Tomb Raider: Anniversary

Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a 2007 action-adventure video game, part of the Tomb Raider series. It is a remake/re-imagining of the first video game in the series, the original 1996 Tomb Raider, and is the eighth entry in the series overall.

The game was co-developed by Crystal Dynamics and Buzz Monkey Software for the PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2, Windows and Wii.

Why it Rocks

 * 1) Top-notch graphics and environments with a lot of detail. Like the original, it takes full advantage of the hardware at the time.
 * 2) Totally remastered soundtrack, this time being totally orchestral and choral.
 * 3) Very fluid and responsive controls, unlike the tank-like controls from the first game.
 * 4) Lots of secrets and unlockables.
 * 5) Lara looks amazing! She retains her classic design while using her current model.
 * 6) Every stage contains hidden relics which can be used to unlock bonuses.
 * 7) Some areas were changed a little, while others were expanded.
 * 8) New enemies and bosses. The T-Rex from the original is now a boss instead of a regular enemy.
 * 9) Some ports include new features absent in other ports.
 * 10) The Wii port was totally remade to adjust to the motion controls. It also features additional puzzles not found in the other versions of the game.
 * 11) Intuitive and clever puzzles, some of which take a little more thought than they did originally.
 * 12) Some of the game mechanics introduced in the previous game, Tomb Raider: Legend, are applied to this one.
 * 13) The story and characters are more fleshed out in this game, with plenty of banter between Lara and the other characters, all helped by new and re-recorded dialogue and good voice acting.
 * 14) * One character, Pierre Dupont gets a lot more screen time, showing up in cutscenes, and receiving more dialogue compared to the original (it also helps that he's voiced by Jim Ward).
 * 15) * We also learn a lot more about the villain, Jacqueline Natla, than we did in the original, and she's far more menacing as well.
 * 16) Time Trial mode returns from Legend, adding replay value.
 * 17) Lara has access to many costumes, including a very accurate recreation of her original low polygon model!

Bad Qualities

 * 1) There are some minor issues with the camera at times, often being positioned at strange angles.
 * 2) While it is cool to see the "Midas' Touch" death in the game, it isn't as nightmare-ish as it was in the original, and the texture of the gold doesn't look very good.
 * 3) Some bosses are nothing more than quick time events (or "Quick Actions" as the game call them).

Reception
Tomb Raider Anniversary was well received. GameSpot said "This is one of those rare cases when the remake is better than the original" and awarded Anniversary 7.5/10.

Eurogamer called the game "the best Lara Croft adventure to date". Official UK PlayStation Magazine gave the game a very positive review, awarding it a 9/10.

Overall, the game scored 73% (Wii) to 84% (PC) on GameRankings, and 73/100 (Wii) to 83/100 (PC) on Metacritic,

Generally, the game was widely praised for fixing almost every issue while remaining faithful to the original, with minor criticism going towards certain camera angles.

Videos
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