Lara Croft first jumped onto the gaming scene back in 1996, and she became one of the most recognized icons in gaming; thus, she gained the most recognition and fame among all female video game characters ever. Because of the past, when the original Tomb Raider turned ten years old in 2006, Eidos decided to remake the original. Tomb Raider: Anniversary will never replace the original, but it's still a good remake.
Game play: 8
An issue that always challenges remakes is faith; how much should the game feel like the original without feeling like just a graphics update to the original, and how different should it feel as to not make it feel like a completely different game. Anniversary does a fine job with this. While playing it, you will see many of the memorable rooms from the past return, but often with new puzzles and elements in them; also, you will see whole new level designs that make the game feel fresh.
The combat feels fresh as well. It manages to feel familiar while also not feeling archaic, as Tomb Raider's original gun play has aged horribly. It feels a little like Legends, but not mind-numbingly repetitive like that game's combat was.
In between fantastic level design and just generally good game play, Anniversary does make some slip-ups. The game was way too easy. I just about never felt challenged by the game. The main problem I had was how many checkpoints there are. Seems like I would get a check points every other room. I also hated the interactive cut-scenes. Why would you replace the fight with the skater boy with an interactive cut-scene? In fact, every boss fight against a human was like this. Fighting these characters was part of Tomb Raider's charm.
Presentation: 10
For a PlayStation 2 game, this is quite fantastic looking. They managed to make the classic rooms of Tomb Raider look new (for 2006). Even though the game was years old when I played it, I still marveled at the graphics at times.
A lot of the sound track from the original game make a return with a remix, and they sound great. There are also some new tracks as well that also sound pretty good.
The story is the only thing Eidos did not seem to mess with, although that is certainly not a bad thing. The story isn't all that great, but it's a story from 1996, so that can be forgiven.
Value: 4
In addition to the stupid interactive cut-scenes, the one thing I really did not like about Anniversary was how short it was. A whole level (the Cistern) got cut. There is no excuse for cutting a level in the remake of a (then) ten year old game. Another cut was a boss fight with the cowboy in Natala's Mines. The cuts weren't even the worst part either; other levels just felt way shorter than the original game. What happened to being in Atlantis for several hours, as you marched your way from the very bottom of the pyramid? Overall, the game only take twelve hours to beat, which just might be shorter than the original game, if not neck-and-neck with the 1996 classic.
Pros:
Excellent level design
Does a perfect job of mixing old and new designs
For its time, gorgeous graphics
Great combat
Wonderful sound track
Cons:
Cuts in content make the game possibly shorter than the original.
Interactive cut-scenes were just a stupid idea from conception
Too easy
Tomb Raider: Anniversary brings the old back and makes it feel quite fresh, in good and bad ways. While it brings fresh and excellent level design and new visuals, it brings newer elements of gaming such as interactive cut-scenes and generally being easy that are not so good into it. In general, Tomb Raider fans should have no problem enjoying Anniversary, but the hardcore ones will be disappointed by the lack of difficulty and dumbed-down boss fights, and most will wish the game had been longer. I know I wish that.