Earlier in this intrepid (if not sometimes horribly outdated) blog, I made mention of my renewed interest in the Tomb Raider franchise. Crystal Dynamics took over a franchise dangerously close to its deathbed and revitalized it with an inspired effort in Tomb Raider Legend. The title, which I expected little from, was fresh and invigorating and fun in ways that reminded me of the first two TR games.

So much so I went back and played the original Tomb Raider on my PSOne ... and promptly noticed how much adventure games have changed in the 11 years since Lara's debut.

But now Crystal Dynamics has decided to give me -- oh yeah, and the rest of the gaming world -- a look back at the (timeless?) classic with the release of Tomb Raider Anniversary. I've yet to play this title, but if it makes use of Legend's engine and I can find it for a relatively paltry $30, I'm sure I'll be marching to my local GameStop soon for a copy.

In the meantime, I have a few ... preliminary thoughts about the game.

I generally don't care much for remakes; usually, I think a game was done well enough the first time around and any attempt to remake it would rob the original or its charm and the things that made me interested in the game in the first place. Either that or the original was just so bad a remake has no basis or merit.

Crow all you want about attracting a new, sometimes younger audience (right, Mario?), but for gamers like me, I prefer to remember the "old days" of a game, rather than try to relive the past in a newer, more graphically-advanced package.

But for Tomb Raider, I think I'll make an exception, because I think Anniversary can help purge the horrible memories of how this franchise went so wrong for so long. Yeah, I can plod through Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider II and enjoy myself, but there's also that bittersweet realization that these two games represented the franchise's best years; it was all downhill from there.

Tomb Raider III was average. Tomb Raider: the Last Revelation was worse than average. Tomb Raider Chronicles was just a joke -- and not a very funny one, at that. And I'd prefer it if we never spoke of Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness again.

The franchise gave way to two pretty forgettable films, despite Angelina Jolie turning in decent performances as Lara Croft. She did what she could, but she had little, if anything, to work with.

And the comic book? Witchblade thinks its pointless and gratuitous.

But with the release -- and success -- of Legend, the series has a little credibility again, which is what really makes a remake possible. And why is the remake a good idea? I'd guess that for a lot of gamers, Legend was their first taste of the Tomb Raider franchise. And with PSOne games becoming harder to come by in retail outlets (EB and GameStop stopped selling used titles long ago), showing the new fans the series roots can be a tricky proposition if one doesn't know the right people.

So why not re-invent the original title with the mechanics and engine of the current hit? In the case of Tomb Raider, it makes all the sense in the world. And though I've yet to play Anniversary, I have a feeling I won't be disappointed when I do.

I've read online reviews in which the writers gripe about the lackluster combat and the lack of action. To me, this isn't an issue, because Tomb Raider has never been about combat or action. You want a game with a good fighting engine, go pick up God of War II (hell, pick that game up anyway, because it freakin' rocks!); Tomb Raider is, and always has been, a more cerebral, environment-dependant experience.

And because of Legend's quality, I'm willing to dive into the tombs once again. I'll probably pick the title up in the next week or so, then I'll have my impressions of it for you as soon as I get enough hours under my belt.

This is assuming, of course, I can put down Guitar Hero II ...

I have found a new game addiction, something that might just have achieved the impossible. See, I once thought there was no game in existence that could surpass Tetris in terms of addictiveness. In the world of videogames, Tetris was crack.

But if that's the case, then what's Guitar Hero II? Heroine?

Either way, I've had a copy of GHII for about a week now, and I struggle to put it down. I also struggle on anything aside from Easy mode for right now, but more than anything, I have trouble putting the guitar down.

Time to go to work ... but one more song!

Time was, I swore I'd never touch this game. I thought it was nothing more than a pointless little gimmick, some company's attempt to cash in on the whole Dance Dance Revolution craze (DDR being a game I have played and loathed unlike just about any other game I've ever loathed).

But when I finally gave in and strapped on the plastic guitar, I was humbled -- and hooked.

Not to the point where I'll modify my PlayStation2 in order to try and play custom songs that aren't in the original game, but hooked to the point where I make time to play GHII at least once a day -- most days two or three times.

I'm going on vacation next week ... and taking my PS2 with me, just so I can play Guitar Hero.

I may be late to the party, but now that I'm here, I'm having a ball. And better to be late to the party than to miss it entirely.