Tomb Raider Anniversary

Written by Dan Thompson in PS2 Game Reviews, Saturday 20 September, 2008

Released: 2007
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Eidos
Genre: Action/Adventure
Platform: PS2

Unlocking The Past in a New Way

It's been over ten years since the first Tomb Raider was released on the PSOne, but as the famous quote states: “Sometimes To Understand Your Present, You Have To Go Back To Your Past” and that's exactly what Tomb Raider Anniversary gives. However can the original allow for further improvements for this well known series?

Well to be honest this is the most refreshing and breathtaking Tomb Raider to date and Crystal Dynamics have pulled out all the stops to produce a game of excellently high standards, both graphically and in playability.

What is Tomb Raider Anniversary? - Well as a special thanks to Tomb Raider fans, Crystal Dynamics teamed up with Eidos again to re-release the very original game but this time with an improved engine, improved graphics and better level design, plus a load of extras thrown into boot.

So who is Lara Croft? Introduce Lara Croft - an English Archaeologist and main protagonist of the game and let's face it you'll find it hard to find someone who doesn't know who she is. At the age of nine she lost her mother in a plane crash in the Himalayan Mountains resulting her being in the care of her father, the Earl of Abbingdon. He himself an archaeologist, taught Lara the value of History and learning about the past and since his death she has pursued her own course through history, digging up relics and carrying on her father's legacy.

The game begins with Lara being hired by Natla, a powerful CEO of a huge industry who has turned to finding ancient artefacts. Lara is hired to find the pieces of the Scion - a powerful relic associated with the lost civilisation of Atlantis, however it soon becomes apparent that Natla's intentions are not to benign as Lara is pursued by Larson Conway, a bounty hunter employed by anyone who has money. And so the search for the pieces of the Scion turns into a race with Lara twisting and turning through the to be expected tombs, caves, waterways etc against formidable opponents such as Larson Conway and Pierre DuPont.

As storylines go for games, this one is apparent that it is extremely well laid out, though predictable at times and its really thrilling to get into the race to find the relic fighting your way through tigers, wolves and bears. Nothing has been changed storyline wise in relation to the original Tomb Raider, but that's a good thing. Just imagine the whole game being changed - there would be no point releasing it as an Anniversary.

As for characters, Tomb Raider Anniversary offers a personality driven plot. Lara herself though charming and full of English wit, is tough and aggressive when needed to be. Natla - a crafty character driven by money and power, Larson - the game clown always turning up in second place both physically and mentally to Lara, and DuPont an interesting character with secretive agendas only known to himself.

It's quite a classic bunch of characters that work well as a game cast providing moments of tension and comedy at simultaneous moments throughout the game.

Graphics are simply amazing at times with fantastic lighting effects beaming down in over-run debris filled temples creating unusual shadows everywhere. Every setting featured in the game has been re-vamped with better 3D technology making everything seem so much more realistic with intricate detail spreading out everywhere, whether it the leaves in the trees, the rippling water rushing down from the waterfall or the Aztec design curving around each pedestal.

The use of colour is fantastic, making the surroundings so much more life like in terms of what you come to expect from graphically stunning games rivalling the Final Fantasy series. The great thing about the use of colour and lighting, means that a vast atmosphere is created meaning when your in the jungles of Peru you feel stuck out in a vast enclosure with anywhere to go with caverns, ledges and columns leaking off in every directions, whilst when inside caves in the mountainside you generally feel claustrophobic and desperate to get out into open space.

Lara as usual has the most detail worked upon to create her mostly with curves and features every female will envy from the sultry well positioned eyes to the tender figure that acrobats blissfully in and out of obstacles. It is apparent though that the sex appeal has been brought back with a vengeance emphasising her 'assets' in the camera.

It may seem sexist but it works well for the character and for the game and carries on what the original started and that's what counts.

I do feel however that the other characters miss out graphically with work being skimmed across. It is obvious at times that not enough detail has been paid to the support cast as for example Larson's face looks something out of the PSOne era, with glitching lip movement, no facial features apart from eyes, a nose and a mouth. It's really disappointing to see actually and lets the game down.

Animation has been improved with the Tomb Raider Legend engine being used making Lara's movement very swift, graceful and precise. It's so easy now to grapple onto ledges, making those disliked run and jumps and also those block like animal fights. Remember back in the day you had to turn to face the direction first before running in order to go the way you wanted? Well now thanks to the Legend Engine Lara can do absolutely anything even pull boxes diagonally so there's no more stopping and starting. This as a result makes the game so much more fluid and it's a real enjoyment to play.

It's also wonderful to see that the animals that you fight also move with such grace and you see the movements of each individual animal more clearly. For example lions leap through the air steadily where as gorillas pound the ground with their fists.

There are the obvious glitches you find in almost every Tomb Raider game however, with Lara sometimes falling through scenery or her feet actually walking through the floor rather than on it. This is very frustrating at times but to be honest doesn't let the game down in a huge way.

Sound is used to great effect in Anniversary as well adding greatly to the atmosphere created throughout the game. Piano and violin strings pang out in all the right moments to create tense moments of battle or soft tunes play out whilst calmer moments carry out. Even the obvious sound effects used such as shooting your guns and diving into water has become even more crisp and clear thanks to the Dolby Pro Logic II sound station used within the game.

Keeley Hawes returns from Legend to voice Lara again and does so excellently I must say. You may recognise her voice from her TV Appearances in Spooks as MI5 officer Zoe or her guest appearance in the very last episodes of The Vicar of Dibley.

Her accent suits Lara down to a Tee and uses the dialogue as a way of providing moments of humour especially when in scenes with Larson. It is disappointing again though to note that the other characters voices seem fake and under developed even though they are voiced by real actors. Grey DeLisle voices Natla with a stiff predictable tone where as Jim Wards obviously fake accent for Pierre DuPont doesn't do the game any favours.

Gameplay however is where all the changes have been made and they are for the best. As already mentioned the sturdy movements have been dubbed out with refined animation making the game much smoother to play. The array of moves and actions now available compared to the original is outstanding, whether its simple techniques like Pool diving, or shimmying across ledges or whether its more complex ones like wall grappling or perching on tiny footings.

These entire additions move wise has led for a better more complicated level design making the player think more about what they need to do to get across that spike filled cavern with only a few ledges, poles and ring hooks at their aid. This ultimately means that even though the basic level has stayed the same, working out the puzzles and completing the level works out in a very different way. This adds a sense of originality to an already published well known game.

Even the battles have been improved with a new fight system initiated for fans and newcomers alike. The use of Adrenaline dodges back flips makes the action much more enticing and fulfilling rather than just running and shooting at enemies. This again adds a more complicated element to the game but one that all players will relish.

Playing the game has been so easy either with simple actions mostly being preformed by your basic buttons, X for Jump, O for Roll and R1 to shoot for instance. This adds a sense of simplicity to the game but in fact works out so much better meaning the fluidity of the game is further increased.

Relics and hidden secrets make a return to the game - all of them hidden in the most inconspicuous of places with many of them hard to figure out how to reach them. These hidden secrets unlock some of the rewards the game has to offer for the fans like different costumes and original artwork. The great thing about these hidden relics is that it makes the game less linear as you don't follow a set route through a level - something some of the past Tomb raider games have suffered from. And don't expect the relics to be hidden in the same places as the original either!

Interactive cut scenes is another big addition to the game making for a more fun fuelled gaming experience. Pressing certain buttons at certain times means whether or not Lara will get away from the stampeding T-rex or not. It's extremely stimulating to play along with the cut scene and executes quite nicely in fact - I haven't played a game with great interactive cut scenes like this since the PSOne game Danger Girl.

As with any game though comes the bad points and Tomb Raider Anniversary is no exception. A huge noticeable antagoniser is the camera angles as they swoop and loop around in the most inconvenient of times meaning you either get a face full of rock or a glitched up flash of Lara stuck in some column. It's very annoying most of time and even the manual control of the camera will irritate you. It doesn't ruin the game but definitely puts a halt to the enjoyment sometimes.

The game is made for Fans around the world so the rewards given were too expected - the array of costumes is nice but the other stuff is quite a let down. Commentaries and Art Work is nearly as bad as unlocking the ending credits. I expected something much more involved and though again it doesn't ruin the game it will disappoint some fans.

Overall Tomb Raider Anniversary is a fantastic game with breath taking sights enhanced the Legend graphics and Gameplay engine. It has its faults as does any game but it really is a breath a fresh air to travel back into time and take a trip down all the famous memories that made the original such a great game. It's also great to see a game based on the story and action rather than the actual main character that many of the sequels flawed upon like Angel of Darkness. With a new fighting system, TR A will flutter every fans hearts as they play their way through the well known levels and congratulations to Crystal Dynamics for getting the right balance of exploration and action this time round, something Legend got a little wrong.

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