They could have called it Lara Croft: When Gap Years Go Wrong. It's a prequel of sorts, designed to explain how our heroine evolved from ordinary young woman into hardcore shark-punching badass. As explained in a succession of press releases relying heavily on the words 'series reboot', 'origin story' and 'gritty', this game marks a fresh start for the franchise.

To put it another way, Carry On Columbus.įair play, then, to Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics for trying something new. Otherwise, what is left? A culture of stagnation, where creative expression suffocates under the weight of tedious nostalgia and moribund ideas. Come to think of it, that T-rex did look a bit like Ted Hughes.īut it's time to let old Lara go.

She had a formative influence on a generation of female players, for whom Tomb Raider was the gaming equivalent of The Bell Jar. Lara holds a special place in many people's hearts. Here lies Lara Croft, deader than the first bat she ever shot in the face. Rummage through crumbling bones and you will find a pair of pistols, 47 first aid kits and a bra big enough to hold hamster balls. Now, look to the sarcophagus with the thinnest layer of dust and push back the lid. Let us remember them with a moment's silence, ignoring the sound of Nintendo's scraping shovels and Sega doing unspeakable things to corpses. Over there are the fossilised remains of Gex the gecko, Bubsy the bobcat and Q*bert the whatever the heck Q*bert was. Alongside, marked by a tattered elephant jockstrap, is the grave of Leisure Suit Larry. Here lies BloodRayne, buried in her best leather waistcoat. Tread with reverence, for this is the final resting place of gaming's fallen heroes. Down the narrow passage, through the great stone doorway, into the torchlit chamber. Or, if you remember the original Tomb Raider games: come, adventurer. The game itself is largely unchanged, save for the inclusion of some minor DLC and voice and motion control options, so we're confident that this review applies to the Definitive Edition, too.Ĭome, young adventurer. In addition, here's Ellie's review of the Xbox 360 version, first published on 25th February 2013.

Digital Foundry will be looking at these versions in detail, starting with today's performance analysis. The Definitive Edition of Tomb Raider is released for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 this week. Lara Croft makes a welcome return, and while this is a solid adventure it can sometimes feel like an opportunity has been missed.

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