tomb-raider-2011
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Visual Works explains how Tomb Raider's big E3 trailer came to be
If you were capable of watching the E3 2011 Tomb Raider trailer without fully freaking out, well, frankly, we're worried about your health. For the rest of us, Square Enix and Eidos have released a near 15-minute-long "making of" to walk us through all the gory details of its creation.
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.
Tomb Raider screens used to be enough for you
There was a day back in the mid-to-late-90s when if you had a mess of high-res pictures of Lara Croft, you didn't have to write a bunch of words to get people to ogle them. They just did. It was a different, perhaps more naive, but definitely way creepier time. So, here are some screens from Tomb Raider. Don't do anything weird with them. %Gallery-125557%
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.
Report: Writers hired for big-screen Tomb Raider reboot
The writing duo behind such films as Iron Man and the forthcoming Cowboys & Aliens have signed on to help pen the next Tomb Raider film, reports Deadline. Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby are the two gentlemen who allegedly will be helping refresh Lara's life on the silver screen, with the piece noting that "a new adventure storyline" will be created for the film. As previously reported, the rebooted film franchise is expected to launch in 2013, though no details have been provided as to the film's content, or whether franchise star Angelina Jolie will be reprising the role of Lara Croft. Fergus and Ostby's talent agency, CAA, had yet to respond to request for comment as of publishing.
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.
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]
Crystal Dynamics on recreating Lara Croft
Game Informer continues its coverage of the recently announced Tomb Raider reboot, this time offering up a discussion with Crystal Dynamics on the creation of the new Lara Croft. Global brand director Karl Stewart noted that the new Tomb Raider began as a continuation of Lara's most recent adventure, Underworld. Eventually, however, the team chose to create an origin story in order to "reposition" Lara and make her relevant once again. Art Director Brian Horton added that it's important for today's audience to "believe in their characters" and that Crystal Dynamics hopes that gamers "care for Lara at the end of the day." Expanding on this idea, the team approached the new design based on who Lara is as a person. "We wanted her be a blend of someone that has a level of vulnerability and inner strength," said Horton, adding that the focus of the redesign was to "understand who she was inside." Furthermore, as Tomb Raider is an origin story, Lara will grow as a character as the tale is told, and players will be able to see actual changes. Stewart notes, for example, that Lara may be taken aback by enemies during her first encounters. However, as the game progresses, her performance and animations will change to reflect her growing stronger as a character. Read the full article for more on how Crystal Dynamics went about creating a new Lara, both inside and out.
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.]
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.
