I used to play a lot of Tomb Raider when I was a child. The original game was one of the very first video games I ever played (I think it was third, behind Crash Bandicoot and Tekken). I have since played several other installments of the Tomb Raider franchise, including Underworld. I found Underworld to be underwhelming.
Game play: 7
As I stated in the title, this game is, story wise, the sequel to Tomb Raider Anniversary and Legends. Anniversary and Legends had two completely different play styles, with Anniversary having the classic style of Tomb Raider and Legends having a more shooter oriented style. Underworld tries to be both. Underworld is more platforming and puzzled oriented, and also moves and feels like Anniversary; however, it maintains the gun play of Legends, including the two-weapon system it had, which I hate. I loved the feeling I got on the old Tomb Raiders when I found a new weapon to use; now, getting weapons is the same as you would on any normal shooter. Fortunately, there is a lot more exploration in Underworld.
The level design is really good. Anniversary and Legends (Legends especially) were quite linear. This game does the exact opposite. You start the game exploring a portion of the ocean, for example, and the levels only get cooler from there. Another thing I really liked was the ability to edit the game play to be either easier or harder (and I'm not talking about an actual difficulty setting, although the game has that too). Unfortunately, that fun is sometimes diminished by issues with the camera and the some glitches. One issue I would sometimes have is if I thought an object looked climbable, I would, naturally, try to climb it to discover a hidden artifact or move on in the game. Instead, I would temporarily get stuck. These issues are not glaring by any means, but they do sometimes take away from the great level design.
Presentation: 6
The graphics were a little inconsistent in this game. There were a lot of times where the game looked amazing, and there were times when the graphics looked really dated. Another issue I had with the graphics were the occasional visual bugs.
The music was not particularly impressive. There was nothing wrong with the sound track at all; it just was not memorable. Same for the voice acting. Hell, the whole game's presentation seemed to have a general theme of "meh."
The story was also very underwhelming. Not bad, but not really any good too. It's the kind of story that gets the ball rolling, but it alone never keeps you into the game.
Value: 6
Underworld should take you from twelve to fifteen hours to complete. Those who really enjoyed the game can also try getting all the secrets. Unfortunately, those who are not into 100%ing games might be disappointed by how short the game feels.
Pros:
A lot of nice views.
Being able to edit the game play to easier or harder is a nice addition.
Exploring levels is a blast.
Excellent level design.
Cons:
Camera can sometimes be a pain to deal with.
Feels like it could have been longer (probably because it took me, like, fifteen hours to beat).
Occasionally glitchy.
Sometimes the graphics looked mediocre.
Whole presentation was pretty average.
Conclusion:
Overall, I think longtime Tomb Raider fans will find plenty to like here, especially those who liked both Anniversary and Legends (not coincidentally, I was not that big of a fan of both games); however, those who are not as big on Tomb Raider or did not like the previous two installments this game takes place after (like me) will probably not be that impressed. It's a decent game, but nothing Tomb Raider veterans have not seen before. Because of that, the game is quite unmemorable. And I think that, as time goes on, more and more people will forget about this game.