Amazon.com: Tomb Raider Anniversary: Playstation 2: Video Games

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4.5 out of 5 stars (46 customer reviews)

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31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellence Revisited, June 22, 2007

By	Review Lover "ReviewLover" (At a place...) - See all my reviews

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars

"Tomb Raider Anniversary" could have so easily been little more than a stop-gap rehash of the original, using the same engine and graphics as 2005's brilliant-yet-tiny "Tomb Raider Legend". You couldn't really blame the developers for overlooking the now-ancient PS2 technological limits for something more flash like the new-gen consoles, and yet, those geniuses at Crystal Dynamics and Eidos have really taken great pains with this to remake it into something different, new and fun.

GRAPHICS: 5/5

When I first played TR: Legend, I had several honest-to-god "Wow!" moments because of the gorgeous visuals. "Tomb Raider Anniversary" gave me more than that, it couples the "Wow!" factor with a hefty dose of nostalgia and some insanely detailed models that are totally reminiscent of the feel of the original 1996 game, while still managing to be new and fresh and engaging. Level design is changed to accommodate Lara's new movement style, but are still recognizable enough to make us fans of the original game grin from ear-to-ear with the familiarity of the settings. For example: the water-filled subterranean room in The Great Pyramid is so nostalgic as to be breathtaking, but requires a whole new thought process and set of puzzle solutions to traverse. Similarly, St. Francis' Folly, arguably the first level in the history of video games that really proved the

worth of the 3D environment, looks so familiar, but plays very differently. The upshot of this is a game that will not only thrill newcomers, but will make us old-time Tomb Raiders sit back and remember exactly why we fell so much in love with Lara Croft in the first place.

Character and monster designs are, as you'd expect after TR: Legend, simply beautiful, only now more so: this is certainly the most beautiful incarnation of Lara to date, and all of her co-stars in this adventure are great examples of what can still be achieved when talented people program for the PS2. The only exception, oddly, is Jacqueline Natla - she looks more supernatural than before, and less plausible - but that's just some odd character design, not badly executed graphics.

SOUND: 5/5

As with the graphics, the sound designers of "Tomb Raider Anniversary" must be praised excessively for creating an aural atmosphere that will grab and entertain not only newbies to this series, but that will also make fans of the series remember the original atmosphere with delight. Gone is Lara's PDA - no interruptions from colleagues pepper the silence of the tombs and jungles here - and the music is a brilliantly re-imagined rendition of the original's themes.

PLAYABILITY: 5/5

I know I've been walking down memory lane here for a while - this game is just so across-the-board reminiscent of the original - but where this updated version of "Tomb Raider" really comes into its own is with the control system. It's basically the same brilliant engine as TR: Legend, but rejigged and tightened to make "Tomb Raider Anniversary" an absolute joy to play. You won't be falling to your death or making silly mistakes because of controls (the camera, as with all 3D games, does cause some moments of frustration, however these are few and far between), and Lara in combat mode is now a much more challenging and rewarding thing: you can't just point and shoot anymore, you really do need to think.

LASTIBILITY: 4/5

This game is tougher and longer than TR: Legend, so it's nice to see that Crystal Dynamics really listened to the critics of the 2005 game - levels are bigger, there are more of them, enemies are tougher with a progressive difficulty curve, and traps and puzzles are now more involved, with far more emphasis on Lara's (and your) acrobatic ability.

But it's still a little short.

It's MUCH better than TR: Legend - a twelve to fourteen-hour playtime the first time you go through it, and as before, there are multiple ways to complete a level, and multiple rewards for doing so, particularly in time trial mode, but it's still a bit too short. The reason I love the original TR games on the PSOne is for their longevity - this game, while absolutely breathtaking in all other areas, is still no match for the length of the first three.

Still, compared to most contemporary videogames, it's absolutely fine, and in and of itself is a rewarding and challenging game, full of respectful nods to the original, and full of new tricks and features to keep us all entertained.

OVERALL: 4.5/5

Buy it now. I can't recommend it highly enough, "Tomb Raider Anniversary" is a stunning game. If you liked the original, or if you're just curious to see what all the fuss is about, "Tomb Raider Anniversary" represents the pinnacle of Lara Croft's exploits, both technically and artistically.

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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Happy Anniversary!, June 7, 2007

By	A. Bennett "Will 'vouge' For Food" (New Hampsha) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars

Lara Croft aka "Tomb Raider" makes her final bow on the PS2 after her rocky start with "Angel of Darkness". And how wonderful it all is! "Anniversary" is just that--a celebration of how Lara's media career began and where it's leading her. The end product is a solid, highly enjoyable, and nostalgic game that will please any fan of the series and is a great intro for those new to the adventure.

Graphically "Anniversary" is near perfect. I'm not a tech-head so most of the terms are lost on me. What I do know is what you'll see...lush, detail enviroments that beg to be explored. Fans of the original will definately explode when exploring these old haunts with a graphical face lift. It's darn near perfect! While the controls may seem akward intially (especially to out of practice raiders and new players) after some practice runs in Lara's mansion...you'll be a-okay to rock out!!

The challenge of the series is one of the things I like most and this entry is challenging enough and (though a remake of sorts) fresh enough that it's easy to become totally addicted.

The price is easy on the budget folks so no excuse to not give this gem of a game a good try!

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Be prepared to have sore, bleeding, fingers..., June 14, 2007

By	T. Jordan "Towel" (Huntsville) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars

I think it's so awful how this game comes in having to be redone to fill in the lack of serious true adventure games. It just proves Tomb Raider is really one of the best long lasting adventure games ever and I was more than honored to play this bad boy keeping up over these 11 years. This is a serious game, no holding hands like TR: Legend. Either you got the guts or you don't in this one. Thankfully after dying numerous times, pain stakingly finding all the rewards (except time trials), and dying another round of times, I found that in five days I had the guts as I completed this hardheaded game pounding in the last four levels in one longggggggggg night of terror. Terror that's all worth it and fun.

First get used to the controls. I started feeling like Lara was too loose, too fast, I had her all over the place until I finally got back control and saw how fluid she really was. You can do just about anything in this game.

The fighting is pulse pounding. You're literally IN on the action. There's not leaping sideways or away or backwards. You leap, you pause a moment of shooting. I had wolves GRAB my arm and try to drag me away. I had demon spawns shoot down on me and try to lift me away. Beware though that in fighting the camera can get jumbled up if space is tight and you're against a wall. But the sound of the pistols, the music, and the provided action letting you make the decisions on what to do is great. The BEST part of the fighting is the critical shots and the BEST battle is with the T-REX and the semi-final mutant blob of a boss. If anything, buy this game to fight the T-REX. I found myself pausing the game and cheering for Lara taking deep breathes after I killed him. It was so thrilling. Same with other enemies. You'll find yourself pleased with Lara and cheering her forward on her mission.

The enviornments are crazyyyyyy. There was so much work put into this game and it shows even for the PS2 I suppose. Lara's world is bright, dark, haunting, engaging, thrilling. Once you get to Eygpt, be prepared to die, die, die, and die again. I found this to be the most challenging level all the way through especially when I found myself in the dank trap ridden hallways (takes a breath). I'll also count this is the level I'd least like to repeat as for awhile it felt like it dragged on and on. Same with the race to get to the top where the Scion is located in the lost city inside the great pyramid. You will die, die, die, die, and die again while trying to grapple, time, and shoot your way to the top. SO MUCH FUN!

One of the things I liked MOST about this game is the story. You really get to know Lara in this one as it takes the original up four or five notches. It's filled in so many ways with her character development. I won't tell much however (watch Lara's expressions in the cut scenes), just get ready for a lot of smiles as you see Lara up close and personal. Even the bad guys are a lot of fun to watch come alive.

I noticed the most of the changes from the original to this edition. Some things are obvious and some aren't. Things are repositioned. Like instead of running to find the "gold-turning hand" in a remote part of Greece, it's actually been compacted along with the pool and several other things at the start. So there's a LOT less running around to room after room after room in this version. Everything is tightened up to make more room for new and exciting other things.

This game is fantastic. It put me through a lot and it's worth it. Now before I replay it I'll take a break then come back to enjoy it again. If anyone has any concerns about how TR games have been lately then just... I dunno... get over it. More than anything the series has progressed. It's moving forward and changing. Yes, Legends was short, pretty easy, and had way too many unisolated moments where it felt like a Tom Clancy game in my opinion (only because she's always shooting men). But the games have progressed and it's great to see more of Lara. After so long you questioning fans shouldn't give up. This game really takes you back to where it all started while moving forward to the next level of Tomb Raider.