Just started playing the reboot, and I'm already diggin' it pretty hard right now. I like the new exploration aspect of the game, as I now foresee myself getting to feel like an actual archaeologist/explorer this time, and the environment is pretty fantastic looking to boot. I don't know yet just how openworld the game will be (I knew pretty much nothing past the basic premise before I bought it), but I'm looking forward to feelings of wonder and accomplishment when I discover some hard-to-find ruin. Even at this point, however, the less linear nature of the game makes the series feel fresh, rather than just being another sequel.
The new RPG elements also make sense, since I'm supposed to be growing into the woman with the ridiculous obstacle courses in her mansion, and it really gives a sense of... I don't know, destiny I guess, since each step forward will hopefully be one closer to becoming a two-decades-old gaming icon. I know throwing RPG bits into non-RPG games is kind of a cliche at this point, but it's logical for this game.
The gameplay elements are also a nice mix of old and new. The platforming and puzzle-solving aspects are intact (though I've only encountered the one puzzle so far), but everything feels just a bit messier, in a good way: Lara isn't the uber-gymnast yet, so her movement and jumping look more haphazard, but the controls are responsive and easy to use, and the grittier, more realistic art design of this game make the puzzles feel more like just parts of the environment, rather than Designated Puzzle Zones.
I've only got the bow and arrow at this point, so I don't know what the shooting mechanics for actual guns will be like, but if they're anything like the bow, then I also approve of the new changes. I love third person shooters, but auto-targeting takes some of the fun out of the experience for me, so having to actually aim is a nice feeling in a Tomb Raider game. It also makes sense, since Lara isn't James Bond meets Indiana Jones yet, so it would be odd for her to suddenly be able to run and gun like a beast.
I don't know yet how I feel about some of the survival things, though. I haven't been playing long enough to know how having to hunt for food will be integrated into the game, but I'm hoping it won't become some kind of constant thing I'll be having to do. It does add a sense of realism though, so as long as it doesn't become an intrusive aspect of gameplay, then it's a nice touch.
I also appreciate that, while Lara certainly isn't flat-chested, and there have been a couple cut scenes that gave us a bit of a peek down her shirt, she isn't being treated as a glorified porn star this time around. I'm sure all of us (ALL OF US!!!) have fond memories as young dudes of making her do that pointless, cheesecake handstand from the earlier games, but it's nice to not feel like I should be embarrassed for playing this one.
But I think most of all, I love the bleak atmosphere of this game. The graphics, the characters, the plot, and the gameplay all come together to make you feel like you're fighting to survive in a hostile environment (the first scene with the wolves was genuinely unsettling), rather than simply trotting the globe from one set of ledges to the next. My only complaint is that at the end of the game, I don't get to become Green Arrow. Replace Lara Croft with Oliver Queen, and I'd be c
umming in my pants at this point.
In closing, I dig the TR franchise, but have always thought it's quality was often second to the male fantasy aspect, so it's nice to see the core of the game can be applied in a new and interesting way that allows the game to stand on its own merits. Will probably be waiting for the sequel when I finish this. Two thumbs up ATM.