Product description
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Includes game, original case, and manual. Game has moderate
scratches but has been tested for playability. Case may have
small cracks or flaws.
.com
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She's back! Action heroine Lara Croft returns in this impressive
action adventure game from Eidos. Once again, the world's most
famous "grrrl gamer" must jump, swim, climb, and shoot her way
through numerous challenges. There are five locations and 15
massive levels to explore, including the South Pacific, India,
London, Antarctica, and Area 51. Unlike previous games in the
series, this version lets you visit any of the gaming areas in
any order that you prefer. This change enables beginning players
to immediately appreciate the diverse gaming environments and
designs of different levels that have captivated advanced gamers
for the duration of the popular series.
Unlike most action shooting games, Tomb Raider III requires a
heavy dose of puzzle solving. In fact, fast reflexes and shooting
skills are probably less important than your ability to figure
out the best way to unlock the secrets that will advance your
entry into new and hidden areas. With clever gameplay and
eye-opening 3-D graphics, the third entry in the Tomb Raider
series significantly advances the quality of one of the strongest
franchises in the history of video games. --Brett Atwood
Pros:
* Massive game levels to explore
* Visually stunning 3-D graphics
Cons:* Difficult puzzles may intimidate newer gamers
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Review
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While it may be hard to imagine Tomb Raider's heroine Lara Croft
as a "mascot" for the Sony PlayStation, there's no doubt that the
series has become inextricably linked with the platform. The
original game proved that huge 3D environments were not the
exclusive domain of the Nintendo 64, which is fairly ironic when
considering that it was developed first with the Saturn in mind.
The gameplay, as the title suggests, revolves around raiding
large trap-laden 3D tombs for their treasures. Anyone who's
watched the first five minutes of Raiders of the Lost Ark knows
what to expect: There are rolling boulders, spike-filled pits,
walls and ceilings that slowly close in, and a lot of running,
jumping, and lever pulling required to keep from meeting up with
all of them. In this, Tomb Raider III is much like the first two
games in the line, which is to say that there's nothing new
thematically, although there are a few improvements to this
edition.
The game's visuals are where the main enhancements lie. While it
may not look that different at first, comparing it side by side
with the earlier titles shows that its face-lift is fairly major.
The lighting and water effects are very impressive, and the
textures are much better looking and more widely varied. The
latter translates into a better gameplay experience, as it's now
much easier to identify ledges and jump-off points. Make no
mistake, it's still an evilly difficult game in which a strategy
guide is almost a prerequisite and save points are like candy
(the crystals are back, but you can use them to save anywhere),
but the blame for continually getting your character killed now
lies a little more squarely at your own feet than at those of the
developers. Also to that same end, the camera perspectives,
though not quite ideal, are more refined so that lining up jumps
isn't as hard.
New elements such as the character's ability to sprint, crawl,
monkey-swing, and use new vehicles (such as a quad bike and
kayak) add some variety to the game, and the emphasis on stealth
in some of the levels and improved AI of the enemies helps as
well. The lack of linearity in being able to use different routes
within many of the levels, as well as being able to choose one of
three paths after wrapping up the India stage, is nice too. And
it must be said that the game is absolutely huge, with over 15
levels that can each take up to a few hours to complete.
One complaint often made against the series is that there aren't
enough enemies to fight. Though there are more foes in Tomb
Raider III than in the last game, there aren't many - but that's
not really a bad thing. It doesn't seem to be a particularly
valid criticism to lodge against the title, since it simply isn't
that type of game. For those who are looking to shoot or carve
through tons of foes in a 3D environment, there are games like GT
Interactive's Duke Nukem: Time to Kill and Activision's Tenchu,
but the Tomb Raider line remains more about puzzles than combat.
This all isn't to say that the game is perfect, since there are
in fact a few elements introduced in the very similar 3D
adventure Duke Nukem: Time to Kill that could have helped Tomb
Raider III. For instance, any time in Duke Nukem when the player
character gets in the way of the perspective - whether during the
look function or otherwise - he becomes transparent. It's an
innovation for the genre that you'll find yourself wishing for
here every time you end up staring at the back of Lara's neck and
hoping you're properly ed for the next platform jump. Also,
adding a target to TRIII's look function and the ability to shoot
during its use rather than simply letting the game auto- for
you would probably make the parts where shooting enemies is
required more fun.
At the end of the day though (and putting all the hype, creepy
marketing campaigns, and strange celebrity worship surrounding
the series aside), there's no denying that Tomb Raider III is a
solid game, worth the time of anyone who enjoys a good
puzzle/adventure title. Those who lost interest in the series
with Tomb Raider II may want to give it another look with the
third. --Joe Fielder
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction
in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written
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