Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - Anniversary

GamerDad ( ) (90%)

There is something about a classic game that makes it a classic, but that is often difficult to translate into a more modern experience. Tomb Raider is a ten year old classic that combines action, platform jumping, and a sexy and sassy protagonist into thoroughly enjoyable experience that millions of gamers have enjoyed. The franchise has soured through the years, but last year's Tomb Raider Legend breathed some new life into what most gamers assumed was a dead series. I liked that game quite a bit, though I had some issues with the PC controls. Tomb Raider Anniversary is a 'reimagining' of the classic original in the 'Legend' engine, filled out with tons of new features, areas, puzzles and secret tidbits to find.

Super Play (Sweden) (9 out of 10) (90%)

Tomb Raider har blivit allt Tomb Raider någonsin behövt vara. Bättre än så här blir inte den har serien. Nu vill vi aldrig se Lara Croft igen.

allaboutgames.co.uk (9 out of 10) (90%)

Crystal Dynamics have done well to honour Core Design's excellent first game in a legendary series. That they managed to make what looked on paper like a cheap cash-in into a game that to some extent even outclasses Legend is quite impressive. Now we want some bigger leaps with a proper sequel.

Eurogamer.de (9 out of 10) (90%)

Tomb Raider Anniversary ist ein wichtiges Statement: Ein langsamer, aber ungemein unterhaltsamer Abenteuertrip in einer Zeit, in der Games immer schneller, flashiger und oberflächlicher werden. Crystal Dynamics bekommt es hin, unglaubliche Entdeckerlust zu wecken und das ist etwas, das andere Entwickler scheinbar schon lange aufgegeben haben. Es ist schon erstaunlich, wie Anniversary der Branche mit demselben Rezept wie schon vor elf Jahren neue, andere Impulse gibt. Ein gutes Spiel wird eben nie wirklich alt, es bedarf nur der passenden Verpackung. Und die ist den Kaliforniern einfach unglaublich gut gelungen. Wie sehr Ihr selbst Tomb Raider: Anniversary haben müsst , hängt ganz davon ab, was Eure Vorstellung von einem guten Abenteuer ist. Sind Eure Träume noch dieselben wie unsere damals? Meine sind es jedenfalls noch immer – und Anniversary ist die Eintrittskarte.

FOK!games (89 out of 100) (89%)

Het Tomb Raider-gevoel uit de originele Tomb Raider is geen nostalgie. Tomb Raider: Anniversary weet dit gevoel naar boven te brengen door de achterhaalde graphics en bediening te moderniseren, zodat de essentie van de Tomb Raider games meer dan ooit de boventoon voert. En deze essentie is een gevoel van avontuur en verwondering als je de verschillende levels in het spel doorloopt. Gek genoeg voelt de ouderwetse moeilijkheidsgraad van Tomb Raider in deze tijd van versimpeling en voorkauwen juist weer verfrissend. Tomb Raider: Anniversary is een geslaagde remake van het inmiddels klassieke eerste deel uit de Tomb Raider reeks, en een schoolvoorbeeld hoe ontwikkelaars met oude game zouden moeten omgaan willen ze deze opnieuw uitbrengen.

Good Game (8.5 out of 10) (85%)

I haven’t played much Tomb Raider since the original, and I really enjoyed Anniversary. No other game is been able to capture the intense joy of climbing rocks for 4 hours just to get a cog. I dig this game JUNG, 8.5/10

1UP (8.5 out of 10) (85%)

Looking at Anniversary as a whole, though, these issues are fairly negligible. It's a solid, entertaining game with a hell of a lot of gameplay packed in (including a fairly extensive bonus quest set in Croft Manor). It may not offer the same degree of wonder you may remember if you were around for the very first game, but it's a damn fine homage -- and a damn fine game in its own right.

Vgames (85 out of 100) (85%)

קצת אירוני שההרפתקאה הכי טובה של לארה בשנים האחרונות היא רימייק להרפתקאה הראשונה שלה. כך או כך, אניברסרי הוא משחק ראוי לכל מי שאוהב את ז'אנר ההרפתקאה-פעולה (עם דגש על הרפתקאה). המשחקיות זורמת, החידות מאתגרות ומעניינות, ולארה (עדיין) נראית נהדר. לא רואים עליה שהיא בת 10.

Game Informer Magazine (8.5 out of 10) (85%)

What a wonderful world we’d be living in if every remake were handled with this much care. Okay, so maybe it’s not solving world hunger, but it’s certainly setting a high bar for others to meet in the realm of reinventing classic games. Balancing the almost impossible tasks of delivering nostalgia-laden moments against giving players updated and modern gameplay, Tomb Raider Anniversary does both with aplomb. Mixing classic and modern elements, it brings old players what they want and gives new players what they need to join in the fun.

GamePro (US) (4.25 out of 5) (85%)

There are other niggles, such as the A.I., which hasn't smartened up any in the intervening years, but if you are willing to deal with some frustrations, you will be rewarded with a great game experience and gorgeous, is-this-really-PS2 visuals. You'll experience the wonder and awe of feeling like you are discovering lost tombs, which is what made the original so compelling in the first place.

DarkZero (8.5 out of 10) (85%)

In this day and age for any game series to remain relatively successful after 10 long years (and 11 games across both consoles and handhelds) is quite the achievement. For fans of the series that were around from the start there is a lot to love here. For series newcomers, like me, who only started to see what the fuss was about after Legend, things are even better as you can enjoy the story as well as the fantastic gameplay on show. When all is said and done, Tomb Raider Anniversary is a very entertaining game to play and as you advance though the 14 levels, there always seems to be something new to catch your eye and keep you wanting to play more until the 15 hours are up and you reach the closing credits.

Hardcore Gamer Magazine (4.25 out of 5) (85%)

In the end, it's a testament to the game's quality that even in the face of the imperfect camera and combat, the wonderful adventuring aspects manage to make up for whatever other shortcomings this game may posses.

411mania.com (8.5 out of 10) (85%)

Tomb Raider: Anniversary has its issues, but it’s a well-made look back into gaming’s past and a nice adventure romp on its own. Personally, I would’ve preferred the developer focus its efforts on an entirely new game, but Anniversary‘s still worth a play-through and proves that the Tomb Raider franchise still has legs, especially if clad in Daisy Duke hiking shorts.

Softpedia (8.5 out of 10) (85%)

Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a great title, a reward for the fans and a true reason to celebrate the 10 years that we've spent watching Lara solving puzzles and shooting her foes. This is probably the last Tomb Raider we'll ever see on the Playstation 2 and we're eagerly awaiting for a strictly next-gen title. Otherwise, we're witnessing an evolution of the series and good old Lara hasn't aged a bit, so we hope that the series is truly returning to its roots and not just offering us a remake of the first title. Just hope we'll see such quality in more titles and before we reach the Anniversary 2 edition 10 years from now.

ITavisen (5 out of 6) (83%)

Tomb Raider Anniversary er blitt et meget vellykket, om noe frustrerende spill. Crystal Dynamics har på en elegant måte klart å kombinere stemningen og innholdet fra originalspillet, modernisert det og gjort det relevant for en ny gerenasjon av spillere.

4Players.de (82 out of 100) (82%)

Trotz der Kritik bekommen vor allem Lara-Fans der ersten Stunde mit Anniversary einen wunderbaren Trip zurück in die Vergangenheit, bei dem alte Erinnerungen wach werden. Doch auch Neueinsteiger können keinen besseren Titel finden, um auf einem modernisierten Weg in die Serie einzusteigen, denn ich bin mir sicher, dass man auch in Zukunft von Lara Croft hören wird. Nach dem Abstieg bis zum Tiefpunkt The Angel of Darkness befindet sich die Tomb Raider-Serie wieder im Aufwind. Crystal Dynamics muss den eingeschlagenen Weg weiter gehen, mit neuen Ideen anreichern sowie eine vernünftige KI und Kamera auf die Beine stellen, damit sich Lara endlich wieder einen Award in ihrem Anwesen ausstellen kann.

PSX Extreme (8.2 out of 10) (82%)

To sum up, Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a finely tuned remake that isn't without its share of minor drawbacks. But outside of that very iffy camera, all of those drawbacks are indeed minor, and the game is fun as fun can be. The following final statement may not sound logical, but you should understand it after reading this review: you have played this game before, but in many ways, you haven't.

Futuregamez.net (81 out of 100) (81%)

Tomb Raider: Anniversary meets all the expectations we had for the game, and then some. Sure it's not quite up there with a totally new game in the series, but it's not far off at all. Very enjoyable, and another surprise hit on the PS2.

Jeuxvideo.com (16 out of 20) (80%)

Si on savait déjà plus ou moins à quoi s'attendre avec Tomb Raider : Anniversary, l'entrain des développeurs dans la réalisation et leur amour de la série sont une fois encore communicatifs. Ainsi, sans pour autant renier le jeu original, qui restera à jamais une pierre angulaire de notre espace vidéoludique, il serait dommage de bouder ce remake sous des faux prétextes de nostalgique entêté. Le temps où on s'adaptait à Tomb Raider est révolu. Désormais, ce sera Tomb Raider qui s'adaptera au joueur, pour le meilleur... Rien que pour le meilleur.

Digital Spy ( ) (80%)

While some may consider this a little too retro, with no upgrades and little armour, this is undoubtedly a well put-together celebration of Lara’s life. If you already have the original, try it on rental otherwise it’s a must buy.

Digital Press - Classic Video Games (8 out of 10) (80%)

Hardly a cheap way to utilize the successful engine from the prior Tomb Raider or a cheap exploitation of the original, Anniversary is a finely produced and arguably needed remake. Fans have every reason to revisit this title in its latest incarnation. The slight flaws are not enough to disappoint the longtime Lara followers.

Gamekult (8 out of 10) (80%)

Crystal Dynamics a tout simplement réussi à s'accaparer totalement l'esprit de la série, cette exploration solitaire de lieux mythiques, aussi gigantesques que dangereux, aussi beaux que labyrinthiques. Ceux qui n'auraient jamais goûté au premier volet des aventures de Miss Croft trouveront dans Anniversary une quête surprenante, complexe et accrocheuse. Les connaisseurs sauront en plus y trouver un peu de nostalgie. C'est vrai, Lara a pris dix ans, mais devant une telle démonstration, on ne peut que l'aimer comme au premier jour.

Fragland.net (80 out of 100) (80%)

A must buy for people who adore Lara Croft and a great game for people who have not yet played Tomb Raider 1.

Gamers Europe (8 out of 10) (80%)

Despite the combat issues, Anniversary is a brilliant take on the Tomb Raider phenomenon. It provides first timers with a fantastic opportunity to play through what has always felt like the most authentic Indiana Jones simulator and has the perfect balance of old and new to keep veteran tomb raiders on their toes. With all manner of time attack modes and secret collectables to discover and unlock there's enough replay value to keep players interested for a while after the initial 15 hours of game time and, with Anniversary in the bag, maybe we can now look forward to a true next generation sequel, endangered species included.

Good Game (8 out of 10) (80%)

Yep, all in all its a pretty smooth trip down memory lane. There’s been lots of tomb raider games, fans of the series will get a kick out of this. 8/10 from me.

Eurogamer.fr (8 out of 10) (80%)

Crystal Dynamics a parfaitement su saisir l’esprit du jeu original tout en maîtrisant les nouveaux outils de développement pour en faire des titres excellents. Ce fut le cas avec Legends et c’est encore le cas avec Anniversary. Ce titre n’est pas vraiment original, c’est un remake du premier opus. Les niveaux ne sont cependant pas des copier-coller du Tomb Raider de 1997, on trouve tout de même un peu plus d’ambition ! On se déplace simplement à travers les mêmes pays, à la recherche du même objet mystique. Rarement le gameplay n’aura été aussi réussi dans un Tomb Raider ; heureusement car cet anniversaire est à réserver aux joueurs les plus adroits. Le niveau de difficulté est en effet assez élevé. Nous tenons cependant à dire qu’un niveau de difficulté trop élevé n’est pas forcément un point fort. Nous sommes allés au bout de l’aventure en y consacrant des dizaines d’heures et quelques petits moments d’agacement.

GameSpot (8 out of 10) (80%)

Tomb Raider: Legend did a lot to make Lara Croft feel relevant again, and Tomb Raider: Anniversary is another step in the right direction. The acrobatic action is consistently exciting and challenging throughout, and despite being a remake, the experience feels new and fresh. This is the best Tomb Raider game in years, and for the first time in a long time, that actually means something.

Jeux Vidéo Network (16 out of 20) (80%)

Tomb Raider : Anniversary réunit les grandes qualités d’un jeu d’aventure : l’immersion, la force d’évocation des décors et l’ingéniosité de la progression. Indispensable pour tout amateur du genre.

GameSpy ( ) (80%)

Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a long-forgotten love letter from Lara Croft to gamers. If you've read it before, it'll make you wistful and the very best kind of nostalgic, where you pour over every detail to remind yourself of the old days. If you didn't dive into the Tomb Raiders of days past, re-reading these old love letters is a bit less heart-catching, but they're still utterly heartfelt, passionate, and charming. In its frustrating moments, Anniversary will even remind you why you moved from raiding tombs to helping a Persian prince, but that's the price that we'll gladly pay for such an enjoyable blast from the past.

Gamer 2.0 (8 out of 10) (80%)

Even with these few gripes, the adventure aspects are some of the best around, and exploring tombs has never been so much fun. Tomb Raider Anniversary is not only a better game than the original, but also one of the best additions to the series as a whole.

Pro-G (8 out of 10) (80%)

These issues aside, Tomb Raider: Anniversary is everything a remake should be. It makes the most of modern technology to bring a classic game world up to date, throws in simple but intuitive controls and doesn't rely on constant fire-fights to bring excitement. Tomb Raider was always more of a platformer than an action game, and this is exactly what the guys at Crystal Dynamics have delivered.

Video Game Talk ( ) (80%)

Maybe Tomb Raider Legend spoiled me but Anniversary just paled in comparison to the latest Croft adventure. The gameplay isn't quite as solid, the graphics aren't as good, and the sound isn't as impressive. Still, this game was never intended to be a sequel or successor to Legend, it is and has always been a remake of the original Tomb Raider. Along those lines the quality is superb and the experience is much better than anything you played through eleven years ago. If you're a Lara fan or just looking for a solid adventure game on your PlayStation 2 (or 3 respectively) you can't go wrong with this one. Just don't expect anything groundbreaking.

IGN (7.8 out of 10) (78%)

In the end, this is Tomb Raider for better or worse. The controls are light-years better than the original but still aren't solid like Prince of Persia's; the graphics are beyond anything the original could muster but still not up to today's standards; and the puzzles are just as tough as the original, but the enemies are just as lame.

Play.tm (78 out of 100) (78%)

This is a game well-worth investing both time and money in. If you remember the original then you can visit an old friend. If you missed the boat the first time around then here's a rare second chance to get on board. If its not too much of a tease, the only thing to consider before shelling out is whether you would get better value from the high-spec PC version, or even waiting until the Wiimote slinging antics of the forthcoming Wii version.

Computer Bild Spiele (2.45 out of 6) (71%)

All die Jahre seit ihrem ersten Auftauchen haben diese Frau noch schöner und interessanter gemacht. Spielerisch gibt's zwar nichts Neues, doch setzte man das Abenteuer gekonnt in Szene. Die Rätsel und Sprungaufgaben gerieten herausrodernd und knifflig, ohne jemals unfair zu werden. Der Schwierigkeitsgrad ist im Vergleich mit früheren Titeln der Serie moderat, sodass auch Anfänger mit etwas Übung nach rund 25 Stunden das Spiel-Ende sehen sollten. Nicht nur Fans der Serie freuen sich auf ein Wiedersehen, auch Neueinsteiger dürfen nun den Beginn von Lady Crofts Karriere in zeitgemäßem Spieldesign erleben. Alles in allem hinterlässt das Tomb-Raider-Remake deshalb einen "guten" Eindruck.

Lawrence (7 out of 10) (70%)

I’ve talked to countless gamers, and have never met a hardcore fan of the Tomb Raider series. It gained a great deal of fame thanks to the cover girl and the films, but I feel it never really had the gameplay to back up the popularity. Anniversary, if nothing else, is an effective reminder of this.

TotalVideoGames (TVG) (7 out of 10) (70%)

Like a middle-aged makeover, Tomb Raider Anniversary papers over the nooks and crannies, but it can't conceal the aged and dated overall structure. That's not to say that Tomb Raider fans won't gain any enjoyment from the title, and it certainly serves a purpose for anybody that missed out on the original eleven long years ago.

GamersHell.com (6 out of 10) (60%)

I can’t help but feel bad in having really nothing good to say about this game. Perhaps it’s just not my cup of tea, perhaps I don’t have the patience, perhaps I’ve been spoiled by God of War. In the end all I can say is that a Tomb Raider remake is for Tomb Raider fans. Everyone else, move on.

Games TM (6 out of 10) (60%)

Anyone who takes a keen interest in the history, legacy and long-term development of the medium should see Anniversary as near essential. But for those who just want a good, fun 15 hours of action gaming to swallow up a few spring weekends? There are so many better efforts available on PS2 that it's almost impossible to recommend. Which category do you fit into?