Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary Edition

Games Radar - PS2 Previews - Tomb Raider Anniversary

Ruin-diving remake re-invents Lara's first outing

The camera pans over a large room dominated by wooden machinery, powered by a gigantic waterfall. Accompanied by ethereal music, it's hard not to stare. Graphically, this is amazing - but it's also incredibly nostalgic. This is Peru from Lara Croft's first, infamous adventure, recreated for a new generation of gamers. Welcome to Tomb Raider: Anniversary.
We're impressed. Running on PS2, but with all the polish of Legend, is the original (and best) Tomb Raider game. Tomb Raider 1, the pride of PSone. More precisely, we're looking at the legendary waterfall level in Peru. And that means one thing: the T-Rex. Dax Ginn, the game's executive designer,  explains how the game has changed. We just want him to bust out the dinosaur…
The level itself is absolutely massive, filled with ancient architecture, dilapidated ruins and ancient - but surprisingly sophisticated - machinery. Those Incas just love their mechanical puzzles… The choice of ways to get from one end of a level to the other is vast and there are wild animals to shoot, puzzles to solve and - a real first for Tomb Raider 1  - some blue sky. Yup, the first game was entirely underground.
So, sky - good, but water - a bit disappointing, especially given that the waterfall and the river are key to this particular level. The enemies are also really hard to beat right now, although we're sure this will be tinkered with.
But this isn't just a rehash of the 1996 original. The basic storyline concerning the Scion and the evil Natla remain, but everything else is fresh like daisies. There's new moves, for instance. We adore Lara's "perch," which sees her hot-footing it over poles or areas too small to land normally. Her balance looks precarious, but we're assured she won't fall; it gives us a taste of danger, and we like it.
When do we get to play? While no precise release date, other than the second quarter of 2007, has been announced, we do know there’s a minimum of 15 hours of play - and more if you want to explore every nook and cranny of the vast levels. And the game itself will also include an unlockable director's commentary featuring Lara's creator, Toby Gard, talking you through the action.
Arriving early did yield one nugget - we caught a glimpse of Lara swimming in her Tomb Raider 2 wetsuit, so don't be surprised if the option to don classics from Lara's wardrobe makes it to the final game.
And the T-Rex? They’re keeping her under wraps for now. We saw its leg, but the look on Lara's face said it all. We can’t wait to see more. Bring it on.

Waterfall
Who remembers the massive waterfall? All of you? Good. It dominates this section of Peru and drives the primitive cog-based machinery at the heart of the level. As before, should you feel the need, Lara can swan-drive from the top into the pool below, and it looks amazing.

Bats
These accursed flying rodents are back to plague Ms Croft. The bats we saw took around fifteen shots to kill(!) but Eidos have promised the final game will have swarms of the little buggers, each of which will die with single shot.

Dangling
Lara spends much of her time dangling off ledges. All the lovely moves and mechanics from Legend have returned: she can shimmy and even do a handstand while climbing onto ledges. Lady Croft also has a new balancing trick called "the perch," which allows her to hop from post to post without falling off.

Bridge
There's no single way to get through this level, and it's filled with secret passages, nooks and crannies. Bridges like this one can be crossed, or Lara can shimmy across rock faces, climb up and down makeshift ladders or just dive off the nearest cliff face into the water below.

Lara's looks
While the game uses graphics last seen in Tomb Raider: Legend, Eidos have made a point of turning back the clock, making Lady Croft look younger. She's now in her early twenties, complete with the rosy blush of youth on her cheeks.



Guns
It wouldn’t be Tomb Raider without Lara's guns. They sit in holsters and are easily accessible to kill all manner of pesky animals. This level primarily involves shooting bats, wolves, raptors and, of course, that T-Rex.

Leotard
Lara has swapped her classic green T-shirt for a figure-hugging leotard. But judging by the way she fidgets with it on the start-up screen, it must be chafing somewhere…

Cogs
Lara’s first real quest involves fixing the giant cog-driven machine which dominates the level. The cogs themselves now look more realistic and are made of wood, carved or tied together with vines. When Lara replaces the three lost cogs, they have their own little animations rather than being pushed into place.

Hair
The braid is back! Lara’s simple trademark plait is now more of a sophisticated French braid. The choice of hairstyle means Lara's locks are well out of the way during her tomb raiding, but also makes her seem more mature and stylish. We like.

Backpack
Lara’s tiny backpack - last seen in the Angkor Wat training level of Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation  - returns. It holds all her equipment, which has really been scaled back - there’s not a wireless headset or PDA in sight, and the classic Tomb Raider rotating inventory screen also makes a welcome return.

New screen:

Αυτά τα sites: Tomb Raider Anniversary και Tomb Raider Chronicles οργανώνουν ενα διαγωνισμό. Πρέπει να πάρεις το render με την Lara και να το στολίσεις με τα χρώματα της χώρας σου. Το βραβείο θα είναι 5 αντίγραφα από το παιχνίδι Tomb Raider Anniversary και το όνομα του νικητή θα είναι γραμμένο στα kredits.

Eσυ συμμετεχεις?

Εγώ πάντως λέω να το παλέψω!! Αν κι από ότι είδα το αρχείο έχει γίνει download περίπου 2000 φορές κι ο νικητής κατάλαβα ότι θα είναι μόνο ένας! Οπότε.. καμμία τύχη..

Tyrenda\ wrote: Εγώ πάντως λέω να το παλέψω!! Αν κι από ότι είδα το αρχείο έχει γίνει download περίπου 2000 φορές κι ο νικητής κατάλαβα ότι θα είναι μόνο ένας! Οπότε.. καμμία τύχη..

person\ wrote: Kαλή τύχη!!!

Σ'ευχαριστώ πολύ αλλά κάτσε να καταφέρω να το κατεβάσω γιατί κάνει κάτι μ@λ@κίες και σταματάει ξαφνικά να κατεβάζει.. Τα νεύρα μου!!

Terminator\ wrote: Eσυ συμμετεχεις?

Θα προσπαθήσω.

Tyrenda, Καλή τύχη !

OPS2M-GR:

Εκπληκτικο.
Η γυναικα οσο παει γινεται ολο και πιο ομορφη...αν και εδω ειναι υποτιθεται η πρωτη της εμφανιση.

TOMB RAIDER ANNIVERSARY PACK SHOT -( PS2 )