Tomb Raider: Anniversary

Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a complete remake of the 1996 game, created in 2007 by Crystal Dynamics to mark the series' tenth anniversary. Toby Gard, co-creator of the original game, served as a consultant on the project, which helped preserve the atmosphere and key story moments even though the game was built essentially from scratch. Rather than merely smoothing out the textures, the developers rebuilt all the original locations - the Peruvian mountains, Greek temples, Egyptian tombs, and the lost city of Atlantis - in the engine that had powered Tomb Raider: Legend a year earlier. Lara Croft thus gained an acrobatic movement system, contextual grabs, fluid ledge jumping, and a new set of interactive environmental elements that the nineties classic never had.

The Xbox 360 version benefited from full HD graphics, sharper textures, and a stable frame rate, which let the reworked puzzles and sprawling tomb spaces really shine. The game keeps the structure of the original - a linear progression through individual levels with an emphasis on jumping sections, levers, and mechanisms - but adds new sections, reworked boss fights including a revised final confrontation, and new puzzle solutions that respond to a modern control scheme. Combat was simplified and supplemented with slow-motion aiming for more dramatic hits, so the shooting doesn't feel as stiff as it did in the 1996 original. The game also offers unlockable costumes and bonus content after completing the campaign.

Compared to the original, the developers also reworked the fights against iconic monsters - the encounter with the T-Rex in Peru, the centaur in Greece, and the final showdown with Natla in Atlantis all received new tactics based on dodging and using the environment. Time Trials were expanded with leaderboards and unlockable bonus levels, which extended the game's lifespan even after finishing the main story.

Why play it: Anniversary is the ideal entry point for players who want to experience Lara Croft's original story without the archaic controls of the first game - it will appeal to adventure fans who favor platforming and logical puzzles, as well as anyone who wants to revisit the series' roots in a modern coat of paint.