Throughout entertainment, remakes have been a way for companies to get a fresh start. Now, in that vein there are three major types of remakes: cash-ins on popular names, call-backs to forgotten classics, and the much more rare reboot that takes the original plot and setting and retools it sensibly and carefully to be less embarrassing than they are in retrospect.

Comic book fans are familiar with the latter setup due to the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Most notable was the first arc of Bendis and Bagley's Ultimate Spider-Man, which took the somewhat awkward first few years of Peter Parker's comic book life and condensed it lovingly into thirteen issues. A few things changed along the way to make it relevant to today's society, but the important factor was the much improved dialogue and art that exposed a whole new generation to the webslinger. Tomb Raider Anniversary is akin to Spidey's relaunch in that it pretties up an older body of work with a few improvements that bring it into the modern day.

Back in the old days of the Playstation, the first pictures of Tomb Raider seemed like the pinnacle of technology. The visuals looked excellent, the areas massive, and the character model differentiated herself from every Generic Action Hero of the day with the infamous chest and brightly colored outfit. It wasn't until around the summer of 1997 that I got a crack at the original, having made a schoolyard trade for a manual-less copy of Tomb Raider in a cracked jewel case with a strategy guide on the side.

The Playstation loaded up the game, and my 14 year old senses were exposed to a mass of violence and (retrospectively) titillating character design that hid the fact the game was inspired by a much less action packed game in Prince of Persia. Hours (and many lives) later, I had felled a T-Rex, found a bevy of items and locations that I later looked up in encyclopedias, and found myself wanting more.

The game rarely span through the CD drive of the Playstation again, but the strategy guide proved to be valuable in that it helped said console keep away from the carpet that would overheat it. It then held the console while it was lying on its lid, due to the overheating.

Over the years, Tomb Raider came and went with popularity. I played the series until the third iteration, wherein it became a bit silly and overwrought. I watched the movie, more due to Angelina Jolie than Lara Croft. I laughed as the internet almost immediately made patches for the games, predating "hot coffee" by years. By 2001's end, Lara Croft was pretty much dead to me.

It wasn't until last year that Crystal Dynamics brought out Tomb Raider: Legend that I took note of the character again. Lara Croft was back, with developers who realized how to properly design a Tomb Raider game. Crystal Dynamics was then tasked with remaking the first game.

As said before, the developers stay true to the source material but don't hesitate on putting a little spin on it here and there. Visuals, naturally, are upgraded, but level designs and movesets have been redone a little to reflect the franchise's new direction. Lara bounds across tombs that feel more like Prince of Persia than those of Indiana Jones. A new (well, to this game) grapple and the ability to balance on small/narrow platforms make her acrobatics a bit more believable. Not only that, but the ability to dodge enemy attacks is now in the game--a factor mostly important when in lategame.

However, even though the wonderful remastering has seen almost every nook and cranny explored, the rather poor camera still remains. For reasons unknown, the PSX-era camera system still remains in Tomb Raider: Anniversary to make some precise platforming feel more like leaps of faith. Not only that, but it mysteriously seems to focus in on the assets that made Croft famous in the first place.

Then again, the price is right--at $30 you get an effort that's well worth taking a look at for fans of the franchise. It's a nice rose-tinted nostalgia trip, but to compare it objectively against any other game in the genre--Tomb Raider: Legend included--makes it simply mediocre. For those unfamiliar with the franchise, you may be better off grabbing Legend and waiting for the sequel.