In a demonstration during Microsoft’s E3 conference, Crystal Dynamics showed off the newest Tomb Raider game. The game, which is taking Tomb Raider in a new direction, will launch in the Fall of 2012. In addition, we saw some gameplay footage where Lara was taken captive and had to escape. Along the way, she can use a new Detective Mode-like vision to help her see what objects in the world will help her survive. We also saw quite a few quick-time events that had Lara fighting off her captors through the demo, and it will be interesting to see how much that is strewn through the entire game. Look for more coverage on Tomb Raider as E3 continues.

Square Enix has released the trailer for the upcoming Tomb Raider game, featuring a younger and still hot Laura Croft. We don’t get too much from the trailer, other than it looks like Laura is stranded and injured on some island, and survival is going to be of the utmost importance. The trailer certainly piqued my interest, so it works in that regard. You can definitely tell that Square Enix helped out with the teaser, as it’s reminiscent of some of the great Final Fantasy cut scenes. There’s some old guy character in it, and I don’t know how much we will see him in the final game. We also see no gameplay at all, so we still don’t have a good sense for the mechanics. I’m sure we will know more about how the game plays next week though, as Square Enix has confirmed that this game will be at E3.

With E3 just days away, Square Enix has released the lineup of games that they will have on display at the show. From Square Enix:

• TOMB RAIDER, from Redwood City-based studio Crystal Dynamics, ratchets up the intensity and takes gamers into the world of Lara Croft as they have never seen before.
  
• A new tale continues the story of FINAL FANTASY XIII. With new characters come new destinies in FINAL FANTASY XIII-2, which will be playable for the first time at E3.
• Gaming in 2011 gets augmented with DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION from Eidos- Montréal, marking the series’ triumphant return.
• Agent 47 takes on his most dangerous contract to date in HITMAN ABSOLUTION from IO Interactive A/S.
• The island of Banoi may seem like paradise – until players realize they are among a handful of survivors of a zombie outbreak in DEAD ISLAND from Deep Silver.
• Obsidian Entertainment’s DUNGEON SIEGE III offers intuitive action gameplay, a robust RPG system with an extensive selection of abilities, an endless variety of loot and an engaging storyline.
• WAKFU is a fantasy MMO adventure with a tactical combat system and a unique anime style from Ankama Studio.
• HEROES OF RUIN is a brand new adventure for the Nintendo 3DS featuring a lineup of unlikely heroes and deep social functionality.

The list is pretty impressive. It confirms that not only will we see the new Hitman game and the new Tomb Raider game, but we will also be seeing an all new Final Fantasy game in action. Be sure to check back here next week to see screens from these games.

Via CVG

Tomb Raider has been seeing a revival as of late. Within the video game realm, we’ve seen The Guardian of Light receive critical praise and a much-desired re-imagining of the original franchise being developed. So why stop with just the games?

Tomb Raider is the latest film franchise to be pegged for a planned “re-boot.” Besides 3D and superhero movies, Hollywood’s biggest fad as of late has been re-boots. Film production company GK Films, who’s credits include The Departed, The Town, Gangs of New York, and Rango, have snapped up the rights to the Tomb Raider franchise.

GK Films issued the following press release:

In a pre-emptive strike, GK Films has come on board to acquire the feature film rights to Tomb Raider and will reboot the successful action-adventure franchise aiming for a 2013 release for the first film.

Produced by Graham King and Tim Headington, the films will create daring new adventures for the young and dynamic Lara Croft.

GK Films acquired the film rights from interactive entertainment company, Square Enix Ltd. In December 2010, Square Enix subsidiary, Crystal Dynamics, revealed a new game for Tomb Raider based around the origins of the Lara Croft story.

“We are very excited to be rebooting what is already a hugely successful film franchise and continuing the ‘Tomb Raider’ phenomenon,” said King.

The original game was published in 1996 by the London based video game company Eidos and became one of the most successful video games of the time. Today Eidos (including Crystal Dynamics), is part of an international interactive entertainment group, Square Enix and the stage is set for this new chapter in “Tomb Raider” history.

A pop culture phenomenon, the original “Tomb Raider” games have sold over 35 million game units worldwide and Lara Croft, along with Mario Brothers is the most recognized name in gaming history.

Starring Angelina Jolie, Paramount Pictures made two movies based on the daredevil archaeologist on a series of global missions in 2001 and 2003. They grossed a total of $432 million at the worldwide box office.

While the first two movies certainly made enough money, their actual quality was that of your typical video-game-to-move adaptation. Hopefully with a quality studio backing the project this time, we could get one of those rare projects where a film company translates a video game faithfully to the silver screen. I guess we’ll find out in 2013 when the newly renovated Ms. Croft is set to see a release.

Or should that be THRILLogy? Either way after some speculation, and some confirmation on March 22nd Playstation 3 owners will get to own The Tomb Raider Trilogy. It features HD’d versions of Legend and Anniversary with Underworld thrown in for good measure. I mean, it wouldn’t be a trilogy without a third game. The exclusive bonus content is a static wallpaper, and two costumes for home. Yeah, I know, look it’s only going to cost you $39.99, so quit complaining.

Via PS Blog

We got a look at some new screens for the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot. They confirm the darker, more sinister take on the franchise. It also appears that Lara will get hurt….a lot. Tomb Raider will be out in late 2011. Feel free to click on the picture or title above for a full gallery of images.

Source: Game Informer

Hot on the heels of the announcement of the Tomb Raider reboot comes word that Eidos will release a Tomb Raider trilogy pack for the Playstation 3. It will include Tomb Raider Legend(pictured), Anniversary, and Underworld. Legend and Anniversary are from last generation and will get the HD treatment. More details are coming this week according to the Twitter account of Crystal Dynamics’ Karl Stewart. Throw in the Ubisoft HD trilogies and the Playstation 3 is becoming THE place to get your HD remakes in bulk.

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Articles

• Alex’s Top 5 Games to be Remade
• Aaron’s Top 5 Games to be Remade

A few shows back, Alex’s remakes article definitely got our brains bubbling with possibilities for games that we’d love to see get an overhaul of some sort. While there are obviously many games that are well suited to the genres and styles they were released in, it wasn’t too hard to come up with some that might be fun to give a new spin on.  Remember to tune into Pixelosophy Episode 69 to see what remake takes the top spot, as well as the wild card picks.

5. Lost Planet (Xbox, PS3)

This is a game that generally misses the mark by a pretty wide margin in terms of competing with most other third-person action shooters. However, switch this bad boy to a survival horror game, and then we might have something. There’s something about the cold, desolate setting that brings up severe feelings of creepiness, isolation and dread. Throw in a healthy dose of shadow work for the game’s bugs and creatures to crawl out of, and this game suddenly becomes a game scary enough to compete with the old-school Resident Evil era of horror games.

4. Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox, PS3)

Grand Theft Auto IV should be a third-person action game. Wait…what? Isn’t it already exactly that? Yes, of course it is, but it’s also an open-world game. That’s the part I’d like to see chopped off. Causing havoc in a giant virtual world? Fun for five minutes. Drive from point A to point B, shoot some people, and drive back to point A for side missions? Fun maybe twice. Answering a cell phone every five minutes? Annoying in both the real world and the game. I don’t need GTAIV to be real life. In fact, do away with the driving altogether. It’s not very good, and I don’t need the “realism” of a ten-minute drive across town for every mission. Keep the stories and the characters the same while shaving it down to a tightly paced 8-10 hour game, and it might not be like pulling teeth to get to the end.

3. Tomb Raider (Multi-platform)

Quick question: What are the best parts of a Tomb Raider game? If you said the exotic locations and solid puzzle solving, you’d be correct. Now, what are the worst parts? Hopefully you said the dated combat and often clunky platforming because then you’d be two for two. So why not get rid of the non-working parts and turn Tomb Raider into a point-and-click adventure game similar to Myst or any other big name title like that from the 90’s. We’d still get great locations with room for stunning art direction. If the point-and-click genre has proven anything, it’s that it is a great genre for storytelling. And of course there would be great puzzles. Mix in some cut-scenes of Lara doing her acrobatic routine, and all the pieces remain in tact without enduring any gameplay shortcomings.

2. Brutal Legend (Xbox, PS3)

It would be awesome if they remade the Guitar Hero franchise into a hybrid, third-person, brawler, open-world, RTS, comedy game. They already tried that? And it didn’t turn out so well? In all seriousness, if you listen to the Brutal Legend Reviewcast, you’ll hear that each one of us was a fan of the incredible world the game created. It would be great to explore every facet of it through an RPG. Brutal Legend gave us a world with multiple locations, various types of people and creatures, different factions and loyalties and basically all of the necessary pieces to put together a great RPG that gives the player the freedom to inhabit, learn about, and bend this unique universe any way they see fit. This could make it the rock epic it truly deserved to be. Quick, someone get me Tim Schafer on the phone.

After about a month of speculation and over a year of rumors, here it is the new Tomb Raider game on the cover of December’s Game Informer. Do you think they mention us in the story? Probably not, anywhosits this new Tomb Raider game seems to be exactly the same game that was described in the leaked survey materials. It’s an origin story with a shipwrecked Lara Croft fighting off weird creatures.

Tomb Raider will be released next year for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC.