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Tomb Raider: Anniversary now on XBLM
Hungry for more tomb raiding? Have you squeezed out every possible ounce of entertainment from Tomb Raider: Legend? Have you suddenly developed an aversion to disc-based media? Well then, do we have a deal for you. Seemingly out of nowhere, the previously promised downloadable version of Tomb Raider: Anniversary is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. The game has been split into two significantly more than bite-sized chunks, each of which will run you 1200 MS Points or, in the common vernacular, $15. Put them both together and the game costs as much as its PS2 counterpart and actually $10 less than the retail Xbox 360 version. Just make sure you still have a Tomb Raider: Legend disc lying around, as the downloadable Anniversary requires it.
Tomb Raider: Anniversary now on Xbox Live Marketplace
Lara Croft's superb re-quel, Tomb Raider: Anniversary, has finally clambered onto the Xbox Live Marketplace after being unearthed in June and delayed from an initial September release. If you missed it on the PlayStation 2, the PSP, the PC or even the Xbox 360 (in ancient disc format), now's your chance to relive the iconic grave robber's best adventure in the form of two downloadable chunks. The catch, of course, is that it functions as Tomb Raider: Legend DLC and will require you to have that disc handy. Each half of the game will set you back roughly 1.5GB in bandwidth and 1,200 MS Points ($15) -- in combination, that puts it on par with the PS2 version and $10 beneath the disc-based Xbox 360 version. If this still isn't the opportune moment to explore Lara's treasure-laden crevices, you still have the hands-on Wii version to try out (it's out in the UK too this December).
Gametap's 'Re\Visioned' animated series concludes first season
Concluding with Jim Lee's take on Lara Croft, "A Complicated Woman," the first season of Gametap's animated "Re\Visioned" series is now available in its entirety on the download service. Aside from the rather annoying use of a backslash in the title, the show's first ten-episode stint was marked by several interpretations of the Tomb Raider heroine from artists such as Peter Chung, Michael Stackpole and Warren Ellis. Gametap has also announced a partnership with The Hero Initiative -- a non-profit organization helping out comic book creators -- that will see a second six-episode season of Re\Visioned released in December. The focus is to be placed on the "golden age" of Activision, with stylized takes on Kaboom, Pressure Cooker and Pitfall promised from writers like Mark Waid (Flash, Kingdom Come, Legion of Superheroes), John Ostrander (X-Men, Punisher, Star Wars Republic) and Paul Jenkins (Spectacular Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk, Civil War: Front Line).
Anatomy of a disaster: Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness
Next-Gen is running a piece from Edge Magazine about how Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness went so terribly wrong. Angel of Darkness was the last Lara Croft game created by developer Core before publisher Eidos said to hell with them and gave Croft duties to Crystal Dynamics (who have yet to disappoint). The piece starts with just how awful Angel of Darkness was, but things really get moving with an anecdote of Core Design's co-founder, Jeremy Heath-Smith, cursing through the game's opening level at a buyers' conference. The story ends with most of Core's staff leaving due to management issues and Eidos taking Lara away. Angel of Darkness is a case study on how a franchise can be run into the ground and yet still find redemption in the hands of another.
Naughty Dog co-president says Uncharted not that similar to Tomb Raider
When you first see Uncharted's beautiful scenery and gameplay, it's hard not to immediately think of Eidos' Tomb Raider series. While many gamers continue to make those comparisons, anyone who's watched a few gameplay videos will realize the two games aren't that similar after all.Naughty Dog copresident Evan Wells told Gamespot that he understands the comparisons, but the gameplay focus and the lead characters are entirely different. "I think just by the very fact that both Nathan Drake and Lara Croft are treasure hunters, there will be comparisons. But beyond that, they diverge pretty rapidly. From a character standpoint, Nathan Drake is an everyman who struggles to get by, who you can see on his face that he's stressed out as he's flinching from bullets ricocheting off the cover he's hiding behind, while Lara is the more stone-faced acrobat, perfect landing every time," he said. "And then the gameplay, obviously we were very focused on third-person cover-based play, while theirs is more auto-aiming and a little more heavy on the puzzle-solving."Well said, Mr. Wells. Hopefully, this clears up any misunderstanding anyone has about the two games. While it'd be great if Uncharted reaches the same success as Tomb Raider, we just hope it doesn't follow Lara's downward spiral of mediocrity.
Lara has got some new tools
With some new tools at her disposal, Lara looks like she is very much prepared for her jaunt in the Wii version of Tomb Raider Anniversary. Sure, it's just a port of the PS2 game, but when that game is great and has some valid additions to support its claim that it should be on the Wii, we have to get behind it.Check past the break for part two.
Official Tomb Raider: Anniversary release date
After going through the trauma of being lied to about Tomb Raider: Anniversary's release date (September anyone?) Eidos has again taken the podium and announced official release date details. Tomb Raider: Anniversary will be available on retail shelves in the US this October 23rd and in the UK a few days later on October 26th. Then, later in November, the Anniversary episodes will be released to the XBLM as two separate purchasable downloads for those who would rather buy the content in digital form. Pricing for the DLC version has yet to be announced.There you have it Lara Croft lovers ... your Anniversary dates are now confirmed, official and your content will be available in two distinct flavors. Go ahead and crack a smile already.
Tomb Raider Anniversary ready for European release on October 26th
Tomb Raider Anniversary is almost ready for its European debut on the PSP. The remake of the original PS1 game will be available on shelves on October 26th. If you don't fancy waiting for the PSP version, however, the PC and PS2 versions are already available, with Xbox 360 and Wii versions to follow later this year. Still, if the opportunity for some portable Tomb Raider action is there, then why not go for it? The game has been available in the US for quite a while already, so if you're really impatient then you could always import it and get it a week or so early.
Retailers list 360's Tomb Raider Anniversary for Oct. 23 release
If numerous online retailers are to be believed, the Xbox 360 version of Tomb Raider: Anniversary is set to arrive in the US next week on October 23rd. "But wait," you rudely interject, "wasn't there another version for that console?" Indeed, you quite clearly recall that Eidos announced its intention to digitally distribute Lara Croft assets -- that would be the game split into five separate episodes -- on the Xbox Live marketplace. The online chunks, functioning as add-ons to Tomb Raider: Legend, would amount to 2400 MS Points ($30) in total, a good $10 cheaper than the price retailers are currently appending to the standalone disc. As the online episodes were initially scheduled for release in September, it inescapably follows that they've been delayed. The question is, "Until when?" While Eidos assures us that they're still in the pipeline, it's "still confirming dates for both versions and will release information on this asap." We'll keep you informed if and when we receive this mysterious asap containing the information.
Joystiq hands-on: Tomb Raider Anniversary (Wii)
Some things are obvious about Lara Croft. But Crystal Dynamics's Morgan Gray wants you to focus on Lara's more subtle assets, like her intelligence. The late-coming Wii version of Tomb Raider Anniversary focuses on Lara's actual career: babe, er, 'archaeologist'. There's "over three hours" of Wii-specific content promised, and the majority of it comes in the form of motion-sensitive mini-games. There's Lara with a pick axe unearthing clues; Lara digging for buried treasures; and Lara taking charcoal rubbings for her journal. All use the Wiimote's pointer, mimicking what you'd normally find in a DS game (think: psuedo-archeology game Spectrobes). It's gimmicky, yes -- but there are times where the physicality adds an appreciable amount of depth to the experience. In one segment of the game, we had to uncover symbols, hidden away under some dust. With those symbols in mind, we had to draw them in sand to unlock a door. Drawing with the Wiimote added a whole new layer to what was originally a very simple puzzle. Thankfully, the system is forgiving enough to recognize even the shakiest of gestures. Not only has Lara's "intelligence" been expanded upon for Wii, combat has received a major overhaul as well. For the first time in the franchise, players will aim and shoot freely while moving. Players will have to use the pointer to manually aim at the various enemies on the screen while performing Lara's signature dodges. It can be awkward at first, but Crystal Dynamics is so confident in their battle system that they won't give players the option to switch to more traditional controls. "All or nothing," as we were told by Gray. To ease away potential frustrations, there is an overly generous hit detection system that requires only a marginal amount of accuracy. Harder difficulties, we're told, will require a much steadier shot. %Gallery-8119%
See how Tomb Raider Anniversary uses Wiimote
When imagining ways for the Wiimote to be incorporated into the Wii release of Tomb Raider Anniversary, you probably let your evil imagination wander to some ... unfortunate situations, and we want you to know that we're personally very disappointed in you. Lara Croft uses the Wiimote for science, mister, and don't you forget it. As you can see in the video, the Wii is incorporated into all sorts of archeological pursuits, from column turning to dust brushing and, lest you begin to flashback to 9th grade history class, shooting bears. Only about 25 percent of the activities shown here look tacked on or contrived, which, all things considered, is fairly impressive. [Via CVG]
The B[ack]log: Happy Anniversary, Miss Croft
Jacqueline Natla is quite obviously the villain in Tomb Raider: Anniversary. In the 1996 original, the only initial clues to her evil nature resided in a somewhat condescending tone of voice and a far too serious haircut. The opening moments of the Crystal Dynamics remake, however, show a more conniving woman with flowing blond hair, almost alien facial features and suspiciously long fingers. Still a bit of a condescending hag, though. "My company has recently turned its focus on the study of ancient artifacts, and I am lead to believe that with the right incentive, you are just the woman to find them for me," she says, addressing one of gaming's most iconic characters, Lara Croft. "I'm afraid you've been mistaken," comes the decorous reply. "I only play for sport." Ah, but Natla's done her research. "Which is precisely why I've come to you Miss Croft. This is a game you've played before..." Though trusting the words of a noticeably vile video game character is generally not advised, they're true in this case. Tomb Raider: Anniversary is indeed a game you've played before, at least if you had the good sense to play Tomb Raider at some point in your fulfilling life (replace "fulfilling" with "miserable" if you haven't). The reworked puzzles, contemporized controls and modern presentation may set Anniversary apart from the groundbreaking effort by Core Design, but beneath those layers lies the same game with the same ideals. Either Tomb Raider was nearly eleven years ahead of its time, or the games we play just haven't changed all that much.
Minnie Driver to voice animated Lara Croft
We have a very serious question regarding this particular news item. What happens when you put Minnie Driver into a Mini Cooper S? Would the unusual occurrence of a famous Driver becoming a Mini driver release an unstoppable explosion of meta-energy, forcing the entire universe to infinitely collapse in on itself? We're not sure if anybody has tested this theory, but the more likely outcome would be Ms. Minnie running us over for childishly poking fun at her name and wasting an entire paragraph before talking about her latest role.Ahem.The gist of it, you see, is that GameTap's upcoming ReVision animated series, which initially chronicles the adventures of one Lara Croft, is set to become a star vehicle of sorts for Minnie Driver. Reuters reports the actress and occasional singer will lend her voice to Tomb Raider's gun-toting heroine for ten episodes, the first three of which will come from Aeon Flux alum, Peter Chung. Further episodes will have other artists interpreting the iconic action archaeologist, while future seasons of ReVision will delve into other characters and games.[Via Tomb Raider Chronicles]
Lara Croft opens women-only beach in Italy
No, we're not quite sure we understand the purpose of a female-only beach either, but experience has taught us that it's never a good strategy to question the wisdom of a woman wielding two guns. Doubly so if said woman happens to be one famous for destroying dinosaurs and gallivanting through graves, Lara Croft. The action archaeologist and Tomb Raider star, here represented by non-polygonal human model Karima Adebibe (she's the one with the big guns), opened Italy's first women-only beach in Riccione, "an exclusive resort near Rimini on the east coast" as Gamertag Radio reminds us.Though you may have briefly interpreted the presence of Lara's scantily-clad posse as proof that the next Tomb Raider game would be "Pikmin with babes," the ladies were in fact there to compete in "Miss Muretto," a beauty contest coinciding with the opening (or closing if you're a guy) of "Pink Beach." Don't worry, we're sure there's a nearby lookout point that's ideal for surveying Italy's finest beaches. If being a pervert isn't your thing, there's always the superb Tomb Raider: Anniversary to keep you occupied indoors.
Rumor: Tomb Raider: Anniversary making its way to PS3?
The Xbox 360 is receiving their Tomb Raider: Anniversary fix in the form of episodic content over Xbox Live, however it's initially limited only to those that own the last next-gen outing, Tomb Raider: Legend. While it would seem trite of Eidos to snub Sony by not releasing any similar content for the PlayStation Network, they do have plans to release a retail version of all episodic content on one disc. PSX Extreme says there is reason to believe this retail version will hit PS3 through the magical re-engineering of porting the Xbox 360 code.We aren't holding our breath on this one. Knowing how most devs feel about the port process leave us more than a bit skeptical, especially considering the fact that Tomb Raider: Anniversary is more or less just a new map on top of the already-built game engine of Tomb Raider: Legend. Porting it to PS3 would more than likely take a larger team of devs to complete than Eidos is willing to fund. But hey, we're wishful thinkers. We sincerely hope that if this slim rumor holds any weight, the port team will be diligent and give PS3 owners the chance to experience the new Tomb Raider: Anniversary content in all its PS3 splendor.
Tomb Raider episodic content in September
Eidos UK announced that Tomb Raider: Anniversary will be 4 pieces of episodic content, playable through Tomb Raider: Legend, with the first two episodes releasing in September. The complete set, (including a the Croft Manor as a free download), will come to 2400 MS points, or 600 Microsoft points per episode. Since playing requires having Legend handy, those strictly wanting the content alone can wait until later in the year for the retail release. So, in short we were right, but it still leaves a question lingering. Since the episodes will be tied to Legend, is there going to be a maximum of 250 Gamerscore to be given out, if it even has additional Achievements? If that's the case, then what about the retail release, will that have 1000 Gamerscore? Either way, this could be breaking new ground on Xbox Live.[Via Joystiq. Thanks, Bob]
Tomb Raider: Anniversary episodes hitting Xbox 360 in September
Eidos UK has officially announced Tomb Raider: Anniversary for the Xbox 360, confirming almost all of the theories originating from the ESRB listing we unearthed earlier this month. We say "almost," because one of said theories had the game being distributed via antiquated catapult. That's clearly and unfortunately not the case, as Anniversary will initially arrive on the Xbox 360 as a set of four downloadable episodes incorporated into Tomb Raider: Legend. The publisher notes that this marks the first occasion of a full game being serialized on the Xbox Live Marketplace. As suggested in the earlier article, the episodes should be split across the various locales Lara Croft explores and inevitably desecrates in the Crystal Dynamics remake of the 1996 original. Lady Croft's manor will be offered as a free download, while the complete set of episodes will cost 2400 MS Points -- $30 and on par with the cost of the already released PC and PS2 versions. Eidos promises to release Episode 1 and Episode 2 in September, with the final two episodes following "shortly afterwards." Those bemoaning the fact that they've since traded in Tomb Raider: Legend (understandable!) or never bothered to pick it up (unacceptable!) can wait for a retail version of Anniversary to be released on Xbox 360 "later in the year."
Lady Croft runs out of steam in Europe
While we joke that everyone and their mother was invited to purchase and play Lara Croft's big Tomb Raider: Anniversary, it seems an invitation got lost in the mail. The European version of Valve's Steam service no longer has the game available. According to GI.biz, neither Valve nor Eidos is explaining why. Apparently after the final stage of purchase the service says, "Sorry, but Tomb Raider: Anniversary (ROW) is not available for purchase in this country. Your purchase has been canceled."Too bad European Steam users. On a happy note, you can still purchase the game practically everywhere else in the outside world and even at TombRaider.com ... or Eidos' official site. For North Americans, feel free to join Lara at retail, Steam, GameTap and we're sure Eidos will be offering the game by carrier pigeon soon too.
Tomb Raider Anniversary coming to 360 (as DLC?)
Is there anything the ESRB can't do? Routinely revealing numerous Xbox Live Arcade games, the ratings board has now revealed that Tomb Raider: Anniversary is headed to the Xbox 360. In an interesting twist, the ESRB actually lists five different entries for the game, each with a different locale specified. In all, Peru, Lost City, Greece, Egypt, and Croft Manor are listed. This specificity leads us (and Joystiq) to conclude that Anniversary will be offered as downloadable content. Whether this is done via Tomb Raider: Legend or as independent downloadable episodes remains to be seen (if we had to guess, we'd say it'll be Legend DLC). Considering Anniversary costs $30 on other platforms, a $5-6 price tag for each episode on Xbox Live Marketplace would be reasonable (though we're not necessarily expecting it).We really enjoyed Lara Croft's first outing on the 360, so here's hoping Eidos makes an official announcement soon.[Via Joystiq]
ESRB: Tomb Raider Anniversary bound for 360, possibly as DLC
The Entertainment Software Ratings Board is probably due for a shiny PETA trophy by now. The organization's online ratings database has let many a cat out of cruel prison bags, with today marking the release of gaming's most agile feline. The website currently lists not one, but five separate entries for an Xbox 360 version of Lara Croft's latest romp, Tomb Raider: Anniversary. More interestingly, each entry specifies a locale featured within the Crystal Dynamics remake. Peru, Lost City, Greece, Egypt and Croft Manor are all listed and rated, leading us to conclude that Anniversary could very well be making its way to Microsoft's system as downloadable content. Whether it would be offered as downloadable content for Tomb Raider: Legend (which utilizes the same graphics engine as Anniversary) or as episodic titles on the Xbox Live Marketplace is a matter of pure speculation. Certainly, a cost of $5 per level would compare well to the $30 PS2 and PC versions released yesterday.
