Don't delay, buy this game
Graphics
Whereas the graphics may not be entirely up to Uncharted territory, that is not to say that there is any detail lacking in this game. The world that has been created is rich in detail. The effects such as fire, which can always be a tricky beast, look amazing. In fact there is one scene where Lara is on top of a burning building and the effects are fantastic.
The small things you notice like water dripping down the screen when it rains add to the immersion. It's safe to say that this is a brilliant looking game at every turn.
Sound
For me, this is the area where Tomb Raider really shines. To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, I usually have my surround sound amp on 14 when I'm playing a game. During my play through on God of War for example, I had to crank this up to 20, as I felt that the sound wasn't that crisp. However with Tomb Raider, I had to turn my amp down to 10 and even during gun fights and explosions, this was very loud. The sound here is very crisp and defined and for a game where explosions and gunfights are rampant, this is brilliant.
In terms of voice acting, this is an area that could have gone seriously wrong. With many previous games and 2 films under the same title, there was a lot of comparisons that could have been made. However this is a very convincing Lara Croft at work here and the script has been done really well. The supporting cast is also well voiced.
Gameplay
As this is an origin story, the Lara you see is not the gun totin', full of confidence Lara we have all come to know and love. This is a more meek version and she has been thrown into a rather terrifying situation. Whilst on her way with various different archeologists to find some lost treasure, their ship runs into a large storm and ends up ship wrecked on an island with some rather violent inhabitants. And so the story of survival begins.
The story is good and the gameplay certainly compliments that. As this is more a story of survival than anything else, you're forced to scavenge to upgrade your weapons, ammo or skills. Your initial weapon is a bow and arrow and a very basic one at that. As you work your way through the game though, weapons like a pistol, a machine gun and shotgun are slowly drip fed to you.
The weapons themselves can also be upgraded to include bigger clips, less recoil etc. This is a good time to mention the upgrade system as a whole. There are quite a few things you can upgrade and each will mould your version of Lara to your liking. You can change her to be a survival expert or a brawler or a weapons specialist. I think this is a really good system. However you can't just upgrade anytime ala God of War, you have to find a camp fire in which to make your upgrades.
There is an element of stealth and tactical awareness in this game. With many enemy encounters there is either a stealth way or a guns blazing way to progress. Whereas the guns blazing way could be more fun, it's a lot easier to take down your foes one by one with your bow and arrow, so's not to alert anyone of your presence. There is a "Survival Instinct" button you can press and this gives you 2 things, one is it shows you where you need to go and the other is it highlights your foes either red or yellow. If they're yellow then you can take them down and no-one will notice, if they're red then that means people will notice and a gun battle will ensue if you shoot at them.
There are various tombs for you to raid throughout the island, but these can be done at your leisure. There are some great puzzles within these tombs and definitely worth a look see.
One of the downsides to this game, and this is one that has been mentioned by many a review, is the fact that Lara gets so upset with her first kill and then after that she thinks nothing of unloading a few shotgun shells into a foes head. However to have her cry after each inflicted death would be overkill, I think they just put that scene in there to add a human element and help us connect with the protagonist.
My other issues with this game is when shooting an enemy, it can take a few extra shots than I think is needed. Occasionally I shot enemies in the leg and they went down, but as I was too far away to do a finishing move on them, after 10 seconds they got back up.
The other was the end of the story, I was a little disappointed with the way it ended although to be fair, by the sounds of it this isn't a standalone story so things could be explained in the sequels that follow.
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed this game. The pacing and the balance between the action scenes and exploring were well thought out. You can really connect with Lara and understand the fear of the situation she's been thrown into and that's something that's hard to convey in a game. Along with the brilliant sound and the way it looks, I cannot find a negative for this game. I was hesitant at first, but this will sit pride of place in my games library.