Tomb Raider! How did that even happen? A burnt out franchise starring a bygone star of  a gaming age where breasts (and size thereof) were equal to guns (and size thereof). The next in a long line of adventure games that were quickly paling under the harsh cinematic light of *Uncharted*. The ubiquitous *reboot* of a *beloved icon* that was going to be *darker* and *grittier*. Yaaaaaaawn. Time to roll over and stay down, Lara.

But developer Crystal Dynamics had a twin-prong plan; make Lara real, and tell a *bloody good story*. Stranded on a mysterious island, a young Lara has to learn to survive and take on not only the disgruntled residents but also the mythical force that restricts them. It’s a classic tale of weakness being hard-crafted into strength, with the whole thing beautifully written by Terry Pratchett’s daughter (and writer of *Heavenly Sword* and *Mirror’s Edge*) Rhianna.

And that’s it this time. I could talk much more about the successes of *Tomb Raider*, but I want to save it for a little something coming out just before the end of the year. You know, when Matt and I each pick our Game Of 2013. Needless to say, the moment where Lara turns from hunted to hunter is one of my favourite parts of any game from this generation; by this point she’s been bound, beaten, chased, shot and impaled, so the resulting empowerment of turning fear into vengeful anger is glorious. Tune back in at the end of December for the full article!