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Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary (PlayStation 2, Windows)

common sense media says

Uber-curvy Croft in remake shows brains, bravery.

parents & educators say
See all 10 reviews | Review it

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this is a remake of the 1996 classic. It's rated "T" with "mild suggestive themes" because voluptuous Lara wears ultra tight-fitting outfits including a cat suit and swimsuit, which you earn by playing well. The "violence" warning by the ESRB is for Lara's use of guns to shoot creatures and wild animals, but there isn't any blood.

Educational value: Not applicable.
Positive messages: Lara may be a sex symbol, but she's also a strong heroine with brains and bravery.
Violence: No blood, but plenty of shooting creatures and animals with dual pistols.
Sex: Lara Croft is voluptuous in an unreal sense, and appears in skin-tight tops and short shorts; but players can also earn new outfits that reveal a lot more cleavage and skin.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about whether this game would be as successful if it featured an unattractive "Larry Croft" instead of a beautiful "Lara Croft." Families might want to talk about how the game mixes real-life adventuring and treasure hunting with a bit of a supernatural twist, a la Indiana Jones. Who does this game appeal to most? Girls looking to play video games with strong female role model, or guys wanting to play games featuring hot heroine?

What's the story?

What's the story?
LARA CROFT TOMB RAIDER: ANNIVERSARY is a relatively affordable single-player game for the Sony PlayStation 2 and Windows PCs, which reintroduces us to Lara Croft as she risks her neck spelunking through tombs, battling through ancient cities, and scaling cliffs. The story reveals Croft's quest to find a mystical artifact, dubbed the Scion, but she soon realizes the mysterious syndicate that hired her had an ulterior motive. As in the original, you can first roam through Croft Manor to practice many of Croft's moves, including running, jumping, hanging on ledges, swimming, climbing, shooting guns, and using a grappling hook. Then it's off to Peru, Egypt, Greece, and other areas for her assignment in breathtakingly attractive environments.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

While the original game was advanced for its time, Anniversary greatly improves on the visual appeal by adding highly detailed characters, smoother animation, and realistic-looking indoor and outdoor scenery. Larger levels and new pathways to explore mean you will be able to play through this adventure in different ways. Enemy artificial intelligence has also been improved.

While the game is an extraordinary remake, some nagging camera issues occur. Sometimes the camera locks behind Croft in a way that obstructs your ability to see what she's shooting at or swinging toward. On the PC version, it can be tough to juggle all the controls using the mouse and keyboard. Computer gamers might fare better with a gamepad. Minor shortcomings notwithstanding, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary is an exceptional, value-priced remake worth playing through -- even if you've completed the original game multiple times.

Game themes & details

Game Details
Available on: PlayStation 2, Windows
Not available online
Genre: Action/Adventure
Developer: Eidos Interactive
Released on: June 6, 2007
Price: 29.99
ESRB Rating: T for mild suggestive themes, violence
This review was written by Marc Saltzman
 
 

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Most useful reviews by all members

abodoh
teen, 17 years old
 
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HeroneSilverton
adult
 
A good attempt at the first
I was especially excited about this game because I have played the game it is based on many times and loved it very much. I have not yet finished this game, but from what I have played of it, it is definatly much shorter that the original (Tomb Raider) but I recognize many places and creatures from it. Lara Croft is a very intelligent, physically fit character, and though she is unreal in many senses, she is still a great character to play as. Overall, it is a pretty good remake, but still doesn't have the same atmosphere as the first one, which was about getting lost and exploring a huge, vivid world, where the newest ones are mostly just shooting things and clearing obstacles. Hopefully the next one will be more like those first games that we all love so much.
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5555
teen, 13 years old
 
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the_terminator
teen, 14 years old
 
Its a great game!
Tomb raider is less violent then people think! The violence is when you fight carnivore animals or mythic creatures (and theres no blood) most of the time your solving puzzles! Also, some might think that Lara waers skimpish outfits. P.S. This game was also released on wii, xbox 360, and I think the orginal xbox
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Locke
adult
 
Definitely Worth the 30 Bucks!
Well, the only regret I have about this game is that I've finished it. Tomb Raider Anniversary is a stunning game with a great soundtrack and many puzzles riddled throughout the entire game. Lara Croft's skin tight outfit and unreal figure is a bit of a nuisance at times (nobody looks like that!) yet I loved every minute of the game. Definitely worth playing!
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Halo 117
teen, 17 years old
 
Good strategy game
I have this game and i get confused almost frequently.Tis game really makes you think so parents this game actually makes your kids use their brain.Their isnt any blood and minimum violence so parents dont have to worry about that.This is probably the best out of all the lara croft games and it has really good graphics for a ps2 game.
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Robag
teen, 15 years old
13
 
Laura's Anniversary is a "Bust"
Laura Croft is every horny 13 year old boys fanatsy, and there is no denying that fact. Well with that out of the way the game is really a let down, Laura never does what you try to, the lengthin the levels by making you do puzzles twice, and the contorls are needlessly placed all around the keyboard; rember the good old days of the original Tomb Raider on the Playstaiton yeah well you would rather play the orignal than the anniversary. i give it a D-.
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zappyo29
kid, 13 years old
12
 
kind of violent, but lots of puzzles 2.
its areally fun game, with alot of puzzle solving. there is some violnce and some bits that might scare little kids (csm, u guys need a scare thingiy) but really fun. (and its for wii and xbox 360 too) (and also, guy who played 1st one, they are VERY different in terms of content)
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Cm20014
teen, 16 years old
13
 
Played the 1st.
the 1st 1 which is the ps1 (1996) version includes a little bit of blood and its very hard.
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SpyKidsFan
kid, 11 years old
7
 
AWESOME!!
ok this game is way better than the newer versions and it is awesome because lora can fall off waterfalls!! you also have to shoot animals (Velociraptors, bears, wolves ect.). it's a way cleaner version of mirror's edge
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