Overall, this was a decent open-world (more like open-county) racing game but only a slight improvement over Rivals which is the only other entry I've played so far. Speaking of Rivals, I found the Night/Day mechanic of earning cash and reputation to be much more succinct than the Racer/Cop back and forth which essentially made you play the game twice. There is a staggering amount of customisation for both your vehicle of choice and your avatar, however, it's a shame the latter ends up being squandered on a story that barely seemed to acknowledge them for the most part; had no regrets slapping a LED mask onto them given how minute their emotional stakes are (and somewhat pretended they were a distant cousin of Wrench from Watch Dogs 2). Everything else is fairly standard fare: an okay selection of event types, overly familiar collectibles (except for the destructible flamingos...yeah, really) and competent controls depending on what terrain/event you specialise your car for. Enjoyed my 20 hours or so with it but I'm in no rush to play it again.

Sea of Solitude tackles a topic that I've had personal experience with for quite a while; check the title if you really need cluing in. Sadly, its impact as a form of entertainment is as positive as it is negative. You'll be on the edge of your seat navigating Kay through tense situations as well as groaning since she moves like a ton of bricks. Your ears will be graced by its music and sound design and then they'll get tortured with voice acting that's okay at best; ear-grating at worst. And, finally, just when you think you're witnessing a masterpiece, everything starts to buckle under technical glitches and a conclusion that's disappointingly simple for what this project attempts to cover. It's a beautiful piece of art that fails to hide the smudges that plague the entire canvas.

If you liked the previous games in this trilogy, you'll get the same enjoyment out of this one. That is both my greatest compliment and my largest gripe. Shadow was touted as "Lara's definitive moment" and the finale of this reboot; yet so much of it, both gameplay and narrative, resembles a middle-point adventure like Rise did. Sure, I loved the additions to platforming and how the combat was downplayed this time around so the encounters felt more special, however, nothing besides the change to the setting and culture (which are portrayed with staggering amounts of authenticity) convinced me I wasn't playing the same good game for the third time in a row. All three of these entries are solid AAA experiences but I'm glad the folks at Square Enix will be moving on with this franchise; hopefully for the better.