To begin with the latest Tomb Raider offering is a superb game with an archaeological adventure that would give Indiana Jones a run for his money. The story is interesting, moves at a relentless pace and is very well acted across the board and a special mention to the actress behind Lara Croft as she helps create a very believable and likeable protagonist and one that we fully get behind. The sound and music in the game is also very well executed. The soundtrack is varied and atmospheric and audible clues make you aware when you are in danger and the variety of weapons sound nice and meaty on impact especially when you pull off a head shot with the bow. The game play is mixture of exploration and upgrading, combat and scavenging for supplies and it mixes them up nicely so that you are never left doing one long enough for boredom to set in. The nine tombs in the game offer a nice change of pace and allows you a chance to test your grey matter with some tough puzzles that reward your exploration with new skills and abilities. Combat in the game can seem a bit sluggish to begin with and I had to increase the control sensitivity up past the default to allow me to stand a chance in some tough early battles. However by the end of the game you will be taking out large groups of enemies with ease using a mixture of stealth, weaponry and crafting abilities that leaves a real feeling of satisfaction. The graphics are very impressive and is a great showcase for what the Xbox One can achieve with brilliant snowy chasms, lush green mountainsides, ancient crumbling kingdoms and a shootout that takes place whilst fire and ash swirl about you being a particular standout. I also did not come across any frame rate issues whilst playing and I only had to reload a checkpoint once due to the game crashing. In total it took me 26 hours to complete the campaign with an 85% completion rate, the game is padded out with additional side quests for you to get your teeth into as well as an Expedition mode that allows you to take on the game with additional challenges.
To conclude rise of the Tomb Raider is an excellent third person adventure game that is well worth your time and your money.