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Microsoft confirms Rise of the Tomb Raider publishing plans
Xbox marketing director Aaron Greenberg has confirmed that Microsoft is publishing Crystal Dynamics' upcoming action-adventure game Rise of the Tomb Raider, cementing its status as an Xbox-exclusive release. Rise of the Tomb Raider was outed as an Xbox exclusive earlier this year, with Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions slated to launch in late 2015. The game serves as sequel to 2013's series reboot Tomb Raider, which was published across consoles and PC platforms by Square Enix. Rise of the Tomb Raider's platform exclusivity raised the ire of series fans when it was revealed earlier this year. Microsoft's Phil Spencer previously noted that the company's partnership with Square Enix "has a duration," potentially clearing the way for a multiplatform Rise of the Tomb Raider release once the deal expires. [Image: Crystal Dynamics]
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris review: Danger zone
Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC If you've got some friends over and are itching for game that requires teamwork, coordination, planning and lots and lots of yelling, then you'll be well pleased by Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, the isometric-view follow-up to the excellent Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. Quick tip about the yelling before we move on: Urging your friend to "go there and stand on the THING" really isn't nearly as helpful as it sounds in your head. The gist of Temple of Osiris is that Lara and rival archaeologist Carter started a chain reaction of whoops when they grabbed the staff of Egyptian god Osiris, an ancient and (surprise!) magical artifact. First, they released Osiris' wife, Isis, and her son, Horus (also gods), from imprisonment, which is the good news. The slightly less great news is that they also gave the evil Set (yep, he's a god, too) a way out of Duat – the underworld – where he'd been trapped ever since he chopped his brother Osiris into pieces and scattered him around Egypt. As if that particular family reunion wasn't awkward enough, a giant crocodile named Ammit has you marked for death and won't stop coming for you until you've been eaten in one gulp. The solution to your croc-entree problems is to track down the pieces of Osiris and restore him to power so that he can take down his brother Set. His pieces are hidden in a number of trap-laden tombs teeming with giant scarabs and undead nasties. As fate would have it, though, Lara just happens to have some expertise in this area.
Last of Us art director abandons swans for tombs
The Last of Us Art Director Nate Wells has joined with Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics, according to a tweet from the artist. Wells departed from Giant Sparrow after spending roughly eight months with The Unfinished Swan developer. The art director previously worked at Irrational Games for 13 years before leaving the studio for Naughty Dog in August 2012, then Giant Sparrow this past April. Wells' departure from Giant Sparrow follows the release of The Unfinished Swan on PS4 and Vita in late October, and the developer's next project largely remains a mystery. It announced "Edith Finch" in March 2013 before changing its announcement to "Unannounced Giant Sparrow Project." The next project will not be a sequel to The Unfinished Swan, though the developer said it's "not a million miles away either." [Image: Giant Sparrow]
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris dev diary talks puzzles
Crystal Dynamics' latest developer diary for Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris discusses the game's puzzles, which change based on the number of cooperating players solving them at a given moment. Temple of Osiris will launch on December 9 for PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Ankh out with Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris' dev diary series
Ahead of Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris hitting PS4, Xbox One and PC on December 9, Square Enix has a new dev diary series for the four-player follow-up to Guardian of Light. The first vid goes into something I saw plenty of when I went hands-on with the isometric puzzle-platformer at Gamescom: the legendary art of griefing. [Image: Square Enix]
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris UK pre-order bonuses announced
Square Enix revealed a series of retailer-specific pre-order bonuses it has in store for Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris in the UK, including a selection of franchise crossover character skins and items that grant in-game perks. Players who pre-order Temple of Osiris at Amazon.co.uk will receive the Deus Ex Pack, which includes a unique combat rifle and an Augment ring that gives a 10 percent discount on in-game treasure chests. GAME customers get the Lara Croft Legend Pack, which bundles Tomb Raider Legend-themed skins, a golden pistol, and a health-regenerating Legend ring. Pre-order the digital version of Temple of Osiris and you'll get the Hitman Pack, granting access to Agent 47's Silverballers, unique character skins, and a ring that deals increased weapon damage. Pre-orders are available up until the game's UK launch on December 9. A North American release date has not been announced. [Image: Square Enix]
Being a part of Lara Croft and the Temple of Griefing
Griefing is a tricky art; it can be problematic to give teammates the freedom to sabotage each other, and there are plenty of games where I've found that freedom an irritating barrier to progress and fun. After playing Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris with two devs who constantly undermined each other to hilarious effect, I'm hopeful the four-player isometric Tomb Raider will prove an example of good griefing rather than bad. Its predecessor, Guardian of Light, allowed for griefing with things like dropping the rope while your partner was mid-climb. In our Temple of Osiris session at Gamescom, dropping the grapple hook rope was just about the first thing Crystal Dynamics' Christopher Johnston did to producer Robert Siwiak, sending his character helplessly into the abyss. You could tell the grief wasn't going to stop there. "Oh, oh oops. Sorry. Sorry, Robert," Johnston chuckled, "It was a total accident..."
Joystiq Streams: Tomb Raider 2, Lara's original PlayStation exclusive [UPDATE: Relive the stream!]
Gamescom 2014 hasn't even officially opened its doors to the public, but the biggest European gaming event of the year has already yielded up some mad surprises: Rise of the Tomb Raider is going to be an Xbox exclusive. What that means is still unclear, of course. We know that Rise will be "Xbox only" in 2015, but we don't know if that means it's Xbox One only or if the Xbox 360 will get a Lara Croft-ian 10th birthday present. What we do know: This whole situation feels awfully familiar. Way back in 1997, after the original Tomb Raider was a smash on PlayStation and Sega's Saturn, Tomb Raider 2 became a PlayStation console exclusive. Is history repeating itself? Is it a coincidence? WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN!? To find out, Joystiq Streams is broadcasting Tomb Raider 2, the original Lara Croft console exclusive, at 4PM EST on Joystiq.com/Twitch. Joystiq Streams broadcasts every Tuesday and Thursday at 4PM EST on Joystiq.com/Twitch, but we regularly broadcast at unschedule times so make sure to follow us on Twitch! [Images: Square-Enix]
Rise of the Tomb Raider is exclusive to Xbox [Update: Trailer added!]
Rise of the Tomb Raider is exclusive to Xbox platforms, Crystal Dynamics Head of Product Development Darrell Gallagher announced during the Xbox Gamescom press conference. It's due out in holiday 2015. Gallagher didn't mention whether it was scheduled for Xbox 360, Xbox One or both. Rise of the Tomb Raider is the sequel to Crystal Dynamics' 2013 reboot, Tomb Raider. The first trailer for Rise of the Tomb Raider shows Lara Croft in a therapist's office, anxious and unsettled over the horrific events of the first game, before she appears in a cave, bow in hand, and says, "We become who we're meant to be." Update: Gallagher takes to Tumblr to explain the decision to make Rise of the Tomb Raider Xbox exclusive, noting that PlayStation and PC players will have Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris. Read the important bits of his statement below.
Lara Croft discovers Temple of Osiris Gold Edition
It's only fair that fans of Lara Croft like to collect things, so with that said, Crystal Dynamics has revealed the Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris: Gold Edition. It includes: an art book, folding map, Season Pass for the game and a 3" Lara Croft figurine. The season pass includes add-on packs that will have six additional costumes and "will challenge Lara, Carter, Horus and Isis to conquer new tombs and collect a treasure trove of unique rings, amulets and weapons." Pre-ordering on the PlayStation network nets Hitman themed costumes and Agent 47's Silverballer pistols and Agent ring, which provides more weapon damage and powerful bombs.
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris launching in December
You can co-operate like an Egyptian when Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris hits Xbox One, PS4 and PC on December 9. Crystal Dynamics Executive Producer Scott Amos revealed the date to IGN, saying regards the wait, "We look at this game and we put it together in a way that we just love it. It's a fan favorite, it's something that we want to do right." As we saw at E3 the follow-up to Guardian of Light plays as before, combining the intrepid explorer's world with top-down, twin-stick shooting and co-operative gameplay. The most obvious difference is the switch from two to four-player co-op, with Lara now joined by rival raider Carter and imprisoned Egyptian gods Horus and Isis. One welcome change from the original is that, according to Crystal Dynamics, both online and local co-op will be available at launch. [Image: Square Enix]
Amazon UK lists Rise of the Tomb Raider for consoles old and new
Rise of the Tomb Raider from Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix may have been announced during Microsoft's Xbox press conference at E3 this year, but if Amazon UK is to be believed, Ms. Croft will sink her climbing axe into both current and previous-gen platforms, as well as PC. The sequel to 2013's excellent series reboot has appeared on the online retailer's site, noting PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC as the platforms it will call home next holiday season. While we expected the game to plumb the depths of Xbox One and PS4 - Square Enix CEO for the Americas and Europe Phil Rogers confirmed as much last August - it's a bit of a surprise to see listings for PS3 and Xbox 360. A nice surprise though, if true. We've reached out to Square Enix for official word. [Image: Square Enix]
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris will have online co-op at launch
The creators of Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris can't have forgotten the sour note in the choir of praise around the previous game: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light launched without online co-op, which was added weeks later in a patch. That won't happen again, I learned in a meeting with Crystal Dynamics this morning. The custodians of all things Croft are planning to have online co-op ready to go when the game arrives ("soon") on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. Single-screen top-down tomb raiding also returns, of course, now with a diverse cast of four playable characters: Lara Croft, a rival explorer named Carter Bell and two imprisoned Egyptian gods, Horus and Isis. The game will support a mixture of local and online players that make up the adventurers, and can also be completed solo. You can read more in our preview, which calls the Temple of Osiris another exciting venue for the older Ms. Croft, once again played by Keely Hawes.
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris doesn't mess with success
Relax, Crystal Dynamics hasn't ruined the wonderful, action-fueled, puzzle-solving fun that made Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light such a joy. When it comes to the basics, at least, Lara Croft and the Tomb of Osiris has it down. The fundamentals have hardly been altered. The visuals have received a next-gen boost, the setting has changed and there's a new cast of supporting characters – Lara is now exploring Egypt with a rival raider and a pair of Egyptian gods – but the twin-stick shooting and cooperative spirit that drove Guardian of Light is intact. Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris doesn't try to reinvent Guardian of Light's winning formula, and that's great news.
Lara Croft: More than just an action figure
It's difficult to think of Lara Croft as ordinary. She's the Tomb Raider, after all, a gun-slinging, cliff-climbing, insouciant stealer of artifacts and slayer of mercenaries. But she wasn't always like that. As the recent reboot illustrated, she started off as something else entirely - just a girl with a penchant for myths and histories, more comfortable trying to puzzle out ancient mysteries than hanging out with her peers. Still not ordinary, really - she's an extremely well-educated and wealthy woman, someone who's had the best opportunities in life - but not the larger-than-life action figure we've known from previous games. The reboot showed a different Lara, a more relatable Lara. One who was frightened and calling for help, but who rose to the challenge when she realized help wasn't coming. In those moments of strife, one does what one must, but what happens when those moments are over? How do you go back to the normalcy of life once you've gone so far outside of it? That's a question raised by the trailer for Rise of the Tomb Raider, as we see Lara in a psychiatrist's office, foot bouncing with anxious energy as a therapist uses his most soothing voice to help try and guide her focus toward making sense of the turmoil in her mind.
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris announced, sequel to Guardian of Light
Rise of the Tomb Raider won't be the only upcoming adventure for a certain lady with an affinity for archaeological mysteries; Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris from Crystal Dynamics is coming to PC, PS4 and Xbox One sometime "soon," executive producer Scot Amos revealed on a Spike E3 stream. A sequel to Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, the new game will once again feature a top-down perspective and gameplay focused around puzzles and exploration. New to Temple of Osiris will be four-player co-op, because hey, it's dangerous to go alone. [Image: Crystal Dynamics]
New games from Crystal Dynamics and Criterion at E3
GameTrailers' schedule of events has dropped hints of new games coming from Crystal Dynamics and Criterion, the studio behind the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot and the studio behind the Burnout series, respectively. Crystal Dynamics has been teasing a new IP for almost three years, but according to GameTrailers, the first footage will finally be shown on Monday, June 9, sometime between 11 a.m. and noon, Pacific. While this reveal is touted as exclusive to Spike, GameTrailers lists the unannounced Criterion project as something that will be shown during EA's press conference, which starts at noon, Pacific. Whatever Criterion's game is, it won't be developed under the guidance of studio founders Alex Ward and Fiona Sperry - the duo departed Criterion in January of this year. [Image: Square Enix]
Square Enix marketing VP Karl Stewart leaves company
Former Square Enix vice-president of marketing Karl Stewart announced his departure from the company after eight years of service, and he'll begin a new job at the Burbank-based Petrol Advertising agency in April. Stewart worked in recent years at Crystal Dynamics and was one of the key figures driving the Tomb Raider reboot, which despite rumblings at a boardroom level went on to be a hit both with critics and at retailers. Stewart revealed his departure publicly in a blog post this week, in which he thanked his former employer by giving it a glowing recommendation "Square Enix is an amazing company," Stewart wrote, "whether you work for one of its studios or publishing arms, or if you're thinking of joining, this company has given me the opportunity to grow and do what I love to do best, work in creative and ridiculously talented company at the heart of the video game industry. The potential for opportunity and growth at Square Enix is limitless." Stewart will now bring his expertise to Petrol, an advertising agency that over the last decade has amassed a client list brimming with big-name games companies. "For the last 8 years I have worked with [co-founders] Alan [Hunter] and Ben [Granados] at Petrol on many different projects, from Batman to Tomb Raider to Thief, and on every occasion they've blown me away with their vision and creativity," Stewart explained. "So when the conversation started about joining the company which they've both worked extremely hard to develop and grow, there was no doubt in my mind this was the right next step for me, as they both think the same way I do. I'm all about experiences, and this is the new experience I'm looking for right now." [Image: Square Enix]
Tomb Raider stretches to 6 million sold, one year later
Has any franchise reboot endured more scrutiny and debate over its degrees of success (or is it failure?) than 2013's Tomb Raider? Perhaps it's apt fallout from Lara Croft's rugged origin story, in which she proves herself against wolves, wild cultists and supernatural weather. Tomb Raider's commercial splash has gone from "'biggest opening" to "weak," back to "profitable" and onward to exceeding "profit expectations," according to a fan-facing note from Square Enix's head of studios, Darrell Gallagher. Looking back at the year since Tomb Raider first launched, Gallagher plays the referee and makes the call fans have been waiting for: "By the end of this month we will surpass 6 million units for our Tomb Raider reboot, and, having achieved profitability back in 2013 Tomb Raider has exceeded profit expectations and continues to make significant contributions to our overall financial performance." Publisher Square Enix was never going to get an instant Call of Duty caliber hit out of the story-driven Tomb Raider, but this affirmed success becomes important when we see doom hanging over major AAA studios, investing years into a game that hits – but doesn't hit quite hard enough. For now, Lara Croft appears to be a viable business again, even if she's not yet swimming in it. And let's get some actual swimming in the next one, please?
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Tomb Raider PS4, Xbox One drops to $40 in Amazon sale today
Amazon roped in Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition for its Deal of the Day this morning, reducing Lara's enhanced PS4 and Xbox One debut to $40 just a few weeks after launch. If your eyes are arrowing towards the purchase button, you've got until midnight PT, 3AM on Wednesday ET to grab yourself the discount. Lara's latest adventure, Definitive or otherwise, notched an impressive fifth place in Our Top 10 of 2013 list, with Community Manager and Comments Raider Anthony John Agnello calling it a "a prequel that works because it makes story the centerpiece." [Image: Square Enix]
