Lara Croft
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God of War 2 director Cory Barlog joins Crystal Dynamics
Cory Barlog, who served as writer and director for God of War 2, as well as "story creator" for Ghost of Sparta and creative director for Chains of Olympus, has joined Crystal Dynamics to work on its forthcoming Tomb Raider reboot and "a yet to be announced new title."Its unclear what this transition may mean for Barlog's Mad Max project, which was reportedly in production at Avalanche Studios. "I can't comment on our project, but all I can say is that the projects we've been working on for the last two years and the one we recently started up in NY are sailing along like never before," said Avalanche Studios founder Christofer Sundberg in a statement to Eurogamer.This either means that Mad Max is continuing without Barlog at Avalanche Studios, or that it was never there to begin with. Either way, we're looking forward to seeing what kind of vengeful, face-painting influence Barlog has on Lara Croft's future, and whether his presence at Crystal Dynamics could finally lead to Gex of War.
Tomb Raider celebrates 15th anniversary with a Lara Croft art gallery
The Tomb Raider franchise celebrated its 15th anniversary (which is crystal, by the way -- get your mom, girlfriend, wife, sister or sister-wives something from Swarovski, cheapskate) with an artistic tribute to Lara Croft, featuring digital renditions from eight legacy artists and newcomers. Artists include the current senior art director for Tomb Raider, Brian Horton; Jonathan Jacques-Belletête, art director for Deus Ex: Human Revolution; and the final artist, Toby Card, who designed the original Lara Croft back in 1995. Check out the gallery here, but don't check it out too hard -- Lara is only 15, after all.
Tomb Raider celebrates 15th anniversary with Steam sale this weekend
Has it really been 15 years since we shared in Lara Croft's obsessive lust for artifacts and her undying vendetta against endangered species? Heck, the creatures of the earth aren't even safe after they've become extinct -- she's killed plenty of dinosaurs too. To commemorate fifteen years of robbing graves, dodging traps and accidentally swan-diving into neck-crunching granite, Steam is offering the post-reboot Tomb Raider series at a magnanimous rate until Monday, 10AM Pacific. Tomb Raider: Underworld is the most expensive of the lot at $6.79, with Tomb Raider 1 remake Anniversary going for $3.39. Crystal Dynamics' first stint with Lara, Tomb Raider: Legend, is available for $5.09. At under $16 in total, it's a trilogy to be treasured. Err, right before next year's reboot, of course.
Don't smash this Amazon deal on Tomb Raider Trilogy
Lady Lara Croft clearly has her strengths, but she's also not without her weaknesses. Take, for instance, her inability to recognize value. She sees a priceless antique pot in a temple not breached by man for centuries, and what's her reaction? She smashes it to see if there are bullets inside. Lara: They sell them at Wal-Mart. Just bring more. You don't have to be a Lara, though. When you spot the Tomb Raider Trilogy on PS3 for $30 at Amazon, you know you could buy it and enjoy it, or perhaps give it to a friend. In fact, just about any interaction would be more appropriate than doing a backflip and blasting it with dual pistols. But you wouldn't make that mistake, would you?
Lara Croft & the Guardian of Light half off, Kane and Lynch character packs available today on XBLM
As part of Xbox LIve's "Countdown to 2011," today's deal is the excellent downloadable title Lara Croft & the Guardian of Light at 50 percent off, which means the co-op adventure can be yours for 600 Microsoft Points (that's $7.50). That's quite inexpensive for some time with Lady Croft. We'd say "cheap," but she ain't cheap. Also available today is the free Kane & Lynch character pack for Guardian of LIght. Don't ask questions, just let the weird wash over you. Finally, there's a dose of randomness with a pet monkey for your Avatar, half off for 120 MSP ($1.50). "He's not horrible. He's lovely. He's a lovely little monkey." %Gallery-87912%
Tomb Raider PS3 trilogy pack confirmed, details to follow shortly
Lady Croft's latest adventures -- excluding the downloadable Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light -- are getting bundled up in early 2011 for a Tomb Raider Trilogy pack on PlayStation 3. Karl Stewart, global brand director for Crystal Dynamics, confirmed this weekend's leak on his Twitter account. He noted that a full announcement would be made shortly. If the Amazon listing is accurate, the Blu-ray compilation will include Tomb Raider: Legend and Tomb Raider: Anniversary, both of which will be available for the first time on the console, along with 2008's Tomb Raider: Underworld. You'll also get male and female avatars for PlayStation Home and an XMB theme. This looks to be the last send-off for the obsessive and occasionally mean Lara introduced by Crystal Dynamics in 2006. She'll experience another reboot in Tomb Raider -- just "Tomb Raider" -- next year.
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light exploring iDevices tomorrow
New Zealand's iTunes App Store revealed Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad well before the game's official announcement in North America -- a tweet from Crystal Dynamic's global brand director Karl Stewart soon after confirmed its veracity. The game will arrive tomorrow for $6.99 (iPhone) and $9.99 (iPad), and its content is said to be unchanged from the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network game released to critical fanfare earlier this year. Two-player co-op is included, and both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth options will be at your disposal. As far as the recently released DLC for the game is concerned, however, it's not clear whether or not it'll end up on the App Store version -- we've asked Crystal Dynamics to clarify [see below]. Lara and Totec's now mobile adventure will be available to North Americans starting tomorrow morning at 12:01AM EST. Update: A Crystal Dynamics representative confirmed that the DLC from Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network iterations of the game is not included with the iOS version.%Gallery-111443%
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light online co-op patch due next week for Xbox 360
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light owners will finally discover online co-op on Xbox when the long-awaited patch is implemented October 27. Crystal Dynamics just announced the news and noted that the update for PS3 and PC is "coming later, stay tuned." The company also reiterated that the first DLC pack would be free "to say thanks for your patience." Guardian of Light was one of the standout downloadable titles of the summer, despite missing a key feature at launch. It was originally intended to be patched in during September, but Lady Croft slept in and missed the date. %Gallery-97021%
PC Gamer: New Tomb Raider to be open world, feature young Lara
Remember that Tomb Raider reboot that was rumored last year? The one with a younger, less experienced Lara Croft? According to Eurogamer, the latest issue of PC Gamer says that the new Tomb Raider is indeed a reality. The game will reportedly be set on a Japanese island and will offer Lara an open world to explore, described as one "cohesive level with multiple ways around the puzzles." The magazine also reiterates that Lara will be "younger and inexperienced in the ways of raiding tombs." Eurogamer believes that this next Tomb Raider is slated for a holiday 2011 release on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Given the larger, open world and Lara's inexperience, allow us to suggest a title: Tomb Raider: Extended and Unraided.
Review: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
When Lara Croft triumphantly steps out into the sunlight, precious trinket held aloft, everyone cheers (and momentarily overlooks the dead Royal Bengal tiger at her feet). But that immortal moment of success always overshadows a lonely line of work, fraught with deadly pits, unstoppable boulders and hideous creatures. Nobody ever talks about that unglamorous time Lara broke a hip inside the tomb of Qeutzalopec and had to chew on a giant spider leg for three weeks. In temporarily putting the Tomb Raider brand aside, Crystal Dynamics has finally given gaming's iconic action archaeologist a helping hand. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light introduces an unexplored social element into a franchise that I've come to adore for its sense of isolation and discovery. A second player, acting as Aztec guardian Totec, necessarily disrupts that atmosphere, but also facilitates unplanned moments of creativity. Enter: Spider Bowling.
Lara Croft still likes all kinds of guns
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light was one of our favorite games at this year's E3 -- while it's a new taste for the franchise, it certainly seemed like one gamers will enjoy. But even if all of the puzzle-solving and co-op has you worried that Lara's gone too cerebral, let this trailer reassure you: The girl still knows how to shoot things until they stop moving. She and partner Totec do so with all kinds of heavy weaponry, including flamethrowers, rocket launchers and whatever else they find laying around that ancient temple they're exploring. The video also shows off some of the game's relic and artifact system, which will not only let you customize weapons with various stats and abilities, but encourage replaying of the game, as some of the relics will require a few runs through the title to obtain. Watch the full trailer after the break.
Lara gets by with a little help from her friend in Guardian of Light trailer
Eidos and Crystal Dynamics recently released a trailer for their upcoming downloadable Smash TV-esque take on the Tomb Raider universe, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. The video does a great job of showcasing the game's frantic co-operative action and puzzle elements, which have a tendency to overlap, resulting in ... puction? Yeah, sure, puction. Check out the trailer above to see what $15 will buy you when the game hits XBLA, PSN and PC sometime this summer. Or check out the gallery below, if you find all the moving pictures to be a tad overwhelming. %Gallery-87912%
Square Enix: Lara Croft brand for digital, Tomb Raider for retail
It seems that Lady Croft isn't having quite the identity crisis we once assumed, what with her new series, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, having neither "tomb" nor "raider" in the title. It's all according to plan, says Square Enix Europe CEO Phil Rogers, who told Develop, "I'm not saying this is a split – we're not driving a huge wedge through this – but we had always planned separating the two, with the Lara name in digital and the Tomb Raider brand at retail." Aside from its method of distribution, Lara Croft and Guardian of Light is also set apart from traditional Tomb Raider games by ... well, by being an isometric co-op puzzle shooter thing. You definitely won't confuse the two.
Lara Croft statue is worth every penny
Yeah, we see you staring. And why wouldn't you? This Sideshow Collectibles statue dubbed "Snow Day" is more than easy on the eyes. But this isn't some Saturday night good-time girl, man. This is Lara Croft we're talking about here. Lady Lara Croft. If you want to make her yours, you're going to need to pull out all the stops. In this case "all the stops" translates to $250. Now, we know that's a big commitment, but she's also not available yet, so you have a little time to decide if you're ready to take the plunge. We have a suspicion, though, that she's worth every penny.
Impressions: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Giant spiders. Why'd it have to be giant spiders? Mind you, seeing Lara Croft gun down squealing, eight-legged monstrosities doesn't bring with it the tinge of regret that I've come to associate with her tendency to permanently cross off creatures from the endangered species list. Had Crystal Dynamics opted to switch out the spiders with tigers, there'd be enough fur coats left over to give everyone in the world a warm winter. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is heavy on the action, with territorial enemies swarming the eponymous explorer and a newfound partner, the Mayan warrior Totec, from all directions. Thankfully, the guy knows how to fire a gun and toss a spear -- though I pray he doesn't mix the two up when the situation gets out of hand. If you're playing the game with a co-op partner, either online or on couch, you'll have someone to yell at should that happen. The game's isometric camera angle and twin-stick shooting mechanics bring to mind Assault Heroes (or Geometry Wars, at a basic level), but the pacing here is different. A more apt comparison -- that takes into account the lulls in action -- would be Left 4 Dead, especially when one player is tasked with manipulating a puzzle object while the other defends the rear. %Gallery-87912%
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light launching this summer for $15
Click to enlarge digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Lara_Croft_And_The_Guardian_Of_Light_Launching_This_Summer'; It may not have "Tomb Raider" in the title, but Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light -- scheduled to launch on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and PC this summer -- will mark the leading lady's return to a crumbling underworld and its unreasonably hostile caretakers. And while the game's aesthetics are unmistakably consistent with previous games, its unique format draws inspiration from a wider range of sources, including last year's polished XBLA hit, Shadow Complex. Like Shadow Complex, the game will launch for $15, offering approximately six hours of two-player co-operative action and puzzle-solving (though your pace may vary). According to developer Crystal Dynamics, Lara Croft & The Guardian of Light will be cognizant of the bar set by other high-production games in the download space, while offering a unique interpretation of the well-established Tomb Raider franchise. Catch Joystiq's impressions of the game and an interview with Crystal Dynamics later this week. %Gallery-87912%
'Guardian of Light' a co-op Tomb Raider action game
Boy, when Crystal Dynamics said it would be creating "something completely new and very different" for Lara Croft, it wasn't kidding around. GameSpot has posted a first look at Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, and we don't know where to begin. It's downloadable, it's isometric-view and it's arcade-y action with just a hint of the old platforming ways. There's a heavy co-op element, too (both local and online), with Lara and her companion, Totec (a "Mayan tribesman" wielding a spear) fighting off evil spirits and the undead, as well as combining their various skills to traverse through jungles and temples. Actually, it looks ... good. While the pace seems likely to be a little faster than the standard tomb raiding Lara does, this might be just the thing to spice up the still-aging franchise. We'll check the game out for you at GDC next week, and let you know if this left-turn in genre is the right one for Lara to take.
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light to be an 'original digital experience'
Crystal Dynamics has announced its first new game since the completion and launch of 2008's Tomb Raider: Underworld. Set to debut in 2010, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light will see the roadworthy leading lady come to undisclosed platforms -- via download. It wouldn't be the first time the posh pot-smasher and exotic animal extinguisher stars in a downloadable format, as Tomb Raider: Anniversary was digitally distributed in the form of Tomb Raider: Legend DLC on Xbox 360 before getting a regular retail spot. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, however, is a standalone title that Crystal Dynamics GM Darrell Gallagher hopes will defy expectations. "This is a really exciting project for Crystal Dynamics, we have created something completely new and very different to what people might be expecting," he said. "Lara Croft is such an iconic character in videogames, with Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light we have created what we believe is a truly original digital experience." We expect to catch our first glimpse of the game at next week's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, along with an indication on what else Crystal Dynamics has in store. Since the studio is staffed for two projects, we can't imagine this being the only Tomb Raider game in the works. The other one might even have "Tomb Raider" in the title.
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.
Rebellion's Derby studio on the verge of shutting down
Echoing grim sentiments made earlier this year, Rebellion Studios' CEO Jason Kingsley recently told Develop that the Derby branch of Rebellion that birthed Lara Croft (previously at Core Design) may not be around for too much longer. "It's quite likely that [the Derby studio] won't be kept intact in the way it did, but that individual consultancy period is not over yet," he said. He's concerned, however, with that fact that "no one has stepped up" to purchase the ailing third branch of Rebellion Studios. "We would obviously like someone to, but no one has done so as yet." When we reached out to our contacts at the studio, we were unfortunately met with no response as of publishing. Kingsley revealed that Rebellion otherwise is in the "mid-stages" of "two big projects," and reiterates that "nothing's been decided yet" for the Derby offices. As always, if you are a member or representative of the studio in question, don't hesitate to contact us if you'd like to clarify.
