It really is a true masterpiece.
Everything about this game is a joy to play. I wish I could find individuals who came up with various ideas in this game and buy them a drink.
The pure joy that is cooperating on grapple bridges and spear ladders is so unparalleled with most every other experience this generation that I am still in shock that these ideas had never really been fleshed out as well before. The controls are so perfect. Like, man, they are perfect. If I had been told early 90s Miyamoto himself had been sitting in the offices of this developer orchestrating these fits of brilliance, I would believe it because the game is so polished it might as well be a Nintendo game. The combat feels just fucking butter smooth. The platforming works amazingly well, as does every other single aspect of the controls. But that singularly unequaled joy of catching Totec in a death freefall with your grapple hook? I'm not even sure I have a word for that. Fucking amazing.
Music? ****/****
Visuals? ****/****
Gameplay? ************************/****
Story? LOL/LOL (game stories suck, this game gives a shit about its story and that's the way it SHOULD BE)
For FIFTEEN DOLLARS, you get better gameplay and more content than 98% of all other $60 games this generation. And Xbox 360 owners are getting the first DLC free, so that's even more content come September 28th.
I find it notoriously diffiuclt to ever replay content I've just beat. With Lara Croft, I'm not only replaying it, but I'm INSTANTLY replaying levels over and over and over again to slice seconds off my times. Level design is clever and rewarding. Even the linear levels are a blast to play.
The only complaint I probably have is that the later weapons totally throw earlier level balance off wack, so they should probably have found a better way to deal with it (restrictions on certain weaponry in certain levels). The Spear of Light fucking demolishes everything :lol
I am awe of this entire package. If someone were to complain about something in it, it's one of those games I just sit on the sidelines incapable of understanding how. It's such unadulterated pleasure to play through this game that my only thought when it finished is "why the fuck isn't there more!? WHY GOD!? PLEASE GIVE ME MORE."