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On the final day of the pitiful version of E3 that it has become, Eidos made an announcement about the latest iteration of everyone’s favorite videogame heroine, Lara Croft. Tomb Raider: Underworld looks to take the momentum Eidos recaptured with its smash hit, Tomb Raider: Legend and channel it into a bigger and better version of the re-envisioned Lara. Releasing on the PS2, PS3, 360, Wii, PC and DS, Lara will once again be globe-trotting in search of a fabled mystical goodie. This time, it’s Thor’s legendary Hammer, able to smash huge mountains in a single… wait. Well, you get the idea.
The developers wanted to present players with some of the most fiendish puzzles we’ve seen yet, along with the ability to truly explore enormous levels. Lara will sport some new moves, far more acrobatic than we’ve seen in the past, she’ll have some new techie gear, including a sonar map for finding hidden treasures, a revamped grapple and an all-terrain motorbike. She be able to explore underwater like never before, no longer relying on her lungs alone. This time, she’ll have scuba gear so she can hunt for treasure while battling the creatures of the deep, like the Kraken.
Lara will have new combat options such as the ability to hang off a ledge with one hand while shooting with the other, she can target multiple enemies at one time with the dual-targeting system and she can even opt to pacify an enemy instead of killing him. Her travels will take her around the world to such amazing locales as the jungles of Mexico, the coast of Thailand, deep under the waters of the Mediterranean and the frozen islands of the Arctic Sea.
The DS version has been created specifically for the DS and sports stylus control to solve environmental puzzles, access the inventory, change weapons and unlock chests. The Wii version has challenges created specifically to take advantage of the Wii’s unique control scheme and will use the Wii-mote and Nunchuk for more precise aiming, as well as using the Wii-mote to enter "free look" mode, if it is pointed at the screen. Exclusive multi-tool items only for the Wii include a compressed air-gun used to clear away dirt, and acetylene torch for welding and setting things afire, a chisel for prying or chipping away to get at a hidden treasure, and a set of pliers for that delicate job of extracting elements from ancients devices.
Look for Lara to swing to a system near you this November. |
