Tomb Raider: Anniversary

It takes the inspirational level design of the original, improves upon the atmosphere, and makes the whole thing so much more fun thanks to the hugely refined control and camera system. Far from being a tired, cynical cash-in exercise of a brand past its prime, Tomb Raider Anniversary goes back to its roots and shows how remakes should be done.

The graphics are stunning on any console, the voice-acting and writing is more Hollywood quality, and the level designs feature obstacles that have been featured in many adventure films. It's perfect in a way that reminds us of Lara's past yet introduces us to modern game physics and design.

An enjoyable action-adventure which takes the best bits from the first Tomb Raider and updates them with better playability, nicer graphics and deeper puzzles. A surprisingly good rehash of the old. [June 2007]

Consider this game a creative homage rather than a remake of all things Lara Croft, and a perfect chance for newcomers and diehards alike to jump back into the series' seminal single-player action. [Aug 2007, p.60]

Summing it up, Tomb Raider: Anniversary is what Legend should have been: a game with less emphasis on action and more on puzzles which require a combination of brains and agility.

With Tomb Raider: Anniversary Crystal Dynamics has successfully updated one of 3D gaming's first classics. It combines everything we loved about the original with the modern gameplay mechanics of Legend.

It's the best Tomb Raider game in absolutely years, but it's very telling that this is still a remake of the 11-year-old version. [July 2007, p.60]

The bottom line is this: Tomb Raider Anniversary is a great game. It's perfect for any Tomb Raider fans or just fans of the action/adventure genre alone.

In the end, though, it's a testament to the game's quality that even in the face of the imperfect camera and combat, the wonderful adventuring aspects manage to make up for whatever other shortcomings this game may possess. [July 2007, p.54]

Due to the occasional frame rate dip and the inevitable, constant circle strafing, this re-imagining of Ms. Croft’s premier pursuit falls just short of top shelf. But the new control scheme has made it infinitely more playable, and the additions of quick time events and new areas tint it modern, and the grand cave explorer from 1996 is still intact, and still fantastic.

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a wonderful update to a great classic game.

Anniversary is a great game that stops just short of excellence due to a few nagging issues.

This is “vintage” Tomb Raider, given a facelift, and sparkling as a result. It is fun to play, and fun to watch.

It's a good game, a solid remake, but having said that, 11 years on, it was never going to garner the awe-struck plaudits of a gobsmacked world. [July 2007, p.60]

The visuals are grander and Lara has some new tricks up her sleeve, but no effort has been made to flesh out the negligible story.

In summary, I loved playing Tomb Raider: Anniversary, in fact I enjoyed it to the extent of often staying up way too late just wanting to see what came next or trying to get through a particularly difficult section. I would thoroughly recommend this game, both to fans of the original, and newcomers alike.

Everything a remake should be. It makes the most of modern technology to bring a classic game world up to date, throws in simple but intuitive controls and doesn't rely on constant fire-fights to bring excitement.

The controls are light-years better than the original but still aren't solid like Prince of Persia's; the graphics are beyond anything the original could muster and kick the crud out of the PS2 version; and the puzzles are just as tough as the original, but the enemies are just as lame.

The success of Tomb Raider: Anniversary is twofold; it does well by the memory of the original Tomb Raider, and also makes a dynamic action adventure game that's fun to play in 2007.

Tomb Raider Anniversary offers some nice, solid gameplay for both newcomers to the series and experienced players. Grand, complex, puzzles brings great challenges and adventure.

It's clearly worthy of the spit and polish it's received. [July 2007, p.70]

A fantastic throwback to those heady days, and hopefully a lot of other game developers will study what Crystal Dynamics has done here long and hard before sitting down to design their next platformer.

Anniversary continues what 2006’s Tomb Raider Legend started--cleansing the palate from the sour taste left by some of her prior outings.

The main thing is that despite some of its obvious drawbacks, Tomb Raider: Anniversary is quite enjoyable. It takes you back to the days of leaping across ravines, sliding down misty passageways and performing a variety of stunts and acrobatics.