Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration review, PS4: 'Like going to see a tribute band'

Already released on Xbox One almost a year ago, Lara Croft's latest zip-lines onto the PlayStation to mark the 20th anniversary of her adventuring debut. In many cases, the practice of 'moneyhatting' a title can smart a little for those that get second dibs, but there's perhaps been less disappointment for Tomb Raider fans. The release of Uncharted 4 earlier in the year will quite possibly have satiated consumer desire for discovering hidden cities, searching for lost treasure, and climbing cliffs while fending off endless waves of grunting mercenaries. So how can Rise of the Tomb Raider break up the ennui brought on by over-familiarity?

2013's Tomb Raider reboot was one of the best looking games on the last generation of consoles, and they've upheld a formidable standard with this sequel. Lara herself is beautifully rendered, particularly her hair, which ostentatiously flows around her shoulders, and there's no doubt the game looks fantastic as a visual spectacle, with stunning vistas and excellent character models.

One of the previous games most annoying habits returns, though, in the form of Lara's constant whimpering. Imagine the day Camilla Luddington had to go into the studio, channel her inner misery and stand at the microphone to record five hours of groaning, whining audio tracks. The need to humanise the protagonist and create realistic peril can be understood, but here it feels over the top, presenting Croft as a mere pinball in a particularly sadistic machine that sends her spinning from one disastrous set-piece to the next. For all their efforts to present a strong female figure, for me the developers have missed the mark by forgetting to provide a well-rounded representation of her whole character.

Inevitable comparisons with the wisecracking Nathan Drake do her no favours, his easy charm in the face of danger highlighting the fundamental difference between the games. Rise of the Tomb Raider fatally lacks the levity present in Drake's capers - there is no downtime in which to develop any of the characters, leaving Lara herself marooned in a cruel world which wants to see her toppling down icy waterfalls or impaled on ancient spears for no particular reason. The game channels the dark, sombre tone of the recent DC Superman films, where a bit more Marvel conviviality is required.

The game itself is broadly enjoyable to play, and certainly compelling enough to propel you through the narrative, but there are times when you will ask yourself why Lara really persists in her endless forward motion, heading deeper and deeper into trouble on behalf of her deceased father, who is shown in a series of cut scenes to be rather distracted from parenthood, and less than an ideal role model.

Other minor irritants arise in the form of endless collectibles and the particularly pointless 'learning a language' XP quests - a mindless addition that neither requires actual gaming skill or real-world knowledge, instead, seeing players absently hammering the square button in the hope of not missing out on another screen-invading XP boost. The sheer number of pop-ups give the impression of playing a game without ad-blocker enabled, your field of vision constantly under fire from collectables that quickly begin to look like the chores most gamers have tired of - anyone who's played a Ubisoft game in the last half decade will recognise this trait, and curse it as they seek out the seventeenth hidden treasure in any given area.

For a game supposedly glorifying twenty years of Tomb Raiding, there's a serious danger of inducing the feeling that you're merely playing somebody else's greatest hits - it's a bit like going to see a tribute band or watching YouTube covers by talented but mechanical musicians. There's no doubting that Rise of the Tomb Raider is a competent game - technically polished, solidly built, and mostly rather enjoyable - but as a PS4 owner, it's difficult to warm to Lara's icy Siberian adventures when you've probably already played a superior title.