![]() ![]() ![]() Lara could no longer simply use the time-tested strategy of finding high ground and picking off wildlife from above. Enemies that populated each level were also given a refresh AI improvements let wolves climb ledges, bears slash while standing on their hind legs, and raptors hunt in packs using distraction techniques. Map Enhancements The Anniversary team went room by room and reevaluated potential improvements for each, determining how to best modernise puzzles or add special events, such as more dramatic enemy reveals or grander puzzle presentations. The FMV sequences (i.e HD CGI cutscenes, not live action footage like some might think) were redone as in-engine cutscenes, and a new ending was to be added, as well as co-op play over the PSP's WLAN. We couldn't quite believe what we were looking at." Built upon the Free Running engine (a fully debugged and working Angel of Darkness engine), Core's Anniversary Edition would feature a laundry list of improvements, including higher resolution textures, more detailed geometry, improved lighting, swapping out sprites for 3D models, improved particle effects and a fully skinned and detailed Lara model. It contained a disk filled with unreleased Anniversary Edition screenshots, cutscenes, animation sequences and a high quality version of the leaked trailer. ![]() A few weeks later, an unexpected package arrived in the post. We were even able to speak with both Gavin Rummery and Adrian Smith about the cancelled title. "We arranged interviews with both Richard Morton and Phil Chapman to find out more about the circumstances around this elusive tribute. "Ever inquisitive, we set out to discover more about the project from the team who were directly responsible for it." recalled Planet Lara webmaster Daniel Barnes. "After we were in production, that video leaked of the PSP one and it hit everyone on the team as a complete surprise." But just because the game was cancelled didn't mean it would fade into obscurity. Immediately after putting Legend to bed, they were tasked with starting a 10 year tribute (that missed the 10th Anniversary by a whole year). We actually worked on 10th Anniversary for about 8 months and had a fair chunk of the game in and working on PSP and PS2 with many enhancements over the original Tomb Raider." (In Jim's industry mocking voice) "We had absolutely no idea," said Crystal Dynamics' Anniversary game director Jason Botta, when asked about the day the Core trailer went online. He loved it and asked us to continue development internally. "We then presented the idea to Gavin Rummery. We started importing Lara and a few original Tomb Raider environments into the Free Running engine using the Free Running control system," said Richard Morton. (they are now, as the Ars Technica article above proves) "After we'd finished Free Running (Core did the PSP version of that game back in the day for Rebellion, I recommend it and the Steam release), a few of us came up with the idea of a 10th Anniversary game. However, following a recent review (Eidos/SCi's lack of good taste), this project has been officially cancelled by SCi." The circumstances around why two tribute games were being developed in parallel aren't exactly clear, even to this day. "It was running on PSP and used a Core developed engine. (In Jim Sterling's industry mouthpiece mocking voice) "The video of Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary Edition that appeared on certain sites was an unauthorised release of an internal presentation of a game that was being developed by Core Design until very recently," read the statement on Core's website. Sites hosting the videos were censored by parent company SCi/Eidos rather quickly, and a statement was released, confirming it was official, but cancelled. the crap one we are in the forum of now). The game was branded as Tomb Raider 10th Anniversary Edition by Core Design, and came as a surprise to fans and Crystal Dynamics alike, who were also in the process of developing an anniversary tribute (i.e. Parts in brackets are largely notes added by me,: Quote from 20 years of Tomb Raider: In June of 2006, a video leaked online of an Anniversary Edition of Tomb Raider, intended to pay tribute to the franchise origins a decade on. This one is a bit of a doorstopper so I apologise in advance for how long it will make this post. Extract from the book 20 Years of Tomb Raider about the game. ![]()
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