Pitfall Harry E3 Preshow Report

Activision will have Pitfall Harry on display at its booth on the E3 show floor. The 3D action adventure is the latest game in the long-running Pitfall series, and it throws the intrepid explorer into a new adventure set deep in the jungles of South America. The game will have you negotiate a variety of challenges in 50 levels. Some levels are designed to present obstacles like rolling logs, swinging vines, and dangerous creatures in a rather linear fashion, which are what Activision calls the "pathways to adventure" levels. Other parts of the game are more open and require that players solve puzzles.

Pitfall Harry will face a variety of dangers while searching for lost treasure, such as hidden crocodiles, agile apes, and menacing human foes. Yet the game avoids representing Harry's setbacks as anything more than an obstacle. Even the jaws of a crocodile don't kill Harry, as instead he'll pry open the jaws and jump back to his last safe position. The game features a total of eight South American environments, including deep jungles, dark tombs, Aztec ruins, and glacial mountains.

Pitfall Harry will be simultaneously released for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube, and there will also be a Game Boy Advance game with similar features. Activision plans to ship Pitfall Harry this fall.