Dwardus Prime Entertainment | movies, television, music, video games

Tomb Raider: Underworld

I’m a massive fan of Tomb Raider and have enjoyed all the games to date. So today when I was offered 25 quid’s worth of whatever I wanted and saw the banner on Amazon for the new Tomb Raider game I was eager to investigate. I doubted I’d have much luck, seeing as I’m still on a PS2, but I was surprised to see I was catered for too. I’m not sure how the version I’ll be getting ranks alongside the others, but given that the game engine looks very similar to the Legend/Anniversary incarnation, hopefully the differences will be minimal. Coming to a total of £24.98 I was fairly pleased with my buy. Since I’ve been home, I decided to do a bit of research to see how the new adventure is shaping up, and here’s what I’ve found…

As a direct follow-up to Tomb Raider Legend, Lara will be searching for her mother. This time the “training level” in the Croft Mansion is allegedly an escape rather than the leisurely exercise we were treated to in the two previous instalments. The trailer shows an FMV of the Croft mansion being destroyed by fire, with Lara standing outside as it explodes (see trailer #1, below). Not the result of a chip pan fire.

Tomb Raider: Underworld, trailer #1 (the music is Lacrimosa by Mozart, btw – bloody good!)

Facts, rumours and new features -

According to imdb’s cast list, Natla (voiced by Grey DeLisle) returns (pretty much confirmed in trailer #2 with Lara’s gasp and Natla’s voice)
Amanda Evert (Kath Soucie) is back, as friend or foe? We’re not sure
Zip (Alex Désert) turns rogue, or at least that’s what trailer #2 leads us to believe
Kold, one of Natla’s goons from the first game is on the list to return
The very sexy Keely Hawes of Spooks and Ashes to Ashes fame reprises her role as the voice of Lara
Lara has a wealth of new moves (the gameplay videos on the official site say at least 1600, but more likely closer to 2000)
Lara’s movement is for the first time motion-captured and based on an Olympic athlete
Lara can shoot two enemies at once, and climb while shooting, switching her gun hand
Bushes rustle as she moves through and past them
Lara fights the Kraken, probably on the first or second level, and he likely plays a similar monster pin-up roll to the T-Rex in Anniversary
Lara will once again be wiping out endangered species like tigers and will also be facing up against pumas, giant lizards, sharks and gunmen
Lara visits Mexico, Thailand and the Med (beneath the sea) and frozen arctic islands with hints at more supernatural locales like Avalon – “the place of fear” as Lara dubs it.
Areas are now much bigger
This is now the 8th game in a series that has spanned 12 years
There are now multiple ways to solve puzzles
Environments are completely interactive and damage remains – presumably in the form of bullet holes and explosions, etc
The grapple returns
Lara now has an active 3D sonar map at her disposal, making it easier to navigate through the adventure and to discover secrets
Hints can be toggled on and off, with little pointers to direct walkthroughs
We all look older, Lara doesn’t
Her token motorbike returns
There are more weapons
It is the third game in the series to be developed by Crystal Dynamics since the franchise reboot following Tomb Raider & the Angel of Darkness and its generally negative reviews.
For those with Xbox Live there will be two additional levels, both very different Beneath the Ashes (Christmas 2008), and Lara’s Shadow (2009). Prices are yet to be confirmed, but they should add an extra six hours of game play, and one is a follow-on from the main game, taking place after its completion
I’m still waiting to get my Tomb Raider 2 guide back off my old religious education teacher after lending it him a decade ago. It had really cool concept art in it. I’m not holding my breath.
I would imagine Lara comes into contact with Natla early-on, and that ultimately she must defeat Natla “the god”. As she says in the trailer – “I need Thor’s belt to get his hammer and I need the hammer to kill a god”. The trailer also suggests that Lara triggers events with her tomb raiding that lead her (and possibly mankind) into peril.