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Tomb Raider: Anniversary (PC DVD) | 
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| From: Eidos
Category: Video Games
List Price: £29.99
Buy New: £6.99
You Save: £23.00 (77%)
New (4) Used (3) from £6.99
Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 1587
Platform: Windows Xp
Genre: action-games
Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Media: Video Game
Age: 12 - 18 years
Operating System: Windows XP
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5050053458445
ASIN: B000NG59PC
Release Date: May 29, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Preview
It may have sold 30 million copies worldwide, but before the release of Tomb Raider: Legend last year it looked like Lara Croft was ending her video game career in disgrace. Thankfully the new game was exactly the reboot that the series needed, instantly reminding everyone why they loved it (and Lara) so much in the first place. So to mark the tenth anniversary of the first game (actually 2007 is the eleventh anniversary, but who's counting?) Eidos are releasing this special remake of the first game in the series, using an enhanced version of the graphics engine from Tomb Raider: Legend.Although the game does feature the same basic settings and levels as the original, this isn't just the same game with better graphics. Most of the levels are larger, with many new paths and areas to explore. They're also much more interactive, with Lara using many of the same moves and gadgets she demonstrated in Tomb Raider: Legend, including a grappling hook and a greater variety of weapons. The story has been expanded too, but it does keep the same basic structure with more animal enemies than the later games, including the infamous encounter with a tyrannosaurs rex. Instead of just running straight at you mindlessly, the enemies have also been given much better artificial intelligence than previously. The new graphics are still the most obvious change but the new fluid movement of Lara is a world away from the awkward grid based system used in the old games. Indeed this should be the first video game remake to actually prove itself as something more than just a cheap cash-in.
HARRISON DENT
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 Choose the right controller June 1, 2007
Masrock (Darwen, UK)
18 out of 19 found this review helpful
As a player of tomb raider since it was first released on a pc I have always used the keyboard to control Lara, on the later games this has become more difficult and spoiled the game since they moved away from the block grid approach.
Changing to a USB gamepad has been a revelation. Controlling Lara is much more intuitive and allows you to enjoy the game once more. They have brought back the feeling of isolation and the tricky puzzles in 'Anniversary'. Graphics and music/ effects are top quality. Gone are the annoying chats with your 'support crew' and 'bad guy shoot outs'...for the most part anyway.(A demo of the game is also available online if you want to have a try before you buy).
It's just you and the Tomb.....
Lara mixes Retro and modern June 1, 2007
C. Ennis (Scotland)
16 out of 18 found this review helpful
After the slight dissapointment of Legend, mainly that you could finish it in 15 hours, TR:Ann needs a lot to impress and lara does it in spades. Having only played so far (the end of the 1st Peru level) I can tell you that the PC version is gorgeous (not DX10, but the best 9C has to offer), the control system is fluid and easy to handle, the puzzles range from jumping, looking for ledges and ways to get from A to B and some back tracking, but gone are the box moving after box moving affairs.
To be honest, I cant see that much of a graphical change, its the Legend engine, less the bugs. Yes, this game has been polished and sleeked so bright and clean it shines in the dark. CD have really done well.
The game itself has all the old places (what ive seen so far).. the fantastic City of Vilcabimba, The lost Valley (Jurassic Park Anyone) amd St Francis Folly to name a few and yes Kurtis Trent, Pierre du Pont and Natla are back, but in shiny 3D glory as are the Gorillas, Lions, wolves and various monsters that inhabit the tombs that Lara traverses to find parts of the mysterious Scion.
Basically, I love this game because CD have done a fantastic job and deserve praise for ironing out the bugs that plagued the short and million times done before lame non-coherent knights templar, king arthur plot of Legend.
So, go get it and relive that year when Tomb Raider wow'd us all with its unique 3rd person view point, puzzl swinging glory and if your too young to remember, go and check out what we older gamers were all on about and where the ideas for your 3rd person PC/Console games originally came from.
Have fun and live the legend that is Tomb Raider.
What Tomb Raider was always about June 1, 2007
The usual suspect
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Those that accused the makers of losing the real essence of what Tomb raider was before it became a megastar rejoice.
From what I've played so far they've kept the fluidity of the last outing and mixed it with the puzzle's of yesteryear. The result is a much harder and enjoyable experience.
The AI of the creatures hasn't been top notch - so it's true to the original too!
The sound and graphics are top-notch, although not using the DX10 muscle yet (boo!)
Favourite game of the year to-date.
The best can still get better! June 3, 2007
Mark R. Bannister (London, England)
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
Tomb Raider Anniversary is ostensibly a remake of the original Tomb Raider game, but with the latest graphics engine that was developed for Tomb Raider Legend. It is, however, much more than just a remake. Anniversary comes with new stunning visuals, music, sound effects and puzzles that have kept me entertained for hours. Lara has also added a couple of new moves to her inventory of jaw-dropping acrobatics since Legend.
So I was naturally excited when my pre-ordered copy of Anniversary dropped through my letterbox. "Hup! Hup!" she cried with excitement as from rock to rock she lept. "Uhh!" she protested, as she took a fall badly. How Lara stays clean and beautiful, cutless and scratchless, especially under my guiding hands, heaven alone knows. It seems only the odd gorilla throwing rocks can leave a bruise on her face. Her knees must be made of galvanised steel, and her body lotion mud-resistant.
Lara is as graceful as ever, which is more than can be said for the camera which is following her - your only perspective in this game which is highly restricted in its movement and positioning, making some necessary acrobatics difficult to execute. A problem that fans identified with Legend, and one which the game designers should have fixed in this outing. Alas, we are but pithy fans, our opinions count for nought!
Normal combat tactics are also right out with this game. Creatures charge at you with no intelligence and, it seems, an infinite tolerance for pain. The creatures do however, become "enraged" if shot too many times (rather than "dead" as you might expect), and charge at you in semi-slow motion, giving you a somewhat over-rated opportunity to dive out of the way and shoot them in the head. Unfortunately this feature is more cumbersome than it is reliable, and rarely provides a feeling of satisfaction. (I still reckon Max Payne is the definitive untouchable game for the implementation of slow-motion combat and "shoot-dodging").
It is unfortunate that the best tactic for killing creatures is to find a position where they can't reach you, and shoot blindly. It will be blind, because Lara's head is sure to block your view. Combat is therefore eventful but uninspiring. I much preferred combat in Legend, in which I felt I had more control, and it gave me a much bigger thrill.
The graphics are excellent, a far cry from the original Raider from which this game lifts many of its puzzles. However, those who loved the "NextGen" feature that made Legend look so gloriously cinematic and lifelike will be disappointed to see this feature missing from Anniversary. As a result, Legend remains visually superior.
The music has also been re-written, with many allusions to the original game, but with none of the edge, power, suspense or rhythm introduced to Legend. Once again, it's a thumbs up for Legend, and a thumbs horizontal for Anniversary. It serves, it's good, better than many games on the market, but it does feel like a backwards step.
Anniversary has far fewer cut scenes than Legend, and gives you more puzzles, exploring, and longer gameplay. This is all much better. But they still insist on "interactive cut scenes", where a little 3D arrow appears in the middle of the scene and you're expected to press the direction key that corresponds to the arrow (or you die). This is a ridiculous concept and has no place in a Tomb Raider game, it should have been canned.
A piece of advice: turn off hint icons immediately. It's a crazy invention by some politically correct designer who wanted to make the game more accessible to the under 5s. We really don't need big warning signs appearing on our screens when there might be something in the room we can interact with. There's nothing subtle in the graphics, you can always tell when there's something to do in a location. The hint icon is just an unnecessary slap in the face. The Raider series has always been for adventure gamers. There should be no attempt to make it accessible to those who don't "get" the genre, or have no ounce of puzzle-solving ability. Otherwise core fans are alienated, will lose interest, and the Raiders of the future will just be a handful of muppets who can't tie their own shoe laces without help from their mother. (Alights soap box, shoe lace between legs).
Games today have sought to become more and more visually realistic. Although cinematically Anniversary doesn't come up to par with Legend, gameplay is much less linear than Legend was. This gives the gamer some degree of choice as to how Lara's adventure is played out. However, as games look more realistic, we also expect everything else about the game to be completely believable. Anything which detracts from believability is jarring, and unfortunately Anniversary dishes out its fair share of problems. Granted we accept the adventures in Lara's world, that's the escapism. But all else should feel as cinematic, coherent and realistic as a blockbuster movie.
These really are nit-picks, from a gamer who wants to be completely immersed in Lara's world, and not experience anything that reminds me "it's just a computer game". Call me geek if you like, but this is the direction games have been going ever since computers could display more than 8 colours. Now the technology is here for photo-realistic and physically-realistic games with acceptable frame rates, we need manufacturers to start stretching the technology to its limits. With Anniversary, there is still plenty of room for improvement.
Everything considered, I would rate this 9 out of 10, and a must buy. I wish there were more games like this on the market, it's a fantastic achievement, and I'm very glad Crystal Dynamics have put in so much effort to produce it. More please!
Brilliant remake of the 1996 version June 3, 2007
Mr. A. Stanley (Staffordshire, United Kingdom)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I didnt think I would ever buy another Tomb Raider game after being so disappointed with the Xbox 360 Tomb Raider Legend, but I love this to bits.
The original 1996 PSX version has been given a 2007 makeover, and the result is a title that every gamer should try out. It truly is a gaming work of art - the eye candy & fancy effects shown off in Legend have been applied to the far superior level design of the first incarnation.
I've played the original several times over the years just to re-experience what kept me awake for all those nights exploring Midas Palace, the Colosseum, St Francis Folly etc. It was one of those 'I'll just see what the next level is like before going to bed' titles that you see so few of these days.
I think this version is brilliant - the levels are faithfully reproduced but with new puzzles and surprises that dont spoil the original's balance. It also keeps the old foreboding atmosphere and excellent ambient music and effects, to add to the feel of exploring an ancient and lonely archaeological site.
This should be played with a joypad, preferably a duel analogue stick as in the console versions. Some purists might still insist the originals charm makes it remain the top title, but in my opinion, this one is the greatest Tomb Raider ever produced, and worthy of the title 'Anniversary'.
Come on Eidos - bring on a remake of Tomb Raider 2!
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