What's up with the Wii/PS2 versions

[BlueCake]

Originally Posted by Kapu

[*]Mexico has two challenge rooms instead of four, one ice themed and the other fire. They're quite a bit larger than the four rooms in the next gen versions.

I always liked these two rooms, specially the ice one. I recall having snow in it, felt so random and surreal it kinda reminded me of the classic games, i think Mexico from Wii/PS2 is a little more fun than what we got in the HD versions.

[OrangeJuice]

Originally Posted by Kapu

Biggest level differences (completely recalling from memory, please correct or add!):

• Croft Manor includes additional areas, one of which being a water wheel section.
• Mexico has two challenge rooms instead of four, one ice themed and the other fire. They're quite a bit larger than the four rooms in the next gen versions.
• Jan Mayen has an introductory sequence where you get to drive the bike outdoors

see there's so much more
the mediterranean sea portal puzzle has an entirely different main room and the keys for it are spanned differently throughout the map;
there's underwater corridors to get to the thor statue right after the kraken fight/puzzle that are absent in the next gen version;
thailand introduces the tigers as enemies in a completely different setting (one that, again, is missing in the next gen version);
there's no side room to get the gems for the statue puzzle later on;
there's a horde section where the lizard enemies literally just keep on spanning in a closed-off room??; croft manor looks more like a mine that it does an underground chapel;
mexico differs in the motorbike section to the point where it's an entirely different game
etc.

and again, i struggle to see how some of these "adjustments" were introduced to get the game to run on older hardware because the areas are not smaller nor are they emptier, they're literally just different (ex: the main temple area in thailand is much more vertical than it is in the pc/xbox360/ps3 version but it is by no means smaller and it takes you through an entirely different route.

@eitr @seth yeah i have that guide and it does mention polar bears, but to be fair i dont think that ever evolved beyond being a concept

[Kapu]

Originally Posted by BlueCake

I always liked these two rooms, specially the ice one. I recall having snow in it, felt so random and surreal it kinda reminded me of the classic games, i think Mexico from Wii/PS2 is a little more fun than what we got in the HD versions.

Yeah, I remember liking the ice section a lot too! And also thinking "this is better than the PS3 rooms."

Originally Posted by OrangeJuice

see there's so much more

[...list...]

and again, i struggle to see how some of these "adjustments" were introduced to get the game to run on older hardware because the areas are not smaller nor are they emptier, they're literally just different (ex: the main temple area in thailand is much more vertical than it is in the pc/xbox360/ps3 version but it is by no means smaller and it takes you through an entirely different route.

Again I'm completely speculating, but I would guess that Buzz Monkey built a lot of the environments from scratch. That would explain why the levels are structured so differently. It wasn't a matter of taking the next gen version and reducing the detail until it was PS2 compatible, but rather recreating what Crystal were in the process of making. Of course a ton of resources would have been shared between projects (pretty much all the assets save for models), but much of what Buzz Monkey created would have been original. Again, that's speculation...or educated guess.

[Samz]

Originally Posted by Kapu

Again I'm completely speculating, but I would guess that Buzz Monkey built a lot of the environments from scratch. That would explain why the levels are structured so differently. It wasn't a matter of taking the next gen version and reducing the detail until it was PS2 compatible, but rather recreating what Crystal were in the process of making. Of course a ton of resources would have been shared between projects (pretty much all the assets save for models), but much of what Buzz Monkey created would have been original. Again, that's speculation...or educated guess.

Reminds me a bit of the development of the PS2 and Ps3/Xbox360/PC versions of Quantum of Solace. (Next gen were Activision and Eurocom for PS2.)

Long story short, due to communications issues with the license holders of Bond as well as the movie due to the movie having constant re-writes, Activision sorta had to guess at times where exactly the plot/locations were going to play out.

Then Eurocom had those same issues with Activision in addition to the fact that it wasn't easy to "demake" the 360 assets to run on PS2.

So despite both of them working together, Eurocom ended up having some seemingly cut dialogue/locations from the 360 version while missing some from the next-gen versions.

And since development was kinda tight on both projects, there are levels/sections removed or different between the two versions simply due to them having to do their own thing to get the game ready in time due to the commuications issues.

[OrangeJuice]

Originally Posted by Kapu

Again I'm completely speculating, but I would guess that Buzz Monkey built a lot of the environments from scratch. That would explain why the levels are structured so differently. It wasn't a matter of taking the next gen version and reducing the detail until it was PS2 compatible, but rather recreating what Crystal were in the process of making. Of course a ton of resources would have been shared between projects (pretty much all the assets save for models), but much of what Buzz Monkey created would have been original. Again, that's speculation...or educated guess.

i guess that makes sense. and in a way it's kinda cool, it's like we have two different takes on the idea of tomb raider underworld lol
(again, leaving the ds version out of this conversation (although that might be the best version))

[BlueCake]

Another thing i noticed in my PS2 playtrough back in the day is that Lara's face is a lot closer to the HD version, while the Wii one is rounder, and resembles Anniversary Lara.

[Boobandie]

Originally Posted by _Seth

The mint green Etir looked way cooler, IMO.

Not to mention it made more thematic sense with the green portal goo in Legend.

[kevindatsun]

Originally Posted by OrangeJuice

see there's so much more
the mediterranean sea portal puzzle has an entirely different main room and the keys for it are spanned differently throughout the map;
there's underwater corridors to get to the thor statue right after the kraken fight/puzzle that are absent in the next gen version;
thailand introduces the tigers as enemies in a completely different setting (one that, again, is missing in the next gen version);
there's no side room to get the gems for the statue puzzle later on;
there's a horde section where the lizard enemies literally just keep on spanning in a closed-off room??; croft manor looks more like a mine that it does an underground chapel;
mexico differs in the motorbike section to the point where it's an entirely different game
etc.

PS2 for underworld is the very first version of Tomb Raider Underworld that I played and I would like to add some little details as well from the PS2.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA:
- Escaping the Tomb/Temple or whatever it's called is entirely cut. You only have to swim into a small water hole and boom! you're back to Lara's yacht.
- The ship section is cut in half. You can't even reach the other end of the ship. The door to Natla's room is just at the same area where you are in.

THAILAND:
- The entire elevator puzzle was cut. All you need to do is to drop down from a series of platforms and then you are on the ground without a scratch.
- Going back to your yacht is CUT once again. You just swim through the door and a cutscene plays.

CROFT MANOR:
- Longer corridors, no water wheel (Only on the Wii)
- Cathedral window puzzle was cut in half.

SOUTHERN MEXICO:
- Entire Mexico looks like a different game. The "gates of underworld" or Xibalba isn't also timed as well compared to the next gen versions.
- Exiting Xibalba is also different. You need to take a different route instead of going back where you came from. What's odd is the animations and sounds for the cutscene is made with the original escape route in mind. The sounds of the gates closing is still there, but there was no gate to be seen. Lara's animation of looking back and watching the gate close is also there, but then again, there was no gate.

JAN MAYEN ISLAND
- Longer motorbike section (same with Wii version)
- The tower puzzle is cut. like REALLY REALLY CUT. To open the "gate of the dead", you only need to turn the lever on the tower and boom! you're in. Unlike in the next gen versions where you have to climb the tower all the way to the top.

ANDAMAN SEA:
- Complete copycat of the ship from the first level.

ARCTIC SEA:
- Entire entrance puzzle is completely cut. It only shows a cutscene of Lara swimming her way through the door without any extra effort.
- Midgard serpent puzzle is also cut in half. Only two towers are holding it, where in the next gen versions, there are three.

[Kapu]

@kevindatsun thanks for the added info. So weird that the PS2 version has less content than the Wii version, despite them being so similar otherwise...Anniversary is a much larger game by comparison, so it's not as if Underworld was pushing the boundaries in size for PS2.

Originally Posted by BlueCake

Another thing i noticed in my PS2 playtrough back in the day is that Lara's face is a lot closer to the HD version, while the Wii one is rounder, and resembles Anniversary Lara.

I do notice her cheekbones look a bit less pronounced on the Wii, but I wonder if it's just a difference in the lighting. The PS2 version seems to be a bit more contrasty. Which is sorely needed on the Wii. Everything looks dull and washed out, no matter how you tweak the brightness and contrast.

I always wondered why they didn't reuse the TRL/TRA head mesh instead of "demaking" the TRU one. Because like everything else in the game, Lara looks low res and ****ty. The TRL/TRA model was really good looking! It would have at least made the PS2 versions of all three games consistent in that regard. I can only guess that maybe it had to do with the facial animations and compatibility. Although if CD can rig the old AOD model to work with their current gen Lara (as seen in Rise), then I don't see how it couldn't be done on the TRA model.

[BlueCake]

I found a image of the polar bear for the Wii/PS2 version:

There's also this thing i believe isn't in the game:

Source: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/t...underworld-wii