explore and try to find all objects. The campaign never gets boring and is always pushing you to new areas. The story has its moments, especially at the end when you have a great fan service moment. There is a multi-player mode which is extremely generic, clearly a copy paste job from every multi-player mode this gen.
  This game screams quality. This game is so well made that almost anyone can enjoy it. It is not one of those games that has something that may piss you off. The flip side to that is that it plays it so safe that it does not feel special. This game comes out 4 years ago and it is getting straight 9s and wins many GOTY awards. Now we have seen all this, we have played this many times. It simply does not do enough on the gameplay front to distinguish itself from the pack