Rise of the Tomb Raider

Our analysis

The PC version of Rise of the Tomb Raider is still a blast, with amazing visuals, phenomenal level design, stupendous animation, excellent voice work and well-paced combat and exploration, but abysmal, unoptimized frame rates and anemic gun sounds make it a wait-for-a-sale.

Our analysis

One of the best action-adventure titles of its generation and a worthy follow-up that trades survival desperation for treasure-hunting in larger, more open environments. The exploration is rewarding, weapon and ability upgrades feel meaningful, the tombs rival Zelda dungeons, and combat encounters play like satisfying puzzles. The cliche, generic story is easily the weakest part, but the gameplay and progression make it a consistently exciting experience, rated a solid 9 out of 10.

Our analysis

Gorgeous to look at and a very solid PC port, but underneath it is a generic, heavily scripted third-person experience. Play boils down to moving between small self-contained zones, solving repetitive puzzles, and forced linear progression gated behind crafting, with predictable set-piece moments that never feel like the promised high-octane action. The story is initially appealing but the gameplay offers nothing new over countless similar titles.

Our analysis

A bland but perfectly functional middle-ground adventure that leans heavily on a Last Crusade-style plot and a manipulative survival framing that is wearing thin. The tomb-raiding and ancient puzzles are the highlights, but they are mostly optional while the repetitive combat drowns in too many redundant weapons and meaningless collectible upgrades. The new Lara, with her constant exertion noises and helpless dialogue, grates.

Our analysis

A fantastic, more-but-better follow-up to the 2013 reboot, with improved systems, environments, story, and visuals across snowy hub areas like Siberia. The optional puzzle tombs are the standout, progression is rewarding, and the pacing balances open exploration with strong action set pieces. The familiar collect-and-upgrade loop may feel like more of the same to some, but it is a polished, satisfying single-player adventure.