Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft
Score: 99% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Eidos Interactive Developer: Core Design Media: CD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Adventure/ Third Person Shooter/ Action
Graphics & Sound: They’ve done it again. How can a team keep churning out sequels, each far superior to the one before it? Eidos has outdone themselves with Tomb Raider III. From the moment you begin the game, you are treated to stunning cinematics (a constant with the Tomb Raider series) and breathtaking graphics which are incredibly improved over Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider II. Everything looks more realistic -- the animals, the vegetation, and especially the water. The background sound effects and music seem to immerse you in the adventure, they are so real.
Gameplay: Excellent as always. Lara has some new moves like crawling, the monkey swing, and sprinting, along with a host of new weapons and vehicles at her disposal. Oh, and new outfits too! The worlds seem more 3D than before. Previously, it seemed you had a certain path to take. You could look around and see where you had to go. In Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft, you are left to your own devices in the middle of a huge area with no defined path. New effects such as more realistic lighting, quicksand, and rain, add new dimension to your gaming experience. Also, you now have a choice as to which order you complete the levels following Level One: India. Depending on what order the levels are completed in and also what you do while you are there, it can affect other parts of the game -- so choose wisely.
Difficulty: Tomb Raider III is so similar to its predecessors, that if you’ve played the original TR or TR2, you know what to expect, aside from learning a few new moves. As I mentioned earlier, the levels are far more open than before, so this adds to the difficulty level and makes progression slower.
Game Mechanics: Many improved visuals, including improved light source shading and better wind and weather dynamics make Adventures of Lara Croft beautiful as well as realistic. The Save Game feature has been improved as well. You now collect the “Save Crystals” throughout your adventures, carry them with you, and use them anywhere in the game. Lara also has a slew of new weapons, vehicles, and moves. It is Dual Shock and Analog compatible, and accomplishes this nicely. All in all, an excellent sequel. Try the Glove with Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft.
-Psibabe, GameVortex Communications AKA Ashley Perkins
Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri: Alien Crossfire Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2