I was not a fan of Tomb Raider back in the day. I just did not like its over the top nature and its crazy treatment of Lara as nothing more than a cheep way for boys to get their "puberty infested" rocks off. Sure she was easy on the eyes, but come on now... This game however, has turned my view around ten fold. Tomb Raider is an excellent telling of Lara's origin story. it is a remarkable treat for new player and old players alike. A tried and true character study and making a female slaughter house a living human that you will care about. Right from the very moment that you start controlling Lara, you are immersed in a beautifully crafted world with layers upon layers of sounds that suck you in. The level of detail and subtle tones make the game a true world that will absorb you. It does not rely on cheep gimmicks that require you having a dark room, or a great pair of headphones. Sure they do get the job done greatly here! But it is still able to envelope you without them. That is a quality that has been missing since the days of Bioshock. The calming noise of the rain in the opening moments perfectly sell the worlds mystery and even presents a striking tone of unease. The game was highly relevant in the past for its adventure antics. It inspired one of the greatest series of all time: Uncharted. It may have started it, but Uncharted perfected it and now Tomb Raider is playing catch up. It takes what Uncharted has done so well, and built upon it. That is not a bad thing in any way, shape, or form! It tossed Lara into crazy situations that you may at first not feel a thing for her. But when push comes to shove and she is required to kill for the first time. You feel something. Even if it is ever so small, it manages to pull some kind of sympathetic sting. Lara is a person that you can care about. Her situations as crazy as they may be are at times deeply plausible. Sure she may get plaughed in many ways like when escaping a falling plane, or dodging trees with a parachute. Tomb Raider manages to even make the combat and platforming a culmination of gritty, exciting, and sometimes brutal. It is simply not a vast land of chest high walls where you must click enemies until they die. You legitimately feel threatened. Another compliment about the world, is that it is vastly open. Not totally 100% open, but enough to where you can really explore and find a vast variety of treasures. All of which sell the culture that was left behind on this island. Right now I cannot do anything but praise this game! It is fantastic! It gives the Naughty Dog guys a run for their money, and makes Crystal Dynamics entry to the party of great story tellers and adventurers one to be remembered.