When comparing Rise of the Tomb Raider vs Wolfenstein: The New Order, the Slant community recommends Rise of the Tomb Raider for most people. In the question“What are the best singleplayer games on Steam?” Rise of the Tomb Raider is ranked 50th while Wolfenstein: The New Order is ranked 53rd. The most important reason people chose Rise of the Tomb Raider is:
In Rise of the Tomb Raider there are 9 optional tombs that serve as large scale environmental puzzles. They all rely on you reading the environment carefully. For example, one of them is a wooden ship frozen vertically on the wall of an ice cavern. The puzzle is reaching the treasure at the top of the ship. It might seem really hard at first, but if you carefully look at the environment you'll find a path. Solving one of these puzzles is really fun, especially because you get an upgrade from them.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Challenging but fair optional puzzles
In Rise of the Tomb Raider there are 9 optional tombs that serve as large scale environmental puzzles. They all rely on you reading the environment carefully.
For example, one of them is a wooden ship frozen vertically on the wall of an ice cavern. The puzzle is reaching the treasure at the top of the ship.
It might seem really hard at first, but if you carefully look at the environment you'll find a path. Solving one of these puzzles is really fun, especially because you get an upgrade from them.
Pro Jaw dropping graphics
Rise of the Tomb Raider has phenomenal graphics and a very great attention to detail. Simple things like the snow moving as you step into it or how Lara's hair moves in the wind. This gives it a feeling a of polish most games don't have.
The character models and animations are also phenomenal. Each of their movements and facial expressions look real, creating a movie like experience.
Pro Rewarding exploration
Each level is large, so there is quite a lot to see and do in each one. You'll be rewarded for exploring as there are many hidden items, weapons, and beautiful views to be found. This gives you an incentive to fully explore each location.
Pro A variety of weapons to keep the gameplay fun
There are over 20 weapons to choose from, including handguns, shotguns, assault rifles, and bows. You can also craft special ammo or explosives such as nail bombs. This keeps the gunfights interesting since you can switch to a new weapon whenever it gets dull.
Pro Replayability through unlockables
Once a level is competed, you can to complete unfinished or new objectives. These will unlock new outfits or other items. This gives you plenty of goals to strive for outside the main story. Trying to complete all the optional objectives can be quite addictive.
Pro Well written and acted characters
While the overarching storyline isn't anything noteworthy, the characters in it stand out due to great voice acting and surprisingly well-written lines. You'll actually enjoy listening to the characters talk, cracking jokes, and contemplating moral dilemmas, causing you to want to learn more about them. This is especially the case with the main character. You'll empathize with his situation and motivations, making you feel a deeper connection than with most modern FPS protagonists.
Pro Solid gameplay
Even though the gameplay doesn't innovate, it's really solid. The controls are sharp, the guns feel great, and the stealth sections give it a refreshing amount of variation. All of this will keep you wanting to play a little more, providing your hours of entertainment.
Pro Rewarding exploration
In most modern shooters you just rush through very linear set pieces, shooting waves upon waves of enemies. Wolfenstein: The New Order rewards you for taking the time to explore. You can find many collectibles, secrets, and even hidden paths, giving you easier/safer methods of clearing a level.
Cons
Con Overused and overly familiar plot
The gist of the plot is that Lara is searching for the key to eternal life. This plot has been used in other franchises such as Indiana Jones and Uncharted. It seems kinda lazy, especially because both of these franchises are also about treasure hunters. You won't be able to shake the feeling that you already know the story, which somewhat ruins the enjoyment.
Con Very linear
Most of the time you'll be forced to move along a single path. There are occasional quick-time events and simple puzzles, but every situation only has a single solution. This makes it feel more like an interactive movie than a game since you're never really given any freedom of choice.
Con Focuses on action too much
Rise of the Tomb Raider doesn't have many puzzles or slow-paced sections, so you never really feel like a treasure hunter looking for artifacts. There are just way too many gunfights and high intensity moments one after another. It would have been nice to see more puzzles to balance out the action.
Con Stealth seems pointless
While there are stealth takedowns and you can be stealthy in many areas, there is no real incentive to be stealthy. You can easily take out most enemies in an open confrontation and you won't ever feel like you're truly in danger.
Con Difficulty spikes late game
During the latter half of the game the gunfights will suddenly become a lot harder. While they're not impossible to beat, the sudden difficulty spike will take time to get used to. This may cause some frustration and worsen your overall experience.
Con Dual wield feels out of place
Using two guns at the same time, while a cool concept does not feel fully fleshed out in this title. It is often cumbersome and does not wield great results in firefights, which asks the question of why it was included.
Con Dynamic resolution might feel distracting
When there's a lot of on-screen action the resolution will get scaled down to keep the gameplay running at 60 frames per second. This doesn't happen too often, but it might feel a little distracting since it feels like your vision is going blurry.