9 Times Video Game Violence Went Too Far

7. Tomb Raider's Abundance Of Death Scenes

The Tomb Raider reboot was all about survival. Although we saw Lara get beat up and killed off in increasingly extravagant ways as the game went on, it kind of made sense because of how the character remained on the back foot throughout the entire experience.

However, when the decidedly more fantastical Rise of The Tomb Raider came out and featured just as many instances of Lara being murdered in a variety of grisly ways, you just got the idea that Crystal Dynamics loved seeing the character in as much pain as possible. I get it: it's supposed to be a way to show that Lara is a 'strong character' who can bounce back from anything, but there're more ways to do that than by just constantly putting her through an uncomfortably violent wringer.

While other games such as The Last of Us also have outrageously brutal death scenes, it often feels more justified or in-line with the tone of their game worlds. The Last of Us tells the tale of an unforgiving post-apocalyptic dystopia so it makes sense that even the smallest mistake can result in a horrific end for the characters. The latest Tomb Raider series doesn't have that same tone or narrative context though, and every time Lara is impaled or takes another beating it feels at odds with the more magically-inclined and optimistic nature of her universe.