You would have thought after years of the Tomb Raidergames being criticised for awkward jumps and dodgy camera angles that the developers would take note and do something about it. It appears that they have ignored these pleas and the evidence is in the new downloadable demo on Xbox Live.
Far from improving the game it is the same old controls with the same old frustration and the demo leaves me feeling cold. I usually have a rule of not judging a game by its demo because demos often do not reflect the finished game, but in this case I feel justified in thinking that it is crap. I was expecting something fresh and new and some fixes of age-old problems.
Instead I have a feeling of a rehashed old game and that the developers have made no attempt to bring us something new.
Frustrating jumps, difficult to see angles, dodgy camera angles, and what is with the sonar map? It is useless. It is like looking at an old videogame from the 8-bit days. If they are going to give a map at least make it useful. Milking a cash cow springs to mind.
I will not be buying this game, it is just the same old shit, different name.
SparkysDream says:
Having finally had a go at this, and being a real fan of the series over the years, I thought I’d share my opinions of the demo. I wasn’t expecting (nor wanting) a huge revolution – I enjoy the classic gameplay for a reason, and there is little else on current-generation platforms that offer a similar experience. Legend was a step in the right direction after a poor few years, and some of the puzzles in Anniversary were a real return to form. I had high hopes for Underworld.
Graphics – a big improvement and the new engine doesn’t give masses of slowdown like the previous two games did at 720p. However, the scenery now seems very cluttered – grip holes and ledges are harder to see which changes things. Rather than working out how to traverse the landscape, it’s now more trial and error wondering if that’s actually a real ledge or just a bit of dirt. Whilst aesthetically it may look better, it makes things much less clear and far less enjoyable as a result.
Animations are much improved, but the wall climb using grip holes – which Assassin’s Creed animated so successfully – makes Lara move like Spider-Man. It is very strange to watch. Various new moves have also been introduced into the games, however these all seem pretty unnecessary – balance beams should never be present in any game. Ever.
I’ve never enjoyed combat in any of the Tomb Raider games, and Underworld is no exception, In fact, because they’ve made Lara shoot from anywhere, they’ve tried to integrate the combat into these areas. Whilst in the past I could stand on a box and shoot everything in safety to get the chore over and done with, this time things can climb after you. If the combat was fun and appropriate, that’d be ok, but it isn’t.
Finally, the camera seems to be more restricted than ever, and was way too temperamental when trying to adjust itself. Often, jumps had to be made in blind faith because you could not see where the hell you were jumping to. Somewhere off-screen – which the camera didn’t allow you to see, there was a platform. And this happened more than once in the demo alone!
Being a fan, I will probably rent the game at some point – but they’ve lost a sale from me.
beck says:
I totally agree with you Sparksdream. The camera is just awful and really has the potential to ruin the game. Its definitely a rent