User Score
7.5 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 158 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 28 out of 158

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  1. FrancoG.
    Dec 3, 2008
    10
    Excellent game with a few quirks. Still great, best of the modern series so far. (Hey 0 rating Anonymous, rate the GAME, not a publisher's ethics, OK? For cryin outloud.)
  2. YannC
    Dec 4, 2009
    10
    Very nice game, good gameplay and good story. Pc version is better than xbox 360 version !! I like this game ;)
  3. FrankV
    May 20, 2009
    10
    I really enjoyed this chapter in Lara's long career. The graphics and gameplay were the best yet.
  4. matthewe
    May 2, 2009
    10
    Probably the best in the series. Slightly underrated and probably not looked at by most people. The games keep getting better and better and it is unfortunate that this one didn't get a better look.
  5. shaunb
    Aug 3, 2009
    10
    this game is brilliant its much better than all the other tomb raider games. An well just as you think the would run out of idears for lara they come up with this its great. Also the graphics and control system are better than in anyother tomb raider yet. I dont get how people can rate it only a 6 or sumthin because its the best game in the franchise.
  6. JaneNikoloski
    Nov 22, 2008
    10
    It is the best game right now(ever).All the way from gaphics to the way she looks and moves, i mean it is badass.The story is realy good and deep and it is made out perfectly.Of all the games out now and those thet are about to come out"They have no chance with Lara".
  7. IanK
    Nov 30, 2008
    10
    Brilliant game! Probably the best Tomb Raider Ever. I like the direction Crystal Dynamics is heading with the series and hope they continue to push the envelope further graphics and gameplay wise. The best game I've played all year.
  8. IntelliMoo
    Nov 21, 2008
    10
    You do get used to the quirky camera control, it's just the nature of the TR series. Combat is, well, kind of an afterthought for good measure, but good puzzle-break fun nonetheless. Underworld truly is epic and beautful -- the adventuring continues! I just hope it's longer than Legend.
  9. Jun 3, 2013
    10
    The puzzles are puzzling. Its a love-it-or-hate-it kinda game. Great puzzles or frustrating puzzles its all up to you. For me, the puzzle sets are awesome! Got killed many times before solving them. However, they're frustrating as well as I don't have much time to play games, so the puzzles stops the progression of the story as a whole. So, basically, if you have the time and patience, TR:Underworld offers challenging puzzles for you to solve. Nice animated movements for Lara. Expand
  10. Dec 3, 2012
    10
    AWESOME GAME
    the puzzles are really great
    and especially the musics which just fitted perfectly on every chapters
    i love it and i played this game almost 5 times....
    Eidos games are really great....
  11. May 2, 2013
    10
    Underworld is arguably the best in the Tomb Raider series(haven't played the newly released Tomb Raider yet). Not only were there improvements from Anniversary, but you get what you expect from any Tomb Raider game: 1) Great story, 2) Great exotic locations, 3) "Puzzles" that make you think. Controls may "stick" due to extended hours of gameplay, but this is easily fixed by closing the game(after saving your progress) and restarting the game. Never had any issues beyond that. For best results make sure your computer meets the minimum requirements because in the end you cannot blame the game if your computer cannot keep up. Expand
  12. PaulS
    Jan 23, 2009
    9
    This is the best of the series. The graphics are superb, layouts and scenery very realistic and puzzles more thoughtful. Less emphasis on shooting and more on thinking.
  13. robertdb
    Nov 29, 2008
    9
    The detail in game is much more advanced, and we found the great beauty of tomb raider again in this game! if the angle can moved more freely, it will be perfect!
  14. SimonS.
    Nov 25, 2008
    9
    Superb game, a beautiful story in a beautiful surrounding (and Lara doesn
  15. BobWigless
    Dec 31, 2008
    9
    It's not perfect, but I really don't see the big problem with the camera. It's not perfect, neither are the graphics. At worst, hold off purchasing until after a few patches.
  16. lennyR
    Dec 23, 2009
    9
    nice graphics. nice story good gameplay exept the camera controls. the controls for the camera are sometimes anoying. 1 of the best tomb raiders ever
  17. TonyB.
    Nov 24, 2008
    9
    Best Tomb Raider visuals and detail ever! Truly next-gen has arrived. Very well designed and challenging levels that are just pure joy for any Tomb Raider series fan. And luckily it isn't over in only 6 hours! Combat complaints are a bit overstated, it's no big deal, I just wish there was a sniper rifle to make it go faster sometimes.
  18. Jul 16, 2011
    9
    This Graphics are just unbelievable. I have a lot of games in my PC, most of them are much more recent than Tomb Raider Underworld. But no one matches Underworld Graphics. The graphics are so good that sometimes it's hard to pay attention in gameplay. You just stay and watch, watch, watch. And it's so light. The problem of the game is rush storyline, and we can't absorb Lara's personality and empathize with her. The jump system sometimes is annoying, and don't obey you. Even with perfect jumps, and even when you have absolutely sure it won't miss.... the jump fails and you watch Lara die. If you like loneliness exploring game. Solitude, and drool over scenarios, sound, atmosphere. You can't miss this game. It's awesome. Expand
  19. Mar 8, 2012
    9
    I could give a flying burrito for any opinion that makes no sense to me. It's not why i do reviews. This game is fun thats number one.. number two is story and 3 is graphics and this game hits the mark on all 3. Tomb Raider stays true to its mark of excellence. As an avid Tomb Raider fan of many years since the first to be exact i can truly say i enjoyed this as much as the first if not more. However i am only giving it a nine because i do believe it could have been a bit better but its still worth the price and well worth the time. Expand
  20. Nov 2, 2011
    9
    just finished it, after 12 hour with a little goofing arround on the motorbike and several death (caused by me, human error and some little bugs). i like it, the start is a bit boring, but the varying level design keept me going. the sounds and the music are nice, the riddles sometimes very tricky and time consuming- you get what you pay for, a real tomb raider game. the story is okay for this genre, the graphics sweet for a 2008 production.
    the animations are mostly realistic, exept when you die, then lara becomes a bouncy ball.

    negative is that the steam in game overlay doesnt work for any reason, so you wont be able to take any screenshots, nor can you use the steam friends application. all together its still worth your money.
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  21. Feb 9, 2012
    9
    I really like this game, but i think that old TR's are better (like TR2, TRTLR etc.) But still this is a good game with some interesting puzzles, great graphics, music, sounds are also great, story - not so much but still good, also Lara looks good but other characters looks bad to me (like Amanda in my opinion). All in all TR: Underworld is a really good game! Especially on PC with maxed out settings ;-) Expand
  22. KarimZ
    Dec 21, 2008
    8
    Tomb Raider Underworld is a great follow-up to Crystal Dynamics' last two TR games; it's the catalyst directly linking the seemingly unrelated adventures in Legend and Anniversary. Visually, it is the best of the Tomb Raider games, boasting lush environments and vast scenery as well as detailed effects and character design. The flaws are most evident in the finicky camera and some awkward control moments. Although some features seem to have regressed since TR Anniversary (namely the camera), overall it's a great effort from Crystal Dynamics. Expand
  23. FragTheL-T
    Dec 1, 2008
    8
    Overall, a very nice game with beautiful and varied locations. Tomb Raider got back to exploration in exotic locations which was lacking in some recent lackluster releases. The troubling issues are the same old ones though. Camera angles can be worse than frustrating, but that is thankfully a fairly rare occurrence. Controls are not always as sharp as they should be either. All things considered, I still would highly recommend this title to any gamer who has enjoyed Tomb Raider in the past. Crystal Dynamics has done an incredible job with the eye candy. Now if they can just tighten the nuts and bolts, they'll have a surefire winner. Expand
  24. MarkM
    Dec 18, 2008
    8
    One thing Eidos hasn't mastered in Tomb Raider is the Human Vs Lara Combat. The combat usually feels clunky & unrealistic. basically stupid AI. But, before you look away and agree. The main thing is that this game prefers that you do a bunch of fancy moves, tumble around, and take them out quick. Do that fancy new kick in the groin then headshot in slow motion LOL. The better you are at this the more fun the experience. As for Animal AI it is better, but you will notice its flaws as well. There is also clipping problems for NPC & Lara alike. The story is interesting though, and the environments too amazing to pass up. Unfortunatly you do run into invisible walls, especially in the ocean, but most of them are hard to reach and find out about anyway. If you like to adventure more than you like combat, which is at the core of Tomb Raider series, you love exploring this world. new controls can be painful at times. I suggest a PC gamepad, if you can find a good one. I still like Anniversary the most, as far as story & gameplay Expand
  25. MichaelE
    Dec 8, 2008
    8
    Although the camera can be tricky at times, the gameplay and stunning graphics in this game make up for any gripes I had about it.
  26. FrancescoP
    Dec 17, 2008
    8
    Yeah, the camera issue... not that big deal in my opinion: camera gets messy (maybe you just made an awkward jump) Lara falls, breaks her neck and then, in just 3 seconds, you're ready to start again a few steps back from where you were... so, no, you can't say it's totally annoying or that ALL the game is badly coded. I'd even say this one of the best multi-platform port one could ever wish for! The graphic on my pc (a good one but not at all a monster!) is really exciting and runs incredibly smooth (60 fps with AA4x): just as much as TR Anniversary! But everything is so well designed that's just far superior to anything seen before. The game is just plain fun, nothing particularly challenging but sets up good involvement, thanks also to the boomy sound effects, especially under water. I really think that arguments to blame software houses and hail to piracy are weaker than ever in this case. Expand
  27. Sep 16, 2010
    8
    Yet again theres another tomb raider title... great graphics. Dying a million times is possible if u didnt make the game. Nicely laid out controls. More monsters here instead of humans so its kinda more exciting.
  28. Sep 18, 2011
    8
    I really like what was said about EA games and taking a lesson from them, as well as other companies whom seem to be "short changing" their consumers. The cameras still need work after all these years. The major thing I enjoyed about this game is the storyline. Perhaps it is because I have studied cultural anthropology and the correlations drawn are indeed interesting for mythology buffs. In continuing the story of the Tomb Raider series, it serves this end well though, I haven't quite finished it. The graphics are pretty good and the fact that your not just jumping around ledges is nice also. It does fall short in terms of difficulty with climbing and sometimes you will die even though you don't fall far. The puzzles are not terribly challenging on the Tomb Raider mode, though I'm not sure about the other difficulty setting. It's worth a play through at least once or twice and easily fits well with the series. As for a comparison with Anniversary or Legend, in some ways (graphically, more combat, story progression) it excels but it's plagued with the same problems we have seen in other titles in the series. I really hope that the new Tomb Raider in 2012 will solve the problems with the camera and prove to be a better game overall. It's a move in the right direction, it just needs a little push. Hopefully when the new game is released in 2012, they will not have ignored the players. I think that could be a fatal mistake for the whole series, given it's age. Expand
  29. Jan 26, 2013
    7
    This game is fun and the graphics are awesome. Anyone looking for better should hold their tongue.. You know this is as good as it gets till the 2013 release..
  30. MikeH
    Jan 15, 2009
    6
    Pretty visuals, a problematic camera and gameplay that has been dumbed down (though not as much as PoP). Give me a few ways to solve problems, don't magnetically correct badly timed jumps, give me a challenge! TR: Legend and TR: Anniversary are both better games which are more deserving of your time. Legend had better combat, Anniversary had better level design - funny that, considering it was a remake of the original... St Francis' Folly is a perfect example of the kind of level design totally lacking in Underworld. Oh, and the plot? Whatever. New plot, please, that doesn't make me travel to Cambodia to go through Incan ruins to find Norse mythology or whatever that was all about... Expand
  31. Dec 4, 2012
    6
    This game is arguably one of the worst in the franchise, alongside Angel of Darkness of course. Or maybe even more problematic, is the fact that Tomb Raider was never a very strong series to begin with. The simple fact that they haven't seemed to do anything to the core gameplay aside from re-touching-up her breasts or facial features and physical appearance, you might say they've hardly looked at any real problems with the series seriously. Both Legend and Anniversary are really not "bad" by any means and they both made great strides in a good many ways to improving the mechanics in places where they were not very strong at all. In fact, both of those titles are fairly competent, look good and play well too. Underworld is very generic. It feels like an older game in the series, with bugs all over the place, weird dilemmas that can only be attributed to poorly thought out concepts and a terrible camera. Paired with the unintuitive nature of the game, plopping you straight into the Ocean to start solving a rather tedious puzzle, its rather dull and on the pandering side with all the sexuality of the wet suit you find Lara in from the start. In fact, it would seem the only things here that have changed are in fact Lara's breast size and minor facial details. Coincidentally she looks rather cartoon-like and her animations are somewhat bizarre. The simple fact that we may actually see a reboot of the series that may actually make her look like a human being anatomically is more promising than some of the well established game play mechanics already set in motion. Did I mention how terrible the game looks? My goodness it runs fine on PC hardware, but its hard to imagine this on a console. The environment is fairly depressing, what with the zero amount of time you will see Lara interacting with it and perhaps that it what was really missing here. Their is no sense of "adventure." You move around the environment, these tiny little boxes of linear progression. Rather it should be that the environment moves around you and perhaps you even feel a little mystified by it all. Tomb Raider has always needed wide-open areas and its disheartening to see Lara always tossed inside a tiny cave somewhere to "explore" and do menial puzzle related tasks. Maybe its why it feels so limited to me. It'd be like if they made a God of War game with all the combat taken out and only the lever-pulling feature left in. Speaking of which, the combat is still terrible, and I really hope the next game or reboot of the series will finally feature some gritty close-combat that doesn't feel like Saturday morning cartoon show. I want to see grit, not boobs, or a wet suit and I want to see character development that isn't based on the two movies starring Angelina Jolie, since apparently this one is some sort of strange spin-off of that material. I want to know that she isn't the only character in the entire world that does this sort of thing. Like Indiana Jones, we need a sense of adventure to really like the Tomb Raider series and not this weird robot ego driven sexy universe of impracticality. I'm guessing if the next major game doesn't do well, it'll probably be the last we see of Lara Croft for awhile and maybe that won't be such a big deal. The games have mostly all been quite mediocre and don't seem to stand up well to the test of time. Perhaps Lara is indeed this mysterious and wonderful character that we've just never quite been shown yet. Or maybe we just want to see her more nude in each game than the last one. Expand
  32. Nov 10, 2012
    6
    they improved the graphics and i like how u dont need medical bags for ur health after a moment it just heal herself . i have been playing the Tomb Raider when i am like 4. (16 now) well cuz my dad force me to play he said its a brain exercises to solve the action problems in tomb raider and it used to scared the **** outta me whenever a enemy pop out from no where. are they gonna make another tomb raider after underworld? cuz i dont like the ending in Underworld, i played the game 5 hours straight without resting just to see the ending. so plz make another game after Underworld!!!!!!
    i think the tomb raider series was so-so. my one thing i dont really like it is because i think i have to think too much in this game for wat to do next instead telling u wat to do like Uncharted.
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  33. WarwickA
    Dec 2, 2008
    5
    Mindless pot-kicking repetitiveness. The demo contains all you'll experience in the game. Rated 5 just because the graphics are so good.
  34. ElBarto
    Dec 25, 2009
    5
    As said before, the camere controls are all over the place I bought the PC version Also the way how Lara moves, often she does not what you want her to do and have to put the camera position in the right place before to make a jump because the controls are worthless No option either to configure the buttons of a controller if you connect one, worthless configuration and a shame in these times. Allthough average 50% of my system resources are being used there is a significant drop in framerates sometimes, this is very typical for a game developed for the Xbox and poorly ported to the pc Without any doubt one of the better games of Tombraider but with some serious flaws which could have been solved if some more time was spend in the controls and movements of Lara Expand
  35. AndrewP
    Jan 19, 2009
    5
    A game with huge potential marred by bugs and inconsistencies. Leaps of faith and random deaths are the order of the day as one tries to discover which paths are allowed and which are decorative. Clumsy and over long character animations don't help matters and neither does occasionally getting stuck in the scenery. Disappointing (and short).
  36. Jul 21, 2012
    5
    The graphics and sound are pretty good in the game. The puzzles and combat were on the easy side but were good enough to get me to finish the game. Story is bad and uninteresting. The controls and camera are TERRIBLE. They often feel like they are fighting against you when playing. It is especially frustrating when you are trying to make a jump. If they worked better game might be a 7, as is 5.
  37. Pixelated
    Nov 24, 2008
    4
    We all know Eidos is not the greatest at making games. But after a dozen or so Tomb Raiders you would think they could fix the persistent problems the series has had. What's with the awful camera controls again? I mean this is an issue that goes all the way back to.. well, it goes back years! Just another publisher pushing a game out the door in time for the holidays. They say piracy is killing the industry but I think it's just forcing these studios to make good games. If they want to make money they need to release games worth $50, not buggy ports. EA is learning the hard way and a relatively small publisher like Eidos should take notice and polish their games a lot more or risk releasing another flop. Then blaming piracy for their money problems. The bottom line is that good games sell and sorry games get pirated instead. Expand
  38. DavidP
    Nov 28, 2008
    4
    Whan I saw the trailer I thought TR:U could be worth a test. The demo changed my mind. Lara and the graphics looks better than ever before. Who cares? While trying to adjust the camera you jump through an unreal world, do unreal moves (which means you press a button and Lara does the moves herself) and destroy everything you see, from tigers to sharks, from spiders to vases. No, you dont have to aim yourself, the game does this automatically. Reloading? Nope. Give attention that you dont miss a treasure? No, the game shows you. Smooth movement? No, that would be boring wouldn't it? Nonlinear gameplay? No. Anything else that you dont know from all the other TR? No. So if you like to watch Laras curves while hanging from a cliff with one hand and automatically shooting bats (!) with the other hand you could play this game, but dont expect more. Expand
  39. RogerVernon
    Dec 22, 2008
    4
    This game sucks so hard not even photons can escape. Seriously. BAD. F'ing BAD. You get to a certain point and your saved games up and F'ing disappear. The code QA was s***canned in India. It crashed on a regular basis. Move along, do not give Eidos any money. They LOOSE.
  40. Mar 6, 2013
    4
    En aspecto grafico un 10. Asi como en el modelado de Lara y sus movimientos.
    Sin embargo la historia es para mi una patata. Empieza bastante bien, prometedor pero se va deinflando poco a poco hasta acabar en patata. Los escenarios son excelentes (con alguna excepción). En general es jugable y divertido a ratos (aunque lo terminas en muy pocas horas), sin embargo no es un buen tomb raider
    ni define a la saga. Expand
  41. Jan 3, 2013
    4
    Bad Tomb Raider game. Still, it's not the worst one (the worst one will probably be the new Tomb Raider Reboot). Very bad performance, as well as awful longevity. Gameplay is OK, but the graphics are dated and bad, and the plot is basic. They cut off all the best things of Tomb Raider. Graphics and performance: 3 + ½ (3.5); Longevity: 3- (2.75); Gameplay: 5- (4.75); Plot: 4 + ½ (4.5). OVERALL SCORE: 4- [3.88] (3.75 out of 10 [Bad-mediocre]). Expand
  42. DrDecree
    Dec 5, 2009
    3
    For seasoned gamers who are new to the franchise, it's an unbearably old-school, slow snorefest with gameplay, simplicity, and issues that should have been grown out of 10 years ago.
  43. Sep 28, 2011
    2
    I don't think the Tomb Raider games have ever been good. Like, ever. They've never looked like the sort of quality game that I could embrace and point to as something appealing. Which is funny, because Naughty Dog basically took the Tomb Raider theme, made a gender change, and put out 2 really great games. That's kinda sad when you think about, that it had to take some pretenders to the throne to actually make good games.

    Lara's a sex symbol in gaming, that's quite obvious. But that fact alone has never ever been able to get me to care about the games. Like, I'm as much of a red-blooded heterosexual male as the next gamer, but uh... if I want porn, I can find porn. It's all over the internet. Very easy to find. Even some super kinky stuff. I don't need it in my video games. And that whole idea of trying to sell the games based on Lara's massive boobs, that always turned me off, ironically. It just seemed very shallow and insulting and kinda desperate.

    Now, I've actually only played one Tomb Raider game, and it was the last one, Underworld. Is it fair to judge an entire franchise on one game? If you think about it, the latest game in a series is supposed to have all the improvements and refinements and perfected elements of each previous game, right? So if Underworld wasn't gonna do it, I doubt my opinion would have improved by playing the older ones.

    And uh, I hated Underworld. It really stunk to high heaven. I am really really glad I didn't play any TR games in the days of yore, judging by what I got in Underworld. First of all, the platforming is not that great. It felt pretty damn stiff and clunky. On its face, it's probably the strongest element of Underworld, but compared to contemporaries like Prince of Persia or Assassin's Creed, and it really fails. It's just not good enough anymore. Of course, there are people out there who actually dislike the sort of platforming in PoP/AC, so it's all personal preference. But I myself couldn't get onboard with it.

    Now, the combat. That's a really strong factor for me in games. The combat in Underworld is complete **** and far far worse qualitatively then the platforming. First off, manual aim seems almost nonexistent. The level of fidelity isn't there, you absolutely aren't capable of aiming at longer distances at anyone. Either it's too inaccurate or your bullets just seem to phase out of existence past 15 feet. 15 feet! How the hell can a developer only provide gunplay within 15 feet?

    So manual aiming is terrible. I guess they want you to use their lock-on aiming. But again, this only seems to lock-on within 15 feet. You can't fire at enemies at medium ranges. I have no idea why. And the whole idea of lock-on aiming is repugnant to me. I don't need to have the game aim for me. I didn't need it in Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Quake, Unreal, Rainbow Six, Battlefield, Medal of Honor, Call of Duty, Crysis, Gears of War, Mass Effect, Uncharted, etc... I basically haven't needed or wanted it in about 17 years. Yet that seems to be how they want you to aim in Underworld. I hated that, it felt lazy and out of touch with reality.

    And the dual pistols contain infinite ammo. Why would pistols have infinite ammo? How does that make any sense? Where would Lara fit infinite ammo into her clothes? I hated it when Ubisoft gave infinite pistol ammo in Rainbow Six Vegas and SC Conviction and apparently they learned it from the Tomb Raider games. Also, the levels had a lot of peculiarities that really felt unpolished. Near the beginning of the game, Lara is onboard her fancy expensive yacht and is about to go diving for some treasure. Well, you can't actually explore this yacht, because there are invisible walls everywhere. There's some stairs leading up to the controls of the yacht, but you run into an invisible wall right at the stairs. Why would you do that? What the hell is the point of having all these boundaries on this boat? I dunno, but it was lame.

    So yea, all in all, Underworld seemed like a terrible game. I did not finish it. The combat felt awful and the platforming was merely clumsy. Not a good experience, or even a mediocre experience.
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  44. Nov 6, 2012
    1
    As game Designer this is what I seen in 1 hour of playing that already had me un install this terrible piece of garbage. Graphic and effects anyone with half a brain can do. The game play was beyond horrible, constant button issues that failed to deliver ease of play. Half the time I would press jump and do something else. I would get stuck nearly every ten minutes on geometry. Controls and person in charge of allowing this should be murdered in cold blood. Worst waste of money on a game I have played in ten year. WTF happened to this series!! Expand
  45. AngryConsumer
    Nov 28, 2008
    0
    I was all primed to buy this game... prior to eidos having a company artificially alter the metacritic score by lobbying reviewers to delay their scores. Seriously, what possible justification is there for a site like metacritic if publishers just game the system. Thanks, but this one will be a torrent, and I may send eidos a check for 20 bucks if it pass MY personal review. Otherwise, they can suck a lemon. Way to lose a sale, brainiacs. Expand
  46. DalekW
    Dec 7, 2009
    0
    Worst game ever, I can't even get past the 2nd level. The camera controls are all over the place, and it just kicks you into the game without any training. Don't buy this game!
  47. [Anonymous]
    Nov 22, 2008
    0
    Gamespot UK journalist Guy Cocker revealed the tactic in a Twitter post on Wednesday that said:
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 20
  2. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. A visually stunning, epic adventure that continues Crystal Dynamics' excellent run. We reckon it's the best completely original Tomb Raider (Anniversary was, of course, a remake) we've had in years, and is only let down by the odd control quirk and camera issue.
  2. We like the way she moves – Lara excels in both body and environments visuals that are great. It’s still the good old Tomb Raider cliché, but is there anything wrong with that? We don’t think so. Do not underestimate the Underworld! [Dec 2008]
  3. 80
    While the PC version has much sharper visuals and some tighter control, the camera can still hamper gameplay.