When comparing Dead Rising 3 Apocalypse Edition vs Rise of the Tomb Raider, 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 Dead Rising 3 Apocalypse Edition is ranked 159th. 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 Enjoyable, impactful fighting mechanic
The combat in the game never gets old as there is always a new weapon to try out which makes for so many different ways to fight enemies depending on the weapon being used. This is basically a sandbox of killing zombies, there are so many combinations of doing so that one can be hard pressed to repeat themselves.
Pro Absurd, over-the-top, zombie-filled apocalypse experience
The story and action in Dead Rising 3 Apocalypse Edition is pretty over the top, a staple of the series at this point which should appeal to those looking for zany zombie killing fun.
Pro Co-op support
Dead Rising 3 Apocalypse Edition supports 2 player online co-op with a few DLC missions supporting up to 4 player online co-op. Sadly there is no local co-op to speak of.
Pro Extended gameplay through side-missions and collectibles
Dead Rising 3 Apocalypse Edition offers plenty of side missions so players can take breaks from the main story line as well as lots and lost of collectibles. Taking the time to collect or complete side missions makes for plenty of hours spent in game.
Pro Great variety in weapons
There is an almost never ending supply of weapons to use and customize. This plays into how enjoyable it is to fight the zombies as there are so many weapon combinations available.
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.
Cons
Con Dull, grey aesthetic
Yet another in the long line of brown and grey video games. This aesthetic may be tiresome to those that are sensitive to this type of design choice.
Con 30fps cap
Dead Rising 3 Apocalypse Edition has a 30fps cap placed in the game by the devs (most likely being that this is a lazy port) that can be uncapped by editing an .ini file. Though once uncapped it is extremely difficult to get a stable 60fps, even on the most high end of systems.
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.