Tomb Raider - A survivor is born

[Zombie Fred]

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 6, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Square Enix, Inc., is excited today to announce TOMB RAIDER®,
the new game from Redwood City based studio Crystal Dynamics®.

'After a brutal storm destroys the boat she was travelling on, a frightened young woman is left washed ashore
on an unknown beach. On her own but not alone she has only one goal, to survive'

Here begins the first adventure for a young and inexperienced Lara Croft in a story which charts the journey
of an ordinary woman who finds out just how far she must go in order to stay alive.

"Forget everything you knew about TOMB RAIDER," said Darrell Gallagher, Head of Studio, Crystal Dynamics.
"This is an origins story that creates Lara Croft and takes her on a character defining journey like no other."

TOMB RAIDER makes its worldwide debut in the January issue of Game Informer® magazine. The cover story
features 10 pages of exclusive content and is available beginning today for subscribers and on newsstands
December 11. Follow Game Informer on Twitter @GameInformer.

Follow TOMB RAIDER on Twitter @TombRaider. For more information on TOMB RAIDER please visit www.TombRaider.com.

Site now open

Leaked concept art from a year back below;







As a big fan of Crystal Dyanmic's Tomb Raider series, especially after underworld, I am looking forward to this title a lot. What we do know is to expect a much open world and survival horror elements, given from the leaked information about this game about a year ago (if it is still going that direction). The new Lara looks good I find. Expect more information very soon (and perhaps an anouncement/reveal trailer at this VGA awards this Saturday).

Update 1: Game Information press release

Forget what you know about Lara Croft. As of today, all that is changing.

In our world-exclusive cover story, we uncover a brand-new Lara Croft. Rebooting the Tomb Raider franchise through an origin story wasn’t so much a choice as an act of necessity, according to Crystal Dynamics. Drastic measures were needed. To build an entirely fresh Lara – a culturally relevant hero worth of the attention that once came so effortlessly – they must break her first. In this new adventure – simply titled Tomb Raider – a younger and inexperienced Lara Croft must endure both physical and emotional trauma to survive.

Make sure to check out the Tomb Raider hub throughout the month of December for more exclusive details about Lara Croft’s rebirth. The hub will launch later today.

We've got two logo treatments for the new cover. You can see one in the front cover image below, and the other in the full wraparound spread that's a little further down the page.

In addition to the ten exclusive pages of Tomb Raider details, we’ve got a full book of other compelling content. Jeff Cork takes a look at gaming on the other side off the world, diving into policy and practices in Iran. Additionally, Annette Gonzales broke a sweat by rounding up and breaking down all the current Kinect fitness offerings at retail. Also, don’t forget to check out our previews of Dead Space 2 and L.A. Noire, and our final verdict on Warren Spector’s Epic Mickey.

The January issue of Game Informer will start arriving in subscriber’s mailboxes this week, and will hit newsstands the 11th of December.

[riderkid]

oh goody... knowing my old neighbors the only way im gonna get it is if todd grabs it before that crazy bitch burns it...or i call game informer and inform them of my address change

[Zombie Fred]

Game informer information is out

Raider Game Informer info #1
- Lara is 21 in this game
- It's not only a reboot of the franchise but a reboot of the entire brand. As a result there will be no "real" Lara model this time.
- They're doing performance capturing with this game
- There are brutal deaths in the game this time. One is described as a deranged man stabbing Lara in the chest and then closing her eyes after she's dead. Another includes a boulder falling on her leg to trap her before another falls and crushes her head.
- CD won't talk specifics on weapons but concept art shows a bow, shotgun and pistol
- The lock on targeting system is gone and it now has a free aim system. CD says that it can compete with any of their competitors.
- "I think that the major difference between this game and the old is the concept of smoke and mirrors," begins Darrell Gallagher, the studio head at Crystal Dynamics. "There was an illusion of freedom because of streaming and loading that would pop you out in a different location, but this is absolutely real. You can literally go any direction that you see and carve your own way to the finish line instead of being guide."
- "It was important in the game to not only deliver the character arc of Lara Croft emotionally, but to deliver it in gameplay as well so the player gets to grow into a hardened survivor," says experienced director Noah Hughes. As the game unfolds, Lara will scavenge new tools and gear that augment her abilities. Lara's athletic prowess will also evolve. Some areas begin inaccessible due to physical limitations or scarce supplies. With the right skills and gear, however, the island is Lara's for the taking.
- There are base camps in the game. Here you can combine items to create something new and access a skill system to upgrade Lara's abilities. You'll also be able to use base camps to fast travel to different locations to minimize backtracking.
- You'll need to gather food and water in order to survive
- There are humans in the game, including some of the crew members from the shipwreck off the coast of the island.

That's about it. It seems like CD is still be fairly secretive about the gameplay details. There are some nice in-game screenshots. One features Lara hanging upside down in what looks to be a cocoon. Also several screenshots showing her bloodied and with bandages on.

Holy shit. Do want.

[rewak]

Don't like the part about gathering food and water, it sounds like the kind of thing that's just going to be annoying and get in the way of progress. I'm really not sure on this yet, it just doesn't sound or look very much like Tomb Raider. The whole survival thing was never really the core of TR and it shouldn't be, here's a hint on what should CD, she's a tomb raider, it's in the title! The core aspect should be exploration of tombs and ruins, not running around an island finding food and water battling creatures that look like Silent Hill/Fear rejects. I'll wait until i see some in game screenshots before i dismiss it completely, but from the sounds of it this is just gonna be a game with the TR title rather than being a proper TR game. There is no need to "reboot" the series, it just feels like they're doing it because its the "in" thing to do with older franchises now.

[Enrico Marini]

I'm not a die hard Tomb Raider Fan, though I did find TR1~LR/Legends/Anniv fun, but I have a dislike for Reboots/Reimagings. It just makes me think why not just do it with an original character and a title. Though I already know why, the name Lara Croft and Tomb Raider has a lot of clout with wallets.

Does sound interesting and will probably enjoy it but why can't they just retire series.

[DONNIemo]

Nice, is that first cover just a real girl photoshoped or actually cg? I cant tell anymore -_-

[RetroRain]

Why does the game and movie industry feel that they have to reboot everything? Are they that dried out of ideas? I mean come on already. When they tell you they are rebooting something, they are making it "obvious" that they don't have any good ideas. Whether a series is successful or not, they feel the need to reboot it, because they can't think of anything new. But if this reboot is very different from Tomb Raider as we know it, they why the hell don't they just call it something else from the get go? "Survival Instinct" or some other name. And there ya have it, a brand new game.

This is why I don't really buy games anymore. I just follow the gaming news, and I see just how pathetic the industry has become.

[Alzaire]

I wonder if the movie industry is really as bad as people say. Even in the early days of film, movies were remade all the time, books were adapted into a few different versions, ect. If you go back and look, you'll see it's been a trend since the beginning in film. TV has done the same thing with remakes, series reboots, alternate versions, ect. It may or may not be more prevalent these days, but I think people really blow the whole thing out of proportion.

I'm interested a little in this TR reboot. But maybe it's because I only ever played Tomb Raider 2, ages ago, and never really followed the series. Though I have heard that most of the sequels the last few years have not been very good. I'll keep my eye on this one though.

[Mr. Spencer]

And it'll be released to average reviews and the world will go on.

[AltaïrTheEagle]

I'm excited for this game I've always liked the tr games and I like that they're trying to taake the series somewhere new cus it was getting stale

[Zombie Fred]

The scans are out and so far it does seem very promising. I know reboots are usually bad with other popular series bitting the bullet because of it, but I think this one can do it justice if executed well and live up to CDs potential. Here's to optimism!

Scans attatched below.

[Stu]

Sounds like it's hitting all the right buttons so far!

In truth i thought Legend and Anniversary were brilliant games, the best personally that i've played from the franchise. Underworld was a bit of a pain in the end, don't think i've even got past the first level? Need to get back into it...i'm rambling.

The XBLA game was fantastic too, so look forward to seeing what this reboot can come up with.

Why does the game and movie industry feel that they have to reboot everything? Are they that dried out of ideas? I mean come on already. When they tell you they are rebooting something, they are making it "obvious" that they don't have any good ideas. Whether a series is successful or not, they feel the need to reboot it, because they can't think of anything new. But if this reboot is very different from Tomb Raider as we know it, they why the hell don't they just call it something else from the get go? "Survival Instinct" or some other name. And there ya have it, a brand new game.

This is why I don't really buy games anymore. I just follow the gaming news, and I see just how pathetic the industry has become.

Please, don't criticise the industry when the best name for a game you can come up with is "Survival Instinct"!

What is the sole aim of COMPANIES in the movie/videogame industry? To make money, yes? What is higher risk to these companies? Established franchises, or new IPs? Of cooooourse! Established franchises!

So why would they run the risk of starting a new IP when there's a fantastic franchise just desperate to be dragged into the modern day?

To say "they" (as if the industry is just a round-table of a few people) is nonsense. Just because a few series' are getting reboots, doesn't mean there aren't other games/movies breaking down barriers. Did Inception or Limbo look like the fruit of industries running out of ideas?

And it's not even like reboots are a bad thing anyway. Batman Begins and Resident Evil 4 for instance are two of the best examples of releases you're ever likely to see, let alone best cases of reboots you'll find!

This felt good!

[Dracarys]

Reboot seems pointless story-wise given it was rebooted with Legend, and Chronicles touched on her early life before that.

I just hope puzzles and platforming remain intact, add whatever else but need to keep those.

Underworld managed ok with those, story and lack of bosses were the let down.

[Gradon]

This game will seem to achieve 18+ PEGI and BBFC judging from pictures and information.
That'd be the first

[Mr. Spencer]

And it's not even like reboots are a bad thing anyway. Batman Begins and Resident Evil 4 for instance are two of the best examples of releases you're ever likely to see, let alone best cases of reboots you'll find!

This felt good!

Don't forget what Casino Royale did for the Bond franchise.