Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Zero Punctuation) 

Lara Croft: Oh boy, here I go killing again!

You know what I loved about original Lara? She was an unapologetic thrill chaser. She didn't need a moral standing, she hunted ancient artifacts for fun

Personally I wish they wouldn't try to give Lara motivation for being a tomb raider... I liked her better when she was just a rich girl who liked history and wanted to discover and raid tombs for the fun of it. Making it all about 'duty' and stopping bad guys and honoring her father... makes it seem like she's only doing this for those reasons instead of just being someone who genuinely likes doing it.

"What have I done? What am I continuing to do!?" Gold.

People always forget "of Chernobyl" when they list off all the games with "Shadow" in the name.

The end of the origin story of how Lara Croft became a murdering psychopath

Yeah, i also miss old Lara Croft. Tomb raider legends reminded me of a combination of James Bond and Indiana Jones. They were fun. The game industry seems to think characters can only be interesting if they are angsty and/or have a troubled past. Not everyone needs to be a reskin of batman.

Yahtzee: "It's an--all together now--" Me: *"RANDOM DOCUMENTS AND AUDIO LOGS"* Yahtzee: "Pre-determined action sequence" ...Oh. I guess that makes more sense.

How did a badass, fun-loving treasure hunter turn into The Big Sad?

Thank you. I was waiting for her to pull up her bootstraps in this one, but she just went back to panicking and yelling and saying "s***" every other word.

This review was completely spot on, especially the part where all the cult leaders are all stuffed into a helicopter which just ends up crashing and killing them all...kinda sounds like I'm describing an action-comedy movie now that I'm typing this out.

1:44 THANK YOU! I've tried liking this new Lara, but they stripped away everything good about her when they made her more "realistic". People seem to think classic Lara was just eye candy and nothing else, they forget she was witty and funny and had a strong personality and presence...at least in the first couple games.

Next up: Dawn of the Tomb Raider Then: Birth of the Tomb Raider Then: Genesis of the Tomb Raider Then: Awakening of the Tomb Raider Then....

I played Tomb Raider (2013), thinking it will be with vulnerable Lara, sneaking around, avoiding fights, trying to survive against an army of soldiers, before she is "the tomb raider" NOPE 1h in the game the local mushrooms must have gave her a blood lust or something. She is splitting heads with her axe and cutting down squads of soldiers, while moments ago she sobbed if she killed a fly. Devs are saying this is the origin, to what?, her breast growth? because she has the psycho part down already.

You know it has been a shitty trilogy when Yahtzee makes THAT laugh at the end.

Oil refinery? Secret Society? Ancient temple holding something important? In a part of a 3rd world country? Is this resident evil 5?

I lost it at "PREDETERMINED ACTION SETPIECE"

The next trilogy will be about how Lara started wearing those shorts.

This has to be your best written episode this year

So there is a gold thing and the gold thing makes sad things happen and the sad things cause plot to happen.

Come on, writers: Women getting beaten up is NOT the same thing as actual character development! Has no one heard of "women in refrigerators"? If you're going to have the character suffer, they need to DO something with that pain afterward. Sometimes, that means a superhero life change (like Batgirl to Oracle), or just going anti-hero or evil (like Robin II to Red Hood). Lara doing things because she "has" to and suffering just to make up a reason for her to kill people surely makes for a boring narrative after a while. Even Nathan Drake, Lara's arguably psychopathic predecessor, had a drive of his own, even when it was easier to turn back. While he sometimes claimed he "had" to fight the game's villain (U1, U2, and U3) or get the treasure to save his family (U4), it's shown over the games that deep down he WANTED to get the treasure, and because fighting in dangerous ruins was the only way he could get hard for his girlfriend/wife Elena. He got his ass kicked, but that was part of the adventure, not the sole way for him to develop as a person. He had his version of a character arc over four games by figuring out: "Hmm, I tried treasure hunting while slaughtering goons and it was kinda fun, but too dangerous for me and the people I love. I tried NOT doing either and I got bored out of my skull for a couple years. Hey, maybe there's a way to get treasures legally, WITHOUT fighting villains and evil henchmen!" That's not much, but at least it's something better than: "Some guys killed my dad. I guess I'll just scour ruins for magical artifacts for the rest of my life because... well, those are related, right?"

Now that this "trilogy" is finally over I'm looking forward to the reboot where Square finds a development team that uses the Old Lara visual and persona to ripoff Dark Souls as opposed to Uncharted in a "labour of love".

"Ah, what a delightful thing it always is to see a video game join the hallowed ranks of Things That Have Shadows" is such an underrated line.

The original Lara was a brave unstoppable badass, and while that is obviously not a deep personality, the developers of this new Tomb Raider trilogy's attempt to make her deeper seems to involve making her clueless and whiny at every little thing in lieu of character development.

She's a strong female character because the writers "Said so" and put that same kind of weight of statement into the game. That's all this brand of writing is. They say something is a way, and you believe it, and there is nothing underneath at all. It's a surface and then a void, no lake beneath the ice. No depth. "This moment is sad. Everyone is saying that it is sad. They will continue to say how sad it is for minutes afterwards until the haha funtime quippy action starts up again. But in the future, when this moment is discussed, people will say 'how sad' when referring to it. Therefor, it is sad." Movies, games, books, comics; it's all just "Feel as a I say, not as you should" and they end up writing either boring or hilariously incompetent shit while dictating to their consumers what they SHOULD be feeling because I SAID SO. It's MY art piece, so you have to FEEL what I WANT you to FEEL! Because that worked fucking great in the 2016 election.

I liked the part in the last game were lara made the Shocking Discovery that work conditions in a Soviet gulag were quit bad. Is there anything as funny in this one?

"Bug-fuck nuts" is my new go-to insult for crazy people.

I like how the treasure Laura is after is the gold plated limited edition San Diego Comicon exclusive Dragon Dagger.

Seems Lara's superpower in this series is "ludonarrative dissonance" because there's an apparently insurmountable divide between her character and her actions. Honestly, I can't imagine her kill count really justifies how many artifacts she's collected by doing what she does.. In fact, I'm beginning to wonder if she is legitimately psychotic. It's almost as if every time the developers were saying "this time, you'll get to see how Lara became the Tomb Raider", they were secretly prodding the execs to help get them back on some semblance of track. In short, this trinity of games isn't about how Lara became the Tomb Raider, but rather how Square Enix made Lara into Batman.

Shadow of the thumbnail

5:14 there's a place like that in Mexico called Tula, where there's an ancient mesoamerican city right next to a huge oil refinery.

This was one of the best reviews he's done in a while. Love to hear him rip into something that sucks and has a big enough budget behind it so that you don't feel bad

You know you're early when the thumbnail doesn't load yet.

Wow, I never knew that playing with a shadow could be that fun!

when games take themselves too seriously they tend to lose their fun factor , that series is one of the many examples

I've had to watch this video three times so far. The bit at 2:58 launched me into a fit of giggles and I kept missing the rest of the review

I liked the first reboot from 2013 cos she was stranded on a deadly island trying to survive so it made sense that she was killing people and animals trying not to die...now shes just a psycho with a taste for blood who uses treasure hunting as an excuse to go around killing people doing their job.

Yeah this series is just so dull, I can't be bothered. THANK YOU for going into detail on why Lara is a terrible character in these games. Just a bundle of daddy issues and completely ambiguous "This is my destiny" tropes that go absolutely nowhere.

♪ Pre-determined action setpiece ♫ I wish he'd do that little ditty in more videos.

I get the distinct impression that Yahtzee had more fun with that final melodic laugh than he had with the entirety of the game he just finished reviewing.

Tomb Raider: Origins Tomb Raider: Odyssey Return of the Tomb Raider Tomb Raider Revamped Tomb Raider HD Remaster Tomb Raider vs Dante from DMC vs Captom HD Remaster ft. Knucles

Seriously though, "i must or i have to" are basically the magic words for moving the plot when you're a lazy ass writer, bonus points if you drop an "alone or by myself" in there to justify a solo mission in the game /movie /TV show

LOLed at the running gag of Lara killing imps in different ways! XD

I sang along with the "its a pre-determined action sequence"

Petition to make the knobfather an epic trillogy

I'm not sure what the question is, but the answer is "Because western developers have no clue what makes a character deep, what characters are allowed to and work best as NOT being deep, and are more focused on ham-fisting fads into games to try too hard to appeal to the kiddies than making an ACTUALLY fun and consistent game."

"If getting the shit beaten out of you is enough to make you a complex and interesting character, then my knob deserves its own Scorsese-directed biopic." I died.

Why is Yahtzee Shaming chest high walls for looking after family?

Can't wait to see this game reappear in the "Worst of 2018" list

i thought they almost stumbled into something poignant at the start when it shows the big action set piece actually destroying the town and the lives of the people in it and Jonah wants to stay and provide actual material help to them instead of going off to chase the macguffin which Lara claims would be the REAL best way to help them, but then they just slammed it into reverse and had Jonah on the plane with you literally at the start of the next scene

the delivery on that last joke! oh god, I can't stop. x,D

that laugh at the end is the laugh of someone whos gone insane..which i cant blame ya for honestly

If getting the shit beaten out of you is enough to make you an interesting character, my knob deserves its own Scorsese directed bio pic..... Fkin LOST IT!🤣🤣

The march on Washington joke didn't age very well...

I always wonder why don't the mercenaries just go "Wait she killed how many of us? That's it I don't care if i become a god if this plan works I just want to live. So I'm out of here!".

Oh God, I think I can actually hear the sad remains of Yahtz' soul dribbling out of his ear towards the end of this one. Mr. Croshaw, are you in need of a holiday? I really wouldn't blame you.

4:33 Shouldn't that be "So the weed would get off him"?

I can’t! wait for the next reboot! Which’ll actually be a Crash/Spyro -type remaster to maximize the pointlessness

That crazy laugh at the end was pretty damn great.

All we need is a "Return of the Tomb Raider"

Making your character a victim doesn’t make her more interesting

been awhile since we've seen him tear something apart at the seams jesus christ

the pun at the end was worth it alone.

Flute sword for the green ranger is a reasonable treasure to become a tomb raider for.

I got the next 30 years of overused titles. Tomb Raider Revelation Return of the Tomb Raider. Beneath the Tomb Raider. Escape from the Tomb Raider. *C R O F T* Attack of the Tomb Raider. The Tomb Raiding Menace. Tomb Raider of the Lost Ark Temple of Tomb The Last Tombsade Tomb Souls. Tomb 2: 2 Fast 2 Raider Tomb 6 Raider 7 Tomb R8er Tomb Raider World

So when is the Knobfather coming out?

predetermined action setpiece is my favourite jingle

Best video yet. I’m in tears! 😂

So when are we going to get back to the good old days of Lara shooting wolves and dinosaurs in the face? I've quite had enough of Square shilling their super advanced engine that realistically gets her dirty now.

I HAVE TO MAKE A CLEVER REFERENCE TO THE VIDEO

Last phrase is why I love you......

That end laugh would make a great ring tone

I think they had potential with these. They’re fun to play in my opinion but I only see the smatterings of the story that wanted to be told like the random one scene where you play as Lara as a child or the offhand comment in the definitive edition where she “hates climbing” which I think the kid scene undoes. I think she’s supposed to be some sort of reluctant accidental hero that grows into the role. Like maybe she’s only known the bookish side of the actual tomb raiding and now she has to be thrust into the physical bits of it but it all happens too fast for sake of game play. The game suffers from lack of attention to detail regarding the story they wanted to tell and pacing. I think if Lara had been more of a fuck up in the beginning maybe the growth would have felt earned but that first kill is too easy. We get over her inhibitions too quickly. And the fathers death ends up feeling like a throw away line to give the illusion of motive. That’s story web day one detail not finished product detail. I like playing these games but I don’t find the story particularly compelling.

I played Uncharted 1 to 4 for the first time before playing the first Tomb Raider reboot and it was so dull and souless compared to Uncharted, so I gave up half way through. Couldn't be bothered to keep up with e series after that.

This person would make a perfect voice for audio books.

I seriously can’t believe they used the origin story tagline for all the games in his reboot timeline

Great review! You missed the opportunity to call it Shallow of the Tomb Raider, though. 😇

So in short an unstoppable god boss but only as far as game logic goes got it. Im a bit disappointed that the origin story didnt include how she Went from ballon breast lady to normal breast size lady.

"Who would've thunk you'd make a sequel of a reboot thats a prequel to a big established franchise wow Im so blown away" - Lyle McDouchebag

But she must, Yahtz, she must do what she must.

I'm a long time Tomb Raider fan; possibly my most-often-replayed series of games. These latest ones are incredibly beautiful on a technical level but ultimately 'meh'. It used to be adventure set in exotic locations with clever puzzles, a sense of isolation and an almost spiritual sense of accomplishment as you discover interwoven connections to other rooms, new sights or just amazing ideas. It made me feel like I was travelling, learning and appreciating things. Incredible music, deep atmosphere (considering the graphics at the time) and a game engine that made me feel like I was in control. It was my style of escapism. It's slipped into being another action coma where things are always on fire or breaking apart, Lara included. They try to make her a strong feminist icon but her entire world still revolves around daddy issues. Even in the recent excuse-for-a-movie she couldn't accomplish anything without a man doing it for her - not that I care particularly much for feminist agenda being forced on every remotely popular female character these days. The point I'm making is that old-Lara, regardless of skimpy outfits, was a much stronger human. We've also gone from protagonist vs environment (which was unique) to protagonist vs army, which puts it in competition for just about every other AAA title. It also means Lara is motivated by survival 90% of the time, which is awfully boring and generic as well as external, vs her old internal motivations. She also destroys all the gorgeous locations she goes to with complete disrespect. It's gone all cut scene, pretty linear path and action. I would love to see a return to an emphasis on beauty over action. In my ideal Tomb Raider, you'd hardly need guns - A game that would stimulate the eyes and brain, not just trigger finger - leave footprints not mass destruction. I haven't even bought this one (Shadow) yet...that's how little I care for the new ones :( - I will, but only when it's on sale, because ultimately I HAVE TO (you see what I did there) own them all.

Knowing that Yahtzee will one day review *HuniePop* it fills me with determination!

"If getting the shit beaten out of you is enough to make you an interesting character, then my knob deserves its own Scorsese-directed biopic" One of the best critic phrases I've ever heard.

ya the whole illuminati thing killed off screen with a easy to miss audio was INCREDIBLY FUNNY

Oh no, Lara tomb raided the thumbnail.

I'm glad I resisted the urge to get this game.

Lala became... a psychopath after all 3 games.

Thank. You. For. Your. Painfully. Honest. Reviews. Humanity. Needs. More. RU-vidrs. Like. you. ✊🏼

I think he clearly explained why I couldn't play the first one more than 2 hours. I loved all other TR games however stupid they were, but these new incarnations feel so shallow and far from reality while trying to feel realistic and relatable, it makes me want to throw myself off a cliff. A cringefest is what it is.

I still loved the game.

NEW jingle: Insurance rates - hahahahaha-

Did anyone else notice how the plot of this one was almost a carbon copy of the last one except set in South America as opposed to Syberia?

Maybe they're just going with an alphabet theme for the names and started with R for whatever reason. Rise of the Tomb Raider Shadow of Tomb Raider Trial of the Tomb Raider U...niqueness? of the Tomb Raider

I didn't ask for an Australian who talks at Rap God speed in a mix of large words and swearing, but that's what I got and I'm ok with it

That laugh at the end.

Pre-determined action sequence needs to be the title of a song in your upcoming musical.

I made a joke with my friends that’s Warhammer 40K related. Basically I said if Lara Croft entered the 40K universe she would become a Chaos God since her kill count equals several planets worth of humans. Her favored weapon would be her ice pick since that’s half of her kill count, she nigh invulnerable and she’s a killing machine that puts seasoned military trained mercenaries to shame.

Why isn't there a thumbnail? Aren't the thumbnails done a week prior because the videos go up on The Escapist first?

Man I can't wait for the 4th installment 'Tomb Raider: Diamond is Unbreakable'.

1:56 Tomb Raider legend even had a best of Death Scenes video