TOMB RAIDER: ANNIVERSARY

BACK TO ALL GAMES

PLATFORM: Xbox 360

EDITION: Standard

STUDIO:

RELEASE YEAR: 2007

CONDITION: Used

GRADE: Good

The existence of Anniversary was hinted at by Eidos staff member Ian Livingstone during an interview shortly after the release of Legend in May 2006. The game was announced under the provisional title Tomb Raider 10th Anniversary Edition in June of that year, along with its planned platforms of PlayStation 2 (PS2), PlayStation Portable (PSP) and Windows personal computers (PC). Its official title was revealed in November.

Crystal Dynamics co-developed the PS2 version with Buzz Monkey Software. During development, Crystal Dynamics wanted to push the PS2 version to its technical limits with the scale and quality of environments, which caused problems for the PSP conversion as this was at odds with designs that would run smoothly in the console. While the conversion was successful, LaMar described the process as "primarily a brute-force approach". The PC version was developed by Nixxes Software.[2] Anniversary was originally planned only for PC and PlayStation platforms as they had a long association with Tomb Raider. Due to fan demand, the team created an Xbox 360 port. To reach release as soon as possible, the 360 version was originally planned as a series of downloadable segments through the Xbox Live Arcade, with a later full retail release. To download, players needed a copy of Legend for the 360, which was explained by Eidos as a means of bringing the game to players as quickly as possible. This plan was later changed so the Xbox Live version would be released the month after the retail version.

Anniversary was the first Tomb Raider title for the Wii, developed to expand Eidos's game catalogue into new Nintendo consoles. Due to receiving Wii development kits fairly late from Nintendo, the Wii version could not be released at the same time as other home console versions. The PSP, 360 and Wii ports were all handled by Buzz Monkey Software. A port of the console and PC version was developed for OS X by Feral Interactive and Robosoft Technologies and published by Feral Interactive. The mobile phone version was developed by FinBlade. The game was modelled on an earlier trilogy of original Tomb Raider games for mobiles.

The game was released for PS2 and PC on 1 June 2007 in Europe, 5 June in North America, and 7 June in Australia. A limited Europe-exclusive Collector's Edition was released alongside the standard edition; the Collector's Edition included a copy of the game, a DVD featuring a documentary on the series and promotional material for earlier games, and a CD of music from both Anniversary and Legend. The PSP version was released in North America on 9 August, in Europe on 26 October, and in Australia on 2 November. The Xbox 360 port was released on 23 October in North America, 26 October in Europe, and 2 November in Australia. Anniversary was the first full video game title made available for download on Xbox Live Arcade. The Wii version was released on 13 November 2007 in North America, 7 December in Europe and 7 February 2008 in Australia. Spike published the PS2, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360 versions in Japan on 27 March 2008. The first print versions came with a "10th Anniversary Edition" DVD including promotional material, a documentary, and soundtrack selection. The mobile version was published by Eidos Interactive in December 2007. The OS X port was released on 15 February 2008.

Anniversary was later ported to PlayStation 3 (PS3) by Buzz Monkey Software and released as part of the Tomb Raider Trilogy collection alongside its sequel Tomb Raider: Underworld and a PS3 port of Legend. The collection included PS3 avatars and documentary shorts on all three games. Tomb Raider Trilogy was published worldwide during March 2011.

Tomb Raider: Anniversary is an action-adventure video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and Buzz Monkey Software and published by Eidos Interactive in 2007 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, Wii and mobile phones. It was later ported to OS X in 2008 and PlayStation 3 in 2011. The eighth overall entry in the Tomb Raider series and second in the Legend trilogy, Anniversary is a remake of the first Tomb Raider game, originally released in 1996.

Taking place before the events of 2006's Tomb Raider: Legend, Anniversary follows series protagonist Lara Croft's quest for the Scion of Atlantis. Gameplay features Lara navigating linear levels, fighting enemies and solving puzzles to progress. The Wii version includes console-exclusive motion control elements, and the mobile adaptation features side-scrolling gameplay emulating earlier mobile Tomb Raider titles.

Following the completion of Legend, Crystal Dynamics began developing Anniversary. Using the Legend engine, the team rebuilt the gameplay and levels, and series cocreator Toby Gard expanded the narrative. Composer Troels Brun Folmann remade and added to the music using an orchestral style. A remake of the original Tomb Raider was initially being created by franchise creators Core Design, but the project was cancelled following their sale to Rebellion Developments in 2006.

Upon release, Anniversary received generally positive reviews from critics who deemed it a worthy remake of the original game, though some criticism was aimed at the game's graphics and occasional technical issues. The Wii version also divided opinion, with some critics praising the implementation of motion controls but others faulting them. While it reached high positions in sales charts, the game would become the worst selling entry in the franchise, selling just 1.3 million copies worldwide. The game was followed by Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008), the last in the Legend trilogy that takes place directly after the events of Legend.

Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a single-player action-adventure game where the player controls the protagonist, Lara Croft, from a third-person perspective, through fourteen levels set across four locations around the world. Lara can jump, climb and shimmy along ledges and vertical poles or ladders, crawl through small spaces, and swing on ropes and horizontal poles. Other abilities include interacting with objects and switches, using a grappling hook to latch onto special rings for both puzzle solving and environmental traversal, and swim and dive underwater for a limited time. Different button combinations can create more moves such as a roll and swan dive.

Puzzles block progress through the levels until Lara solves them by activating switches or finding and using keys hidden within the area. These involve avoiding traps and timed environmental elements. In some sections, the player must pass quick time events by reacting to control prompts that appear on screen. While exploring, Lara can find large and small Medipacks that can heal damage suffered during gameplay, items which allow progress through a level or the larger game, and hidden artefacts and relics which unlock rewards such as costumes once collected. Once completed, a time trial is unlocked for each level, with further bonus features unlocking once the time trial is completed successfully.

During combat, Lara automatically locks on to enemies and fires with her equipped gun, with the player able to switch to another target within range and move freely to avoid enemy attacks. Animal enemies can grab and knock Lara down, leaving her vulnerable to damage until she breaks free or rights herself from a fall. Tougher enemies become enraged and charge at Lara after being shot a number of times. When they close in, time slows and Lara can dodge the incoming attack, allowing her time to counterattack. A special attack triggered during this time is a head shot when two targeting reticles overlap; a head shot kills a standard enemy and deals high damage to boss characters. Lara has access to four different weapons in combat; her default twin pistols with infinite ammunition, and three secondary weapons—a shotgun, dual .50 caliber handguns and dual miniature submachine guns—with different attack power and limited ammunition which is picked up during levels. Should Lara die during gameplay, she restarts from the previous checkpoint.

The Wii port carries over the levels and general gameplay of the other versions, while incorporating motion controls. Wii-exclusive first-person puzzles include breaking through walls with a pickaxe, using a flash light in dark areas, assembling mechanisms from pieces found around the environment, manipulating symbol-based locks, and using paper and charcoal to take rubbings of puzzle-related symbols, all utilizing the Wii Remote. Motion controls are also used for some aspects of platforming, and free aiming in combat. In the mobile phone version of Anniversary, Lara navigates side-scrolling 2D levels, platforming, fighting enemies and activating switches to progress.

British archaeologist-adventurer Lara Croft is approached by mercenary Larson, who is employed by wealthy businesswoman Jacqueline Natla. Natla hires Lara to find the Scion of Atlantis, an ancient artefact originally sought by Lara's father Richard Croft. It is buried in the tomb of Atlantean ruler Qualopec within the lost city of Vilcabamba. Making her way through Vilcabamba to Qualopec's tomb, Lara discovers that there are three pieces of the Scion, divided between Atlantis' Triumvirate. Escaping the tomb, she is confronted by Larson, sent by Natla to take Lara's piece of the Scion. After beating him in a fight, he reveals that Natla has sent her rival Pierre Dupont to retrieve the next piece. Breaking into Natla's offices, Lara discovers a video showing the next Scion piece's resting place in Greece beneath a building called St Francis' Folly.

Navigating the catacombs beneath St Francis' Folly, Lara finds the tomb of Tihocan, another member of the Triumvirate, that led the survivors of Atlantis after a betrayal caused the city's destruction. Pierre steals the Scion piece, but he is killed by guardian centaurs outside the tomb. After defeating the centaurs and joining both pieces of the Scion, Lara has a vision which reveals that the third and final piece of the Scion was hidden in Egypt after the third member of the Triumvirate—the traitor which sank Atlantis—was captured by Tihocan and Qualopec. Recovering the third Scion piece, Lara assembles the Scion and sees the rest of the vision, revealing Natla to be the betrayer. Emerging from her vision, Lara is ambushed by Natla, who takes the Scion.

Lara escapes Natla's henchmen—with silent help from Larson—and stows away aboard Natla's boat, which arrives at an uncharted volcanic island holding an Atlantean pyramid filled with her monstrous creations. Lara is forced to kill Larson when he will not back down, which greatly disturbs her. Fighting Natla's remaining henchmen and navigating the pyramid−including an encounter with a doppelgänger of her−Lara confronts Natla, who offers her a place in the new Triumvirate and access to the Scion's knowledge to complete Richard's quest for knowledge. Lara instead shoots the Scion and sends Natla plummeting into a pool of lava, triggering a chain reaction that begins destroying the pyramid. After a final confrontation with a severely injured but still powerful Natla, ending after she is crushed by a pillar, Lara escapes the island and sails away in Natla's boat.

TOMB RAIDER: ANNIVERSARY

TOMB RAIDER (2013) (Combat Edition)

TOMB RAIDER: THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS (PLATINUM)

SHADOW OF THE TOMB RAIDER (PROMO)

TOMB RAIDER: LEGEND

RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER (Pop-Up Slipcover)

TOMB RAIDERS (JP)

SHADOW OF THE TOMB RAIDER

RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER

SHADOW OF THE TOMB RAIDER

TOMB RAIDER: ANNIVERSARY (JP)

TOMB RAIDER: LEGEND (JP)

TOMB RAIDER (2013) (STEELBOOK EDITION)

TOMB RAIDER (2013)

TOMB RAIDER: ANNIVERSARY

TOMB RAIDER: THE LAST REVELATION

TOMB RAIDER (1996)