Barth

Agreed. Those comments weren't geared towards the "meat" of the game. This is one of the best SP experiences I've had in several months. I had my doubts but the good reviews were spot on. Hopefully Gears and Bioshock can keep it going.

foxdvd

easily one of the best games in a while...fantastic...

RichC2

I agree. I've played it a good bit now and it's going to take a good bit to dethrone it as my favorite of the year. If BioShock: Infinite and Gears live up to their potential it'll be a tight race and one of the greatest months of gaming this gen.

Honestly though, I haven't been this surprised or happy with a game in a long long time.

My one concern is while the game appears to be plenty long for this kind of game, if the pacing sustains through the entire thing it may seem too short

slop101

I hear it's around 10 hours long - is that about right?

edstein

I've played about 5 hours and I'm 41% complete. I think it depends on much time you spend looking for treasures.

MoviePage

I'm not sure exactly how long it took me, but it seemed well over 10 hours. Though I'm the type of player who explores around a lot and searches every corner for collectibles, which do count in your completion percentage (I finished at 87%).

I do know that there were a couple of points where I thought I had reached the end of the game, but it kept going. One of them was probably at the 2/3 mark or so.

The game is just about the perfect length for its type. Not too long and not too short.

foxdvd

I have heard this a few times in my life..

RichC2

The too long comment makes me smile but it really is just filler

Larry C.

If you've heard that it's just because they are trying to make you feel better.

Michael Corvin

Finally started it and it's amazing. I'm taking my time and searching for everything. I've done the first 3(?) areas and gotten 100% on everything except the area specific challenges (shoot totems, lanterns, etc).

So essentially, you guys don't want to hunt for treasure in a game about treasure hunting?

nickdawgy

I love the collecting stuff.

edstein

I don't mind the collecting. I just dont like tons of achievements tied to it,

MoviePage

I just finished up getting every collectible earlier today. It was a lot more enjoyable after the story was over and I didn't have to worry about Lara's friends being in imminent danger for the 10th time.

RichC2

"My friends are in trouble! Oooh antiques!"

Pfft, women.

foxdvd

that actually explains a lot..

Michael Corvin

I had a blast wasting time roaming the jungle with my bow hunting deer and searching for treasure. I wasn't having any luck finding the totems though. Only found maybe 4 out of the 10.

Dragon Fly

The pacing, the intensity, and the gameplay have me blown away. LOVING this game! Oh, bring a bow and arrow to a gun fight? You betcha. Katniss-frigging-Everdeen-Croft.

dugan

Turns out the correct answer is Megan Farquhar.

They just released a digital artbook on Steam.

foxdvd

finished...

I think the reviews were actually low for the game...the 86 average on meta surprises me...and the 6 out of 10 score from machinima is almost a joke...

MoviePage

Yeah, this is at least a 9/10.

Larry C.

I saw the Machinima review on Youtube and that reviewer is a total snob and doesn't understand losing yourself into a game and just having fun with it. He obviously had somekind of agenda against the game.

foxdvd

some on neogaf/reviewers are upset that the game is not a "true" Tomb Raider game and hated it before it even came out. I loved the Tomb Raider games but this game is something special. Some complaints I have heard that I actually agree with...

:Your companions are not that interesting: Yeah they felt like the people on that bus in the movie Speed..

:Character models 2 or 3 years old : After playing Crysis 3, Uncharted and Halo 4 this is true, but the game itself stands right with those games as far as the actual game engine/graphics go...

:Story: Yeah it was a little over the top at times...

All that being said the game is fucking amazing. Combat was great (though I hated the grenade spamming) I loved exploring for collectibles...the set pieces were fantastic...easily a high 9 out of 10 game.

Michael Corvin

My only gripes thus far; I would agree with the character models. As good as the game looks, after Halo 4, everything else is just a step down. With the next gen consoles on the horizon, I'm playing the game thinking how even more amazing it could have looked. Of course, that doesn't impact the game anyway, so it's not really a complaint, just an observation.

Second gripe(very minor) is all the water drops and blood constantly hitting the screen. It takes me out of the game. I'm I supposed to be Lara or not? When I'm out in the rain I don't get raindrops on my eyeballs so why here? It just reminds me that I'm looking through a window at a game. It is the opposite of immersion which I'm sure the devs were trying to capture. It makes sense in a game where the main character is masked or wearing a helmet or a visor, ala Halo or Crysis but it just doesn't work here.

Dragon Tattoo

I don't think you're supposed to be Lara. Many male gamers seem to have a problem "being" female characters (as if any of us are actually Master Chief or John Shepard) so I think the devs wanted to consciously avoid that. In fact, I recall there being a bit of an uproar back when that dev talked about the gamer wanting to feel as if they should "protect" Lara. I think that was the rape interview, but I may be mistaken.

Also, does anyone know if this game has a New Game+ mode once you beat it? I'd like to go through it again on max difficulty, but keep all my acquired abilities while doing so. Doesn't look like I'll be getting God of War next week, so I might as well do another run through.

Maxflier

I don't have any issue with the water/blood effects on the screen. To me this game is like playing through an interactive movie or an episode of LOST.