Tomb Raider: Underworld will take Lara around the world in search of a ...
mythological artifact, Thor's Hammer. Surprisingly, the Norse weapon of the God of Thunder appears to have much more in common with other civilizations than previously thought, and could potentially destroy the world.
Hitting the Square button deploys the grappling hook, which can be used to help you interact with various elements in the world. Shooting it at doors will allow you to pull them off their hinges, but it can also be used to help you swing from one area to another. The Circle button allows players to perform rolls underneath debris, but also avoid incoming attacks. The Triangle button appears to be an all-purpose action button, as you can use it to interact with the world. That means picking up items on the ground as well as using it to accelerate Lara when she's climbing walls or moving along ledges by her fingertips. The directional pad is also extremely vital, as you'll be able to use it to automatically turn on her flashlight with a press of the left button, heal Lara by pressing up, change weapons by pressing right or pull out her camera by pressing down.
Lara's PDA: Not only does it house her sonar map that provides a 3D map of her immediate surroundings, it also provides a journal that keeps track of story elements and characters met in her travels, gives access to the photos taken by the player, and hosts an inventory of items held in Lara's backpack.
Field Assistance: A feature that I'd previously referred to as Help on Demand. This system allow users to determine how much hand-holding they want as they explore each section. However, Lara now speaks to the player as if she's thinking her way out of the situation that she's in, so if you trigger the Hint option, you'll find out what you should focus on if you're slightly stuck. If, on the other hand, you're completely lost, you can hit the Task option and hear directly from Lara what you need to do. It won't always help you solve a number of the puzzles that are scattered throughout the game, but it will be enough of a push to get you started in the right direction.
Speaking of puzzles, the scale of these brain teasers is probably the largest ever included within the franchise, and frequently have a number of moving elements that transforms the entire stage. For example, in the Thailand level, Lara ...
will need to acquire two gems to put into the giant Shiva/Kali statue that dominates an open courtyard. These items themselves are held within a giant underground cavern, locked behind gates and guarded by Naga, bats and other threats. To liberate these you'll have to balance your scaling of columns and your attacks on these creatures. Once you manage to gather these items and return to the courtyard, you have to move across the square, rappelling from one side to the other to set these gems in the hands of the statue so the rays of the sun can be harnessed and reflected into an area. By manipulating the rays, Lara can open a new pathway and continue along her journey.
Firepower: She moves through the game with her trademark twin pistols, but these operate as her primary weapon. Lara will also be able to choose between submachine guns, an assault rifle, a shotgun, tranquilizer gun and spear gun at any time to suit the enemy that she's facing off against.
Lara can target more than one opponent at a time if she's got her pistols or submachine guns equipped, even firing in different directions to eliminate her enemies.
Lara's PDA also keeps track of the number of items that are found within the overall adventure. These artifacts appear to be broken into two separate categories: the first are Treasures, which may be hidden in vases or other breakable objects. These polygonal items are quite plentiful on a stage, and it's rather easy to collect a couple of them as you explore each environment. The second are much rarer, and are known as Relics. There is only one of these orbs on each level, meaning that you'll have to explore every nook and cranny of a stage to find it. While I'm not entirely sure of the significance of these items as of yet, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume that collecting these items would unlock some of the extras, such as character art, environmental sketches and storyboards.
Finally read the OPM UK review. They say the adventure and puzzle aspects are really amazing. The downside is that the combat and AI are horrible. They mention a certain section of the game has you spending around half an hour doing nothing but combat and it really kills the momentum the game has built.
And i'd suggest avoiding the review. They drop a major spoiler in it without any warning.
