3D Lemmings

"Unlike the superb original, this game really bites the big one. Sad, very sad."

The original Lemmings for DOS was an amazing game. It combined the best puzzle elements that have ever been used in the history of games (well at this point in time). Now you might think brining the Lemmings out of their 2D state and into 3D would be even better. Think again. This game is TERRIBLE! I don't know how people sleep at night after playing this. Here's how the categories divide up:

Graphics 7/10
Okay, the graphics are not bad. They are an improvement of the original only in the sense that they are a bit more colorful and in 3D. The Lemmings are kind of fat though, and a lot of the textures in the game are blocky. Somehow your Miner lemmings can dig perfect cubes one at a time through the landscape (What?????). Some of the levels are also hard on the eyes. The bad points don't take off too many points. It's nice to see the Lemmings in 3D, but it could have been better.

Control 1/10
AAAAAHHHHHH!!! The control is so bad here it makes me want to scream! A big fall from the original in so many ways. First of all, your Lemmings don't always stop in the place you tell them to. Sometimes they have to take one more step before they respond. This can lead to digging in slightly wrong places and the such. The control for the Turner Lemmings is also very bad. You have to move your mouse in the direction you want the Lemming to direct traffic (left or right). Sometimes it won't respond and your Lemmings will end up dead rather than turned. Sometimes it turns in the wrong direction, leading to disaster. The Miner and Digger are also hard to stop. Nothing good here.

Gameplay 1/10
Sigh. Now this is where you'll want to throw a brick at your computer and run away with your original Lemmings disk. The gameplay has been struck with some sort of virus and is extremely dumb! First of all, the programmers thought it might be fun to add some new ''hazards''. The mud is the EXACT same as the water, the turning stations are brain poppingly confusing to follow and the trampolines are impossible to control and to be at the right altitude. You can now use ''virtual Lemming'' to see through the eyes of a specific Lemming. If there is another one right in front of it, all you will be able to see is the blue dress worn by it. It also makes the screen shake like a 9.9 earthquake. The Lemmings themselves don't act at cute or as funny as in the original. All bad. There is, however, one good feature that was not in the original. Something called the ''Lemming Highlighter'' that will put an arrow over a specific Lemming for you to command. Pretty good when you have a whole bunch cluttered around in one space. This is the only good point about the gameplay, saving it from a 0.

Sound and Music 2/10
The sound is below average. While the Lemmings sound cute with their speeches, they often start squeaking for no apparent reason. When they fall, their ''Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!'' will break your ears. The sound effects of the abilities don't sound so hot either.

Now the music would make Mozart roll in his grave. The music is just so awful it makes me cry trying to talk about it. So, let's just say it's a total failure.

Challenge 15/10
This is NOT a good rating. The game is so hard! Some levels are indeed impossible no matter what you try. If you get the passcodes from somewhere, you probably won't use them anyway. You'll think ''This level is impossible! I'm sure the next one will be worse!''. This is the correct way to think about the challenge in this game.

Overall, this game is an embarrassment to the Lemmings series. Don't get this game! Repeat, don't get this game!

Reviewer's Score: 1/10, Originally Posted: 02/20/02, Updated 02/20/02