Rise of the Tomb Raider Xbox One X Enhanced Preview

Rise of the Tomb Raider is an outstanding game and one of the best looking Xbox One titles. It has continued to get incredible graphic upgrades across all platforms and Xbox One X is the latest to receive just that.

With the game you get three graphic options allowing for a completely customizable experience. This truly let's you play Tomb Raider however you'd like and it would be great to see other games in the future present a similar variety of options. The first of these is "Native 4k Resolution" which grants 3840x2160 at 30fps.

The second is "Enriched Visuals" which brings graphical features that provide a lusher and more realistic experience. The game displays in 4k at 30fps with that selection enabled. The final mode is "High Framerate" which bumps the regular presentation with minor tweaks up to 60fps, it doesn't specifically mention sixty within the game screen but it's damn fluid so I imagine it hits close to that.

I personally went with the native 4k option because it looks damn amazing and Lara shines, but the selection is obviously up to you. The game also features HDR support which is purely gorgeous and makes each scene that features any sort of light magical. This Rise of the Tomb Raider Xbox One X enhancement really is a great excuse to go back and replay it in a brand new view.

When checking out the game I worked through a number of levels to get a good idea of just what these improvements bring. This was particularly easy because you can adjust the resolution options on the fly. It's just the flick of a menu selection and the entire game adjusts accordingly, it's like in Halo: The Master Chief Collection when you switch to old graphics.

Not in the sense that any options look bad, just you can instantly get that sense of change. I loved the way the native 4k looked, but I had a great appreciation for the high frame rate as each motion Lara performed was buttery smooth.

Key things to notice within the game were the soft touches of light and the more intense beams you would get from the sun. The glow stick she uses just has this ever so realistic look to it and the light against the snowy hill tops was crazy. The main focus of my adventure included the prologue Syria; Mountain Peak, The Copper Mill and the Wicked Vale.

I thought that each of these levels would best represent the distinct environments within the game. The opening is what I've mostly been discussing, it's a fast and easy way to quickly see just how massive the changes are.

Lara is so soft and realistic, the dirt on her is so dry and any liquids naturally move along the skin. This level of detail is present within the world as well with the crumbling rocks, items you can smash and just any sort of artistic item in the world.

The Mountain Peak was damn crazy as that snow looks just like outside right now (we've had heavy snowfall). The Wicked Vale was particularly crazy due to the trippy nature of it all and that splash of vibrant color danced across the screen. Rise of the Tomb Raider is a beautiful and perfect game, with this Xbox One X enhancement it gets even better.

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