Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft

I gotta be honest TR3 is one of the most weaker entries in the series. That's not to say the game is bad far from it. But this is a game that is flawed in it's level design, Storyline, pacing, not many tombs to raid. Tomb Raider 3 does have a number of good things going for it tho. The first being the soundtrack, it's awesome and fits the games tone perfectly, the sound effects and atmosphere is as good as ever, the graphics are upgraded(tho I like the P.C version more due to it's lighting) Lara's home is easily my favorite of the series because of the amount of staff you can do such as the quad bike/shooting Winston. The game isn't terrible and it's decent but with a lacklustre story, level design that can be a bit too cruel at times as well as certain levels dragging on way too long. It's hard to recommend to casual players who have never played the series before. However if you are a Tomb raider fan who's up for a brutal challenge and being a very patient person this game has something for you.

This Tomb Raider was really good in areas, and in others not so much. You start out in a very tomb raider environment. Going through temples and the like in search of another mysterious artifact. This level is one of the best of the game. After you are done here you get to select your mission. Two so so missions and one really fun one. The really fun one finds Laura on a strange island, full of cannibal natives and dinosaurs as well. This is my favorite level in the game as there is a lot to overcome, yet it still seems like a tomb raider game as well. I love the scene where you use the big gun to blow the raptors away. Another level is the one in London. This one is okay, you are fighting mainly people here and at times you have a hard time figuring out where to go as it is really dark. Of all the levels this one is the weakest to me. Then there is a Nevada desert which has some nice desert scenes and a raid on a military base. Fun, but it doesn't seem like the type of level that should be in a tomb raider game. Finally, with your choices done you go to the Antartic and this level too is a mixed bag that at times is really fun, but at others really a big pain. The diving bell part was maddening. You get your assortment of weapons, you have your typical villain, and you get Laura in different costumes. Not the original, and not as good as part four this tomb raider still offers enough to be overall good.

Not only this is my favorite Tomb Raider game, this is also my all-time favorite game. It's a lot of fun, difficult and memorable game. On first level, you're in India. I loved the graphics from it. I loved the statues as well and it has some interesting level design. After India, you have to pick one of three maps and those level maps are London, Nevada and South Pacific. First off, I loved London level. The final level where she fight against villain is one of my favorites. Nevada is also really beautiful in design and Area 51 was nice too. The fact she lost her weapons added so much suspense. South Pacific is probably the hardest one because of dinosaurs, the T-Rex fight and the boat/water stuff. But overall, this was a good level. If you finish those level maps, you're on final level map, Antarctica. A lot of fun, and yet, the scariest one! I also loved how that level seems to draw inspiration from The Thing (1982).

My ranking of level maps: 1. Nevada 2. London 3. India 4. Antarctica 5. South Pacific

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.

Tomb Raider 3 is great. Great new scenes, new moves, new outfits, new weapons...great to see the coolest video game character back in the spotlight.

But is it better then ever? Some parts yes, some parts no. It's not easy for new TR players jumping on to the series..and as much fun it is having Lara running around exotic locals, the game is kind of an oxymoron, she isn't raiding many tombs anymore.

I give it 3 out of 4 stars.