Tomb Raider: Underworld

Tomb Raider: Underworld from 2008 concluded the story trilogy that began with Legend and continued with Anniversary, telling of Lara's search for the lost hammer of Thor and the circumstances of her mother's death. Crystal Dynamics pushed Lara Croft's acrobatics to a new level in it - adding seamless transitions between holds without interrupting the animation, the ability to combine jumps with shooting while moving, and physics-driven environments where you can smash a wall or topple a statue to open a new path to the goal.

The Xbox 360 version ran on an upgraded engine with dynamic lighting and shading, giving the tombs in Thailand, Mexico, and beneath the Mediterranean Sea a distinctive atmosphere and depth. The level design is more open than in its predecessors, with more optional paths to the goal, a less linear progression through the game, and more room for free exploration of the surroundings. The combat system got contextual finishers, the ability to use a motorcycle during chases, and new acrobatic combinations of movement and shooting, which sets the game apart from the series' purely platforming predecessors and gives it a faster action pace.

Besides the motorcycle, Lara could for the first time in the series use special adrenaline finishers in close combat, and the modified grapple allowed not only swinging across chasms but also pulling parts of the environment toward her. The game takes place across several continents, from southern India through Mexico to the Arctic, with each location having its own visual style and a set of environmental puzzles using the new physics effects. Crystal Dynamics also improved the swimming and diving animations, making the underwater sections feel more natural than in the series' previous entries. The game also includes optional side tombs separate from the main story, which serve purely to practice acrobatics and puzzle-solving without the pressure of advancing plot.

Why play it: Underworld is for players who want to see where the modern acrobatic Tomb Raider arrived before the series' 2013 reboot - it offers more generous environments and smoother movement than the older entries.