Tomb Raider

I don't play many games or often, but this game may have revitalized my interest. It looks absolutely stunning. There was a scene where Lara Croft is climbing a radio antenna mast and the views of the island below were amazing. I actually had a touch of vertigo! I found the controls generally easy to use and the next steps relatively easy to figure out. But the game was still challenging enough that I felt some satisfaction from figuring out what to do next or from successfully raiding a tomb. I ended up using all the weapons and tools at various points; my favourites were probably the bow and the rifle. I was a bit surprised and pleased to find that, as the game progressed, I found myself using hand-to-hand combat more often. Sometimes if just seemed the best way to win a fight, and the killer moves looked really good. The story was decent, but really kind of irrelevant. The real challenge is exploring and fighting your way through a range of different exterior and interior environments. I did encounter problems sometimes when the entire game would freeze. I don't know whether it was the game or my 360 console, but the game saves progress often enough that I didn't lose any significant gains.