14 Most Polarising Video Games Of The Decade (So Far)

12. Tomb Raider (2013)

What Works?

Literally seeing Crystal Dynamics look at Uncharted and think, "That should've been us!", 2013's rebooted 'Raider was very much their take on Naughty Dog's iconic third-person action template. That meant lots of cover shooting, lots of speedy climbing - and lots of collapsing handholds as Lara climbed to perilous highs.

Thankfully, it totally worked.

Crystal Dynamics are one of the finest devs on the planet, and on top of the base third-person action was a solid ramp-up in unlockable abilities, a workable stealth system, some great melee kills and a take on Lara that reframed her as a survivor up against an island fraught with hazards.

What Doesn't?

There's nothing objectively wrong with Tomb Raider as an action game, it just bares very little resemblance to the franchise whose name it's borrowing.

Outside of ditching the laughably OTT, boob-focused character model many 90s gamers grew up with, 2013's Tomb Raider actually had a surprisingly lack of tomb raiding, with only the occasional chunk of gameplay being puzzle-focused or putting Lara in areas built on verticality.

As such, it was very easy to view Tomb Raider as a mass market reboot of a character that, while not exactly 'edgy' in the first place, had a personality and stature that was now smoothed over and all but removed.