Tomb Raider Anniversary

Porting a console game to the Sony PSP is nothing new but sadly, many of them just don’t feel quite at home on a handheld. This can’t be said about Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary, a retooled version of the game that first introduced gamers to a shapely adventurer that is good at what she does best … looking for ancient artifacts in tombs around the world. Since then, Lara Croft has become a pop culture icon and the star of a number of sequels (a few of them good and a few others that should be forgotten) up until her triumphant comeback called Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend where the series finally got back to the basics.

The road to Legend wasn’t an easy one considering the fact that fans of the Tomb Raider series were quite disappointed with the stinker that was Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness (Lara out of the tombs and wrapped up in a murder mystery - what were they thinking?). It’s Legend that put Lara back into her familiar surroundings and gave her some new moves. With the original’s 10th anniversary here, it seems only fitting that our girl (who looks really good for her age, by the way) gets a newly stylized version of the original that started it all.

Anniversary takes places in 1997 where Lara Croft, staying in Calcutta, is made an offer by a mysterious woman to locate a rare artifact known as the Scion. This, of course, sparks Lara’s interest seeing as her own father was connected to it as well. So she embarks on an adventure that takes her through exotic lands such as Peru, Egypt and Greece in search of the artifact. While the level design remains loyal to the original, the game’s levels feel bigger and the adventure more epic. Most of this is due to the graphical upgrade and, of course, many of the features that are borrowed from Legend. This includes Lara’s new grappling hook tool, fresh new acrobatic moves and a slightly better aiming system. Yes, Lara can still do all the things she’s been doing in the past but now she does them with a little more finesse.

The game opens in Peru, where you find yourself deep within the catacombs of what is left of an Incan empire. Just like in the original, you’ll be faced with a number of traps, wild animals (including an out-of-place Peruvian grizzly bear) and a nice collection of puzzles to solve. The good news is that Lara comes prepared with her dual pistols and the new grappling tool that not only allows you to swing from ledge to ledge (or use it to wall run across) but also pull in collectible relics from afar. These new mechanics adds a fresh twist to the familiar puzzles. By the time you get to Greece and Egypt you’ll be easily making heads or tails of the door puzzles.

You’ll find early in the game that Lara’s new moves add new elements to certain actions. During combat, for instance, Lara can make use of her new Adrenaline Dodge that slows time down a little enough for you to roll out of the way of a charging enemy. The new Knockdown Recovery move allows Lara to regain her balance after being knocked around by an enemy that managed to hit her. Lara’s acrobatics have also improved and she can shimmy across ledges faster, swing from pole to pole better than a certain Persian Prince can swing and balance on the tip of poles while trying to keep her balance. Even the targeting feels a tad more precise … although why it takes an entire ammo clip to finish off a wolf is still a mystery.

You would think that the PSP control scheme might not be the perfect fit but in the case of Anniversary it’s just not true. In fact, I’ll even go as far as saying that the controls are perfect and work well on the PSP. Pulling off all the moves isn’t hard at all and once you get use to the aiming you’ll be able to bring down enemies faster (which is a good thing when you finally encounter the raptors and the T-Rex. What doesn’t work is the camera, a nuisance that will play a role in your demise and thanking God for checkpoints. The framerate can dip at times, causing a stutter here and there but it’s nothing really serious.

Visually, Anniversary looks really good on the PSP and it comes close to mimicking those on the PS2. Then again, there are a few minor bumps and bruises that blemish an otherwise pretty face. The clipping, for example, is more evident here than on the console version of the game. The camera, as I said before, is not your friend and oftentimes you’ll find yourself looking right through an object. Lara, on the other hand, looks amazing and her killer moves look natural even on the PSP screen. There are even some gorgeous vistas and wonderful backgrounds but sometimes the environments can take on a dull look.

The sound is also another plus and it’s impressive to hear the score, sound effects and voice acting come out nicely through the PSP speakers. The game’s soundtrack is still a treat to hear and its familiar score adjusts depending on the situation. There is very little to hear as far as the sound effects are concerned but at least things like gunfire and a dinosaur’s roar can be heard well enough. Even the voice acting works well.

Still quite an amazing experience from start to finish, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary for the PSP deserves a place in your PSP collection. While there are a few flaws that seem minor in the console version but a bit more noticeable in the portable version, the things that really work make for a fun adventure that comes close to handheld perfection. If you’re a fan of Lara Croft or if this is your first Tomb Raider game, then you are in for a pleasant surprise.

Gameplay: 8.0
The game’s controls are surprisingly well balanced and responsive on the PSP and despite a few glitches Lara’s fancy acrobatics and slick new moves feel right at home on the portable medium. For those who recall Lara’s first exploits, this new version has a few surprises but remains faithful to the original.

Graphics: 7.5
Our favorite tomb raider is looking really good these days and seeing her strut her stuff on the PSP widescreen is just a real treat. There are times when the environments look just as stunning as the PS2 version but sometimes the textures can look flat and dull here. Still, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the visuals.

Sound: 7.6
The game’s soundtrack is still just as wonderfully cinematic as it was back when the game was released and the sound effects are still minimal but decent. You’ll hear Lara throughout the game as well and the voice acting is not bad at all.

Difficulty: Medium
The game’s puzzle vary from obvious to pretty tricky but either way you slice and dice it there’s nothing here that will have you stuck for a long period of time. The lovely Lady Croft will break her neck often thanks to the camera, though, and it still takes a whole ammo clip to kill a bat.

Concept: 8.0
Anniversary benefits from the better controls, cool acrobatic moves and the neat grappling hook gadget. Aside from the slick new moves, there’s a big chunk of Croft Manor to explore and puzzle aplenty as well. There are cool extras to unlock by collecting artifacts in the main game.

Overall: 8.0
Tomb Raider: Anniversary takes us back to the beginning but offers something refreshingly new that fits nicely on the PSP. Sure, there are some flaws that crop up ever so often but the overall package makes this the best portable version of the PlayStation 2 and PC remake. If you’ve been waiting for a decent Tomb Raider game for the PSP then look no further.