Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Genre: Action Adventure
Rating: T (Teen)
Number of Players: 1

The Tomb Raider series was on the forefront of 3D gaming around its conception over a decade ago. Lara Croft was a prominent heroine who loved spelunking for the sake of the catch. Her shoot-outs that would enrage PETA protesters and acrobatic maneuvers earned her a spot in many gamers’ hearts, but that was all a long time. Realizing this, Crystal Dynamics released a remake of the original Tomb Raider using the engine developed for TR: Legend but don’t think you’re just getting a pretty replica. TR: Anniversary has been built from the ground up to provide a charismatic balance between the past and the present.  

The Story
Just like the original, the plot follows the same story of Lara on the race to hunt down the Scion of Atlantis before Natlas and her lackeys take the prize. Making your way through Egypt, Peru, and Greece, you'll have to overcome obstacles ranging from death defying leaps to gorillas who just don't want to see you around. While the story still takes place in the same three major locations, a lot of the tombs have been redesigned, or at least added on to; so you won't find yourself playing the exact game over again. With a revamped engine that makes Croft control like a super hero, Anniversary is undoubtedly one of the better titles this series has seen.

Gameplay
Lara Croft has always been known for her excellence in acrobatics, but the technological improvements over the years have shown just how much this series was capable of growing. In the first few installments especially, we all had our fair share of difficulties from not being able to time jumps right or being unable to hop from ledge to ledge with any degree of success. A big part of the game previously felt like trial and error because of all the fumbling you had to do with the controls. But now this is no longer a problem.

Croft now comes equipped with all the latest moves. She can swing from ropes, run on walls with the help of her grapple hook, and even balance on pillars. The game allows for a wider margin of error than in previous releases, which effectively puts you in control of the situation without making the experience overbearingly easy. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself dangling from a ledge by one hand because you didn’t quite time your jump right, but as a whole the controls feel much more fluid. Instead of being bound by the controls, you’re free to expand your mind and visualize the puzzles without having to worry about physical limitations.

While the camera is certainly much less foreboding than it was before, it can still be a hindrance at times. A big part of TR: Anniversary relies on solving puzzles that are unfathomable in size. If you’re used to pushing a few blocks in order to reach a higher platform, be prepared to have your definition of a puzzle game redefined. As such, you’ll come across massive tombs and environments that span across a large area. The only problem with this is that it’s nearly impossible to get a good view of the area you’re about to be working in, which detracts from all the predetermined thought you would normally put in to solving said puzzles. You can get very close to a first person view if you enter the manual aim mode, but even in this mode it can be hard to understand exactly what you’re dealing with.

This flaw, if you will, has both pros and cons though. The positive side to all of this is that your lack of information on the area should challenge you to go out and explore things for yourself. If all you see is a ledge in front of you but you’re unable to see if it’s connected to anything, you’re best bet is to hop on and go for a ride. In addition to the required events needed to progress through the game, there are literally hundreds of side quests you can go on to discover hidden treasure in order to unlock special content. It’s incredibly easy for the impatient gamer to run through levels without taking a second glance, but any true Tomb Raider fan knows that a true spelunker would do nothing of such sort. If you like to have everything spelled out for you the lack of a definite sense of direction might seem overwhelming, but those risk-takers out there who love the thrill of adventure should have a blast exploring this game’s uniquely designed levels.

The combat system in Tomb Raider has always been of lesser importance, but it’s nice to see the developers trying to spice things up a little bit. Before, all you had to do was lock-on to enemies and fire away to your heart’s content. Sure you had a few different types of weapons at your disposal, but as a whole locking on to gorillas and tigers and bats tires out pretty fast. To add on to all of the new acrobatic jumps and dives you can perform for protection, the active dodging minigame is a nice touch. Basically, if you jump out of the way at just the right moment time will slow down and two reticules will appear on the screen. If you pull the trigger right as the two reticules meet at your enemy’s head you just performed a one-hit kill. Situations like these, as well as the interactive cinematic sequences, don’t add a ton of depth, but the game is definitely better off with their inclusion.

Graphics and Sound
If you’re still buying PS2 games, chances are that visuals aren’t the top priority on your list, but that doesn’t mean you want to buy games that are ugly as sin. TR: Anniversary does a splendid job with the level design and encompassing effects. For instance, in a jungle environment the trees look lush, the rivers flow with clear water, and overall it feels like the world you’re in is actively alive. The texture details are just standard, and this game is filled with jagged edges on almost every edge, but in the big scheme of things you won’t be upset with the visuals.

The sound department went above and beyond to further add to the feeling of life in the environments. The ambient sound effects are easily the most notable feature. While you play the game you probably declare how well a bird squawking in the background makes you feel like you’re actually exploring in a jungle, but all the little nuances add up to create a strong illusion. With well orchestrated music, noticeable sound depth cues, simply well done sound effects the audio will make good use of a surround sound system. The only problem here is that the voice acting can get a little cheesy at times, but these instances are far and few apart.

Conclusion
Hardened Tomb Raider fans and newcomers alike have something to rejoice about in regards to Tomb Raider: Anniversary on the PS2. The updated engine and revamped levels provide a whole set of new challenges without drastically changing the formula, so there’s no reason at all to feel like the developers hacked apart a perfectly good game. Newcomers should love the relatively easy learning curve when compared to other Tomb Raider titles, making this the perfect choice if you’ve never played this series before.

Tomb Raider: Anniversary Official Website
 

Gameplay Graphics Sound Story Value 4.0 3.5 4.5 4.0 4.0 Scores are out of 5

What the other guys are saying: Game Informer: 8.5/10 UGO: B+ GameSpot: 8.0/10 IGN: 7.8/10 Game Trailers: 8.5/10