What did you like or dislike about TR Underworld

[LNSNHGTDS]

Originally Posted by Elmer

I've read your reviews and I commend you for how well you avoided bias Your list doesn't show a general preference for any particular era and even though Legend has a special place in your heart, it's quite far down on it. Although I must say that the differences in rating between numbers 8. and 4. are very small, which suggests that these games are pretty much equally good overall.

I wondered about something though. if you compare this list with your personal, idiosyncratic preferences, are they very different?

I've just completed Underworld by the way and I'm not sure yet what to think of it. Maybe I am a bit too harsh on it. But for now it does feel like it's my least favourite. I haven't played the second reboot yet, though, or any of the spinoffs.

I do have a marked preference for the classics. In part undoubtably because they happen to open up a magic portal to my childhood self But I think it's not just the nostalgia. It's reasoned judgement too, I think. Maybe I should take your example and try to untangle the two sometime. It's just... what else is there to rely on, apart from personal preference? Other people's preference I guess.

If I were to make a "biased" list Legend would definitely go all the way up to the top and Last Revelation, Temple of Osiris and Shadow would get significant boosts but, for the most part, would stay the same. My preferences have changed a lot over the years and I've come to appreciate things that I didn't appreciate as a kid or teenager and so this is kind of my "definitive" list I guess.

But Legend stays winning. Best game best Lara best everything lol

[Elmer]

Originally Posted by LNSNHGTDS

If I were to make a "biased" list Legend would definitely go all the way up to the top and Last Revelation, Temple of Osiris and Shadow would get significant boosts but, for the most part, would stay the same. My preferences have changed a lot over the years and I've come to appreciate things that I didn't appreciate as a kid or teenager and so this is kind of my "definitive" list I guess.

But Legend stays winning. Best game best Lara best everything lol

I would love to replay Legend and Anniversary -- I liked them both way more than Underworld -- but I seem to have lost them. That's why I only played them once. Maybe I should just buy them again.

For me Legend is also nostalgic by the way. I've been a fan since I was six years old -- Tomb Raider II was my first game -- but Legend was the first release I consciously waited for and looked forward to. I joined the forum back then, because I was so hyped about what would come after OAD and I vividly remember the excitement of it all (Although, I also remember the long wait for AOD that Snake described over in the TR General chat, come to think of it. But I have fonder memories of waiting for Legend, because I got to experience that together with others, expressing myself on the internet for the first time in the ramshackle English I learned on the go. Legend is connected to all that for me) Yeah, I think I'll replay Legend and Anniversary before trying the second reboot. I really should try those too, though.

When those leaks first appeared a month or so ago, it really took me back to all the exciting days of waiting we had before. And I really wanted to join the conversations about Tomb Raider's future again, but I also felt a little out of the loop, because I'm not familiar with how the newest games play, or with the story really. I have heared many bad things about them though. People don't seem to look back on them fondly over in the Retrospective reboot thread, by and large. So I am glad to see that you appreciate them. That makes me hopeful.

I guess what makes me hesitate most are my expactations of the movement system. That is what I miss compared to the classics most of all, like I said, the movement that felt like clockwork. Thinking about how well that worked before, brings me in my most inveterate state of mind And I gather that some kind of genre-shift occured, from puzzle-platformer to third person shooter, especially since the second reboot. I hope I'll be able to appreciate that.

Edit: I'm also quite curious about the Lara Croft games. I'm glad they'll be coming to the Switch (I don't have a Playstation 4. A friend of mine has one and it sounds like a hair dryer, that kept me from ever wanting one)

[CircusBabysGal]

Best thing about TRU is the PS2 Port

[Mik9517]

Just finished replaying it again.

Things I Liked

• Lara's move set - she really feels like she has the gymnastics background mentioned in her bio in this game.
• The more open-ended level design, especially in the earlier stages.
• Thailand is definitely my favourite level in the game (and probably the moment where the temple entrance is revealed after climbing the cliff is one of my favourite moments in the entire series).
• I did like how it tied in Legend and Anniversary to create a complete story.

Things I Didn't Like

• After Thailand and Mexico the areas get very samey with the same boring colour palette.
• The final levels also seem to become far more linear than the opening levels - Crystal also rely a lot on doing everything twice to proceed in this game e.g. most puzzles have two side rooms where you have to do the same thing twice.
• Bugs - weirdly this is my first time playing the entire series on PC and I had more issues with this game than Angel Of Darkness - the framerate kept dropping during the Kraken section when I put it on the highest graphical settings which my PC should be able to cope with it so I had to turn them down.

[adamtombraider]

I love Underworld for me its the best Tomb Raider game in the franchise its just a perfect game Beneath The Ashes & Lara's Shadow are amazing.

Wii & PS2 versions give the game a different feel and experience I love the layout of Southern Mexico and how it differs form the PS3 & XBOX 360 versions.

[Frceghst8.1]

Well, this thread is going after all this time. Hard to believe that I started it as frceghst8 back then.

[CroftManiac05]

Underworld is a 6.sth or a 7/10 for me depending on my mood.

Things I liked:
-The moveset is largely expanded and Lara has many different ways to interact with ledges.
-The grapple is better utilized in puzzles as it can wrap around objects.
-The early environments are probably the most beautiful in the series.
-The ending was quite mature.

Things I didn't like:
-The combat is a huge downgrade. Lara runs slower and the acrobatics have zero effect since enemies will reach and attack and bullets will hit regardless if you try to avoid or not.
-The animations and the transitions are a janky mess.
-The environments from Mexico onwards become all grey and dull.
-Lara's personality was a letdown. They got her so right the first time but here she looks like she's done with everything. She wasn't as fun as before.

I just want to play the DLCs natively on my PC. That's all, am I asking too much?

[Moon-Safari]

What worked
-I liked the sound design. I can hear them all in my head when I think of the game lol.
-Vibrant cast of diverse fun flamboyant characters
-Great locations including one of the best of the series, thailand
-Best executed and most iconic cinematics between the LAU Rbt series.
Great dynamics between Lara and all the characters, including winston when he helplessly tries to save Lara from being shot by zip. Natla being chill about her caged status because she knew she'd have a chance to get to fight Lara
-the promotional campaign was exciting
-at first keely was too mary poppins but now I look back thinking at least she sounded like an authentic version of Lara
-Doppleganger stole the show for me and I never even played the dlc.

What didn't work
-Needed an easy or medium natla boss fight at the end, a dopple boss fight, and an Amanda boss fight. A Lara/zip boss fight would've been WILD.
-Didn't like the weapons selection system that much. and new outfits should've been pickups in the middle of the level so you could change mid level and it would give you something exciting to find in the game.
-Not much to do besides ride the monorail platforming route and kick vases
-animations were fast and stiff and not fun to navigate
-Flat butt with really long legs and the wrong complextion
-Starting the game underwater sucked because it was so disorienting and too vast
-Lack of manor
-No classic outfit

[StarringRole]

Originally Posted by CircusBabysGal

Best thing about TRU is the PS2 Port

Someone around here gets it.
Its the best thing to talk about Underworld

[Delamo1999]

What I like about TRU:

Thailand: The graphics are beautiful, and the music is amazing. The enemies are fun to play with, and you can shoot at them while perched on a pole. The ambiance gave me a timeless feeling.

Mexico: Fighting multiple enemies in tight spaces. Slippery edges where you must be quick.

JAN MAYEN ISLAND: The first part of the level is crazy and exciting. The puzzle kept me busy. The music at this level really adds to the ambiance of the scenes. The second part involves tricky moves that were challenging and fun. The place is completely eerie and easy to get lost in. I had an enjoyable time maneuvering around there while dodging things.

The Artic Sea: The ambiance of this level is soothing as the music plays. The first puzzle is challenging and big. The second part of this level offers a lot of excitement, crazy jumps, fighting, and dodging while in dangerous positions.

What could have been improved on:

The lack of a playable Croft Manor. It added an extra adventure in both TRL and TRA. I missed it here.

The motorcycle timed run in Mexico is too jerky and hard to control, yet you can't advance further if you don't do it.

The collectibles. Let's face it, they are boring. Crystal could have put in some interesting objects as they did in TRA.

The lack of a boss fight. There is one potential scene that could have been expanded upon to become a full boss fight.

The headshot move: I was unable to master this. I was glad that it wasn't required for gameplay.

Overall, this game kept me interested and engaged the entire ride. It is one that I have played many times and that I will play again. If you have tips for the motorcycle timed run, feel free to share.