Tell Lara I love her
This year sees the return of two very famous archaeologists. While the aged Indiana Jones limps his way back into the cinemas, the ever-graceful Lara Croft has managed to flip and somersault into another globetrotting adventure, Tomb Raider: Underworld. Continuing from where Tomb Raider: Legends left off, Tomb Raider: Underworld follows Lara's quest for her mother's whereabouts. Mixing Norse and Arthurian legends, among others, the storyline is a stretch as Lara seems to be the only one able to discover ancient structures - sitting there in broad daylight - with ease. Still, story substance is not what fans look for in a Tomb Raider game but the puzzles and actions of the title character. Developer Crystal Dynamics has done an excellent job on this score. The puzzles are now on a larger scale. Chambers and levels are stretched across underwater caverns and hidden fortresses and the experience is enhanced by our favorite heroine's greater movements and agility.
Simple actions like jumping off a ledge and shooting a grappling hook imbue Lara with greater flexibility. She can now point her twin guns at separate targets so players do not get rushed from the side when Lara is focused only on the on-screen enemy. Now also more action-oriented, she can kick and smash enemies, aside from shooting circles around them. This places Tomb Raider: Underworld more into the action genre, instead of the more traditional puzzle one. From ledge swinging, motorcycle riding to monster killing, these actions now form part of the puzzle, instead of having Lara simply jump, swing, pull and let go. This time, think of Lara finding a lever, attaching it to the wall, pulling it and opening a gate and having to get on her bike and zip to the gate before it slams shut. With the greater agility comes new problems. The camera pan is at times not fast enough to track Lara's movement and when she is swinging, the camera can automatically change directions without your input.
The controls can get rather frustrating during the more intense jumping portions as a change in camera angle can affect the jump's direction, which ends with Lara screaming and plummeting to her death. Even as Lara has been upgraded, someone had forgotten to do the same to the enemies, making them typical roadkill. They are not wont to put up much of a fight, especially as Lara has unlimited ammunition, and when she finally gets to use Thor's might hammer, she is practically invincible. Puzzle-wise, the intricate settings make for a larger scale problem but not much more difficult. As long as you explore every chamber, you will come across all the items needed to activate that hidden door or switch. As for design, Lara has ditched the braids for a ponytail and changed her wardrobe. No worries, players still get to choose to equip her in the fullest of equipment or the barest of necessities for each level. With the detailed graphics that include water droplets sliding down Lara's body, no one can complain that this is not the most beautiful Lara yet.
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