Tomb Raider: Anniversary

Alongside the console and PC versions, the remake also arrived on the PlayStation Portable, once again helmed by studio Buzz Monkey Software, which at the time specialized in porting major console titles to handhelds. Bringing an acrobatic 3D adventure to a 2007 handheld device wasn't trivial - the PSP has no second analog stick, so the camera is controlled with a combination of the L/R buttons and automatic zoom behind the character, which noticeably changes the pace of play compared to the console versions of the game.

The graphical downgrade is noticeable - the small PSP screen's lower resolution and more limited working memory forced simplified environment models, less detailed textures, and shorter draw distance, yet the basic level layout and most of the puzzles from the console original were preserved. Loading times between individual sections are longer, and some acrobatic sequences were adjusted so they could be managed even without a second stick for the camera. The result is a version that plays noticeably differently than on the big screen - more cautiously, with greater emphasis on static aiming and less tolerance for mistakes when jumping across chasms.

The control scheme was adjusted so that automatic targeting during combat largely replaced manual aiming, which would have been imprecise with the PSP's single control element. The developers also reworked several of the more difficult acrobatic sequences involving double jumps so they required fewer simultaneously pressed buttons than on consoles. The game ran at a lower resolution matching the PSP display and included its own quick mid-level save system, which made it easier to play in the shorter stretches typical of handheld devices on the go after 2007.

Why play it: It will be appreciated by players who wanted to take a Tomb Raider adventure with them on the go in 2007 - it's a genuinely reworked handheld experience, not just a shrunken copy of the console game.