Eidos Montreal also had another hoop to jump through in order to succeed enough to be a Game of the Year candidate and that was not screwing up Lara Croft. The Tomb Raider reboot told Lara’s origin story. She started off confused and scared, a far cry from the Lara Croft most people remembered. However, because it was an origin story and a reboot, most fans tolerated that with the understanding that in the inevitable sequel we’d start the see the Lara fans loved. Using the Tomb Raider brand became a double edged sword in that way. You can lean on the name recognition, but screw it up, and you’ll draw the ire of longtime fans. Fans desperate to see a decent Tomb Raider game gave the developers a free pass the first time around to be as creative as they wanted to be in telling a new Lara Croft story, as long as the game was decent. But by succeeding in that, the pressure was on for game number two.
Luckily for everyone involved, Eidos Montreal pulled off yet another victory in that regard. Rise of the Tomb Raider is a return to form for the Lara Croft character, and fans were rewarded for their patience from the reboot. She’s not as arrogant as she once was (for better or worse), but she’s definitely no longer the scared archaeologist just trying to survive from the 2013 game. Lara is once again an over-confident, tomb raiding, bad ass that isn’t afraid to mix it up with anyone to get what she wants. Fans and critics alike rejoiced. Not only that, she’s just as charismatic and likable a character from any other game we’re nominating this year. Finally getting to see the real Lara Croft (a retro icon) back in a game that isn’t mediocre, was just as memorable a gaming moment for me in 2015 as anything else.
Square Enix and Eidos Montreal rightfully earned fans with the reboot to make a game that is worthy of the illustrious Tomb Raider brand. However this year, they finished putting all the pieces in place and took the series to the next level. I live in the now, and right now in 2015, Rise of the Tomb Raider is the cream of the genre. That’s not a knock on Uncharted, as there hasn’t been a new one since the Tomb Raider revival has taken place. Rise of the Tomb Raider had to innovate. And that it did. It has all the drama, twists, and turns that you would expect and it has deeper combat that stays fresh thanks to its crafting system. It also has way more to do outside of the story with its open world gameplay, and a multiplayer that gives truly die-hard fans an avenue to go down to keep playing.
If this were last year, I’d make the argument that no one commanded their genre better than Rise of the Tomb Raider did. But it’s not last year, it’s 2015 and the competition is fierce. There are certainly other games that went straight to the top just like Rise of the Tomb Raider. Still, though, consider all the nostalgia hoops Rise of the Tomb Raider had to hop through. Also, consider that within the genre, there is an undisputed champion to contend with. Finally, consider how Rise of the Tomb Raider overcame all that, and became a great game that can go toe to toe with any other 2015 GOTY candidate, and, most importantly, solidified the comeback of a beloved character and franchise. Factor that all in, and Rise of the Tomb Raider at least needs to be considered a 2015 Game of the Year Contender.
Keep checking back all this week for more opinions from Twinfinite on which game should be Game of the Year! And finally, next week, we’ll announce our Game of the Year!
