Tomb Raider: Anniversary
"Tomb Raider" is the first game in the titular franchise, and introduced the series' gameplay standards and its protagonist Lara Croft. Developed by British studio Core Design, "Tomb Raider" was a commercial and critical success, and was followed by five successive games between 1996 and 2000. Their sixth "Tomb Raider" game "" was beset by developmental problems and rushed to release, resulting in low sales and mixed critical reception. The game's failure and Core Design's fatigue with the series prompted franchise publisher Eidos Interactive to move development of "Tomb Raider" to the American studio Crystal Dynamics, who rebooted the franchise with "". "Legend" released in 2006 to critical and commercial success.
Tomb Raider (1996 video game)
As one of the top-selling games of the PlayStation console, it was one of the first to be released on PlayStation's "Platinum" series, and its success made "Tomb Raider II" the most anticipated game of 1997. It also won a multitude of Game of the Year awards from leading industry publications. In 1998, "Tomb Raider" won the Origins Award for "Best Action Computer Game of 1997". The Lara Croft character was prominently featured in the popular media outside the realm of video gaming, for instance on the cover of pop culture magazine "The Face" in June 1997. In the final issue of the "Official UK PlayStation Magazine", the game was chosen as the fourth-best game of all time. "Tomb Raider", along with its successor, "Tomb Raider II", are the two best-selling games in the franchise.