Tomb Raider Anniversary review (PSP)

Ah the classics, viewed with our rose tinted spectacles, it’s generally not too tricky for a game developer to improve on their previous games. With more experience of the ever-changing industry, and the ability to utilise the existing technology in a better way, even if we ignore the fact that we’re two generations on now, you wouldn’t be surprised to see games looking better than ever, with a whole new breed of gameplay enhancements. Then why was it quite easy to suggest that the original Tomb Raider remained the best one? Perhaps because it was such a leap in originality or 3D gameplay at the time, or that after the first game we’d seen it all before; perhaps they just designed it well. Either way, what better time than the present to give us essentially a remake of the original Tomb Raider, making liberal changes as and when necessary, using the most current technology available.

I know what you’re thinking, and you would be right in that the PSP can’t be the most technologically advanced machine on the planet, but as basically a portable PS2, how can Lara avoid it on her multi-platform (see what I did there?) journey to re-find the Scion? Certainly not up to the graphical wizardry of the Xbox 360 version, Tomb Raider Anniversary still manages to hold its own on the PSP. Fluid animation, simplistic but effective lighting, and a generally solid frame rate ensure that the game far exceeds the original (perhaps we’ll get to download it over the PSN to compare before too long?), and it’s not just the visuals that have had a touch up.

I like the way she moves

Back in the day, Tomb Raider one was all about tiles. The game was designed so that specific moves would be required for specific jumps to be able to reach the next platform exactly, which meant the convention of walking right up to the edge of the precipice, taking two steps back, running forward and hitting the jump button after the first step was a common occurrence in order to successfully navigate the tombs. With the recent iterations of the series, getting Lara to perform complicated and extravagant acrobatics was made a lot easier and more forgiving, to compensate for the focus shift towards combat from complicated exploring. Generally, if you jumped in the right direction, Lara would be able to grab on to whatever was around, even if you would have slightly missed the grip in the original. This is rolled over to this remake, allowing much faster and more fluid navigation around the areas.

Get too far out and you’ll have to push another button to keep your grip, but the new much more free control system, coupled with the reintroduction of the lone adventurer feel of the original makes Anniversary potentially Lara’s best outing yet. Memorable scenes and rooms from the original make reappearances here, but importantly, the game hasn’t just been increased in visual quality, with real design decisions having been made to tweak and alter segments, generally explained very well in the commentary ‘stones’ optionally popped around your route once you have completed each section of the game the first time. These are genuinely illuminating because they go back and reveal why the original game was designed the way it was, and how relevant it is to the modern world of gaming, necessitating changes for this version, and make a replay well worthwhile.

The world of FMV

Remember the days when FMV (Full Motion Video) used to be the buzzword (or buzzacronym I guess?), well the majority of cinematics are now presented within the engine, as Machinima sequences (although if I am not mistaken, fully 3D Machinima in-engine cinematics were pioneered by the original Tomb Raider) and appear very well in the game. The now cliché addition of requiring you to push a button mid way through is present, though the game gives you so much time to perform each one, they never become too much of a worry, or a distraction from the events.

The story advances in a very similar way to the original, which works nicely, considering the odd change such as fighting a human boss at one point in the game has become one of these interactive cinematics, while the rest of the bosses seem to have much more of a tactic to defeating them rather than simply avoiding them and pumping ammo into them. They have certainly become more fun, and worthwhile.

Replayability

Hidden deep within each level are relics and artefacts, secret items that unlock extra costumes and the usual art galleries, present in the bonus feature section of the menu. To find them all may just take you a substantial amount of time (though made much more pleasant and enjoyable if you turn on the commentaries while you’re exploring every nook and cranny). Further unlockables include the entire soundtrack (kind of like an upgraded version of the original – very nice), cheat modes (for completing ridiculously challenging time trials), and the cinematics just by finishing their respective stages in the game.

More artefacts can be discovered by exploring Croft Manor, which is kind of like a treasure hunt in your own home, well redesigned from the original to be more enjoyable to play through, yet keep the style and general shape of the other games’ mansions, with a nod to the fact that certain areas are still being built (certainly necessitating crates being stacked around) because this is technically the first game in Lara’s outings.

Reaching the end…

The original game, while enjoyable in its general Lara Raiding Tombs action (oh, that’s how it got its title!) tended towards the maliciously difficult at the end. This version gives a lot more leeway with its liberal checkpoints (although tragic load times whenever you die and must return to the closest one), but again, a far too swift rise in difficulty towards the climax. Arguably this will provide a much more lengthy challenge than the easy walk-through games we see in our current line up (after all, with the massive production budgets, developers want you to see the whole of their games), but it’s either going to be something you’ll love or hate.

I was ill and restricted to my bed for a few days this week, and personally, the chance to play a damn good remake of a damn good game on my PSP while lying in bed brought me a fantastic new experience with a tint of nostalgia, which is a tricky task when you’re ill. Whether or not you’re ill, if you’re a fan of Tomb Raider, and tend to game on the move, then perhaps the PSP version is worth a look for you, as it is definitely an admirable port of the latest in Lara’s series. That said, as an achievement junkie, I’d probably go for the 360 version.