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Crystal Dynamics: Tomb Raider had best week one sales in franchise history
Tomb Raider has achieved the highest week one sales in the franchise's history, according to Crystal Dynamics studio head Darrell Gallagher. Speaking at a GDC panel alongside creative director Noah Hughes, Gallagher also revealed that Tomb Raider had the most successful launch of any game this year."It's been the biggest week one sales in franchise history, and we're only a few weeks into that launch right now, and it's been the biggest opening so far in 2013," said Gallagher. "So, we're happy with the outcome. It's certainly in a place where we feel like we're on the road to achieving everything we wanted to."The claim seems to be at odds with the feelings of Tomb Raider's publisher, Square Enix, which recently cited "weak sales" of its major titles, including Tomb Raider, as a reason for the company undergoing restructure. When asked about the apparent disconnect between Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics regarding Tomb Raider's performance, Hughes told us, "Certainly we're proud of what we achieved, and I think for the most part, the whole organization is happy with what we did." And for Gallagher, "Actuals and expectations, I guess, are two slightly different things. What I'm telling you is the actuals, and they're communicating expectations."That raises the question of just what Square Enix was expecting. To put things in perspective, Tomb Raider had higher initial sales than the 1996 original, a game that went on to sell over 6 million units in its lifetime. And yet, despite receiving critical acclaim and breaking franchise records, it would appear that Tomb Raider just isn't number one enough.
Tomb Raider £20 this weekend on PSN EU
If all of the short-burst Easter Egg deals are as good as this one, then PlayStation Europe's PSN spring sale is one to watch. According to the PlayStation Blog, Tomb Raider is just £19.99/€29.99 on PSN in the continent until the end of March 31, making it comfortably one of the cheapest, if not the cheapest PS3 version in the UK at the moment.Dozens of other games are discounted on Europe's PSN until April 9, including Persona 1-3, Child of Eden, and Driver: San Francisco.
Amazon lines up another gaming Gold Box today; Tomb Raider $42
Amazon would like to relieve your wallets of any heaviness with another one of its all-day video game Gold Box events. A number of lightning deals will run throughout the day, and you can check out the line-up here. In terms of what's confirmed or obvious thanks to Amazon's clues, Black Ops 2 is going for $35 on Xbox 360 and PS3 at 11AM PT/2PM ET, while Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Dance Central 3 are likely contenders for later time-sensitive discounts.The all-day deal might be the one to grab your fancy, though. Crystal Dynamics' high-octane Tomb Raider reboot is down to $41.99 on Xbox 360 and PS3, and $34.99 on PC. We reckon that's decent, but if you'd prefer a chunkier version then there's still time (as of writing) to get in on the game's Collector's Edition lightning deal, which ends at 9AM ET. The CE includes a 8-inch tall Play Arts Kai figurine of Lara Croft, steel tin packaging, a 15 by 19 inch double-sided island map and poster, a lithographic print, CD soundtrack, three iron-on badges, and the Weapons Pack DLC, all for $76 instead of $100 in Amazon's deal.
Tomb Raider single-player DLC isn't in Crystal Dynamics' current plans
Tomb Raider's DLC will be multiplayer-orientated only, based on developer Crystal Dynamics' current plans. Speaking in a Reddit AMA, director Noah Hughes and global brand director Karl Stewart said there are no planned single-player DLC expansions."Currently there are no plans regarding single-player DLC," said Hughes when first asked about upcoming DLC. "Now that Lara is more experienced, we are excited to take her on new adventures that challenge her new strength and confidence. It is important that even as Lara grows as a character, so do the challenges she must face.""There are currently no plans in place for any single-player expansions." Stewart later followed up. "All of our DLC is based around the multiplayer experience for now."Tomb Raider received its first expansion this week in the form of the 'Caves and Cliffs' pack, which added three new arenas to the game's multiplayer. That arrived on Xbox 360 yesterday for 400 MSP, and remains as yet undated for PS3 and PC.
PSA: Tomb Raider gets another patch, Nvidia updates beta drivers
Tomb Raider on PC got another patch this weekend, launched in conjunction with new beta drivers from Nvidia for GeForce GPUs. Download the latest GeForce 314.21 drivers direct from Nvidia.Since its launch, GeForce Tomb Raider players have seen "major performance and stability issues" trying to play the game at max settings. Complaints include problems with TressFX and tessellation tripping the game up, at least for those with 600-series cards. There are more Tomb Raider patches incoming from Crystal Dynamics, based on ongoing player feedback.
Tomb Raider sees off three new releases to retain UK charts top spot
Tomb Raider is the UK's No. 1 for a second week, holding strong against a three-pronged challenge of new releases including God of War: Ascension. After storming to the country's biggest launch of the year last week, a rebooted Croft hangs tough to ensure Tomb Raider becomes the second 2013 game to retain its crown, despite a 72 percent sales drop.That means the PS3-exclusive God of War: Ascension only manages the runner-up spot in its debut week, swinging ahead of fellow new releases StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm and Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 in third and fourth place. SimCity deconstructs into fifth in its second week, while Crysis 3 makes it four weeks in the top ten, down now in eighth. Sharp drops for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 see the Japanese-developed duo prop up the top 20 in 19th and 20th.
Tomb Raider PC patch addresses hairy Nvidia issues
Tomb Raider received a PC patch this weekend, with fixes for the Nvidia-associated stability issues high on the agenda. The patch notes mention corrections for "some stability and startup issues on machines that have both Intel and Nvidia graphics hardware" and "some small improvements to TressFX hair rendering." These chief issues led to Nvidia apologizing for the game's unstable performance at maximum settings on its GeForce cards.Going by the Steam and Eidos forums, the patch does provide significant improvement for some of the stability issues, although by the sounds of it TressFX is still somewhat flaky.
Tomb Raider ascends to the peak of this week's UK charts
Lara Croft is the leader of the UK pack for the first time in nearly seven years, and she's there in some style too. Not only does Tomb Raider slot into the top spot in this week's UK charts, but it's easily the country's biggest launch of the year so far. True, the game's first week sales are boosted by arriving on a Tuesday rather than the typical Friday, but the same can be said for Aliens: Colonial Marines, the UK's previous biggest first-week seller in 2013. Tomb Raider's opening week beats that of Colonial Marines' by over double, which is particularly telling. After all, according to Crystal Dynamics, Lara's reboot notched up a million sales in under two days.SimCity is the week's other big name release. Despite releasing on a Friday and, more pertinently, all its troubles across the ocean, the city builder installs itself in second place. On that Sim-note, the newly released University Life expansion for Sims 3 provides a timely reminder of the franchise's selling power by scoring fourth place, beaten by fellow new release Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, which arrives in at a very respectable third place.That means after two weeks at the top, it's down to sixth for Crysis 3, while Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance clings onto the top ten in ninth place. Tumbling their ways out are Colonial Marines and Dead Space 3, down in 15th and 19th respectively.
Crystal Dynamics: 1 million playing Tomb Raider two days after launch
One million raiders are already exploring rebooted tombs, developer Crystal Dynamics revealed last night. Global brand director Karl Stewart tweeted that a million people were playing Tomb Raider less than 48 hours after the game's launch on March 5.We're not taking that in the literal sense, though; a million concurrent players would be very impressive, but the game selling one million units in two days is a tad more likely, albeit still impressive.It's also surely sweet music to the ears of Crystal Dynamics and publisher Square Enix following the performance of the series' last major entry, Tomb Raider: Underworld. That game took over a month to sell a disappointing (apparently) 1.5 million units, with layoffs at Crystal Dynamics occurring soon after. At this rate, the Tomb Raider reboot will hit that figure by the end of the week.
Nvidia, Crystal Dynamics looking into Tomb Raider PC performance issues
Graphics powerhouse Nvidia is working with developer Crystal Dynamics to address the "major performance and stability issues" occurring with GeForce cards playing Tomb Raider on max settings. A number of users on the Nvidia, Steam, and Tomb Raider forums complained about a range of GeForce-related issues, with common complaints including the game repeatedly crashing to desktop on 600-series cards, and AMD's TressFX hair rendering tech taking a chunky toll on performance.Following no mention of Tomb Raider in its post on the latest GeForce beta drivers, Nvidia's Andrew Burnes took to the comments to explain the situation, revealing the company only received a final version of the game a few days ahead of launch."Unfortunately, Nvidia didn't receive final code until this past weekend which substantially decreased stability, image quality and performance over a build we were previously provided," said Burnes. "We are working closely with Crystal Dynamics to address and resolve all game issues as quickly as possible. In the meantime, we would like to apologize to GeForce users that are not able to have a great experience playing Tomb Raider, as they have come to expect with all of their favorite PC games."
Metareview: Tomb Raider
There's nothing quite like the word 'reboot' to stir the catcalls of cynicism. Based on the critical acclaim. including that from our own Richard Mitchell. the latest adventure for one of gaming's oldest series is more than just a reboot; it's a rebirth. Digital Spy (100/100): "With a well written cast of characters, mightily impressive production techniques, sumptuous visuals, tight platforming and surprisingly enjoyable combat, Tomb Raider is most definitely a release to be treasured." GamesRadar (90/100): "Its expert sense of pacing, captivating setting, and dark tone create a truly memorable experience that's further enhanced by an immense level of detail. Lara Croft, the old Lara Croft, is dead. In place of a dolled-up gunslinger is a do-what-it-takes survivor - and we hope she hasn't had her fill of adventuring just yet." Polygon (90/100): "It's easy to point out the many ways that Tomb Raider borrows bits and pieces from other popular games of the last five years, but Crystal Dynamics has blended these disparate strengths into something remarkable. It's cinematic yet open, intense yet laid-back, fresh yet polished." GameSpot (85/100): "The single-player campaign here is the main attraction, and it is excellent. It doesn't try to rewrite the book on third-person action adventure games. But with its excellent controls, engaging heroine, thrilling combat, and fascinating setting, it doesn't need to." Edge (80/100): "Whether she's huddled up against the cold or sending five men to their doom with an explosive arrow, this is still Lara Croft, one of gaming's most distinctive heroes – and now she has a personality that extends far beyond the bounds of her bra straps. If the purpose of a reboot is to redefine a character and set them up for the future, then this is a job well done."
Tomb Raider review: A believer is born
Tomb Raider is important to me. The 1996 original blew my 13-year-old mind, and it showed me what video games could be. It gave me a world ripe for exploration and begged me to suss out all its secrets, something the recent Crystal Dynamics games have also done with aplomb. Tomb Raider, to me, is a series about traveling the world, uncovering the plans and schemes of dead civilizations. It's about spending the better part of an hour to get ancient machinery rumbling again, all in service of opening a massive stone door.There are no such doors in the new Tomb Raider. Grandiose puzzles have been excised in favor of smaller brainteasers. Globe-trotting has been replaced with a single, open world. Lara Croft spends more time mowing (and bowing) down bad guys than she ever has before.It was hard for me to come to grips with these facts, and I spent many hours questioning Crystal Dynamics' new direction. That was until I realized the truth: It's all just a long con.%Gallery-180407%
Tomb Raider's 'The Final Hours' webseries concludes
This is the second, really final part of the last piece of the "Final Hours" Tomb Raider documentary. You can tell because there's footage of empty offices and retrospective piano music.
Conan loves but loses Tomb Raider
Jimmy Fallon may have gotten the PS4 demo, but Conan 'Clueless Gamer' O'Brien seems happy enough with trying out Tomb Raider. Conan's commentary is unsurprisingly puerile - the video is probably NSFW - and things come to a head when Lara tries to navigate rapids.
Tomb Raider fires up combat trailer, PC specs published
The third Tomb Raider Guide to Survival webisode focuses on something that's always been something of a pitfall for Ms Croft: combat. Clearly Crystal Dynamics hopes to address that with this reboot, and thankfully we've not seen any evidence of shark-punching (yet).Square Enix also sends us the game's newly revealed PC specs, which we've published over the break. PC stalwarts may be pleased to see Tomb Raider bucks the growing trend of dropping XP support.
Tomb Raider - The Final Hours closing episode captures that endgame panic
Putting that final rubber stamp on a game and sending it off to be shipped and sold is not a mere formality, as this first part of the closing episode of Tomb Raider's "The Final Hours" webseries shows.
Watch 11 minutes of Tomb Raider with developer commentary
Since there's no pre-launch demo, it's worth checking out this 11-minute walkthrough of Tomb Raider with creative director Noah Hughes. While the footage might get you interested in the game, it's completely put us off ever descending a mountain. Which is fortunate, as ascents aren't our bag either.
Tomb Raider: Guide to Survival's second episode gets on board with fast travel
The second episode of the Tomb Raider webseries Guide to Survival acts a bit like it's just invented the concept of 'Fast Travel.' As with many things in the reboot, it is something fresh for the series, as is backtracking to unlock locations with new gear.
No pre-launch Tomb Raider demo for sake of story, says Crystal Dynamics
Crystal Dynamics is not planning to release a Tomb Raider demo before the game launches on March 5."For all those @tombraider fans asking. There are no plans to release a demo of the game pre-launch. We don't want to spoil the story," tweeted Global Brand Director Karl Stewart. "We've weaved such an personal story we don't believe spoiling it by having you wait a week or so to play on, delivers on our promise."While pre-release demos are typical, it's not rare to see them pop up after the game arrives on retail shelves. Nonetheless, the news and the reasons given by Stewart are somewhat surprising given how much exposure the game's opening act has already received. A different part of the game may make for a better demo, but would lack the context Crystal Dynamics has crafted in this story-driven reboot.
Borrowing campaign-crafted viciousness for Tomb Raider's multiplayer mode
We caught wind of rumors that the latest Tomb Raider might include multiplayer late last month, right before the rumors were officially confirmed by Square Enix. During the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show, the shrink wrap officially came off, and Square Enix allowed members of the press to sit down and play the two multiplayer modes they're currently willing to reveal from the upcoming Lara Croft reboot.Team Deathmatch was the first, but its clash of warring sides offered nothing fresh on the staple multiplayer mode. The other mode, however, offered much more promise. In the mode dubbed Rescue, two teams are tasked with separate goals. Lara Croft's faction, the Scavengers, is sent after a medpack item in the level, and given a goal zone to bring it back to, scoring five times to win. The opposing team, called the Solarii, is given a kill goal (20 in the current build, though that may change), with the trick being that shooting the other side will only down them, making it necessary for the trigger-happy team to run to and finish off their wounded enemy in order to score a point.While Team Deathmatch is more or less standard multiplayer chaos, the balance of goals in Rescue makes the mode vastly more interesting. And while the screenshots will probably bring plenty of suggestions that Eidos is borrowing a page from the Uncharted playbook, the complexity hints that there's something new here.%Gallery-176100%
