Why The Lost Artifact is the BEST TR Game

[mizuno_suisei]

Originally Posted by Samz

To be fair, it's hard to find a copy nowadays and Square aren't exactly rushing to put it on Steam.

It was never available for digital download that's why. Easy enough to find it. Archive.org software hosts all the TR games as part of historical collection.

[sheepman23]

Originally Posted by tlr online

Thank you for another awesome post sheepman23. I really enjoyed The Lost Artifact too.

Thanks Justin!

Originally Posted by MysticPlaque

I completely agree with everything you’ve said. Phil Campbell is the best, and the secrets in LA are one of the best things ever about TR.

Yes, the secrets are unmatched - that much is for sure.

Originally Posted by mizuno_suisei

By the way Sheepman your post is brilliant! Didnt mean to sway off topic!

Lol no problem, other conversation about the game is much encouraged. Thanks!

Originally Posted by Topixtor

While I still have to actually sit and play it all from start to finish, I can already understand and agree with the majority of points listed here; in fact, I even think Phil Campbell unique way of designing Tomb Raider really got to inspire other LDs in the core classic games; he always was tried to think outside of the box, but just enough for it to feel like TR, but many times achieving better results. Of course this is also due to the fact that the main games are more "watered down", as much as I love them, many multi-leveled location expecially can suffer from that.

Totally agree. I think it's the best game of the series in terms of pure level-to-quality ratio, but they also didn't have to make a full-length game like the main Core designers did. That being said, a lot of Campbell's knacks for cinematography, music placement, and storytelling would've been awesome to see more in the TR games.

Originally Posted by Ameliorator

This is such a brilliant write up of the game, thank you for sharing it sheepman The Lost Artifact is one of my personal favourite TRs and it’s definitely one of the best in the series. It’s a shame we never got an expansion for TR4 because these gold editions of the games allowed the developers so much creative freedom and room to experiment with new ideas.

Thanks! Yes, I'll always be sad we didn't get a TR4 Gold. I know there was one planned at a certain point but eventually got scrapped.

Originally Posted by SLAYER

While I wouldn't classify the game as the best, it is certainly up there. Especially Highland fling. The atmosphere in that level is unmatched.

Indeed. Can't believe how quickly that level sucked me into this game, it was gorgeous.

[fallenangle]

Arguably the best set of TR levels ever made.

You'd have to prise my original discs (TR3 + TRLA) from my cold dead hands before I'd let them go. I, literally, waited 10 years after playing PS TR3 for the first time to be able to do TRLA when at last I had a PC (actually a laptop almost as old as the game) capable of running it.

TRLA and the other TR games were the priority ones on my wish I bought soon after and at that time were quite easily found on Ebay. TRLA was not that cheap though but well worth the cost.

[Kirishima]

Originally Posted by sheepman23

Indeed. Can't believe how quickly that level sucked me into this game, it was gorgeous.

Back in the day when this game was still on store shelves, I remember looking at the preview shots they put on the back of the boxes and thinking "Wow, PC Tomb Raider 3 looks like that?". One of them that grabbed me was what looked like Highland Fling, probably because of the lighting. I can't put my finger on it, but to me both this game and TR2 Gold look better than their base game counterparts.

[HarleyCroft]

I agree with everything you said


Haven't played it in over 15 years but the Lost Artifact (or Artefact if you're feeling cheeky) is a hidden gem that is everything TR3 should have been

[Girafarig32]

Awesome review, and glad you enjoyed the game. I think you highlighted many of the reasons why this game is my favorite.

[vasatomb]

2 words: best addon!

[jeffrey van oort]

Fantastic read Sheepman23.

...While Sophia Leigh's end goals aren't entirely clear....

Maybe Tomb Raider III's Antarctica, and the stuff Lara Croft sees there in Antarctica could answer a bit what Sophia Leigh's goals would have been. Obviously the developers of Tomb Raider III, were inspired by "The Thing".

Sophia Leigh was something different than her studies.

..."My books"...

.

Réunion is a French island, but that is not how they've written the name of this level, I think.. They probably meant that in the level Reunion, Lara Croft meets with Sophia Leigh. I also think that the fifth artifact is as fake as the loch ness monster is described to be. It was meant to represent (maybe) a (digital) hand print that Sophia Leigh would have left exploring herself, under Lara Croft's nose. It is a bit scary when you realise what kind of exploration the developers are describing, and where exactly these rooms are. (Inside of Sophia Leigh).

Probably there is a way to explore the Earth, digitizing? There were some radio noises in Tomb Raider III's Antarctica? Maybe radio is how they do this. But there are some side effects causing mutations. (Digitally)?

It is suggested here that Sophia Leigh could do that herself, but also do that to herself, and alter herself with this technology. But Lara Croft only found her handprint, and in Tomb Raider III, her isis stone. (Her eyesight, possibly). Adding up to the narrative of Tomb Raider I, with advanced technology trying to evolve mankind. My guess is that every few decades the capable are doing this to find special people. Maybe in the sense like is seen in X-Men (Lady Liberty scenes in X-Men) with waves creating mutants. (Which other than Lara Croft, they were in Tomb Raider III). Mutants.

I can only imagine Sophia Leigh could have thought that there must be something else, than them. (Mutants). And then she found Lara Croft, and her electrical prison... Or.... More books with in them her studies. Probably they were about cells, inspired by "The Thing" again.

I think your review is a lighter read. Thanks for that.

[TRExpertgamer]

That is a great question. I think the reason why it's the best TR game, is because Lara gets to go to different places of the world for this extended chapter for TR3. And I like it too even if the story is short in that version

[redfox45]

TLA rocks!

10/10 would replay every great level
that little gap in the quicksand in Highland Fling was messed up though