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Here's an excerpt:
I was very impressed indeed with Tomb Raider: Anniversary's graphics four years ago, and Underworld's are even better. OK, photo-realism hasn't yet been achieved (particularly not in the other human characters who aren't Lara), but the scenery in particular, and the graphics generally, I found pretty breath-taking, actually.
This is all the more impressive when you consider that this game is already four years old. I hesitate ever to give a score of 10 in a category, but I do so here in recognition of the fact that this game's graphics really are something quite special. A rating of 10 isn't supposed to mean perfection, or that the graphics could never be bettered; clearly not. It merely recognises that the graphics are really outstanding, and amongst the best you're likely to see today. Anyway, compare the graphics in Tomb Raider: Underworld to those of Tomb Raider II (both currently on the Mac App Store) to see how far things have come within the space of a decade. Pretty amazing. (And that's not to knock Tomb Raider II: it was, and still is, a great game; one of the best in the series. But by the standards of Underworld, it does look pretty crude now.)
Lara herself is now quite astonishingly lifelike. I particularly like how she glistens realistically when wet (first seen on the Mac in Anniversary). In Underworld, though, she gets dirty from clambering over rocks and so on, and the smut builds up or washes away as appropriate. Her facial expressions are more realistic than ever before, and some of the lighting effects are just amazing; she appears to have a solid, curved body with skin that glows under the right conditions.
This is all the more impressive when you consider that this game is already four years old. I hesitate ever to give a score of 10 in a category, but I do so here in recognition of the fact that this game's graphics really are something quite special. A rating of 10 isn't supposed to mean perfection, or that the graphics could never be bettered; clearly not. It merely recognises that the graphics are really outstanding, and amongst the best you're likely to see today. Anyway, compare the graphics in Tomb Raider: Underworld to those of Tomb Raider II (both currently on the Mac App Store) to see how far things have come within the space of a decade. Pretty amazing. (And that's not to knock Tomb Raider II: it was, and still is, a great game; one of the best in the series. But by the standards of Underworld, it does look pretty crude now.)
Lara herself is now quite astonishingly lifelike. I particularly like how she glistens realistically when wet (first seen on the Mac in Anniversary). In Underworld, though, she gets dirty from clambering over rocks and so on, and the smut builds up or washes away as appropriate. Her facial expressions are more realistic than ever before, and some of the lighting effects are just amazing; she appears to have a solid, curved body with skin that glows under the right conditions.
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