by Chris Buffa on Thursday, May 29, 2008
Indiana Jones made a dramatic comeback, but he's not the only thrill seeker in search of fortune and glory, as treasure hunter Lara Croft returns in her latest video game adventure, Tomb Raider Underworld. Armed with her signature dual pistols and wearing a tight and sexy outfit -- the better to show off her assets -- she hopes to explore a dark, macabre world full of dangerous enemies, daunting puzzles and plenty of other hazards. With developer Crystal Dynamics at the helm (the same team behind the well-received Tomb Raider Legend and Anniversary), it appears Ms. Croft's latest adventure has all the makings of a blockbuster.
This time around, Lara finds herself in Mexico exploring Mayan temples, hoping to unlock the gates to hell (or Xibalba, as the Mayan's called it) by manipulating plates on a gigantic calendar, just one of the game's many puzzles. What she'll find inside this new, dark place remains a mystery, but based on some of her previous enemies, we're sure they'll be big, ugly and unfriendly.
Underworld's bold direction is just one of many new additions to the franchise. First, Lara's never looked better. Crystal Dynamics has thus far done a wonderful job bringing her to life by injecting her with even more personality- she She now has multiple facial expressions during gameplay - and hundreds of motion captured moves that'll enable her to swing off poles and perform cartwheels, among other things. And for gamers that love eye candy, Lara will get messy rolling around in the dirt, which will stick to her clothes and body until she jumps into water or stands in the rain. No word on whether there's an unlockable white T-shirt.
The environments look equally impressive, with gorgeous rainfall, flashes of lightning, a beautiful lighting system that reflects color off Lara's tight body and plenty of old and dusty ruins to explore. Overall, it's a very attractive game, and the best part is that the developers still have several more months to improve its appearance.
Wet Lara is enough to get our hearts racing, but we're also excited about the non-linear missions. Previous Tomb Raiders put you on a set path, forcing you to walk from point A to point B. Underworld mixes things up by allowing you to reach your destination in a number of ways, and this includes Lara's interaction with her environment. If she climbs up a wall, for example, she can start her ascent anywhere along the wall, so long as whatever she grabs onto supports her weight. In addition, she can pick up poles to beat her enemies, but those same poles come in handy for solving puzzles and creating a means to scale ledges, as she can stick them into holes to help with navigation. With that said, she'll need to be careful, as wet surfaces will cause her to lose her grip, creating frantic moments where she'll need to quickly escape panthers or armies of spiders by scurrying up some rocks, only to discover that she could fall at any moment.
When exploring giant temples, the last thing we want is to get lost. Crystal Dynamics solves this issue by allowing Lara to leave a trail of breadcrumbs, or in this case, dead bodies and broken stones in order to find her way back. Underworld doesn't piece things back together or causes bodies to disappear. Things remain as you left them, allowing you to cut a path of destruction that also serves as a handy map.
Judging by screens, there will be tons of things to break and kill. Combat looks extremely vicious, with panthers attempting to claw Lara to shreds and poachers taking a break from hunting to make her life difficult. The a new enemy artificial intelligence won't let them stupidly run into gunfire either. It'll react based on the situation, running for cover or attempting an ambush. Lara fights back with sticky grenades, a host of other weapons and her dual pistols. In fact, for the first time in the series she can target two enemies at the same time, letting you scare one into hiding so you can kill the other.
Although Tomb Raider Underworld is a long ways from completion, there's plenty to get excited about. Its beautiful visuals, combined with Lara's butt kicking moves and trip into hell could make it the most action packed entry in the franchise. Just keep in mind that when it comes to dressing for rainy weather, less is more.
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