Tomb Raider Definitive Edition - Xbox One Impressions

G'day there guys and gals!

Before I continue writing this, let me be clear: this is not a review and will not receive a score or effect the original score of the review, only receiving a DLC rating. This is simply a small summary of my experience with the Definitive Edition on the Xbox One. The original review is at the end of this page.

With Next Gen titles only just beginning to surface as we move into 2014, Tom Raider Definitive Edition offered a brand new look into a game still relatively new to the community. Originally, the game had a lackluster release and Square Enix pointed the blame at Crystal Dynamics studios; despite this feud, the game had a great reception with the community and offered a fun and well mixed multiplayer to enjoy. As the title moves into the next generation of consoles, gamers across the world are ready to pick up once more the origin of arguably one of the most well known female gaming characters in the industry.

One of the first features I noticed was the extra added content; more pieces of artwork and collectibles, different costumes for Lara to wear and much more to offer. The downside was the costumes: one of the unfortunate mishaps is that they aren't character fixed. For those who have yet to play the game, Lara experiences many ongoing injuries, pains and elements that slowly effect her features throughout gameplay. While wearing a costume, these events are blocked and damage the mood and tone. For example: in one scene Lara is captured and while escaping, barely avoids an arrow where it cuts open her arm. Wearing any costume that covers her arm or any older injuries will not make them visible. 

Of course I can't progress without mentioning the updated graphics. While it's known fact that the Xbox One version is stuck with the 30fps, developers promised it would not effect gameplay or how the game looks, quote "Anything past 30fps is just gravy". Unfortunately, this isn't the case. Don't jump to conclusions, the game looks perfect and better than before - elemental graphics look utterly stunning while character movement and speech has been highly upgraded as well. The only issue are the drops in such cases. As of writing this, I have experienced frame drops in character movement in cutscenes (such as flames/rain/wind warping character heads), drops to dashboard and quite a unique one where I was dropped from game to dashboard, freezing the game and quickly my console. Multiplayer, however, is a completely different story; I have yet to experience any issues and overly enjoying the experiences.

While I am still progressing through the game, it is still overly enjoyable. While the game is still full release price, I would still suggest buying this title for it's incredible multiplayer, even if you're not a fan of the campaign. I have never been a fan of Tomb Raider but this may make me a believer yet.

Tomb Raider Definitive Edition: B-
To read my original review, copy/paste the link here: http://fatmanxviii.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/review-tomb-raider.html