Tomb Raider II vs Tomb Raider: Underworld
Tomb Raider II is an action-adventure platformer game from Core Design (1997) while Tomb Raider: Underworld is an action-adventure open-world game from Crystal Dynamics (2008).
Quick answer: Tomb Raider II rates higher, 7.2 to 6.8 on the GamingPickz Score, and Tomb Raider: Underworld is the cheaper at $0.98.
What each one is
Tomb Raider II is filed under Action-Adventure and Platformer. In contrast, Tomb Raider: Underworld under Action-Adventure and Open-World.
The second instalment in the Tomb Raider series invites you to join Lara as she travels around the globe to retrieve a precious artefact before it falls into the wrong hands. The legendary artefact, the Dagger of Xian, is said to give its possessor the power of a fire breathing dragon.
Tomb Raider: Underworld represents a new advancement in exploration-based gameplay. As fearless adventurer Lara Croft explore exotic locations around the world, each designed with an incredible attention to detail resulting in breathtaking high-definition visual fidelity that creates a truly believable world and delivers a new level of...
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Lara Croft is searching for the Dagger of Xian, a magical weapon once used by an ancient Emperor of China to command his army; by plunging the weapon into its owner's heart, the weapon has the power to transform its bearer into a dragon . Having tracked the Dagger's chamber to beneath the Great Wall of China , Lara is accosted by a member of the Fiamma Nera, an Italian cult obsessed with the Dagger. Before killing himself, the cultist reveals that his… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Tomb Raider II received positive reviews from most critics. At Metacritic , which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100, the game received a score of 85 for the PlayStation version based on 13 reviews, which indicates "favourable reviews". The majority commented that while the differences from the original game are relatively small, Tomb Raider was a strong enough game that these differences and the consistent execution were enough to… (Wikipedia)
Plot
The story begins in medias res ; Lara Croft navigates her home Croft Manor after an explosion, then is shot at by her tech assistant Zip. One week earlier, Lara is investigating a sunken island in the Mediterranean Sea as part of her search for Avalon , hoping it will lead her to an explanation for the disappearance of her mother Amelia and salvage her father Richard's academic reputation despite the scepticism of Zip and her research assistant Alister.… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Tomb Raider: Underworld received generally positive reviews from critics. The Xbox 360 , PC and PlayStation 3 versions of the game were generally highly praised, with many critics comparing Underworld to older titles in the series, such as GamesRadar and The Guardian . In reviews, the environments have been widely praised, many reviewers also praised Lara's motion captured movements and the much less linear style of gameplay, while some… (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Tomb Raider II | Tomb Raider: Underworld | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.2/10 | 6.8/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (87%, 2,360) | Mostly Positive (77%, 6,883) |
| Critic aggregate | 53/100 | 80/100 |
| Price | $3.49 | $0.98 |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | unsupported | unsupported |
| Released | 1997 | 2008 |
| Developer | Core Design | Crystal Dynamics |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Tomb Raider II vs Tomb Raider: Underworld, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Tomb Raider IIAction-adventure platformer gameTomb Raider: UnderworldAction-adventure open-world gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Tomb Raider IIAdventure, Action, Female ProtagonistTomb Raider: UnderworldAdventure, Action, Female ProtagonistThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Tomb Raider II ✓Score 7.2 · 87% on Steam · 53 criticTomb Raider: UnderworldScore 6.8 · 77% on Steam · 80 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Tomb Raider II2,360 reviewsTomb Raider: Underworld6,883 reviewsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Tomb Raider II$3.49Tomb Raider: Underworld ✓$0.98Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Tomb Raider IIUnsupportedTomb Raider: UnderworldUnsupportedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 1 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueTomb Raider II and Tomb Raider: Underworld on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Mobile
- Multi-platform
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Tomb Raider II (GamingPickz Score 7.2)
- The cheaper right now: Tomb Raider: Underworld ($0.98)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Tomb Raider: Underworld (6,883 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
AdventureActionFemale ProtagonistClassicSingleplayerThird PersonPuzzleAction-Adventure
Where they differ
Old School1990'sRetroPuzzle-PlatformerDifficult
ParkourUnderwater3D VisionMultiplayerOpen World
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Tomb Raider II is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Tomb Raider: Underworld is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Tomb Raider II | Tomb Raider: Underworld | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | — |
| Minimum CPU | — | Intel Pentium 4 3+GHz |
| Minimum RAM | — | 1 GB |
| Install size | — | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Tomb Raider II · Tomb Raider: Underworld.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Tomb Raider II and 1 for Tomb Raider: Underworld. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Tomb Raider II and Tomb Raider: Underworld in scope?
Tomb Raider II has drawn 2,360 Steam reviews. Tomb Raider: Underworld has drawn 6,883 Steam reviews.
Is Tomb Raider II or Tomb Raider: Underworld better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Tomb Raider II rates higher (7.2 to 6.8). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Tomb Raider II or Tomb Raider: Underworld?
Tomb Raider: Underworld is cheaper right now at $0.98, against $3.49. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Tomb Raider II or Tomb Raider: Underworld?
Tomb Raider II rates higher, 7.2 to 6.8 on the GamingPickz Score, and Tomb Raider: Underworld is the cheaper at $0.98. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.