Tomb Raider - Definitive Edition (PS4)

Lara Croft has been raiding tombs and taking names since she first appeared in the original Tomb Raider in 1996. But 2013 saw Lara get a Hollywood-style refresh, rebooting the character and the series for today's gaming audience. 

Tomb Raider introduces a new, younger Lara Croft. This Lara is 21, fresh out of university and on her first archaeological expedition. She's seeking out the fabled island of Yamatai when she and her colleagues are shipwrecked in the 'Dragon's Triangle' somewhere off the coast of Japan. 

This is far from the confident raider of tombs seen in earlier games, but a vulnerable – yet resourceful – young woman, who must survive the various elements of this mysterious island. The events of Tomb Raider will see Lara grow from innocent girl to hardened survivor..

Lara's story is told in a dynamic and cinematic visual style. This mysterious island is brought to life with treacherous terrain and moody weather, with handheld-style camera work complete with lens-flares and rain splashes adding to the realism of Lara's plight. This is a much more mature story than in previous Tomb Raider titles.

Tomb Raider offers new challenges and gameplay for newcomers and series veterans to experience. The classic action-platforming of the franchise are still present, combined with elements of exploration, survival, stealth and physics-based puzzles.

The mysterious island of Yamatai is the perfect breeding ground for all of these gameplay elements to come together. The island is home to some very strange, very savage inhabitants, as well as a band of unscrupulous scavengers who Lara must face in order to survive. These hostile enemies are a driving force in the main single-player campaign, their actions dictating what Lara must do to save herself – and her friends

But the inhabitants aren’t the only surprises the island brings. Legend tells that Yamatai was once ruled by a queen with shamanistic powers and an army of samurai, and the strange symbols and 'Shrines' – side missions with mini tombs to raid and puzzles to solve - suggest that there may indeed be truth to this legend.

As well as the many challenges that the island throws at Lara, Tomb Raider introduces levelling-up gameplay, another first for the series. Lara can (and must) salvage tools, weapons and resources in order to face the threats of the island, taking what she needs from the animals, people and crates scattered around the island. Tomb Raider also allows Lara to earn and upgrade her skills and abilities as the game progresses. But even these upgrades don't come easily – weapons and skills must be learnt and honed in order to be used successfully.

Tomb Raider also includes a wealth of multiplayer modes to further enhance your experience of the island. These team-based options include Team Deathmatch, pitting a team of Lara's Surviving Allies against a team of Scavengers in maps that are filled with the same perils and pitfalls you would expect from a Tomb Raider Game. There's also Rescue, a more adventure-based battle where the Survivors must collect and deliver med-packs while the Scavengers must reach a certain number of kills. In all the multiplayer modes, you can earn XP and advance and upgrade your characters. The multiplayer modes were developed by Eidos Montreal, the studio responsible for Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Lara Croft presented in unprecedented high definition detail:

• An all new Lara model created to take advantage of the power of next-gen consoles
• TRESS FX technology that delivers realistic hair simulation and motion with every strand being physically active
• Shader and lighting reworked to showcase the raw physicality of Lara’s journey through sweat, mud, and blood materials and effects

A physical world put in motion thanks to brand new hardware architecture:

• The world has been dynamically brought to life using complex physical world simulation on trees, foliage, cloth, weather, lighting and effects
• All texture resolutions have been created at 4x resolution for maximum resolution and detail
• In-game characters, enemies and destructability have been enhanced for added depth and realism
• Subsurface scattering technology implemented to capture the most physically accurate lighting simulation and deliver a great sense of believability
• Native 1080p gameplay gives outstanding visual fidelity and showcases the beauty of Yamatai in all its high definition glory

The Definitive Edition of the award-winning action-adventure includes all of the original downloadable content, plus digital versions of the Dark Horse comic, Brady Games mini-art book and the Final Hours developer videos.