IMO - the game-play mechanics are superb in this game. It just feels very solid. It's very smooth and the gameplay points you well in the right direction on what to do, where to go, without having too many of those moments where you just feel lost. I actually also think that the visuals are very impressive, even though at times, the color perhaps are rather bland, which is fine with me, because it suits the theme of the game.
What I am a bit more unsure about is the combat. In the old Tomb Raiders, despite there being a lot of shooting, it was foremost a 'platformer' - a platformer in the sense, that due to auto-aim (and no way to effectively duck or hide), the only means to defend yourself from enemies was jumping and moving around the grounds quickly, while keeping on firing. Even if combat mechanics like these don't really work in modern games anymore (it wouldn't fit into the realistic setting that we've come to expect), I'm not sure I prefer the shooter-esque mechanics either, even if they work rather well.
I guess I'm just a bit concerned that this game, will turn too much into a shooter. Like in Uncharted, I found the battles to be the weakest point of the game - though at least there, you have a huge mix of sandbox combat, running away from something, exploring, puzzle solving etc. From a Tomb Raider, I guess I expect a bit more puzzle solving, more exploring, more traps (yeah, be careful how you solve the puzzle, or you might end up dead), and the occasional here and there combat.
In the old Tomb Raiders, I loved fighting against wild-life even a bit more than against bad people. It gave it a certain atmosphere, being in places where there are things that are more scary then some bad guys with guns. In this Tomb Raider, the only wild-life that I remember that gave me a nostaligic feeling were the wolves in the beginning and going into Uncharted-combat mode, pressing L1 to aim and R1 to shoot just felt wrong, as animals just move too quickly to use this kind of mechanics effectively.
I want more battles against wild-life and mythical creatures. Less humans.
Just to add - the original Tomb Raider - the first encounters with wolves, then later the lions, monkeys, even aligators. It just keept getting better and better. It clearly picked up once you got the the mythical demons on the horses (that were first like statues and came alive). It was exhilirating. Far more than ever battling with some bad guys with guns. (Just as a note, I haven't completed this game yet, so no spoilers, in case there are still some to come....).
