Thought I'd check and see if anyone has or enjoys this one. I read that it has bad camera angles but otherwise a good game?

My wife's a big TR fan. She's played all of the Xbox ones. Underworld is her favorite to date. The graphics and environments are really nice. Good puzzles and levels. She's a casual gamer to put it lightly, so it's nice that they gave you more control than normal over the difficulty settings. You can actually drill down and make certain things about the game easier but others harder. For example, if you like platforming and puzzle solving but not fighting you can turn the puzzle and balance/platforming difficulty up and turn down the monsters difficulty and/or increase Lara's health. Helps with a problem a lot of people have with this series, the annoying too-hard-to-beat boss fight.

My wife's a big TR fan. She's played all of the Xbox ones. Underworld is her favorite to date. The graphics and environments are really nice. Good puzzles and levels. She's a casual gamer to put it lightly, so it's nice that they gave you more control than normal over the difficulty settings. You can actually drill down and make certain things about the game easier but others harder. For example, if you like platforming and puzzle solving but not fighting you can turn the puzzle and balance/platforming difficulty up and turn down the monsters difficulty and/or increase Lara's health. Helps with a problem a lot of people have with this series, the annoying too-hard-to-beat boss fight.

That's actually a really cool option to have.

I wasn't aware of that feature. I may have to reconsider this game.

Game looks fantastic on the PC.

I've seen low scores being sprinkled around, and they have more to do with the reviewer being jaded of such games, than the game actually being poor.

Thought I'd check and see if anyone has or enjoys this one. I read that it has bad camera angles but otherwise a good game?

There's a demo in the Xbox live marketplace, if you didn't already know.

There's a demo in the Xbox live marketplace, if you didn't already know.

Thanks, but I'm not a subscriber.

You don't need to be a paying Gold member (heh) in order to download demos. Sometimes they will only allow Gold members (heh) to dl a demo for a week or so before releasing it to everyone.

Played the demo, hated the camera angles and gameplay...pass.

Camera angles are a little rough and pose problems when you are trying to jump in a certain direction.

Game is okay so far, and is money for those after gamerscore points. Should be an easy 1000. I popped 6 of them last night.

I love the game. Its the first Tomb Raider since the original that captures the actual Tomb Raiding feeling of the first.

This fact alone may turn people off since its much more puzzle and environment oriented. Tombs of War (like Gears of War... get it... yeah i thought it was lame too), it is not. Also, the camera issues being reported are true and you will find that it screws you at important times. Of note is the sometimes quirky collision detection and random buggy instances that make you wonder if the game was thoroughly play tested.

That being said, the game is GORGEOUS and Lara's new animations are incredible. I think reports said this was the first Tomb Raider to use actual real world motion capturing and its very obvious (Watch Lara's balance and facial animations thru several different types of scenarios). The music is great as well. The sound effects are good, nothing particularly standing out from the pack.

Im having fun, the story is hokey (they all have been), and it plays great. Satisfying if you're willing to overlook the camera and bug issues. They do not remove from the overall enjoyment of the game for me.

My score = 8.5

Recommended purchase for die hard and casual TR fans.

Rental for fans of adventure looking for something different.

Pass for strict War\Sport enthusiasts. Nothing to see here.

I have the 360 version and have gotten thru about 3/4 of the game. Overall I'm enjoying it quite a bit but do have a few reservations.

On the plus side, Lara looks and moves even more realistically in this game. The environments are your standard TR fare: lush jungles, abandoned temples, and underground labyrinths. There's also an extensive underwater level where Lara scuba dives.

As to negatives, the camera can definitely get in the way at times, especially when you are in tight quarters. The control is ever so loose so you occasionally jump where you don't really want to, sometimes leading to unnecessary deaths. Some of the jumps you must perform are counter-intuitive (ie: moving the the left edge of a ledge in order to jump right), requiring some trial and error. The combat is also pretty simplistic, almost identical to the last couple of games. You don't get to roam around Croft Manor this time either.

Overall, if you liked Legend or Anniversary, then you'll probably like this one. Conversely, if you didn't get anything out of those two, then you probably won't dig this one either.

Thanks for the thoughts guys. I have this one coming from GameFly, right as I'm about to finish Mirror's Edge. :cool:

I enjoyed the last two Tomb Raiders, and playing ME has me jonesing for a new Lara Croft epic. Good to hear its not a disappointment.

I liked Legend and Anniversary (PC) much more than Underworld. The camera in Underworld was just too annoying. I'd wished they spent a couple more months play testing to polish the camera.

Environments and visuals are generally very cool in this game. But those camera angles are killer. Lots of unintentional jumping into empty space. Not good. I remember this happening a bunch back on PS1 with Tomb Raider 1 & 2. You'd think this would be figured out by now.

I have the 360 version and have gotten thru about 3/4 of the game. Overall I'm enjoying it quite a bit but do have a few reservations.

On the plus side, Lara looks and moves even more realistically in this game. The environments are your standard TR fare: lush jungles, abandoned temples, and underground labyrinths. There's also an extensive underwater level where Lara scuba dives.

As to negatives, the camera can definitely get in the way at times, especially when you are in tight quarters. The control is ever so loose so you occasionally jump where you don't really want to, sometimes leading to unnecessary deaths. Some of the jumps you must perform are counter-intuitive (ie: moving the the left edge of a ledge in order to jump right), requiring some trial and error. The combat is also pretty simplistic, almost identical to the last couple of games. You don't get to roam around Croft Manor this time either.

Overall, if you liked Legend or Anniversary, then you'll probably like this one. Conversely, if you didn't get anything out of those two, then you probably won't dig this one either.

+1 well put. I'm about 3/4 way through.

My wife's a big TR fan. She's played all of the Xbox ones. Underworld is her favorite to date. The graphics and environments are really nice. Good puzzles and levels. She's a casual gamer to put it lightly, so it's nice that they gave you more control than normal over the difficulty settings. You can actually drill down and make certain things about the game easier but others harder. For example, if you like platforming and puzzle solving but not fighting you can turn the puzzle and balance/platforming difficulty up and turn down the monsters difficulty and/or increase Lara's health. Helps with a problem a lot of people have with this series, the annoying too-hard-to-beat boss fight.

Wow that's actually a cool thing as I would much rather prefer the puzzles. Now I have to look into it.

I rented this when it came out and thought it was rather enjoyable. The exploration and climbing was good stuff. The camera is a hideous f*#$ing chud and easily the worst part of the game though. Since I only went about 1/2 way through it's an easy buy when it hits $20, which probably won't be long.

Had a freebie rental so I gave it a shot ...

Camera is horrible and almost makes this game unplayable IMHO , this is assuming you can deal with the sloppy control as well . Other than those two factors the game is decent but those two are biggies in my book ;) . I played it for a couple hours to give myself some time to adjust but it still feels off .

- Jason

I still havent finished the last TR game....

I finished the game a few days ago. As to some impressions now that I've beaten it...

Overall, I found it a much easier game than prior entries, largely because there are no boss encounters this time around; the game focuses on exploration, relatively simple puzzles and lots of platforming. It ties up all the loose threads from Legend and Anniversary and pretty much brings those storylines to a conclusion.

The game really lets you customize the level of difficulty and amount of time you have when facing foes and performing chores so it can be dialed in for any skill level. Likewise, Lara's realtime hints are usually helpful when you're stuck. The realtime sonar on the other hand was pretty useless.

Other than in a handful of places, I didn't consider the camera to be too much of a hindrance. Likewise, I came to terms with the slightly loose control pretty quickly. The number of checkpoints in the game is plentiful so if you do die because of a blind jump or misplaced direction, there isn't much backtracking at all.

I was a bit turned off by the amount of backtracking you have to do in the game. There were a few levels where you pretty much had to traverse all the way back to the starting point once you'd achieved your objectives or found the necessary artifact. Given the size of the levels, figuring out how to get back to the starting point sometimes took longer than achieving your main objective.

The scuba levels were a lot of fun and probably my favorite addition to the game; it was nice being able to dive underwater and take in the view without having to worry about running out of oxygen. Likewise the level where you ride the motorcycle was well done and so large that that the vehicle was a necessity, rather than an afterthought.

Combat was very easy and most enemies presented no threat at all, especially when you found a certain mythical weapon late in the game...

I was disappointed that you don't get to explore Croft Manor as you did in the prior games. After the expansive explorations you could perform in Legend and Anniversary, this felt like a lazy omission this time.

The absence of bosses had its plusses and minuses. I've always preferred the platforming and exploration aspects of the Tomb Raider games so I didn't miss them; yet their omission did make it feel like like a step backward from Anniversary.

In the end, I'd give the game an 8/10; it looks beautiful (Lara continues to look better and better) and controls well once you come to grips with its quirks. Looking forward to replaying some of the levels and finding all the items that I've certainly missed along the way.

Overall, I found it a much easier game than prior entries, largely because there are no boss encounters this time around; the game focuses on exploration, relatively simple puzzles and lots of platforming.

Man, I feel stupid reading that because I've been stumped at more than one place. :o

I'm at the big upsidedown/rightside statue with the small statues w/ fans on the turntable in front of a crystal. I've lowered one of the arms of the big statue, but that's all I can figure out what to do.

Can someone drop a hint, and please use the [spoiler] [*/spoiler] (no "*") tags.

Man, I feel stupid reading that because I've been stumped at more than one place. :o

I'm at the big upsidedown/rightside statue with the small statues w/ fans on the turntable in front of a crystal. I've lowered one of the arms of the big statue, but that's all I can figure out what to do.

Can someone drop a hint, and please use the [spoiler] [*/spoiler] (no "*") tags.

Did you get both crystals from the other large nearby section already? I take it you got them since you already lowered one of the arms? You need to place those crystals in the lowered arms and then raise them back up

I finished the game a few days ago. As to some impressions now that I've beaten it...Good overview.

Hard to imagine, though, that the camera didn't cause you any problems. You must be pretty forgiving. Camera was crazy bad for me. It's never good in a platforming game when you're fighting with the camera more than with the jumping, climbing, and balancing. To each their own, I guess.

the level where you ride the motorcycleWeren't there multiple levels of this? This was one of the most annoying things about this game for me. Multiple levels where you have to keep opening a path for your bike. The thing controls like crap and does nothing but get you from point A to point B. At least in a game like Half Life 2, where you have to keep opening paths for your vehicles, the vehicles serve a purpose. Not so much here. These were probably the low point of the game for me.

I was disappointed that you don't get to explore Croft Manor as you did in the prior games.Huh? There are multiple sections of the game where you do explore the manor.

Are you sure you're talking about the right TR game? :confused:

Man, I feel stupid reading that because I've been stumped at more than one place. :o

I'm at the big upsidedown/rightside statue with the small statues w/ fans on the turntable in front of a crystal. I've lowered one of the arms of the big statue, but that's all I can figure out what to do.

Can someone drop a hint, and please use the [spoiler] [*/spoiler] (no "*") tags.Lower the other side. :D
Seriously, it depends which side you did first, since I think they're both open once you get there. The one on the right, you get by sticking the cage underneath the scale platform after you've pulled the lever. The one on the left, I'm pretty sure you just get by pulling the lever. I don't think there's any particular "trick" to that one.

Thanks for the tips guys! I guess I can't figure out how to get up to lower the left arm. The repel-gun trick was obvious to get to the right arm, but I'm not seeing a way up to the left. Also, do I have to go into inventory to place something in the statue's hand?

I never really played any of the TR games on the Playstation but when they hit the Xbox I thought I would give them a try...I have loved all three so far! The thing is you know what to expect with a TR game, puzzles, jumping and the such....yeah Underworld does have some camera issues no doubt...but I can overlook that. I am about half way done and I can't say enough about the game. The real TR fans will enjoy it...others may just want to rent it. Just my .02

Good thing there wasn't too much combat in Underground. Half the time Lara just disappeared off the screen and other times the camera are pointing at the wrong thing. It is pretty unforgivable when it is supposed to be leaning more toward exploration when the poor woman can not even get a good look (viewing angle often extremely restrictive) at the environment.

Thanks for the tips guys! I guess I can't figure out how to get up to lower the left arm. The repel-gun trick was obvious to get to the right arm, but I'm not seeing a way up to the left. Also, do I have to go into inventory to place something in the statue's hand?Hmm. I don't remember that being anything unusual. On the left-hand side, I remember that you have to do some climbing on the upper side toward the "front" of the room/plaza (the higher side away from the giant statue). Once you do your climbing around that area, you can then use your repel-gun on a swinging lever that lets you get up and down just like on the other side. But I may be forgetting something.

Hard to imagine, though, that the camera didn't cause you any problems. You must be pretty forgiving. Camera was crazy bad for me. It's never good in a platforming game when you're fighting with the camera more than with the jumping, climbing, and balancing. To each their own, I guess.

I'm probably being more forgiving. The camera did get in the way, no doubt about it. But I tend to go slow with games like this and take a bearing on my surroundings so when I got to an area where the camera was a nuisance, I usually knew which way to jump before I'd gotten there. Also, as I mentioned, the generous checkpoint locations meant minimal retreading.

Weren't there multiple levels of this? This was one of the most annoying things about this game for me. Multiple levels where you have to keep opening a path for your bike. The thing controls like crap and does nothing but get you from point A to point B. At least in a game like Half Life 2, where you have to keep opening paths for your vehicles, the vehicles serve a purpose. Not so much here. These were probably the low point of the game for me.

For me, it added a new element to the gameplay and I didn't mind having to get off and on. There were also long stretches where you never needed to get off the bike (in the level that spirals down to the bottom, you could ignore the enemies or run over them and just gun it on the bike all the way down being careful to navigate around the holes in the path).

Huh? There are multiple sections of the game where you do explore the manor.

Are you sure you're talking about the right TR game? :confused:

You explore the catacombs below Croft Manor, but you don't get to explore the manor proper or get access to the hedge maze from Anniversary or the workout room and spa from Legend (unless I missed something).

Thanks for the tips guys! I guess I can't figure out how to get up to lower the left arm. The repel-gun trick was obvious to get to the right arm, but I'm not seeing a way up to the left. Also, do I have to go into inventory to place something in the statue's hand?

You should have found two jewels, one for each hand in the giant statue. Assuming you have both jewels, it sounds like the arm without the ring is giving you grief. If this is the case...


You need to lower the arm and use the cage near the wall to prevent it from rising back up until you've put the jewel in the hand. Push the cage close to the elevator. Vault up onto the nearby platform and head to the hallway on the right (there will probably be a few lizards along the way that you'll have to kill). Continue up the steps where you'll see a small ledge. Climb up and jump across a series of horizontal poles. The last pole is actually a lever; hang from it until the arm of the statue is completely lowered. Quickly drop down and push the cage under the elevator; this will prevent the arm from rising. Go back up the stairs again and put the jewel in the statue's hand (you'll be prompted to press "Y" once you're close enough). Once you've done that, return to the cage and pull it out from under the elevator. This will cause the arm to rise up again and cast another ray of light into the courtyard. From there it's a simple matter of aligning a few mirrors.

Hope that helps.

You should have found two jewels

I finally made it past that statue last night:
It turns out that I hadn't made my way through the areas behind the fallen elevator to get the "hand gems". I tried repelling down that pit to those areas before, but fell to my death and assumed it wasn't time for that area yet. Oh well.

Thanks for the tips!

Yahtzee from zero puncuation just reviewed this game:http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/502-Tomb-Raider-Underworld

My favorite quote: "I thought about slitting my own throat with the game box just because pressing the off button would have taken slightly longer"

Eh i had fun with it and I really liked the artifacts especially when you get Thor's hammer

I thought it wrapped up the Legend story pretty well. Good rental 7/10

New DLC this Tuesday. A second DLC coming March 10th. Both offer 125 additional gamerpoints.

http://www.tombraider.com/server.php?show=nav.553&outputLang=Tr5

How does this game compare to Uncharted on PS3? I haven't ever played a TR game, but really liked Uncharted and they seem like the same genre.

Haven't played Uncharted but when I last asked the forum for another "tomb raider like" game to play everyone told me to get Uncharted. Take that for what it's worth, but I believe they are quite similar. Bear in mind that the Tomb Raider series on Xbox is known to have some frustrating camera and control issues. It's a really great game for those of us who love the genre but be aware that the games seem to irritate a number of people. If I were you I'd start with one of the earlier ones for the 360, specifically Tomb Raider: Legend. You can get it in the bargain bin now for $10 - $15. You'll love it or hate it, and if you love it there's two more to play on 360: Anniversary and Underworld.

How does this game compare to Uncharted on PS3? I haven't ever played a TR game, but really liked Uncharted and they seem like the same genre.

Both games are similar, but Uncharted has much better combat and story than TR: Underworld.

With that said, the recent Tomb Raider games aren't bad... if you really liked Uncharted and want some more exploring puzzle action, its still worth checking out.

How does this game compare to Uncharted on PS3? I haven't ever played a TR game, but really liked Uncharted and they seem like the same genre.

They're similar but the Tomb Raider games place a heavier emphasis on platforming and puzzle solving as opposed to combat and are generally easier to play than Uncharted. The Tomb Raider games also have a wider variety of locales and environments to explore than Uncharted offered, usually preferring a globe-trotting aspect to the levels than basing everything on the same island.

thanks for the comments. I will check out Legend and go from there. I dont have much to lose if its so cheap now.

I have always liked the Tomb Raiders. I have played them since the first one. The camera has always been a problem to varying degrees. It still has always been a fun game to me. I am looking forward to the DLC coming out for it. I think one chapter is out now and then another comes out in March or something. I am going to wait til after both are out before I pick it up. Besides I am having too much fun playing QoS Golden gun on XBL right now. lol