Tomb Raider: Anniversary

If you want to know the Essence of Tomb Raider, this is the best game to do so. This is also one of the best remakes of all time too. Captures the whole essence of Tomb Raider (1996), upgrades and expands it to a higher standard, no "reimagination" BS, just like Resident Evil 1 remake did to Resident Evil (1996). Granted, as a product of its time (2007) there is some aging to Tomb Raider: Anniversary, but it held up very well to be played nowadays, with easy compatibility and controls easy to learn. Game is challenging enough without holding your hand; you think on your own and beat the challenges. Plenty of Exploration, collectibles and unlockable extras, thus high replay value to do so.

Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a remake of the first part of the Tomb Raider series. The game is old, but this does not prevent it from delighting the player. Beautiful cinematic views, well-chosen puzzles that you cannot predict create something unusual from this game, which can be played every time as in a new way. I personally love this game.

I'd give this a 7/10 (somewhere between 3 and 4 stars). Its a 3D puzzle platformer with some 3rd-person shooting bits, probably what the original 1996 Tomb Raider was meant to be. There are gameplay parts are very similar to the Uncharted, Prince of Persia, or Assassin's Creed games, where basically you're jumping from ledge to ledge in all directions, hitting switches, and to open up new areas. The graphics are really nice especially the protagonist's "assets." The music is either non-existent or background ambience most of the time but then suddenly goes up in intensity to suit the situation. The game generally plays well and is fun but hampered by some frustrating parts, both related to the game running on Windows 11 and the game itself. Running on Windows 11, the game does not run as-is. To run correctly, the Data Execution Prevention for the .exe of game needs to be turned off. (System -> Advanced -> Advanced tab -> Performance -> Settings -> Data Execution Prevention) For the game itself, there's a lot of situations where the camera doesn't show where you need to jump (and it cannot be adjusted) and results in blind jumping / deaths. Also some things you jump to cannot be grabbed unless you first jump from a correct height which isn't always obvious, i.e.: you see the character obviously should be able to grab something but just doesn't. The "adrenaline rush" mechanic needed to beat bosses are not obvious either and the game does not give you enough practice before its needed. (hold right mouse, move left/right, don't shoot, press shift at right time, shoot once at right moment). So for those frustrating parts in-game, following some kind of guide online would be recommended, just for confirmation that you're going in the correct direction, but just doing it "wrong".

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