Tomb Raider: Underworld Review

By Ellie Gibson Published 19 November, 2008

Croft's unoriginal.

Version tested: Xbox 360

How did you spend November 1998? I spent it having conversations like this.

"Try jumping to that pillar over there." "I've tried that, it's too far." "Are you sure? It definitely looks like she could make that." "I know. She can't. I've tried." "Oh. What about those rocks over on the left? Can't she climb up those?" "No." "But she climbed up that other bit before." "I know. I don't know. Hang on, what if... Yes, that's it... No... NO... YOU STUPID F****** BIG-TITTED B**** I HATE YOU I HATE YOU WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS I'M GLAD YOU'RE DEAD." "Oh dear. Can we put Baywatch on?"

How are you spending November 2008? I've spent it having conversations like that. (Except Baywatch has been replaced by Deal or No Deal and every other statement includes the word "bevelled", but more on that later.) Yes, it's time for a new Tomb Raider game. This one's prettier and shinier than ever, but it's still Tomb Raider. You can tell because of all the beautiful environments, clever puzzles, complex acrobatics and the moments you want to punch Lara Croft in the face until she's nothing more than a grotesque bloody stump atop a huge pair of tits.

With Tomb Raider: Underworld, Crystal Dynamics has kept its promise to deliver all the classic elements that made the original games so good. Unfortunately, it's also delivered all the rubbish elements. For starters, there's the plot, from which you can expect a load of blather about some rusty old historical tat and Lara's dead Mum.

The opening cut-scene ends with the set-up for a twist, which you'll guess if you've ever played more than two videogames, or seen a film. There is an African-American character whose main job is to say things like "Dayamn, this is creepy!" and "What was that thang?" Mythologies are thrown into the mix any-old how, with little consideration for historical or archaeological fact. So in Thailand you explore a Cambodian temple and climb a statue of a Hindu god, while on a quest to obtain a Norse artefact. Which will help you reach the final resting place of King Arthur.

'Tomb Raider: Underworld' Screenshot 1

If only you could play as the tigers sometimes. Perhaps that's in the Xbox 360 DLC.

Of course, Tomb Raider plots have always been about mythological gibberish, and for good reason. No one wants to see Lara embarking on an epic quest to find her car keys, or completing a difficult sequence of jumps, rope-swings, pole-slides and wall-climbs in order to reach the doorway to Argos. But I was hoping for a proper storyline, a narrative with real twists and an objective you actually want to achieve. What I got was a load of old bunkum and plot developments so tedious I'd forgotten them by the time the cut-scenes were finished.

At least you get to visit some exciting places. My favourite is Southern Mexico, where you explore realistic and spookily atmospheric jungle temples in the middle of a thunderstorm. On a motorbike. The bike is used in quite a few levels, and it handles nicely. As an added bonus you can use it to run over enemies and break its legs off, which is highly satisfying. There are also a couple of underwater levels. They've sorted out Lara's swimming, so no more 1998-style drownings because the stupid b**** can't turn around properly. But for the most part, it's business as usual; levels involve tramping through stone corridors, and doing an awful lot of jumping, ledge-grabbing, shimmying, sliding and swinging round poles.

You don't always have to worry about pixel-perfect positioning like in the old days, either. You can usually rely on Lara to work out you wanted her to jump to that conveniently-placed pillar, rather than plummet thousands of feet to a crunchy death. There are still too many occasions, however, when she doesn't make a jump she really should be able to, or sails right past a ledge without grabbing it because that's not how you're supposed to complete the level. This is a particular problem in the final missions, which generally feel a bit rushed and are full of punch-to-bloody-stump moments.

But Lara has never looked more graceful and acrobatic, and nor has she ever had such a wide range of moves at her disposal, even if some of these are a bit useless. Walking along beams, for example, is painfully slow; you're required to correct Lara's balance with fiddly nudges of the analog stick on 360 version, but it's easier just to let the b**** fall, catch the beam on her way down and then shimmy along at a much faster rate. However, some of the moves are brilliantly satisfying and do make you feel like a proper action hero. These include the ability to rappel down vertical walls using your grapple line, and the melee kick which sends enemies sprawling. After all these years there's still pleasure to be had in pulling off a complex series of swings, grabs and jumps in one fluid sequence, especially with Lara now more elegant than ever.

So it's all the more frustrating that she still won't do certain things. She'll chimney-kick her way up hundreds of feet of flawless walls, no problem, but if one of those walls has a rough texture or a bit of a dent, she won't do it. She'll happily clamber along vertical surfaces with nothing but tiny hand and footholds to grip onto, but she won't climb over foot-high rocks on the ground if they're round rather than straight-edged. Round things are a problem generally for Lara, as are things with the aforementioned bevels. When it comes to edges that haven't been finished off with a diamond cutter, our heroine's hands are made of butter. So it's always been, but it's 2008 and it's about time Lara got a grip.

'Tomb Raider: Underworld' Screenshot 2

Fans of dress-up are well served, as usual. Because that's what you're a fan of, isn't it.

It's also about time she learned to climb different kinds of crates. Two of the levels in Underworld are set on a ship in the middle of the ocean. It's the same ship in both levels and both are abominable. You're required to navigate your way across the deck by jumping between crates. Only the big crates, mind. Lara just can't cope with climbing on the thinner wooden one, despite the fact she's oh-so acrobatic and they're large enough to support her frame. Similar inconsistencies and disappointments crop up throughout. Lara can pick up poles, but she can't carry them through holes while crouching even though there's plenty of room. She can shimmy along the railing running the length of the deck, but she can't go any further because there's a porthole with a two-inch raised frame in the way. She's got a boat and it's beautifully reflected in the water, but it's full of invisible walls that she pushes her hands up against like a scantily clad mime-artist.

And if you think that's dated and rubbish, prepare yourself for the AI. You begin to notice something's wrong when you find yourself shooting six tarantulas as they emerge from the exact same spot in the scenery and follow the exact same trajectory across the wall. Later on, sharks, panthers and tigers all pose a bit of a challenge, and are all satisfying to shoot in the face, but then there are the two-legged enemies. They all look the same, follow the same attack patterns and are incredibly stupid. The men with guns on the ship have never heard of taking cover, nor even moving out of the way when being repeatedly shot in the chest. It makes the combat system in Uncharted: Drake's Fortune look impossibly complex and sophisticated.

You also no longer get to wander round picking up randomly abandoned guns, as in previous Tomb Raiders. Underworld sees you choosing your weapon at the beginning of each level from a range that includes sub-machine guns, a shotgun and a harpoon. You can switch between them during levels via the pause menu. It doesn't matter though, as the enemies are so thick you could take most of them out with a toothpick and an elastic band. Without wishing to spoil things, towards the end you get an absolutely brilliant weapon that has a sort of Ratchet & Clank feel to it and is immense fun to use. It does make combat even less challenging, however.

Considering the Tomb Raider series has been around for over a decade, it's disappointing these fundamental issues haven't been sorted out. With Underworld, you get the sense that too much time was spent on polish that was supposed to bring the technology up to date. None of it adds much to the gameplay, and some of it doesn't even work properly. So what if Lara now pushes tall plants away with her hands? That doesn't make the game any more fun, and she just looks like a frightened girl trying to scare off a wasp. Much has been made of the way Lara gets wet now, and how mud sticks to her skin. I barely noticed this, apart from the odd close-up where she looked more leprous than usual. It's nice, I suppose, that you can select which outfit she wears at the start of most levels. But really, I'd have swapped the choice of shorts or trousers for enemies capable of hiding behind a crate.

At least the combat only makes up a small proportion of the game. The emphasis is firmly on the traditional tomb-raiding elements of environmental navigation and puzzle-solving. The puzzles vary pleasingly in terms of scale and difficulty level, though they almost all follow the same pattern: navigate two pathways to find two things to slot in two holes to open the door. Later on puzzles do become more complex; you have to navigate four pathways to find four things to slot in four holes to open bigger doors.

That's not to say solving puzzles isn't enjoyable. They're sufficiently challenging, with plenty of "Aha!" moments when you finally notice that tiny detail you've been missing. But they do get samey, and as you close in on the end you feel a bit fatigued. Instead of being excited about the sweeping panoramic view of the new environment you just entered, you find yourself thinking, "Oh good. An implausibly tall tower to navigate, complete with rotating sections, precipitous drops, conveniently placed poles and a multitude of sticky-out ledges. What a shocking turn of events." There's not enough variation and ingenuity. Yes, there are moments where you're left marvelling at the level designer's fiendish intellect, or feeling pleased with yourself for thinking through a particularly sticky problem, but they're few and far between, especially compared to the early Tomb Raiders.

'Tomb Raider: Underworld' Screenshot 3

She can swim better than ever, which is a boon for not drowning.

Which brings us back to the fundamental problem. At its worst, Tomb Raider: Underworld is everything that's wrong with videogames - clichéd, predictable, frustrating, inconsistent, repetitive and derivative. Legend was supposed to be the game that marked the series' return to form, and it achieved that. Underworld is better than Legend; meatier, more challenging, more atmospheric and with less silly nonsense like quick-time events. But Underworld was supposed to be the first real next-gen Tomb Raider game, and it isn't.

At its best, however, Tomb Raider: Underworld is everything that's great about videogames. It's beautiful, exciting, challenging, rewarding and absorbing. Many of the locations are stunning, and so's Lara. There are thrilling moments, there are scary moments, there are even a few surprising moments. There are times when you feel truly alone and free to explore the huge, expansive environment laid out before you. Sometimes you feel like James Bond, and sometimes you feel like Bruce Lee, and sometimes you feel like 1996 Olympic gymnastics gold medallist Lilia Podkopaveva. But it's not quite the next-gen Tomb Raider adventure we've been waiting for, even if it's enjoyable all the same.

7 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (145) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • ZuluHero #1 3 years ago

    Don't care what this got really. Lara always delivers for me! :p

    I loved the demo as well...

  • Iain815 #2 3 years ago

    Me wants.

  • seasidebaz #3 3 years ago

    I heard the camera in the demo has "issues", and therefore this game is not on my radar. Ever.

    Oh, and it's Worse Than Halo.

  • Sid-Nice #4 3 years ago

    Has Lara got a camel-toe? As her lips are back on the front page.

  • septimus #5 3 years ago

    Someone who basically doesn't like TR reviewing it; that is always going to go well :)

    I liked the demo so getting it anyway. This and Anniversary are the best of the series.

    Uncharted 2 (if there is to be one) will really kick this series in the ass. Uncharted is better than TR now even, I really thought they would have learnt from some of its better bits and its mistakes.
    Edited by 1 at 19/11/08 @ 17:25

  • BartonFink #6 3 years ago

    So it's no Uncharted then.

  • gimo80 #7 3 years ago

    I love a bit of Lara, I don't really care if the game isn't particlarly original to be honest. All I care about is the locations, the puzzles and...oh yeah, Lara ;p

  • jaywalker3010 Verified Mastering Manager, Square Enix #8 3 years ago

    You are able to change weapons in game by the way.. You pick weapon at beginning of level, but then switch within your backpack. So not stuck the same weapon for whole level.

  • espadachin #9 3 years ago

    Thats a shame, I wasnt expecting a 7...

  • PearOfAnguish #10 3 years ago

    "It's one of the best games of the past 10 years, possibly ever."

    Yes, if you never played any other game ever.

  • alimokrane #11 3 years ago

    What a LOUSY review, honestly. It makes the game look like crap and asks the game for WAY TOO much ... WTF, Give me one game that allows you to grab every rock u see ... You wont find one. and I cant believe that the review is trying to blame the developers for givins us the ability to balance on beams or shoot from them or whatever ... give me a break, The demo was BRILLIANT. I think I see what's happening here, Everytime EDGE gives a High score to a game, eurogamer has to go the other way ...
    Edited by 1 at 19/11/08 @ 17:26

  • BartonFink #12 3 years ago

    cashregisterface wrote
    Brian Topp: What are you playing?
    Tim: Tomb Raider 3.
    Brian Topp: She's drowning.
    Tim: Yeah.
    Brian Topp: Is that the point of the game?
    Tim: It depends what mood you're in really.
    Brian Topp: What sort of mood are you in then?
    Tim: Well, I got a letter from my girlfriend this morning three months too late explaining why she dumped me. It was full of you'll always be special and I'll always love you platitudes designed to make me feel better while simultaneously appeasing her deep seeded sense of guilt for running off with a slimy little city boy named Duane and destroying my faith in everything in the world that is good and pure.
    Brian Topp: So it didn't really work then.
    Tim: No, it made me want to drown things!


    LOL

  • penhalion #13 3 years ago

    oh well

  • PameBoy #14 3 years ago

    I was rather impressed with the demo despite the dodgy camera. Will probably be getting this, I actually find the old-schoolness quite charming.

    It's on steam with free Legend for less than £30 at the mo so good time to get it if you don't have the earlier game.

  • alimokrane #15 3 years ago

    @ MrED209

    Yeah sure ... the same way every other game developer is going, yet other games seem to be getting 10s and 9s ......

  • Artemus #16 3 years ago

    I'm a big Tomb Raider fan and liked the demo, so I'm getting it.

  • Captain Jax #17 3 years ago

    It's bad enough girls playing games, now they're letting them review them.

  • WinterSnowblind #18 3 years ago

    I don't want to jump on the bandwagon of bashing reviews I disagree with, but this was a very poorly writting review from someone who apparantly doesn't even like the series. I certainly won't be taking any of what was said here into consideration on whether or not I should buy the game.

  • Chtulie #19 3 years ago

    Will there be another review for the PS2 & Wii version?

  • darc #20 3 years ago

    "Underworld is better than Legend"

    Sold. (And I'm thusly inclined to question, 7???)

    "and the moments you want to punch Lara Croft in the face"

    Ah yes, Anniversary had me literally frothing at the mouth this weekend, when I discovered a point in Egypt where the jumping controls suddenly, distinctly CHANGED after something like 10 hours of gameplay. Mostly the game fudges in your favor, occasionally it just plain fudges.

    But I do get the impression that the reviewer simply doesn't like TR, or perhaps has had enough (which is fair enough after 10+ years.) Inconsistencies are fair game for criticism, but in general it's a finicky game by nature - ie. ought to be. I loved the demo idespite camera issues and unprovoked (except by process of elimination) "leaps of faith", so this is top of my list right now.

    And who has ever given a hoot about a Tomb Raider "plot". Or the god awful boring combat for that matter. I thought the "Retrospective" article totally missed the boat on this point, too. I'll go play Half Life (with a mouse, BTW) if I really want to shoot something.
    Edited by 4 at 19/11/08 @ 17:39

  • matrim83 #21 3 years ago

    At least the combat only makes up a small proportion of the game. The emphasis is firmly on the traditional tomb-raiding elements of environmental navigation and puzzle-solving.

    Wow two and a half pages to come to the most important bit about the game. You could have just written that and I would have bought it. But its nice you got some bitching and ranting done on the previous two pages.

    Seriously I doubt many TR fans will give a flying fuck about little gaps in the wall she cant shimmy over or rocks she cant jump over. I like linear platforming. Keep your full fledged freedom and realistically consistent gameplay somewhere else.

    All in all. Good to know they didnt fuck it up.

    So yeah. SOLD.

  • Aretak #22 3 years ago

    Tomb Raider fanboy damage control ITT.

  • Landmaster #23 3 years ago

    No need for the swearing Ellie ):

  • Azazel #24 3 years ago

    @squarejawhero:

    Exactly what I was thinking of :)

  • WinterSnowblind #25 3 years ago

    @MrED209

    Yet a game like Uncharted, which suffers from many of the same problems still deserves a perfect score? The TR games were massively revamped for the next-gen consoles, and many of the improvements in Underworld bring it even further forward, there is certainly nothing broken, or even outdated about the gameplay.

    The only valid complaint here is the camera, which can be fiddley, but it's nothing game breaking.

  • LeD #26 3 years ago

    So it's getting marked down for having no plot, invisible walls - since when is TR an open world?, and rocks and ledges that stand out as the bits you need to get onto? As in, pretty much part and parcel of any TR games, and most games ever?

    So, penalised for not reinventing videogames then?

    Seriously, stick to Wii shovelware for the time being.

  • darc #27 3 years ago

    The invisible walls are a bit glaring and clumsy on the boat, granted. But that's plainly just a prop at the onset of the game. The very first thing you do is swim away from it (into the most beautiful environment I've ever seen in a video game, notably) and forget about it. Unless you're in a bad mood and spooling up to write a review. ;)

  • ghearoid #28 3 years ago

    What the hell, I'll get it in the January sales when it goes down to £20 or so.

  • toy_brain #29 3 years ago

    Agree with all the complaints about the review going on and on about the combat, only to then say 'but its not really the focus of the game.
    However....

    "The bike is used in quite a few levels, and it handles nicely. As an added bonus you can use it to run over enemies and break its legs off, which is highly satisfying."

    That, right there, is why we all love Ellie's reviews. Genuine laugh-out-loud moment at a perfect Eurogamer in-joke.

    I'll probably rent this sometime in the new year. Got too many other games on the go right now.

  • 7creature #30 3 years ago

    "This and Anniversary are the best of the series."

    R.O.F.L.

  • Aysir #31 3 years ago

    First off Ellie the mixing of mythologies is not something that Crystal Dynamics just made up for what you think is a crappy plot; Legend beautifully articulated the idea of the fisher king mono-myth - the idea that cultural stories all have elements in common and used it fabricate a story about why that is. Underworld from the look of it continues in the same vein. It's a great way to interconnect different locales and give it meaning rather than the random globe hopping done in the past.
    Two ... "It makes the combat system in Uncharted: Drake's Fortune look impossibly complex and sophisticated."? Drake's combat was brilliant. Drake could vault, dive for cover, shoot limbs and had a huge variety of animations for hiding; the enemy AI would look for cover, avoid grenades, encircle you, flush you out - aside from not being armed with chainsaws and curb stomping enemies, what more could you ask for?

  • Skurmedel #32 3 years ago

    I think what the reviewer means is that there are very frustrating moments when something really should work, but it doesn't because they didn't design the level like that. I'm quite sure most of us have experienced stuff like that in games, I played all the early Tomb Raider-games and I know exactly what she means. That doesn't mean every damn rock should be climbable, but some games give contradictory feedback.

    For example "I can open this door, but not this one" which led Valve to put knobs on every real door in Source games.

  • KayJay #33 3 years ago

    alimokrane wrote: "Give me one game that allows you to grab every rock u see ... You wont find one."

    Cant you more or less jump/grab onto everything in Assassins Creed. More or less, certainly seems AC is more forgiving than this!

    Anyway, I might give this a miss.
    Review didn't sell it to me and I think I would rather play through Uncharted again and grab my platinum trophy :-)

  • Pike #34 3 years ago

    Well, judging by the demo the mechanics did feel decidedly conservative, albeit polished. Playing it right after the Mirror's Edge demo sure made it feel a bit archaic. A polished but slightly uninspired game was the impression I got, so the 7 doesn't really surprise me.

  • evild_edd #35 3 years ago

    I really want this game (enjoyed Legend), but can't see me purchasing before Christmas. One for the New Year sales for me!

  • andywilkie35 #36 3 years ago

    meh

  • alimokrane #37 3 years ago

    @kj66246

    Inside the cities YES you can but what happens outside between the cities, what about those rocks out there ? according to Ellie, NOT being able to climb over those is a BIG DEAL by the standards of this review. Besides, Assassins Creed focused on tech stuff and ended up ignoring gameplay completely and you saw how that turned out. in a game like Tomb Raider/Prince of Persia/God of War/Uncharted, you have to strike a balance between all aspects and it's just SO UNREASONABLE to expect a game from this genre to let you climb every single rock/ledge or whatever .....
    Edited by 1 at 19/11/08 @ 18:01

  • Fletche #38 3 years ago

    No Wii review again, ho hum, still, two days till release so there is still time, hopefully we can fit in a Wii review of COD in the meantime

  • hokuto_no_rob #39 3 years ago

    You can totally switch weapons mid-level. It was in the demo.

  • alimokrane #40 3 years ago

    @hokuto_no_rob

    Yup, another point i forgot to mention. Thanks for bringing that up!!!

  • Chtulie #41 3 years ago

    "you have five secondary guns to switch between if you feel like pausing the game to swap them around, but they're only marginally different in effectiveness"

    From, er, another review.

  • Pulsar_t #42 3 years ago

    Oh my, Lara's fanboys are coming out of the woodworks aren't they?

    Now EG, where's the Sonic Unleashed review?

  • Spong #43 3 years ago

    As a long time fan of TR, this game marks the final nail in the coffin. Tomb Raider is dead in my opinion.
    I got the PC version and finished it in exactly the same time it took me to finish Legend, 1 day. Okay, there's a few secrets I missed along the way but, for the first time ever, I couldn't give a shit about going back and getting them.

    Well done Crystal, you hyped and hyped, slapped PS3 & PS2 owners in the face, and for what? This pile of shit?

  • Cloudane #44 3 years ago

    "Underworld is better than Legend; meatier, more challenging, more atmospheric and with less silly nonsense like quick-time events."

    This quote is good enough for me! I'll be purchasing this on Friday after work.

  • Pulsar_t #45 3 years ago

    @Spong
    Surprised it took you this long. Five minutes of TR3 had convinced me ages ago :D

  • Kazzahdrane #46 3 years ago

    Better than Legend? I thought Legend was awesome (my first TR game, got it cheap preowned). Still, planning to grab Anniversary cheap soon so probably won't play this until after Xmas.

  • Spong #47 3 years ago

    @Pulsar_t
    TR3 is the best after the original TR1, I'd have to disagree with you on that ;)

    But really, playing Underworld made me want to cry with despair. To me, it's AoD all over again, and this time I won't be coming back.
    The plot to Underworld is insultingly nonsensical, the puzzles equally insulting in their lack of difficulty. There is NO exploration, don't believe anything you read. You're pretty much led by the damn hand every step of the way. The old-skool Raiders liked to dump you in at the deep end and then sit back and laugh as you struggled to work out where to go and what to do. Crystal did away with that completely in favour of sign-posting.

    Underworld is no more than Tomb Raider with armbands. It's shit.
    Edited by 1 at 19/11/08 @ 18:37

  • konniehuqfan #48 3 years ago

    lara's so yesterday, it's time for a new big-titted heroine.

  • Spong #49 3 years ago

    "lara's so yesterday, it's time for a new big-titted heroine."

    Like Jo Brand. Or Anne Widdecombe.

  • bonker #50 3 years ago

    "Someone who basically doesn't like TR reviewing it; that is always going to go well :) "

    And a girl to boot ......

  • bonker #51 3 years ago

    I like the pictures of the whore in the Lara cossy in the gallery - is she for sale?

  • drumbaby #52 3 years ago

    What's the PS3 version like?

    What's the PS3 version like?

    WHAT'S THE FUGGING PS3 VERSION LIKE?!

  • bonker #53 3 years ago

    Like the 360 version but not as good I imagine ...

  • creepylizard #54 3 years ago

    why are loads of people saying the reviewer doesn't even like the tomb raider series? I got the impression she liked it alot and was disapointed that this game hadn't really addressed any of the problems that the series has had, whilst still conceding the game was enjoyable and polished anyway...
    no matter the protestations, it always boils down to the poster just not liking the fact that a game was criticised that they like and have taken it personally. Big fecking babies. ..

  • Spong #55 3 years ago

    "What's the PS3 version like? "

    It's identical to the 360 version in every way. Hence why it costs a fiver more on PS3 LOL

  • konniehuqfan #56 3 years ago

    ^ just like the st/amiga days :/

  • Spong #57 3 years ago

    You mean people actually used to buy games for the ST & Amiga?

    Well I'll be...
    Edited by 1 at 19/11/08 @ 19:17

  • cherrylocke #58 3 years ago

    I've deliberately extended the playing time to Drakes Fortune to coincide with the release of TR:U So in all it's taken me a good 4 months to complete. I think the new Tomb Raider will take even longer to complete.

    I thought the review was very critical. I mean look at Drakes Fortune, it's got the looks, it's quite interesting to play, cheesy as hell, but is a bit buggy especially around objects and the old z-buffer. It was predictable most of the time, but then aren't most films & TV programmes? People like the adventure, solving puzzles and ooohing at the graphics.

    Give Lara a break for gods sake!

  • Capa26 #59 3 years ago

    This review echoes my views on the demo pretty much exactly. Might buy it when the price drops but there are too many great games out atm. Disappointing as I'm a big TR fan.

    To everyone getting worked up about this:

    7 is still not a bad score and the last few paragraphs do in fact say it isn't worthless as some people have made out the review did.

    No need for harsh attacks on Ellie either. I thought it was well written.
    Edited by 1 at 19/11/08 @ 19:45

  • RedSparrows #60 3 years ago

    'Brian Topp: What are you playing?
    Tim: Tomb Raider 3.
    Brian Topp: She's drowning.
    Tim: Yeah.
    Brian Topp: Is that the point of the game?
    Tim: It depends what mood you're in really.
    Brian Topp: What sort of mood are you in then?
    Tim: Well, I got a letter from my girlfriend this morning three months too late explaining why she dumped me. It was full of you'll always be special and I'll always love you platitudes designed to make me feel better while simultaneously appeasing her deep seeded sense of guilt for running off with a slimy little city boy named Duane and destroying my faith in everything in the world that is good and pure.
    Brian Topp: So it didn't really work then.
    Tim: No, it made me want to drown things! '

    As soon as 'BIG TITTED BITCH' appeared in the intro I KNEW Spaced was here. As it should be.

  • patchbox360 #61 3 years ago

    best and funniest review i've ever read (a little sexist though)

    'So in Thailand you explore a Cambodian temple and climb a statue of a Hindu god, while on a quest to obtain a Norse artefact. Which will help you reach the final resting place of King Arthur.'

    haha man thats good

  • des #62 3 years ago

    Lara>>>>>>>>Ellie

  • shotgun44 #63 3 years ago

    7 isn't a bad score? I think the criticisms here are all valid to mark it down. I don't think she meant that everything should be climbable but more so make the climbable objects more logical?? I'm more pissed about not being able to play gears online. Especially after I stood in HMV for about 20 mins deciding on LBP or gears, only to choose gears because of the multiplayer sounding fun!

  • Steroyd #64 3 years ago

    Curse you Ellie the first paragraph made me read the whole review.

  • layleeloo #65 3 years ago

    Im not a tomb raider fan especially - but i liked the demo. What im gettin really sick of is things like "its not the next gen type thing we hoped for". What the heck do people expect from next gen. Theres only so much it can do. Its not gonna wake yuo up in the morning, cook your toast and see you out the fucking door. Its getting a bit menotenous now.

  • Gnort #66 3 years ago

    I thought the review came across as bitter and cynical. Ellie's great at reviewing Wii shovelware, but I don't appreciate her reviews for more anticipated titles. She can get away with a lot of things that male journalists can't, but in situations like this it gets in the way of the review rather than adding to it.

    I'm not saying the review is wrong (I haven't played the game or the demo), I just didn't appreciate the way in which it was written.

  • HolyJebus #67 3 years ago

    I for one thought this was an excellent review. Everyone complaining about it seem to be the fans who do not want to see any sort of progression in the series. I absolutely think it should be marked down since it still basically plays like a last gen game. This is ok for certain genres, like puzzle games, but for action games, these games need to make steps forward or they will eternally be stuck like this and everyone, no matter how much you love Lara, will eventually get bored of them. I've already reached that point and there's no chance I'll be buying this with everything else that's available at the mo.

    So basically, if you want more of the same, get it, if you're getting tired of the series, skip it. Give the Ellie bashing a rest you muppetts.

  • Pablo2k5 #68 3 years ago

    From what I saw from the demo, a 7 sounds about right.

    As for the TR fanboys, chill out.

  • MrDurandPierre #69 3 years ago

    'Tis a shame as I was really looking forward to this one.

    That being said, a lot of Ellie's criticisms seemed rather nitpicky. Mostly the logic stuff regarding collision detection, which is always an issue in these types of game, next-gen or otherwise. I mean Gears of War 2 is full of issues like that, but people don't seem to care, because it's just fun to play. God of War was guilty of these sorts of things too (like how come Kratos has so much difficulty opening up a measly chest?). They're still valid complaints, but very minute ones, in my opinion.

    The story sucking is a larger complaint, but one that I fully expected as none of the Tomb Raider games have had good stories to tell. At least Anniversary barely even bothered with plot. Granted it wouldn't be too much to ask for a better yarn.

    I am concerned with the easy, repetitive puzzles, and buggy AI. That's the kind of thing that made Legend a 7/10 for me. This sounds like it'll be much in the same vain. Not bad, but a huge missed opportunity. A pity as I loved Anniversary so much.
    Edited by 1 at 19/11/08 @ 20:48

  • superjag86 #70 3 years ago

    Ellie like 7/10's much?!
    I wonder what games she's really into... (Apart from Wii Fit!)

  • thedaveeyres #71 3 years ago

    Excellent review, very amusing.

  • ozpass #72 3 years ago

    The Spaced comments earlier in the comments are entirely apposite and go some way to explaining why I (and others no doubt) will purchase this game no matter what - nostalgia.

    A shiny new Tomb Raider game that adheres to the *original recipe* will do nicely for me. Increased realism (intelligent bad guys, the ability to scale any likely surface etc. etc.) might improve the "immersion" for some, but I like the idea of a franchise where you know exactly what you're going to get - flaws and all. At the end of the day I don't enjoy a game any less because the clearly defined rules defy reality. Once you've adjusted to the limits of what's possible within the game you just get on with enjoying it, right?

    For example, if Square Enix decided to realease a slightly jazzed up Final Fantasy VII for current-gen hardware I'd spunk £40 on it quicker than you can say "hasty preorder".

    I thought the review was perfectly well written though, for what it's worth. I hate the mindless obsession with arbitrary scores that you get round here. To me, a score of 7 suggests "A great game whose flaws mean it isn't for everyone".

  • gareth886 #73 3 years ago

    I really don't get Ellie's review style at all. Two-thirds of the review reads like a 4/10 game then suddenly in the last paragraph she throws in a couple of lines about what she liked and gave it a 7.

    I just don't get it. Her points seem valid enough but the review doesn't seem balanced enough to show why she thought it warrented a 7.

  • VMerken #74 3 years ago

    Seriously. Considering there are people who found Legend good, was there really any other outcome considering the fact that developers tend to deliver more of the formula that people find good?

    As if they'll ever improve combat. People didn't mind in all the previous games, right? So why change course?

    Played the demo, will leave it at that.

    On a side note, I read a newspaper article about TR:UW today, where the devs boasted about how awesome their story turned out to be, because it so really cleverly mixed factual history and legends. In fact, one of their coworkers who went on a trip to... India if I recall it right, wowed at the fact how awesome one of the jungle levels was. To him, it briefly felt as if he had returned at his holiday destiny.

    For a second there, I got misty-eyed and caught in the moment, believed it, but then I remembered the demo and that one little word that made me cringe all out at the first cut scene:

    Zip.

  • Triggerhappytel #75 3 years ago

    Good review. I lol'd at the bit about riding over enemies and breaking their legs off. That's becoming quite the phrase around these parts, isn't it.

    It was pretty negative, though. I was probably expecting a six or maybe a five, until Ellie input a few redeeming factors in the closing paragraph.

  • curtlikesmeat #76 3 years ago

    I quite enjoyed the demo, but they're right, there is absolutely nothing next gen about it. Not one shred of innovation, pure mediocrity. Ahem.
    Edited by 1 at 19/11/08 @ 22:10

  • BillyBrush #77 3 years ago

    that was a very strange review..

    i've seen 3/10 games have better things said in the main body of the article..

    then, 'but it's still quite good' right at the end -7/10

    bizarre

  • creepylizard #78 3 years ago

    it was a well written review, despite abitrary comments on here saying otherwise, and i think I may have been the only person here who kind of expected a seven after reading it. I don't know what people on here think constitutes "good" writing but from that review Ellie seems to have a pretty good way with the english word to me...
    Edited by 1 at 19/11/08 @ 22:16

  • gareth886 #79 3 years ago

    @creepylizard

    The review was well enough written, it just wasn't balanced enough. All her comments are probably valid but she didn't balance it out with the positives that would lead readers to believe that it justifys the score of 7 that she gave it.
    Edited by 1 at 19/11/08 @ 23:06

  • Solvalou #80 3 years ago

    Bottom line - stick with the excellent Anniversary.

    That was a given.

  • absolutezero #81 3 years ago

    Jesus fucking christ stop taking Ellies reviews seriously.

    Treat them like like Gillens gushing over-praise of PC games. With a massive pinch of salt. Like Yahtzee, would you really not buy a game because he made jokes about it? Its a fucking game most of them are exactly the same.
    Edited by 1 at 19/11/08 @ 23:01

  • DarthInsinuate #82 3 years ago

    Noooooo, you can't knock the pushing the plants out of the way feature. It's one of the best damn features this generation.

  • creepylizard #83 3 years ago

    @ gareth886
    I suppose its more to do with the journalists sarky/witty style and how any individual reads into but, again, I would say that on balance the score mirrors the review...I do hate this debate about scores and the whole "reads like a 5" bollocks that seems to be on here more and more...despite my talking about it now ;)
    it takes some amount of skill to write something critical and funny though..

  • dr_faulk #84 3 years ago

    I played the demo. Complete shit.

  • shotgun44 #85 3 years ago

    If you dont like a bit of humour in your reviews just read the score and take what you can from it? AMIRITE??

  • JahB #86 3 years ago

    seems like a fair score to me, if they still haven't got anything new after 10 years a 7 is more than enough.

    but since you can run things over and break its leg off, i just might get this!

  • Skurmedel #87 3 years ago

    Just do away with the score or have some "good/mediocre/bad" rating, since there is so much whine about the individual score every time. As it is now it would do with just a score and a heading since that's what will get everyones attention anyway.
    Edited by 1 at 20/11/08 @ 08:03

  • rhubarbandcustard #88 3 years ago

    From the review:
    "Many of the locations are stunning, and so's Lara."

    So as well as playing the game Ellie also flicked herself off to it. And it still only got a 7?

  • Aysir #89 3 years ago

    "So as well as playing the game Ellie also flicked herself off to it. And it still only got a 7? "
    A bit uncalled for isn't that? I don't agree with the review, but it hardly seems necessary to stoop to that level.

  • muscleblade #90 3 years ago

    I loved the demo so i might get eventually. Too many games to bother with this right now.

  • smernicki #91 3 years ago

    good review ellie :-)

  • Quint2020 #92 3 years ago

    7 seems a little harsh, I thought the demo was beautiful with some nice puzzles, however, the combat is still ABSOLUTELY FUCKING AWFUL *ahem*

    I'll probably pick this up after Christmas, I really do wish they'd just ditch the crappy combat though.

  • Buztafen #93 3 years ago

    Leave Ellie alone you FUCK PIGS!!!!!

  • Carpathian #94 3 years ago

    To be fair to Ellie, I think that's a perfectly good review for the game.

    Having played the demo I did very much enjoy it but it does have a lot of stupid things still very much part of it. The whole "go where you want but only where we let you" thing is pretty glaring once you notice it and for all the improved motion capture and glittery water you can't get past the fact that it should have conquered some of it's worst series traits by now.

    Partly great, partly terrible - dragged down to average from very good - and a 7 seems pretty fair for that.

    I often think some of you guys read the score first and then read the review, thus colouring her words with your own thoughts.
    Edited by 1 at 20/11/08 @ 09:30

  • awb83 #95 3 years ago

    Poorly written review I think. the comments made don't match the score.

  • HarryPalmer #96 3 years ago

    Don't know why the review is getting so much stick - she clearly likes Tomb Raider games, but this was a disappointment, it wasn't really that hard to understand.

  • Aysir #97 3 years ago

    "Don't know why the review is getting so much stick - she clearly likes Tomb Raider games, but this was a disappointment, it wasn't really that hard to understand."
    Because the review is comparing the game to some phantom known as the 'the real next-gen'. If it's an evolution of the last game and better than it, why is that a problem? Nobody said this game was going to be revolutionary or anything, so why does Ellie expect to be able to go anywhere. It's the same kind of shit that Drake had to put up with too and frankly it's ridiculous. Not every game needs to be free-roaming and directionless to be good. I agree the combat is still poo and that brings it down a mark, if the jumping is still as glitchy as the demo that should be another mark down - but marking it down because it's not what you dreamed it would be seems hardly fair.

  • ChuckNorris #98 3 years ago

    One or two sexist remarks too many in the review. Being a woman doesn't give you that right ;)
    Edited by 1 at 20/11/08 @ 10:27

  • snafu65 #99 3 years ago

    Bit confused by this, you spend most of the review slating the game and then give it a highly respectable 7/10 when I was expecting a 5 or 6 tops.

  • kincaide #100 3 years ago

    All hail Ellie! Queen of the videogame review! This is one of your best yet. Thanks for this Ellie

  • Mugwum Verified Operations Director, Eurogamer Network #101 3 years ago

    Error alert! Ellie was mistaken to suggest you can't change weapons mid-level. You can, and the review has been amended to reflect that. Apologies for the error.

  • alimokrane #102 3 years ago

    Might as well apologize for the entire review.

  • RockIsSponge #103 3 years ago

    That could be the most bi-polar review I've ever read.

  • sneetch #104 3 years ago

    Thanks Ellie, informative and entertaining as always. Although I'm surprised you felt the need to censor the word "bitch" but left "big-titted" out there for the whole world to see, so to speak. ;)

    And for all the "doesn't read like a 7/10, reads more like a X/10" people: huh?

    How can you read a review, decide a number based on your interpretation of their interpretation of the game experience and then be surprised that your scores don't match? Do you count the number of positive and negative things and try to figure it out that way?

    So, Ellie said fifteen good things and twelve bad things so it should be 15 / (15 + 12) * 10 = 5.555 repeating, we'll call it six.
    Seven, what the hell? What treachery is this?
    I won't rest until I've posted vague murmurings about it not sounding like a seven on the comments thread, how dare Ellie give a score in violation of my scoring system!

    The score seems about right to me, but then again, I've read the scoring guide: "A seven suggests [that if] you're into the idea of the game you should still try and check it out - you might like it more than you think, or be able to forgive its less than brilliant visuals. Or maybe it looks good, but the camera issues were just unforgiving, or maybe the AI wasn't up to much."

    http://ww w.eurogamer.net/scoring_policy.php

  • khatmandog #105 3 years ago

    i want more objectivity, i feel this is just one wobbly vault the side of subjective. can we have a review now to replace the opinion.

  • ctrl-k #106 3 years ago

    quote khatmandog: i want more objectivity, i feel this is just one wobbly vault the side of subjective.

    how about not quoting your feelings if you're looking for someone else to display objectivity? hello? mcfly?

  • riz23 #107 3 years ago

    This review is right on the money. The game (demo) I played was full of Lara magic but also stuffed with basic gameplay nastiness and camera grief. My wife and I were having a conversation just like the first paragraph of the review too. And it was the same conversation we had 8(?) years ago. The only thing I would say is that the shooting of animals is not pulled up on enough here. It just feels wrong to me to be shooting Tigers, even if it is a tranq gun. 7/10 seems fair. Thanks for the review

  • LittleVoice #108 3 years ago

    Post deleted at 18:03:32 01-02-2012

  • jimboton #109 3 years ago

    I think any game that manages to be "beautiful, exciting, challenging, rewarding and absorbing" and makes you "feel truly alone and free to explore the huge, expansive environment laid out before you", at least some of the time, deserves a fairer review than this.

    That you can't climb all the rocks, that enemies don't take cover, that you can't do that or go there.. really which game (however 'nextgen') can stand such a negative approach? I mean Gears of War 2 characters can't even jump. Gears of War 2 physics totally suck in a world of Havok powered games. But Gears of War 2 got a deserved 9 because it was judged on the strength of what it actually does, and not of what it doesn't do and mostly doesn't need to. Because jumping, exploration and physics based puzzles are not very important to Gears 2 just as combat is not a very important part of Tomb Raider.

    Edit: seen this little bit of wisdom at the end of IGN UK's Tomb Raider Underworld review by Laurence Warder, and how very appropiate to quote it here: "Scores are awarded for what a game is though, not what it isn’t". Apparently not as obvious as it seems..

    And Ellis, very funny start aside, you don't manage to get the point across of just what is different between the moments "where you're left marvelling at the level designer's fiendish intellect" and the moments in which "There's not enough variation and ingenuity". is it a matter of finding too many unclimbable rocks? too many tarantulas following the same trajectory? or were you sometimes not in the mood for this kind of game?

    Being objective is as much a part of being a games journalist as being funny. Consider this the next time you decide to be an averagely-titted b**** with a game for no good reason..
    Edited by 3 at 22/11/08 @ 02:35

  • darc #110 3 years ago

    I guess what it ultimately boils down to is, few if any of us readers have played the game in full, while the reviewer presumably has. Maybe by the time I finish it I'll think it's 7 (or less) as well.

    I don't really follow w/ the comments that the demo was bad though. I can only imagine if you feel that way that you didn't like Legend or Anniversary either. It pretty much struck me as more of the same, with improved animation and incredible environments - ie. an improvement on a formula I already liked.

    Combat always has been dull, and occasional control inconsistencies have always been infuriating. But improvement is improvement, "next gen" or otherwise.

  • TRUTH #111 3 years ago

    Thought the game demo was pretty dam good - fluid, nice animation, the graphics, large areas to explore, subtle sound effects. The camera is fine if you use the left stick to control Lara, and the right separately to look around the environment. If the sticks are used together the camera does have problems to follow Lara in some areas.

    If people are complaining about the fighting system - it's fine for the game - your able to duck, jump over walls, round around, run & shoot, slow down time, hang of cliffs..etc all while shooting. Generally anything it's fine for this sort of game with nothing to over the top, & with enough control over Lara...it's probably the best from any previous Tomb Raider games.

    From the demo the game looks better, has much larger areas, better puzzles, alot less liner, alot more going on onscreen with subtle animation, seems more fun then Uncharted (which is fairly liner & less exploring/puzzles/adventure involved ).

    Edited by 2 at 20/11/08 @ 17:10

  • darc #112 3 years ago

    "Tomb Raider games always give me that feeling that I ought to be doing something else with my time anyway."

    You should be - but not something else instead, something else in addition to. I play TR Legend and Anniversary while I'm on a bicycle trainer pedaling away. Few games are paced properly that you can do both at the same time - finicky shooters for instance, no way - but I can actually blast through a workout and enjoy it thanks to TR! :)

  • Gaol #113 3 years ago

    Damn, who would be a female videogame journalist. Guess you gotta have thick skin.

    I'll be buying this on PC at some point; it looks gorgeous and if it's half as good as anniversary I'm happy. Traditional gameplay mechanics FTW!

  • spookyzombie #114 3 years ago

    Playing though the third level at the moment. It's certainly the best next gen Tomb Raider by far.

  • m0thr4 #115 3 years ago

    November 1998? That was the deadly dull Tomb Raider III and by that time, many of us were already sick of the same tired old mutton-dressed-as-lamb engine behind the game.

    Next time you need a review of a long-standing franchise EG, try picking someone old enough to remember the original game.

  • captain-future #116 3 years ago

    I was positively surprised by the demo - but after a while you notice the same problems with all TR games - the camera is not always optimal and with the more realistic looking and bigger locations this can lead to frustration.

    Still 7/10 is good enough for a TR game to get it - I'm pretty sure to pick it up over the holidays.

  • angerisagift #117 3 years ago

    [link url=http: //www.videogaming247.com/2008/11/21/uk-tomb-raider-underworl d-reviews-under-810-silenced-until-monday/
    ]http://ww w.videogaming247.com/2008/11/21...[/link]

    Bloody PR people....

  • w00t #118 3 years ago

    Excellent review. Made me laugh quite a few times.

    Sounds like any other Tomb Raider game in general.

  • sneetch #119 3 years ago

    @angerisagift
    "[link url=http://ww w.videogaming247.com/2008/11/21...
    ]http://ww w.videogaming247.com/2008/11/21...[/link]

    Bloody PR people...."

    Wow. Fight the powah, EG! :)

  • khatmandog #120 3 years ago

    @ ctrl - k
    Don't you want more from the reviews you read than opinion? Especially when the market is glut with quality products.
    Objectivity is not expected in the comments pages of reviews, but it should be foremost in the considerations of the
    professional journalist.
    By calling me Mcfly aren't you conceding the part of Biff to yourself? Whoops!

  • Trigga_Tybalt #121 3 years ago

    cool another game i don't to buy in this packed holiday season.

    and what's this i hear about eidos trying to stop low scoring reviews of this game from coming out?

  • Riggers #122 3 years ago

    I'm not sure what people's problem is with Ellie's review. She's clearly listed the things that disappointed her, and the score matches the written content perfectly, looking at Eurogamer's scoring policy.

    Ellie felt disappointed that the game wasn't the top notch title she was expecting, and clearly several other reviewers felt the same, given the Eidos felt the need to ask sites not to publish 'Not as good as Halo' reviews. Hardly Eurogamer's most controversial moment, is it?

  • MuppetThumper #123 3 years ago

    i think the reviewer has a chip on her shoulder.

  • Gnort #124 3 years ago

    Can any EG staff confirm whether Eidos' embargo agreement really included a "you can post it early if it is 8/10 or higher" clause?

  • oreillymj #125 3 years ago

    It's so sad that after 10 ten years, Eidos are still a 1 hit wonder publisher. Relying a bird with big jugs doing the same thing as she's done for the last 10 years, with prettier graphics to prop up the entire company.

    Brave move by EG to give this gaming-by-numbers tripe a 7 when they're obviously getting some heavy advert revenue from Eidos.. It probably deserves less for it's lack of originality.

    Beware of other reviews.

    [link url=http://a rstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2008/11/21/eidos-pr-manag ing-review-scores-of-new-tomb-raider
    ]http://ar stechnica.com/journals/thumbs.a...[/link]

  • UncleLou #126 3 years ago

    The lack of reading comprehension amongst gamers is really utterly shocking. How can people not understand this review? Frustrating.

  • Zappa #127 3 years ago

    this game blows, more like a 4/10.

    its self shadows make me want to puke but at least they are not dithered junk like gears2.

  • BillyBrush #128 3 years ago

    tbh there's nothing wrong with saying the reviewer goes a bit meow in the review, read the text

  • DjFlex52 #129 3 years ago

    How can you read a review, decide a number based on your interpretation of their interpretation of the game experience and then be surprised that your scores don't match? Do you count the number of positive and negative things and try to figure it out that way?

    So, Ellie said fifteen good things and twelve bad things so it should be 15 / (15 + 12) * 10 = 5.555 repeating, we'll call it six.
    Seven, what the hell? What treachery is this?
    I won't rest until I've posted vague murmurings about it not sounding like a seven on the comments thread, how dare Ellie give a score in violation of my scoring system!

    ++1 @sneetch

    this game blows, more like a 4/10.
    its self shadows make me want to puke but at least they are not dithered junk like gears2.

    @zappa

    Oh yea, right, when a game character's self shadows suck that means the whole game sucks, ie...4/10

    /sarcasm off
    Edited by 1 at 22/11/08 @ 22:12

  • BillyBrush #130 3 years ago

    well...the score isn't really that important, the text is just a bit catty, couple of mentions of the term bitch etc etc...i'm not saying that's wrong, there's just some serious disconnect between most of the review and the end paragraph, and it's a bit of a shock to find it all turn out positive...i was expecting to reach the end and find out all these problems and lara being a slag were going to have more of an effect on the final surmation...if you care to read through the article again i'm not coming from way out of leftfield here, and not suggesting that the reviewer is in some way bad, just not the kind of review you see very often, and i'm sure lots of ye like that....makes a change that's for sure

  • Lionheart #131 3 years ago

    Oh no it's Ass Creed all over again!!! :(

  • Farzlepot #132 3 years ago

    Not especially interested in Tomb Raider in general; never was either, as I was playing PC games while the PS1 was shunting low-res pixels around TV monitors. But this is the first time I've ever been tempted to even try a demo for the franchise, so I'll see what I think. I did like that last Indiana Jones game, Emperor's Tomb I think it was called, and I figure that this series is similar stuff.

    As for the comments here, if nothing else at least now I can vaguely understand why so many computer gamers never have girlfriends.

  • Ranger101 #133 3 years ago

    A heartfelt Congratulations to Eurogamer for standing up forreviewer integrity, and telling that PR company/Eidos to go fuck themselves.
    Edited by 1 at 24/11/08 @ 19:47

  • Ranger101 #134 3 years ago

    Heh, I get the feeling there are more than a few "Commenters" here, from the PR company.

    It's cool EG if you don't get any more review copies for Eidos games, they all suck balls anyway.

  • kenty #135 3 years ago

    brilliant review, very entertaining and pretty much sums up what I was expecting based on my impressions of the demo. I now know this game isn't really for me.

  • Korondite #136 3 years ago

    Excellent review.

    I understand Eurogamer posted the review under pressure from Eidos' PR company not to, well done! In contrast to some of the comments here I find Eurogamer's reviews to be excellent, knowledgeable, and reflect my own playing experience of games. Fortunately I have learnt not to ignore Eurogamer's unfavorable reviews, having made purchases in the past in defiance of good advice and then regretted it.

  • Cronan #137 3 years ago

    The press release from the company PR shills said that the EG review had been altered to correct factual errors. What were these? Does EG keep a log that anyone can see of review changes after publication?

  • kendoji #138 3 years ago

    that was probably just the thing about not being able to switch weapons mid-level

  • muscleblade #139 3 years ago

    and there are no tigers in Thailand, are there?

    It is a few Tigers left in the world and Thailand is one of the few places you can find them.

    edit: Most of them are held in captivity though :(

    Dinosaurs (also in the game) on the other hand are extinct.
    Edited by 3 at 26/11/08 @ 13:10

  • awb83 #140 3 years ago

    I take back what I said about this review, i think the reviewer got it pretty much right.

  • WJF #141 3 years ago

    While the review read like a silly list of complaints (for players of other tomb raiders) there hasn't been a single one before this in which the gripes are so obvious. The invisible walls that appear on the first level (for goodness sake!) are atmosphere killers (and positioned all around the starting location so you really cannot miss them). There are many times during the level (especially on the boat) where boxes (etc.) cannot be climbed for no good reason whatsoever, despite being able to climb an identical one just next to it. It's just slightly jarring, especially with such good graphics and general ambience.

    It's still a pretty decent game though, and the 2nd level (the one I'm on) is definitely a lot better. They've really got the moves and animations sorted, and the levels are pretty interesting in both looks and layout.

    A side note for PC players: When playing with a keyboard the controls feel a little too fast for me (essentially, there's no acceleration - she just seems to sprint left or right), which makes it somewhat more frustrating than Anniversary as you have to drag her up off ledges more often. Lara's grabs are more forgiving though so it's not a major gripe. Not sure if it's the same with the consoles - she's a lot quicker than in the last game that's for sure.

    EDITS: Spelling. Too many brackets, but I'm going to leave them in and chastise myself later
    Edited by 3 at 27/11/08 @ 19:54

  • DarkBytes #142 3 years ago

    maybe

  • ExplodingClown #143 3 years ago

    So far I'm enjoying, but...

    1. Camera's fucking hostile. Not quite Angel of Darkness hostile, but not far off.

    2. Real skin doesn't look wet underwater, only when out of water, so Scuba Lara looks rather plastic when immersed. Bit sloppy, that.

    3. What's with the swimming? Lara always used to do a strong breaststroke (no pun intended, trust me) but now underwater she does this crappy panicking-toddler thrashing legs thing (which is of course the least effective way to propel yourself underwater without fins on - and as she's supposed to be this world-class athlete is just stupid). It feels like the producers or publishers got prudish at the idea that the player's going to be staring up Lara's crotch, but for God's sake, tittilation is two thirds of TR's marketing strategy! Just give her less revealing outfits if you don't want to feel you're pandering to pervs, eh?

  • winstoninabox #144 2 years ago

    Finished this game last night, and agree with this review in every way. I've played 5 of the other Tomb Raider titles, and enjoyed them all, but found this one to be a love / dislike relationship. The visuals are beautiful, the puzzles are very good, and the motorbike levels are a blast. But I was distracted by and annoyed at the invisible walls and Lara's inability to climb seemingly climbable rocks and boxes. Boxes! She just bumps into everything with a thud. And please no more of the tedious falling off beams while walking. If she jumps along the beam she's like a cat, but if she tries to walk along them she's like a drunk. It doesn't make any sense.

    Also twice I had a problem where the game didn't register that I'd completed the objective. Most notably the first area, where after returning to the boat from the underwater cave the cut scene never started. After several minutes of climbing onto and off the boat and swimming around it, and diving back to the seabed to see what I'd missed, the game eventually worked out that the level was over.

    There's an excellent game hidden in TR:U. I hope that the next full TR release address the environmental collisions and the camera, which is often crazy when you need it the most. I think 7/10 is a very fair score. If you like Tomb Raider you'll be able to overlook the faults. But those same faults inhibit the game scoring higher. I recommend the game, with the proviso that at times you may need to forgive its blemishes.

  • noookie #145 1 year ago

    Lara, Lara, Lara .... damn how many years ? :D