By: Jube
Eidos, cut the act, we know what is going on. It is
called brand recognition. As a general rule consumers will
choose a product which is familiar to them. This is basic
economics, I'm not trying to impress you with my grasp of
consumer trends. Here is a likely scenario that Eidos is
counting on taking place many times during the Holiday
Season.
The scene, Electronic Boutique.
Out-of-touch/uninformed Parent: "Hmm I wonder what little
Johnny would like for Christmas this year?"
Parent: "Excuse me Mr. Salesman? Yes, you with the long hair
huddled over that display demo."
Overweight EB Sales Rep: "Err.. me? No.. I uhh.. don't work
here."
Parent: "Well why are you wearing that name tag?"
Sales Rep: "Oh yeah.. erm, what can I help you with?"
Parent: "I am looking for a game for my son, do you have any
ideas?"
Sales Rep: "A game? I uhh.. don't think we sell those."
Parent: "What the hell do you mean?! What are those things
behind you?"
Sales Rep: "Uhh.."
Parent: "Oh for the love of.. Just give me that one.. with the
picture of that smirking girl on the front."
Parent: "Yes, this will be fine, I have seen posters of her in my
son's room."
Sales Rep: "Merry Christmas to you too.. (sucker!)"
Another satisfied customer. After two questionable sequels,
Tomb Raider: Unfinished Business and Tomb Raider 2, it is
obvious what is going on. Eidos is milking Lara Croft for all
she's worth. (No pun intended) It is also quite clear that they
have no intention of breathing any creative life into this series.
It is so unfortunate to see a game that practically invented and
defined the 3rd person action genre steadily decline into its
current state. What follows is an evaluation of a truly
uninspired and mediocre sequel, continue at your own risk.
Graphically Tomb Raider is on par with its predecessors,
meaning it hasn't improved noticeably in over two years of
development. In fact, it is obvious that Eidos has "toned down"
some aspects to make the game more accessible to younger
audiences (and unwitting parents.) Most noticeable is the
pixilated hot-pink blood. The level design is virtually identical
to previous TR efforts, cluttered and full of cliché rock and
spike traps. Again, same as before its D3D only, no GLide
support here.
With games like Indy 3d very close to release, you would think
Eidos could sense the upcoming competition, and put some
effort in developing Tomb Raider 3 into something that would
give these new comers a run for their money. One thing I
would have especially liked to see is the addition of facial
animations for Lara. The fixed smirk is so "1997", take a cue
from Live '99 and give your character a little life. As you can
see from the screen shots, Tomb Raider accomplishes nothing
in the visual improvement area. The invention and innovation
that TR once stood for is gone, and all that's left is a polygon
girl with a bouncy.. err.. pony tail.
The sound in TR3 is equally as bland and unoriginal as the
graphics. Most of the sound effects, like ones in menu screens,
are 100% reused from TR2. Much of the in game sounds, such
as gun shots and underwater effects, are recycled as well. It
shouldn't come as a surprise that none of the new 3d sound
systems are supported.
There seems to be a trend developing here. Lets see if you, the
astute reader, can spot it. Gameplay consists of Lara jumping,
swimming, and running throughout various parts of the globe
in search of treasure, or something. Wow! With the game's
focus so vastly different than before I found it hard to jump
right in. Yes, I am being sarcastic. This time Lara ends up in
India, the Artic, and some other locations, which fits in
perfectly with Eidos cunning
"change-the-scenery-but-leave-everything-else-fundamentaly-th
e-same" development strategy. If your idea of a good time is
redoing the same pull lever and climb to the gate tasks that
have filled three Tomb Raider titles, then by all means grab
this one. The only thing that's changed is the background.
I think it is obvious that both the replay value and
entertainment factor are almost nil. You have played this game
before. Lara is a little rounder, and she gets some mildly
arousing (I'm kidding, Phire) costume changes. But other than
that its the same old, same old. The fact is TR3 is a
disappointment to new comers and loyal TR fans alike. It is my
opinion that the series has been decaying slowly, and Tomb
Raider 3 just emphasizes this point.
Overall the only recommendation I can make for this game is a
swift burial. Let the Tomb Raider series rest in piece. How
much more does Eidos want to squeeze out of Ms. Lara Croft?
(Pun intended) I suggest the developers at Core move on to
their next "killer" game, the sequel to the almost-popular Play
Station game: Ninja. I can't hardly wait.
Graphics: 10/20
Sound: 6/15
Gameplay: 16/30
Fun Factor: 5/20
Storyline: 2/5
Overall Impression: 3/10
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