Tomb Raider Anniversary: Opinions and version choice?

Lunker

VS.

Count me in as one of the many, many people who were long done with Lara Croft until Tomb Raider Legend, which I adore. I noticed the other day that the digitial distribution version of Tomb Raider Anniversary, the spiffy remake of the OG TR, is now available on the 360 marketplace: 1,200 points for the first two episodes, then 1,200 for the last two, making it a total of $30 for the entire game, although apparently you need a Legend disc to access it. There's also a 360 retail disc version as well as a new Wii version, both for 40 bones.

I know that there was an old thread about TRA when it dropped on PS2, PSP and PC, but I wanted to see if anyone had picked up either the 360 version or, more specifically, the Wii version, and could speak as to the differences. I had heard a lot of good buzz on the Wii version's additions (manual aim, extra puzzles with the Wiimote instead of just throwing switches, etc.) but then it got swallowed in the hype of the Q4 Crush with about eleventy billion other games. Anyone check these out? I'm tempted to rent and/or buy used with intent to return just to see the differences.

Cherrn

I think it's one of the best game remakes in existence. It changes/updates the gameplay of the original while still retaining what made it great. I thought the Yahtzee review was way off; this is exactly what a remake is supposed to be. And it's a budget title to boot, so if you have any kind of love for Legend/the original, it's a great deal.

I have the PC version, which is great. I'm told that the PS2 version is kinda shoddy, and the 360 version has upgraded graphics, so I'd go with the 360 version if you have Legend. Otherwise, PC. I really don't have a lot of faith in the Wii version; from what I hear the control scheme is really tacked on.

LewieP

I am in the middle of the PC version now, but I got stuck on a particular puzzle, and have no idea of where I am supposed to go next, I am sure I will figure it out soon though.

Very pretty, I have only played it will a PS2 controller, so no idea how it controls with KBAM (although I don't think you are thinking about the PC version anyway).

I have heard good stuff about the Wii version, but only in the "it's a preview so I will only say good things about it" way that alot of sites do previews.

A quick look over some reviews shows that general perception of the Wii controls are great, but it's not like control will be bad on the 360 version. To be honest I don't think you will go far wrong with either version.

Wait? you need Legend on the 360 to play Anniversary, that's stupid as hell. Based on that alone I say the Wii version.

shadowane

No no. You need Legend to play the downloadable version of Anniversary. The stand alone version works alone but is $10 more.

bongi

I read somewhere that the camera isn't controllable manually in the Wii version? If that's true I think I'd recommend the 360 version, since the camera is at best passable and at worst absolutely fucking terrible; being unable to control it would only make that worse.

FyreWulff

Only if you want to get the digital version.

LewieP

Yeah, that's what I understood, and it is still retarded.

Edit: If that is true about the camera, then go for the 360 version, the camera can be really bad in parts.

Lunker

LewieP wrote: »

Wait? you need Legend on the 360 to play Anniversary, that's stupid as hell. Based on that alone I say the Wii version.

It's somewhat confusing: You need the TR Legend disc to play the DLC version of Anniversary, but there is also a standalone retail disc of Annivesary that works by itself just fine. The DLC version is $30 whereas the retail discs for 360 and Wii are $40, but then you obviously can't sell or trade the digital version once you're done. It's got something to do with how the Xbox Live Marketplace is chopped up and the size limitations for what makes an XBLA game -- the 360 has no good home for large download-only titles like PS3's Warhawk.

I'm kind of torn. On the one hand I'm really leaning toward the 360 version because the controls worked really well in Legend and I figure it's just Legend++, which suits me fine. But I do remember seeing lots of positive previews on the Wii version, and I was just curious to see if anyone had jumped on the Wii Lara and tried her out. :winky:

bongi

I just checked it out and apparently you can in fact control the camera on the Wii, so go for that one I would think.

NailbunnyPD

If I had to choose between Wii and 360, I'd probably get the 360 version.

Also, wasn't this game supposed to be $30? Why are these versions $40?

urahonky

GameDaily wrote:

Now that it has moved to the Wii, however, Tomb Raider: Anniversary's magic has been lost due to crappy waggle controls. Although some of the Wii exclusive puzzles are mildly enjoyable, aiming and shaking the nunchuck leads to imprecise movements and lots of headaches.

GameSpy wrote:

In many ways, the controls are dead-on, but the awkward shooting controls hamstring the action.

Hmm.. I'd say rent it if you were interested in the Wii. There are conflicting opinions for the Wii version.

slash000

Reviews for Wii controls are difficult to trust. There's this one reviewer that raped RE4:WE saying that the controls made it impossible to shoot things accurately.

Lunker

And I just glanced at Matt Cassamassina's IGN review for the game, where he said the point-to-aim gunplay was a welcome addition to the game's treatment. It's all over the map, but that's always the case for Wii games nowadays, like Slash said. I've typically given more weight to how IGN treats Wii games since they were really the only outlet to like SSX Blur's controls, which I loved too.

I could always save money by going for the PS2 version too, but part of me feels like at that point I should just buy the digital version for 360 for convenience. So many choices!

RainbowDespair

Keep in mind that Tomb Raider: Anniversary is one of the games on GameTap so if you just plan on playing through it once and don't care about replaying it later, you could easily grab a year subscription for $60 and get the game that way (plus the 1000 or so other games on the system).

For my part, I played about 2/3rds of the way through the PC version of the game before getting distracted by other stuff. It's a good solid remake - if you liked the original game & Tomb Raider: Legend, I definitely recommend it.

Rook

Play the one that isn't low definition.

DarkPrimus

If VideoGaiden was still doing reviews, we could turn to them to know which version was better.

Regardless of which version I get, I'm sure the storyline is the same. So it doesn't "end" like Legend, where I'm left thinking "Wait, I got another level or two to play, right? Another cutscene to watch at least? No? God damn it Bungi- er whoever made this."

Right?

LewieP

Video Gaiden series 3 starts in December.