3D Lemmings

"A superb 3D version of a classic"

Most successful games of the 2D era have gotten 3D sequels by now. Few of the 3D sequels bear any resemblance to their predecessors. For example, Mario 64 was excellent, but with star collecting, punching, kicking, and having a life meter, the gameplay bears little resemblance to the original Super Mario Bros. Lemmings 3D, in my opinion, is one of the best 3D transitions ever. It keeps almost everything that made Lemmings so great, and fixes many of its flaws.

Graphics: 8

Note that I am giving it an 8 in retrospect, in comparison to other games around the time. Lemmings 3D may be the very first 3D graphics engine with deformable terrain; primitive compared to what we have today, but revolutionary compared to what existed then.

Compared to the original Lemmings, this game is exponentially better graphically. The original's standard graphical motif was a solid back background, with clumps of dirt and steel girders making up platforms. Lemmings 3D features 10 different motifs, ranging from golf courses to starship corridors straight out of Alien. Each motif has its own distinctive 3D background, skybox, textures, architecture, and music. This eliminates the feeling of repetition and tedium that plagued the original.

Sound: 10

The sound effects are kind of annoying, but the music is great! Each motif has at least two sound tracks; a standard version of the song, and a more grueling version. The standard version usually means the level is a laid-back puzzle, while the more intense version usually signifies a deadly obstacle course. The music is in the long-dead CDA format, which means you can play your favorite tracks any time.

Control: 4

The control is rather counter-intuitive. Lemmings 3D adds a handy lemming selector which makes giving orders to one lemming in a cluster a snap, and a 1st person view option makes timing much easier. Unfortunately, the camera takes lots of practice to use. You can set up four cameras and switch between them with the press of a button, but placing them is a chore. Fortunately, you can pause before struggling with the camera so your lemmings don't get ahead of you. Once the camera is in a good position, controlling things is simple, until you need to move the camera again. Now just try to imagine doing this, but controlling the mouse cursor with a Playstation gamepad, and you can easily see why the PSX version was a certified flop.

Gameplay: 10

This is the best part of Lemmings 3D. The original Lemmings had simple, yet addictive gameplay. You had to help a group of lemmings escape from a series of mazes and caverns by giving them simple orders, such as ''dig'' and ''climb'' and ''build staircase.'' When you gave them no orders, they walked in single file, blindly ahead into whatever traps and hazards were in their course. This 3D remake keeps the classic gameplay, but in a 3D world. The 3D implementation ranges from unecessary to obscenely clever, usually closer to the latter. Out of 80 levels, there were only 8 that I did not feel added a fresh challenge. You will need to learn how to think in 3D in order to beat the game at ''mayhem'' level, but you'll get plenty of easier levels first, which do a good job of gradually introducing you to the game.

In conclusion, this is one of the greatest and most faithful 3D update of a classic game I've ever seen. Anyone who likes any kind of mental challenge should make an effort to play this game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/27/02, Updated 06/15/04