Tomb Raider Anniversary
Platform: PS2/PC
Does the game really suffer from Lara’s smaller cup size?
Review by Leonhart

It was 1996. Fully polygonal games were new hotness in the gaming world. What better way to accommodate this new hotness with an equally hot heroine? Surely, with the then-majority of gamers being male, the game would sell an unbelievable amount of copies. With this train of thought, Core Design crafted Lara Croft, the Tomb Raider.

Featuring a tough Brit wearing short shorts totally unfit for adventure and a skintight tank top housing a bosom that could produce enough milk to feed a small nation, Tomb Raider quickly became recognized as the game to play if you call yourself a man. Not only was she gorgeous, but she packed heat: the now-famous dual pistols. What kind of man would deny the desire to control such a protagonist through levels of adventure, treasure-seeking, and ruthless gunfights?

To commemorate Tomb Raider’s ten year anniversary, Eidos (with Crystal Dynamics, the series’ new developer) announced the aptly named Tomb Raider Anniversary (TRA), promising a recreation of everything that made the original so great. Does it live up to the hype?

Rest assured that it not only lives up to the hype, but escalates beyond it. What we have here is one of (if not the) best games of the year thus far, not to mention the best game in the entire Tomb Raider legacy.

Since the original game’s movement was based on a grid-like map system, controlling Lara was a bit frustrating. Remember how annoying it was to constantly line Lara up perfectly just to cross the smallest of gaps? No worries; using Tomb Raider Legend’s engine, all the jumping, flipping, shimmying, and general ascending in TRA is as perfect as a 3D game can get.

Fans of the original will likely recognize the locales from the very beginning. But think of how boring TRA would be if they used the exact same puzzles as the original. Luckily, Crystal Dynamics thought of this well before us gamers did, so expect the same classic puzzles but with new solutions. Remember the huge waterfall that you found yourself on top of with the objective to stop the water’s flow in order to enter a tomb? Well now you start on the bottom of the same waterfall, and the puzzle solution, while using nearly the same elements, is at the same time entirely different. Since Lara can now do a lot more actions than she could in the original, swinging, rope climbing, column jumping, and more are used to solve these puzzles.

Adding to the adventure of the Tomb Raider games are the many wild animals that seem to have a hatred for Lara. This is no different in TRA, so anticipate being swarmed by packs of wolves, bears, bats, and more. However, the camera often fails to keep up with the frantic action, regularly causing you to unknowingly run into a wall, pit, or other obstacle, allowing the attacker to unleash a brutal strike on Lara. It doesn’t completely ruin the combat experience, but it’s frustrating nonetheless. TRA features a new element in combat termed the Adrenaline system which, if executed properly, will cause time to slow down, allowing Lara to deliver a fatal headshot. This is implemented into most of the boss fights as well. And yes, the T-Rex returns.

Improving on Tomb Raider Legend’s engine, TRA is an absolute sight to behold. Don’t be surprised if you often find yourself moving the camera around just to look at the scenery. It’s absolutely beautiful, and one of the best-looking PS2 games available. Lara Croft herself is stunning as usual, and I’m sure most gamers will be rotating the camera just to get a good look at her as well. The only complaint in the graphical department is that some of the enemies don’t quite match up to the rest of the game, featuring somewhat ugly models and choppy animation.

Adding on to the beauty of the games visuals is the games audio. The music, created by the series original composer, Troels Folmann, is superb and stunning. Paying homage to the original, many pieces were recreated, including the popular Tomb Raider main theme and the battle themes. When the music is not playing, the ambiance adds a lot to the experience. If Lara is in a forest environment, expect to hear birds, leaves blowing, trees swaying, and so on. When Lara is in a tomb, expect to hear low drones, eerie wind, and stones tumbling and cracking. Simply outstanding.

Overall, Tomb Raider Anniversary lives up to the potential of a Tomb Raider remake and so much more. For gamers new to Tomb Raider, there is no better alternative to convince you of the greatness of the series. For those who have followed Lara Croft through all or most of her adventures, you won’t be disappointed. Lara Croft has never been better.

Gameplay: 9.5/10
Graphics: 9.5/10
Sound: 10/10
Story: 8/10
Lasting Appeal: 7/10
Playtime: 20+ Hours

Final Score: 9/10