Who can forget the first time they played Tomb Raider? Sure, we'd all seen 3D graphics before, but this game marks the industry's first attempt at serious, 3DD. If you beat the game, in many circles they'd consider you just "half a virgin". Oh, and the gameplay was revolutionary yada, yada, yada.

That's why we're so excited about $29.99 Tomb Raider: Anniversary for PS2, PC and PSP. Not only has the famous original title gotten a pretty makeover, but mechanics have been refined and...why don't you just hit the jump for our Frankenreview and hear more from people who've actually played the game?

Spong
As in Legend, Lara has a grappling device, this time it's a mechanical one, not the high-tech magnetic one she had last time. This is meant to be 1996 after all! However, Lara can now use her grappling hook to perform wall runs, which are great fun and a nice change to the normal jump-based navigation that we are all used to.

Computer And Videogames
While each level is bigger and more complex than those from original, you never feel lost or disorientated. The re-designed levels and puzzles have all been well thought out and implemented perfectly to suit Lara's smooth new moves.


Eurogamer
Although you can generally win out by diving around randomly and taking advantage of the generous lock-on, it's more fun...by performing the slo-mo 'adrenaline dodge'. It's not the usual lazy bullet time crap, but a genuinely tense, exciting way of capping a determined enemy just as they're about to pounce. Just as Lara dives out of the way, two reticules slowly move over the target, and once they're together you can loose off a deadly shot...

IGN
Plenty of times you'll be faced with a seemingly easy leap from a ledge to a landing, but the camera — which is almost always in too tight — will restrict you from being able to take in the whole scene. Most of the time it's just a nuisance, but sometimes it's going to be the motivator behind Lara's grisly demise. But, hey, that's Tomb Raider, right? Crystal Dynamics has done an excellent job at staying true to the original game — for better or worse.

Pro-G
If you imagine the 1996 game as a student film, this PS2 and PC modernisation is a big budget spectacular...Whereas the 32-Bit classic struggled to convey the size...Anniversary has no such problem...so large you'll wonder where to start....

Some reviewers can be SO distasteful. Still, Tomb Raider: Anniversary looks like another reason to dust off the PS2 (unless you have a decent PC because that version is nothing but better). Mark Wilson

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