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Tomb Raider Anniversary PSP Review |
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Written by Don Lee
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Sunday, 04 November 2007 |
 Tomb Raider Anniversary is the latest in the Tomb Raider franchise but
this release has a combination of new looks and features with some of
the elements that has made the Tomb Raider series one of the most
successful in gaming history. I picked up a copy of the game for the
Sony PlayStation Portable and this is what I discovered.
Lara Croft’s latest adventure begins when she is hired to retrieve an ancient object called the Scion. Just like previous adventures, Lara must navigate through ancient grounds to achieve her goal with numerous obstacles and enemies in her way. You need to use every weapon and skill to get out alive. While the game’s premise sounds similar to all previous releases, the developer (Crystal Dynamics) has added a number of new features and enemies to enhance the experience.
For those of you who have experience with the Tomb Raider games, you know how important the controls are. I was worried about how the typical console controls would translate to the PSP but I was shocked to find that the game is just as easy to play on the PSP as it is on my game console. You use the PSP’s analog stick to control her main movements but you will need to master all of the device’s buttons to play efficienctly.
A couple of moves you will want to master are the adrenaline dodge and break holds by the enemy. Sometimes you’re not going to have much ammunition available so your only option is to fight it out with your enemies. Learning these moves will help you take on multiple enemies without a bullet.
A great feature that makes playing on such a small screen a bit easier is the targeting reticle. On many portable games that require some gunfire, it is very difficult to almost impossible to know whether you are actually hitting what you are aiming for. In Tomb Raider Anniversary, when you are close enough to an enemy and get them in range, you can see your reticle change to red, which means that it’s time to attack. If you can also get locked onto your enemy, your chances in a shootout will get better. Remember to move around in any direction to avoid taking too many hits on your healthbar.
The graphics and music are nice complements to the game action. The music is stunning and is worked in well during action sequences. The graphics are huge improvement over previous Tomb Raider releases. All maps appear beautifully rendered and display a tremendous amount of detail.
The game’s storyline and the interaction available throughout the scenes makes the game a lot of fun but also intriguing. No matter which map you are on or the situation you are faced with, be wary of your surroundings. What you see as just an object on the screen or some eye candy may be your only way of continuing on through the current map. I got stuck a number of times throughout each map but after a more thorough walkthrough, I discovered a number of interactive objects that would help me get through.
Most shooter games for the PlayStation Portable don’t rate well because it is difficult to see where you are firing with the small screen but Tomb Raider Anniversary doesn’t suffer from this stigma. The on-screen targeting will highlight what you are shooting at which makes things a lot easier.
Overall, Tomb Raider Anniversary is a solid release that has reenergized this franchise. If you wanted to get back to the fun in the earlier Tomb Raider releases, then you will really enjoy Tomb Raider Anniversary. The game returns to its roots and that is why the game has earned 4.5 stars out of 5. Highly recommended.
You can click HERE to purchase Tomb Raider Anniversary for the Sony PlayStation Portable. You can also pick up the game for Windows PC , PlayStation 2 , Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii. You can learn more about Tomb Raider Anniversary from the game official website at http://www.tombraider.com/anniversary/
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