Tomb Raider has never been so disillusioning.
So the story picks up where Legend left off, with Lara looking for her mother, who she believes is trapped in Avalon. The story is simple, but provides the perfect opportunity to trot the globe in search for Thors mighty hammer.
The best parts of this game take place within the first half. With the Mediterranean and Thailand having the most beautiful, colourful and detailed environments that rival any Uncharted section. These two levels are the only ones which seem finished to a high standard, with later levels lacking the detail and wow factor that this game so badly needs. Saying this there are moments throughout the game that will impress you and one or two that may leave your mouth hanging. The staggering gold and blue of the Med, the beauty of Thailand, the trap rooms of Mexico and the swinging hammers of the Yas Mayen Islands.
Lara's new moves make a great addition, allowing her to explore her new, bigger environments. However, while they are impressive, they fail to distract from the major camera and control issues that plague Underworld. These issues range from camera clipping to a camera which simply refuses to face in the correct direction, making some jumps more luck than judgement.
While the controls may leave much to be desired, the visuals and sounds of Underworld are simply amazing. Even now, in 2011, the visuals still match many new games being released now. The impressive visuals allow the comparison between underwater tomb and leafy Thailand to stagger and impress, unfortunately, the impressive graphical detail fails, after the first 3 levels.
So the buggy controls and fall in graphical quality lets this game down. There are several memorable moments for good reasons, but far to many for bad. Its a shame, because while this game does what tomb raider does best, its also a forgettable adventure that could have made Uncharted look like an over scripted and slightly tame adventure, but in truth, it just goes to show how far Tomb Raider has fallen since its ground breaking days.
But, as I said at the start, I still love Underworld, and there are many good reasons why others should too. 8/10