crystal dynamics
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Raid tombs with Lara on the PS3!
Ever since the release of Tomb Raider Legends, Lara Croft has redeemed herself and kept the franchise alive. Since her last iteration was so well-received (selling nearly 3 million copies in a year), Eidos has decided to bring the voluptuous lady to the Playstation 3. Said Chief Executive Jane Cavanagh, "Our 2008 products will include new versions of Tomb Raider (including a PS3 version) and many of our other key franchises. We also plan new franchises, including completely new products from both Crystal Dynamics (developers of Tomb Raider) and Io Interactive (developers of Hitman and Kane & Lynch)." This begs the question, should Nariko (of Heavenly Sword) and Lara get into a Super Smash Sisters: Brawl contest, who do you think would win?
New Lara Legend screens for Nintendo platforms
Lara Croft's long-awaited return to Nintendo hardware is on target for November when Tomb Raider Legend ships for the GameCube, GameBoy Advance, and DS. Pro-G has posted new screens for each platform.The GBA and DS versions will present a side-scrolling derivative of the Legend adventure, but the DS includes a touch screen menu that allows you to switch Lara's weapons and various items around (no touching Lara, please).Read Joystiq's review on the Xbox 360 version of Legend, and check out what other industry critics had to say about the PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox versions of the game.See also: Lara's lovely ladies revisted Angelina Jolie to star in next Tomb Raider film? Lara Croft lands in Guinness Book of World Records
The Tomb Raider 10th Anniversary labyrinth [update 1]
Curmudgeon Gamer gets curmudgeonly about the nebulous state of the Tomb Raider 10th Anniversary Edition PSP release. Don't know what we're talking about? Head on over and read the scandalous, hyperlink-encrusted tale of dual developers working clandestinely on separate versions of the same game, and the evil publisher who pulled the plug ... but on which one? After much compiling, Curmudgeon Gamer's jvm peels the gum from his shoes, removes his deerstalker cap, and lights up his trusty pipe, before breaking down the whole tawdry affair: "For reasons unknown, Core and Crystal Dynamics were working independently on the same 10th anniversary game. Perhaps Core had been given a green light to try and after the SCi/Eidos merger, no one remembered that detail. Meanwhile, Crystal Dynamics successfully launched Tomb Raider: Legend and was considered by the management, especially in North America, to be the obvious team for the new game." We've embedded the video for Core's version after the break. If anyone can track down the Crystal Dynamics video, we'll post that too and we can tear ourselves apart arguing over which one would have -- undoubtedly -- been the better game. [Update: Curmudgeon Gamer has updated their analysis writing, "According to the SCi/Eidos press release verifying that Crystal Dynamics would produce the game, it will be published not just for the PlayStation Portable but also for Windows and the PlayStation 2. The current Tomb Raider: Legend engine supports all three of these. That changes my reading of the situation."]
Joystiq Review: Tomb Raider: Legend (Xbox 360)
There are moments in our gaming pasts that stand out with clarity from the mass of bygone levels, saves, high scores and kill counts. One of mine is a first date of epic proportions, one which launched a thousand clones and broke a million hearts. It was my first date with Lara. Lady Croft and I have a lot in common. The novelty of playing as a girl who looks great and sounds normal grabbed me back in 1996 and hasn't let me go since. A decade later, in Tomb Raider: Legend, Lara still looks the part; she hasn't put on a pound, though her poly count's up. As I put the disc in, her iconic face stares at me. This revamped Lara looks more human, more real, less like a creature from some stylised midnight fantasy. Her face is soft, her lips slightly curled in a welcoming smile -- her eyes measure me up. It's been a while.
UK sales charts, April 9-15: Croft unchallenged
The UK sales charts for last week are in, with Tomb Raider: Legend remaining calmly at the top. Movie tie-in Ice Age 2 has been boosted up to number two, but anyone avidly following the chart battle between Guitar Hero and Crazy Frog Racer will be disappointed to know that Guitar Hero has fallen to 35th while the Crazy Frog is ding-ding-dinging along at number 28, thanks to its budget price and better placement on the shelves. The ten bestselling games in the UK for the week ending April 15: 1. Tomb Raider Legend 2. Ice Age 2: The Meltdown 3. Fifa Street 2 4. The Godfather 5. Football Manager 2006 6. Animal Crossing: Wild World 7. Buzz! The Big Quiz 8. King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie 9. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 10. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat
Ad critic: Lara's booty too big to believe? [update 1]
As promised, this is the second weekly installment of a series of posts in which we invite you to rip ads apart after we rip them out of magazines. Pictured here, a two-page spread that appeared in the April 2006 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly (click for a high-res image). There are actually several variations of this same ad in gaming magazines, but all of them feature Lara Croft's ample posterior, a bootylicious bundle of badonka-donk so large it serves as a friggin' grenade shelf. You might even say it's the bomb. At least that's the sort of salacious thinking that the ad invites. What do you think of the ad? Does it succeed? Will it sell games? What does "seeing is believing" mean, exactly? Is it really all about the ass? Sure, we know that game quality ultimately sells games, so let's avoid talking about the quality of the game itself. What we want to get at here is whether this ad succeeds or fails to interest you in purchasing a copy of this game. Gloves off! Go to! [Update 1: fixed a small typo that nobody else noticed, but that bugged the heck out of me.]
Metareview - Tomb Raider: Legend
Since Tomb Raider II, Lara Croft's adventures have been on a steady decline, almost to the point where reruns of Relic Hunter were a better use of time. The last entry was so weak, many thought Lara had raided her last tomb. This actually turned out to be the case at long-time developer Core Design. Enter Crystal Dynamics. Now it's time to forget about Angel of Darkness, the umpteenth Lara Croft model, the Guinness Book induction, and all the hype that has surrounded the rebirth of one of gaming's most famous franchises. Tomb Raider Legend is finally here, Lara is as irresistible as ever, and the game just might be worth the $40-60 you're about to shell out for it. IGN (82/100) on all versions: "Crystal D's fresh approach, erudite design and execution, and its focus on good controls, smart puzzles, and competent combat, do the trick. They've resurrected an icon and a legacy from its tumultuous past by making the best and most definitive Tomb Raider yet." TeamXbox (80/100) on the Xbox 360 version: "Lara looks mighty fine. Even on a non-HD television, the increased clarity of the bump mapping and lighting effects add to the entire Tomb Raider feel." 1UP (80/100) on all console versions: "Where Legend truly excels is in its sense of pacing. Gun battles are used as a sort of punctuation, bookends to the exploration and puzzle-solving at the core of the game. Legend's designers have an excellent sense of how a game should flow, and the result is an adventure that never becomes dull and rarely feels forced." GameSpot (78/100) on all console versions: "Legend looks great on each of the consoles, with convincingly dark and decrepit environments and plenty of detail and lighting effects. The controls are a lot more fluid and responsive than they have been in previous Tomb Raider games, which makes Lara movements feel much more natural than before." [via Metacritic]
Tomb Raider headlines weekly release lineup
Lara Croft is making her multiplatform comeback this week with Tomb Raider: Legend (PC, PS2, Xbox, and Xbox 360). Any GameCube owners feeling left out can look forward to the RTS pinball oddity, Odama. Here's the week's release breakdown:
Tomb Raider: Legend, Pandemonium coming to mobile phones
Alongside the Tomb Raider: Legend content that should be appearing on the Xbox Live marketplace anytime soon, Eidos announced today that they're working on a 3D mobile phone version of Tomb Raider: Legend. Apparently the title will feature a new movement system and back to basics gameplay; a given considering the technological limitations of mobile phones. Eidos also announced a mobile phone version of Pandemonium: a platform adventure game where the lead character Nikki can shape-change from an invulnerable duck and cover turtle to a fire-blasting dragon. Both titles will be distributed via QUALCOMM's "BREW" solution which will apparently make it easy for gamers with 3G phones to download the game onto their handset.
Lara models eveningwear in 43 new screenshots
WorthPlaying has been kind enough to post 43 new screenshots from Tomb Raider: Legend, mostly centered on Lara Croft cavorting about in a slinky black dress for an undoubtedly exciting evening shindig. And yes, we're as relieved as you are that she chose to ditch the pumps before leaping into action (to pump some lead into some fellow guests).
Eidos' comeback carried on Lara's shoulders
Lara Croft seems to be on the up; despite the declining quality and popularity of Tomb Raider titles, suddenly everyone's going mad for Tomb Raider: Legend. It looks to be the title that will make or break Eidos, and with hype-inducing tidbits released one at a time, so far it's looking good. Also, as Next Generation's interview with Eidos' Bob Lindsey reveals, the delay in releasing Legend may have a silver lining, as it ensures a captive audience during the low spring season. We'll see come April if their high hopes come true.
