Good story, compelling characters

Playing this game was a lot like watching a really good action movie. The characters are all emotionally compelling—even some of the minor characters that you never actually meet have interesting story arcs (you only find pages from their diaries lying around). Lara is especially compelling. I bought into her journey from a young, inexperienced archeologist to a competent, confident warrior-adventurer-sleuth. The voice acting is mostly great (just a few unfortunate choices). The plot is your standard Indiana Jones/Lara Croft fare: A ship carrying an archeological expedition is shipwrecked and the survivors find themselves in mortal peril on a mysterious island… I was reminded a little bit of “Lost,” but the game is more tightly paced and slightly less overblown with the supernatural stuff. There’s also a save-the-princess-in-the-tower element: I enjoyed the variation on the theme, with the female protagonist saving her female friend. I also liked that, although Lara is certainly very pretty, sex or romance doesnt really come up. It’s all about surviving. Lara quickly earns scars, both physical and emotional.

Another reviewer complains that the story is too “linear.” Yes, it is linear. In other words, it’s a story. As Lara, you’ve got specific things you need to accomplish. Your friends are in danger and you need to save them. You don’t have time to dilly-dally with a bunch of “open-world exploration."

Actually, that’s not true. You have plenty of time: the game will wait for you indefinitely while you raid “optional tombs" and back-track to explore previous locations. (There’s a fast-travel feature that can’t be justified in story terms—it’s a pure video game thing.) There’s a part of me that wishes it wouldn’t wait. Part of the excitement ought to be: can you solve the mystery and save your friends in time?

Why does this nickname have to be unique, anyway? about Tomb Raider