Review: Tomb Raider: Underworld: Lara’s Shadow
What’s better than Lara Croft? The latest DLC for Tomb Raider: Underworld answers that: two Laras! The formidable explorer is taking the back seat to make way for her doppelganger in Lara’s Shadow. In the game, you play as Lara’s “mysterious” shadow, which is basically our heroine gone melee. You’ll find yourself punching and kicking instead of shooting your opponents. Is Lara the same without her guns? Read on.
It’s shame, then, that you have to punch all the monsters to death. Though Doppy still packs a pair of pistols, she’s better off using her fists and feet while fighting enemies that are too numerous to avoid and too inept to be entertaining. A few flashy special attacks fail to redeem an asinine combat system that manages to outstay its welcome in a 90-minute adventure.
It’s too bad, really. The trailer makes everything look so cool. I’ve always been partial to action games that let you pull off combos like God Hand and Devil May Cry. Hell, I even liked Oni. It’s quite a downer that the designers didn’t polish the combat system better. I mean, if you’re going to go introduce new fight mechanics to an established franchise, why not go all out instead of pulling punches, right?
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