Tomb Raider: Anniversary Update 1

Caves:

• Mostly learning the moves. Remember to turn off autograb, i.e. turn on manual grab.
• Frustrated with the aiming system. I see why people wish Lara could step backward instead of turning around and running away.
• Amused at finding items precisely where they were in the original.
• Not amused at how R2 walk works -- I want insurance like you got with walk button in the original. That is, walk mode means you can't actually walk into danger, like a ledge or a sliding incline. In this game, walk mode just means you move slowly and if you go to a ledge you can hang on, then it lets you fall and catch. Bad design choice.
• I'm not impressed with the precision of the controls. Tank-like controls are still the winner.
• The game obviously helps Lara's jumps in some situations. It's not horribly distracting, but it does take away some of the "I wonder if she can make this jump" reckoning that I did in the original. That is, you learn what the system can do because it acts predictably and make choices based on that experience. Here, if a ledge is obviously a ledge you go to next, then you can be sure that the game will help you get there, even if it looks a little ridiculous. I spotted this getting to the first secret of the game and have seen it elsewhere since.
  

City of Vilcabamba

• I don't think I ever realized how stupid that name sounds when you say it out loud.
• This appears to be missing the part with the bear and pool of water in the original -- I'd hoped that part would make it in, because it was the first swinging blade trap.
• Hate the bears. Hate the adrenaline dodge. Stupid, stupid.
• Lara can balance on top of tall, thin objects? Stupid and slightly lewd.
• The swimming is not as fun as the original. I think swimming is a section that calls out for tank-like controls, as much as people hate that. It's just easier to understand for some reason.
• On the whole this seemed shorter than the original.

Graphics

• I don't know what people are kvetching about. The game looks just fine in 480p widescreen.
• I haven't felt that aliasing as bad, nor that the texture work is poor.
• I think I spotted one bad seam in the hour I played.
• People complaining about "it's not 60fps" need to shut up. It's fine.

Sound/Music

• Atmospheric sounds are good.
• The howling of wolves in the distance is a nice touch.
• Music seems to follow the lead of the original game. So far, so good.
  

I'm now at the Lost Valley. I'm saving that for tomorrow night. I've heard disappointing things about the T-Rex encounter.