Tomb Raider: Anniversary

I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did, however this essentially fixes the issues with the original tomb raider by modernising the controls and environments, borderline making the original obsolete for non-diehard fans of the franchise.

Interestingly, this is a sequel to another game rather than it being a pure remake of the original, as such the story is slightly different as it accommodates elements that the reboot series wanted to incorporate rather than it being a retelling of the original story. I vastly prefer this updated story as it brings more depth into Lara character whilst retaining her girl boss persona that many have come to love over the years (and many copycats in recent years have come to misunderstand, particularly the Disney variety.) Of course, the true star of the show is the updated gameplay which effortlessly translates everything iconic about the original game into a less restrictive environment with said environments being beautiful to look at. It even fixes some of the historical mistakes the original made (mostly from the Greek levels) whilst tweaking the puzzles in these areas to correct these mistakes without changing the core element they had. If you want more info on what this game does right, check out what I wrote about Tomb Raider as all of that game's positive points also apply here.

It's a wonderful remake that takes the original in new and exciting directions without being disrespectful to what it had previously achieved (again unlike anything Disney remakes which is done out of spite and self-embarrassment.) If you're looking to get into the tomb raider franchise, this is a good entry point as even though it's a sequel, the story is easy to follow without knowledge of what previously happened.

Early Tomb Raider mixed with late Prince of Persia, exploration was kind of its own puzzle and here's something equivalent with this traversal sections. It is repetitive, almost experimental, for that same reason some people love it. The mechanisms get intricate, you got to stay on your toes. Legend was meant to regain momentum for the IP, this one celebrates its origins with a more silent, solitary experience. Navigating this big rooms can be relaxing. The enemy encounters are spread to break the monotony, nothing fancy. It has absolutely no interest in story, some minor cutscenes here and there could be removed altogether and no one would notice. Controls aren't perfect but they're fine, it's good that you can actually miss some jumps, people don't apply the same standards to every franchise. It sits at a weird middle ground between two eras that aren't particulary celebrated, PS1 3D platformers and pre-Uncharted action-adventure. I like it, it certainly is more fun and interesting than most of the survivor trilogy.

About a year ago I decided to check out the Tomb Raider trilogy on PS3 after hearing it was decent and that the Uncharted games drew inspiration from this series. I tried previously to get into the original Tomb Raider on PS1 but the controls, camera, and graphics were just so poorly aged and awkward that I couldn't get past the first few levels. Anniversary is a pretty faithful remake to the original, keeping the same areas and many of the puzzles are the same. There of course are entirely new areas and puzzles, along with new enemies. Which is fine because the original game hasn't shown is age well. This game controls decent, has pretty solid design, and doesn't drag out too long. Although I'll admit there are some awkward platforming moments that if you don't perform exactly right can instantly kill you and the combat in this while improved from the first Tomb Raider, is pretty bad and consists of spamming your guns while jumping around like an idiot. I mean theres not much else to say, it improves on the original Tomb Raider in every way and is a solid platformer. Yeah the story is pretty bare bones and it does have some awkward design and segments occasionally, but for the most part its a decent game, and probably the best Tomb Raider game of that generation.

Tomb Raider Anniversary is a complete remake of the first game. There have been a few additions and changes in gameplay, much like the 2002 Resident Evil remake, but im told that they improved the original game. If this is any indicative of what classic Tomb Raider is all about however, then i hugely prefer the direction they took the franchise in 2013. I much prefer this series as an Uncharted clone than the what i found in this game.

Basically the game is comprised of 90% platforming and 10% combat, neither of which is done well. The controls are clunky and feel unresponsive a lot of times. Its common for glitches to happen when you jump into places you are not supposed to or try to make shortcuts. The game is incredibly linear in the way that it approaches the platforming sections, and this coupled with the bad controls and high difficulty at times can lead to frustrating moments. The combat on the other hand is very barebones, as it features auto aim. It does allow for some cool slow motion dodges with payback headshots, but it gets repetitive fast.

The story might not even be there. It features some of the most unintentionally funny dialogue i have seen in a game, and none of the characters are minimally interesting.

All around a pretty mediocre game, and i think it killed my interest in the early games of this series for me.