Tomb Raider: Anniversary

The game looks amazing running at 1080p and 144hz but make sure to turn off fullscreen effects in the settings because otherwise you'll experience the most horrendous form of motion blur I have ever witnessed no lie. Especially so when you press Z to activate manual aiming. Oh and there is to my knowledge no controller button icons only for mouse and keyboard.

TR: Anniversary is a great example of how remakes of old game hits should be done. From quality POV it can be compared to Black Mesa. And besides of it - TR: Anniversary also has a very good gameplay, with much more focus on level exploration and puzzles than on action, if compared to previous game, TR: Legend. Summary: the whole trilogy (TR: Legend, TR: Anniversary, TR: Underworld) is very fine and entertaining, and this one is one of the best in trilogy, and in the whole TR series as well.

Of the first reboot trilogy, this game stands out as the odd one. It features the hardest puzzles, most complex platforming, non-linear levels, and the most pasted on plot. Where Legend and Underworld are action-adventure as the genre, with platforming and puzzles as main mechanics, Anniversary is an exploration-puzzle-platformer foremost, with an adventure theme on top. It features many mechanics from the original, lacking in the other reboot titles (sadly no inventory puzzles though). I have a huge respect for for the respect they Crystal Dynamics showed themselves to the material, retaining its feel, despite having had a clearly different vision for what Tomb Raider games should be. While it isn't possible, as in a 2D game, to switch between the original and modern graphics, it is an almost room-for-room remake. Some puzzles and fights are changed (overall for the better), some levels are enlarged and, obviously, the far greater processing power allowed the developers to fill in what was previously left to the imagination, but it brought that experience of playing 'the same game, only modern' (in 2006) that fans of any classic crave. In terms of gameplay, it is the best of the three, and in my eyes the best 3D platformer out there. The difficulty balance, including the amount and hiding of the secrets are perfect: it is chanllenging without getting frustrating and you seriously feel that you can do it 100% yourself if you wish, without resorting to watching a playthrough. I would however hesitate to call it the best Tomb Raider: the focus change, giving more attention to the story and much better graphics allowed Underworld to truly invoke (and beat) that magical feeling of being in an Indiana Jones film, previously provided only by 'Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine'. Despite the sometimes frustrating camera, it - and the whole trilogy- can still be recommended today, unlike the much more mechanically and graphically dated original series.

This is a great remake, but be aware that it is buggy. The first time I wasn't able to finish it because of some scripted event just not activating. It might help to enable VSync, the second time I played this everything worked with this hint from the net. Controls are ok, but sometimes Lara just doesn't do what she is supposed to. Jumping in a weird angle, or just refusing to jump at all. Patience in these situations is a virtue, but it makes an already tough game (especially near the end) even tougher. After all it doesn't feel as polished as Legend. But was it worth it? Yes, in the end I'm glad I played through it. The atmosphere, the reimaginations of the classic levels, that's all top notch!