# Rise of the Tomb Raider
ESRB Rating: M (Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language)
Release Date: November 10, 2015
Platform: Xbox One
Genre: Action/Adventure
Should you get it? Yes.
## Intro
Second in the 2013 reboot, this game follows Lara's journey as she looks for the artifact her father was looking for when he died.
## The good
The story told very well. Personally, I play most games for their stories. So a good story is essential for me. (For example, I have yet to finish Prototype even though I love the game play. The story is horrid.) This story is very much about Lara learning how to deal with what she learned in Tomb Raider. She was suddenly confronted with the fact that the supernatural is real, and had to survive against some really nasty enemies. It's not as intense as 2013's, but it's still well paced. Both story and character development.
The platforming elements (jumping, climbing, etc.) are well done. I seldom felt like my character wasn't doing what I wanted.
For my story focused playing, the easy difficulty level was just right.
The optional tomb puzzles are fun, and there is good reason to try and complete them when you can. You get new skills for it. Plus it's just fun.
The art is amazing. There are several times where you just have to stop and just look around. The scenery is about as good as you can get without visiting the locations yourself. Seriously, there were many places I'd have loved to print out and hang on my wall.
## The bad
I was disappointed that the main villain is yet another religious cult. It would have been nice to have something different. Maybe a bunch of arms dealers? Or an "evil" corporation? Heck, just go with a supervillain. :)
I also wish there were more monsters and animals as enemies. I mean, Lara basically goes through trained military men like she's a super commando. It's kinda ridiculous when you aren't suspending your disbelief enough.
The way she finds relics all packed up in boxes is kinda lame. I'd rather she find clues or use tools to carefully dig something up. Even better would be if it was plot relevant.
Same for all the notes just lying around...
Ultimately, the collectibles aren't horribly done, but they do feel tacked on. I like that they get you to explore and see the amazing scenery, but I wish it was more plot or game play relevant.
## Conclusion
The game is well worth the full price of admission. I actually ended up preordering it the day before release. I had started replaying the 2013 Tomb Raider on my Xbox One, and that reminded me how fun it was. So I knew I would get my moneys worth out of it. And I have. Of course, if you didn't like 2013's, then you won't like this one.
So, I definitely recommend this game for anyone mature enough to play M rated games.