Tomb Raider: Underworld

Note lock the game to 60 fps. the physics and AI are tied to the fps so when it runs above 60 they break. While the story has its rushed moments this was a good albeit somewhat flawed sendoff for the Legend trilogy. Graphics still look quite good for its age and the voice acting is well performed across the board. Gameplay follows a similar control and movement scheme found Anniversary and Legend but with a few changes that make it feel a bit more unique to them. This is mostly due to Lara's animations and the timing for he movements having more weight to them. She can also kick attack as a melee option and wall jump. Has some fantastic set pieces and level design with decent puzzles and some combat sprinkled in here and there. The motorcycle is fun to ride despite only being used in a few levels and underwater levels will never be to my liking in any game. The story finishes up Lara looking for answers as to what happened to her mother while dealing with Amanda and Natla. There is an over the top cheesy feel to the story at times that works well and fits the series that still has enough drama and good characterization for me to actually care about what is going on. If you like Legend and Anniversary there is no reason to not give this one a go.

Underworld is my favorite Tomb Raider game of all-time. It feels like the original Tomb Raider game I played back on my PlayStation One, but with updated voices and graphics for a more recent generation. This game has a lot of fun puzzles to solve and fun places to visit. The sheer size of the levels here are quite magnificent, and there just enough guardrails to keep you on track. On a computer with decent specs, the game should run smoothly. There are really only a couple small nitpicks I can make about the game. One, some areas get way too dark, so much so that you can't see something you need to find even though it's on the wall right in front of you. Second, this version doesn't give you several of the additional outfits available in my Xbox version. But overall, it's a great game I'd highly recommend.

Underworld continues after Legend and Anniversary, weaving a darker tale with North mythology. Built on a new engine, it offers impressive detail and variety from underwater ruins to vast temples. Unlike Legend's corridor heavy design, Underworld embraces larger, more open areas, giving at least some freedom to explore. Puzzles are well integrated and make strong use of Lara's acrobatics, Lara's Tools, etc. The grappling hook gains new uses, like tightening around objects to solve mechanisms. The motorcycle as vehicle isn't just for scripted chases but functions as transport, puzzle solving, and even combat, reminiscent of Tomb Raider II. Combat remains similar to earlier games, with the addition of dual target aiming. Oddly, jumping while shooting is less effective now, making ground combat more practical. But once you acquire the mythical weapon the game is tied to, balance is gone anyway, turning Lara into an overpowered force. Still Slow motion action sequences replace QTEs, letting players keep control an improvement over just button mashing. Unfortunately, climbing controls remain unreliable. While Lara auto grabs edges, many jumps feel scripted: if the designers didn't intend it, Lara simply won't hold on, even when it looks possible. This creates trial and error scenarios, worsened by occasional unclear level design. Motion captured animations look fluid but sometimes unnaturally fast or awkward, making movements feel strange. Croft Manor is absent, destroyed by the plot, meaning no training level. Post-game content is bare: no Time Attack, few unlockables beyond concept art. Exploration rewards are limited to collectibles with little value. Overall, Underworld feels like a step closer to classic Tomb Raider but is hampered by clunky execution. It's shorter, sometimes frustrating, and ultimately mediocre, yet it still provides a fitting conclusion to the Crystal Dynamics trilogy. Not outstanding, but worth a try if you can overlook its flaws.

Bien que très impressionnant pour un jeu de 2008, cette itération sur Tomb Raider ne semble complètement aboutie. Notamment, le gameplay. Parmis les aspects impressionnants, le graphisme est magnifique, les décors ont un niveau de travail difficile à croire pour l'époque. La musique et les ambiances sonores sont intéressantes. Le bruitage est excellent est bien conçu... La scénarisation est malheureusement faible. Toute cette histoire des Crofts qui ont des liens avec les dieux et la table ronde ne colle pas, je n'embarque pas. Les revirements sont médiocres. ça devient long à partir de la moitié. Amanda on s'en fou, opportunité manquée ici. Le level design est innégal. Les puzzles sont super, les passes d'escalade bien travaillés. Par contre, l'ensemble manque de crédibilité. Le "suspension of disbelieve" est continuellement brisé par des éléments étrange. "pourquoi tous ces corridors pour la moto?". "pourquoi ce puzzle n'a pas été résolu par un autre visiteur avant?". On se posait pas ces questions dans Legend... Les contrôles, ça ne marche pas, manque de travail flagrant. Les enchainements de Lara ne sont plus fluides et bourrés de bugs, voir mal animés. Même le premier Tomb Raider faisait mieux. Lara est régulièrement clippée dans une pente ou un mur. Je décrirais le feeling des contrôles comme si j'avais du sable dans mon controlleur. Aussi, il semble y avoir un problème avec l'algorithme permettant de deviner ce que le joueur veut faire. Lara fait n'importe quoi. L'intégration du moteur de physique est innachevé. Y'a ennormément de problèmes. À certain moment on se demande même si nos erreurs ne sont pas des glitchs avec la physique. Le plus frustrant : la caméra se place continuellement à de drôles d'endroits, souvent empêchant de voir ou aller, ou quel enemie est visé... au point ou on veut arrêter de jouer. Bref, si vous aimez la série jouez-y, mais, sinon, passez à Tomb Raider 2013, bien très différent, c'est spectaculaire comparé à Underworld.

I know, I know. I should talk about dat game, but it doesnt run on my system! I played Tomb Raider Underworld years ago (on WIndows 7). It was okay, I guess. And now I just wanna play it again. And after GoG use his "GoG-Perservation Programm" I thought, yey! Lets play but this game doesnt run on my system: Win 11 RTX 4080 i9 13900K 32GB Ram Nice programm guys.... its the second game that doesnt run!