Rise of The Tomb Raider - The BEST Tomb Raider Game?
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- Опубликовано: 10 июн 2024
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Edited by Playstayshaun
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Other Essays: • Video Essays
- Chapters -
Introduction: 0:00
The Best Part: 2:36
Introduction: 4:06
A Promising Sequel: 5:48
Tomb Tourism: 17:08
Another Crazy Croft: 37:24
Conclusion: 53:33
Post-Script: 55:18
#ad #tombraider #riseoftombraider
After the events of Yamatai, a once innocent Lara Croft is now a hunter, pillager, and a survivor. Despite attempts to tell the world what she saw, all evidence of Himiko and the lost city of Yamatai are erased, leaving Croft considered a fool, like her late father. With a shattered psyche and a tarnished family name Lara takes up a new challenge in Rise of The Tomb Raider, redeeming her family's name, and proving to the world, and perhaps to part of herself, that she, isn’t, crazy.
After the 2013 reboot of Tomb Raider, Croft seems to be heading in a new direction that while separate from that of her older adventures, couldn’t separate itself from the very series that it inspired. But really quick, I want to level with you all. The name Lara doesn’t roll off the newfie dialect very well so in my first video, I thought, “hey I’ll just say Laura and nobody will care, tomato, tomato. Sasha, Sasha, Tara Tara”. I thought very wrong and a hell of alot of you pointed out how much it bothered you, so as promised, we’ll be calling Lara by her proper name BUT, if any of you have read my name aloud and called me that boy “ackwa” instead of “that boy aqua”, sleep with one eye open, I’m in your walls. With Croft's latest adventure performing well enough it wasn’t long before we received a new entry, this time being Rise of Tomb Raider, which I hope is the game where Lara reaches her potential and truly embodies the modern Tomb Raider. Some were expecting this to be a return to older games and while I can see why, I expect something new as this is a reboot. The term reboot used in the last video explained why I wasn’t wanting just another older game and judging by the comments, that needs more clarification.
I know that the definition of reboot is a restart or revival of a series, but in a gaming context, what I have come to expect from a reboot is something new. I know that the older games had greater fantastical elements and Croft was more of an unrelenting badass than she was here, but if Lara was the same in these games, I’m sure many would question the need for a reboot at all, why not make a sequel. With that said, I’m not expecting the game to completely abandon its Identity. This is why the 2013 Tomb Raider wasn’t received as well by die hard fans, and there's merit to this, with there being few actual tombs for you to raid. By the end of the game after Lara transformed into the badass reminiscent of her previous incarnation, many including myself were ready to have a sequel that fulfilled a adventuress power fantasy from start to finish, with hopes of better puzzles, a better story, and a better Tomb Raider And what did we get? Well, let’s say we got a developer that listened, mostly.
The Tomb Raider survivor trilogy was a controversial one. Despite the first game being met with praise and pillory, Rise of The Tomb Raider or more commonly, Rise of Tomb Raider, saw Lara Croft, Not Laura Croft I'm so sorry, in a game that did more to please old fans, while still keeping new ones happy. Hence why we can look at Rise of The Tomb Raider 7 years later. 7 years later, we can see what worked and what didn't. This Rise of The Tomb Raider review, Rise of The Tomb Raider analysis, and Rise of The Tomb Raider critique will look over every aspect of the game to varying degrees. This Rise of The Tomb Raider Retrospective will not feature a discussion of Tomb Raider 4 or any other new Tomb Raider Game. Though if one is released, then it will be discussed in this Tomb Raider Retrospective. Shadow of The Tomb Raider is the next Tomb Raider Review and that Tomb Raider Critique will be out in a few months along with perhaps some earlier games in the Tomb Raider Analysis series. For now, let's see the Rise of The Tomb Raider explained, critiqued, and analyzed.
Written by That Boy Aqua 
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Correction: Thank you to Lupus Cairo for pointing out that the Bomb Arrows are actually in the first game. They are an upgrade to the arrow outside of the story. I missed that, oops. So the upgrades are still for the most part reused, but saying that the bomb arrow is new in this game is very wrong. Let me know if there is anything else I missed and I'll add it here.
if u have played the witcher 3 can u please tell me wat the hype about the game is all about because it looks confusing and too much of a grindy game thoughts????
@@zaidebtw4438 have you played it? I thought so too upon my first playthrough but I got used to it
@@ognjensijak989 got used to wat? i never played it cus usually i research the games i get so i dont waste my money on games like cyberpunk. people praise this game highly but from gameplay and story it looks to confusing to understand ive never played the ones before or read the books so im scared the story will be confusing for me and also rpg games im conflicted on if i like rn
@@zaidebtw4438 that's what I said. It was confusing to me at first but not knowing the back story or having prior contact with the media is not necessary to enjoy the game
@@ognjensijak989 wen u say enjoy the game do u mean in a story way or gameplay way cus im sure the story is GREAT but idk if i even like rpg games just cus of how long they take to complete or even cus of the levels system. is the witcher 3 worth all of that??
I agree but the biggest problem with the 2 sequels is that we DON'T get to use her iconic dual pistols after she used them at the end of the first game
Nowadays it's all about her dual pickaxes
Can't wear shorts in the jungle, either. Swimming with trouser is apparently more practical and realistic, while the locals are wearing loincloth and filp-flops.
I can't believe this game is 7 years old, what a game! My personal favourite of the reboot trilogy but your critiques and criticisms are valid and points I'd not thought of. Quality content as always mate, Shadow isn't bad but Rise is better
Love your channel, man...cool seeing you around.
@@JazzyUnderscoreTrumpeter it's cool to see you around too mate!
Yeah I agree, I couldn’t get all the way through shadow it was very lackluster for me, but I enjoyed this one a lot more mechanically, story wise I think I preferred 2013 tho
I think Shadow is pretty bad. Like graphics and gameplay wise it's the best but story and characters wise it's the worst. I hated Lara in it and Jonah just felt like he didn't belong there and is pretty useless, and the story was pretty shit too. It could be because I'm not a big fan of maya/ aztec history, I prefer Japanese history which is why I liked 2013 better. Rise is my personal favorite because Lara was at her best, she wasn't innocent like in 2013, but she wasn't a heartless bitch like in Shadow. It also did a good balance of combat and exploration as 2013 was mainly combat and Shadow was mainly exploring.
@Shawn Rasmussen yessir bro... that's the exact same 4 me
If I may share a personal story with you all.
My dad played the original Lara Croft games as a kid. He loved them all, played them for hours, and has very good memories. When I was 11, I got my first ever games console, an Xbox One, and despite the warning label, my dad got me Tomb Raider Definitive Edition. I loved it. It was a real father son experiance that I won’t really forget. I didn’t really care about all the violence and blood, I was already watching Tarantino movies.
When I got my hands on rise, I hadn’t played tomb raider for years. I forgot all the mechanics and how to play, I’d forgotten all my skills, but as soon as I loaded up that game, it was the best feeling I’d had in a while. It brought back so many memories of sitting down and playing with my dad. It gave me a storyline that was perfect. It gave graphics that were just nothing I’d ever seen before on tv. It cemented the tomb raider series as the best games I’ve ever played.
Rise will always be a tricky one for me, the collectibles were harder to find and the environment had much more muted colours than what I was used to in other games, but my gods is it a brilliant game that hyped me up so much for shadow, and whatever other Lara Croft games come in the future.
I love this trilogy
Ok
Nice story I live it 2
That's a great story of bonding with your dad over a shared love of a game!
Funny enough, I have a similar story of bonding with my hubby over Tombraider.
Way back in the day, he bought me the Tombraider games on Playstation (yes, the FIRST console). He would then boot the game up on his computer and we would play the same game, on the same levels, and be like "ok, I'm gonna go left, you go right", both exploring the game yet gaming together. It was a lot of fun 😁 and got me into gaming (my previous experience was playing Mario and Streetfighter with my brothers growing up).
When we upgraded our game consoles to the Xbox One, both came with Tomb Raider The Definative Edition and Rise as digital downloads. And we totally bonded over them again, this time we were *both* "console peasants".
Anyway, just thought I'd share. These games are great and a lit of fun.
AI-generated stories.
Rise is my absolute favorite, I have 100 percent it😂
'Could easily fit into her many pocket'
This is where you are wrong. You overestimate the capacity of girl pockets.
I know it's always a joke but it's actually true with guys pockets. I literally fit my entire Nintendo Switch in my one pocket and they were just shorts with not that deep of pockets. I know a Switch isn't the biggest thing out there but it's pretty long, especially with the joy cons on it so I was surprised I could fit it in there.
@@vengeance1450 bruh. I wouldn’t buy a switch cus they whole point is portability. That ain't fitting in my pockets and it's gonna get damaged in a bag.
@@hazelcrisp I rarely use it as a portable console, I usually play it on my tv, when I do play it that is. I mainly play on Playstation and rarely use the switch, I only got one because I like Mario games.
@@vengeance1450
Same. Kinda. I intend to buy a Switch and I have zero intent to play it on the go.
It's nice to see someone criticize this game's story without resorting to "daddy issues" or "Lara's not badass enough". I am not the biggest fan of how your vids are constructed, but I do like your story analysis on games since you critique stories better than most people in the gaming community do.
I’m glad you appreciated my thoughts! What could I do to construct the videos better?
@@ThatBoyAqua
You tend to summurize the stories of games too much even though most people watching probably played the game already.
That and you tend to focus on details that isn't gameplay like graphics and looks and all that. I personally don't really care for that.
@@civilwarfare101 I would counter by saying anecdotally that I have not known the stories for the majority of games Aqua has reviewed. Your other point is pretty subjective but I suppose so is my initial point haha
@@civilwarfare101 I haven’t played but I agree I should play them before I watch but I just get entertained by how he explains the game
@@pseudzy
You could also read the plot summary on Wikipedia too. I just feel it takes up too much time.
I love this entire trilogy, but I ended up liking Shadow more than Rise, though not as much as TR 2013. Shadow's tombs are just on another level. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it!
For me i rate the games like this Tomb Raider (2013) < Rise of the TR < Shadow of the TR.
While the 2013 I found as good and the last one as very good which gave me some vibes from older games.
I like shadow less because of all of the terrain is the same so much looks reused and rehased. I prefer the more combat heavy of rise of and i feel rise of nails all of its systems and design far better... But i do think shadow is a good game. Many say shadow has the best tombs, i cant agree. Its got more but i cant say all are better. Anyways, i love all 3 but rise of is a sweet spot for me.
@@mravg79this is my ranking too. for me, the gameplay is the draw of these games, not the plot, and the gameplay consistently and sometimes dramatically improves each game. the plot gets worse, but it was never amazing to begin with, and it’s still passable enough in each game where i wouldn’t call the plot bad. but the tombs and the spectacle of shadow is just really impressive
@@TheMurrmursonbottle I didn’t even mention the plot. They for sure can do better. For example Guardians of the Galaxy game had imo quite good plot which fit the franchise/universum.
I also liked the gameplay evolution between parts and ironing some stuff like crafting
I'm currently replaying all 3 Tomb Raiders, and it's still fantastic experience, but I'll never forget the first time experience, story of Lara and her adventures, all those mysteries, the possibility that some things may be real, or are, it's just amazing.
incredibly underrated trilogy
Fully agree, it gets a lot of flack, but as a person who never played the older games from the 1920s I loved this trilogy!
@@laptoptweakingtips The 1920's lol? You seem like you're 12 years old.
@@Largentina. haha no bro. It was an attempt at humor. Not bad for the 90s but the graphics seem archaic in the older games 🤣😅
People seem to hate on these new games simply for the fact that Lara Croft is more human than the original games and isnt as "badass", that just aint true though.
@@Ridi0n agreed, these are literally the games ive replayed the most. Only started gaming start last year and I think i must have replayed each atleast 4 times. Shadow and Rise are freaking awesome in my opinion :)
I fucking love this trilogy so much! The survival, predator, hunter aspects of her journey are amazing to me.
This is a really great game and I’d recommend it to most people, especially if they liked tomb raider 2013 I think mechanically it was much better than the last and there were a lot stuff I really liked, I really can’t tell whether or not this is better or worse.
@@aweigh1010 Nice! Shadow has the worst rep of the three games, but personally I enjoyed it quite a bit. There are definitely some issues that will require you overlook, but if you are able to the game has some good shit to appreciate. The voice acting has high moments that reaches the top of the industry among the greatest in my opinion, but you'll get to be the judge of that. Hope you enjoy!
@@johnnybensonitis7853 When you say the acting is at the top of the industry do you mean just throughout the Tomb Raider games or games as a whole? Because if you mean out of every game then no offense but you haven't played a lot of games. The acting is pretty shit and mediocre, no offense to the actors but Lara's voice gets annoying and when all the actors do emotional scenes it is more over the top than realistic in my opinion, it's just them screaming. Games like Red Dead Redemption 2, The Last of Us, and Uncharted 4 for example have way better acting.
@@vengeance1450 I actually did mean games as a whole, but I've only played through Shadow once and seen very little in-depth coverage on RUclips so perhaps I got a bit carried away with my last comment. Those games you mentioned are at the top, they are with the few others that set a standard for which all others will be compared for some time I imagine. When I think of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, I think of what I consider the highest moments in the game when it comes to the performances. At the end of the first level is one, and I'll admit it's mostly due to the level of intensity the actors deliver their lines with. Especially Jonah, who lays into Lara over things I won't spoil but man, it really stood out. But yeah, I'd personally consider it just a cut under the games in the same league as you mentioned because the quality isn't consistent throughout the game. I may have got a bit too excited in my last comment, but I still got a bone to pick with ya now, bro. Lara, sounds annoying....? I have a caps lock key here and I'm not afraid to use it. (Nah, I think the actress is great but I get you)
@@johnnybensonitis7853 You can spoil all you want bro, I've beaten all of the games twice. Yeah when Jonah exposes Lara for killing all those people and not caring the acting was pretty good but overall it's just generic in my opinion. And the Lara being annoying thing is just my personal opinion, British accents get really annoying to me after listening to them for like five minutes. Luckily Lara's isn't that thick but the way she pronounces some words annoys me.
@@vengeance1450 I can see where you're coming from, and "generic" is probably not a bad word to describe it at all. It definitely has that Hollywood Action Template Script feel to it, but personally I can enjoy that a hell of a lot more in a game over a movie due to the interactivity where I'm actually killing all the bad guys! That scene after the flood where Lara is freaking the fuck out really came out of nowhere for me, especially after Lara starts blaming herself for removing the artifact when Jonah just fucking steps up with, "IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU, LARA!" Which is a very reasonable thing to say to someone who hadn't seemed to process how that flood killed a shit load of people, but the intensity damn near gave me a jump scare. I really should play the games again though to make sure my memory is sugar-coating reality a bit there lol
This game is a masterpiece im still playing it till this day
Honestly, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is by far my favorite of the survivor trilogy. The three separate difficulty sliders was incredible for players like me who wanted good puzzles and exploration, but could not care less about the combat. Shadow of the Tomb Raider felt the most similar to the classic games in my personal opinion, and did a really good job with making Lara a living nightmare.
The sequence with the light machine gun was crazy xD
I still remember and idk why i cried at the end of the game. It felt like a goodbye and i dont want it to end.
Dude your commentary and customized ads are fantastic. Really enjoyed watching this!
Great game, played it a couple times over again, Shadow is also great, especially visually.
Tbh I feel like Jonah's reluctance was entirely focused around worrying for Lara's wellbeing, less about not believing her. Granted, It's pretty believable for him to think that what happened in Yamatai is making her try to see the supernatural in everything because of her trauma. That's just how I see it tho
Konstantin wasn't just motivated by religion, he was obsessed with saving Anna's life and may have had incestuous thoughts about her or was at least dependent on Anna for emotional support. He also didn't trust Trinity and had the "us siblings against the world" type of attitude. Anna creating Konstantin's "stigmata" was both amazing and effed up.
In any case Shadow is pretty great imo. Gameplay wise it has everything Rise has plus some additions, it looks beautiful, more tombs. Story wise things are subjective. Personally I liked it but it also had some significant flaws. I think a lot of the negative criticism comes from it having less combat relative to game length compared to previous titles.
Rise is absolutely my favorite of the trilogy. The post game with the all the expeditions/endurance and the cards give it replayability the others can't come close to.
The thing that weirded me out the most throughout the trilogy was Jonah's weird-ass shifts in character designs :v
I honestly prefer both Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider over Rise of the Tomb Raider. Shadow is just simply the best one for me. I loved the jungle theme, and the lost city.
In regards to pronouncing her name, it's quite ironic because her name was "Laura" at some point but they changed it because "Americans can't seem to pronounce Laura, so we went with Lara"
Came here after finishing the base game and Blood Ties. I think I really like this game (way more than the first cause this one actually felt like a tomb raider game) so hearing someone talk about it in 2022 is kinda soothing lol
This is my favorite of the series. It had so much more potential (like all the games in the trilogy) but as it is, it's a great and fun game, love the visuals!
The ending of the game made me believe that there is going to be so much more to the reboot, like three more games. It really felt like Lara was just starting to see what Trinity was capable of and that more fighting is in order. They scrubbed the whole island, manipulated her whole life, convinced the public, made an entire assault in Siberia etc, it feels disappointing that she just defeats them in the next game...
Out of all the Tomb Raider Reboot games, this is my absolute favorite. I may have some level of rose tinted glasses because I haven’t played the game since it came out but I just remember having such a positive experience throughout all of it. That’s SO more than I got out of the first game and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Something about Rise just felt to me that they finally were able to successfully set themselves apart from Uncharted and make a compelling story with a cast and environment that felt unique and a more realistic take on the Uncharted adventures. (I adore Uncharted and love all the games to some degree where as with Tomb Raider, I only loved ROTTR)
Missed ya. Shadow isn’t that bad it’s just lacking in content in comparison to rise. Feels like a step backwards in terms of overall package
But when it comes to the tombs and exploration Shadow is the best of the trilogy by far.
@@oswiroa4973 tombs and exploring yes . But honestly I wanna give that to technical limitations and the period in which is was released rather than it being something they didn’t wanna do or left out . I’m sure it would’ve been there from tr 1 otherwise but I do agree
@@ViewtifulJae nah tomb raider 2013 wanted to be Uncharted so bad they sacrificed the tombs and exploration in the progress
@@oswiroa4973 I don’t agree with the uncharted stuff. They definitely went more “set piece” driven. Was it a result if games like uncharted sure. But tomb raider has always been pretty cinematic in presentation. As bombastic as 2013 tho maybe not but again I think only as influence of the climate of the market did it have those moments but I still think technology is what would limit the open world aspect. They wouldn’t be able to have the same level of detail they did and also have an expansive world . I do think tombs as dlc should’ve been more of a priority if not in the base game (the ones we got I still felt lacking) but I do understand what you mean .
@@ViewtifulJae yeah like the tombs were lacking in that game. The few ones we had we so easy and forgettable. Shadow did that part better.
I chose to play this game on a controller and this made the assault rifles a lot more useful. Being able to dish a lot of damage, and not requiring that precise aim makes it really practical for more desperate moments!
Shadow is still my favourite, because for me the story was more interesting and the boss fight at least an actual challenge. The DLC tombs are also great, especially the last one.
23:32 I agree completely I had to restart this section many times because of the enemies knowing where I was all the time, hated that section
I’m glad I’m not the only one haha
Please review shadow of the tomb raider. You know what I missed the most in that game? The relaxing music when you are at your campfire. It was so mellow and nice. In shadow there is pure silent, nothing. 😢
I loved the DLC, especially Endurance Mode, and it basically saved the game for me. Thinking about Endurance Mode's difficulty challenge now, is that what the kids call "roguelike"?
One of my favorite part was the time trial challenges with cards. Like it's just so much fun.
Again a super good video, Aqua. Damn, it's already over 2 years since I found your channel through the batman videos. Thanks a lot for all this high quality content!
Greetings from Germany =)
Oh man I loved that glow stick.
I just played this game over again. I love it so much
I really enjoyed this video just like Rise of The Tomb Raider and other two games from reboot and I can't wait for you to do video on Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
Personally my favorite one is SotTR because of how beautiful it looks with graphics, level design, insane presentation, sounds and overall production quality, the environment in that game is amazing for me since I really like deep and dense jungles and tombs are actually insane.
Unlike many people, I honestly like Lara in Shadow because of how cold and badass she is, and voice acting with facial animations in cutscenes are amazing, also Jonah from Shadow was really likeable character in my opinion.
Now, I played the Tomb Raider reboot in reverse xd, first was Shadow, then Rise and then the first one from 2013 so Shadow being my first Tomb Raider might probably be the reason I like it the most.
Anyways, have a nice day and I'm waiting for your take on Shadow of the Tomb Raider!
i didn’t need to replay the survivor trilogy. but when aqua posts abt it i gotta do it
This video actually inspired me to play Rise again !
I didn't enjoy playing it the first time because after everything that happened in Yamatai and a survivor being born at the end of the 2013 reboot, I expected a return of the old Lara Croft and boy oh boy was I disappointed. She doesn't travel aside from Syria in the beginning, she doesn't have that cockyness and those cheesy oneliners that I loved so much (though maybe that would be too Nathan Dake-y after Uncharted's success), she doesn't even have dual pistols !! I realize now that those were unrealistic expectations, and it prevented me from liking this game as a sequel to the previous one.
The only thing I have to say about the Deathless Ones is that they weren't meant to be seen as dangerous and seemingly unkillable. The whole point with them is the fact they can't stay dead and how that makes them unstoppable because they'd just keep coming back. In other words, normal soldiers (to an extent) that can be temporarily killed but who'd "respawn" in a few days. About the Oni/Storm Guard, yes they were a bit of a let down.
An excellent video! Thank you for posting this essay
I went back to play this recently and it's absolutely my favorite of the 3. The environments are so diverse and you really get that sense of progression from seeing the map get so much larger through the story.
Edit: yeah that under-the-ice section is an absolute nightmare. It's definitely bugged or something since they spot you whether the enemy was orange or not. It's even worse on Extreme Survivor.
I loved Rise of the Tomb Raider, been meaning to replay it for sometime so hopefully one day I will. Love this game and the 2013 game, I haven't play shadow yet (college and a growing backlog helped with that) so that's the next game I'm playing after I finished the current games I'm playing. I've heard the mixed feelings on shadow but if it's anything like the first games I know I'll have fun with it.
It's really not like the first games. I can't really say much without getting into spoilers but Lara's character changes for the worse and I disliked her in Shadow. Also the game has a lot more exploring and a lot less combat than the others, so I guess it depends on which you like more. It's not horrible just no where near as good as Rise and 2013 in my opinion.
Dammn aqua, ur consistency is nuts. Love the videos man👍👍
I really like the trilogy and I'm looking forward to seeing your video on Shadow of the Tomb Raider. It's my favourite game of those three especially because of the adjustable difficulty settings for different parts of the gameplay.
The FIRST TOMB RAIDER HAD SUPERNATURAL ELEMENTS. ALL OF THE GAMES. BEFORE THE UNCHARTED WAS EVEN DESIGNED.
Jesus this was SEVEN years ago?! Damn
i absolutely agree that this is the best of the trilogy, but best of the entire series??? its up there i’d really have to think about this
Really? This is super dumbed down compared to the old games
Ya Boi New Video Hype!!
For what it's worth, Shadow is easily my favourite of the three games, getting closest to the having some claim to the Tomb Raider moniker. I highly recommend putting the puzzle difficulty to the highest setting.
You won me over by having the freezeezy peak theme 🙌🏼🙌🏼😁 That’s an instant subscribe
I’m so excited for your Shadow of the tomb raider video… I just beat it, and ya know what… I really really enjoyed it! It’s been since release that I played the first two like three times or so each… And on my second shadow play through, i’m already thinking about playing it AGAIN. It’s just so full of content, after all of the dlc (which I forgive now that you can get everything for $40)
It’s like the supernatural force from the first Uncharted, you may mow them down with ease, they still deal a lot of damage and you still fear them and feel very alert and are very careful when you know that you’re dealing with them
Thank you for correcting you mistake and saying Lara's name correctly
You're awesome aaakwa 🤣🤣
I feel like the Deathless were missing something important that the Oni from Tomb Raider had, specifically a fight with their leader. The Oni are most likely lead by the biggest Oni/Oni Brute, they have that whole scene of him armoring up while the others line that one hall. I'm pretty sure we also see a General for the Deathless in the Archives, the one who orders the attack when Lara is escaping with the Atlas. Not only that, but the Deathless in the game's own lore have a specified reason for how/why they respawn.
It would have been great if that was implemented in-game. Like the Deathless become a pile of ash that has a chance of respawning or they have a time limit for how long they stay dead and revive? That way they'd feel distinct from the Oni, despite being functionally similar?
I got the 20th Anniversary Edition of this game when it initially released, by coincidence, for my 20th birthday. Quite a symbolic game to me in that case. As of writing this, I’ll be 27 by next April and I still go back to play this game every now and then. Always on or close to my birthday.
25:12 Can't wait to hear your comment on the final set piece in Shadow. We're in the heart of the battle with an unlikely ally.
Watching both these videos about tomb raider made me want to stream these games
I said this in the last video but I totally loved this video game trilogy
23:18 was kind of bullshit. Once you take the first guy stealthily everyone knows exactly which hole you're going to cone out of next. It was still a cool fight, it's just you have to bank on coming out that second hole guns blazing and slay that whole room, which was really fun anyways in that segment.
Come and get it, that boy Aye-qua
These three games are probably one of my favourite current gaming series. In my opinion shadow has the best campaign because of the awesome tombs but I like Rise the most because of all that extra content. On ps4 the game came out a year later but it included all dlc feom the start and had a awesome artwork and a small artbook and I cant remember how many times I played that zombie mode in that old sowiet factory. I love it.
I monstly liked this game, but there's ONE thing that I hated in it, the Trinity guy that sells you stuff. Seriously, Lara takes down Trinity goons by the hundreds, but this one, she can't, and she's obliged to give him money while he's surrounded by gear that would be really usefull for you.
And it's not like he's protected by giant robots that would mow you down as the first threatening move, or out of our reach, or overstuffed. No, it's just a stupid unarmed goon that you just can't target, and that you have to pay for stuff.
Rise is the 👑.
P.S. What is that nice music in the background in the conclusion (53:40-55:30)?
Rise to me was not as good as the first reboot game but it still has its moments
I will whole hartley admit I am biased since I basically grew up with the Survivor Timeline. This trilogy of games is one of my favorites, I would even dare say it's better then Mass Effect. TR 2013 had a good enough start, to get the wheels rolling. Rise gets some of the plot lines left at the end of TR 2013 going (like Trinity as a whole since you can find a hint at Trinity from the GPS cashes), as well as revamping combat for the good. As well as refining other things in smaller ways. Shadow while it certainly has the most devicive story, it's certainly not The Room. It focuses on Lara's truma from both Yamatai, and Rise, as well as learning the truth to why Richard Croft was killed. Then it balances combat from Rise, and heavily focuses on Exploration, and mostly show don't tell. The tombs are highly improved, and if you want difficulty just play Deadly Obsession.
In short while I am biased, this series did the good thing of evolving Lara as a chacter, and updating the game it self. It's well worth it to play all 3, just don't let your nostalgia of the past games get in the way.
Also the Blood Ties DLC for this, is awsome. No combat, just story telling.
I just completed this to 100% last week after a very long (3 year) hiatus!
Ah yes, my favorite channel, That Boy Acqua.
Yes. Being Dutch helps a lot with pronouncing Lara. It's a valid Dutch name. Loved the game, style, lot of options. You can bully yourself through a situation or go stealthy, and reach the same result. The only thing I hated is the rather large mount of dead Lara's next to my desk.
"Summoning his Persona outside the Dark Hour" Bruh I'm dead 💀 😂
So is he
FINALLY SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTOOD THE REFERENCE🙏🏼
I loved the trilogy but I agree with a few things such as Lara should have brought other equipment with her, I loved that in shadow she almost immediately had her bow and other equipment
"The Best Part" for the sponsor lmao. love your vids ah-kwuh
I literally just finished playing the trilogy yesterday. Love the graphics and gameplay of the third but loved the story of the first. The middle one is well the middle one, forgotten.
Loved the video, I hope we eventually see a video on Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
I thought this was a great video. I never even knew the comics existed so I had a lot of "woah, I never knew" thoughts that improve my appreciation of the game. I also liked your hypothetical story tweaks.
Lastly, Polar Opposites has launched into being in my top 3 podcasts. Thanks!
This was an amazing game though weirdly there could have been better ideas to make the game better. It was a fun game and it had cool weapons, cool graphics, and a good story.
Great video Aqua as usual, looking ahead to the Shadow of the Tomb Raider video. This was funny timing as I just finished playing through the game and it's DLC. Personally I think I prefer this to the 2013 Tomb Raider but that's just me great game.
I know these games don't have the best story but it just is so much fun jumping around, doing the puzzles and fighting the enemies with the bow and the other weapons. Lara as a character also kinda turns into a brutal killing machine but she just doesn't feel like it. She is shorter than most enemies and other characters, physically smaller and her movements also feel less in your face Kratos like. I also like that there is no bad cheesy lovestory and she just wears some jacket or top. She just feels very human and something like this is completely absent often from Power Fanatasies. Those of course have their place but these games do as well
Hell yeah! So glad you're covering these games. Since the Survivor Trilogy ended on what many understandably felt was a disappointing note, I managed to have a great time with the entire trilogy. (Well, the third game had some annoying shit with the vision thing where Lara would just give away "hints" as if eager to solve the puzzles for you, but overlooking flaws is somewhat required to enjoy the fun to be had with that game.) With Rise, I agree with pretty much everything discussed in the vid here. I didn't play any of the multiplayer, but the gameplay & story(main game + DLC) provided a great time despite some flaws. With the level of polish present in most aspects of the game it is rather shocking how it wasn't applied to a similar degree to the main narrative. I enjoyed much about it along with the various collectable documents etc, but damn man, that "twist" just felt like such a token attempt that likely became obvious to most the moment that cutscene begins playing. The predictable moments otherwise were easier for me to overlook, which mostly just comes down to the fantastic voice acting and depth of character most especially present in Lara. While she deals with all manner of conflict with lethal efficiency, her moments of downtime reveal a level of uncertainty that she appears to internalize to an extent to gather courage before taking action. I think it's those moments that really kept me invested since it's damn hard not to want her to succeed.
I could go on but should cut myself off, it's just great to see these games getting some appreciation/discussion! I had no clue Sam went to prison, that's such a compelling detail that I wish had been in the game. While Rise offered spectacle, Shadow goes balls out for better or worse. Also, it develops Jonah and has some of the best moments of voice acting I've ever heard in a game in a couple standout parts. Fucking loving this series of vids, they are a most appreciated treat!!!
I just beat this couple days ago and now started shadow since the trilogy was on sale. I liked this game and because you brought it up yeah it is just like the first game lol
The PSVR house exploration section was the first, and thus far only VR experience to give me motion sickness.
My experience with Tomb Raider is rather recent. My family has had Angel of Darkness and a PS2 for years, but we could never figure out how to save, so it made it completely pointless to try to play the game.
Then a couple years ago I remembered the select button exists. So I started playing through. I got about 2 thirds through before I stopped playing due to... Reasons. 1 third before I fell in love (yes, I love Angel of Darkness, fight me). I haven't finished yet, but I did watch all three movies, and I just recently played through the Sqaure Enix trilogy, bought and downloaded Legend, Anniversary and Underworld for playing next, and have ordered Tomb Raider, TR2, TR3, Last Revelation, and Chronicles for the Playstation to play through them and then restart Angel of Darkness.
But after just finishing Shadow (the main story, I still need to 100% it after doing the same for the other two games), I have found that Shadow fixes a lot of your complaints of the first two games of this trilogy. Not all of them, but most of them.
Edit: Shadow also has the most badass moment of the trilogy. Though I won't spoil it for anyone who doesn't already know. Just know that it simultaneously sent chills down my spine and made me get fully erect... Or... Something. Atthe very least, I was aroused.
Edit 2: Is it just me, or did anyone else think the depiction of the Prophet (Jacob) was very Jesus like?
I loved every minute of Rise.
I adore this reboot trilogy. top 10 favorites of all time for me personally. granted, I never played the older ones. but I fell in love with Lara and her transition from amateur treasure hunter to a badass fighter with something to prove (THE tomb raider). Rise is my favorite, as I prefer the story the most among the 3. it feels the most cohesive. I come back to these games often because it scratches an itch that Uncharted (undoubtedly a great series on its own) cant. this game hypes me the hell up. great vid.
i get your point in a way about the upgrades from the first game being stripped but please keep in mind that the game was built as is, meant to be played with a buildup as a stand alone assuming not everyone playing it played the 1st one
that boii aqua
Man, about Shadow of The Tomb Raider (NO Spoilers ahead, just some mechanics). If someone replies, let's keep it that way to our Boy Aqua have his experience
-The exploration gameplay gets nice new features
-There are harder puzzles and even the possibilty to completely disable the survivor sense and the "white paint" that shows the way since the 2013 game. (I am playing like this right now, after complting the game two times two year ago, and it looks like a great challenge actually). (I got stuck in a tomb for like half an hour)
-The scenarios, even with you beign in the jungle, got more narrow, reminds me of what happened from Assassin's Creed 3 to 4, they look big, but are mostly corridors.
-Gameplay loop very repetitive, the combat and stealth lose their replayability.
About the plot (No story details)
-They kinda screw the potential of the big danger the Trinity seemed to be. They still the bad organization, but they appear not as intimidating as they looked like in Rise
I'll try to keep it short lol, but I like how Shadow explored Lara herself, and her motivations. I will agree though Trinity just sorta got screwed (trying to find a way to not give up to much info).
I’d say Trinity is a bit more dangerous in shadow compared to rise in terms of… what they are looking for and what that could lead to
The ending in Rise led me to believe that Trinity is a much bigger treat and that it will take at least two more games to actually defeat them
I'd love to see your take on Lara going postal in Shadow. You said that Lara turn herself into a monster... well let us just say that the monster comes out.
I'm currently replaying ROTTR but I havent finished the story campaign yet because i wanna 100% the game by the time the story ends. It feels nice to know that people still looks back to the 2013 game and to this one because I love LC so much. The only games i havent played was the original TR 1 to 5 but the previous trilogy and this trilogy, I've finished already. It is true tho, SOTTR was an improvement in terms of tombs and graphics but i still find myself putting ROTTR my fave out of the 3. Im glad youre looking at ROTTR as its own thing rather than see through an uncharted lens like in the previous vid. Lowkey didnt finish that one because of that 😁😁
These trilogy reboot is amazing.
Not sure why but I found the assault rifle to be the best way to pull off headshots. Gotta do one shot at a time instead of spray and pray
I never had the opportunity to play RoTR because all my machines can't run it. I hope I can get my hands on a PS4 or PS5 in the future.
Now with DLSS and FSR2 on PC. A temporal solution in this game was SORELY NEEDED. Yeei.
Loved the video, when is Shadow of the Tomb Raider video releasing?
In a few months, probably after Uncharted 4
@@ThatBoyAqua Thanks!
Loved all three games! A lot better than the old games
So when are we getting a legends triology critique?
Don't get me wrong. Rise is probably one of my favorite modern games. I've played it through like six times or more, and I agree with almost everything you say in this video... but you missed something that breaks the combat. Like, all the combat. The poison arrows. A single poison arrow can take out groups, even armored enemies, in a single shot, and they are easily crafted on the fly from resources that are abundantly available. There's even an outfit that lets you carry more. Still love the game, but yeah. Combat is busted once you figure that out.
I realized this on my survivor difficulty run. I ended up only using the bow for stealth. Using the assault rifle, pistol, and the shotgun felt great, and I never had ammo issues. The game is very generous with bullets.
To awnser tour questions...you have toi read thé comics to know whats happening with sam etc...it s great
Nice video ACKWA
Thank you EEERL
That boy awkwa did it again!
I installed this yesterday evening , played a bit , & I really like it it's engaging like I don't watch a lot of movies anymore you know but to play one is pretty damn awesome I like the survival aspect the fighting and sneaking and wandering around it's pretty badass I like this stuff man , so far man you know the crafting it's really good it's really really good I like this game I'm looking forward to playing some more today
Tomb Raider literally has always had Super Natural elements Lol Uncharted is the one that took that element from Tomb Raider.
Lol best use of a sponsor I've seen yet!