Video gamers rejoice! A Tomb Raider TV series is in the works and may be coming to Amazon Prime streaming service.
Tomb Raider is one of the most popular video game franchises and served as the basis for two movies staring Angelina Jolie as well as a third move staring Alicia Vikander. According to an exclusive report by The Hollywood Reporter, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, of Fleabag fame, is prepping the TV show as part of a larger overall deal with the streaming giant.
According to The Hollywood Reporter’s sources, while Waller-Bridge is writing the show scripts, she is not slated to star in the series. Waller-Bridge will also be an executive producer for the show.
No information was provided regarding a possible release date.
Daisy Ridley has confirmed that she is being considered to play Lara Croft in the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot.
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter at the Empire Awards in London on Sunday, Ridley revealed there have been talks about her picking up Angelina Jolie’s iconic character, although she has not been offered the role.
The 23-year old Star Wars: The Force Awakens actress explained that she was waiting for film executives to give her the green light on the role made popular on the big screen by Jolie.
“I’m waiting for someone to say ‘I want you, let’s do it’,” Ridley said. She also confirmed there is no script for the planned reboot yet.
Ridley is currently filming the 8th installment of Star Wars, but when asked if she could make time for Tomb Raider, she said she would definitely find time for it. “Absolutely, I’m trying to fill up my calendar.” Daisy Ridley excitedly said. The English actress said she would grab the opportunity to play Lara Croft if she was given the chance.
While there may be people who might doubt her ability to give justice to the role, her Star Wars costar, John Boyega, believes Daisy Ridley “should be” Lara Croft.
“I played Tomb Raider the game, it’s a new take and I think the movies are going to be based on that version. But I texted Daisy (and) was like, ‘this is you!’ and ‘you need to get on that because you could be Lara Croft,’” Boyega told the Hollywood Reporter.
Reports say Evan Daugherty (Snow White and the Huntsman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) will write the script, while Roar Uthaug is said to be directing the film.
Until now, Square Enix hasn’t really crossed the streams between its Western and Japanese properties. It seemingly kept the separate because the fan bases for franchises like Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy were different. Well, Square is going to try things out with a little cross pollination DLC.
Square Enix announced this morning that Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII will get some Tomb Raider DLC to coincide with the release of Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition on Xbox One and PS4. The DLC gives Lightning a total makeover as she dons Lara’s outfit from the latest Tomb Raider while equipping herself with a riot shield and pick axe.
With this latest addition, it makes one wonder if Square Enix will be experimenting with other DLC crossovers in the future. Since Lightning Returns is heavily based on costumes, we could easily see Square adding Deus Ex, Hitman or Kane & Lynch costumes to the game. While the audiences may not overlap, I’d sure as hell would want to see Lightning fight in a suit while killing fantastical monsters with piano wire.
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is now available on PS4 and Xbox One. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII will be released on February 11 for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
At VGX 2013, it was revealed that Square Enix would be bringing 2013’s Tomb Raider to PS4 and Xbox One in a definitive edition that exponentially improves the visuals. At the time, all we knew was that this version of the game would run at 60FPS in 1080p and feature upgraded textures and TressFX.
While we all now know about Tomb Raider’s next gen debut, some may want to know how the team did it. That’s where the latest video from Square Enix comes in as it explores the new technologies used to upgrade Tomb Raider from its PS3/Xbox 360 debut to the PS4 and Xbox One.
The cynics out there are saying this is just an excuse for Square Enix to sell more copies of Tomb Raider. While that’s certainly true, it looks like the development team did have another goal in mind with the next gen version. They say that gamers can look at Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition as their first stab at making a next-gen version of Lara Croft. It goes without saying that next Tomb Raider title built specifically for next-gen consoles will look even better.
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition will be available on January 28 for the PS4 and Xbox One.
Though the second half of 2013 was a PR nightmare for Microsoft and the Xbox One’s original incarnation is still fresh in gamers’ minds, Microsoft did manage to bring one very consumer-friendly feature to Xbox Live subscribers this year. The new Xbox “Games With Gold” program brought to Xbox Live users an answer to the free games that Sony has been giving away with PlayStation Plus subscriptions.
Halo 3, Assassin’s Creed II, and a few games from earlier in the last console generation have all been given away for Xbox Live users now. Though gamers have complained that the selection of games given away so far hasn’t matched the quality of Sony’s PlayStation Plus freebies, it now appears that Microsoft is getting serious about adding value to its Xbox Live subscriptions.
Microsoft today announced that both Sleeping Dogs and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light for the Xbox 360 will be free for Xbox Live subscribers in January.
Sleeping Dogs was a surprise hit when it was released in 2012. The game features open-world gameplay in the streets of a fictional Hong Kong and a story that fits neatly into the Hong Kong cop movies of old.
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is a love-it-or-hate-it downloadable title that is a spinoff to the Tomb Raider series. The 2010 title differed significantly from past Tomb Raider titles in both its gameplay and multiplayer co-op emphasis.
Sleeping Dogs will be available for free to Xbox Live users starting January 1 and will stay free to download until January 15. Lara Croft will then become the free title from January 16 until the end of the month.
Earlier this year, Square Enix rebooted the famous Tomb Raider series for modern consoles with a more relatable Lara Croft that was more interested in surviving than raiding tombs and killing endangered animals. It was a fantastic game, but some were a little bummed that it didn’t have more tomb raiding. For that, there’s always the original game.
If you don’t have a PlayStation or PC to play the original 1996 game on, Square Enix has your back with a new iOS version of the original game. First and foremost, this is a straight up port of the original PlayStation game so don’t expect any fancy visuals like in Tomb Raider Anniversary. It also brings over the complex controls of the original, while adapting it to a touch screen device, so expect to see plenty of on-screen clutter. Thankfully, the game does support gamepads for those own one.
Here are some additional details:
We’ve not messed about with it, so it’s the full, unedited, unadulterated experience from the classic release at a super-low price. How better to find out if you’ve still got what it takes to beat a legendary game than by taking on the lost city of Atlantis and the pyramids of Egypt? It’s probably not for the faint of heart!
The game includes two extra chapters that were included in the game’s 1998 re-release, giving you a total play time of around 15 hours. Also supports game controllers such as the MOGA Ace Power and the Logitech PowerShell.
What’s that about a super low price? Going against Square Enix’ terrible habit of over pricing mobile titles, Tomb Raider is priced at only $0.99. It’s nice to see that Square is finally getting the hang of this mobile pricing thing. Now if only it didn’t charge $20 for its Final Fantasy remakes.
Anyway, Tomb Raider is available today on all iOS 7 devices, but it’s been optimized for the iPhone 5 and later. If the old Tomb Raider bores you, you can look forward to Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition on Xbox One and PS4 next year.
Last week, the PlayStation Store started up its weekly holiday sale where a number of games would be heavily discounted in the weeks leading up to Christmas. While last week’s sale had a number of great deals on some of the best RPGs of 2013, this week will appeal to a wider variety of gamers.
Sony announced that this week’s holiday sale will be headlined by a Tomb Raider bundle that includes this year’s excellent reboot of the franchise and all its DLC. While normally $30, the game will be discounted to $14.99 during this week. PlayStation Plus subscribers can enjoy an additional discount of $1.50 for a total price of $13.49. While $13.49 for Tomb Raider is a great deal, those of you who own a next-gen console may want to wait for next February’s next-gen port of the title.
Other highlights include a bunch of excellent classic games from Capcom, including Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara, Marvel vs. Capcom Origins and Marvel vs. Capcom 2. All of the above games will be available for $7.49 or $3.75 for Plus members.
Here’s the full list of games on sale this week:
All of the above sale prices will be good until December 17. At that point, the PlayStation Store will cycle in a new list of discounted titles.
If you happen to be a PlayStation Plus member, you’ll get an extra gift today in the form of Borderlands 2 for free. If you haven’t had a chance to play the game yet, there’s no better time to jump in for some shoot and loot action. Unfortunately, none of the DLC is on sale, but it just might be discounted as we move closer to the holidays.
Sony kicked off the next generation of gaming with a selection of games that I referred to as super HD remakes. They were ports of PS3 games upscaled to 1080p and made to run at 60 FPS. I predicted that more studios would take last gen games and port them to next-gen hardware, and it looks to be already happening.
On Saturday night at VGX, Crystal Dynamics announced that this year’s excellent Tomb Raider reboot will be coming to Xbox One and PS4 next year as Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. This version of the game will be the exact same game you played earlier this year on Xbox 360 and PS3, but with some added visual flourishes.
First and foremost, this new version of the game will employ AMD’s new TressFX technology that simulates realistic hair movement and flow. The technology was introduced in the PC version of the game earlier this year, but now console gamers will get to experience hair that realistically flops all over the place. The PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game will also sport increased texture resolutions and special effects, but none of this is new to those who played it on the PC.
While the game comes with no extra content, it does come with all the multiplayer DLC that was released separately for the other versions of the game earlier this year. It doesn’t really seem like that much of a bonus, however, when you consider how few cared about the title’s multiplayer.
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition will launch on January 28 for PS4 and Xbox One.
It’s less than one week before the release of Tomb Raider, and Square Enix is acting supremely confident of its classic franchise reboot. The publisher has released the embargo on reviews of the game a week before the game ships, and early reviews are good. This is despite all of the seemingly hard-to-fulfill promises that were made by the Tomb Raider‘s creators about Lara Croft‘s character growth and the series’ new direction.
Now that the time has come for Square Enix to market the game to more casual gamers who might need to be convinced to play as a female character, the publisher has released a new trailer that makes the game appear to be the most action-packed game since the last Call of Duty. It features short cuts of the action interspersed by a multicultural group of actors who declare the different qualities that they, as Lara, possess. These qualities include being fast, bold, brutal, agile, tough, daring, courageous, dangerous, and strong. It’s like the Boy Scout motto, if the Boy Scouts were founded by a high school football coach prone to “motivational” locker room speeches.
We’re less than one month from Square Enix’s Tomb Raider reboot being released on March 5. Today the publisher released the longest look yet at how the game will play.
Much of the gameplay footage from the trailers seen since last year’s E3 appear to have come from this stretch of the game. The glass-breaking and parachuting segments are both included. The focus on action and set-piece experiences appears to mimmic other AAA titles in recent years. However, the developers have stated that the classic exploration and puzzle-solving that have defined the series are still very much a part of the game.
The video is not too spoilery in relation to Lara‘s ultimate fate, but anyone hoping to experience the game without any foreknowledge should probably skip it.
Crystal Dynamic’s Tomb Raider reboot will be out in less than a month, and the hype machine has been going steady for a few months now. The developers now have a bit of extra time to show players more of the game, and what they can expect when the game launches on March 5.
In a developer walkthrough released today, the game’s creative director walks players through a short section of the game that has Lara Croft making her way to a monastery on the island where the game’s plot unfolds. Most of the playthrough is focused on what players can expect from the game’s combat and exploration.
Through most of the gameplay demo, the creative director focuses predominantly on tactics and the decisions players can make when approaching enemies. It’s a little disappointing then that most of the gameplay looks like a run and gun kind of experience. Here’s hoping the title will encourage more variety when it launches next month.
Tomb Raider hits the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on March 5.
Now that a proper trailer for the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot has been released, Square Enix is diving in and revealing all sorts of details about the game.
Today, the first in a series of “Guide to Survival” videos was released. The trailer begins by spoiling the entire opening of the story, so look away if you want a perfectly fresh Tomb Raider experience. After the set-up, the video reveals the three skill trees that players can use to augment Lara Croft’s talents as she learns to survive and kill while shipwrecked on a hostile island.
In the new Tomb Raider, players earn XP through exploration, combat, and completing missions. A requisite amount of XP will award skill points that can be allocated to either the “survivor,” “hunter,” or “brawler skill trees. Players will also be able to use a crafting system to upgrade Lara’s weapons and gear.
Another feature revealed in the video is Lara’s “survival instinct.” The feature will highlight “key puzzle elements and hidden rewards” with a yellow light. It’s similar to the assassin instincts from Square Enix’s recently released Hitman: Absolution. It seems that the publisher sincerely believes its games are too hard, too poorly designed, or gamers are just too lazy to figure things out on their own.
The dirty, distressed, and broken Lara Croft seen at this year’s E3 was fairly shocking. Though she was wearing more clothing than is normally seen in advertisements, the suffering she endured was visceral and tinged with a darker type of sex appeal.
This weekend, the first real trailer for Tomb Raider premiered during the Spike Video Game Awards. The new video uses much of the same footage that was seen at E3, and it appears that Lara’s time shipwrecked on a hostile island will be more trying for her than fans of the series are used to seeing.
The Tomb Raider franchise, with its aging tropes and uninspired sequels, certainly needed a change, and it’s clear that Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix are rebooting the franchise more in the vain of the Uncharted Series. The Lara Croft from the new Tomb Raider is both more vulnerable and more brutal than in any of her previous incarnations. Keeping these themes in mind, the new trailer is named “Survivor.”
I really dislike retailer-exclusive content deals. For some gamers, knowing that there is content for a game they enjoy that they will never get to play because they didn’t pre-order three or four copies of a game is a travesty. For now it’s only useless character skins and half-baked DLC missions, but I fear the future might bring a gaming world in which entire games are split into pieces that are sold by individual retailers. As icky as the whole system feels, though, for now gamers will have to make a choice as to what pile of add-ons and schwag they will choose when pre-ordering a game.
Today, the U.S. pre-order exclusives for the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot have been revealed. Amazon, GameStop, and Best Buy all have exclusives, and Walmart will announce theirs on some future date. Also, a collector’s edition will be available, but details on that are “coming soon.” Oh, and even more stuff will be added to each retailer’s offer in December and January, so gamers might want to wait a bit before deciding which retailer to go with.
Pre-ordering Tomb Raider at GameStop will get players an exclusive DLC level called the Challenge Tomb. The marketing text reads: “An exclusive tomb for Lara to raid! In this new location, Lara will encounter all new environment puzzles that will test her abilities.”
Pre-ordering from Best Buy will get players the “Aviatrix” skin for Lara, which gives her a bomber jacket and a “1930’s adventurer” (read: Indiana Jones) look, minus the fedora. Also, Best Buy will give players a 48-page hardback comic book that “tells the story of how this ill-fated journey all began.”
Amazon has managed to tie its pre-order to its Kindle Fire marketing, with players receiving the Director’s Cut of the behind-the-scenes documentary made by Crystal Dynamics. Amazon has also thrown in the “Amazon Edition” of The Art of Tomb Raider art book and the “Hunter” skin for Lara, which makes her look a lot like how we’ve seen her in trailers – covered in mud.
The Tomb Raider footage shown at E3 was impressive for its cinematic qualities, but the fake British accent being used for Lara Croft seemed immersion-breaking, to say the least. Luckily for Tomb Raider fans, the developers at Crystal Dynamics were simply using a stand-in voice actress until the real voice of Lara Croft could be cast.
Square Enix announced today that Lara Croft in the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot will be voiced by British Actress Camilla Luddington. Luddington is most famous for her role as Kate Middleton in the British TV movie “William & Kate.” She will also feature heavily in the second half of the currently airing fifth season of “True Blood,” where she will play a character named Claudette.
“This has been one of the most important jobs for us to get right,” said Darrell Gallagher, head of studio at Crystal Dynamics. “This Tomb Raider game is very different to any other and we are demanding far more from the voice and performance acting than ever before as we take the franchise in a new direction.”
Square Enix stated that the search for the new voice of Lara Croft spanned Europe and the U.S. Evidently, Luddington was chosen for her “youthful tone” and ability to deliver a “depth of emotion.” She will be attending the Tomb Raider panel at Comic-Con in July, as well as a Nerd HQ panel during that time.
Judging by what’s been shown of the Tomb Raider reboot, “depth of emotion” will be important, but being able to exclaim the sound of pain will be even more important. To be successful, Luddington will need to create the screams and sounds associated with Lara Croft falling down mountainsides, running into trees, and breaking ribs – all while out of breath.
What’s old quickly becomes new again, especially in a video game industry that absolutely loves capitalizing on well known brands, regardless if the demand is there or not. The thinking is in line with “they don’t know they want it until we let them know it exists.” From there, the buzz and hype machines will take care of the rest, at least in an ideal situation.
Such is the case with Lara Croft, one of the most famous non-Italian plumber video game characters, perhaps ever. Buzz had been building around the character because of an announced reboot, one that allows us to play the Croft character when she’s just starting out on her career of Indiana Jones emulation. The buzz took something of a hit with the announcement that the reboot had been pushed back to 2013, but now, thanks to the E3 trailer reveal, the hype for a new Lara Croft title is building once again.
If I didn’t know any better, that looks more like a movie trailer than it does an advertisement for a video game, but then again, the cinematic approach was clearly Crystal Dynamics’ approach with the latest Tomb Raider iteration. There’s almost an adventure-horror feel to the footage that’s been shown, and based on the fact you have the enter your birthday to watch the trailer, the inclusion of more mature content is clearly the way the franchise is going.
Does this mean more violent kills combined with more mature subject matter is coming to Lara Croft fans? It certainly appears that way, and the E3 trailer did nothing to dispel that particular notion. Oh, and for those of you wondering about the release date, according to the trailer, consumers will be able to buy the next Tomb Raider on March 5, 2013.
Tomb Raider, the next game in the Tomb Raider franchise has been delayed until an undetermined date in early 2013. The game, which will “reboot” the Tomb Raider series was originally set to be released sometime this fall. In it, the origin story of a redesigned Lara Croft is told as she explores a “forgotten” island.
The announcement came on the Eidos forums for the game, where it was explained that the extra development time is needed to provide a better game experience. Darrell Gallagher, the head of Crystal Dynamics, the development studio in charge of Tomb Raider and the developer of the previous three major Tomb Raider titles, released a statement explaining the delay:
When Crystal Dynamics first set out to reboot the Tomb Raider franchise, there were two goals that we were extremely passionate about. The first was to create a modern Tomb Raider game that would surprise and excite gamers. The second was to make this the best game of our careers, something we would be really proud to be a part of. We truly believe that we have something very special on our hands and we can’t wait to share it with you.
Our priority now is to make sure we fully deliver the very highest quality game. In order to do this, we have decided to move the game’s release date by a few months, from Fall 2012 to the first quarter of 2013.
We’re doing things that are completely new to Tomb Raider in this game and the additional development time will allow us to put the finishing touches into the game and polish it to a level that you deserve. We believe this is the right choice and I guarantee it will be worth the wait. The game is looking amazing and we can’t wait to show it to everyone at E3 in a few weeks.
This comes as quite a disappointment for those anticipating the reboot of the Tomb Raider franchise. Many of those disappointed fans used Twitter to vent their frustrations. Some fan tweets are understanding, but others are skeptical of the reasons behind the delay:
After the disappointing delay of BioShock Infinite into next year, I was hoping there would be no more casualties from the crowded holiday season. Unfortunately, one of this year’s best looking games has also slipped into the far off future of 2013.
Tomb Raider, the reboot of the franchise from Crystal Dynamics that sees a younger Lara Croft trapped on an island, was announced to have been delayed until next year. It’s unfortunate to see such a promising title move further away, but the head of Crystal Dynamics, Darrell Gallagher, took to the Eidos forums to assure fans that the delay only means good things for Tomb Raider fans.
When Crystal Dynamics first set out to reboot the Tomb Raider franchise, there were two goals that we were extremely passionate about. The first was to create a modern Tomb Raider game that would surprise and excite gamers. The second was to make this the best game of our careers, something we would be really proud to be a part of. We truly believe that we have something very special on our hands and we can’t wait to share it with you.
Our priority now is to make sure we fully deliver the very highest quality game. In order to do this, we have decided to move the game’s release date by a few months, from Fall 2012 to the first quarter of 2013.
We’re doing things that are completely new to Tomb Raider in this game and the additional development time will allow us to put the finishing touches into the game and polish it to a level that you deserve. We believe this is the right choice and I guarantee it will be worth the wait. The game is looking amazing and we can’t wait to show it to everyone at E3 in a few weeks.
As with every delay, there’s going to be some disappointment and outright anger from the community. Here’s hoping the delay makes Tomb Raider more amazing than it already looks. E3 is sure to bring more information and possibly a solid release date.
If you’ve not been following the Tomb Raider reboot, I would suggest you check out the trailer. The team at Crystal Dynamics are doing some awesome things with the title that makes me excited to return to the world of Lara Croft after the last few disappointing adventures.
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, via social media, sharing sites, or good ‘ole email. Everyday we highlight some of the best that are currently viral and some that are trending that way.
Today’s videos feature a funny movie about militant slugs, a He-Man cover that takes itself really serious, a Bulldog in a box, and people flying.
My favorite thing about porn trailers, is they’re the only videos that have the (SFW) tag. And yes, the video is definitely (SFW), unless you don’t want your co-workers to know you just watched a Tomb Raider XXX trailer.
All the single people without kids are amazed by the kid’s ability. All the parents are pissed and calling out the person who shot the video. Me, I’m just wondering where you can even get glass bottles like that anymore.
It’s a bit of A Bug’s Life mixed with a war epic. Hilarity ensues, along with some stellar animation.
This bulldog doesn’t know the meaning of the word can’t…”yeah, it’s comfy…so what?”
What I love about extreme sports is they’re always more interesting when people screw up. You have to give it up to this snowmobile-er; just rub some snow on it and walk it off.
What a neat way to distract people who are trying to drive in the city. It’s a bird, it’s a plane….ah, crap, I just rear-ended that guy.
