Tomb Raider 3 came in 1998 and became known as that one game which would need a guide to beat it. In terms of upping their game, Core Design went all in esp. in terms of game play. They added new weapons (rocket launcher etc.), new vehicles (kayak, quad bike) and a level of depth to size of some levels. Where they went all in though was in terms of its difficulty, some of the puzzles were so tough to beat in the day that one might be forgiven for nearly giving up on the game.
At the very core, these games were more about platforming and puzzle solving in elaborately designed levels than all out shoot-em up action games or uncharted type action movie games that the new series have turned out to be (Not that it is a bad thing).
Tomb Raider 1 was the pioneer, Tomb raider 2 was the one which balanced out things the best in all departments including some real good enemy difficulty level, Tomb Raider 3 thus had to do something which could make it stand out and even improve upon its predecessors.
In some respects, it did well such as some interesting puzzles (Such as the India and Antartica levels), better defined scenery ( The South pacific levels), and better graphics. However, because the puzzles and level design went up to eleven in the difficulty department (London levels esp.) it was not as enjoyable as the previous two editions. One can see the creators worked well to make Tomb Raider 4 a more enjoyable experience.
Yet the game still has some great replay value, if one doesn't mind the tank controls. The quad bike sequences, dino encounters, temple run in India are truly memorable to this day. Must play for fans of the series.
