Tomb Raider: Underworld (DS) Preview
Posted by Ramon Aranda on 11.06.2008
Hands-on: Lara Croft in the palm of our hands.
She's back and ready for action!
While we're all fully aware that Lara Croft is returning later this month with Eidos' Tomb Raider Underworld, most of the attention has gone to the console versions as we'd all expect. However, little has been said about the "little" or handheld version in the form of the Nintendo DS. Luckily, I managed to get some hands-on time with it recently at Eidos' offices in Redwood City. After a brief introduction to the game, I jumped right in and spent roughly a half hour to check out the first two levels. Like its console counterparts, the storyline is the same although as we'd expect the levels have been modified and shrunk down to fit onto the DS. That's not to say it's totally gimped however as the developers have made use of a 1GB game card which has allowed them to include smaller versions of the FMV cutscenes from the console versions – so you don't miss out on that part of the story.
The game controlled quite well and it works like a 2d platformer while retaining that 3d atmosphere. It looked very nice with bright, crisp colors and sharp pre-rendered backgrounds that made you feel like you were playing a true DS title (it's actually built from the ground up for the DS) and not some watered down port.. The first of the two levels took me inside the Croft mansion that was engulfed in flames and required that I make my escape. I didn't yet need to tangle with any enemies but the level worked like a sort of tutorial that taught me the basics of jumping, sliding, using my hook and climbing. Though Lara doesn't talk in the DS version, she does make sound effects when doing certain actions. As you play through, you'll also find treasure chests lying around. When you pick these up, you'll encounter a puzzle in the form of a mini-game. They're completely optional but if you solve them, you'll be rewarded with artifacts (which can also be found by themselves, scattered around each level) that can be used for unlockable content. The puzzles will of course use the touch screen to solve. When not involved in one of these mini-games, the bottom screen serves as your inventory and shows you your health gauge.
After escaping the mansion, you'll find yourself atop a cruiser after going through a cutscene that explains your next move. This level will give you your first taste of combat as you learn how to use your weapons and fight with melee attacks. As you can imagine, this is pure mayhem and a nice change from the first level where you're just trying to survive the disaster. After getting through most of the level, our time had expired as only the first two were being shown. Still it was enough to give me a taste of what we can expect from the game. Something of note which surprised me was that the game does take advantage of the Nintendo DS rumble pak accessory which is all kinds of awesome. I've been a strong supporter of the device and always ask the developers to think of it as an option if the game calls for it of course.
With the game scheduled to release on November 18, it won't be long before we can dive into the rest of the game and if what we played with was any indication, this could be a solid platformer for the growing Nintendo DS library.
While we're all fully aware that Lara Croft is returning later this month with Eidos' Tomb Raider Underworld, most of the attention has gone to the console versions as we'd all expect. However, little has been said about the "little" or handheld version in the form of the Nintendo DS. Luckily, I managed to get some hands-on time with it recently at Eidos' offices in Redwood City. After a brief introduction to the game, I jumped right in and spent roughly a half hour to check out the first two levels. Like its console counterparts, the storyline is the same although as we'd expect the levels have been modified and shrunk down to fit onto the DS. That's not to say it's totally gimped however as the developers have made use of a 1GB game card which has allowed them to include smaller versions of the FMV cutscenes from the console versions – so you don't miss out on that part of the story.
The first of the two levels took me inside the Croft mansion that was engulfed in flames and required that I make my escape. I didn't yet need to tangle with any enemies but the level worked like a sort of tutorial that taught me the basics of jumping, sliding, using my hook and climbing. Though Lara doesn't talk in the DS version, she does make sound effects when doing certain actions. As you play through, you'll also find treasure chests lying around. When you pick these up, you'll encounter a puzzle in the form of a mini-game. They're completely optional but if you solve them, you'll be rewarded with artifacts (which can also be found by themselves, scattered around each level) that can be used for unlockable content. The puzzles will of course use the touch screen to solve. When not involved in one of these mini-games, the bottom screen serves as your inventory and shows you your health gauge.
