INFORMATION Tomb Raider 3 Adventures Of Lara Croft is an action
adventure video game developed by Core Design and published by me. It is the
third instalment in the Tomb Raider series, and the sequel to Tomb Raider II.
The game was originally released for PC and PlayStation in November 1998 and
for the PlayStation Network in 2009 in America, with a release for the European
PlayStation Network following in March 2011. The story follows Lara Croft as
she embarks upon a quest to recover four pieces of a meteorite that are
scattered across the world. The game has sold 6.5 million copies worldwide.
Millions of years ago, a meteoroid strikes Antarctica,
decimating a large area full of life on the then near tropical continent. In
the present day, a corporation called RX Tech, under the guidance of Dr. Mark
Willard, excavates the site, finding strange Rapa Nui like statues and the
grave of one of the Darwin’s sailors.
Within the game, while India must be visited first and
Antarctica last, the three other locations: South Pacific Islands, London, and
Nevada, can be visited in any order.
The latest Tomb Raider game shows that the series is falling
a bit behind the times.
Much has happened since Lara Croft first showed her face
(and other body parts) to the world in 1996. There have been stunning advances
in 3D gaming technology, and the third person action game – a genre that the
original Tomb Raider helped to define is now everywhere. Now Lara is back in
Tomb Raider III, and although her persona outside of the game continues to, shall
we say, develop, the latest Tomb Raider game shows that the series is falling a
bit behind the times.
Tomb Raider III, like its predecessors, is an action game
with a healthy dose of adventure and puzzle elements thrown in for good
measure. Your job is to guide Lara Croft through a surprisingly varied set of
levels, many of which provide an intense sense of immersion. In fact, the size,
scope, and atmosphere of the levels are probably the game’s strongest point.
But these levels, however cavernous, are filled with things you’ve already
seen, and in order to beat the game, you’re required to make Lara do things
she’s already done. Lara runs, Lara swims, Lara shoots, Lara must jump
carefully across a canyon. Is it wrong not to be more excited about these activities?
The strength of the original Tomb Raider was the fact that
Lara Croft was a free roaming character in a real 3D world; at the time it was
a new experience. Also, the sheer size of the levels was enough to capture many
gamers’ imaginations. But even on Lara’s first outing, the weaknesses of the
game’s engine manifested themselves in that there wasn’t always much to see or
do in Lara’s world. From the get-go, the concept behind Lara Croft was always
more intriguing than the execution.
In the time since Tomb Raider first hit the scene, gamers’
expectations have grown exponentially, and more than a few games have offered
up environments on par with Lara Croft’s romping grounds. The stunning lack of
innovation as this series has progressed is beginning to stand out more as the
world keeps moving forward.
Take the camera control as an example, as it is a major
hindrance to your progress in Tomb Raider III. The designers have provided
rudimentary camera controls to let you get a better look at the environment.
But no matter what angle you choose, Lara’s backside is just plain in the way
too much of the time; a true selectable first-person perspective would have
been a very welcome addition to orient yourself before making jumps. As other
3D games have hit the scene with improved camera handling (the best probably
being the N64 game, Legend of Zelda), Tomb Raider’s camera deficiency stands
out more than ever.
To be fair, Tomb Raider III does sport some advances. As
already mentioned, the levels are bigger than ever before; Lara has acquired a
few new moves this time out (the monkey swing being the most fun); and the
game’s cinematic cutscenes are better. But apart from the improved graphics, it
would take a well-trained eye to distinguish Tomb Raider III from the earlier
installments.
One last thing: Tomb Raider III is hard. In fact, it would
be difficult for most players to finish the game without a strategy guide in
hand. If you relish a real challenge, this level of difficulty gives Tomb
Raider III a lot of value; if you get frustrated easily, you may want to take
some Advil before you settle down to play.
If you loved the first two Tomb Raider installments and
can’t wait for more, then Tomb Raider III is worth checking out. Likewise, if
you’ve seen Lara Croft on posters but have never played a game in the series,
then Tomb Raider III is a perfectly enjoyable game that might just provide you
hours of fun. But if you’re looking for something new, you’ll need to look
somewhere else.
SCREENSHOT
SYSTEM REQUIREMENT
- System= Pentium III CPU 450 MHz
- RAM= 128 MB
- Video Memory= 16 MB
- Size= 48.18 MB
- OS= Windows 98, 2000, ME, XP, Vista, Seven 7 and Windows 8
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