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Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - Anniversary

Moby ID: 28337
Windows Specs
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Description official descriptions

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a remake of the original Tomb Raider with a technically more advanced graphics engine. It has the same basic storyline, though some cutscenes and much of the dialogue within have been expanded or modified in other ways. Locations correspond to those of the original version and are accessed in the same order, but have been re-designed with different layouts and mostly completely different puzzles which allow implementation of new moves introduced in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend: swinging on ropes and using a grappling hook at specific points.

Puzzles are generally more focused on acrobatics in this version, ledges being much more prominently featured as a level design element, requiring combinations of jumping and shimmying across them to access areas. This type of gameplay replaces the key-retrieval and block-pushing puzzles of the original almost entirely. Combat is similar to that of the first game, though the player must now manually activate targeting. Some boss fights have been made a separate enclosed stage rather than being part of the exploration as in the original version. These fights may have puzzle-solving elements and often require the player to use Lara's new "adrenaline dodge" ability, which slightly slows down time when the opponent charges at her while in an "enraged" state. Some cutscenes require the player to participate in quick-time events.

The version released for the Wii incorporates motion controls and also features some puzzles exclusive to that platform.

Spellings

  • 古墓儇兵ļ¼šé‡čæ”ē¦åœ° - Traditional Chinese spelling

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Credits (Windows version)

232 People (179 developers, 53 thanks) · View all

General Manager
Director of Design
Director of Technology
Director of Art
IT Manager
IT Staff
Producer
Creative Director
Lead Designer
Art Director
Executive Producer
Artists
Lead Character Artist
Character Artist
Object Artists
Lead Animator
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 82% (based on 114 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.9 out of 5 (based on 107 ratings with 5 reviews)

Anniversary captures the essence of the original Tomb Raider, but falls short with unnecessary arcade elements that break up the pace

The Good
Toby Gard consulted Crystal Dynamics and served as the story designer in reimagining the original Tomb Raider. Gard borrows heavily from the first film in that Lara Croft uses research preceded by her father, Lord Richard Croft, to discover the Atlantean Scion from the original game. Also, Crystal Dynamics reverted back to traversal environments and made controlling Croft more fluid thanks to their Legacy of Kain technology. The score in the original Tomb Raider consisted of choirs by Nathan McCree that would cue when a new puzzle or vista was discovered, which is replicated again in Anniversary by the BAFTA winner, Troels B. Folmann.

The Bad
Unfortunately, the QTE's introduced in Legend return in Anniversary and these can break away from the puzzles and exploration the original emphasized on. Due to the Wii exclusive controls, the grappling sections later on are even more challenging than the console versions.

The Bottom Line
It was a bold move for Crystal Dynamics to value Gardā€™s industry experience, having worked on Tomb Raider and Galleon with Paul Douglas. In retrospect, Anniversary captures the essence of the original Tomb Raider, but falls short with unnecessary arcade elements that break up the pace.

Wii · by john perkins (11) · 2021

A true classic remake

The Good
I played TR1 a lot, getting up to the T-rex. As a young kid seeing a T-rex pop out of the dark in front of little 'ol Lara Croft kind makes you jump out of your seat. By the time I was a little older, and had a little more courage to go on, I realized how much of a treat the game was.

  I didn't even realize how complex the games worlds were, and how large they were. So, I wanted to go farther into the game to see everything. Even finding TR1's box, in the game store for the first time, was like finding a lost artifact in a gauntlet of others, that were to much like DOOM or Myst clones. It had a nice cover art too :) But before I make this sound like a review for TR1, let me continue.

  Tomb Raider Anniversary will have the classic fans, having flash backs, in a good way, of course. The game wasn't entirely designed to play like the classic game. But everything will be familiar to the fans.

  There is new graphics and new physics technology in the gaming world. So, might as well put them to work. You will especially notice this in Lara Crofts glorious makeover. Her polies and animation grew up real nice :) Still it's not an ultra realistic character model of the human body, but its getting there.

  The level design is basically a makeover as well. You will recognize almost everything from the classic levels, with few or many updates. For instance, some structures that looked like they were supposed to be separated from the rest of the level design as a individual structure. Now small huts, buildings, arent blocked squarely into the level design any more. Overall, things look a lot more realistic. Instead of feeling like you are just going through a large subterranean structure, some places are broken up more, to feel like you are in a large open cave with ancient buildings inside. The geometry of design isnā€™t boxed up so much, anymore.

  Music and ambient sound pretty much like the classic game. Fortunately, thatā€™s good because it was done well. It was re-mastered too. TR1 had a great intro track that can put you into a trance. The level sounds are updated to sound better, but still have the same edge as TR1. The raptors new sounds make them feel even more like stalking predators, then what they did in TR1. You can hear them sometimes echo down a tight corridor, around a corner.<br><br>**The Bad**<br>      There are few things I didn't like about the game. Most that doesnā€™t bother me at all, because they were done in ways to keep the gameplay fun.

  For instance, I expected to see maybe a little blood on Lara. The again, I am not sure how realistic her character model is, to add that kind of detail. It might look a bit unreal. They could have maybe shown a raptor ripping off her limbs, if she died. Then again, if the gameplay gets to realistic, it takes away from the fun of the game. Lara Croft never gets to tired or injured to do what she is supposed to, to make the game fun.

  I'm also not going to argue with some of the control flaws in TRA, because they are way better than TR1. Lara Croft may have seemed to move smoothly in TR1, but a lot of it made her feel a lot heavier than she really was. I can get through TRA a lot faster and easier than TR1.

  Then there is the fighting. You basically are defending yourself from wild-life, prehistoric, and fantasy predators, along the category of non-human. Except for what you see in some cut-scenes. Thatā€™s how TR1 was. So I'm not upset about it.

  Lara Croft makes action and avoiding traps of death it more interesting now, with her new or improved moves, and her ability to lock on, dodge, and attack with a deadly headshot all in one.

 For an updated game, the bosses were about the same level of difficulty in the classic game. The final boss in TR1 was also easy to defeat, if you knew the trick. The bosses have basically the same idea, but a few things have noticably changed to make it more interesting.



The Bottom Line
Tomb Raider Anniversary is one of the best action adventure games with a female character. If you played the classic, this has that, and so much more including new unlocks.

  If you are new to the Tomb Raider world, you should like it as well. Especially if you like the console style action adventure games. Just realize that this is a game that was improving on an older one. So, it's mostly a fan based game. But, I wouldn't doubt it attracting a lot of the new younger crowd, like I was 10 or so years ago.

Windows · by IKNOWPCGAMES81 (5) · 2007

Back in 1997, you must have been playing this game!

The Good
Tomb Raider: Anniversary is the follow-up to successful Tomb Raider: Legend by Crystal Dynamics mostly known for their Legacy Of Kain series. While Legend being a great game on its own and certainly a welcome addition into a long-run Tomb Raider series I felt it was somewhat lacking. It was a sunning professionally executed brilliantly written game. Superb action and a new revised look of the main heroine showed that finally after years long years of constant failure, franchise started to move in right direction. But still it remained just number two in my book. Despite of mind-boggling action of this new offering the game was extremely linear. The exploration was the centerpiece of each Tomb Raider. And there certainly wasnā€™t enough of it in Legend. I always felt led by hand through a sheer dozen of beautiful levels with no step left or right allowed. So to remind myself what once made the original Tomb Raider such a hit I took my old dusty copy of this oldie ā€¦. and was utterly disappointed. ā€œWhat the #@$% is this?ā€ I cried. Itā€™s not the game I played ten years ago. How on earth could I see ancient Coliseum in those lumpy sets of polygons or be impressed by the detail in that triangular breast? Now mind you, Iā€™m a very tolerant person in terms of old titles. I still think of the VGA-era of graphic adventures having the most beautiful artwork and ingenious game design this side of Milky Way has ever seen. But on the dawn of 3D era the game engines were so limited and controls were so atrocious and unintuitive that itā€™s pretty understandable that those titles crumbles under heavy weight of sands of time, especially those from a third-person perspective (another one that immediately comes to mind is Fade To Black). And then like a send from the heaven a new game in the series was released. And what a game it is! Tomb Raider: Anniversary is not simply a remake; itā€™s the reinvention the old genre in regard of modern gamer demands. My memory must be playing tricks upon me, but this is THE game I played 10 years ago, and not that monster from 1997 I carelessly installed a year ago. I am not talking about specific details because most of the game has been altered due to all the possibilities that exist in game mechanics these days. I am talking about the spirit and the essence of the original Tomb Raider. And it most certainly resides now in the body of Tomb Raider: Anniversary. The game firmly reminds players why itā€™s actually called Tomb Raider and not any other title. Itā€™s about exploring tombs, for godā€™s sake, finding lost civilizations and experiencing the sense of grand adventure. Obviously not shooting cops in Louvre gallery or hiking through military base number 245. Above all Iā€™d like to mention an incredible level design. Taking basic ideas from original game the designers have revised them and then expanded upon them. No room serves no purpose. Each level is unique and aesthetically pleasing. The Greek-inspired level with a crumbled stairway is a bright example of what most of the current game designers arenā€™t capable of. Except for Crystal Dynamics, with a little help from Core Design. As for others aspects of the game, everything is really top-notch. The game features the most fluid animations of animals I have ever seen. The battles are fast, dynamic and really vicious. Be sure to the turn the lights on while playing Tomb Raider: Anniversary or you might lose a bit more of them nerve cells then you would do otherwise. The music is beautiful and fits the game so well that you start to feel affection for it on a really close, personal level.


The Bad
This game is faithful to the original. Maybe too much faithful for itā€™s own good. Of course itā€™s nice to see so many familiar places spread over four grand levels of the game, but Crystal Dynamic doesnā€™t have to prove us anything, we know what they are capable of, so a bit more of creative freedom would have been certainly welcome. The only major grudge I have with this game is the unfortunate decision not to include next-generation content at all. I canā€™t care less about marketing policy Eidos is taking, so donā€™t start on me. If they donā€™t want to release it on the next-generation console then why we the PC gamers have to suffer technologically dated graphics. Just imagine what would the game look like with the entire next-gen extravaganzaā€¦ Not gonna happen! Sorry.

The Bottom Line
If you still remember what the word ā€œadventureā€ actually means, if forgotten civilizations still send you spinal shivers, if you young at heart and open in mind, then donā€™t miss this one. You wouldnā€™t forgive yourself if you do!

Windows · by St. Martyne (3648) · 2007

[ View all 5 player reviews ]

Trivia

Audio commentary

There's a unlockable commentary track by Toby Gard and Jason Botta in which they not only talk about the making of the remake but also about the original Tomb Raider. It is also possible to unlock the Lara model from the original Tomb Raider.

Core Design version

A different version of the game was under development by Core Design, the developers of the older Tomb Raider games, but Eidos called Crystal Dynamics to do it simultaneously. Core Design's version was ultimately scrapped completely.

References

As it already happened in Legend, once again the folks at Crystal Dynamics take a chance to tip their hat to their own Legacy of Kain series: if level 12's relic (The Great Pyramid) is found, it will unlock the wetsuit Lara wore back in Tomb Raider II, only this time it has a black and white logo on the chest. This logo is Raziel's clan symbol.

Sales

The game was sold in just over 1 million copies by 2009.

Information also contributed by Dr. M. "Schadenfreude" Von Katze

Analytics

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Related Sites +

  • Apple Games Article
    An article discussing the Macintosh version of Tomb Raider: Anniversary.
  • Game Review: Switching to Mac
    A review of Tomb Raider: Anniversary by Ross McKillop at Switching to Mac (September 24th, 2008).
  • Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary
    Wikipedia: article in the open encyclopedia
  • Official Webpage (Mac)
    The official product page for the Mac version of Tomb Raider: Anniversary on the publisher's website, which provides a trailer, an overview of the locations and tools within the game, desktop wallpapers, a demo, and purchasing information, among other such particulars.

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 28337
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Sicarius.

Macintosh added by coolfrost. OnLive added by firefang9212. Wii added by Sciere. Xbox 360 added by Diogo Ribeiro. PSP added by klf9j3skld.

Additional contributors: Sciere, Zeppin, Paulus18950, Patrick Bregger, Plok.

Game added June 2, 2007. Last modified August 30, 2024.