My relationship with the Tomb Raider series was relatively brief. I loved the original i had on the old Sega Saturn (triangle tits!) and played the sequel on the playstation but hated it. After that i also played very briefly the 3rd one and that put me off for good.
The reason i bought this remake was purely because the original was absolutely amazing and an absolute classic. I wasnt disappointed. The best thing is that the game isnt just a conversion with nicer graphics, but the game is remade properly. The game is different, yet hasnt lost all the best bits of the original. If anything its deeper and more engaging! there are many new puzzles, and areas which incorporate Lara's new grapple/rope into it.
graphically its not great compared to other 360 games, but i suppose its to remain faithful to the fact this is a remake of an old 32bit game (from 1996). its not mind blowing, but for its purpose it works really well. the controls can be a slightly fiddly (especially old school gamers like me who never played Tomb Raider on analouge) but you get used to it.
Honestly, this is a game everyone should own. Old fans will enjoy it because its different yet retains the goodness of the original, and new fans will enjoy it for the same reasons! Stunning first game, even more stunning remake.