Yes, before you say it, I know there are PS2 and PSP versions of the game so I should have really included them in the title... But they suck and play quite differently to their 7th gen counterparts.
The quicker we can forget about those abysmal ports the better.
Now then.
The Tomb Raider series is always something I've enjoyed playing and I'm a proud owner of all games (Even the mobile phone and Gameboy advance games, as well as the PC Gold editions)
Things haven't been too good for the first lady of gaming throught the 2000's, after the failure of the now cult classic "Angel of Darkness", she was evicted from her England home with Core Design and moved to the US to go live with Crystal Dynamics.
I'll admit that Crystals first attempt at a Tomb Raider in 2006 game was ok, but it (Legend) lacked what it's predecessors had, atmosphere.
The classic Core games made you feel as if you were in the places you were meant to be visiting.
I could feel the cold of the Peruvian mountains, the stifling heat of the Indian jungle and the desolate abandonment of the Egyptian tombs.
You couldn't really do that with Legend, most of this I think was because you (Lara) was always chatting away on a headset, meaning you couldn't soak in your surroundings and focus.
2007's Tomb Raider: Anniversary, a remake of the first Tomb Raider from 1996 was a step in the right direction, the linearity that plagued Legend was gone and the atmosphere was back... Now the only real problem was Lara's attitude.
I'd grown up with Lara since I was 10 and I always saw her as this strong, sarcastic badass who wouldn't take shit from anyone.
The sarcasm was still there, but she was a priss with parental issues. Puh-Lease.
Then Tomb Raider: Underworld was delivered to us in 2008. And again, it's a step in the right direction.
Graphics 8
This is without a doubt, one of the best looking Tomb Raider games of the series, and that's not just because of the power of the console.
Tomb Raider: The last revelation and Angel of Darkness will always be my favourites graphically (given the time periods they were made in) but Underworld looks gorgeous.
Everything is so vibrant and feels so alive... Or dead, depending on where you are.
The temples and tombs look and feel like they haven't seen life in centuries, and the jungles of Thailand and Mexico that actually feel alive.
The water effects are brilliant, Walking up the temple steps whilst rain water ran down them was amazing.
Character models look fantastic, especially Lara, look closely and you can see the pores in her skin.
Dirt actually clings to her this time round as well, as you make your way through the tombs and jungles, rolling around in the muck you actually see it make a difference.
This game definitely looks amazing, that I can't deny
Gameplay 7
It's your typical Tomb Raider, you explore the world, jump about like a bitch possessed and shoot anything that gets in your way.
The level design is brilliant in Underworld, you'll never be on your feet for too long, you'll be climbing about the level, looking for little nooks and crannies and which way to go next.
Combat again has been improved, but the enemy AI still sucks, they just don't try... The animals I can understand, but the humans... I'd expect some kind of intelligence from them.
But this is more classic Tomb Raider than it's predecessor: Legend (Anniversary is part of the canon, but it's a re-make of the original Tomb Raider, so I gotta give props to Core Design on that as Crystal Dynamics are basing there game on a different one, without the original, Anniversary wouldn't exist)
The last level is fun also, I was expecting a big epic boss battle, but in the end it was a platform piece, I would have like a boss, but the platforming end-game was fun and kept me on my feet.
Each level is designed differently and like I said before, they feel real, in the jungle I feel the humidity, in the tombs I feel quite chilly. It helps with the immersion. There are certain ways of traversing through the levels and whilst being fun and easy, it's also quite challenging
As for the puzzles, I wouldn't call them as such, but they're ok and don't hinder you.
Sound 7
The sound design in this game is pretty damn good, Lara's footsteps alter depending on what surface she's on, the birds atop the trees in the jungle can be heard nice and loud, the water as it flows sounds as it should.
Lara's voice acting, as well as Natla's and Amanda's.
Zip is as annoying as ever and Winston is meh... But yeah, it works.
Gunfire sounds spot on and the underwater sounds are superb.
My only gripe is that you spend a lot of time in caverns and desolate places, yet there is no echo... Something which I'd expect.
The music though is spot on, I love the TRU soundtrack! It's brilliant.
Story 6
It's a bit hard to score this because the game really requires you to have played through Legend and Anniversary to really understand it all.
But as a stand-alone, it's not bad. Lara is basically tasked with finding a weapon that can kill a god so that she can save her mother (and the world)
It's not bad, but it's not brilliant either. It does its job though.
Overall 7
Tomb Raider Underworld is a game worth playing at least once, it's got fun gameplay, the story is all right and Lara is as great to be with as ever.
There are some problems with the game, like Lara being a bitch when it comes to deciding on how far she'll jump, but she's always been that way.
There are frustrating moments, but as a whole, it's worth a whirl.
No comments:
Post a Comment