lara-croft posts

Earlier this year we reported that the PC port of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light would be released a few weeks after its launch on the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade. Today we received word that the downloadable action-adventure game from developer Crystal Dynamics will be released on the PC via Steam on September 28 for $14.99.

Even after the release of the game. Crystal Dynamics plans to offer several downloadable expansions for the title from October to December. Three of these expansions will give the heroine of the Tomb Raider series new areas to explore with more puzzles and combat. The other two expansions are character packs which will let players play the game with unnamed but "other well-known videogame characters..."

[via email press release]

PC fans of the Lara Croft/Tomb Raider game franchise will have to wait until at least September to play the latest game in the series. Eurogamer reports that the upcoming downloadable action game Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light won't be made available for PC owners until at least mid-September.

The game will be released on August 18 on the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade service. However an unnamed rep for developer Crystal Dynamics told Eurogamer that because the new Lara Croft game is participating in the Xbox 360's Summer of Arcade promotion, " ... there is a window of exclusivity. That window of exclusivity is a set four weeks." A more specific PC release date may be announced in "seven to 10 days" according to the developer rep.

Even as the downloadable game Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (pictured above) is being prepped for a release later this summer, rumors are already starting about the next major retail game for the popular game heroine. Today Eurogamer reports via unnamed sources that the next game in the Tomb Raider series is set for release for the Christmas 2011 time period.

Developer Crystal Dynamics, which has been making the last few games in the series, including the upcoming Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, is once again charged with making the new title, according to the report, and that the PC will be one of the game's platforms. A spokesperson for the developer has not commented on the story.

Lists. So-called serious journalists hate them but other journalists and most of the general public love at least to talk about what is contained in the list. Entertainment Weekly's newest issue has their attempt at listing what they are calling the 100 greatest characters in the last 20 years (EW is celebrating its 20th birthday this year).

The full list is now online at the EW.com web site and there's a few PC-video game characters among the many movie and TV fictional heroes and villains. Lara Croft managed to make it all the way to the 17th position while Halo's Master Chief was rated as the 59th greatest character. For some odd reason EW put three other game characters in a group called the Game Guys in the 93 position (the group included Niko Bellic from Grand Theft Auto IV). What? No Duke Nukem or Gordon Freeman?

This summer's planned release of Lara Croft and The Guardian of Light will represent the first game in the long running Tomb Raider action-adventure game series that will not only dump the "Tomb Raider" name from the game's title but be released exclusively as a digital download. Now Computer and Video Games has confirmed that the PC version will use Steam as its DRM platform, at least in the US.

Global brand manager Karl Stewart stated that while publisher Square Enix is possibly looking at "different distribution channels" for the $15 game, he adds, "I think for now, because it's online and it's got leader boards, Steam offers us the best opportunity to hit a broad audience with that type of game." Piracy is another reason for the Steam DRM decision with Stewart saying that for previous Tomb Raider games. "I go on some BitTorrent sites and within the first 48 hours there's like four hundred thousand downloads, it's crazy."

Gallery: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light Screenshots

Celebrities need to reinvent their image from time to time, and even well-known characters like Lara Croft are no exception, as shown in this trailer for for Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. The trailer provides a first look at some of the gameplay, including plenty of cooperative sequences, so players won't have to explore ancient ruins alone. It also exemplifies the approach toward reworking Lara Croft to appeal to a broader audience. Guardian of Light is shown as a top-down isometric action game where one player takes the role of Lara Croft and another controls her companion, Totec. Together, they solve environmental puzzles, overcome obstacles, and keep each other alive. The game is expected to release this summer for the PC on Steam), Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

"When Lara Croft finds the long lost Temple of Light in the mountains of Central America, she unwittingly frees an evil spirit determined to plunge the world into eternal darkness. Alongside Totec, a Mayan tribesman, you must hunt down the Mirror of Smoke in what will be a new and incredible adventure."

Download HD Lara Croft and The Guardian of Light Trailer (255 MB)

A few days ago we reported that the next game to feature Tomb Raider lead Lara Croft would be a downloadable co-op themed title with a top down isometric viewpoint. Today our sister site Joystiq, who got to see the game during GDC 2010, reports back that Lara Croft and The Guardian of Light will indeed be released for the PC (among other platforms) sometime this summer.

Don't expect a full game experience, however. Joystiq states that the game will have about six hours of total gameplay and will be priced accordingly at $15. We suspect this is something like a side project for developer Crystal Dynamics before they make a full fledged Tomb Raider game at some point in the future.

Last Thursday, Square Enix announced plans for their next game with their action character Lara Croft but the first to not have the name "Tomb Raider" in the title. Now Gamespot has revealed the first concrete details on Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. And it's looks like it will be unlike any previous Tomb Raider games ever released.

The preview reveals that the title will be a top down isometric game designed for two player co-op. Players will control either Croft herself or a new character, the Mayan tribesman Totec as they run through various locations (including, yes, tombs) to deal with enemies, traps and more. It's basically an old fashioned 1980s arcade title but with modern graphics supplied by developer Crystal Dynamics. The game will be available for download later this summer but no specific platforms were announced.

There's no doubt that one of the most well known and most influential game series of all time are the Tomb Raider titles from Eidos (now owned by Square Enix). Now comes word that a limited edition book, The Art of Tomb Raider, is being prepped for release early in March.

Published by Dreams and Visions Press, the book will be shipped as two hardcovers put inside a slipcase with artwork that you can see above. The two hardcovers will feature over 500 total pages containing "every significant piece of Tomb Raider art from all the games." Only 2,000 copies of the book will be released and will be priced at $110.

[Update: We received an email from Nielsen Entertainment asking us to remove the image and we've done so as a courtesy. So instead, why not enjoy this pic of the latest Lara Croft model?]

We do love our rumors and this new one on the details of the next Tomb Raider game from Eidos (oh, excuse us . . Square Enix) seems to lean on the side of legit (for now anyway). A web site called fourplayercoop.com claims to have a mole inside the development team that took some pictures of a monitor displaying some info on the latest Lara Croft adventure.

The alleged info shows off some concept artwork and details of the type of game that developer Crystal Dynamics is making. Supposedly the game will have Lara engage in an open-world style of action game on an island. The story is also supposed to reboot Lara's origins because this game will be set early in her life and will show how she grew to be the hard-as-nails adventure babe.