Strap on your adventure gear and holster up your twin Magnums. It’s time to raid some tombs on the PlayStation Portable with one of the most recognisable female video game characters ever!

Lara Croft’s back in a big way in Tomb Raider Anniversary. Though this is not her first time appearing on the PSP, her debut was on Tomb Raider: Legend, the second game marks her game’s tenth anniversary when it took the PlayStation, Saturn and PC market by storm. And boy, this is a better game than Legend on the PSP!

Tomb Raider Anniversary is not just a remake; it has also been “re-imagined”. The Tomb Raider world is now more detailed and lush - even Lara herself (boys, take note!) benefited from the graphical capabilities of the PSP.

Gone are the days when you’re just guiding Lara around; it’s more of a team effort now as you step into Lara’s shoes as she jumps, swings and grabs ledges. Each time she manages to hang on for dear life, you’re required to give her an extra boost to ensure her adventure doesn’t prematurely end. As opposed to her debut in her first game, you get more interaction with her in the Anniversary version.

A variety of levels awaits you, from trudging through snow to beating a path through dense forest growth. Puzzle elements are in this game too, keeping the balance between brawn and brains.

Controls for Lara’s movements are spot-on. She can run, jump, swing, dive and even shimmy across ledges. Additional moves - like grappling with the grappling hook - were directly acquired from Legend. This is actually a welcomed change: with the grappling hook in Lara’s arsenal, the level designers do not have to find excuses to put conveniently-placed ropes and vines for Lara to swing across chasms.

Also, instead of the blocky and fixed angles Lara could face in the original game, Anniversary allows you total freedom to decide which way you want to point Lara. Nice touch again, especially when you need that extra precision to make that jump from one small column of rocks to the other.

A plethora of weapons is available at Lara’s disposal for her enemies’ disposal, which you’ll only gain as you steadily progress through each level. Your enemies include animals and humans, and yes, even that ‘huge ancient beast’ is back looking even more humongous and ferocious. Now that’s a challenge I wouldn’t mind replaying over and over again…The Anniversary features the original game’s enemies, and probably the same AI too.

 

 

There is one nice touch added to the battles. New to the Tomb Raider series, you can now perform a Matrix-like target lock-on on enemies. When an opponent charges at you/Lara, press the button prompt on-screen. This will cause Lara to jump to the side and a Matrix-style slowdown begins. Eventually, a red crosshair will appear on the target and if you press the fire button at the right time you can cause some serious damage.

At the moment, the only gripe I have about this game is the camera controls. Using the PSP’s L and R shoulder buttons, you can ‘rotate’ the camera angle by panning it left or right. This ‘minor’ drawback became slightly more annoying when engaging enemies in battle at confined spaces. It’s one of those times when you wished your PSP came with a second analogue nub. Luckily for us (or Lara), the game features auto lock-on to nearby enemies whenever you start shooting them.

If you’re looking for multiplayer or online features, I’ve sad news to report: there’s none for Anniversary. But don’t let that stop you from giving this game a shot.

The nostalgia comes flooding back with Tomb Raider Anniversary. The graphics, sound and cutscenes that propelled the game back to its glory days worked like a charm.

Tomb Raider Anniversary is a worthy buy to place among your collection of PSP games. There’s nothing like the First Lady of video games on her maiden voyage, twin Magnums a-blazin’ as she gets to the final showdown to save the world.