Tomb Raider: Underworld

"Greatest TR fan feels a bit disappointed... *all DLC inlcluded*"

***This review of mine has now been update to include all the DLC available for TR:U on the XBox 360***

If you are reading this, you probably are familiar with the TR games and wonder why someone claiming to be (one of) the greatest TR fans has felt a bit let down on this one, yet still gives it an 8.

The problem is both precedent and expectation. You can make all the improvements in graphics and minor unimportant areas you want, but if you screw up fundamental bits that were fine in previous installments, something is wrong.

Where to begin is difficult. First of all, I am reviewing this as a complete package with all the DLC included. Spoilers will abound from here on!

First up… the plot. More personal anguish from Lara to finish off the trilogy, and frankly by now it is overplayed and hard to care about, as it gets more fantastical and unbelievable. If you are playing this for the story, you picked the wrong game.

The level count sits at ten, with the DLC, but a couple of these simply do not count. Here is a quick breakdown of the areas.

1) Prologue: 2 minutes of training leaps in a fiery mansion... that you repeat later on.

2) Mediterranean Sea: First proper level. A slightly confusing start as you explore underwater and can feel unfamiliar, but you progress into more regular TR fare soon enough and face a rather awesome puzzle room or two. Some irritating and needless backtracking, which turns out to be a foreshadowing of annoyances yet to come.

3) Coastal Thailand: By far and away the games best level, even with the DLC levels. Truly beautiful, with great visuals, a stunning score, cunning puzzles - this is exactly what we want from our TR games, take heed CD! There were no humans, no vehicles, no over in thirty seconds feel to it. It could be my favourite level in the whole trilogy, frankly, and in a lot of ways this level is worth the price alone to a fan like me.

4) Croft Manor: Short, but entertaining enough, a nice puzzle, yet you repeat the prologue here. Feels very much like a Legend level to me. Only plot part worth watching.

5) Mexico: Ugh, bikes. Please, we want to tomb raid on foot and not worry about poorly implemented bike controls, thanks. Still, pretty good long level with some good TR moments on the way. Funny to note forum reactions to this - people want less linear gaming yet as soon as more than one route opens no one can figure out what to do. However, this level sees the introduction of Thralls, the worst and most overused enemy ever; also the eitr, the unattractive blue goo that dominates much of the rest of the games graphics.

6) Jan Mayen Island: More bikes. Stop it already with the vehicles. Pretty damn good level, if again far too short. Two main rooms, and are fun to navigate but I cant help but wonder why it was so much easier than earlier in the game. Or series. Also, here the graphics seriously start to deteriorate here in polish and level of detail, as Eidos pushed harder and harder at CD for that oh so important Xmas release.

7) Adaman Sea: Not a level. Running through a small area of the second level, this time with an uber one shot weapon and being over in three minutes is not a level.

8) Arctic Sea: Starts off good, with another underwater exploration mission and a nice puzzle, but it just gets too over the top and generic by the end to be all that credible. Also, huge amount of corridors for no reason.

9) Beneath the Ashes: First part of the epilogue, this is actually a good level, better than a lot of the built on ones, with some interesting but easy puzzles, and a nice environment. Sadly, the Thralls that dominated most of the game are back.

10) Lara's Shadow: Play the Doppleganger. Fun for a bit, but the fact you run through it all twice, fight countless Thralls and the fact she plays more like the Prince of Persia than Lara makes it feel very un-Tomb Raider. Not a particularly great DL level.

On the whole, the second level was the one truly stand out part for me, with the rest being good but never great.

So, should I replay it? Well, nice going CD, you removed the replayability for most people. First, you did treasures all wrong. Three to maybe six artifacts is fine, that you needed to spend some time figuring out where to get them. Thirty to fifty treasures mainly gotten by kicking pots, kicking pots and sometimes making a jump followed by kicking a pot, all of them in full view? Um, no thanks, can not be bothered. Relics are little better, with hardly any of the puzzling you expect to acquire them.

What about unlockables? Artwork.... that I got on the LE disc. Ok... thanks?

One costume unlock for one level? Poor show. Shallow as it sounds, people will replay a game for something as simple as unlocking more costumes. You can spend a year making the game to last us 6 hours, but couldn't spend another week upgrading Legend and Anni costumes to make us play it another 18 hours?

The download content on Live includes a bunch of costumes, but even these disappoint when many are simply palette swaps or stupid bikinis.

It is hard to explain that I did really enjoy the game, but at the same time for me it was just too short, too easy, too underwhelming and they screwed up some fundamental features they had in the last two games for no reason.

You want to make the best TR game ever CD? Give us ten great big levels, full of on foot explorations of forgotten ruins, tombs, sites etc, with a choice of paths through each. Make them varied, with decently hidden treasures. Get rid of human adversaries, get rid of vehicles. Give us decent rewards for playing it multiple times. Some artwork is not a reward. Just let us Tomb Raid how we want to!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/02/08, Updated 03/13/09

Game Release: Tomb Raider Underworld (EU, 11/21/08)