Tomb Raider Underworld

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I finally bought TR:U for PS2 and was all excited as it has been delayed for ages and released on every other platform a long time ago.

Well, I must say, from my initial 45 min play, I am underwhelmed. Why after the great engine they used for TR Legend and Anniversary have we now got a Jerky looking game with a funny looking Lara? I relaise that the PS2 is getting on now, but the levels of jerk I have experienced are something I have not seen since the days of the c64!!

Legend and Anniversary look great, the PS2 can handle it and it flows and plays well. Now I have this Jerky rubbishy feeling game that has an oddly animated Lara running through so far, somewhat uninspired levels. When she moves between the set pieces in the game, it just looks and feels unnatural. They have added skills, such as walking across a balancing bar thing, but so far I have had little success as the way Lara moves is kind of, well somewhat akin to walking on ice sometimes.

The animation isn't a patch on what the other 2 games had. I tink quite a lot has been motion captured, but then some has been animated as well. For example, she has gone from an elegent standing hop to an awkward crouchy jump thing. It looks forced and kinda meh.


I will plug on, but to be honest, I am not feeling the attraction to the game here.

I know Paulbot and AUtocon have the game. Paulbot esecially, as its on PS2 as well. Are you guys suffering the same thing?

[roller]

you can tell Croft has had some work done on her face and body

she didn't look that young 10yrs ago, probably got botox injections and plastic surgery

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

yeh, looks like she has actualy gotten YOUNGER since the first game:p

[Paulbot]

I've put in more hours (3 and half hours on the day I bought it alone). The PS2 version is clearly a downgrade graphically. The transitions to and from the video moments are particularly rough and the videos are very grainy. Legend and Anniversary are much better looking games.

The camera is a bit jerky, and it sometimes hard to get it where I want it to, but finding the target button makes it a bit easier to scope out a large room.

Lara kind of runs a bit weirdly and its more noticeable in later levels where there are long (long long too long) corridors. It's easier to hang from the balance bars and just pull up when you need to jump off. The move that bugs me is the "chimney climb" move because now she hangs in the air when she jumps at any wall.

I was a bit concerned about length as I'm used to multiple levels per location, but once I got past the flashback levels, the levels are getting bigger and better. Although I still think I could probably knock it over in a few more plays. The puzzles have not been too challenging (not after all the Tomb Raider games I've played so far!) and a few places where I have got stuck have been due to some game faults.

I had thought I read this game would give you the option to use non-lethal force but so far no sign of that (as dead people and tigers indicate). Maybe that and the route marking options are next-gen console features only?

I had previously played a bit of Underworld on a PS3 at JB HiFi before Christmas and it was a lot better. In general though I'm enjoying the tomb raiding action but the downgrades are a shame.

[Gutsman Heavy]

people still care about Tomb Raider!?

Uncharted ftw

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

people still care about Tomb Raider!?

Uncharted ftw

Yeh they do:p

I dropped off after #3 on PS1, but the Legend and Anniversary games breathed new life into it.

I was quite looking forward to the route marking and damage to the environment thing that they plugged with the game. The sad thing is I could have gotten this for the wii, but the controls insist on making you use the motion abilites of the controllers. I would have been quite happy to just get around with the classic controller, which is why I opted for the PS2 version.

I think I will plug through it for a couple more days and see how it goes. The length of the levels I thought would be pretty small, coz the ones in Legend weren't all that big. Its just that the Jerkiness is giving me a headache methinks....

[Paulbot]

You stopped after game three? Well I do argue that number three is the best of the PSX games, but number four had really impressive huge interconnected levels and a level set on a speeding train! It was lots of fun. You didn't miss much with the fifth game.

I've been playing a few hours tonight and I think I'm now up to the last level... so it seems to be quite short (or I'm just too good! :o)

One thing that's really missing in the game is the pickups. Apart from the "treasures" which we can't actually view, and some items for puzzles, there's nothing else to find. No health packs (despite the med kit on the select screen), no ammo, no new weapons. I prefer unlimited health/ammo to be secrets/cheats not a core part of the game.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I kinda lost the love after game 3. I dunno why. A speeding train level? Dang! I bet that would've been cool.

I like the unlimted ammo thing, it means I can go nuts with the nice guns right from the start, but I am unsure about the life regenerating thing that goes on now. It comes back pretty quickly too...

Its odd that you say that there are some long passageways to run through, coz I notced that in the second level. I hope they dont get much longer. It struck me as odd, as I kept passing checkpoints, but nothing had happend except me following a winding path.

Truly this is one of the wierder TR games...

I know that Eidos were in financial problems, but they got bought out by Square. Wonder what will happen there.

[Gutsman Heavy]

I know that Eidos were in financial problems, but they got bought out by Square. Wonder what will happen there.

Lara, Kain & Raziel join the cast of Kingdom Hearts.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Lara, Kain & Raziel join the cast of Kingdom Hearts.

Raziel probably wont. I believe he belongs to the lady who created him which is why they havent busted out another LOK, although it might also be because of the nice looking but repetitive LOK Defiance game they whipped out. Why change a series that is am RPG/puzzle style to a lame beat em up?

Man I just couldnt get into Kingdom hearts.

[roller]

crazy work mate says hes on some level where he has to jump onto swinging swords or something, he says he cant get onto the last one

any advice?

[Paulbot]

Swinging swords? Doesn't ring a bell. Any more info?

I completed the game on Sunday. It is short and really not much of a challenge.

I've been reading up about the Next Gen Console version and a lot of features are missing in the PS2 version, including:
There are healthpacks to be picked up in the XBOX version, her health is not unlimited.
There is ammo to collect, only the pistols are unlimited.
She has a camera that can be used a binoculars.
The enemies are intelligent.
She can increase her max health by collecting relics.
In battle an adrenaline chart rises and at max allows her to make one kill head shots.

Reading this makes me disappointed in the game. Maybe these features would makes it more of a challenge.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

crazy work mate says hes on some level where he has to jump onto swinging swords or something, he says he cant get onto the last one

any advice?

Dont touch the swords...:p Maybe it another TR.

That sucks about the cuts from Ps2 version. Oh well. Thems the breaks. Its not that lovely that I would buy it again.

Obviously they were going fro a cheap option on the PS2 version. Sucks a bit, since PS of various types was the main supporter of TR series (I think they bought exclusivity rights from TR2 to Revelations).