Tomb Raider III
Tomb Raider III | ||
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Composer(s) Nathan McCree | | |
Series | Tomb Raider | |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows PlayStation Mac OS | |
Release | Windows, PlayStationMac OS
| |
Genre(s) | Action-adventure | |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Tomb Raider III (also known as Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft) is an
Tomb Raider III was built on an upgraded version of the Tomb Raider engine that was used by its predecessors. The engine offers better speed efficiency and new graphical features such as coloured lighting and triangular polygons, allowing developers to achieve greater detail and more complex geometry. The game was designed to be more in line with the puzzle-solving gameplay of the original Tomb Raider as opposed to the more shooting-oriented style of Tomb Raider II.
Accompanied by an extensive marketing campaign, Tomb Raider III was a commercial success, selling around six million copies worldwide. Although the game received generally favourable reviews, it did not fare as well as its predecessors, with critics generally agreeing that the game failed to change the same tried and tested formula. The game's difficult and unforgiving gameplay also received some criticism. Tomb Raider III was
Gameplay
Tomb Raider III is a
To defeat enemies, the player can use a variety of weapons, including dual
A significant portion of the game takes place underwater. Some pools are inhabited by piranhas that can kill Lara within seconds, while others have streams with currents that can pull her in a fixed direction, preventing the player from being able to swim back or grab onto a ledge. Furthermore, the water in the Antarctica levels is too cold for Lara to swim through for more than a few seconds.[4] The player can also wade through quicksand, but at the risk of drowning Lara.[5] Some levels require the player to use vehicles. For example, the kayak helps Lara fight her way down rapids in the Madubu Gorge level, while an underwater propeller unit allows her to explore deep water areas in the Lud's Gate level. Other vehicles include a quad bike, a boat, and minecarts.[7] Flares may be used to explore darkened areas.[2] Ammunition, flares, and health recovery items are dispersed among the levels to help players increase their resources.[7][3] The game features a tutorial level where the player can practice Lara's moves and combat abilities.[8]
Plot
A corporation called RX-Tech excavates the crash site of a
Travelling to a South Pacific island in Indonesia, Lara encounters a wounded soldier who gives her hints about the existence of Puna, a powerful deity. While pursuing Puna, Lara learns that one of Darwin's sailors brought one of the artefacts to the island. She infiltrates a temple and defeats Puna, who has immense power granted by the second artefact, the Ora Dagger. In London, Lara searches for the third artefact, the Eye of Isis, now in the possession of Sophia Leigh, the head of a cosmetics corporation. Lara learns that the corporation has performed experiments on humans in order to achieve immortality and eternal youth for Sophia's personal gain. Lara confronts Sophia in her office and ultimately obtains the artefact. In Nevada, Lara makes her way through a desert canyon and tries to enter Area 51, where the fourth artefact, Element 115, is located in an alien spacecraft guarded by the US government. She is taken prisoner after her attempted break-in fails. Freeing herself, she escapes the security compound and stows away in a truck to Area 51, where she obtains the artefact.
After collecting all four artefacts, Lara travels to Antarctica and discovers that Dr. Willard had been using the knowledge gained from the meteorite to perform experiments on his own men, turning them into horrible mutations. Angered by this revelation, she confronts Dr. Willard, who reveals that he is planning to encourage the mutations, only on a global scale, using the combined power of the artefacts and the meteorite from which they were carved. As Lara voices her opposition to his operation, Willard betrays her, steals the artefacts, and disappears into the RX-Tech excavation site. After fighting more mutants and navigating the treacherous ruins of the ancient city of Tinnos built atop the meteorite crater, Lara faces Willard, who has now used the power of the four artefacts to greatly speed up the evolutionary processes of the human body and thereby turned himself into a spider-like creature. Lara deactivates the meteorite by recovering the artefacts, kills the mutated Willard, and escapes by helicopter.
Development
Tomb Raider III was developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive as a sequel to the 1997 title Tomb Raider II. Originally, Core Design envisioned Tomb Raider III as a "next generation" Tomb Raider game built on a new game engine with a new animation system.[9] As artist Stuart Atkinson explained, the Tomb Raider team wanted at least two years to develop the game in order to genuinely advance the series, but the producers said that, as with Tomb Raider II, development would be completed in under a year because there was a strong consumer demand for it.[10] For the original team, who had been living with the series' demanding development schedules for two consecutive years, "it was just too much", according to Atkinson.[10] As a result, a new team was brought together from other Core Design projects to build a Tomb Raider game for 1998, giving the original team more time to develop their next-generation project.[9]
Actual development on Tomb Raider III began in December 1997.[11] At the time, lead programmer Martin Gibbins, who previously worked on the 1996 title Blam! Machinehead, was tweaking the old Tomb Raider engine to build a new game with a stronger emphasis on action and shooting.[9] The new team considered Gibbins' additional work to the engine valuable and decided to use it as a basis for the 1998 Tomb Raider game, which was originally intended to be a spin-off called The Further Adventures of Lara Croft.[9] However, as development progressed and more ideas were introduced, the company considered the number of changes enough to justify a complete sequel.[9] The PlayStation served as the lead platform for the game, while the Microsoft Windows release is a conversion with slightly improved visuals.[12] As a result, everything was built around the capabilities of the PlayStation hardware, with 16-bit palettes and high-resolution graphics, as opposed to the 8-bit palettes and "pseudo medium" resolution of the earlier titles, as Core Design CEO Jeremy Smith recalled.[9]
The upgraded engine offered better speed efficiency and new graphical features.
Tomb Raider III was designed more in line with the puzzle-solving gameplay of the original Tomb Raider as opposed to the more shooting-oriented style of Tomb Raider II.[15] The levels were designed to be less linear than before with the goal of giving players multiple routes to complete each one.[13] The game's five locations were decided upon before the plot was conceived.[16] According to producer Mike Schmitt, the team opted to "just take a globe, spin it, and see where it lands, and whether it's an interesting location or not".[17] Once the setting had been decided upon, a storyline linking all the locations was written.[16] Lara's range of abilities was expanded with moves such as the duck, crawl, dash, and "monkey swing".[18] The 1995 film Desperado was an influence on Lara's gun play and new moves.[9] Developers initially considered the possibility of implementing hand-to-hand combat, but the idea was rejected because it would have required giving enemies new combat animations.[19]
Dr. Tom Scutt, a specialist with a Ph.D in artificial intelligence was hired to enhance the game's
Marketing and releases
The release of Tomb Raider III was accompanied by an extensive marketing campaign.
Tomb Raider III was released for the Microsoft Windows and PlayStation platforms in Europe on 20 November 1998, and in North America on 24 November.
Tomb Raider III and The Lost Artifact were released as part of
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
GameRankings | 78% (PS)[36] 73% (PC)[37] |
Metacritic | 76/100[38] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Computer and Video Games | [39] |
Edge | 8/10[40] |
Electronic Gaming Monthly | 27.5/40[41] |
EP Daily | 7.5/10[42] |
Famitsu | 30/40[43] |
GameRevolution | C+[5] |
GameSpot | 7.5/10 (PS)[44] 6.9/10 (PC)[45] |
IGN | 8/10 (PS)[1] 7.7/10 (PC)[46] |
Next Generation | [47] |
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | [48] |
Although Tomb Raider III received generally favourable reviews from critics,[38] it did not fare as well as its two predecessors.[10] Edge considered Tomb Raider III "a valid addition to the growing franchise", stating that it offers more attractive graphics and more innovation than Tomb Raider II,[40] while Next Generation called it the biggest and most rewarding game of the series.[47] CVG described it as a perfect mix of the exploration and puzzles of the original, in addition of more shooting elements in the game.[39] Other critics, however, felt that the game failed to change the same tried and tested formula.[41][44][1][5] In its review, IGN said that Tomb Raider III added nothing revolutionary in its formula.[1]
Writing for GameSpot, reviewer Joe Fielder highlighted the graphics for their new lighting effects and varied textures, saying that they improve the gameplay experience because they make it easier for players to identify ledges and jump-off points.[44] Douglass Perry of IGN remarked that the upgraded engine made the game look better than its predecessors, but overall considered Tomb Raider III to be outdated, especially when compared to newer engines that were released at the time.[1] Edge felt that the old controls did not suit the more complex environments and criticised the game's lack of narrative and cinematic presentation.[40]
The game's difficult and unforgiving gameplay frustrated critics.
The game's new vehicles, improved artificial intelligence of enemies, and nonlinear gameplay were generally highlighted positively.
Sales
Upon release, Tomb Raider III topped the UK games charts and was the German market's second-best-selling video game of 1998, behind Anno 1602.[49][50] At the 1999 Milia festival in Cannes, it took home a "Platinum" prize for revenues above €68 million in the European Union during the previous year. This made it the highest-grossing game in Europe for 1998.[51] As of 2009, Tomb Raider III had sold around six million copies worldwide.[52]
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Perry, Douglass (20 November 1998). "Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft". IGN. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
- ^ a b c Core Design, ed. (1998). "Actions". Tomb Raider III PlayStation Instruction Manual. Eidos Interactive. pp. 7–12.
- ^ a b c "GameSpot's Tomb Raider III Game Guide - Lara's Weapons". GameSpot.co.uk. 1999. Archived from the original on 3 October 2000. Retrieved 3 October 2001.
- ^ ISBN 978-0761518587.
- ^ Game Revolution. 1 December 1998. Archivedfrom the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
- ^ Core Design, ed. (1998). "Save Game". Tomb Raider III PlayStation Instruction Manual. Eidos Interactive. p. 13.
- ^ a b "GameSpot's Tomb Raider III Game Guide - Lara's Items". GameSpot.co.uk. 1999. Archived from the original on 4 October 2000. Retrieved 3 October 2001.
- ^ Core Design, ed. (1998). "Starting the game". Tomb Raider III PlayStation Instruction Manual. Eidos Interactive. p. 6.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Davison, John (August 1998). "Behind Tomb Raider 3". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 109. Ziff Davis. pp. 116–126.
- ^ Future Publishing. pp. 16–29.
- ^ a b "Tomb Raider III - The Team Speak Out Part 1 (Page 1)". GameSpot.co.uk. 24 November 1998. Archived from the original on 27 April 1999. Retrieved 18 January 2001.
- ^ a b "Tomb Raider III - The Team Speak Out Part 1 (Page 2)". GameSpot.co.uk. 24 November 1998. Archived from the original on 9 October 1999. Retrieved 18 January 2001.
- ^ a b c "Tomb Raider III: Exclusive Developer Interview (Page 3)". GameSpot.co.uk. 30 October 1998. Archived from the original on 18 January 2001. Retrieved 18 January 2001.
- ^ "Tomb Raider III Preview (Page 3)". GameSpot.co.uk. 1998. Archived from the original on 10 October 1999. Retrieved 18 January 2001.
- ^ "PC Gaming World's Tomb Raider III Preview (Page 3)". GameSpot.co.uk. 1998. Archived from the original on 21 February 1999. Retrieved 18 January 2001.
- ^ a b "PC Gaming World's Tomb Raider III Preview (Page 4)". GameSpot.co.uk. 1998. Archived from the original on 21 February 1999. Retrieved 18 January 2001.
- ^ "Tomb Raider III Preview (Page 2)". GameSpot.co.uk. 1998. Archived from the original on 10 October 1999. Retrieved 18 January 2001.
- ^ "Tomb Raider III: Exclusive Developer Interview (Page 2)". GameSpot.co.uk. 30 October 1998. Archived from the original on 22 January 2001. Retrieved 18 January 2001.
- ^ a b "PC Gaming World's Tomb Raider III Preview (Page 7)". GameSpot.co.uk. 1998. Archived from the original on 21 February 1999. Retrieved 18 January 2001.
- ^ a b c "Tomb Raider 3: Beauty and Brains". IGN. 4 September 1998. Archived from the original on 7 March 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
- ^ Garcia, Maria-Emilia (7 August 2018). "25 Hidden Locations In Video Games (And Where To Find Them)". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 13 September 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- ^ "Interview with Andy Sandham (Part II)". Core Design. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- ^ a b Wakefield, Jane (1998). "Lara's Millions (Page 5)". GameSpot.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 December 1999. Retrieved 18 January 2001.
- ^ a b c "Lara's Year (Page 1)". GameSpot.co.uk. 27 November 1998. Archived from the original on 27 April 1999. Retrieved 18 January 2001.
- ^ "Lara's Year (Page 2)". GameSpot.co.uk. 27 November 1998. Archived from the original on 8 October 1999. Retrieved 18 January 2001.
- ^ Wakefield, Jane (1998). "Lara's Millions (Page 3)". GameSpot.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 October 1999. Retrieved 18 January 2001.
- Future Publishing. July 1998. p. 39.
- ^ IGN Staff (30 October 1998). "N64 Vs. PSX: The Holiday Lineup". IGN. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ Burton, Martin (17 November 1998). "Cyberbabe Lara set to top the world". Evening Telegraph. p. 77. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
Tomb Raider III will be in shops on Friday, priced £44.99 for PlayStation and £39.99 for personal computers.
- ^ a b "Unmined Tombs in Lara's Latest". IGN. 10 December 1998. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ "Aspyr Media - Products". Aspyr. Archived from the original on 28 November 1999.
- ^ a b "Tomb Raider III: The Lost Artefact". Core Design. Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
- ^ "Tomb Raider Interview". GameSpot.co.uk. 10 February 2000. Archived from the original on 14 June 2000.
- ^ Harradence, Michael (27 April 2011). "Inside PlayStation Network - Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft". PSU.com. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
- ^ "Aspyr & Crystal Dynamics Reveal Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft, Coming to Pc & Consoles Feb. 14, 2024". Crystal Dynamics. 14 September 2023. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ "Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft for PlayStation". GameRankings. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
- ^ "Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft for PC". GameRankings. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
- ^ a b "Tomb Raider III". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ EMAP. pp. 36–39.
- ^ Future Publishing. Christmas 1998. p. 97.
- ^ a b c d e Boyer, Crispin; Davison, John; Ricciardi, John; Smith, Shawn (February 1999). "Tomb Raider III". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 115. Ziff Davis. p. 177.
- ^ The Electric Playground. Archived from the originalon 29 April 1999. Retrieved 18 January 2001.
- Weekly Famitsu. No. 915. Enterbrain. 30 June 2006. p. 19.
- ^ a b c d Fielder, Joe (24 November 1998). "Tomb Raider III Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 17 March 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ Broady, John (14 January 1999). "Tomb Raider III Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ Blevins, Tal (9 December 1998). "Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft". IGN. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ a b "Tomb Raider III". Next Generation. No. 49. Imagine Media. January 1999. pp. 96–97.
- ^ a b c d Rybicki, Joe (January 1999). "Tomb Raider III". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Vol. 2, no. 4. Ziff Davis. pp. 90–91.
- ^ "UK Top Ten". IGN. 11 December 1998. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- Computec Media AG. March 1999. p. 20.
- ^ "Milia News; ECCSELL Awards Name Winners". GameSpot. 12 February 1999. Archived from the original on 30 August 1999.
- ^ McWhertor, Michael (23 April 2009). "Tomb Raider Lifetime Sales Show Off Lara Croft's Biggest Hits". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2017.