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Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light leaping to Xperia Play
Last year, Square Enix snuck Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light onto the iOS App Store. It's following that mobile release this November with a version for Android -- specifically, Sony Ericsson's button-enriched phone, the Xperia Play. This is part of a newly announced partnership between Square Enix and Sony Ericsson, which will bring more of the publisher's "established hits" to the Xperia Play "in the coming months." As of now, only Guardian of Light has been announced. A look at Square Enix's iPhone catalog could at least suggest possibilities. [Image: iPhone version; the Xperia version won't need those virtual buttons.]
Crystal Dynamics planning new IP after Tomb Raider reboot
On the very first episode of Crystal Dynamics' podcast, The Crystal Habit, the minds behind the studio's upcoming Tomb Raider reboot sounded off on what their next project is going to look like. Studio head Darrell Gallagher explained, "We're starting to look at doing a new IP here, and we're in the very early stages of that." He added that the team hopes to "take all the learnings and the technology and everything that we've done with Tomb Raider over the last six years and apply that to something new moving forward." He added that the new game will shoot for the same story-driven action-adventure experience the team has almost exclusively curated during its career. We're actually pretty excited about the prospect of Crystal Dynamics taking on a new IP in the future -- not because we're excited by change, mind you, but because it means they're not planning on rebooting Gex any time soon.
Croft, Comic Jumper, TMNT this week's XBL Deal of the Week, Torchlight next week
This week's Xbox Live Deal of the Week deals are organized under the generous umbrella of "Mutants and more!" The soon-to-be-pulled TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled is available for just $5 / 400 Microsoft Points until July 4. (Note: Ubisoft told us it would be pulled at the end of this month.) That's certainly mutant-themed, so what's next? X-Men Arcade is also 50% off at just $5, so that's another mutant-themed offering. So there's something of a theme here ... ... except the other three games are non-mutant-themed! The excellent Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is 50% off, dropping the asking price to just $7.50 / 600 Microsoft Points, while both Comic Jumper and Hard Corps: Uprising are 50% off, dropping their sticker prices to $5 / 400 Microsoft points each. While we love those deep discounts, is it too much to ask for a solid theme? Next week's offerings, while more thematically consistent, aren't nearly as delicious. The highlight for "Heatin' Up Summer" is definitely Torchlight for 33% off, at $10 / 800 Microsoft Points. Less enticing offerings include: Dante's Inferno DLC, a Medal of Honor map pack, and a Red Hot Chili Peppers album for Rock Band.
Crystal Dynamics 'not making a second' Lara Croft game, focus is on Tomb Raider [Update: CrystalD responds!]
Last year, we spoke with Crystal Dynamics' global brand director Karl Stewart, about the studio's new three team structure: the "pillar" team was hard at work on the new Tomb Raider reboot, one of the highlights of this year's E3; the experimental team was working on smaller games under the "Lara Croft" banner; and the brand team, which looks after the lucrative Tomb Raider brand and, ostensibly, oversees projects like the upcoming movie. At that time, Stewart told us, "The experimental team is basically just looking at the IP going forward and how we can take Lara to new and exciting places." The first and, as it turns out likely the last, place they took her was last year's Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, an excellent isometric downloadable co-op game. So is Crystal Dynamics still looking to take Lara to new and exciting places? Outside of the reboot, it sounds like the answer to that question is in the negative. "We're not making a second one," Stewart told me. "Not yet, or just not?" I asked. "Oh no, we're not making a second Lara. For us, that Lara Croft was, in a way, it was sort of the furthest possible extension of that iteration of Lara. Once we finished Guardian of Light, obviously we knew we were making this version of Tomb Raider," Stewart told us, referring to the reboot they were showing off during our interview. Stewart was clear that the game performed well financially. "In business terms, it was very successful," he told me. What was less successful was the implementation of its online co-op feature. "In terms of issues, the one issue that plagued us all the way through, which looking back we would've changed our minds to do other things, was definitely the online," Stewart lamented. "I wish if we had the ability and had the information, we could've been a bit more transparent." While the studio isn't pursuing the experimental Lara Croft series, it does recognize it as a successful "creative side endeavor" for the studio. In fact, Stewart told us that Daniel Neuberger, game director on Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, is now the game director of the new Tomb Raider. [Update 6/12 6:20pm: Stewart reached out to Joystiq to say clarify that CrystalD isn't "'Currently' working on a new version of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light in the near future" and to note that he "didn't use the word 'Never.'" He adds, "We don't currently have plans on the table, but it was an exciting project and you just never know." We've asked Stewart to clarify whether or not the "experimental team" is still in operation in the above-mentioned three group structure.]
Lara Croft gets primitive in new Tomb Raider trailer
Square Enix has released this teaser trailer for the new Tomb Raider reboot on YouTube (after showing it on Spike earlier tonight), and boy is it purty. As promised by the game's reveal back in December of last year, the fully CGI trailer features a younger, (dare we say) more naive Lara Croft, given some slightly more savage and primitive tools by the end than we've ever seen before. Sure, there's a Sully-esque old guy in there, but man, that setpiece at the end of the trailer more than makes up for any similarity to any other grave-exploring titles you may also be fond of. Stay tuned -- we'll have lots more information about this game for you as we head on into E3 next week.
LucasArts hires back Tomb Raider franchise head Tim Longo
Gamasutra reports that LucasArts has hired Tim Longo, formerly Tomb Raider creative and franchise director at Crystal Dynamics. Longo worked with LucasArts in the past on several Star Wars titles, notably the Starfighter series, Jar Jar's Revenge and Republic Commando. Longo has signed on in order to work on an unannounced project for LucasArts though, given his pedigree (not to mention LucasArts' corporate mandate) a new Star Wars title seems likely.
Scott Amos leaves Visceral for Crystal Dynamics, will help develop new IP
Aside from giving Lara a fresh pair of pants (and a full-on reboot), Crystal Dynamics has something else in the works, it appears. According to Gamasutra, Scott Amos, executive producer at Dead Space creator Visceral Games, has joined on with the developer to lead a new team tasked with developing this new IP. Prior to his work with Visceral, Amos also handled The Sims franchise at EA Maxis, developing the series for consoles. Amos will be relocating to Crystal Dynamics' Redwood-based studio, but we've heard he's got to make it all the way through The Angel of Darkness before he can start work. That's something we wouldn't wish on anyone.
Tomb Raider film franchise rebooted, first movie coming 2013
The Tomb Raider game series is undergoing a reboot, so why not reboot the movie series as well? Eight years after the last cinematic adventure for Lara Croft, producer Graham King and his GK Films have purchased the franchise rights. The GK blog reports that the first new Tomb Raider movie is being prepared for a 2013 release. The big question here is, will the film reboot follow the style of the game reboot? All GK Films has said is that it intends to "create daring new adventures for the young and dynamic Lara Croft." The game features a younger Lara as well, but that's no guarantee the films will hew to the violent, survivalist tone of the game.
'The Tomb Raider Trilogy' hits PS3 in March
Eidos has opened its vault of classic Tomb Raider games for a new PS3 collection -- it has raided the tomb, if you prefer. The "Tomb Raider Trilogy" seen on retail websites last month has been described on the PlayStation Blog as a PS3-exclusive compilation of Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider games. It's due on March 22 at the seemingly standard PS3 trilogy collection price of $39.99. According to the announcement, Tomb Raider Legend and Tomb Raider Anniversary are presented in "remastered HD versions" -- odd, considering they already supported HD for Xbox 360 and PC. Tomb Raider Underworld was already a PS3 game, so it's just along for the ride. In addition to these three games, the Trilogy includes the slightest dusting of bonus content, in the form of an exclusive static theme, two PlayStation Home avatar outfits, and some behind-the-scenes videos.
New, hard-hitting Tomb Raider images posted by Game Informer
If we didn't know better, we'd say Little Miss Croft's chances of actually coming of age in the new Tomb Raider are pretty much zilch. The first batch of screenshots and concepts, posted by Game Informer, sheds some light on the dark and terrifying setting of Lara's first adventure. Like, honestly, who puts dead bodies and creepy stuff like that in tombs? We thought they were just caves where dinosaurs hung out. Oh! And Crystal D, when are you guys gonna confirm that Lara's totally being played by Hilary Swank this time? Holler at us if you wanna hook up that exclusive!
Tomb Raider dev seeking multiplayer developers
Among listings for a technical producer and a senior level designer at Crystal Dynamics on the forthcoming Tomb Raider reboot, two positions popped up that we didn't expect to see: "multiplayer producer" and "senior multiplayer game designer." Though no multiplayer of any kind has been announced for the upcoming TR game, the listings go a long way in confirming it -- the job descriptions explicitly say "Come and work on the new Tomb Raider," for instance. It wouldn't be the first time a game starring Ms. Croft contained multiplayer functionality, as this year's Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light featured co-op play. Crystal Dynamics is hoping to fill the multiplayer producer position with an individual who has "demonstrable project management experience," and can "take on a major production role in the multi-player part of an upcoming action adventure title." The senior multiplayer game designer position listing notes some potential info about what the game's multiplayer might have, cursorily detailing it as both co-op and "player vs. player." The latter position will also be "responsible for the overall multiplayer design vision for the game," so, uh, good luck with that, potential employees! A Crystal Dynamics representative gave us an official "No comment," but wouldn't say anything else regarding the listings. [Original image: GameInformer.com]
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.
Tomb Raider Trilogy combines HD Legend, Anniversary and Underworld on PS3, retail listing says
The PS3 may be home to yet another HD collection. Amazon.de has a listing for Tomb Raider Trilogy. According to the listing, the Blu-ray will include Tomb Raider Legend, Tomb Raider Anniversary and Tomb Raider Underworld. The first two games will get an HD makeover (and will likely look similar to the Xbox 360 versions), and all three games will offer PlayStation Network trophies. In addition, the collection will unlock special male and female avatars for use in PlayStation Home. While Square Enix has yet to officially announce the collection, we find it a rather likely prospect. It would be a fitting way to close the book on Lara's previous adventures before the upcoming reboot. Oh, and everyone else is doing it too. [Thanks, Jose M.!]
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%
Tomb Raider details emerge, features open world and brutal deaths
Survival is the name of the game for Lara Croft's next virtual excursion -- well, the name of the game is actually Tomb Raider, but, you know -- and a few details from the January issue of Game Informer (which already found its way onto the info-hungry internets) have revealed exactly how said survival story will unfold. As hinted by yesterday's startling cover reveal, the game will not only be a reboot of the franchise, but a reboot of the Tomb Raider brand. Rather than being a heavily scripted third-person action game, the new title will allow for open-world exploration, giving a fresh-faced, 21-year-old Lara new areas to traverse as she upgrades her own exploratory abilities and finds (or crafts) new equipment and survival tools. Crystal Dynamics didn't give any specifics on these tools, but we're pretty sure Knife plus Stick is going to equal a thing with which you can kill things. As one might expect, the game's survivalist objective sets a grim tone -- Lara will have to forage for food and water to stay alive. She'll also have to avoid the traps and violent inhabitants strewn across the game's island setting, which, according to the article, are capable of dispatching Lara in extremely brutal ways. Like, ways that make the Tomb Raider 2 "Blow Lara Up" code seem like a minor papercut. Keep an eye out for the January issue of Game Informer for even more details about this interesting adventure.
Tomb Raider revealed by Square Enix in Game Informer
As we theorized last month, the January issue of Game Informer will, indeed, be showing off the latest iteration in the Tomb Raider series called, simply, Tomb Raider. Details are scarce, but we know it features Lara's first adventure in which she must struggle to stay alive (hence "A Survivor is Born," the tag line used to tease the release). You can see the rough-looking Lara after the break. Though Darrell Gallagher, head of Crystal Dynamics, says we should "forget everything you knew about Tomb Raider" and that this is "an origins story that creates Lara Croft and takes her on a character defining journey like no other," it's not clear if this is a relaunch or just an origin story that takes place in the series' already pretty convoluted time line. Heck, we don't even know platforms, though PC, PS3 and 360 seem like safe bets. Soon as we all get our hands on the new GI, we'll hopefully all know much more. As for the new, stripped down title, Gallagher said "We know there is a blog that has a significant games database that relies on individual tags for each game title, and we like making things hard on them." ... OK, he didn't say that. But you know he was thinking it. [Update: We've got the full cover image from Game Informer as you can see above (click here for big version). And is that ... a bow? Scour the image and let us know if you find any other clues.]
Kane & Lynch and Kain & Raziel buddy up in Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light DLC
Ever wondered what playing through Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light would be like if Lara was Adam 'Kane' Marcus and Totec was James Seth Lynch, eponymous characters of the Kane & Lynch series? According to a hack of the PC version that popped up on YouTube – along with a helpful confirmation straight from developer Crystal Dynamics' Twitter account – soon enough you'll be able to experience such bizarreness firsthand as both characters will be available for download at some point in the future (remember: before the end of 2010). Also revealed was that other Kane from CrystalD's past: Kain and Raziel (of Legacy of Kain series fame) will be the second character pack. Names are also put to the second and third content expansions: "Things That Go Boom" (number two) and "Hazardous Reunion" (number three). PS3 owners can actually buy the second pack right now, as of last week's update. The YouTube clip after the break shows a bit of our old friends Kain and Raziel in action ... for the first time in seven years. Quick, someone explain YouTube to them! [Note: Crystal Dynamics is asking fans to tweet their choice for which character pack should come first. Instead, we're going to ask you to decide in our totally scientific poll, just below.]%Poll-56348%
Square Enix files trademark for 'A Survivor is Born'
The precarious, towering pile of evidence that Square Enix is planning a big reveal for a new installment in the Tomb Raider franchise just got a little bit taller -- Tomb Raider BIZ, a fansite for the crypt-plundering series, recently uncovered a trademark filed by the UK office of Square Enix, reserving the phrase "A Survivor is Born" for use with "computer game software" and "video game software" and "potpourri." Aha! We made that last one up. Just making sure you're paying attention. So, in summary: The full spread teaser posted in the latest edition of Game Informer was definitely placed there by Square Enix, is probably hinting at a new Tomb Raider game, and we'll totally hear more about it when the cover of the next issue of Game Informer drops, which will absolutely happen on December 6. We're no mixologists, but that sounds like a pretty delicious recipe for a rumor cocktail.
Lara Croft co-op patch arrives for PC
PC players of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light despairing about the lack of online play can now see a bit of sunshine coming in through a crack in a cave wall. Just one day after the release of the co-op-enabling patch for the PSN version, developer Crystal Dynamics tweeted that it's now available through Steam as well. Since PC gamers have been waiting the longest (by an admittedly slim margin), your PC pals should be the happiest about the arrival of online play. You should notice an extra spring in their steps leaps across chasms and an unmistakable joie de vivre in the way they clamber up walls using your ad-hoc spear handholds.
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light online patch now available on PS3
Just seven short weeks after its release, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is finally a finished game on the PS3. Crystal Dynamics just announced that the title's online co-op title update has finally gone live, meaning we're just a PC patch away from the game reaching its full potential on all platforms. It's not that we're unhappy for the update -- we are -- but it's been an exercise in frustration seeing Crystal Dynamics get so close to knocking one out of the park only to have missing features pluck it from the air at the last second. ... Oh man, did we just complete a successful sports metaphor? Don't worry, we won't get NBA Jam-style swelled heads. Holy crap, that's a double! And a double's a thing in baseball, right? So three! Okay, two-and-a-half.
