Tomb Raider II vs Tomb Raider III
Tomb Raider II is an action-adventure platformer game from Core Design (1997) while Tomb Raider III is an action-adventure game from Core Design (1998).
Quick answer: Tomb Raider III has the higher Metacritic, 76 to 53.
Tomb Raider III
What each one is
Tomb Raider II is filed under Action-Adventure and Platformer. In contrast, Tomb Raider III under Action-Adventure.
The second instalment in the Tomb Raider series invites you to join Lara as she travels around the globe to retrieve a precious artefact before it falls into the wrong hands. The legendary artefact, the Dagger of Xian, is said to give its possessor the power of a fire breathing dragon.
Tomb Raider III is an action-adventure video game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. It was first released for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows in 1998, and for Mac OS in 1999. It is the third title in the Tomb Raider series, following Tomb Raider II (1997). The story follows archaeologist-adventurer Lara Croft as she embarks upon a quest to recover four pieces of a meteorite that are scattered across the world. To progress through the game, the player must complete a series of levels that involve solving puzzles, traversing dangerous locations, and defeating enemies.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Lara Croft is searching for the Dagger of Xian, a magical weapon once used by an ancient Emperor of China to command his army; by plunging the weapon into its owner's heart, the weapon has the power to transform its bearer into a dragon . Having tracked the Dagger's chamber to beneath the Great Wall of China , Lara is accosted by a member of the Fiamma Nera, an Italian cult obsessed with the Dagger. Before killing himself, the cultist reveals that his… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Tomb Raider II received positive reviews from most critics. At Metacritic , which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100, the game received a score of 85 for the PlayStation version based on 13 reviews, which indicates "favourable reviews". The majority commented that while the differences from the original game are relatively small, Tomb Raider was a strong enough game that these differences and the consistent execution were enough to… (Wikipedia)
Plot
A corporation called RX-Tech excavates the crash site of a meteorite that impacted on Antarctica millions of years ago and finds strange Rapa Nui -like statues alongside the grave of one of HMS Beagle 's sailors. Meanwhile, archaeologist -adventurer Lara Croft is searching for an artefact known as the Infada Stone in the ruins of an ancient Indian Hindu temple once inhabited by the Infada tribe. After taking the artefact from a researcher working for… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Although Tomb Raider III received generally favourable reviews from critics, it did not fare as well as its two predecessors. 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 , while Next Generation called it the biggest and most rewarding game of the series. CVG described it as a perfect mix of the exploration and puzzles of the… (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Tomb Raider II | Tomb Raider III | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.2/10 | — |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (87%, 2,360) | — |
| Critic aggregate | 53/100 | 76/100 |
| Price | $3.49 | Unknown |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | unsupported | Untested |
| Released | 1997 | 1998 |
| Developer | Core Design | Core Design |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Tomb Raider II vs Tomb Raider III, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Tomb Raider IIAction-adventure platformer gameTomb Raider IIIAction-adventure gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Tomb Raider IIAdventure, Action, Female ProtagonistTomb Raider IIINo descriptive tagsThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Tomb Raider IIMetacritic 53Tomb Raider III ✓Metacritic 76Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Content and scale
Tomb Raider II2,360 reviewsTomb Raider III—Reach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Tomb Raider II$3.49Tomb Raider IIIUnknownRead live from Steam and subject to change.
Tomb Raider III takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The better reviewed of the two: Tomb Raider III (Metacritic 76)
Where they differ
AdventureActionFemale ProtagonistClassicSingleplayerThird Person
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Tomb Raider II is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Tomb Raider III is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Tomb Raider II and 0 for Tomb Raider III. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Tomb Raider II and Tomb Raider III in scope?
Tomb Raider II has drawn 2,360 Steam reviews. Tomb Raider III lists little scope data.
Is Tomb Raider II or Tomb Raider III better?
Neither carries enough reviews for us to score it reliably, so we do not call a winner. The table above shows what each does have.
Which is cheaper, Tomb Raider II or Tomb Raider III?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get Tomb Raider II or Tomb Raider III?
Tomb Raider III has the higher Metacritic, 76 to 53. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.