Looks like Crystal Dynamics shares with Core Design something more than just the initials...
Core Design did a fantastic job at creating an adventure-puzzle game disguised as a third person action game. Merged the both genres flawlessly, and, together with fantastic animations and environments, created a game for the ages.
Of course, a second part had to be made. And it was also good. Brought the famous pony tail that has become Lara's signature hair-do, and more expansive, open air environments.
It was with the third installment that things started to go downhill. Everything became the same. Jump here, grab that, kill the wolf (or the dude) and move on. And it remained the same for 5 games (I, II, III, Chronicles and The Last Revelation) until a much-needed, much-awaited graphical enhancement was announced for Angel Of Darkness. Yeah, we did obtain the graphical enhancements, but we lost the tight (for keyboard only standards) control scheme, the fantastic level design and the coherence of the first game.
Then, Eidos, trying to rescue the ailing franchise, recruited the help of Crystal Dynamics, most famous by the Pandemonium, Legacy Of Kain and Gex series. And here is where the similarities begin:
1.) Crystal Dynamics reinvented Lara, starting from the ground up in story, gameplay and technology. It is widely known that, while not as good or original as the first, it was a decent continuation to the series, so let's call it a success.
2.) Tomb Raider Anniversary, which was a remake from the original Tomb Raider, only proved that Crystal Dynamics was either running out of ideas, or trying to make money. Nevertheless, given the fact that it was a remake of the golden original, and a worthy one to boot, it also makes the cut, just like Tomb Raider 2 did.
3.) And three is the faithful number. Core flunked at the third, and here Crystal Dynamics flunks with the third. Here is why.
I was very excited with Underworld. Just the fact of seeing Lara getting dirty was enough to get me all giddy, but there was also the graphical overhaul, the integration of the first games stories with the Legend universe and the usual fix for tomb raiding.
It is a shame that I got a disappointment like this.
I will not talk about the many graphic glitches that I had when I activated any kind of Anisotropic Filtering (have a GeForce 8800 Ultra), because I saw the game working perfectly on a 9800XT. Therefore, said glitches are not counted on my appreciation. However, the game fails so miserably in so many other areas, that I'm doing this a favor on not counting such glitches. Let's start.
The first thing you'll notice when the game starts, is the fact that there seems to be some sort of conspiracy to keep you, the player, in the shadows about what the hell is going on. The trailer shows Lara blowing up her own manor, but the game starts with you trying to run away from the flames. Then, Zip, one of your friends, shoots you knowing it's, well, you (Lara). Then the game skips to "One week earlier", and you are off trying to seek Avalon. The funny thing is that even if you are seeking Avalon, the places you are sent to (which are, apparently, the same Avalon on different places) are trying to gather pieces for a relic that only two thirds in the game you realize it helps you to open the doors to Avalon. So, you spent those two thirds just going places because Lara starts levels there, not because you really feel the need to (like you had a choice) or even if you tried to guess where was the next locale.
This isn't too bad actually, now that I write about it. Brings diversity, and is an opportunity for the wonderful graphics engine to show us what we can do. But, oh... wait. You have to navigate those environments, right? Here is where the true evil kicks in, with the shape of a demonic camera engine that is hell-bent on making your enterprise fail. Not only it will point away from where you want to look, but it will also rotate without any warning whatsoever, causing your direction keys to change relative to the camera, not to Lara. Another wonderful gimmick of the camera is how it loves to get stuck on walls, forcing you to move in order to, hopefully, obtain a different camera angle. Or not. Just fend yourself the best way you can against the worst enemy in the game: the camera. And remember, it will stick with you until the end. By the way, YOU CAN'T MAP THE MOUSE BUTTONS.
Even if that isn't a problem for you (I don't see how, but, there's people for everything), you'll find the combat system either too simple or too convoluted. Gone are the adrenaline shots of Legend. Now you have to activate the adrenaline, take aim, press another button and then you get your adrenaline shot. That is, if the group of monsters hasn't killed you by the time you remembered how to use it. And after you get Thor's Hammer, you'll forget about all the other guns, since not only it kills anything with just one hit, but some enemies only die with it, making the combat a total yawner.
But, let's say you don't care. You are here to stare at Lara's butt and see her perform all her acrobatics. Well, I'm afraid you'll also be disappointed here. While Lara is rendered in glorious, glorious 3D, her movements feel like she were a weightless sprite. Not only are they completely unfeasible by human standards (five wall jumps in a row, anybody?) but they also lack a complete presence of mass, giving the impression that Lara is made out of paper. Not just that, but Lara tends to get stuck in corners, ledges, bushes, vehicles, corpses... hell, she tends to get stuck in everything, breaking the illusion that you are controlling a brave and sexy heroine every three steps.
Oh, and about breaking. While most of the puzzles are well designed and are truly magnificent to see in motion, most of them have solutions so hidden or so illogical, that even the obvious may seem occult. Either that, or puzzles rely on you traversing the level seeking for runes. Some may try to argue it's a "call to the classic game", but if you ask me, that is not what there is to rescue about the main game.
So, yes, this game is a failure. It will make you yell at the screen everytime Lara fails a jump thanks to the stupid camera and even more stupid control scheme, or curse in frustration after hours of seeking a solution for a puzzle just to find out it was right there but, since you never know what you are actually doing, you skipped it thinking it was decoration, or simply out of anger after realizing this is the shortest Tomb Raider yet, and not a good one in the end.
I really hope Crystal Dynamics starts working in another sequel, but not to follow in Core's steps, but to improve the series, just as it were doing before this flunk.
P.S: For those of you who don't want to digest all my personal rant (that is, tl;dr):
-The camera is disastrous, Lara is terribly animated, the puzzles are counter intuitive, you can't map the mouse, gorgeous graphics and music, epic scale size, epic scale disaster. Terrible story, and mediocre screenplay. Skip it.