Mad hard but very playable
User Rating: 8.5 | Tomb Raider III PS
Tomb raider 3 is definitely a love or hate game usually determined by difficulty, yes the game is hard from the start and will take many hours and many gruesome and frustrating lara deaths before progression but ultimately the game is refreshing change in the series and the challenges provide a realistic outlook on a real life character in the real world. OK for example, many situations require precise actions which are simply life and death, now in a gaming perspective this might seem unfair but from a realistic point of view the leap of faith or boulder chase can only end in 2 outcomes and precise actions are required to overcome these obstacles. The game has great level design, each environment has great atmosphere and the sounds and surroundings do a good job of replicating the real life counterparts, the player definitely feels immersed in the environment, there is no mistaking each location and the large levels each provide many challenges and secrets, some of the secrets however can be virtually impossible to spot unless following a guide etc which is a little unfair for newcomers/those not familiar with tomb raiders obscure secret locations, still many are worth seeking out for the items which can be found. Lara is designed very well and is responsive, possibly the best lara out of the 5 ps1 games. The environments can be a little dark at times but nothing tv lighting or a flare cannot change, anyway this kind of adds to the atmosphere being in tombs and things. One downfall of the game is the limited save options, the game can only be saved with a save crystal which are limited and usually in places which require great difficulty and trial and error to reach which means dying is almost inevitable and you will no doubt be repeating the same scenarios from your last save point,frustrating but actually not too bad since you will have already mastered the previous tasks and be able to reach your last location fairly quickly. The game is not for everybody, those easily frustrated/lack of patience/short attention span will find huge fault with this game, those willing to fully commit and accept trial and error and the need for serious exploration will find the game rewarding and it will provide hours and hours of gameplay which even games of today cannot live upto. 
