Tomb Raider: Anniversary (2007) (PC) (Crystal Dynamics)

It took almost 17 years and a substantially updated version before I finally realized it, but Core Design's original Tomb Raider is actually a great game. Way back in 1996 I could never get used to the game's clunky controls and complete lack of handholding, and for those reasons I only played the PC demo before staying away from the series until the eight mainline installment Tomb Raider: Underworld was released in 2008. However, playing the excellent Anniversary for the first time after just recently having gone through (the completely action-focused) 2013 reboot has been an unexpectedly rewarding and atmospheric experience so far. The combat is still mostly rubbish and the controls not without their fair share of lingering imperfections, but the huge levels are simply a ton of fun to explore and actually feel like real places (partly due to excellent sound design) despite the wildly implausible architecture of each puzzle-heavy room. Also, listening to creator Toby Gard discuss his work in the developer commentaries (unlocked after finishing levels) provides some fascinating insight into Core Design's ambitions and challenges at the time.