Recent reviews by Ocelot

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the equivalent of a blockbuster popcorn movie. It's fun, and it looks great, but the story isn't incredibly deep, and aside from some of the tombs and crypts, you don't really need to put your thinking cap on. If you're looking for puzzles, it does scratch that itch, but it's more focused on action.

There are two things holding it back: First is the story. It's basically a story of good guys and bad guys. There is some moral ambiguity that is hinted at, but it isn't really explored. There are also several points in the story where Lara was given a choice, and she made the decision for me when I would have chosen an alternative. The lack of moral ambiguity combined with the lack of player agency made the story less engaging than it could have been. Themes like exploitation and nationalism were touched on, but could have been explored in more depth.

Second is the camera. It does a good job showing you where to go, but too often, I only knew where I was supposed to go because the camera was directing me. Instead of feeling lost in the world or figuring out how to get from point A to B, I had the camera holding my hand -- even preventing me from looking at my surroundings when I tried to. I understand that this may take the frustration of constant deaths out of the action sequences, but it also eliminates the satisfaction of overcoming a challenge.

I played on the One with the Jungle difficulty, and both the puzzles and the combat were a little too easy. There was one puzzle that involved Mayan numerals. I was expecting something like the puzzles in Riven (The Sequel to Myst) where you had to figure out how to read the number system, and then use that knowledge to solve the puzzles. The game however does not teach you how to read it, or require you to know how it works. Many of the puzzles felt like an open book pop quiz (not that they weren't fun).

The combat is fun, but I would recommend holding back on the weapon upgrades to make it more challenging (you can always upgrade them later if things become difficult). I upgraded my weapons as much as I could (without unlocking the skill to upgrade them completely), and never bought any weapons from the shops, and I never felt stuck. Personally, projectile weapons aren't my favorite, so I wish hand to hand combat and ghosting were more feasible than they are. Stealth is fun, but I wish it wasn't so optional.

I recommend you don't sell anything unless you really need the money. There is something to pick up every 10 feet, and it gets pretty tedious if you stop to pick up every item and then empty your inventory at the next shop.

I also recommend getting the DLC near the beginning of the game (once you've figured out you're invested in the game), and completing as much of the side quests and DLC as you can before finishing the last part of the main quest. You can go back and play it after you finish the main quest, but the story will not play out sequentially if you do that.

Other random thoughts:
-The DRM here isn't intrusive. I still don't like the idea of it, but I never noticed it was there.
-The drum music is excellent.
-The native language option is cool, but the subtitles sometimes go too fast or cut off what the person is saying.
-The notifications are a bit intrusive.
-The murals are kinda cool, but I don't like being pulled out of the game world constantly. I would have preferred if Lara read the dialog while I am able to continue on, or better yet, let the player actually read/examine things for themselves without pulling them into a different screen.
-I appreciate the deaths being toned down. All I need to know is how I died. Tomb Raider 2013 seemed a little too focused on brutality.
-Unlocking an outfit 30 minutes before I finish the game is a little pointless. I would prefer to be able to preview and craft most of the outfits from the beginning.

Conclusion: My favorite Tomb Raider games are Underworld and 2013. Anniversary, Rise, and Shadow are still fun, but not my favorites. I'd rate this game 7.5 out of 10. Instead of making you feel like you are Lara Croft, this game makes you feel like you are watching a movie about Lara Croft. She discovers all this cool stuff, but you're just tagging along and listening to her explain everything. You don't make decisions, and you don't employ what you've learned about the culture. There are hints of something greater, but in my opinion, this game suffers from not taking more influence from RPGs and graphic adventure games. If you enjoyed the previous two Tomb Raider games however, you will probably enjoy this one as well.