Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration

Rise of the Tomb Raider hasn’t lost its luster a year after its initial release. Bundled together with all of the content released so far, Lara’s already-packed adventure is now even bigger. And while Playing the new non-combat story mode, Blood Ties, with PlayStation VR was enjoyable (when I was in Comfort Mode, at least), and played normally it’s an interesting character study. The co-op enabled Endurance mode is also a new highlight.. For PS4 players just getting their first opportunity to play Rise of the Tomb Raider, 20 Year Celebration is a complete and amazing package.

Happy 20th birthday, Lara. I hope you find your way home one day.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is the complete package for both newcomers and series veterans. Barring some wonky gunplay, the base game is superb, with its sublime exploratory mechanics, wonderful semi-open world hubs that deliver tons of side content, and sensational graphics. Lara's Nightmare does feel like a bit of a throwaway, but Blood Ties and the Baba Yaga DLC are more than worth your time if you want to stray away from the main adventure. Lara Croft is back where she belongs, and you owe it to yourself to join the 20 year celebration and get back to some tomb raiding.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is a great addition to the Switch 2 library, standing as a strong example of the vision of the platform offering full-fat home console gaming on the go. Satisfying exploration, incredible visuals, and loads of content all running at a smooth 30fps combine to make this a must-have buy for your personal library, even if a forgettable story and some occasionally wonky controls hold this one back from perfection.I'd suggest you pick this one up at the next available opportunity – it'll keep you busy for a while and is especially the kind of game that really shines in handheld.

Setting foot in Croft Manor is an enjoyable afternoon experience, doubly so if you're an early adopter of PlayStation VR. While not integral to the Tomb Raider story, there's something to celebrate if you've already waited this long for the complete experience.

After such a long wait, PlayStation 4 users finally get to experience Rise of the Tomb Raider in all its glory, and then some.

Rise of the Tomb Raider 20th Year Celebration is a solid adventure and a good port on Nintendo Switch 2. If you haven’t already played this entry, it is a great way to experience the adventure of Lara Croft.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is a victim of the gaming industry’s changing trends. Eleven years ago, a AAA game like this might have felt fresher and more exciting. Nowadays, after years of market saturation and a broader shift in how AAA gaming is perceived, it simply doesn’t feel as entertaining as it once might have. Rise of the Tomb Raider ultimately comes across as a formulaic action adventure game, not bad by any means, but certainly not amazing either, saddled with a terrible and obnoxious depiction of one of gaming’s most iconic female protagonists.

Rise of the Tomb Raider remains an excellent game — one of the defining action-adventures of the previous decade, with Challenge Tombs that rival the best in the genre and a Siberian setting that still holds up visually and atmospherically. The 20 Year Celebration is the complete package: every mode, every outfit, every piece of DLC included at launch with no upselling. The Switch 2 port recommendation comes down to your situation. If you’re a Nintendo-primary player who hasn’t played ROTTR, $29.99 for the complete definitive edition of this game is money well spent — it’s a decade-old game that earns that price. If you own it on PC and regularly take advantage of Steam sales, the portability argument needs to carry a lot of weight to justify a repurchase. And if you’ve never played any of the Tomb Raider survivor trilogy, this is a fine place to play the middle entry — though starting with the 2013 reboot first is still the recommended sequence. Aspyr continues to make Tomb Raider accessible to new audiences on new hardware, and that’s a good thing for the franchise. Rise of the Tomb Raider on Switch 2 is the right game, on the right hardware, at a price that makes sense for the right buyer.

Rise of the Tomb Raider on Switch 2 is a very solid port that delivers a stable and convenient handheld experience, offering the complete package without any major technical compromises.