Tomb Raider: Underworld Great Deals

5 Comments to “Tomb Raider: Underworld Great Deals”

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1. AeroEngineer
   October 31, 2010 - 2:38 am | Permalink

   Review by AeroEngineer
   Rating:
   I never played TR until last years Anniversary and thought it was surprisingly fun since I’m more of a Sci-Fi/military shooter/racer type. This game focuses on exploration and puzzle solving with cool Indiana Jones type of mythological environments that are really nice to look at all with a very lovely lady doing the exploring with the occasional battles. I found myself not wanting lovely Laura to get hurt even though she can take care of herself!

   I can definitely say this is a pretty big improvement from last years graphics and Laura has some pretty cool new moves with very intuitive controls configured very well for the PC gamer. I did have the occasional camera wigging out problems but it was not something that happened often. The sound was well done and fit into the whole mystical environment with the story occasionally coming in as cutscenes.

   The whole interface is very well done and up to date. One thing I wish this game had was an autosave option at the checkpoints which are signified by a distinct sound, otherwise I can’t always remember where I last saved. Also the saves don’t go exactly to where you save, they go to the last checkpoint, this can be annoying if you finished a particularly tough climbing sequence. That’s pretty much all that I don’t like.

   You should get this if you like exploration and puzzle games or Indy Jones/Mummy type of movies, it’s not a run and gun or horror type of game but that’s a nice break from the many games in those genres.

2. TJB
   October 31, 2010 - 2:47 am | Permalink

   Review by TJB
   Rating:
   Underworld is a great game, with a clear focus on exploration, acrobatics and puzzles – all the things that make a good tomb raider game. The environments are the most beautiful ones I have seen in a long time, and I play a lot of games. Granted, there are some games that might be technically more advanced, but Underworld’s levels are simply breathtaking. Also, a mid-range pc is fully satisfactory to run it (I use my Inspiron 1520 laptop).

   Lara’s model and animations have improved considerably too, so that she looks and moves more realistically. Further, the game is full of little details bringing Lara and the world to life; for instance, Lara brushes away leaves when she runs through foliage, she gets dirty when she performs acrobatics, she gets wet when she swims, etc. One can clearly see that Christal Dynamics put a lot of effort into making her adventures believable, and they succeeded. The music is great too and could be from a Hollywood blockbuster; it fits the game well, with many memorable tracks.

   On the downside, the combat is a bit lackluster, and I would have preferred Crystal Dynamics had retained the focus attack of Anniversary. Some people complain about the camera/controls, but I had no problems at all – granted, one should use a controller (I use the Xbox-360 one), since a mouse-keyboard combo is simply not well suited for this game. The story is ok for a tomb-raider game, but still rather silly.

   As for DRM: there is no activation needed and no installation limit, which is good. It does have a disk-check facilitated by Securom as far as I can tell, and even though I loathe Securom, it is used in an unobtrusive manner here (compared to the nightmares that Electronic arts imposes on its paying costumers).

   Compared to Legend, Underworld is bigger, more challenging and simply better (as much as I liked Legend, it was too easy, short and lacked the exploration bit, but I guess they needed a game whith a broad mass appeal to restart the franchise).

   Bottom line: Underworld is a great game, which I can only recommend. I hope it will be a financial success for Eidos, since it would be a shame if Eidos were to go bankrupt (they have quite a few financial problems right now). Over the years they have published many memorable franchises, such as Hitman and Legacy of Cain, and the last thing I would like to see is Electronic Arts buying yet another publisher to screw over customers and fans.

3. Lucky 7
   October 31, 2010 - 3:26 am | Permalink

   Review by Lucky 7
   Rating:
   I had high hopes for this as the reviews were favorable.It has a good look and plays nicely on my XP, but the controls are clunky, there’s not enough guidance for the novice as to Lara’s linear focus. Even switching between the game & a walkthru I found myself wishing for an easy death. Frustration is putting it mildly.
   
   I enjoyed the puzzle aspect, but could not continue, it’s just too slow. Compounding all this is the game has no quick save option, no quick load, forcing one to relive the slow painful repetitive track thru nothingness.
   
   Without the quick load/save,the game is monotonous. Good luck, you’ll need more than that my friend.

4. Pavel Pavliga
   October 31, 2010 - 4:20 am | Permalink

   Review by Pavel Pavliga
   Rating:
   I bought PC version and can say that it’s an incredible game, the best of TR games ever. Amazing graphic, absorbing plot and so many new movements of Lara. My favourite game of the autumn, for TR fans it’s must have purchase

5. Arin Owens
   October 31, 2010 - 5:12 am | Permalink

   Review by Arin Owens
   Rating:
   When I heard about Underworld, for PC specifically, I was excited. I’d been waiting for a new Tomb Raider game since the old ones, and this one looked perfect. This game delivers 90% of what fans want, with the exception of a few, minor flaws in the gameplay.

   The atmosphere of the game is superb. It has a very dark and creepy feel when you’re in the dark, deep tombs; and it has a very fun, Indiana Jones feel to it when you get into the thick, high jungles. Ontop of the general atmosphere, the game has a very large scale compared to the others in the series. The first few levels really bring this out in an outstanding way when you dive down deep into the ocean, all the beautiful scenery displayed. The graphics in the game are very very good, I was impressed personally, I expected them to be a little under par.

   Now, I’m going to address the main issue that fellow reviewers and websites like IGN have pointed out: The Camera.

   For me, the camera posed very little problems. The only time the camera really gets tricky is when you’re in very tight areas, or if you’re in an odd situation when climbing. It doesn’t become a problem otherwise, or at least it didn’t for me. The camera was fine through the game, with only a couple spots that were a tad bothersome.

   I don’t believe IGN and other reviewers have given this game it’s credit, really. There’s so many little things about it that makes it enjoyable to play; the scenery, music (which is wonderfully composed), puzzles, and things like when walking too close to fire, Laura will shield her face from the flames. The little things. It’s a very enjoyable game if you take it slow, and pay attention to what you’re doing. The camera should never pose a problem unless you’re rushing, jerking your mouse all over the place. This game wasn’t meant to be rushed through.

   The only problems I really can come up with that are valid and not down to personal experience are the AI. When fighting against humans, they generally just stand in front of Laura at a decent distance, firing, while standing still. That, or they run around and try to hide while shooting at you periodically. This issue doesn’t bother me, because Tomb Raider isn’t supposed to be a run-and-gun third person shooter against humans. It’s supposed to be Tomb Raider; going up against nature.

   Overall I enjoyed this game very much, and I recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a good adventure game, something refreshing and that will give you a good sense of accomplishment and fun.

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