core-design
Latest
UK road to be named after Lara Croft thanks to internet
So, remember that story back in December -- about how the town of Derby was holding an internet poll to come up with a name for one of its roads? And Lara Croft was one of the options? Guess what? The buxom relic-gatherer won, and a brand new street connecting Osmaston Road and Burton Road (which we presume are not named after video game characters) will soon be known as Lara Croft Way. Derby Councillor Lucy Care chalked up Croft's 89-percent margin of victory to the fact that the Tomb Raider series was conceived by the now defunct, Derby-based studio Core Design. We personally think the name won because the poll was on the internet, where video game fans could easily flood the ballot box. Yes, you named a road in a town in the U.K. that you'll probably never visit. We live in very, very strange times, friends. And it's kind of amazing.
Lara Croft may have road named in her honor
They say you can find your stripper name by combining the name of your first pet with the street you grew up on. Keeping that in mind, you may someday find yourself trying to figure out how to politely decline the awkward, compulsory advances of Miss Fluffy Lara Croft. As reported in the Derby Telegraph, the hero of the Tomb Raider series in one of eight potential names for two stretches of a road in the UK city Derby, which was the home of Core Design, the original studio behind Lara. Surprisingly, Lara Croft is not our favorite option, as the idea of being badgered into buying Scruffy John Flamsteed a $13 drink is just too wonderful to imagine. Voting is currently being conducted via a poll on Derby's official website. [Via F*** Yeah, Lara Croft!, Thanks, Jose]
The B[ack]log: Happy Anniversary, Miss Croft
Jacqueline Natla is quite obviously the villain in Tomb Raider: Anniversary. In the 1996 original, the only initial clues to her evil nature resided in a somewhat condescending tone of voice and a far too serious haircut. The opening moments of the Crystal Dynamics remake, however, show a more conniving woman with flowing blond hair, almost alien facial features and suspiciously long fingers. Still a bit of a condescending hag, though. "My company has recently turned its focus on the study of ancient artifacts, and I am lead to believe that with the right incentive, you are just the woman to find them for me," she says, addressing one of gaming's most iconic characters, Lara Croft. "I'm afraid you've been mistaken," comes the decorous reply. "I only play for sport." Ah, but Natla's done her research. "Which is precisely why I've come to you Miss Croft. This is a game you've played before..." Though trusting the words of a noticeably vile video game character is generally not advised, they're true in this case. Tomb Raider: Anniversary is indeed a game you've played before, at least if you had the good sense to play Tomb Raider at some point in your fulfilling life (replace "fulfilling" with "miserable" if you haven't). The reworked puzzles, contemporized controls and modern presentation may set Anniversary apart from the groundbreaking effort by Core Design, but beneath those layers lies the same game with the same ideals. Either Tomb Raider was nearly eleven years ahead of its time, or the games we play just haven't changed all that much.
Tomb Raider remake for PSP canceled [update 1]
According to an announcement on Core Design's web site, the PSP update of Lara Croft's first adventure has been scrapped. The official word: "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. It was running on PSP and used a Core-developed engine. However, following a recent review this project has been officially cancelled by SCi."Core's staff and assets were recently acquired by Rebellion Developments (AvP, Rogue Trooper), although SCi still maintains the Core brand name.Update: Eurogamer is now reporting that the remake isn't canceled. Apparently, SCi has just issued a new statement saying the project is back on. PSP owners now have Lara's original adventure, as well as this month's Legend to look forward to.
