Stella's Tomb Raider Blog

TOMB RAIDER Developers Scrap Alternate Ending. Which Do You Prefer?

2013-05-04T16:26:00.000-04:00

SPOILER WARNING: If you haven't finished the new game, you may want to avoid this post and the comments for now.

In the 19th Crystal Habit Podcast, Community Manager Meagan Marie interviewed several of the developers about their favorite scenes from the game, Easter eggs, and more. At one point, Creative Director Noah Hughes described an alternate ending that didn't survive to the final cut. In this earlier ending, Sam didn't make it off the island alive. Rather than rescuing her friend, Lara chose to sacrifice her so the rest of the crew could escape. Quite a change from the heartwarming finale we all saw. According to Hughes,

"[The original ending] was a much bolder choice.... But where it felt unfair to the player was, they didn't ever have any chance of succeeding. It was basically a forced failure ending. We sacrificed the sense of victory for that impact. In the end, it was more impactful for the player to feel victorious than to have a darker closure to Lara's sacrifice lesson. I think enough people had died, on some level.... She had gone through everything she needed to, to move on to the next chapter.... Sam didn't need to die to get us what we wanted out of the story. The players felt better being able to 'win.' It's an interesting lesson in the rules of storytelling as they apply to the interactive medium. We really do have to be careful about the sense of winning and losing and making sure that we're not forcing failure upon the player in ways that don't feel unfair."

What do you think? Was this the right choice, allowing players to rescue Sam rather than sacrifice her? Which ending do you prefer, or would you rather have seen a different ending altogether? What about a choice within the game: rescue Sam or sacrifice her, with alternate finales based on the player's decision? Please comment below.

Follow this link to listen to the podcast or download a transcript. The section about the alternate ending starts at around 53:00.

Sam and Lara. Screenshot courtesy of Katie's Tomb Raider Site.

Tomb Raider Review Recap

2013-02-25T21:58:00.000-05:00

Tomb Raider fans, it's now one week until launch, and the embargo preventing games journalists from posting reviews has at last been lifted. From what I've seen so far, most reviews range from positive to absolutely glowing. Here's a quick recap of what I've read. I will be adding to this list in the coming days.

Congratulations to the developers for such a strong showing right out of the gate. Can't wait to play it!

Clueless Gamer - "Conan O'Brien Reviews Tomb Raiderquot; (???)
AusGamer - "Tomb Raider Review" (9/10)
CNET - "Tomb Raider: An icon, reborn"
Computer and Video Games (CVG) - "Tomb Raider review: Killer reboot gets (almost) everything right" (9/10)
Destructoid - "Cream of the Croft" (8.5/10)
Digital Spy - "Test: Tomb Raider sur PS3, Xbox 360 et PC" (4.5/5)
Edge - "Tomb Raider review" (8/10)
The Escapist/Zero Punctuation - Video Review
EGM - "EGM Review: Tomb Raider" (8/10)
Entertainment Weekly - "Lara Croft channels her inner Katniss in bold 'Tomb Raider' reboot" (A-)
The Escapist - "Tomb Raider Review - An Icon Reborn" (5/5)
4Players.de - "Test: Tomb Raiderquot; (75/100)
Gameblog.fr - "Tomb Raider Review - An Icon Reborn" (5/5)
Game Informer - "Tomb Raider: Old Name, Remarkable New Series" (9.25/10)
Gamespot - "Tomb Raider Review" (8.5/10)
Games Radar - "Tomb Raider Review: Lara Croft's latest adventure is easily her best" (4.5/5)
GameTrailers - Written review/Video review (8.5/10)
Globe and Mail - "Tomb Raider’ finds gold in Lara Croft’s origin story" (8.5/10)
The Guardian - "Tomb Raider – review" (4/5)
Huffington Post UK - Tomb Raider Review: Lara Croft Finds A Golden Treasure In The Dark
IGN Written - "A New Dawn for Lara" (9.1/10)
IGN Video - Mix'd Reviews : Tomb Raider (2013) (video summary of several publications' individual reviews)
Kotaku - "Tomb Raider: The Kotaku Review"/Video: "Why the New Tomb Raider Works"
Machinima/Inside Gaming - Video Review (predominantly negative)
The Mary Sue - "Lara Croft is Dead. Long Live Lara Croft: Reflections on TOMB RAIDER."
Metro - "The Diluting of Tomb Raider"
Official PlayStation Magazine UK - "Tomb Raider PS3 review – Uncharted territory a far cry from series' roots" (8/10)
Official Xbox Magazine - "Tomb Raider Review" (8.5/10)
Penny Arcade - "Not that kind of Croft: PAR reviews Tomb Raider"
Polygon - "Tomb Raider Review: The Descent" (9/10)
Tech Hive - "Review: Tomb Raider delivers gritty, gorgeous adventure" (4.5/5)
The Telegraph - "Tomb Raider Review (5/5)
Venture Beat - "Tomb Raider hurts so good (review)" (88/100)
Well-Rendered - "Tomb Raider: The Verdict"

GameTrailers Tomb Raider Retrospective

2013-02-17T18:17:00.001-05:00

In the run-up to the new Tomb Raider's release, GameTrailers.com has launched a fun look back at the series. Part one, below, covers the development of the first three games and Lara Croft's rise to pop-culture stardom.

GT Retrospectives

Tomb Raider Valentine's Day Give-Away Winners

2013-02-16T10:59:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone who participated in my Tomb Raider Valentine's Day Give-Away. The random number gods have spoken and the results are in! Drum roll please....

The three TOMB RAIDER games go to Andrew and Danielle from the U.S. and Brandon from Canada.

Joshua from the U.S. and A.T. from Canada won the "TOMB RAIDER: Day One" posters.

The "TOMB RAIDER: Crossroads" posters go to 1LaraCroft (don't know his or her real name yet) and Helen, both of whom live in the U.K.

Emma from the U.K. and David from the U.S. won the Jenn Croft cosplay posters, and Sarah R. from the U.S. got the Women of Geekdom calendar.

I have emailed all the winners and they have 7 days to respond. If I don't hear back from everyone by February 22, alternate winners for any unclaimed prize(s) will be chosen.

Once again, I want to congratulate all the winners, and thank everyone for participating. Thanks also to Crystal Dynamics for the Tomb Raider concept art posters, Adam Jay for the Jenn Croft posters, and fellow fan John D. for the awesome calendar.

Tomb Raider Valentine's Day Give-Away

2013-02-02T15:32:00.000-05:00

According to my TOMB RAIDER countdown clock, it's only 30 days until the new game comes out and 12 days until Valentine's Day, the birthday of our heroine, Lara Croft. Sounds like the perfect time to give away some swag, no?

WEBSITE COUNTDOWN WIDGET

This contest is simple. No creativity required. Just fill out the form below, let me know which prizes you're interested in, read and agree to the rules, and tell me what you're most looking forward to about the new TOMB RAIDER—either in a comment below, on our Facebook page, or in a tweet (@Stellalune).

The contest finishes February 14, Lara's birthday, at midnight EST. (That's 4:59 a.m. GMT on the 15th.) On or around February 15, I'll fire up the random number generator to pick 10 winners. If you're lucky, you'll receive one of the fabulous prizes listed below. Easy peasy!

One of six Lara Croft posters:

Limited Edition "TOMB RAIDER: Day One" posters signed on the back by the dev team at Crystal Dynamics. There are only 200 of these, and I've got two of them to share.

Limited Edition "TOMB RAIDER: Crossroads" posters. Again two of only 200, signed on the back by the developers.

Two "Lara Croft Disheveled" posters featuring cosplayer extraordinaire Jenn Croft photographed by Adam Jay of Superhero Photography.

A copy of The Women of Geekdom 2013 Calendar, featuring 11 gorgeous geeks cosplaying iconic characters from gaming, comics, movies and television, including Misti Dawn as Lara Croft. A portion of the profits from the project go to The Wayne Foundation, a charity devoted to combating the exploitation and trafficking of children.

One of three copies of the new TOMB RAIDER, for the system of your choice. (IMPORTANT: The PC download version is for any region; the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions are North American/NTSC format only.)

This contest ended Thursday, February 14, 2013, at 11:59 p.m. EST (4:59 a.m. GMT). Winners will be announced soon.

Special thanks to Crystal Dynamics for providing the Tomb Raider concept art posters, to Adam Jay for the Jenn Croft posters, and to fellow fan John D. for his gracious donation of the calendar.

Tomb Raider Achievements List Leaked

2013-01-19T11:26:00.001-05:00

The fandom is abuzz this morning with news that the Xbox 360 Achievement list for the new TOMB RAIDER has been leaked. As far as I know, the PlayStation 3 trophies are not yet public, but if the past several games are any indication, they will probably be very similar.

I've seen a fair number of comments complaining about too great an emphasis on multiplayer achievements, but in fact, the list breaks down to 75% single-player, 25% mulitplayer achievements.

Follow this link to my site to check out the complete Tomb Raider achievement list. Then please let me know what you think. How do you feel about the emphasis on multiplayer achievements? Too much, too little, just right? Are there any achievements you're particularly relishing or dreading? Do you even care about achievements and trophies or would you rather just play?

TOMB RAIDER screenshot. Click to enlarge.

Tomb Raider Multiplayer Hands-On Preview

2013-01-11T20:17:00.000-05:00

As a follow-up to Tuesday's post introducing Tomb Raider's multiplayer component, I thought I'd share this video from GameSpot. It features 10 minutes of multiplayer gameplay narrated by Eidos Montréal's Joe Khoury.

Tomb Raider Multiplayer Details Emerge

2013-01-08T15:03:00.000-05:00

At the end of December Crystal Dynamics confirmed that the new Tomb Raider will include a multiplayer component in addition to the main, single-player game, with details to be revealed in the next issue of the Official Xbox Magazine. That issue came out today, along with a new segment of The Final Days of Tomb Raider, which also focuses on the multiplayer game. Here's what we know....

OXM Senior Editor Dave Rudden acknowledged the trepidation some of us long-time fans are feeling as the series ventures into such unknown territory, but he noted that "having spent considerable time with both the multiplayer and single-player components of the game. . . we can say the creation and execution are coming from the right place. Crystal Dynamics just might land this one."

He went on to describe some of the key features of the multiplayer game:

Team Deathmatch – Survivors vs. scavengers with each team attempting to reach a predetermined kill count (or score the most kills during a given time period) with environmental hazards, interactive traps, and destructible environments making things more interesting.
Rescue – Survivors must collect specific supplies and deliver them to drop points, while a competing team of scavengers attempts to rack up a certain number of kills during the same time period.
Additional adventure-based map types, including one called "Cry for Help," were hinted at by Crystal's Global Brand Manager Karl Stewart but not yet described in detail.
Characters for the multiplayer game will be drawn from the single-player campaign and will include Lara's companions and notable baddies, as well as a few surprises. (See the video below.) As you'd expect, each character will have his or her strengths and weaknesses.
Weapons include the bow, pistols, climbing axe, and a grenade-style projectile weapon. Earning XP in mulitplayer will enable players to unlock more advanced characters and equipment.

The article includes more details, as well as some exclusive screenshots and a chance to win a customized Tomb Raider Xbox 360 console. Look for the February 2013 isue of OXM on newsstands now. Or download a copy online via Google Play, Kindle, Nook, etc.

Episode 4 in The Final Hours of Tomb Raider documentary also focuses on the multiplayer game. Host Zachary Levi visits Eidos Montréal, Crystal's sister studio, where development of the multiplayer game has been underway in secret for about 2 years. Check it out. Then let me know what you think about the multiplayer game. Love it? Hate it? Wait and see? Please leave a comment below.

Tomb Raider Scavenger Hunt Promotion: Let Adventure Find You

2012-12-19T19:13:00.000-05:00

Tomb Raider fans, at last your encyclopedic knowledge of Lara's world might actually pay off! Crystal Dynamics has just announced the Tomb Raider Scavenger Hunt. Players in the U.S. and Canada who pre-order the game from select retailers gain access to weekly photo and trivia challenges with chances to win downloadable game content, Tomb Raider-themed consoles, life-size Lara statues, a Tomb Raider all-terrain vehicle, and the grand prize: an adventure holiday for two in Fiji!

No worries if you've already pre-ordered. You can still participate. There's also a way to enter without buying the game. For details and complete rules, visit the Official Tomb Raider Blog.

Good luck, friends! And if I win, I promise to send you a postcard from Fiji. ;)

Thank You for Your Support!

2012-12-09T13:06:00.000-05:00

While I'm in the end-of-year holiday mood, I just wanted to say thanks once again to everyone who helped support Stella's Site throughout the year. Whether you made a donation; bought games and other goodies through my affiliate links; joined our Team for the Extra Life charity marathon; or helped spread the word about the site through shares, tweets, links, etc., I sincerely appreciate your kindness! Happy holidays and raid on in 2013! :D

Santa Lara - Click to enlarge.

Tomb Raider "Survivor" Trailer Premieres at 2012 Video Game Awards

2012-12-08T09:40:00.000-05:00

In case you missed the festivities last night, Crystal Dynamics presented a new Tomb Raider trailer at the VGAs. Lara Croft voice and mocap actor Camilla Luddington made the introduction, and composer Jason Graves led a live orchestra accompanying the video, which made a big splash with fans in the audience and watching at home. My Twitter stream seized up, and #TombRaider was trending worldwide for quite a while. Here's the trailer that has everyone talking.

Visit Stella's YouTube Channel for the HD version without cutaways.

Camilla Luddington introduced the latest Tomb Raider trailer at the 2012 Video Game Awards. Photo courtesy of Tomb Raider Univers.

Tomb Raider composer Jason Graves conducted the orchestral accompaniment.

P.S. Tomb Raider didn't win Most Anticipated Game after all. That honor went to Grand Theft Auto V, but I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty of action at next year's VGAs.

IGN Launches Week of Exclusive Tomb Raider Previews

2012-12-07T10:21:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't heard, IGN's Tomb Raider Week begins tonight with the premiere of a new Tomb Raider trailer on the 10th annual Video Game Awards. Tomb Raider is also one of the nominees in the viewers' choice category Most Anticipated Game. Tune in live this evening (Friday 12/7, 6 p.m. PST / Saturday 2 a.m. GMT) on Spike TV, Spike.com, GameTrailers.com or Xbox LIVE.

A trailer for a trailer? How "meta." ;) But anyway....

The full presentation, including introductions by Samuel L. Jackson and Camilla Luddington, can be seen in tomorrow's post.

The festivities continue throughout the week with these highlights. I'll be adding videos as they become available.

Monday, 12/10, 5:30PM PST · Tomb Raider Live Stream: IGN and developer Crystal Dynamics show an hour of new Tomb Raider content. Then, for another half hour, the creators will be taking fans' questions live and explaining game mechanics.

Tuesday, 12/11 · IGN Rewind Theater: Tomb Raider Survivor Trailer: IGN staffers do an in-depth analysis of the latest TR video trailer. Warning: Contains some fairly significant spoilers.

Wednesday, 12/12 · The Tombs of Tomb Raider: It's one of the most frequently asked questions about the new game—where are the tombs?! Don't worry; they're in there. This TR week installment examines a few.

Thursday, 12/13 · Upgrading Lara Croft: An exploration of Tomb Raider's RPG elements, including how Lara upgrades her skills and equipment.

Friday, 12/14 · Tools of Survival Trailer: An exclusive new trailer exposing the survival skills Lara is forced to learn on this dangerous island.

Additional details can be found on IGN.com's Tomb Raider Week page.

Celebrating Classic Tomb Raider Games on Steam and GOG - Win a Copy of TR1

2012-12-01T12:36:00.000-05:00

This week Steam added a roster of classic Tomb Raider titles to its extensive offerings. GOG (Good Old Games) has had all six games for a while. Their prices are a bit better, but keep an eye on Steam as they hold frequent sales and special offers.

If you never played the originals, now's a great time to catch up before the new game comes out in March. And what a thoughtful holiday gift for that budding raider friend or relative. ;)

Today Only (Dec. 1-2) win a free Steam Tomb Raider download. For a chance to win one of two TR1 download codes, just let me know why you love the classic Tomb Raider games. Post a comment below, send me a tweet @Stellalune or comment on our Facebook page. Two winners will be chosen Dec. 2 around noon (EST).*

UPDATE 12/2/12: The contest has finished and our winners are Angeline Currie on Twitter and Maxine Anderson, who entered on Twitter and Facebook respectively. Congratulations, ladies! I hope you enjoy the blast from the past! :D

Classic Tomb Raider download details and links:

Steam (steampowered.com)
Tomb Raider · $9.99/€9.99/£6.99
Tomb Raider II · $9.99/€9.99/£6.99
Tomb Raider III · $9.99/€9.99/£6.99
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation · $9.99/€9.99/£6.99
Tomb Raider: Chronicles · $9.99/€9.99/£6.99
Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness · $9.99/€9.99/£6.99

Good Old Games (GOG.com)
Tomb Raider 1, 2 & 3 bundle · $9.99
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation & Chronicles bundle · $9.99
Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness · $9.99
(For UK Pounds and Euros, current conversion rates apply.)

*Two winners will be chosen at random from among all the comments and tweets received by December 2, 2012, 12 p.m. EST (5 p.m. GMT). Thanks to Crystal Dynamics for providing the game codes. :)

Tomb Raider Composer Jason Graves Featured in The Final Hours Episode 3

2012-12-01T12:24:00.000-05:00

Tomb Raider Composer
Jason GravesAt long last Crystal Dynamics has revealed the identity of the composer for the upcoming Tomb Raider game. Jason Graves has scored dozens of video games, including the Dead Space series, for which he won a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award. He has also worked extensively in film and television.

The latest episode of The Final Hours of Tomb Raider includes interviews with Graves and the TR audio team. As you'll see in the video, not only did Graves compose the new soundtrack, he also worked with Matt McConnell of McConnell Studios to build an amazing instrument (photo below) just for the task. Watch and listen here:

"The Instrument," a collaboration between composer Jason Graves and sculptor/designer Matt McConnell, was fabricated from steel, glass and fibreglass, and used to create the unique soundscapes featured in the upcoming Tomb Raider video game. For details visit McConnellStudios.com.

Browser-Based Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light Free to Play

2012-11-14T11:07:00.000-05:00

If you missed Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light when it came out a few years ago for PC and consoles, you can now play it in your Windows or Macintosh web browser. Core Online is offering both free (ad-supported) and paid versions of several games including Guardian of Light, Hitman: Blood Money, and Mini Ninjas (yay!), with Tomb Raider: Underworld and other titles coming soon.

There's no co-op mode in this version, so I'm not sure why the video below shows so much co-op play. Perhaps they plan to add it later. Also, they're clearly still working out some of the kinks. I ran into a couple of minor technical glitches, but once I got the game running, it played beautifully—just like the original version. And you can't argue with the price! ;)

Visit beta.coreonline.com for details. Their help page includes system requirements and troubleshooting tips. For more about the game itself, including my walkthrough and mini-review, visit Stella's Guardian of Light page.

Tomb Raider Collector's Edition Details Announced

2012-11-12T22:16:00.002-05:00

With the new Tomb Raider game still 4 months away, I've been reluctant to post information about the various special editions, especially since details have been sketchy so far and special editions have not yet been announced for some countries. People keep asking, though, so when Crystal Dynamics sent out official photos of the European and North American special editions today, I decided to go for it. Here's what we know so far, per Community Manager Meagan Marie:

Tomb Raider North American Collector's Edition

Click image to enlarge.

Includes the following, according to the Official Tomb Raider Blog:

Endurance Survival Kit Packaging: A survival tin salvaged from the ill-fated Endurance. The tin houses a copy of the game and the Lara Croft figure (below).
Play Arts Kai Lara Croft Figurine: Fully posable figurine with over 40 points of articulation. Comes with alternate set of three hands, bow and arrow, shotgun, handgun, and climbing axe. Approx 8" tall.
15" x 19" Double Sided Island Map and Poster: Discover key landmarks from the mysterious island of Yamati, where Lara Croft and her fellow castaways were marooned after the Endurance shipwreck. On the reverse is a poster size image of the box art.
Lithographic Print: 5" x 7" heavy stock, matted print of a painting by Brenoch Adams.
Experience Shields: Three iron-on badges of the game's key icons: Animal Instincts, Climbing Axe, Fire Arrow.
CD Soundtrack: Tomb Raider Original Soundtrack 'Survivalist Cut': A collection of 10 tracks totaling over 60 minutes of music from the game.
Downloadable Weapons Pack: A selection of weapons to help Lara survive in-game against the island's inhabitants.

This Collector's Edition will be available in North America for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for $99.99. Tomb Raider will also be available in North America for the PC via digital download, with Collector's Edition details pending.

Several pre-order editions have also been announced by retailers including Amazon.com (their "Final Hours Edition"includes the Hunter skin for Lara, a digital art book, and a Kindle Fire edition of "The Final Hours of Tomb Raider" documentary), GameStop (includes an exclusive challenge tomb) and Best Buy (includes the Aviatrix skin for Lara plus a 48-page Tomb Raider comic written by Rhianna Pratchett).

UPDATE: Steam has also just announced a digital Survival Edition, which includes various downloadable rewards, including a free copy of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, challenge tomb and Endurance DLC packs, an art book, soundtrack and island map.

Tomb Raider European Survival Edition

Click image to enlarge.

Includes the following, according to the Official Tomb Raider Blog:

Art Book: A 32-page mini art book compiled by Tomb Raider Art Director Brian Horton, depicting Lara's epic adventure through original concept art.
15" x 19" Double Sided Island Map and Poster: Discover key landmarks from the mysterious island of Yamati, where Lara Croft and her fellow castaways were marooned after the Endurance shipwreck. On the reverse is a poster size image of the box art.
Waterproof Survival Pouch: A 4" x 6" waterproof re-sealable adventure pouch for storing belongings.
CD Soundtrack: Tomb Raider Original Soundtrack 'Survivalist Cut': A collection of 10 tracks totaling over 60 minutes of music from the game.
Downloadable Weapons Pack: A selection of weapons to help Lara survive in-game against the island's inhabitants.

Tomb Raider European Collector's Edition

Click image to enlarge.

The deluxe collector's edition includes everything from the Survival Edition (above), plus the following:

Endurance Survival Kit Packaging: A survival tin salvaged from the ill-fated Endurance. The tin houses a copy of the game and the Lara Croft figure (below).
Play Arts Kai Lara Croft Figurine: Fully posable figurine with over 40 points of articulation. Comes with alternate set of three hands, bow and arrow, shotgun, handgun, and climbing axe. Approx 8" tall.

The Survival and Collector's Editions will be available in Europe for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. I was not able to find pricing information at this time. I'm guessing it varies by country.

For more information and regular updates of pre-order and promotional offers worldwide, visit the official Tomb Raider site.

Again, for those living in tombs or shipwrecked on mysterious islands with limited internet access, the game will be released March 5, 2013.

Podcast Features a Conversation with Tomb Raider Writer Rhianna Pratchett

2012-11-02T11:03:00.000-04:00

The most recent Crystal Habit Podcast has been out for about a week, but thanks to Hurricane Sandy, Halloween, and a little laziness on my part, I've just recently had a chance to listen. I'm so glad I did.

Tomb Raider Lead Writer
Rhianna Pratchett

The podcast, hosted as usual by our Community Manager, Meagan Marie, features a nearly hour-long interview with Tomb Raider's Lead Writer, Rhianna Pratchett, in which she discusses her role in re-imagining one of the most iconic characters in gaming, reveals some interesting details about the new Lara, gives advice to aspiring game writers, and tells what she'd like to bring with her into the afterlife. . . and more, if you can believe it.

Download the audio here: Crystal Habit Podcast #15 (MP3).
Get the written transcript here: Crystal Habit Podcast #15 (text).

Past editions of the Crystal Habit, featuring Meagan and other members of the dev team, can be found on the Official Tomb Raider Blog and iTunes.

Read more about Pratchett on her web site, rhiannapratchett.com.

UPDATE: Eurogamer has also just published this interview: Rewriting Tomb Raider: Rhianna Pratchett on the rape controversy, giving Lara a new voice and why it's time for games to grow up.

Tomb Raider Hunting Demo Hands-On at Comic Con

2012-10-28T16:07:00.001-04:00

This is the second of 2 posts about my experience at New York Comic Con. See here for Part 1.

On Saturday, October 13, I had the privilege of attending New York Comic Con and trying the demo for the upcoming Tomb Raider game. We played what was billed as the "Pre-Beta Hunting Demo," basically the same demo shown at PAX in the video below. It takes about 15 minutes to complete, depending on how much side exploration you do. I went through it twice, and I'm sure I still haven't seen everything there is to see.

This demo doesn't reveal anything we haven't already been shown, and I won't give a blow-by-blow of the action, since you can watch it yourself. But it was great to finally see the game on an HD screen and get a feel for the controls. Several of you have asked for my impressions, so if you'll indulge me, I'll ramble a bit. Please note: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD....

We played the Xbox 360 version. The controls are similar to the previous Crystal Dynamics Tomb Raider games with a few minor changes: The left stick moves Lara; the right stick controls the camera. A is Jump. B is crouch/roll. X is Interact, and Y is Melee. About halfway through the demo, you get your hands on the bow and arrows. Hold LT to draw the bow, use the right stick to aim, then press and release RT to shoot. If you hold RT for a few seconds as you aim, the camera zooms in on your target. You can then release the trigger for a power shot. The bow does not have unlimited arrows (as I found out the hard way) but fortunately there are plenty of ammo pick-ups scattered around for slow learners like me. There were no guns or human enemies yet, so I can't describe how combat works.

Lara moves awkwardly at this early stage. That's not to say the controls are wonky—far from it; they're quite tight—it's just that her wounds, hunger and inexperience cause her to move gingerly. At times she cradles her injured side. She staggers after falling from a high ledge, as anyone would, and after a long jump-and-grab, she pulls herself up and pauses for a moment to catch her breath. It's all very realistic, and really helps the player feel her predicament. I suspect that later on, after she's found some more gear, tended to her wounds, and so forth, we'll see a much stronger and more acrobatic Lara, and the feel of the controls will evolve to reflect that.

The camera follows Lara more fluidly than in previous games, but you still have full camera control if you want to look around. Occasionally Lara will turn her head toward something you’re meant to notice. It's not as obvious as in the classic games, where the whole camera view shifts toward whatever it is, but if you're paying attention, you'll get the idea. Again, I assume this happens less often once you've passed the training area.

If you need more than a subtle hint, you can press LB to enter "Survival Instinct" mode. This shifts everything into a black-and-white view where your goals and any items you can interact with are highlighted. When you release the button, the view fades back to normal after a few seconds.

Survival Instinct screenshot courtesy of GameWise.

Lara grabs automatically when you jump toward a ledge or handhold. I'm not sure if you can deactivate auto-grab as in Anniversary. I suspect not, but this doesn't bother me. There's also a wall scramble maneuver, in which you basically double jump to scale vertical walls a little taller than Lara herself. The safety-grab maneuver from the other Crystal games is still there. If Lara attempts a long jump-and-grab but doesn't quite catch hold, you'll see a hint icon telling you to press X, which you'll need to do quickly to prevent her from falling.

The new Lara can also turn in mid-air. I didn't realize this at first, but Joshua, one of the fans in our group, mentioned it, so I tried it the second time I played. If you change direction mid-jump, using the left stick, she'll flail around a bit and finally settle somewhere between where you were initially aiming and the direction you corrected for. This felt kind of awkward and unrealistic to me, but no more so than veering in mid-air in the Core Design games. Maybe it'll become more instinctive with practice.

The aspects of the game that seem most different from other Tomb Raiders are the user interface and the skills system. From what I've seen so far, I like these additions very much. It does break the realism the first few times you see a notification about a new goal or when Lara's XP meter flashes on screen as she gains points for discovering a new path or hunting game. But the interface is stylish and well designed. Even in this tutorial area, the hints aren't too intrusive.

For more info, you can press the Select button to see a map of the area with Lara's current position and objectives marked. This screen has a recap of the mission goal(s). There's also a panel listing possible unlockables for the entire area. For example, in the demo area:

Coastal Forest
X% complete

Basecamps found 2/3
Documents found 1/2
Relics found 0/3
Challenges Completed 0/1
Tombs Raided 0/1
Food Caches Found 0/5
Food Plants Found 1/5

Some areas and items aren't accessible at first. For example, just beyond the spot where you find Sam's backpack (3:44 in the PAX demo video), there's a ledge slightly higher than Lara's head. When you jump toward it, Lara tries to grab on but slips and falls onto the muddy slope below. As far as I can tell, you can't actually grab that ledge, but there's some interesting looking debris up there. So I suspect you can return here later after leveling up a bit and make that jump so you can explore the area further.

There's also a chest on a high rocky ledge in the deer hunting area, which provides "+1 skill point: find a basecamp." Next to it is a wooden crate, but when you try to open it, you get the message, "Missing Gear / You don't have the right equipment to open this." So, again, returning to areas you've covered previously clearly has its rewards.

If you go around the building below where you find the bow, you can climb inside and find an item called 1/8 Wartime Intelligence. This appears to be a Japanese soldier's journal. You can zoom in and out with LT/RT to examine it. I'm not sure where the other 7 journal pieces were located or what you gain by finding them all.

With a little help from the eagle-eyed Joshua, I also discovered some skulls dangling from a nearby tree. Shooting these with the bow, gives a small number of XP and the on-screen messages: "Ghost Hunter / Challenge Unlocked - Complete for XP" and "1/10 Totems destroyed." Sadly, I was only able to find one of these.

Even at this early stage, you get a fair amount of XP just for moving ahead with the story. When you climb across the airplane, find the campfire, slide down into the forest, spot the dangling corpse with the bow, etc., you're awarded points. Later, after killing the deer, you must make your way back uphill to the camp fire. Standing next to the fire and pressing A brings up a menu where you can spend the XP you've earned on the survival skills listed below. I was only able to unlock the first three, but I assume if you explore more thoroughly, keep hunting and gathering for XP, and return later when you have the necessary equipment to open the crate, etc., you can unlock more upgrades.

Survival Skills

0/13 Combat Skills Mastered:
Toughness
Accomplished Killer
Steady Shot
Harder Hits
Harder Hits
Dodge Stun
Dodge Counter
Dodge Counter Mastery
Quick Kill
Brutal Kill
Jump Escape Mastery
Death From Above

0/12 Ingenuity Skills Mastered
Arrow Retrieval
Survivalist
Hunter
Animal Instincts
Bone Collector
Increased Ammo Capacity
Increased Ammo Capacity
Advanced Salvaging
Advanced Looting
Explorer Intuition
Researcher Intuition
Safe Landing

Base Camp screenshot courtesy of Games Movies Music Anime.

The only other thing that struck me as being especially different from previous games, is the sheer number of cut scenes. They're all fairly brief, though, and they don't interrupt the flow as much as they might. Rather than fading to black as you lose control of Lara, the cut scenes are integrated seamlessly into the gameplay and they do help advance the story. The developers have said one of their main goals is to achieve a cinematic experience. This is one of the ways they're trying to do that. As a gamer, I'd sometimes rather discover things myself than be shown, but again, this is a very early part of the game. I can only hope there won't be as much hand-holding in the later stages.

My only other complaints at this stage concern the voiceover and the lack of puzzles and tombs to explore. I understand what the developers are trying to do by making Lara more vulnerable and inexperienced at the start of the game, but I have to be honest; I don't like it. Her constant panting, whining, wincing and talking to herself is distracting. I wouldn't mind the occasional comment or hint, but I'm not a fan of emo Lara. I can only hope that as she gains her footing and begins to turn the tables on her adversaries, we'll start to see more of the witty, in-control heroine we've come to know and love.

As for actual tombs, I was excited to see references to "Relics found, Challenges Completed and Tombs Raided" on the mission goals screen. Based on the devs' reassurances, I'll just have to assume that we'll be seeing some of these before too long. And of course we're all eagerly awaiting a downloadable version of this demo to tide us over until March 5. What do you say, Crystal? Give us fans a break, won't you? ;)

Stella's Adventures at New York Comic Con

2012-10-28T16:07:00.000-04:00

This is the second of 2 posts about my experience at New York Comic Con. Part 2 covers the Tomb Raider Hunting Demo.

On October 13 my son, Max, and I made a geek's pilgrimage to New York Comic Con. It was a crisp, shiny Saturday. Traffic was light, and we drove down to Manhattan in under 2 hours. The toughest part was finding a parking garage that wouldn't eat up our entire swag budget. Thirty minutes and $45 later, we speed walked along 34th Street toward the Javits Center, blending into the throngs of costumed natives headed the same way.

Since we'd bought our passes online, and the doors had already opened by the time we got there, we didn't have to wait long to get in. Finding the Tomb Raider Archery Experience, where we'd planned to rendezvous with Meagan from Crystal Dynamics and the rest of our posse, was another story. The convention organizers had hidden it away in a corridor between two buildings. But I felt like Lara uncovering a secret (aha!) when we finally found it.

Morgan stopped by briefly so we could snap a photo together. She and I share multiple fandoms, including TR and Firefly. It would have been nice to spend more time with her. Maybe next year....

Meeting online friends for the first time is always exciting. Even if you've known them for years, there's always a little cognitive dissonance as you put faces to names and avatars. But it was wonderful to finally meet Meagan, Tom from Lara Croft Online, and Hunter. I was also psyched to make some new friends, including TR fans Ryan, Keith and Joshua. Like my son, Joshua's friend Adam came along for moral support. Both were good sports about indulging our obsession. ;)

After the meet and greet, we had a friendly archery competition. An instructor from the New Jersey School of Archery (sorry, I forgot her name) showed us the ropes. Then we took turns on the range, each firing two rounds of three rubber-tipped arrows. It was a lot harder than it looked. Only one of my first three shots even hit the target, but I managed to hit twice on my second round. Tom was brilliant! He landed a bull's eye and took home a limited-edition Tomb Raider lithograph signed by the dev team! We got to keep our TR-themed targets, and we each received a customized Endurance Crew badge as a digital souvenir.



Max taking a shot (above left). Yours truly (above right). The group (left to right): Tom from LCO, Max, Stella, Ryan, Meagan, Hunter, our archery instructor, Joshua, Keith, Adam. More Tomb Raider Archery Experience photos and videos on the Official TR Blog.

Next we headed off to lunch at Dallas BBQ, a carnivore's paradise near Times Square. The food was great, but even better was sharing it with a group of people who love the same things I do. We talked about the new game and helped Meagan come up with a list of questions for a Tomb Raider trivia contest she'd be hosting later on. Keith, who was probably the most adventurous among us, told some amazing stories about his experiences with Semester at Sea, including intrigue in a Tibetan monastery and a close encounter in Shinjuku Toyo's red light district. When Joshua asked me to sign one of his Tomb Raider games, I felt like a real celebrity. And Meagan graciously picked up the check. (Thanks, Crystal!)


Dallas BBQ sign and the carved horses above our table.

After lunch, we rushed back to the con so Meagan could start the trivia contest. Only later did I realize she'd plugged my site on the live stream. So sweet. :)

Robert Peeler, Square's North America Community Manager, and Meagan Marie, our own Community Manager from Crystal Dynamics, hosted live coverage from NYCC. Watch more on Square Enix's Ustream page.

While Meg did her thing, we checked out the Square Enix Child's Play Charity auction and the awesome collection of statues from Play Arts Kai.

I'm no collector, but that Lara Croft figure looks pretty sweet!

Then came the moment we'd been waiting for: hands-on time with the Tomb Raider demo! Megan, another long-time TR fan, joined us for that. Robert, the Community Manager for Square Enix North America, helped us secure prime spots in the demo lines and gave us black-and-white Square Enix lanyards for our badges. While we waited, I chatted him up about his job helping us fans. I'm sure Square and Crystal know it, but their community reps could not be nicer or more dedicated!

I've done a separate write-up about the Tomb Raider demo.

Players line up to try the Tomb Raider.

When everyone had gotten a chance to play, we reconvened at the Square Enix Community booth. Meagan and Robert gave each of us a collection of Tomb Raider goodies to take home, including a T-shirt, water bottle, lapel pin, and some lovely TR prints. We posed for a final group photo with Jill, a devoted Lara Croft fan and cosplayer. Then we said our goodbyes, with big hugs all around.

TR fans at the Square Enix booth (l. to r.): Tom, Stella, Megan, Adam, Jill, Hunter, Joshua, Keith, Ryan and Meagan.

Jenn Croft photographed
by Adam Jay

After we separated from the group, Max and I spent some time exploring the rest of the convention. It was super crowded, but we saw a lot of cool stuff and many creative cosplayers. I had a chance to meet Adam Jay of Superhero Photography very briefly. He was busy shooting a group of costumed crusaders, but his charming assistant sold me a few prints of cosplayer Jenn Croft, which I'm sure you'll be seeing here in an upcoming contest.

I gave the Tomb Raider demo another go. There were so many people waiting to play that I felt a little guilty tying up one of the stations. So I didn't play for too long. Then I headed for the LEGO booth and backseat gamed while a couple of guys tried out the LEGO Lord of the Rings demo. I'm sure they were thinking, who is this crazy old lady and why is she yelling "Toss me"!? I tried to get into the Firefly panel, but unfortunately I arrived too late and it was it was full. I guess I'd used up my quota of awesome for the day, so I let it slide.

Comic Con crowds by numbphoto.

By the time we set out for home, we were exhausted, elated, and much poorer than when we set out. Trying the new Tomb Raider was a thrill, but the best part by far was hanging out with fellow fans. Thanks to Tom, Hunter, Joshua, Adam, Ryan, Keith, Megan and Morgan for turning out, and thanks again to Meagan and Robert for showing us such a good time. Maybe we'll see you again next year!

Photo Credits: Convention goers (first pic): nyutusc.com. Morgan and Stella taken by Morgan's friend. Dallas BBQ photos courtesy of the restaurant. Jenn Croft as Lara by Adam Jay/Superhero Photography. Comic Con crowds (last photo) by numbphoto. Other photos: Square Enix. All rights reserved.

Team Tomb Raider Community Raised $1,000+ for Extra Life!

2012-10-22T09:35:00.000-04:00

Make a Donation!This past weekend (October 20-21) some friends and I participated in Extra Life, an epic, 24-hour video game marathon to raise money for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals in North America, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Since most of us did have to sleep eventually, it turned into more of a 48-hour staggered marathon, but it was still huge fun!

As you can see, we exceeded our $1,000 fund-raising goal. We're proud to have been a part of this great event, in which gamers from all over the world came together to raise more than $2 million for children's hospitals!

I'd like to thank everyone on our team—Hunter, Laura, Jake, Stephanie and Taylor—as well as the other gamers who played on our livestream, and who tuned in, helped spread the word, and of course donated generously. I love you all!

If you missed the event itself, it's not too late to show your support. Extra Life's organizers are hoping to top the $2 million mark over the next few days. So if you can spare even a few dollars, your help would be much appreciated.

Read more about the event at Extra-Life.org. To donate, click the banner at right.

Thank you for your support! Tomb Raider fans are the best!

Dr. Croft, I presume?

2012-10-03T20:11:00.000-04:00

Guest blogger, Ostercy, creator of Ostercy's Tomb Raider Fables and webmaster of Not Culturally Relevant, attempts to solve the mystery of Lara's post-secondary education.

I have been living with half a memory of somebody calling Lara Croft "Dr. Croft", but I couldn't recall where from. Did Lara ever go to University? Did she study archaeology? I decided to investigate.

According to an interview with Vicky Arnold, original Tomb Raider writer; "Although Miss Croft never attended a university as a full-time student, she did derive much of her knowledge of archaeology and anthropology from some of the most prestigious universities in Britain through correspondence and posting her work straight in from the field." [1] It seems pretty clear from this (and other sources) that Lara wasn't an undergraduate in archaeology or anything else.

I'm still racking my brains…. Dr. Jonathan Reiss…. Dr. Mark Willard…. Dr. Dre Beats. I must be suffering from a senior moment.

Lots of fanfiction (including my own) refers to "Dr. Lara Croft", as do some websites – "Fearless Dr. Croft takes her high definition adventures to exotic locales. Tomb Raider: Underworld arrives in stores next Tuesday, November 18th." [2]

Moving on to (or sideways to) the Crystal Dynamics bios, there's "university peer" Anaya Imanu. Quite a lot of sites quote this text that originated from Legend; "Anaya is a civil engineer working in impoverished areas of South America. She's an old friend of Lara's dating back to their days at university, and she was with Lara during the tragedy near Segou. She has since led a distinguished career of her own, routinely crossing paths with Lara." So…Lara wasn't a university undergraduate according to Core but she had "days at University"? Postgraduate days, perhaps?

Slightly dottier, from the Legend Wikipedia page; "A teenage Lara was on an archaeological excavation with her university colleagues, where she and Amanda (Evert) witnessed an unknown demonic entity kill the rest of the team." [3] Kind of hard to see how a teenage Lara could have "university colleagues" but Wikipedia says it, so it must be true.

On the other hand there's this blurb quoted by many of the previewers at E3 2012; "Lara Croft is 22 years old, straight out of university and on the trail of adventure with her mentor Roth in tow." (See, for example, Infinite Lives. [4]) Oh what a tangled web! I suppose since most English undergraduates are aged 18-21, it's just possible that Lara was a first year archaeology postgrad at 22 (?).

And we have this from Dr. Colin Dray, a Lecturer in Literature at Campion College of the Liberal Arts, Australia; &quot;The Lara Croft of old was an impossibly fantastical creature. Statuesque, resourceful, quippy, with a handful of PhDs in pseudo-psycho sci-history and fabulous wealth and beauty." [5] Not very helpful to our investigation.

You could ask Alison Carroll, but she probably still hasn't "done her course" yet. [6] At least it indicates that at some point the game developers (like everybody else) thought of Lara as an archaeologist and not, say, an anthropologist or a business studies major.

Finally there's this frankly bonkers entry from Tomb Raider Forums and "British Consulates," not a reliable source for factual information; "all the while continuing her education at Oxford, then at the University of Chicago." [7, 8] I cannot imagine what on earth Lara would be doing in Chicago. Perfecting her American accent perhaps? Buying semi-automatic weapons?

Oh well. I know when I'm beaten. There's solid evidence that Lara studied archaeology at or near University perhaps, but no PhD. Unless you know different?

References

1. "Lara Croft - Biographical Sketch". Tomb Raider's Travelers Guide.

2. "Video - Tomb Raider's Lara Croft Attacks the Underworld!" Newsarama.

3. Tomb_Raider:_Legend - Wikipedia.

4. Scarborough, David. June 10, 2011. "Empire at E3 2011: Day 3 - Tomb Raider". Infinite Lives.

5. Dray, Colin. July 21, 2012. "Scraping Lara Croft Off The 'Boot' Of Her Gaming Reboot". WhatCulture!

6. "Lara Croft: Køn - men ikke særlig dyb". November 4, 2008. Ekstra Bladet.

7. "Detailed Biography" posted January 14, 2006, by AnthonyShock1515. Tomb Raider Forums.

8. "Lara Croft". British-Consulates.com.

Join Extra Life Team Tomb Raider Community: Play Games. Heal Kids.

2012-09-30T13:47:00.000-04:00

Join Our Team or Make a Donation!

My dear friends and fellow raiders, on Saturday, October 20th, I'll be participating in Extra Life, an epic, 24-hour video game marathon to raise money for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals in North America, the United Kingdom and Australia. I hope you'll join me!

If you're a gamer, please consider participating in the event as part of Team Tomb Raider Community.We'll be playing a bunch of TR games, along with other favorites. Some of us will be gaming at home, solo and with friends, but we're also planning some online co-op Guardian of Light, plus livestreaming, an up-to-the-minute Twitter feed (#TombRaider #ExtraLife), and a marathon online party—all to raise money to help hospitalized kids. Together we can do more!

If you can't join us, I hope you'll at least make a small donation to support our efforts.

Read more about the event at Extra-Life.org. To join our team or to make a pledge, visit the Team Tomb Raider Community page.

Please help spread the word, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch.

30-Day Tomb Raider Challenge Day 30: WWLCD?

2012-09-30T11:56:00.000-04:00

WWLCD: What Would Lara Croft Do? Has the character Lara Croft ever inspired you to do something in real life that you might not ordinarily do? Discuss.

Today is the last day of the challenge. Once again I'd like to thank everyone who participated and submitted topic ideas. I hope you've all had as much fun with this as I have. I'd also like to give a special shout-out to Jeremy, whose original Tomb Raider 30 Day Challenge inspired this whole thing. Raid on!

Bumper Sticker: What Would Lara Croft Do?

30-Day Tomb Raider Challenge Day 29: Which real life person most reminds you of Lara Croft?

2012-09-29T12:50:00.000-04:00

Which real life person most reminds you of Lara Croft? It need not be someone famous. Surely we all know or have heard of someone who embodies Lara-like qualities.

Thanks to Ostercy for suggesting today's topic.

30-Day Tomb Raider Challenge Day 28: Special Editions

2012-09-28T08:39:00.000-04:00

Crystal Dynamics has confirmed there will be a special edition of the new TOMB RAIDER, though they have not yet said which systems will have special versions or what exactly will be included. If you answered "yes" to yesterday's question, do you plan to splurge for the special edition, and what would you like to see included in order to make it worthwhile? Do you own any previous Tomb Raider special editions?

Thanks to Austin for suggesting today's topic.