Guns and Grapple: Underworld

The series of trailers released by Eidos gave fans insight on Tomb Raider Underworld as well as operations behind the scenes. The videos lasted for several minutes and featured exclusive interviews,   new in game video and teasers for TRU. So far three BTS has been released: The vision, The Story and the latest one what could Lara do.

We have noted some key lines from the interviews, where the creators of the game gave us extra information. However because there is so much information on every video, we had to limit to one or two quotes per film.

WHAT COULD LARA DO?
“The number of animations is rumoured at sixteen hundred, but we have another batch and another couple hundred, so I mean…I wouldn’t be shy to say she has over 2000 animations” Said by Primo Navidad who is the Lead Animator for Tomb Raider Underworld

Prior to this video it was believed that Lara only had the ability for just 1600 acrobatics, which was underestimated. In the classic TR games Lara only had the ability for a handful of gymnastic stunts, it is staggering how far the games have come considering it is only been a few years! Fans can prepare themselves for more action, stunts and flips in the latest TR instalment. 

“She can now balance walk on thin beams but if she had the capacity of doing that why can’t she be able to climb up on a pole and balance walk on the pole, so she can do that to.” Said by Eric Linstrom who is the creative director for Tomb Raider Underworld.

Fans of the original will be happy to know that some of the older movements have returned as well as tightrope walking we can also expect see sprinting, adrenaline movements and much more as well as newer stunts!

 

THE STORY
“When you look back at the cultural past you see this sort of overlap of cultures prior to the point that we know about them.” Said by Toby Gard who is the cinematic director for Tomb Raider Underworld. We have learned that there is not only one myth and legend involved in this game there is a thread contacting them all up. The main one the game will be focusing on is the Mayan myth and the Mayan calendar. It will be very interesting to see how Lara and her team put the myths together.

“Perusing her own goals actually puts the world in danger.” Said by Eric Linstrom who is the creative director for Tomb Raider Underworld. Expect fast acting adventure, unimaginable danger amazing stunts and stunning CGI! Which I think every fan wants to see and play.

 

THE VISION
“One of the wonderful things about the current generation of platforms is that it allows us to be limited by really by our imagination. Truth is her skills her environments, her abilities are so expanded upon. You can do things with Lara Croft in Underworld that you can’t do with any other video game character anywhere. I think that we really turned the page on what players can expect.” Said by Harley White-Wiedow who is the Lead Designer for Tomb Raider Underworld. There are lots of new features that will appear in the long awaited game. As well as more difficult puzzles and creatures to overcome. This game is not going to disappoint anyone, it is unique and fast paced action, nothing will be predictable.

INTRODUCTION
In late July, fans received a brand new trailer. This unearthed new rumours and ideas on the game. The video featured croft manor slowly returning to its glory after being burned, as time was reversed. The beginning featured Lara’s signature pistols on Zip’s desk, covered in ash; the tour takes us through the door of Zip’s office and to the left of the foyer travelling up to the balcony and passing several statues and paintings. The camera goes near the top of the step overlooking the main room and spins, when we see the foyer it is only partly damaged; however there are still lots of debris flying around. We then travel outside where we see Lara with a detonator in her hand. She presses the button, blowing up her own mansion.

FACT: The trailer wasn’t made backwards; it was created and reversed later.

RUMOURS AND IDEAS

• We see Lara has left her pistols in Zip’s office; however at the end we can clearly see that she has them in her holsters.
• Lara’s face looks different; she might be different because it is dark or is it another person?
• A key can be seen flying near the camera near the end, this might be a key we obtain in TRU, however personally like to it is the quad bike track key from Tomb Raider III.
• Natla might be involved
• Amanda might be involved
• It was Winston plot
• Lara mother became evil and she was the Lara we see outside , she blew up her daughter’s manor to try to kill her, perhaps she was possessed in Avalon, the area also known as the place of fear

These are just a few of the ideas and rumours which have been circling the TR forums.

Guns and Grapple’s review:

Personally I was shocked, and excited at the same time, it was really stunning. I don’t know why Lara would decide to blow up her own manor. Even though I really want answers I don’t think I want to dig too much into that topic, I want the game to reveal it to me. The ideas and Rumours that have been circling the Internet are very interesting; some of them are possible if you have watched the other trailers. When I was playing Legend I really loved Croft Manor, it was a really beautiful place and it seemed to show Lara’s personality and interests really well, so it was really quite shocking for me and a bit sad in a way to see it destroyed. However that isn’t going to stop me from pre-ordering the game, and enjoying it when I play it.

To see the stunning trailer we have located several sites showing the video in amazing HD detail:
http://www.tombraider.com/ - Official Tomb Raider Site
http://www.tombraiderchronicles.com/od/index.html - Tomb Raider Chronicles http://www.tombnews.com/games/underworld/- Tomb Raider News Channel

The Vignette
The Tomb Raider Vignette is a wonderful series of Tomb Raider Underworld environments. So far four videos have been released. The four videos give fans a chance to see some of the puzzles and environments Lara will be travelling through. The places are Thailand, Mexico and the Mediterranean. It also gives us a chance to see Croft’s new outfits and tools that we can use during the game.

Thailand 1
We see Lara rock Climbing the clips near the ocean where she left her boat. The graphics in this area is particularly beautiful; there is a great amount of detail to the foliage and environments. In this clip we see Croft performing a number of realistic and fluent movements and stunts, Free-climbing, shimming leaps, swings, the way she moves looks more realistic, handstands, rope climbing. 

Thailand 2
For the first time we can see Lara take on some of the enemies in the game, tigers. Lara shows some of her combat skill such as slow motion jumps, kicks and more. As well as using her guns she can fight the animals using her movements and gymnastics skills. This proves that you can choose between fist fighting and kicking, and firearms. The tigers look intense and more real since we saw them last in Tomb Raider Legend. For fans that have played the classic Tomb Raider III recently it is incredible to see how far the graphics and models have come. While fighting the animals you can see that some parts of the environment help Lara to progress in her challenge and win the fight, however the plants might get in her way, slowing her down.

Mexico
Mexico is one of my personal favourite Vignettes, because the graphics are very realistic. During the time, it is raining giving everything feel and look slippery and reflective.

You can see the texture glitter as Lara moves past it. Croft also manages her surrounding performing breathtaking stunts to get her to her destination. We also get a look at the new all surface motorbike as it drives over the muddy surface to the temple.

Mediterranean
In this Vignette fans get a peek at one of the Cinematic from Tomb Raider Underworld: Lara is on her yacht, she parks it by a cliff face, she leaves it and decides to go underwater, there she meets a new type of enemy, sharks, who try to kill her, and there are several ways to defeat them. You could with shoot them with her pistols that can now be used underwater or blow them up with a sticky bomb. The graphics underwater look staggering, it is so realistic.

In mid August fans received a new teaser trailer for Tomb Raider Underworld. The video revealed some of Underworld’s darkest secrets, like the target artefact, the locations, and characters etc. The topic has been hot on several forums, especially the Eidos forum where thousand of fans have contributed and shared ideas about the game, and talk about their review of it.

THE VOICE                                                                                                                                                     One of the debates that have taken place on the forums over the past few months is the voice at the end of the trailer. “I’m very pleased to see you again Lara”. This can be two people. The first is an Atlantean goddess named Natla, who met Lara in Tomb Raider 1 and Tomb Raider Anniversary. I believe she spoke to Croft at the end of the clip, because there are mentions of her in Legend, this might be foreshadowing. Tomb Raider Anniversary was just release one year after Legend this could be because of Lara’s tenth anniversary, but it could also be because the creators wanted the story fresh in our mind when we play Tomb Raider Underworld.  At the end of TRL we can see on the wooden crates “Natla Technologies” This is the Goddess’ logo for a company she ran while in her human form. Although there are many more similarities, one of the most interesting connections is Croft Manor hovered above Zip’s desk is a monitor, although most it says:

"And she sprang forth from the head of her father in a great fountain of blood. For she was the mother of battle and could not be held by any prison.
---Curse, untranslatable
---This daughter of the great ones, source of all Atlantean will be cast down during the second
"cycle"---see 456atlento.txt
To walk with the mortals, to live with the mortals, and sire the half-breed, atrytonelapprox trans) (see Greek link 7834r6)
--end text translation
--14 errors"

During the trailer you also see a short part of a movie where Zip fires at Lara, Lara reacts to it and withdraw her guns, Croft manor burns around her. “Drop it Zip or I’ll drop you!” She shouts. This might mean Zip has gone evil, and has joined Natla side if she is appears. It would fit that he had information on the goddess on his computer monitor behind him. It could also mean Lara has turned evil and believes Zip is trying to destroy evidence for Avalon by burning the Manor. One thing is for sure, this is going to be a epic game.

Across the forum there have been several rumours stirring up about the matter, here are just some of them:

• Natla turns out to be Lara mother.
• Amanda and Lara are sisters
• Amanda and Natla is the same person, the goddess can change her form.
• Zip is on Natla’s side
• Zip is on Lara’s side but is possessed by Natla.
• Amanda is Natla’s daughter.
• Amanda agreed to join Natla, on the offer Lara turned down.
• Lara tries to kill Alistair, Zip an Winston in the fire.
• Natla takes on Lara’s form and blows up her Manor
• Lara takes Natla up on her offer of joining her, just to see her mother.
• It was all dream like on Dallas.