Postby Tarnish » Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:03 pm
I'm finishing up Tomb Raider: Underworld.
Being the TR freak I am, I was absolutely determined to enjoy this game no matter what its shortcomings. I'd heard naysayers say this was a lackluster installment, but forget them, I said! This was gonna be awesome! The game I'd been waiting for ever since Legend came out!
But this game is, when it comes down to it, just not very good.
The camera is *awful*. I cannot stress this enough. This is the worst camera I've ever had to work with. It's tough enough to judge distance in a TR game that has a good camera, so here it's just amazingly annoying.
Second, the story blows chunks. I know, it's a Tomb Raider game, I shouldn't expect anything. But Legend surprised me after I'd heard the story was so awful, and I ended up enjoying it for what it was, anyway. Here, it isn't even so bad it's good. It's just...boring. And stupid.
Lastly, the game has gorgeous graphics, and it really takes advantage of this during the first half of the game. Some of the early levels are breathtakingly beautiful. But somewhere during Mexico, the game takes a horrible, drab, unforgivably blue turn. My eyes actually seriously hurt after staring at so much blue. And it never changes. Ever.
It goes on, but my post is too long anyway. To wrap it up: this game is way, way too much like Angel of Darkness.
OOH! OOH! I forgot! Melee combat! This is what bothers me the most...the game pretty much forgets all about that puzzle business early on, and instead focuses on combat. Melee combat, in fact. It's unnecessary, repetitive, and it reminds me of Dreamfall. And if there's one thing I never want to be reminded of, it's Dreamfall.