Tomb Raider Underworld






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TOMB RAIDER: UNDERWORLD
Copyright www.planetlara.com 01/02/08

17th January – The UK’s first official viewing of the brand new Tomb Raider adventure set to rival all Tomb Raider games and Planet Lara were invited to take a look.

It was with an apprehensive and somewhat cynical frame of mind I went to the event, Crystal Dynamics have been on the scene now for little over 4 years and while their two contributions to the series have been rich in aesthetics they both seemed to lack the essentials that we saw put into the classic Tomb Raider titles.

Tomb Raider Legend was a huge step in the wrong direction for a lot of fans; however Crystal started to pull things together when they celebrated 10 years of Lara Croft and Tomb Raider with their own commemorative remake of the adventure that brought Lara into the world. This was a small, but very definite step in the right direction – so, what we wanted to know was, can they push things further with Tomb Raider Underworld?

The game has already taken some criticism from the fans, comments about dull graphics and an aging Lara are rife on most boards but they have all been based on poor quality magazine scans. So was the reality any different? Of course it was. Tomb Raider Underworld in the flesh (so to speak) is far more impressive than it’s portrayed in the 200dpi magazine scans, granted we were seeing it on a huge cinema screen but it closely reflected the quality we could expect from the finished product.

The first thing to point out would be that the graphics are quite stunning. A huge step up from the next generation graphics of Tomb Raider Legend and an incredible leap from the last generation graphics of the Playstation 2, although a few of the plants could have done with a bit of a touch up the remainder of the environments were rich in colour and detail. This will come as welcome news to the many people who noted the undistinguished tones of the environments in Tomb Raider Anniversary. There is an incredible sense of depth and distance in Tomb Raider Underworld. The skyline is much busier than before, Mayan tombs and temples in the far distance give the illusion of an exceptionally vast environment.

The brand new weather system is another thing to marvel, Crystal Dynamics have really done themselves proud with this beauty. It was only 50% complete when we saw it, but you’d never have known! Gentle rumbles of thunder fill the overcast skies, rain trickles gently down, cascading over Lara’s new next generation body and the occasional flicker of lightening brightens up the ominous sky, if only for a split second. This is the first time a Tomb Raider game has seen such an intelligent weather system and it adds so much to the lavish environments.
"making her way through a derelict Croft Manor..."
The demo begins with Lara in Southern Mexico, her aim is simple – to open the gates of Xibalba (Underworld) she must reset the Mayan calendar. We are told that this is the fourth level in the game, but not much is mentioned about the previous three or the levels that follow. It has been speculated that one of the levels in the game will see Lara making her way through a derelict Croft Manor but Eidos aren’t open to questions on that just yet… Heading slowly towards the Mayan temple visible in the distance Lara stumbles into a poacher’s village. The music strikes up and we know something is about to happen.
 

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Three panthers appear, closely followed by mercenaries. The AI (Artificial Intelligence) in this game has received a dramatic makeover. More abilities have been given to them, one of which being that they can fight each other as well as Lara. Lara sits atop a hill watching as one of the poachers dives out of the path of a ravenous panther, Lara won’t be attacked until she gets too close or becomes a threat; but what’s Tomb Raider without a bit of action eh? She pulls out her pistols and heads into the village.
As Lara slides down the muddy hill and into the village a panther comes racing toward her, a few shots of the pistols and the beast is dead, a surprisingly easy kill, but then the poachers did do most of the work. She runs forward and leaps for a ledge, its here that we really see the benefit of the motion capture animation.

This is the first time the Tomb Raider series has seen Lara animated through motion capture and it adds wonders to the way she moves. With complex routines and stunts performed by Olympic gymnast Heidi Moneymaker, Crystal Dynamics have achieved a whole new realistic light in which we see our heroine. She really does look and move more realistically.
"Sticky Bombs liven up Lara's arson"
Once she has reached higher ground Lara is free to fire off a few rounds at the nearby poachers and panthers. Lara’s arson sees another new addition in the form of ‘sticky bombs’. Throw these at your enemies and they are stricken with fear as they desperately try to detach the bomb from themselves. This poacher wasn’t so lucky… The bomb explodes projecting the poacher across the village - an effective and somewhat humorous weapon.

As well as her arson, Lara is now able to use objects within the environments to her advantage. A conveniently placed pole (which seems to have broken away from the main Mayan temple) is lying on the floor. Pole and pistol in hand Lara is now able to defend herself from predators more effectively using both simultaneously (Lara is able to fire her pistol while holding the pole). As a panther gets a little too close she swings the pole smashing it violently on the skull. The panther runs away for a while giving her time to fire a few shots at the last of the panthers.

As Lara walks around the now peaceful village our attention is brought to the game’s lighting features. As we’ve mentioned already the weather system is a feat of genius engineering which allows for a brand new hybrid lighting structure built around dynamic light maps, this is shown best as the light casts shadows of the foliage on Lara as she moves through the environments, think Assassin’s Creed and you’ll have a good idea of what to expect. This new lighting system combined with the many new features adds a whole new level of realism to the game. Crystal Dynamics are really focusing on the subtle details to provide a more realistic gaming experience. Part of this subtlety is the new spherical harmonics system that means Lara will now take on the colours of the environments. Walk past a vibrant green plant and there will be a hint of green to Lara’s person.

"Objects within the levels can serve more than one purpose"
As well as taking on the colour of close by foliage Lara is now able to interact with it. Run through a bush and she will cross her arms shielding her face, gently brushing the leaves aside. It’s the little details like this that make the environment so much more convincing. You get the feeling you are able to do just about anything which is the opposite effect you feel in the past two additions to the series. As mentioned before Lara is now able to use objects within the environment to her personal gain. That pole is useful for more than just cracking a panther over the head with; she can use it to get to places within the level, creating alternate paths and routes.
 

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Place the pole in a hole on the wall and voi-là! You have your own makeshift swing-pole. Unfortunately there is nowhere to swing to so you’re at a bit of a loose end. But wait! What’s this..? Lara has a new ability (one of many). As well as being able to swing on horizontal poles Lara can now climb atop them to reach higher levels, giving you more options and more possibilities for alternate routes. As Lara climbs it becomes clear where she has to go (damn those obvious ledges, yes… they are back). It’s now a case of guiding Lara around the multitude of pillars and beams, an ancient assault course if you will. Once again the benefits of motion capture animation really shine through as she shimmies, jumps and cartwheels her way to the open cavity in the Mayan temple wall.
She’s in! And like any fine temple this one is quite dark on the inside. Fortunately for Lara she’s equipped with her PLS (Personal Light Source) again. Moving through the temple Lara is searching for the final piece of the puzzle. We take some time to admire the lighting system once more; beams of light shining through cracks in the walls cloak the room with a striking effect leaving it feeling beautifully ambient. Little droplets of rain are highlighted as they descend past the PLS, another subtle new detail.
"Subtlety makes for more challenging gameplay"
As Lara comes to a more built-up area of the temple we notice a loop-ended pole placed subtlety in the corner of the room. This is a grapple point, but one unlike the garish “Look at me!” grapple points we saw in Tomb Raider Legend. This one has no shine to it so it’s no longer an obvious eye-sore. While we seem to have been allowed to mature as gamers in Tomb Raider Underworld with a cease to the spoon-feeding, Crystal Dynamics have placed in some very subtle hints to guide us should we become stuck. One of the most cleverly concealed features were the hints given out by the water within the environments. At first glance it looked as though it were nothing more than a puddle, however on closer inspection it became clear that the water was slowly moving, dripping into a crack in the floor. The more astute gamer will see this as a signal that there is more under Lara’s feet. A gentle push in the right direction from Crystal Dynamics.
Lara makes her way to higher ground and fires her grapple at the inconspicuous grapple point she passed on her way into the room. The grapple has been a part of Lara’s inventory since Tomb Raider Legend and has proven itself to be a very useful tool in the past. Its back again for its third game but this time it has a new feature.
Unlike previous models if an object intercepts the line between Lara and the grapple this grapple will not recoil, instead the wire will bend and curve around the object in its path. Handy, considering we need a way to dislodge this rock from its resting place. Once Lara has positioned herself correctly she is able to apply pressure to the grapple wire slowly edging the rock away from its pillar until it crashes through the floor below.

The last piece of the puzzle is in sight but Lara needs to find a safe way to reach the floor through the gaping hole she has just created. Another of Lara’s new abilities comes into play. Lara is now able to free-climb surfaces, much like in the sixth instalment to the series –The Angel of Darkness – her climbing ability isn’t limited to flat surfaces. She can climb along concave and convex surfaces as well. The best thing about this ‘new’ feature is that these surfaces aren’t obvious. You’ll have to look carefully to spot them.
"The return of an old adversary makes things interesting"
As Lara reaches out for the final puzzle piece the music strikes up again. It’s only a very short piece but it signifies achievement and the harmonic chants are reminiscent of a piece that may have been heard in a classic Tomb Raider game. Our moment of reminiscing is interrupted quite hastily by the arrival of an enemy we’ve not seen since the Great Wall in the smash hit sequel ‘Tomb Raider II – The Dagger of Xian’. The spiders are back, faster and creepier than ever. We are told that these tarantulas (which were about the size of Lara’s head) were the ‘small’ ones… If that’s the case then it’s safe to say that the ‘big’ ones are going to be pretty huge!
 

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Its time for Lara to move, and fast! These spiders are meaner than ever. The new dual aiming ability helps her pick off a few quickly, however it’s not long before they catch up with her. The gargantuan spider dives for Lara’s face, legs’ writhing as it gets closer - a vivid image of the ‘face huggers’ from the Alien films spring to mind as Lara screams trying to remove the spider from her face. She’s not out of the clear until she’s loaded each spider with a generous amount of lead, as another improvement to the AI means enemies can now scale the walls in pursuit of Lara.

As Lara makes her way out of the temple we notice that the autograb when walking off of high surfaces is turned off. Unlike in Tomb Raider Anniversary when Lara gets a little too close to the edge of a platform she won’t turn around and grab the ledge as she falls. This could be a hindrance to players who joined the series at Tomb Raider Legend if the option isn’t available to enable it, however it will probably be welcomed by the oldschool hardcore gamers as it provides an extra challenge.
"The real beauty of Lara's next-gen makeover shines through"
Lara lands gently on the floor and makes her way toward the muddy forecourt adjacent to the temple doors. The camera is turned round so that we can get a look at next generation Lara’s facial features. As the camera pans to face Lara, the sky is illuminated with a flash of lightening giving Lara a radiant and youthful glow for a moment or two. As the sky fades back to its once ominous self the real beauty of Lara’s next generation makeover shines through. Contrary to recent pictorial publications Lara does not look aged. Unfortunately recent magazine scans seem to have shown the new model in an extremely poor light; however, seeing the new Lara first hand we can reveal that she looks as young and vibrant as ever.

Lara’s facial animations, like most things in Tomb Raider Underworld, have been stepped up a notch. To add to her more human appearance Lara’s face is now animated in individual sections. The eyebrows, eyes and mouth all have their own detailed animation patterns. At one point Lara even gives a mischievous raised eyebrow. These new features allow for a range of expressive moods including angry, happy, inquisitive and many more.

After a short look at the next generation Lara, she heads off to complete the final part of the level. Another of Lara’s new moves is the ability to sprint; this comes in handy especially when she has to climb steep muddy hills. Lara moves with much more realism this time around; her movements have a real sense of weight behind them unlike the animation in previous games to the series. You get the sense that she is a real person in a real environment.

Lara makes her way into the final Mayan temple, the temple that houses the gates to Xibalba and the clock mechanism that opens them. The view over to the, now closed, gates of Xibalba is fairly unimpressive and bland. A sheet of green is really all the area is comprised of; something we feel really needs work on. With the ultimate puzzle piece in her hand Lara successfully resets the clock.
The unimpressive, bland foreground quickly changes as the gates to Underworld are set in motion triggering the first cinematic of the demo. Huge ornate pillars rise slowly from the ground forming an ancient pathway leading straight into the mouth of hell. A burst of flames explode from the elaborate dragon-headed pillars signalling the rise of the Underworld gates. It’s now a race against the clock. Lara must find a way to get to the gates before they seal.
 

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Απάντηση: Tomb Raider Underworld

Sprinting through the gate located directly behind Lara, she stumbles across the chunkiest super-bike the Tomb Raider series has ever seen. She revs up the engine and races through a small assault course of stunt jumps over gaping crevices to reach the climax of the level. As the bike speeds toward the gates we are introduced to the final cinematic of the demo. Lara slides hastily under the almost sealed gates on the side of the super-bike just in time, heading straight for a pit of spikes. Fortunately she manages to stabilise herself before she plunges into the spike pit, giving a look of sheer relief.

The soundtrack to the game was the one thing I was most anxious about. After the fantastic scores accompanying both Tomb Raider Legend and Anniversary, was Underworld going to set itself apart and raise the bar once again? While Troels B. Folmann, award-winning composer behind the soundtracks for Lara’s previous two adventures, is still heavily involved in the compositions for Underworld he isn’t the main composer, so I was a little wary. After watching the demo, I was wrong to be worried. The soundtrack was phenomenal; Underworld takes on the musical style of Anniversary, only playing scores when something important is happening.

The pieces we heard were epic and sounded as though they were composed for a movie rather than a video game. There is no real way to describe the amazing music we heard that will do it justice, however we would say that it was a fantastic mixture of classic Tomb Raider, Anniversary, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and the Harry Potter movies – a great mixture making for an epic soundtrack.
Tomb Raider Underworld really seems to have stepped up to the plate, not just graphically but with all the brand new ideas and features it offers players. The introduction of environmental interaction has knocked the linearity of Crystal Dynamics’ past two titles on the head giving the player more than just the one route or option, this will appeal largely to hardcore gamers who were frustrated by the meek attempts of Tomb Raider Legend.

The inclusion of a unique lighting system allows for a much more realistic appearance to the game’s lush environments which, when coupled with Lara’s new motion capture animations makes for the most realistic gaming experience we’ve ever seen from a Tomb Raider game.
It’s fair to suggest that if the rest of the game is as impressive as what we have previewed so far then Eidos may well have managed to turn the series around for the better. Time will tell. So far we give the game a fair 3 out of 5 PLi points.

Be sure to stick with Planet Lara as April sees the next preview of Tomb Raider Underworld when we will be venturing to Eidos HQ in London to demo the next level from the game.
 












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