Tomb Raider: Underworld

I have been a Tomb Raider fan for years now and when Tomb Raider Underworld was said to be the best Tomb Raider yet i couldn't wait for its release. However it was unfortunately short, it only had 1 more additional level than legend which therefore means that it only had 8 maybe the creators are trying to tell us that the number of the Tomb Raider is the same amount of levels e.g. Tomb Raider Legend was the 7th in the series and it had 7 levels and Tomb Raider Underworld being the 8th has 8 levels. Although it was short the game wasn't all bad it had once again a very strong storyline which makes it almost impossible to stop playing the game although i found that the emotion in the game at points was put across poorly. The graphics were amazing as always and the game play is fun and interesting especially with the new weapons that she finds over the course of the game. The makers have really focused on design and movement with this game making it seem more realistic and of course as any Tomb Raider fan will know that this one contains blood. I am still with Tomb Raider 2 being my favourite but they are getting closer to the greatness they once had and who knows maybe my opinion will changed within a few years.

Despite what some reviews around the net say, TR:U is a fantastic step forward for the series. While not overly different from Legend and Anniversary, it has definitely taken inspiration from the two and combined all of the best bits of both.

The story itself is extremely compelling, and the ending is truly epic and moving. We finally get to see Lara uncover the truth about the events beginning in Legend, and they even tie up with events from TR1 and Anniversary. The story is what kept me going, something that hasn't happened since Mass Effect and Gears 2.

As you may have guessed, I have played the game on Xbox 360. I have an open mind for all platforms (and play on PC as well), but I believe Tomb Raider is best played on your console of choice due to the fact the controls work so well on a controller. Apart from some minor control quirks and the odd camera moment, most of the game remains solid and stable and never did the quirks frustrate or hamper the experience.

Some familiar characters return for Underworld, including Zip and Alistair. If there is one thing I would have changed in Underworld, it's that Zip and Alistair don't play as big a role as in Legend, which is a shame because there are times in Underworld where you know you would be hearing them if you were playing Legend.

Some people however will like this approach, as there are no hints and tips given to you when solving puzzles, as Zip and Alistair are oblivious to your actions. Instead, Lara films her expeditions with an HDD camcorder (which has the same amount of battery every time she uses it), and this progresses the story in the same way Zip and Alistair did in Legend.

Being more like Anniversary will certainly please the older fans, but for people who properly joined the series at Legend (like me), some will feel the lack of dialogue is, well, lacking. This however is only my opinion, and on the plus side the lack of dialogue certainly adds to the feeling of isolation present throughout the game.

Overall, Underworld is a great game, with dazzling graphics in a similar style to 'Uncharted' on the PS3. The exploration and story really keep you going, and the generally epic feel to the game makes it feel like a Hollywood blockbuster. Keep it up Crystal Dynamics, you're doing a fine job.

Tomb Raider Underworld looks like a current generation game but feels like it is still stuck in the past. Let's start with the good looks. The environments in Underworld are stunning and grand. The lighting, reflections and textures look fantastic. The character models look a lot more realistic than in previous games, with Lara having a much more athletic build. Lara still has a plastic Michael Jackson face, which does ruin the immersion a bit, but at least it doesn't affect the game-play. Lara is now mo-capped, adding a lot more flexibility to the character, e.g. Lara can jump and grab the very corner of a ledge which is on a strange angle.

For all the good looks this game has, there are so many things that spoil the game-play. The first noticeable thing is the camera. It does nothing to aid the flow of the game or enhance Lara's movement, in fact it impedes you so many times. instead of zooming out when you need it to, it instead gets stuck behind Lara's back, sometimes it goes above Lara so you can't even see her. This means half the time you cannot see where you are going when you are climbing/jumping. When this happens you can either plan your route from the ground (which isn't always possible) or guess where you have to jump, often resulting in death because you've overshot the mark. The camera is also a hindrance in gun battles, as it jumps around so much, and rarely focuses on the target. The gun battles are so bad it almost feels like it was tacked on because traditionally Lara has had to shoot something. The secrets/relic hunt is quite boring, and they seem scattered arbitrarily through the game for the sake of it. For the first time, the secrets hunt really does not add any replay value and is quite tedious.

Underworld's saving grace is the level design, with huge puzzles and huge levels. Unfortunately, the game simply was not long enough. Experienced tomb raiders should have no problem completing the game. I managed to complete it in less time than Legend, which was a huge disappointment. As good as the story and levels are, the bad camera, the length of the game, and the little replay value will ensure that I do not revisit Underworld for a while. The exclusive content for the Xbox 360 should not have been exclusive at all, as this game really could have used a few more levels. Underworld really does feel like a half-game.

I'm a big Tomb Raider fan, have played all the previously released games, including gold games, and I must say, this game is most like Tomb Raider AOD: A great story, stunning new graphics, and out of control controls. Although this game doesn't contain as many texture glitches as AOD, the setback is that the camera is completely out of control. It's like they put the game on 2x speed compared to Tomb Raider Anniversary, which completely takes out the pleasure of playing the game, and just makes you confused and even sometimes nauseous. The story is interesting, and in line with the previous game Tomb Raider Legend, although in this game you have no idea where to go, because the textures are too realistic and the camera is in your way. It's just really, REALLY disappointing how they managed to screw this game up so badly in gameplay, like so many new games, always such a hurry to make it before some deadline.

The story and atmosphere are decent but not great. Most of the gameplay is puzzle platforming. This sometimes gets a bit repetitive, but there is enough variation and cutscenes to prevent it from getting too tedious. The balance between platforming and other types of gameplay is better than in TR-Anniversary (which was all platforming) but maybe not quite as engaging for the masses (and me) as the 2013 reboot (which had more action). The platforming difficulty is generally good for most of us, but on the easy side for hardcore gamers. I struggled with some parts, but always got through after a while. Some environments look really nice (Thailand), but others have rather bare and bland level design. The combat is fairly bad, as expected with this series. The checkpoint save system is also annoying, but not too bad.

Though some of the veterans will scoff, I find the optional "field assistance" hints an improvement over the previous games that offered no help at all - now I am less likely to need to look up solutions online when I get stuck. There is still big room for improvement in this area though. At least there are difficulty settings for specific things like enemy health and fall damage.

Lara's controls are a bit mixed. In some ways they are fine, but they also feel a bit nervous and she moves less natural (less inertia and animation flow) than in TR-Anniversary. As usual, sometimes the controls don't do what you want, causing many accidental deaths. Also, the camera behaviour can be disorienting, and the FOV is unpleasantly low. At least there is no mouse acceleration. The HUD is bad - you have to open your PDA to change weapon and see how much ammo you have. None of these flaws are game breaking though.

Tip: To improve the graphics beyond the max ingame settings, i suggest forcing AF to x4 (ingame AF setting does not work) and AA transparency to 4x supersampling in nvidia control panel.

I would say this is a game to get when on sale, and only if you are OK with a lot of puzzle platforming.