Tomb Raider: All 12 Games Ranked From Worst To Best

2. Tomb Raider (2013)

Yes, some people hated this game's excesses of violence, quick-time events, and the paucity of actual tomb-raiding, but the idea of showing players how one of gaming's greatest icons came to be the eponymous Tomb Raider was a welcome addition to the Lara Croft canon. You can't hide the fact that Tomb Raider clearly took a lot of inspiration from the Uncharted series, but that seems fair game considering that Uncharted wouldn't have existed without the original Tomb Raider. This outing shows us a young and vulnerable Lara Croft, desperately trying to survive on a hostile jungle island and getting caught up in events that would change her life forever (and lead on to other Tomb Raider games, hooray!). The game focuses far more on cinematics and storytelling than the puzzle-solving the series built its reputation on, but in doing so gives us the most powerful, insightful look at Lara Croft's character to date. For all its flaws and superficial gameplay, this game turned Lara from a vapid video game heroine into a believable character. Here's hoping that Rise of the Tomb Raider strikes that coveted balance between storytelling and challenging puzzle-oriented gameplay that fans are yearning for.