Game Review: Tomb Raider: Underworld

Lara Croft returns with the latest instalment in the Tomb Raider series; Tomb Raider: Underworld. With the series' successes over the past twelve years, there was a lot expected of everyone's favourite buxom adventurer. With some new gadgets, tricks, and low cut tops, could Lara Croft impress once again?

Carrying on from where Anniversary and Legend left off, the story in Tomb Raider: Underworld is very familiar. As per usual Lara Croft, a posh English woman with a taste for adventuring, is searching for an ancient and powerful artefact, to prevent an evil force from claiming it for themselves. If you haven't played the previous Tomb Raider games you might want to get yourself up to date with the recent goings on - there's a handy "previously" trailer in the main menu that can help you out with that - otherwise the plot isn't going to make much, if any, sense. However, fans of the series will feel right at home. Full of twists, turns and even a little closure, the story of Tomb Raider: Underworld should have no trouble keeping players interested and satisfied.

I don't think she quite understands the concepts of "tomb" raiding.

Like the story, Tomb Raider: Underworld's gameplay is going to feel very familiar. Lara's learnt a couple of fancy new moves - most of them revolving around combat - but it's essentially unchanged from the old run, jump, fall and repeat method from the old Tomb Raiders. Lara herself is still as fiddly and temperamental as ever, with basic survival instincts seemingly having no place in her mind, as she happily jumps into the tomb's abyss if you're even a little off with the controls. It all results in more frustration that she can wave her lovely, heaving...finger at.

The camera doesn't do anything to help, either. As expected from Tomb Raider, in enclosed spaces it's impossible to get a decent view of anything but Lara's arse or breasts, because apparently the developers at Crystal Dynamics still aren't getting any, but even in open areas it's still almost impossible to work with at points. Sometimes you'll be face with the typical "next ledge is off screen" scenario, when you're only option is to take a desperate leap of faith, and with Lara being the fussy beast that she is, more often than not you'll end up plummeting a few hundred feet to your death. It's been a consistent flaw throughout the series, and it's irritating that so few measures have been taken to prevent it.

It's less a matter of life and death, and more of "how many times will she die"?

The camera does just as few favours to the combat, which is a shame because it really could have used a helping hand. Despite all the new tricks Lara has learnt - including a mastery of the complicated kicking motion - it still feels like a chore, probably because anything bigger than a kitten is going to absorb half a million pistol rounds before it even flinches. The bigger weapons aren't much better, most of them being significantly weaker than a simple kick, and no matter how much fun shooting a tiger in the face with a shotgun is the first time, after twenty or so shots it becomes a little dull, and with Lara as flimsy as she is (possibly the only thing natural about her), you'll probably find yourself dying in a shoot-out more often than you kill. The only real saving grace of the combat is that, no matter what weapon you're using, you're movement is never restricted. There's a certain charm to hopping and flipping around an ancient temple with a shotgun, blasting panthers and giant spiders in the face.

The WWF will have a field day with this one.

Towards the end of the game your efforts will be rewarded with a new weapon, reminiscent of the gravity hammer from Halo 3, and the combat instantly becomes much more fun. Watching Lara hop around levels swatting enemies like insects and flinging them into the abyss is easily the most fun in the whole game. It's just a shame that it doesn't last.

Like most platformers, Tomb Raider: Underworld is a lot of fun when you know what you're doing, but incredibly frustrating when you're stumped. While the game occasionally does a little to help you out - Lara will offer hints and tips on what to do next if you pause the game - for the most part it's going to leave you completely in the dark. It goes without saying that, if you're new to the Tomb Raider series, a walkthrough is recommended, because this game isn't going to hold your hand.

Unlike the previous Tomb Raiders, Underworld has opted for a purely orchestral score, which is absolutely stunning at times, particularly during the game's epic climax. The games looks don't match up quite as well. While you will be treated to some lush, beautiful environments and some awesome underwater worlds, the majority of the tombs you'll be raiding all look the same - grey, dark, and badly lit. Why they've done this is obvious, but it's unattractive, and even succeeds in making some of the platforming or combat more frustrating than it already was.

She's the same temperamental and fickle beastie that she was over ten years ago, but Lara is still on form in Tomb Raider: Underworld. The game is certainly not without it's issues, but if you can put up with the frustration, there's a lot of fun to be had. Just try not to throw you're controller through the screen before the ending.

7/10

You have no idea how hard it was for me to avoid a "Time of the month" joke whenever I used any variation of the word "temperamental".

Always made Lara wear her short shorts, the dirty pervert - tomdoodle16@live.co.uk