In 1996, the original Tomb Raider was launched. The 3D game design, controls and graphics were truly ground breaking for their time. Furthermore, gamers were also presented with a unique, female human playable character with whom they could become emotionally attached, Lara Croft. The original Tomb Raider sold over seven million copies and is still heralded as an absolute classic and one of the best action adventure games ever. Tomb Raider defined the PlayStation and changed the way that people played games.

In tribute to this and to celebrate and commemorate the continuing development of the Tomb Raider franchise and its central character, Crystal Dynamics are developing a new Tomb Raider adventure for Lara. Inspired by the original Tomb Raider video game; Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary faithfully preserves the elements which made the original Tomb Raider game such a classic.

Using an enhanced ‘Tomb Raider: Legend’ game engine, the graphics, technology and physics bring Lara’s adventure and pursuit of a mystical artefact known only as the Scion right up to today’s technology standards and will offer gamers a completely new gameplay experience.

Tomb Raider follows the adventures of Lara Croft after she is hired by a powerful syndicate to retrieve a mythical object called the Scion. After discovering that she has been used as a pawn in some larger scheme, Lara takes matters into her own hands deciding that she must uncover the mystery behind this ancient artefact.

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary for the Wii brings Lara to the next level by enabling an unrivalled hands-on experience for fans of the franchise and new adopters. Taking full advantage of the unique Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers, the game delivers the most hands-on action adventure for the system with flick of the wrists controls, an active aim combat system and more.

"Bringing Lara to the Wii platform has allowed us to creatively expand the Tomb Raider experience and add some really exciting and brand new game play elements" said Morgan Gray, senior producer, Crystal Dynamics. "The additional content, cryptic challenges and motion sensitive puzzle solving require much more involved input from the player."

New game features include; hands on challenges, an archaeologist's tool kit, a new remote flashlight and more exclusive new content. The new tool kit allows players to break through walls, take charcoal rubbings and uncover important clues buried in dense layers of ancient rock. Players will also be able to twist the Wii remote to illuminate dark areas with Lara Croft's new remote flashlight uncovering secrets hidden in the dark.

"This marks two important developments in the gaming industry: the coming of age of a classic franchise and the first time gamers get to physically emulate the Tomb Raider icon," said Robert Lindsey, executive vice president of sales and marketing, Eidos, Inc. "Tomb Raider: Anniversary for the Wii will be an essential key addition to game libraries this holiday season."

FEATURES

• Celebrate and commemorate ten years of Tomb Raider and Lara Croft with Tomb Raider: Anniversary, an entirely new gameplay experience inspired by the first ever Tomb Raider adventure. Tomb Raider: Anniversary uses an enhanced version of the Tomb Raider: Legend game engine to apply Crystal Dynamic’s latest PS2 technology.
• Play the living Lara Croft, the world’s greatest action heroine of all time – use all of Lara’s guile, athleticism and gadgets in her quest to conquer the unknown and uncover ancient artefacts.
• Includes classic environments from the original Tomb Raider as never experienced before – Crystal Dynamics latest technology allows you to fluidly manoeuvre Lara using her latest moves and gear, through all the worlds from the original; Peru, Greece, Egypt and more. The dynamic world allows multiple playthrough options and also opens up new places and ways to explore. Crystal’s latest technology allows the environments to take on a breath taking new quality.
• Explore uncharted and mysterious worlds – enter into strange, undiscovered lands and solve their deepest, darkest mysteries, open doors to new realms, uncover great rewards and unearth secrets to Lara’s past.
• Startling enemy encounters – encounter fierce animal and supernatural enemies, wolves, bears, crocodiles, horrific monsters and the T Rex. New and improved AI means that all enemies will exhibit a more diverse behaviour set, providing improved combat challenges for the player.