The Tomb Raider vs Uncharted argument has begun.

[Scoobes]

I'm a huge fan of both (played Uncharted 1-3 and all Tomb Raider games) and I'm very impressed with the new Tomb Raider.

Whilst they've both taken influence from each other they're also aiming for different things. Uncharted goes for an epic experience with tongue in cheek characters and focussed gunplay. The new Tomb Raider on the other hand aims for a darker story with greater emphasis on Lara as a character in both personality and gameplay development. It also has far more exploration than Uncharted.

Uncharted could focus on directing the player down a linear path creating epic set pieces, directed banter and small set "arenas" for gunplay. Whilst Tomb Raider directs you down a path for story heavy moments, it also gives you much larger open areas to explore with multiple paths of discovery and platforming rather than a single narrow path. In some ways these areas are a bit like the design philosophy of Crysis but with added puzzles and platforming.

My only real complaint about Tomb Raider is that the puzzles just aren't as large in scale or as challenging as in the past. The optional tombs are a nice touch but could have been much larger in scale.