![]() ![]() While I strongly recommend playing the game without any modifications first, it's obviously your choice. Because I have the knowledge (and almost obsession) to go about fixing these games, I've decided to write the "Definitive Improvement Guide" series to improve the experience people have with the games. With that, I've come to face the reality that many of these wonderful titles were not designed with future improvements in mind. Consideration of audio accessibility seems haphazard, at best.When it comes to "old school" classics, I probably not only know of them, but also played them at some point. Besides those two concerns, the game is completely playable-although even with the subtitle option turned on, there are brief snatches of dialogue which are not captioned. ![]() Also, some enemies appear behind the player at times, and without being able to hear their growls, you might be open to a few cheap shots. Without that sound, it can be difficult to tell whether or not the player is heading the right way. Evil Lara also has guns and can use them, and some of the cut-scenes may be a bit too intense for young ones.ĭeaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers should be aware that a quiet "chime" sound plays whenever Evil Lara starts traveling in the correct direction. Although it's not extremely explicit, they do explode into wet-looking chunks. Parents: This add-on content comes with the same caveats as the main retail portion: it's rated for T for Teens and features violence against humanoid monsters. Rating: 6.5 out of 10.ĭisclosures: This game was obtained via paid download and reviewed on the Xbox 360. Approximately 1.5 hours of play was devoted to the single-player mode, and the content was completed one time. I definitely like the ideas that Crystal Dynamics are flirting with here, it just seems disingenuous to ask players to pay so much for this small taste. That said, Evil Lara is a dynamic, engaging character, and I would love to see her take a more substantial role in the series's next installment. I can understand that DLC on consoles is a new territory being explored, but I have a hard time believing that anyone at Eidos could sit through this mission and not think they were taking advantage of their fans. To be perfectly honest, Eidos has wildly overpriced the content offered in Lara's Shadow. That said, the level design was better than both Ashes and Underworld, and I got more enjoyment out of that brief session than I did with the vast majority of the adventure proper. All told, I went from start to finish in about an hour and a half, and for the asking price of 800 Microsoft points ($10) that's not a lot of substance. However, as much as I appreciated the closure, the amount of play time delivered by Lara's Shadow is quite brief. Without spoiling anything, I can say that one rather large loose end gets neatly tied up. ![]() The mission itself takes place after the conclusion of the first add-on, Beneath the Ashes, and serves as an epilogue of sorts to the entire game. I don't think anyone would ever accuse Lara Croft of being a wallflower, but Evil Lara is amped up to another level entirely. The fact that she's an ace long jumper and scales certain surfaces like a lizard are just icing on the cake.Īlthough none of these traits fundamentally changes the way Tomb Raider is played, these alterations to the formula are exciting, giving evil Lara's handling a faster, edgier, and more kinetic feel. Instead of relying on guns, it's far more effective to attack with devastating punches and kicks. Her health also regenerates automatically (no searching for medpacks here) and her physical strength is much greater than a normal woman's. Although resembling Lara physically, there are a number of differences between the two characters, the biggest being that the clone has access to rechargeable "shadow powers" that enable her to play differently than the woman she's modeled after.įor example, when activating this shadow energy, Evil Lara can move at blinding speeds, effectively making enemies and environmental dangers move as though they were in slow motion. Giving Lara Croft the rare opportunity to sit one out, this expansion puts players in the role of Lara's evil doppelganger a lethal automaton created by one of Miss Croft's foes. The second substantial add-on to the underwhelming Tomb Raider: Underworld, the mission pack titled Lara's Shadow was released on Microsoft's Xbox Live service March 10, 2009. WTF Ten dollars for an hour and a half? Seriously? HIGH Evil Lara is the best thing to happen to Tomb Raider since Legend. ![]()
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