Tomb Raider: Anniversary

First, let's appreciate the fact that Tomb Raider 1 was an ideal candidate for a remake. Don't get me wrong, it is a classic: it had good level design and many innovative mechanics, but nowadays, its clunky tank controls and blocky graphics make it hard to play for anything else than its nostalgic and cultural value. Updating the game with better visuals and gameplay was not only a great idea, it also was necessary, and TR: Anniversary did just that! Since the controls are almost the same from TR: Legend, the game is easy to get a hold of, and is great fun to play. The platforming sections are awesome, so are the movements, and the combat is satisfying - if kind of limited. On top of this, this game also tries to preserve what made the original TR great... and it absolutely nails it. The equipment system forces you to be careful with your supplies; the levels are entirely remade to feel more grounded and natural, but the layouts, puzzles and design gimmicks that made the success of TR1 are still recognizable! A great job has been done on the atmosphere: while it looks a lot better, the feeling of isolation and claustrophobia that prevailed in Lara Croft's first adventure is alive and well here, to the point that Anniversary almost gives off survival horror vibes at times – but it still have its moments of wonder and breathtaking discoveries! The cutscenes build upon the story and bring nuance to the characters, which is neat. TR:A still has flaws. Much like the original, the 5 or 6 last levels are less fun and highlight the few design flaws of the game; it is buggy; and it's sadly the only classic TR game to have been remade. But overall, it fully understands what made its predecessor so good, and greatly expands upon it. It makes the adventure a lot friendlier to modern players, without bastardizing it or dumbing it down. It makes you feel what you would have felt playing it on a PS1 in 1996, without clunky controls and experimental mechanics. It's worth a buy!

The developers made a fantastic job when remaking the original from scratch, using the new engine of the first reboot trilogy: it aged really well, and supports widescreen, high resolutions and framerate(*). The story was expanded from the original, and they added new zones full of never seen details; the animations are awesome, and shadows are a bit glithcy. Recommended for new players but also veterans of the serie! *make sure to disable fullscreen effects or the horrible motion blur will really damage your eyes, and the physics is still capped at 60 FPS in some instances, so if the game doesn't go on in cutscenes you now why now

The tombs were well designed and good to explore, however the battle system is terrible with you needing to time when the traget goes red over an enemie so you can jump out of the way and shoot a fatal shot (sometimes it requires many fatal shot not just one) and it can be very hit and miss to do, alternatively you could try shooting (the enemies have some of the worst bullet sponges ever almost taking endless amount of ammo) but in some areas you wil be surrounded and killed alomost instantly. The most fun to be had is the actual tombs and Lara's house, but there's not much exploration inbetween tombs, Laras house is fun to explore but has a wired save system, if you try Laras house first and save yoour progess before you start the main game your progress for the mansion will not save, YOU MUST START THE MAIN GAME AND CREATE A SAVE FIRST BEFORE PLAYING THE MANSION, then when you play the manison and save it will save proberly. Another issue that's actaully game breaking is a some temple you need to grapple hook a door/bridge open, it doens't work the grapple hook will not attach you have to MANUAL AIM AT THE HOOK RING BY PUSHING THE LEFT STICK AND WHILE IN THAT POSTION PRESS THE X BUTTON TO GRAPPLE HOOK then it will hook on, this bug still has not been fixed since launch. If you get some crackling audio issues restart your PC and don't mess with the audio volume when you launch the game, this fixed this issues several times for me, the issue only occured when I messed with the volume as the game was loading, probably as Windows does things differently compared to when the game was launched. The music and sounds are really good ans set a good atmosphere, it really feels and sounds like the old Tomb Raiders but looks better. Despite all the issues mentioned it's a nice old school adventure that older gamers will enjoy and appreciate, it deserves a place in your colllection. Recommended.

This one of the very early cases of remakes and people complaint because of that. But in it's essence it's very well done for the best and a bit over simplyfied. The music is upgraded with new samples but the scores remain similar. The story is the same and the screenplay somewhat altered but nothing that ruins the game. The levels are mostly remade, with different layouts but in following the same beats of the original. The characters are upgraded and given a bit more life. The big change is the gameplay, more fluid and upgraded with some QOL to bring the game to meet moder standards. This is overall a very well done Remake because it didn't went overboard and ruined what made the original great. This game was made with fans in mind and trying to bring Lara to the future of the gaming industry. It has some bugs, the camera is not the greatest, but for what it is i'de say i'ts worth it. Very relaxing and enjoyable experience, contrary to the constant battle with the controls and constant trial and error of the original. You will still die and try again, but it's a much much more continuous and enhanced experience. 5/5

the puzzles are well thought, the gameplay and graphics are fair