Customer Reviews

Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Don't let all the negative comments deter you! I've spent most of my life (28 years) playing video games -- the rest I've just wasted! :-) -- and this is THE BEST I'VE EVER SEEN!

TR III is the SOLUTION to this increasingly sad world of antisocial computer games and the dysfunctional families they ruin. Even though TR III isn't multiplayer it is just as fun to watch as it is to play! My two boys (5 and 2) beg me everyday to play "The Lara Game with us!" Since Christmas we've played about 5-10 hours/week and still are only 1/2 way through. Where else could I get so much family entertainment for $24.00?

Some FUDDY-DUDDYS (who apparently think what their kids are exposed to is more damning than the lack of time/love they provide them) complain there is too much violence in TR III. BUT compared to the gruesome games at the arcade, (which your kids play whether you know it or not) TR III is VERY sanitized! Furthermore, even though Lara has an arsenel of delightfully diverse guns, the point of the game is NOT violence BUT exploration! AND WHAT A BEAUTIFULLY DETAILED (visual and audio) AND EXCITING WORLD TO EXPLORE!

There's underwater caves to swim through, the mysterious Area 51, zip-lines, mazes so complex you need paper and pencil, and my personal favorites -- giant leaps (with or without an ATV) of chasms so deep and realistic it makes my stomach float up into my mouth. To accomplish all these wonderful feats of atheletism, TR III equips Lara with more moves than ever before. In addition to backflips, swan-dives, etc. she can "Monkey Swing" through the tree-tops, crawl on her hands and knees, climb ladders and slick-rock walls, operate several kinds of vehicles, and you haven't lived until you've guided Lara in an all out sprint, with the ground shaking beneath her feet, away from a rocket launch with a wall of fire surging at your heels! Learning the 3rd person interface (keyborad driven) is a bit tough at first, but stick with it because the movie like perspective it affords, once you master it, is well worth the struggle!

As for its difficulty level... Yes, TR III is mentally challenging. It will be a real dissapointment for MORONIC enthusiast of the DOOM/HERETIC/DUKE NUKE 'EM type game who expect to be able to shoot there way out of any situation. The puzzels are rich and diverse, requiring creativity and dexterity (stacking blocks to reach a ceiling grate, flipping a combination of levers to open a door, ducking to avoid laser beams, etc.) BUT they are not illogical nor unrealistic! My 5-year-old is often able to understand what is expected of Lara next and he enjoys nothing more than bragging to his mom about how he helped "Daddy find the secret passage to the lower halls!" Better still, there's multiple solutions to many puzzels! Nevertheless we occasionally have to get help... WHICH BY THE WAY can easily be found on any of a dozen FREE internet sites. There is NO NEED for "resourceful players" to buy the hint book!

My boys and I (and even my wife)love this game. As a parent this game gives me another excellent alternative to "Disney Movies" in which to interact with my kids. They have a blast, learn puzzle solving skills, eye-hand coordination, and I get to monitor, lead, censure (some scenes are a little too scary for preschoolers) and sincerely participate in their fun!

I've conquered hundreds of video games, but unless you have serious amounts of free time on your hand the tomb raider series is not for you. I especially don't like having to get a hint guide to progress through a game. The first tomb raider was difficult, but not unreasonably so, the puzzles made sense. The second one introduced a troubling trend of hiding the solution to puzzles in nonsensical places, and forcing a player to backtrack and turn up the brightness constantly. In this game it is virtually impossible to figure out swiftly where you need to go or what you have to do. With larger levels come an increasingly frustrating inability to simply figure out what you're trying to do in that particular level. I finally gave up after defeating two areas. I refused to buy the hint guide, but after flipping through it I was enraged at how impossible the programmers made it to find the extra weapons and ammo. The game is tough enough already without having to defeat levels with just your pistols if you don't buy the hint guide.

Why the hell can't they just make the game fun? the first one was just about right. I'll never have the amount of free time necessary to enjoy this series, which I actually love. I have more fun just wandering around and jumping then trying to defeat needlessly obtuse puzzles. The only area really up to first tomb raider standards are is the south american levels with the giant statues. ARGH.

Eidos Interactive's latest instalment in the much-vaunted Tomb Raider series sprawls itself across the screen in bold strokes. Heroine-icon Lara Croft is once again pitted against the forces of interstellar chaos, vying for posession of arcane relics that lie hidden at the four corners of the globe. Leaping, sprinting, or crawling ever closer, she encounters puzzles, booby traps and various surly types that are all meant to thwart her quest to once again be the victorious Avatar of Anarexia. Astonishingly vivid hi-res graphics allow the play of light to achive new levels of subtlety, creating eerily realistic effects within the vast gaming environments. Aural verisimilitude is augmented by an ethereal musical score that manages to weave itself coyly in and out of being audible. Refinements to the interface aspect of game play such as crawling mode and 'speed dash' are welcome additions, and indeed prove to be vital when faced with the yeoman's work Ms. Croft tirelessly undertakes in this adventure. Patience, if not already an attribute strong in the gamer, will be learned swiftly when delving into the challenging game play. The decision to change the nature in which one is able to save one's progress -- it is a rare and blessed event in TR3-- means an almost Zen-like tolerance for repititious small-muscle aerobics. Thankfully, the gifted people at Eidos have crafted an environment richly rewarding in it's discovery, replete with magical realizations of fluid-dynamics, dizzying panoramae, and the occasional moment of visceral blood-letting. Visually speaking, this game ranks at or near the apex of what's currently available, overflowing with loving details that all contribute to make the game worth spending time with. Tomb Raider 3 is ideally suited for those already familiar with the series. Neophytes will likely become frustrated quite rapidly given the immediate high difficulty level. The best strategy is to flail wildly for short bursts, leaving off before the urge to ram the controller through the screen becomes overpowering. Or, just go buy the "hint book" that spoils everything.

Can't get this to run correctly under XP and no patches available from Eidos. Game collects dust now...

Okay, so I wimped out and bought the hint book. I wouldn't have survived otherwise. The graphics are great, and even neater if you have a graphics accelerator, which I don't. This is fun with all the cool vehicles Lara gets to run around in, like canoes and quad bikes. One slightly disappointing thing is you don't get to shoot as many people--in the Nevada section other guys kill for Lara. This is more for jumping around and solving puzzles than for killing things. I still think the graphics are awesome, and it's worth going all the way through the game just to see them. And if you find all the "secrets" you get to go on to another bonus level, but even with the hint book I couldn't get them all. Overall a pretty fun game, though I liked Tomb II slightly better.

First off, Lara Croft has to be the greasest female gaming hero ever created. Even though this is my first installment of the popular Tomb Raider series, I relate to Lara Croft and feel like I've known her for years. Call me crazy, but that's how it is. Right now, I have a love-hate relationship with this game. I like the scenery and I like Lara, but the problem I have with this game is it's too darn FRUSTRATING. I bought this game for a bargain price ... and I thought I would enjoy it. I had heard a lot about this series in the past, so I figured I would try it. The first level was excellent. It was suspenseful and beautiful and interesting all at the same time. I was blown away. But then I don't know what happened. The frustration level sky-rocketed from a 1 to a 10! The Temple Ruins was nearly impossible to figure out without an Internet walkthrough.I spent weeks trying to escape from a pool with a dangerous current that kept sucking me into a wall of spikes. I soon learned the nessecity of saving a game. I pity Playstation owners, who can't save without getting a green crystal. Since then, I haved needed a walkthrough with every level of the game. I don't think this is the way you should play a game. It should be fun and exciting, new and fresh. The huge level design is beautiful, but it also makes you baktrack constantly to pull a certain lever or push a button, another fist- pounding frustration. I've killed Lara hundreds of times, and I'm tired of it!The puzzles shouldn't be as hard as they are! And ALWAYS, ALWAYS save before making a jump. If you're even slightly off center, you'll go plummeting to your death. I still haven't finished the game, and I must commend the people who do. I think this is one of those games that is designed with a strategy guide in mind. It's a genuine nesessity. So overall, if you're in the mood for a dazzling action-adventure or are a hard-core Tomb Raider fan, then buy this game....

When I got this game, I was amazed at the graphics value. The FMV sequences are really good, and the high-resolution movies involve speech and lip movement, a step up from TR2. The weapons are great, the sound is great, the AI is great, and the bosses are hard. However, I panicked after a while and purchased the Game Informer TR3 Strategy Guide. It is a great book. It helped me through those tough spots. I recommend this to all die-hard Tomb Raider fans. I can't wait to get The Last Revelation.

Tomb Raider 3 is the hardest of the Tomb Raider series (at least in my opinion). It has a very complicated plot, decent graphics, and a moderate amount of action--although I have not completed it myself. It could use more action and less puzzles, however. The biggest problem with it that I've faced is that it has a lot of bugs and errors throughout. Some errors can be fixed without a lot of hassle, others can be fixed but with a lot of hassle, and some can't be fixed at all. Myself, I don't have a lot of patience, I just play the game because I love challenges. So, unless you have a LOT of patience, or enjoy tough challenges like I do, TR3 is not for you.

Yes, I did find this a bit cumbersome. I wanted a more puzzle oridented game. I kept getting stuck in seemingly absurd situations and go to a walk-through forum to make progress. One of the comforts is that a cheat code can take you to the next level, if you get frustrated through not being able to figure out some trick to advance. Lara is a great character. But in this game she is faced with too many obstacles and impossible-to-discover secrets to make the game truly enjoyable.

Of all the TR games I've played thus far, TR3 is the best! It is wicked hard, long, but doesn't leave you feeling board! There's enough action to keep even Arnold hooked! With huge levels, detailed scenery and an exceptional design, Laura can do just about anything in this game; ride an ATV, (by far the coolest thing yet), an underwater propulsion unit, a kayak, boat, mine cart and new moves that are so awesome! Explore all sorts of worlds including the awesome city tops of London in the pouring rain! This game is NOT for the inexperienced player. There are many cases during levels where the slightest nook, or crevice could lead to your freedom, but they are very difficult to find and/or get to. But don't give up.

Difficulty: Hard Patience required: A lot Rules to follow: Look around Philosophies: Just keep looking