Tomb Raider Anniversary

[Dezm0nd]

I know it's not a first play post, but any game managers/employees care to share the pricing of this game on PS2? I saw the Limited edition was 29.99, does this mean the original is 24.99?

Gonna buy this over Shadowrun, I will edit this post tomorrow with impressions.

[Malc]

didn't like the legend controls and with the large amounts of water bits in tomb raider i might give this a miss.

I think someone said this earlier, but the underwater sections have probably been adapted to suit the new swimming controls.

[fallenangle]

Nobody liked the Legend swim controls including me. In the old TRs it was beautifully simple. like flying through the water. In Legend it's like controlling a sub - over-complicated but perfectly usable.

BTW I've stuck to the mansion for so long because I'm going for all the artifacts/pickups. Actually I am having trouble getting one artifact in the gym - there might be an easy solution I've missed but it seems a swine compared to all the others which are rather too easy. But perhaps my expermentation will result in finding a alternative method/technique - all part of the fun.

[smallvillex]

Allways the collectors edition!

I believe it comes with lots of damn, decent extras! Not just a couple of pre-release trailers like some games.

True....

Game eat your heart out....i got my collectors edition yesterday....

[fallenangle]

^ Sorted the mansion 100% and now finished the first main level: Qualopec with all pickups etc.

Very pretty in a Legend sort of way but no more atmospheric for all it's far greater detail and realism. They've made it darker and more moody, noticeably less light and snow in the indoor areas throwing light into shadows. I actually think this works against it. It feels much more enclosed, not as big or lonely. But they do have the use of sound/music just about right. No idiots jabbering in Lara's earpiece, mostly it's just environmental effects - glad CD understood the importance of that.

But the main issue I have is with the combat - in the narrow spaces (noticeably smaller than the original's equivalent areas) the Legend style manually positioned, often, too tight camera and general fighting system is far from ideal. Put quite simply: the original TR is better, particularly the camera. I miss the tumble turn a great deal.

[Dezm0nd]

Got my copy for the PS2 at Tesco Metro for £19.73. Bargain!

[Destrukticor]

as someone said earlier

ive no idea what they've done to the PS2 version but with widescreen and prog scan on the image has massive borders all around it on my tv as well

reasonably good though as games go

[sj33]

as someone said earlier

ive no idea what they've done to the PS2 version but with widescreen and prog scan on the image has massive borders all around it on my tv as well

reasonably good though as games go

Sounds like CRT overscan compensation, that's pretty common.

[Salsa Party Animal]

I will pick up PC version next weekend.

[fallenangle]

Sounds like CRT overscan compensation, that's pretty common.

I don't think so - the borders are far too large to be explained by that. Various other technical explanations have been suggested but nothing definitive.

[Dezm0nd]

as someone said earlier

ive no idea what they've done to the PS2 version but with widescreen and prog scan on the image has massive borders all around it on my tv as well

reasonably good though as games go

I was going to comment on the super massive black holes on the side of my screens, luckily the game is a total charmer and you instantly forget about it.

Had to restart the first level as Medium setting is going to be too easy, hard mode it is. I rarely do it but the checkpoint system doesn't really work well enough, it's good but I want the old crystal save points back, or at least have the option.

well worth 20 bones

[MrKirov]

I'm loving it, I really am. Well, I WAS. That is until I came to the T-Rex. What the **** have they done?

Boxed in doing a stupid dodging minigame, followed by some QTE's. Where's the shock of him coming round the corner, screen shaking and all? Where's the thought of "balls to this" and pegging it away from him, only to torment him and watch him stumble around on top of the bridge?

Other than that, top game so far, if a little easy, and a little TOO abridged for my liking. Basically Tomb Raider Legend, in Tomb Raider 1's clothing. I'm still enjoying it alot regardless though.

I really wish they would have released it for 360, I really do. At full screen 720p, this would look as lovely as Legend did. The acheivements on the 360 version had me doing everything, collecting everything on every difficulty. 25-30 hours worth. I fear there will be nothing to pull me into doing that with this now.

Shallow I know, but i've got too many games to play to keep replaying one!

[Dogg Thang]

Boxed in doing a stupid dodging minigame, followed by some QTE's. Where's the shock of him coming round the corner, screen shaking and all? Where's the thought of "balls to this" and pegging it away from him, only to torment him and watch him stumble around on top of the bridge?

Other than that, top game so far, if a little easy, and a little TOO abridged for my liking. Basically Tomb Raider Legend, in Tomb Raider 1's clothing. I'm still enjoying it alot regardless though.

This is the first post to put me off buying this. I hate QTEs. No substitute for actual gameplay. The Rex bit was fantastic as is. There was no need to mess with it.

And, on your abridged comment, is it missing a lot?

[MrKirov]

Dont get me wrong, this is still a top quality game.

It's basically Tomb Raider Legend, without all the flashlight/scan/people ringing you malarkey.

Its very atmospheric, it plays a damned good and very unstressful game. I do recommend it. I'm just so damend shocked at what they did to one of the defining moments of gaming history. I mean a cutscene, then some dodging in a boxed in area, then a QTE.

Thats it. no wonder, no amazement. Just a bog standard cutscene. Thats really the only main annoyance i've had so far though. Although apparently, you never fight ANY of the bosses properly like in the first game, its all done in the same way as the T-Rex. If that IS true, its going to be a serious bugbear for me.

In regards to the abridgement, I cant comment TOO much, as im only up to just after the T-Rex. But in the first game, the lost valley was the third level, and you didnt even get to the T-Rex until halfway through that level. It took a good few hours to get there.

It must have taken me about 40-50 minutes in TR:A. Thing is, im not too sure whether this is because the game flows so much more smoothly, without lots of stopping and backtracking, or because the game is much shorter. I have heard that entire levels are missing. Althoguh this is to be expected as its not so much a remake, as a "re-imagining"

Its nice seeing bit of levels you remember from Tomb Raider 1, but its more of a passing nostalgia rather than a full on copy. Although so far, I cant help but feel that things arent as...in depth. Even the puzzles just seem to be a matter of doing a very simple action like, climb up and pull a switch. Theres been no head scratching, no "where go I go" or "what do I do".

Dont let this put you off though, as i've said, it is still a very competent game that is flowing smoothly, with a great sense of scale and exploration. It's certainly fun, seems to have alot of bonuses and rewards, and possibly the redone soundtrack is BETTER than the original (!!!)

But i'll reserve my judgement until ive played it a bit more. Hopefully the niggles ive raised will be sorted as the game progresses, and subsequently gets harder.

[fallenangle]

I did the T-Rex in the Lost Valley last night - best level so far, very platformy, but the totally unnecessary QTE (not the first either) prior to the fight made my heart sink. Why do they persist with this naff idea? The fight itself, once you get the gist, is good fun but it completely misses the point of the original. no shock and awe or the ability to run away like a coward and shoot it from safety.

What I'm still hating is the close quarter combat - the manual camera simply isn't up to the task. Even in the open multi-enemy attacks, like the raptors (which aren't that hard even on HARD) are annoying simply because you get tagged/killed due entirely to camera issues. I've given up going head to head and simply run for the high ground and pick them off.

But whoever ^ said the game feels abridged has hit the nail on the head, at least until the Lost Valley. It feels and is smaller, less open and certainly more linear. It also shocks you with its patronising simplicity sometimes eg. at the start of the Lost Valley one vital and key item in the level is actually just lying in the open.

There is extra longevity if you're going for all the pickups/artifacts/relics but so far most of these seem to be simply cul-de-sacs areas tacked on to the main route. Even in a large open area like the Lost Valley itself there's nothing off track to explore.

It's a good, well made game and I think better than Legend. Gamers new to TR will probably love it. I like it, I'm enjoying the platformy, swinging bits but I'm just not being fully engaged. I wanted to be surprised, delighted or even amused by the their reinterpretation but, so far, it doesn't quite hit the mark.