Tomb Raider Anniversary

It's no secret that I loved Tomb Raider: Legend. This time, the team has taken that engine and recreated the first Tomb Raider. The first was a game I never really had a chance to play ... and after playing this version, I'm not sure I could go back to its low polygon bretheran but hey, you never know.

Anniversary is more of a "re-imagining" than a total remake, with most of the same locales intact but new ways to walk around them and the puzzles are redone as well. The game feels good, looks great, and sounds wonderful. The problem is the typical wonky camera, but more importantly - what happened to the difficulty level? The game seems to flow at a nice pace until you hit a snag where you are stumped. These are not stop points because of complicated puzzles - it's because of timing that is so closely clipped that some of the elements are close to impossible to advance beyond unless you perform your moves perfectly. Some would argue it's just a good challenge but I beg to differ. A game can be challenging without being frustrating, and I must tell you that there are several moments in this game that are utterly and completely frustrating to the point where I almost wanted to give up. Thankfully, there were video snippets out there that should you ways to get past these points, and if I didn't have those videos I wonder if I would have given up. I must say though that overall those frustrating moments are outshone by the incredible moments that do exist. The graphics are great for a PS2 game, and the controls are USUALLY decent. Overall, I'm giving this experience an 8.0 out of 10. It's at a great price, so pick it up whether you are a fan of the original are just trying it out for the first time.