tomb-raider-2013
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Square Enix concludes Core Online (not an MMO)
Asking the existential question "What is Core Online?" is a good place to start and one wouldn't be alone in asking. Cutting to the chase: Square Enix has "discontinued" Core online... CoreOnline... Core(Registered Trademark)Online? Even we have no clue. Anyway, it was the company's attempt to make HD games playable via browser. It was flawed from the start. "Due to limited commercial take-up of this initiative it's no longer something we will be supporting and CoreOnline will be closing on Friday 29th November 2013," notes a Square Enix statement in the company's support forums. "Anyone who has bought a game will be fully refunded and anyone who has an unexpired subscription on 29th November 2013 will be refunded for their most recent subscription payment. Users whose subscription periods have expired before 29th November 2013 will not be entitled to a refund." Square Enix is currently reforming its AAA business, following a major restructuring and executive realignment last year.
Watch this next-gen-em-up video of Tomb Raider PS4 vs PS3
As one of the first last-gen games to get a PS4 or Xbox One makeover, all eyes will be on Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition when it takes to the stage later this month. After all, the game's name places plenty of billing on it alone; as Crystal Dynamics' Scot Amos puts it, "Really, we looked at it from the end of current-gen, through PS3, 360, and PC, and those were the starting points for this next-gen version." Maybe this PS3 vs PS4 comparison, courtesy of IGN, will help you start to make your mind just how Definitive the graphical improvements are. The PS4 and Xbox One versions offer 1080p resolution, textures "blown up four times larger than they'd ever been," a more detailed head and model for the new-new Lara, more dynamic lighting, and other bits and pieces of cross-gen wizardry. On top of the visual enhancements, Definitive Edition also includes the game's previously released multiplayer DLC, the Tomb of the Lost Adventurer add-on, six extra outfits for Ms Croft, and other digital extras like comics and docu-vids. You'll be able to scrutinize Tomb Raider in all its next-gen shininess when it arrives for PS4 and Xbox One on January 28.
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition boasts 1080p resolution, 'buttery framerate'
Crystal Dynamics has detailed the numerous improvements players can expect to see in the upcoming PlayStation 4 and Xbox One release of Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, explaining that the new port is "a colossal effort, soaked in visual enhancements and technical optimizations." The game will run at a native 1080p resolution on the PS4 and Xbox One, and will be bolstered by a "buttery framerate" throughout. The new port is bundled with all of the game's previously released multiplayer DLC, along with the bonus The Tomb of the Lost Adventurer add-on, six alternate outfits, and a collection of digital comic books and documentary featurettes. Lara herself has also seen an upgrade for the upcoming port, as Crystal Dynamics has implemented a new head and face model for the game's misfortune-prone protagonist, along with subsurface scattering technology that results in more realistic skin glow. While a handful of games released last year for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 were available at a discounted rate for buyers who wished to upgrade to PS4 and Xbox One versions, Eidos notes that it will not offer a Definitive Edition discount for players who purchased a previous version of Tomb Raider on any platform. The company additionally revealed that Definitive Edition's upgrades are exclusive to current-gen consoles; an update for the Windows PC version of Tomb Raider is "not planned." Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition will be priced at $59.99 when it launches in North America on January 28.
Joystiq Top 10 of 2013: Tomb Raider
Team Joystiq is barging into 2014 with a celebration of last year's best games. Keep reading throughout the week to see our assembly of ingenious indies and triple-A triumphs. Lara Croft has now spent approximately half her life with Crystal Dynamics, but it was only In 2013 that their relationship truly bloomed. In the past, Tomb Raider games excelled through a zesty blend of platforming, exploration, and silly gunplay. As adventures to play and romp through, they were riveting, but ask what they were about beyond physical features and it'd be hard to come up with an answer. Tomb Raider was the series about the lady in the short shorts jumping through Incan booby traps, not tales about people changing and growing. They weren't human. In rebooting the series, Crystal Dynamics finally broke totally free of the mold defining what a Tomb Raider game could be. They made it a good story.
PlayStation Plus serves up free Borderlands 2, cheap Spelunky this week
Sony announced that this week's PlayStation Plus update will give subscribers access to a free downloadable copy of 2K's Borderlands 2 on the PlayStation 3, among other member-exclusive perks. Starting tomorrow, Plus subscribers can also pick up a variety of PSN games for cheap, as part of the PlayStation Store's ongoing Holiday Sale. Featured games include Capcom's arcade brawler compilation Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara, classic tag-team fighter Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and Mossmouth's tough-as-nails roguelike platformer Spelunky, all of which are available for $3.75 each for Plus members. This week's sale also spotlights retail releases like Vanillaware's Dragon's Crown ($26.99), Namco Bandai's One Piece Pirate Warriors 2 ($12.50), and Crystal Dynamics' DLC-bundled Tomb Raider ($13.49).
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition confirmed for Xbox One, PS4
As an ad on Spike's VGX site suggested earlier today, Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is scheduled for a shipwreck on the PS4 and Xbox One in January 28. The Definitive Edition will include improved visuals, including TressFX, and all of the previously released multiplayer DLC. It will not support 3D visuals like the PC version. Definitive Edition is a collaborative effort between Crystal Dynamics, Nixxes and United Front Games. It's also already available for pre-order on Amazon. Ports of this year's Tomb Raider reboot were hinted at last month when Xbox One and PS4 versions were listed on Brazil's rating board. At that time, Amazon Italy also briefly hosted a PS4 listing for the Definitive Edition.
Tonight's VGX lineup features GOTY in the middle of a world exclusive sandwich
If you plan on camping out with us during our liveblog of tonight's three hour VGX 2013 awards show, you can get a head start on the evening's activities by checking out the schedule of events. Among the noteworthy events for the evening are 12 "world premieres" for games like Quantum Break, Titanfall and Broken Age. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime will also take the stage for a game demo during the show's first hour. Given that an ad for a next-gen Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition showed up today, it would explain the slot for tonight's Tomb Raider-centric announcement during the first hour. Those that are in it for the awards will be interested to know that the Game of the Year winner will be crowned during the early parts of the show's second hour. Additionally, the Best Indie Game will be determined near the end of the show's second hour and Character of the Year announced during the third hour. A few of the awards segments will be determined by fan vote, dictating whether the the Best Action Adventure or Best Sports Game will be announced in the first hour and Best Shooter or Best Studio award will presented in the third hour.
Ad suggests Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition for Xbox One, PS4
An ad for Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition has appeared on Spike's VGX website, noting a release date of January 28 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It encourages viewers to "watch the trailer," but clicking through to the game's site does not currently lead to a trailer for Definitive Edition. This year's reboot was supported with multiplayer DLC, but developer Crystal Dynamics noted in March that it did not have plans for single-player DLC. The contents of Definitive Edition will likely be revealed during tonight's awards show.
Xbox Live Black Friday deals on now through December 2
Microsoft is heavily discounting 52 Xbox 360 games and add-ons this week on Xbox Live. The games on sale separate out into three categories, a full list of which can be found after the break. The week-long deals, which run from today through December 2, include both Skyrim, Fallout 3 and Tomb Raider for half-off as well as Sleeping Dogs (38 percent off) and Mark of the Ninja (66 percent off). Xbox Live will feature two separate one-day sales as well, with games like WWE 2K14 and Diablo 3 being discounted by 33 percent as well as Rayman Legends and the Halo 4 Champions Bundle by 50 percent on November 29 only. Among the games on sale for Cyber Monday (December 2) only are Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, Red Dead Redemption, Dark Souls and The Witcher 2 for 75 percent off each and Battleblock Theater for 67 percent off. We suggest you clear some space on your Xbox 360 hard drive, pronto.
Tomb Raider next-gen reveal teased, ports classified
A VGX reveal of Xbox One and PlayStation 4 ports for Tomb Raider is on the cards, after Square Enix responded teasingly to rumors this week. The Crystal Dynamics game cropped up on Brazil's ratings board with PS4 and Xbox One versions listed, while an Amazon Italy page (now removed) pointed to a PS4 port titled Tomb Raider: Definitive Version. "It's so hard to keep a secret these days!" a Square Enix representative told IGN when approached. "We appreciate all of the enthusiasm, however we don't have any details to share just yet. That said, we highly recommend you keep an eye on any major gaming events happening in early December." Given Square Enix's fondness for not responding to "rumor and speculation," we'd say it's time to raise some eyebrows. We can't say it doesn't make sense either: Lara's gritty reboot sold 4 million copies across five months on the current generation, and a next-gen port would help to stir interest in the already announced next-gen sequel. Or, Square Enix could just be being coy about revealing that sequel rather than any ports, regardless of any classifications or listings. We don't know what to read into the publisher's playful winks and knowing smiles, but it seems likely we'll get some Tomb Raider news in a couple of weeks, when Spike TV's VGX awards show hits our screens on December 7.
Report: Gamestop's Black Friday has exclusive bundles, blue PS3
Gamestop's Black Friday circular has supposedly leaked its thick, viscous deal-goo all over the internet, exposing the retail chain's plans for the most excruciating shopping day of the year – just don't expect any deals on that new PlayStation 4/Xbox One hotness. For everyone staying in this console generation, though, there's some cool stuff going on if you think leaving the house on Black Friday is worth it. You can have your choice of 250-gig PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 for $199.99, the former bundled with The Last of Us and Batman: Arkham Origins, and the latter bundled with Halo 4 and a download code for Tomb Raider. Meanwhile, a Gamestop-exclusive Azure Blue 250-gig PS3/Jak and Daxter Collection bundle can be had for $249.99. For 360 owners, there's also a Gamestop-exclusive Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City boxed set, Dishonored and Splinter Cell: Blacklist at $24.99 each. PlayStation 3 owners can snag Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag for $40 and a year of PlayStation Plus for $29.99. The chain is also running a buy-2-get-1 free promotion on all pre-owned items, provided the free thing you pick out is of equal or lesser value. Gamestop is also granting an additional 30-percent in-store credit on all trade-ins, though whether these two offers stack is unknown. There's a lot of other stuff on sale, so while we check on the trade-in value of a human soul, click all up on this to check out the full 12-page circular for yourself.
Tomb Raider plots journey to Mac
Feral Interactive is bringing the Crystal Dynamics reboot of Tomb Raider to the Mac later this year. Mac specialist Feral wasn't any more specific than that, but the good news is there are only 84 days left in the year, so the wait can't be all that much longer. We were fond of Tomb Raider when it hit PS3, Xbox 360, and PC earlier this year, doling out a healthy four stars in our review. Square Enix was infamously less fond of Lara's adventure, despite the game shifting more than four million copies as of August. Maybe the Mac port's [x] millions of sales will help to satiate the publisher's hunger.
Steam weekend deals: Tomb Raider, Rogue Legacy, Activision games
This weekend's frugalfest on Steam is quite tempting. Tomb Raider is down to $12.49 for the standard edition and $14.49 for the Survival edition, which includes select DLC such as ten ditties from the soundtrack, a digital comic, a map, a digital mini art book, an in-game "Guerrilla Skin" outfit for Lara and three weapons plucked from Hitman: Absolution. Punishing retro-inspired roguelike platformer Rogue Legacy is also on the discount block this weekend, down 40% to a mere $9. Finally, there's the Activision publisher sale, which sees discounts for just about every Activision game on Steam: Singularity, Prototype 2, numerous Call of Duty games and Deadpool are all vying for your weekend dollar, so feel free to hop on over and peruse the list. As always, the Steam weekend deals expire on Monday morning at 10am PT.
Tomb Raider worldwide sales exceed 4 million units
Darrell Gallagher, head of product development and studios at Square Enix, says Tomb Raider has sold over four million copies worldwide since its debut earlier this year. "We now sit in a great position where the decisions we made and the willingness to embrace a new direction resulted in the fastest selling game in the history of the franchise and the most critically acclaimed title ever produced from the studio," Gallagher writes in a blog post on Gamasutra. Outside of Tomb Raider, Gallagher calls out Sleeping Dogs and Just Cause 2 as successes for the company. Sleeping Dogs has become "profitable" for Square Enix and both games enjoy a monthly active community of over half a million players each. Tomb Raider is a game we thought catered well to both series diehards and new fans alike, in a story arc depicting Lara's ascent from amateur globetrotter to toughened adventurer. A sequel is currently "well into development" for next-gen consoles.
Layoffs hit Crystal Dynamics, Tomb Raider unaffected
Square Enix has laid off around a dozen staff at Crystal Dynamics, the publisher confirmed in a statement to Joystiq. "We've made some decisions at Crystal Dynamics this week around the second project we're working on, which has resulted in a small number of roles (roughly 12) becoming redundant as we re-scope the project," the statement reads. "We're a close-knit team at Crystal and wouldn't be making these changes if we didn't feel it was absolutely necessary," the publisher said. The staffing changes do not impact the subset at Crystal Dynamics that is working the next-generation Tomb Raider sequel, which was confirmed by Square Enix's CEO Phil Rogers earlier this month. Square Enix will "help those affected as best we can" and asks that anyone currently searching for talented developers contact 'mtrout at crystald.com.'
Tomb Raider sequel for next-gen confirmed by Square CEO
Square Enix CEO for the Americas and Europe Phil Rogers has confirmed a sequel to the acclaimed Tomb Raider reboot is "well into development." The overall concept that a sequel was in the works leaked a couple weeks back with the announcement of a comic book that would bridge the gap between games. Writer Gail Simone, who is working with publisher Dark Horse on the comic, said, "In continuity, it will be Tomb Raider canon, and lead DIRECTLY into the sequel." Darrell Gallagher, former Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics' studio head, now head of product development and studios at Square Enix, added today, "It's still early days, so I'm afraid I can't provide any further details for now save my assurance that we're not resting on our laurels and acclaim from Tomb Raider's recent successes, but working hard to raise the bar even higher and re-affirm the faith you've shown." The Tomb Raider reboot was a critical and retail hit, no matter what Square Enix political machinations caused the publisher to say on the subject.
Square Enix explains former CEO's current role within company
Early this morning Square Enix clarified the role of former Chief Executive Officer Yoichi Wada within the company, after his name popped up as "Chairman" on company forms a couple of days ago – a surprising turn given Square's financial condition. A spokesperson explained The Square Enix Group's entire business and operations are managed and executed by Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd, the parent company. "Yoichi Wada has left the management of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd and no longer has any role in the parent company," the statement to Joystiq reads. "Currently, he is overseeing a portion of the business within Square Enix Co., Ltd (Square Enix Tokyo), one of the subsidiaries of the parent company. These businesses include emerging markets as well as social and mobile businesses." Wada's current job title is Chairman for Square Enix Tokyo. He does not hold the right of representation for the company. The note concludes: "He has no authority in terms of the management of the Group." Wada left the CEO position in March after the company's "extraordinary" loss; he was replaced by former company director and CFO Yosuke Matsuda.
Former Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada listed as Chairman of the Board
Former Square Enix Chief Executive Officer Yoichi Wada, who announced he would be stepping down as CEO in March after the company's "extraordinary" loss, has moved on to become... the company's Chairman of the Board. Square Enix's Japanese site has made note of the change. To give this a little perspective, if the CEO is the captain of the ship, then the Chairman of the Board is the admiral of the fleet. It's the job of the board to work in the best interest of investors. Given recent events, this is the part where you totally have permission to laugh or cry. Your choice. We've reached out to Square Enix for confirmation and comment. [Image: Chirtsova Natalia via Shutterstock]
Square Enix's three initiatives to reform its AAA business
With the epiphanic clarity that comes at the bottom of the third strawberry milkshake, Square Enix is reimagining the way it interacts with customers and the very definition of "AAA" games. As part of a recently translated results briefing, originally presented on the day the company announced a $134 million loss for the fiscal year, Senior Exec. Managing Director Yosuke Matsuda detailed three new strategic initiatives for the company's AAA business. Square Enix plans to construct a portfolio tailored to consumer tastes in respective regions, after finding it "extremely difficult" to sell major titles worldwide. The company will focus on tablets and mobile. And, finally, it will overhaul large-scale, long-term development to increase asset turnover (i.e. get games out the door). Regarding that final point, Matsuda brings up Kickstarter and Valve's Steam Greenlight/Early Access as models to interact with customers while a game is in development.
Tomb Raider on sale for $14 at Green Man Gaming
Frugal survivalists can enlist in Lara Croft's prequel adventure, Tomb Raider, for $13.60 today. The deal is over on PC digital distribution outlet Green Man Gaming, which has the Crystal Dynamics reboot currently listed at $17 - simply add coupon code "GMG20-LLASD-D8WBQ" (without quotes, boldness is entirely up to you) in the checkout screen and you'll get the extra-reduced price. In our review of Tomb Raider, we cited the joy of exploration and story's revelatory crescendo as catalysts for our love of Lara's coming-of-age tale. "The arc is drawn perfectly, with the edges of the old Tomb Raider starting to poke through as the story comes to a close, teasing what's yet to come." Several DLC packs have been issued, adding new maps and modes to the multiplayer side of the game. Crystal Dynamics has said it has no plans to offer single-player DLC.
