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 2. 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 3,
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 3,
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 3.
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 3
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 3 from the earlier installments.
One last thing: Tomb Raider 3 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 3 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 3 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 3
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.
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System Requirements:
System= Pentium 3 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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