Tomb Raider PlayStation 3

Released on 05-Mar-2013

• New Tomb Raider film on the way?

  Well, it looks like videogames' leading lady is getting another chance on the silver screen, as Square Enix has announced that there's a new Tomb Raider film on the way.

  According to a report in Variety - thanks for the spot, Eurogamer - the film will be released in 2013, although no cast, writers, or directors have been announced yet.

  The film will be produced by GK Films, who made Ben Affleck's movie The Town, and The Tourist, which starred Johnny Depp and the original Lara Croft, Angelina Jolie. "We are very excited to be rebooting what is already a hugely successful film franchise and continuing the Tomb Raider phenomenon," said GK Films' boss Graham King.

  If you can't wait until 2013, the game series is currently undergoing a reboot, too, with the next game in the franchise - just titled Tomb Raider - depicting the adventures of a very young Lara Croft as she struggles to survive on a mysterious island where she's been ship-wrecked. It's a much grittier take on the character, and with its vicious enemies and environmental hazards, almost seems to head into survival horror territory.

  We'll keep you posted on the film and the game - particularly the game - as we have any more news.

• New Tomb Raider won't rely on scripted quick-time events

  Fan expectation for Tomb Raider, the rebooted prequel to the classic action adventure series, peaked at E3 when the first gameplay footage was revealed, showing a young and wounded Lara Croft frantically scrambling away from creepy cultists in an underground cavern.

  However, the on-screen button prompts and cinematic presentation led to criticism from some quarters that the game seemed to be moving away from the classic platforms and puzzles gameplay of old. Not so, says developer Crystal Dynamics.

  This week, creative director Noah Hughes addressed the criticism in an interview with Gamespot. "One of the things which is absolutely important to us is to deliver an intense and cinematic experiencehe told the US website. t very specific times, we feel we can do that best while still delivering challenging gameplay in a quick-time type event. Having said that, it really isn't the primary tool we use to deliver drama in the game."

  He went on to explain that the motional impactof Lara's fresh start will come from interaction with the environment, audio cues and lifelike animation. The footage shown at E3, it turns out, was small sweep of our dramatic gameplay experience

  The new game, simply called Tomb Raider, launches in 2012.

• New Tomb Raider movie 'will be a character piece'

  New Tomb Raider movie 'will be a character piece'

  Tomb Raider fans can expect the next movie based on the classic videogames to be a much more character-driven experience than previous big-screen adventures.

  Graham King, the producer of the forthcoming flick, told ComingSoon.net that the new Lara Croft film will be a totally different beast from the Angelina Jolie-starring efforts of the early 2000s.

  This time around, the story will focus on how Lara became the fearless adventurer fans know and love, meaning audiences can expect a focused "character piece" with plenty of action and fun.

  "I've not really done a movie like that before, but I really gravitated to rebooting this franchise and we're going to give it a shot," he said.

  The new Tomb Raider movie is due out in 2013 and is being written by hotshot scripting duo Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, whose credits include Iron Man and Children of Men.

  Meanwhile, SquareEnix and Crystal Dynamics are also set to reboot Lara's story in the world of videogames with a gritty new "origin story" coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC next year.

  Published: 23/11/2011

• New Year Revolutions: The games of 2012 that we want to play now

  New Year Revolutions: The games of 2012 that we want to play now

  Towards the end of last year, we saw veritable avalanche of amazing games roll over us, leaving us swamped but happy with top-notch titles such as Modern Warfare 3, Batman: Arkham City, Skyrim, Super Mario Land 3D, Assassin's Creed Revelations, Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Saints Row The Third and, oh, you get the idea.

  Surely that's more than enough new games to leave even the greediest gamer feeling stuffed and satisfied? Well, yes, but don't pretend you can't hear that little voice whispering in the back of your mind. What's next? it says.

  Here's the answer: our guide to the big games of 2012 that we can't wait to play.

  GTA V (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  The genre-busting open-world crime caper makes its long-awaited return, with an all-new tale set in the pseudo-L.A. of Los Santos. Details are limited to one cryptic trailer, but where Rockstar is concerned it's safe to set expectations high.
  

  Mass Effect 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  Bioware brings its grand space opera to a cataclysmic finale, as the world-devouring Reapers declare open war on Earth. The game adds optional multiplayer modes, as well as Kinect voice features for Xbox 360.
  

  Halo 4 (Xbox 360)

  Who seriously thought that Halo 3 would be the last we saw of Master Chief? He's back for the start of a brand new trilogy, which will find the Spartan super soldier confronting his own destiny as well as an ancient evil poised to destroy the universe. No pressure then.
  

  Bioshock Infinite (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  Swapping the bottom of the ocean for the top of the world, this continuation of the smartest sci-fi shooter in recent memory casts you as a Pinkerton agent in 1912, trying to escape a dystopian city in the clouds. Expect gorgeous views and gruelling terror in equal measure.
  

  Borderlands 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  Return to Pandora for another round of co-operative role-playing mayhem. The game promises more dynamic quests which will alter the path of the story, as well as smarter enemies and more independent non-player characters. Bring it.
  

  Hitman: Absolution (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  It's been five years since Agent 47 last graced our joypads in Blood Money, and his latest adventure will take full advantage of the updates in technology since. Expect to be able to set up more elaborate assassinations, as well some form of multiplayer.
  

  Max Payne 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  Rockstar's other big game for 2012 finds the dual-wielding anti-hero cop disgraced and working as a bodyguard in Brazil. Of course, it all kicks off when the family he's guarding are targeted by gangsters, and slow-motion shooty-diving is the only way to settle the score.
  

  The Last Guardian (PS3)

  The latest game from Ico and Shadow of the Colossus creator Fumito Ueda follows a young boy attempting to escape from a grim castle with some help from his friend, a giant griffin-creature called Trico. Action, puzzles and beautiful loveliness ensue.
  

  Tomb Raider (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  After drifting out of the spotlight, the first lady of gaming returns with this series reboot which follows a more vulnerable teenage Lara Croft, as she grows into the confident adventurer we all know and love.
  

  PlayStation Vita

  Sony's incredibly powerful handheld drops in February, bringing next-gen muscle to the portable gaming market. With 3G and Wifi-enabled models available - and boasting exclusive Uncharted, Wipeout and Call of Duty games - it's the console to watch in 2012.
  
  

• Games With Girls

  

  Games. Girls. Historically they've not really been words you put together, at least not in a positive way. Time was girls barely played games, and when it came to female characters in games, they were rarely more than damsels in distress.

  But things are changing. Games have evolved. Female characters are stronger, bolder, more prominent and, most importantly, playable.

  This is our run-down of some of the best and brightest girls in gaming today. The women who solve problems, kick @$$ and actually matter.

  Lara Croft
  Tomb Raider

  Lara seems the obvious place to start really, the first real female lead in a game - not simply the character you played, but the character the game was centred upon. And she was the first to really achieve widespread media attention.

  Lara Croft and Tomb Raider took a male-dominated genre and character type and did a gender switch. Strong, feisty, independent and intelligent, Lara was everything a stereotypical female character wasn't. That said, there was always one thing (well, two things) that garnered Lara the most attention.

  Since 1996's original Tomb Raider, Lara has appeared in eight sequels to date, with a ninth due this year. Again simply titled Tomb Raider, we go back to the start of the story and find out what made her the woman she is.

  Tough, smart and sexy, there's no doubt that Lara Croft is still the benchmark.

  Jill Valentine
  Resident Evil: Revelations

  The Resident Evil series has seen many female characters, from the cunning Ada Wong to the tough Sheva Alomar. But Jill Valentine is the one that stands out.

  Debuting in the original Resident Evil and continuing throughout the series, Jill proved herself to be more than a match for those virus-ridden zombie types. Jill was designed to complement partner Chris Redfield by having different strengths and skills, thus showing that she wasn't just a female 'version' but an independent character and a genuine alternative to the male lead.

  A promotion to sole protagonist for Resident Evil 3 showed she was capable of carrying a game on her own. Although she would return to shared billing in later games, including this year's Revelations, her continued appearances throughout the series is testament to the strength and staying power of the character.

  Chun-Li
  Street Fighter X Tekken

  Where would this list be without Chun-Li? The archetypal beat 'em up girl showed she could certainly handle the male fighters and spawned a thousand* imitators.

  Introduced in Street Fighter II, Chun-Li is one of the few characters to have appeared in almost every Street Fighter game (and crossover game) since. She has a fighting style, a character and a story that is completely her own. She's as tough as they come, but at the same time, her avenging-her-father's-death motivation showed a humanity that sets her apart from the crowd.

  With a look as iconic as any you are likely to find in gaming, Chun Li has been taking on - and taking out - all comers for 20 years and shows no sign of stopping. Which is just fine - would you try to stop her?

  *not actually a thousand. This is a dramatic exaggeration!

  Lightning and Serah
  Final Fantasy XIII-2

  The Final Fantasy series is well known for blurring gender roles, with androgynous boys and tomboyish girls. Appearances aside, it has had some strong female characters, exemplified by the Farron sisters, Lightning and Serah.

  Lightning was the protagonist of FF XIII, a soldier whose gruff confidence hides a more sensitive, vulnerable edge. At once both strong and feminine, she may be one of the most mature and emotionally rounded characters in the FF franchise. Serah takes the lead in FFXIII-2, and is almost a mirror image of Lightning - seemingly vulnerable on the outside, but tough and determined, and willing to do what needs to be done.

  Lightning and Serah go beyond two-dimensional 'types' and prove we can have strong female characters that don't have to play up - or play down - their femininity.

  SPECIAL MENTION: Samus Aran
  Metroid Series

  Yes, she doesn't have a game out at the moment, but this list would be remiss without a mention of Samus Aran.

  Ten years before Lara put on her exploring shorts, Samus was the surprise lead in Metroid. Surprise in that it was only as you completed the game that she took her helmet off and you discovered she was, well, a she under all that armour.

  One could argue that hiding her true identity is doing her gender a disservice. But by removing gender from the equation, Samus was the first character that showed gamers that women could do blowing stuff up in space just as good as men, something she would continue to do in 11 more Metroid games (as well as turning up in a handful of others). And, after all this time she still keeps the armour on.

  SPECIAL MENTION: Chell
  Portal and Portal 2

  While Samus was someone I couldn't not mention, Chell is a bit more of a question mark for this list. After all, the star of Portal and its sequel is silent and largely off-screen, due to the first-person nature of the game. Plus she was only female because it was thought this best suited the scenario of Portal, rather than any desire to make a female character.

  But it's that "what works best" thinking that makes her an important figure in the history of female characters - she's not there to make a point. And that is a point worth making.

  So what does the future hold?

  In 2012 we'll be seeing the Buffy-esque cheerleader vs zombie fun of Lollipop Chainsaw, point-and-click piracy with Captain Morgane and the Golden Turtle, and the largely-female cast of Akai Kitana Shin making their way to UK consoles. The Dead or Alive franchise returns with Dead or Alive 5 which looks to have toned down the exaggerated sexuality of the female fighters. There continue to be rumours of sequels to Bayonetta and Heavy Rain. And some day - maybe this year, maybe next - Beyond Good and Evil 2 will finally come out and Jade will get another chance to show the world what she can do.

  Female protagonists are increasingly giving their male counterparts a run for their money. But who's your favourite? Who do you play as, and who would you add to this list? Why not leave us your comments below.
  

  Published: 09/02/2012

• Heroes Reborn!

  
  

  2012 sees the return of four iconic heroes to our screens - Master Chief in Halo 4, Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, Agent 47 in Hitman: Absolution, and Max Payne in, er, Max Payne 3. But why is this exciting? Read on...

  

  Max Payne

  
  

  In a nutshell: Vengeful cop turned vengeful vigilante.
  Last seen in: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (2003)
  Returns in: Max Payne 3 (May 18th 2012) on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC

  Why this excites us: The man who really puts the "Homicide" into "Homicide Detective", Max has been missing in action for nearly a decade (unless you count the Mark Wahlberg movie. We don't). The series was famed for its film noir elements and its use of bullet time action, and for Max's own increasing inner darkness.

  When he returns in Max Payne 3 he's still just as miserable; the years have not been good to Max, who's now working private security for a less than scrutable employer in South America. Needless to say, a certain substance soon hits the fan and Max finds himself smack in the middle of criminal wars, teaching them all a lesson in his own brand of angry justice. And we couldn't be happier.

  

  Agent 47

  
  

  In a nutshell: Bald-and-barcoded clone built for assassination
  Last seen in: Hitman: Blood Money (2006)
  Returns in: Hitman: Absolution (TBC 2012) on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC

  Why this excites us: Gaming's best-dressed killer has always been cool, calm and genetically superior, and this year he's back to remind everyone just how this assassin thing is done. He's famed for his increasingly ingenious methods of eliminating his targets, from poisoning punch, to pushing off balconies, to sneaking about in disguise, to plain old shooting, with a real emphasis on tactics, planning and skill.

  Betrayed by the agency who built him, and those he's gone on to trust, Hitman: Absolution sees 47 on the run once more and at the heart of a dark conspiracy, and on a journey that's more personal than professional. The developers are promising big technological advancements to enhance your instincts and abilities - and those around you, too. Just remember, it's not just about killing, but killing outside the box!

  

  Master Chief

  
  

  In a nutshell: Silent Spartan super-soldier. John-117 to his mates.
  Last seen in: Halo 3 (2007)
  Returns in: Halo 4 (6th November 2012) on Xbox 360

  Why this excites us: The UNSC may not like him, but we sure do. It didn't matter that he didn't really get a personality until Halo 3, this intergalactic badass has been doing his job and saving the Earth from alien conquests (with no showboating or stopping for, ahem, conquests of his own) since the launch of the Xbox. The responses to Halo: ODST and Halo: Reach showed that it was really the Chief that we wanted to see, and Cortana's cry of "I need you! Wake up John! Chief!" in the Halo 4 trailer echoed the sentiment of Halo gamers the world over.

  Halo 4 promises to delve further into who Chief is and what makes him tick, as well as his relationship with Cortana. Getting to know the Chief a little better can only further our relationship with him, especially as his new armour seems to only further his relationship with badassery. November can't come soon enough.

  

  Lara Croft

  
  

  In a nutshell: Posh British adventuress with enormous... skills
  Last seen in: Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008)
  Returns in: Tomb Raider (TBC 2012) on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC

  Why this excites us: Lara Croft is one of THE icons of modern gaming. She arrived in time to launch the original PlayStation and drew mainstream press to gaming like none before her. Since 1996 she's raided many a tomb, fought tigers, sharks and dinosaurs, and survived more than one reboot - as well as more than one subpar movie. But now she's back, younger than ever in a Batman Begins-style reboot (minus, we hope, the gravelly voice).

  In this year's new Tomb Raider Lara is 21, fresh out of "the academy" and shipwrecked on an island. This game promises not only a back-to-basics setting but more challenging gameplay than recent outings, with the stress on exploration to survive over exploration for kicks. A reboot like this is a little risky - and we'll miss Keeley Hawes' voice acting - but Lara has certainly proved she can endure pretty much anything.
  

• Tomb Raider - Preview

  
  

  

  Walking A Mile In Lara's (Re)boots

  Everyone knows Lara Croft. In the early days of home gaming we had Mario and Sonic, but Lara was the undisputed queen of the PlayStation era, heroine of half a dozen games (some great, some good, one terrible), and while her most recent outings have been lower-key than her stratospherically successful earlier outings, she's always been bankable and fun to spend time with.

  But if you think you know what you're getting with Tomb Raider, the latest instalment aims to make you think again. Developer Crystal Dynamics is rebooting the series, sending us back to Lara's formative years right after university, and in this case an ill-fated expedition that sees her shipwrecked with a group of amateur explorers on a dangerous island off the coast of Japan, hunted by sinister locals and forced to scavenge and fight for her very survival. It's a far cry from collecting idols in Mayan ruins, dancing around shooting wolves, and throwing out the odd quip about the state of the moss-covered interior decoration.

  

  I Will Survive

  A long demo shown to the press at E3 this year introduces the basics. It's not a complete departure, so there will be plenty of running and jumping, climbing up rockfaces and sidling along ledges, but this is a game developed in a post-Uncharted world, so it's full of clever camera angles and pans designed to highlight spectacular backdrops - like a cove full of shipwrecks under a vicious stormy sky - and little moments of peril where Lara loses a hand-hold and you have to tap a button to save her. A lot of it's scripted to heighten the tension too, so Lara may jump onto the wing of a crashed biplane that's hanging in a canopy of trees, only for it to tumble to the ground beneath her and deposit here in a new area.

  But there is a lot that is new. Lara will have to fuel herself to survive, for example, by hunting animals like birds and deer using a bow and arrow. The first time you take down a deer is surprisingly harrowing - your aim is poor, so you end up planting a bunch of arrows in its flank, and it limps around until it succumbs. Then you have to kneel down and butcher it. The game spares you the gory details, preferring to focus on Lara's reluctance and pained expressions.

  The developers want to show how Lara became the adventurer we all know, but first they want to break her down through moments like this and show that it wasn't all horse-riding, ballet lessons and private tuition that made her a hero. Things get worse, too - elsewhere during the demo she's forced to watch her friends killed by natives, and she's even taken prisoner and beaten by her captors, eventually killing one of them in her attempt to break free. It's a powerful moment that's designed to be a watershed moment in her development, and it feels like it.

  

  Fantasy Island

  Tomb Raider's more than just a platformer, then - it's an origin story infused with grit and desperation inspired by TV series like Lost. Once it settles down though, it should also be a great 'gear-gate' game in the same vein as classics like Metroid Prime and Castlevania. You'll pick up items like a pickaxe, for example, and be able to upgrade them and use them to break into previously inaccessible areas of earlier locations, unlocking side missions and hidden bonuses as you do. Tomb Raider games have always had an element of roaming around, and of course puzzles, but they've always been fairly linear too; in this respect, the new Tomb Raider should make you feel more like you're exploring and uncovering secrets.

  By the time you're finished, the Lara Croft you're left with will be fully formed and ready for Crystal Dynamics to send her on more elaborate adventures in the future. As reboots go, it's looking very promising, although for all sorts of reasons it will be of paramount importance that the developers handle Lara's own development with sensitivity. If they do a good job, this could be a classic.

• Single player games aren't going away, says Eidos boss

  Ian Livingstone, president of veteran UK publisher Eidos, has said that despite the rise of multiplayer, social and casual mobile gaming, he doesn't see the core single player console experience disappearing any time soon.

  "I think people still want a single player experience," he told US trade magazine MCV Pacific. "The games industry is diversifying and is making new ways of delivering, new ways of playing games. One is certainly not totally at the expense of each other, and I think games as a product and as a service can live happily alongside each other for a long time to come."

  Livingstone, who co-wrote the famous Fighting Fantasy books in the 1980s and went on to help bring Tomb Raider to market in the 1990s, believes that there'll always be a demand for the sort of adventuring that Lara provides.

  "A game like Tomb Raider has historically been a graphically intensive single player experience, and that's not simply going to disappear overnight," he says. "What we're seeing is an emergence and a growth in the digital area and a new consumer which has come along, but niche gamers are still going to be here and want content delivered specifically for them."

  Tomb Raider is currently being rebooted by Crystal Dynamics, with a new game that will follow a teenage Lara as she's shipwrecked on a mysterious island. The game is planned for 2013 release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
  

• New Lara Croft actor revealed

  Camilla Luddington will be the voice of Lara in the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot, developer Crystal Dynamics has confirmed.

  The 29-year-old English actress was chosen after what publisher Square Enix called an "international talent search using scouts in Europe and the US" because she possessed the "depth of emotion and the youthful tone needed for Lara Croft in the upcoming reimagining of the Tomb Raider franchise".

  "This has been one of the most important jobs for us to get right," said Darrell Gallagher of 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."

  Quite apart from her name, Luddington has a suitably posh pedigree. She first found fame playing Kate Middleton in the cheesy royal TV movie William & Kate, but has since been seen playing Lizzie opposite David Duchovny on Californication and as Claudette in the latest season of raunchy vampire drama True Blood.

  Tomb Raider, which takes us back to Lara's first ever adventure as a shipwrecked young woman, is set for release in Spring 2013.
  

• Playing Lara Croft is emotionally and physically draining says new actress

  Camilla Luddington, the British actress picked to play Lara Croft in the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot, has described the role as "some of the most emotionally and physically draining work that I've ever done".

  She makes the revelation in a new video diary, the first in a series called The Final Hours of Tomb Raider, presented by actor Zachary Levi, the star of TV sitcom Chuck.

  Whereas previous Tomb Raider games used an entirely digital Lara, with real life models such as Rhona Mitra and Nell McAndrew hired to play the character at events, this latest game will see the iconic heroine voiced and performed by a motion-captured actress in-game. Also unlike previous Tomb Raider games, in which Lara was a confident adventurer, the latest game presents her as young and inexperienced, stranded on an island with brutal pirates. There's less acrobatics and a lot more punishment being dished out.

  "When I got this role I never thought I would cry so much. I just thought I'd be kicking butt. That's the Lara I thought I'd gotten myself into," says Luddington, whose other work includes lengthy turns on hit TV shows Californication and True Blood. "We're used to seeing Lara as cold-hearted, almost a killer. She's a badass, but in this you'll see her struggle."

  Part of that struggle involves the first time Lara is forced to kill someone to survive. "She has to fight for her life," Luddington explains. "It's fascinating how she reacts to that. She doesn't just walk away from that first kill."

  Tomb Raider is out for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on March 5th next year.

• Tomb Raider Reboot to Bring us the Lara "everyone's been waiting for"

  
  

  Tomb Raider brand manager Karl Stewart has reassured fans that while the upcoming reboot of the long-running series will start with a fairly gruelling series of trials for the young Lara Croft to overcome, the later stages of the game will reveal the aspects of the character we know and love.

  "As she comes out the other side she's stronger for it," Stewart said of the brutal opening, which finds Lara chased and captured by leering bandits. "It's not purposefully going out of the way to break her down mentally - she'd never become the person we want her to. Every single twist or turn makes you feel like we're setting up motivation for her to become the character we want."

  "You'll see a side to Lara that everyone's been waiting for," he added.

  However, developer Crystal Dynamics isn't going to all this trouble just to bring her back to the exact same character introduced in 1996. "She will be set up for the future," Stewart explains, "but she still won't be like the Lara at beginning of Tomb Raider 1."
  

• New Year Revolutions: The games of 2012 that we want to play now

  
  

  New Year Revolutions: The games of 2012 that we want to play now

  Towards the end of last year, we saw veritable avalanche of amazing games roll over us, leaving us swamped but happy with top-notch titles such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Batman: Arkham City, Skyrim, Super Mario Land 3D, Assassin's Creed Revelations, Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Saints Row The Third and, oh, you get the idea.

  Surely that's more than enough new games to leave even the greediest gamer feeling stuffed and satisfied? Well, yes, but don't pretend you can't hear that little voice whispering in the back of your mind. What's next? it says.

  Here's the answer: our guide to the big games of 2012 that we can't wait to play.

  

  GTA V

  The genre-busting open-world crime caper makes its long-awaited return, with an all-new tale set in the pseudo-L.A. of Los Santos. Details are limited to one cryptic trailer, but where Rockstar is concerned it's safe to set expectations high.

  
  

  

  Mass Effect 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  Bioware brings its grand space opera to a cataclysmic finale, as the world-devouring Reapers declare open war on Earth. The game adds optional multiplayer modes, as well as Kinect voice features for Xbox 360.

  
  

  

  Halo 4 (Xbox 360)

  Who seriously thought that Halo 3 would be the last we saw of Master Chief? He's back for the start of a brand new trilogy, which will find the Spartan super soldier confronting his own destiny as well as an ancient evil poised to destroy the universe. No pressure then.

  
  

  

  Bioshock Infinite (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  Swapping the bottom of the ocean for the top of the world, this continuation of the smartest sci-fi shooter in recent memory casts you as a Pinkerton agent in 1912, trying to escape a dystopian city in the clouds. Expect gorgeous views and gruelling terror in equal measure.

  
  

  

  Borderlands 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  Return to Pandora for another round of co-operative role-playing mayhem. The game promises more dynamic quests which will alter the path of the story, as well as smarter enemies and more independent non-player characters. Bring it.

  
  

  

  Hitman: Absolution (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  It's been five years since Agent 47 last graced our joypads in Blood Money, and his latest adventure will take full advantage of the updates in technology since. Expect to be able to set up more elaborate assassinations, as well some form of multiplayer.

  
  

  

  Max Payne 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  Rockstar's other big game for 2012 finds the dual-wielding anti-hero cop disgraced and working as a bodyguard in Brazil. Of course, it all kicks off when the family he's guarding are targeted by gangsters, and slow-motion shooty-diving is the only way to settle the score.

  
  

  

  Tomb Raider (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  After drifting out of the spotlight, the first lady of gaming returns with this series reboot which follows a more vulnerable teenage Lara Croft, as she grows into the confident adventurer we all know and love.

  
  

  

  PlayStation Vita

  Sony's incredibly powerful handheld drops in February, bringing next-gen muscle to the portable gaming market. With 3G and Wifi-enabled models available - and boasting exclusive Uncharted, Wipeout and Call of Duty games - it's the console to watch in 2012.

  Published: 19/01/2012

• The new Lara Croft won't be a 'female Batman'

  Rhianna Pratchett, the writer of the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot and daughter of top fantasy author Terry Pratchett, has been speaking about how she's tried to update such an iconic character without losing what made her popular in the first place.

  "I particularly wanted to bring back the humanity of the character, her warmth, empathy, friendship, and more human qualities," she told VG247. "Because I think as old Lara has evolved, she has become more of a female Batman. The more heroic and teflon-coated you get, the harder it is to relate to that character, so we wanted to go back to her human side. There's still a lot of old Lara's background in place, so we've carefully interwoven our new stuff in there."

  It's been almost fifteen years since Lara Croft first jumped into action back in the ground-breaking original Tomb Raider game. Since then the character has starred in nine games and two blockbuster movies, with Angelina Jolie playing the plummy English adventurer.

  But the new game sweeps all of that away and starts over fresh, with a young Lara stranded on a remote island populated by ruthless bandits and dangerous wildlife. She'll be responsible for keeping fellow survivors safe, and we'll see her grow from terrified young woman to confident survivalist over the course of the tale.

  Tomb Raider will be released for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on March 5th next year.

  Published: 10/10/2012

• Time magazine picks the 100 best games ever

  Respected American journal, Time, has ventured into digital waters to list what it considers to be the top hundred video games ever made. The result is a suitably eclectic mix, presented in chronological order stretching from the 1970s all the way up to the 2010s.

  All the retro arcade classics you'd expect are in there - Space Invaders, Frogger, Pac-Man and more - while Nintendo's core franchises dominate the 1980s as consoles made their way into US homes. Mario and Zelda are among the only games to appear in more than one guise. The original Super Mario Bros and Mario 64 both make the grade, as does the original Metroid and its 2002 first-person sequel Metroid Prime.

  Resident Evil and Tomb Raider join the list in the 1990s, and are still going strong today. Resident Evil 6 launched recently, while Lara Croft is being relaunched in 2013.

  More recognisable names also pop up as the list draws closer to 2012. Bioshock, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Guitar Hero, Wii Sports, Portal, Gears of War and The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion are all held up as examples of classic modern gaming.

  Just two games from the last few years have been deemed worthy of a place. Mass Effect 3 and Batman: Arkham City are the lucky pair. Notable by their absence are current big hitters such as Assassin's Creed, Borderlands and Uncharted.

  Is Time placing too much importance on the past? Would you pick any of these for your top 100?

  Published: 16/11/2012

• New Tomb Raider story will last between 12 and 15 hours

  Karl Stewart, the global brand director for Tomb Raider at developer Crystal Dynamics, took to Twitter this week to field questions from eager fans and let slip some interesting nuggets about the upcoming reboot of the classic gaming icon.

  Perhaps the most important revelation is that the game will take between 12 and 15 hours to complete, depending on your play style. What does that mean? Well, Stewart hinted that you'll be able to approach the game in gung ho action style or take a more stealthy approach to enemy encounters. He also promised "tons" of "hidden rooms and side stories" as well as secret artefacts. Compared to the fairly linear Lara adventures of the past, it seems this one will offer more incentive to stray from the path.

  There will also be plot twists - "We love twists here at Crystal D" - and possibly tributes and references to the classic games. "You'll just have to wait and see" teased Stewart when asked about nods to the previous titles.

  A few famous elements won't be present, though it's doubtful we'll miss them. There'll be no underwater sections, for one thing. "Lara can swim, but just not in this game" Stewart explained. Nor will she benefit from any servants, as in the training mansion of her original game. "haha NO!!" tweeted Stewart when a fan asked if the tropical island would come with a butler and a freezer to lock him in.

  Tomb Raider is out next March for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
  

  Published: 27/11/2012

• Tomb Raider dev explains how they reinvented a gaming icon

  Brian Horton, the art director on the incoming Tomb Raider reboot, has been talking about the difficult balancing act of adding "texture" to gaming's most visible female icon, and how Lara Croft is different to other games, such as Mass Effect, which allow the player character to be female.

  "You can choose to make the protagonist a heroine, but that's not the way they market the game, right?" Horton told CVG when discussing the "Femshep" phenomena from Bioware's sci-fi trilogy. "It's marketed as the male Shepard. So for our game, Lara stands alone in an industry of AAA third-person action games, in that it has the female hero."

  But this isn't the Lara Croft of the 1990s, with her confident poise and daredevil attitude. The new Lara is younger and more vulnerable, which can lead to more drama, but risks offending those fans who don't want to see her weakened.

  "The challenge for us is, that now we're making it more realistic, it starts to conjures up different emotions in people," Horton admits. "They're playing as Lara and she's struggling - you have a mixed emotion. Before she was really just an expression of male energy in a female body. Now she's both female and feminine, but at the same time very strong, has that inner strength, has those smarts - the things you associate with Lara Croft - but also with a little more texture. We're making her vulnerable because it's her first adventure, and she happens to be a woman. That's the distinction."

  Lara Croft returns in Tomb Raider on March 5th next year, for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.
  

  Published: 05/12/2012

• Tomb Raider: Preview

  
  

  

  Lara's Back, But Not As You Know Her

  The "reboot" has been a fashion in Hollywood for the last decade or so, with many popular movie icons from James Bond to Batman going back to the drawing board and starting from scratch - not just with new actors but a new style and a new story. Now gaming's most famous heroine, Lara Croft, is set to follow suit in this brave and spectacular new Tomb Raider game.

  Sitting down to play the first three hours of the game recently, we already knew many of the facts. This Tomb Raider would present a young and vulnerable Lara in her first adventure, as she gradually learns the skills and strength that made her the backside-kicking adventurer we all know and love. It would be aimed squarely at a mature audience, with graphic violence and swearing and elements of horror. It would aim for a move involved storyline than the previous games. And, for the first time in the series' history, it would feature levelling and upgrades that allow you to develop and customise Lara's skills and tools as you play.

  You haven't been playing the game for long before all of these elements make their presence felt. Naturally, Lara's trademark athletic platforming is in there too, as well as plenty of combat. And yes, you do get to raid tombs for ancient artefacts. But the impression you get is of a game that's less concerned about living up to people's expectations of this much-loved series than it is about competing with the biggest blockbusters to follow in Lara's footsteps - especially Uncharted and Assassin's Creed.

  

  Lost And Found

  We pick things up at the start of the game, as Lara is shipwrecked on a mysterious island off the Japanese coast. Still a young student archaeologist, she's part of an expedition looking for the fabled island of Yamatai, which was supposedly ruled by a queen with shamanistic powers and an army of samurai.

  It soon becomes clear that they have indeed found Yamatai in the storm-tossed waters of the Bermuda-style "Dragon's Triangle" - but they've also found more than they bargained for. There are some scarily savage men on the island, as well as a ruthless gang of scavengers - and perhaps some more mysterious presences still. The group is split up and they lose radio contact with another, while Lara falls unconscious and then awakes hanging upside down and bound in a sort of cocoon amid the trappings of some weird cult.

  The set-up is very much like the hugely popular TV series Lost, then, although this island is a much gloomier place. Brilliant graphics, art direction and camera-work conjure up a moody, rain-lashed, rocky island dotted with ancient temples and dense forest; Tomb Raider is clearly a big-budget game that looks seriously impressive on the ageing Xbox 360 hardware.

  Explore And Survive

  After escaping her strange prison and a sinister attacker, a wounded Lara attempts to get her bearings and regroup with her colleagues. The incredible animation really brings her physical struggle to life - certainly well enough that we don't really need all her slightly dodgy-sounding squeals and gasps.

  The gameplay that unfolds is everything you would expect from a modern action-adventure - maybe even more. It's a mixture of platforming (very much in the mould of previous Tomb Raiders, Prince of Persia, Uncharted and Assassin's Creed), exploration, stealth, shooting, hand-to-hand combat, physics-based puzzles, a little light survival-style gameplay, as well as that levelling and upgrading.

  

  Exploring a forest glade, Lara finds a bow and arrow and hunts deer for food. Like most activities in the game, this earns her experience points which can be spent on new abilities, be they survival perks like being able to spot animal prey, new hand-to-hand combat moves, the ability to shoot a gun without recoil and so on. They're useful, but don't significantly change the feel of controlling the character. You can also collect "salvage" from animals and crates that lets you enhance the weapons you collect - we found a pistol, rifle and machine gun as well as the bow and arrow - and utility tools like the pry axe and climbing pick.

  The story moves along at a fair clip. Lara's soon reunited with some of her colleagues for dramatic events and cut-scenes, but when it comes to gameplay, she's always on her own, exploring the compact but densely detailed locations to find the way forward. If you're lucky, you might stumble across a secret challenge tomb that contains (in the example we found, anyway) a tricky puzzle and a big loot reward. These break up the forward momentum of the story a bit with some more classic, Tomb Raider-style gameplay, and as such they're very welcome.

  The rest, though - fittingly for this glitzy reboot - is pure Hollywood. To say too much would be to spoil the experience waiting when Tomb Raider is released in March 2013, but there's more than one daring escape, an encounter with the sinister leader of the scavenger gang, sections of stealth (for a vulnerable young woman, Lara can be pretty lethal up close) and running gun battles with the scavengers as well as some quieter moments of exploration. The climax of this first act, as Lara attempts to broadcast a distress signal from a radio mast on top of a snowy hilltop, is gripping and spectacular.

  It might not be the Tomb Raider you remember, then, but this is shaping up to be a memorable action-adventure that doesn't miss a beat when aiming for AAA gaming gold.
  

  Published: 13/12/2012

• Tomb Raider reboot introduces multiplayer gameplay

  Lara Croft has always been a bit of a solitary figure, plunging into caverns and temples on her own and facing down everything from tigers to dinosaurs without any back up. For her upcoming reboot in the simply titled Tomb Raider, she'll be dipping a toe in online multiplayer for the first time in her history. The closest the series has come was the 2010 downloadable title, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, a top-down puzzle platformer which featured two-player co-operative play.

  The news was revealed in the new issue of Official Xbox Magazine, flagged up by Tomb Raider brand manager Karl Stewart on Twitter. "OK, so after all the speculation..yes it's true," he tweeted.

  "Tomb Raider will include a multiplayer offering thanks to the hard work of our sister-studio, the hugely talented Eidos Montreal," added Meagan Marie, community manager of Crystal Dynamics, on the official forums. "The team at Eidos Montreal has been working away at the multiplayer while we focused everything on the single-player offering," she explained. The Eidos Montreal studio previously developed the superb 2011 Game of the Year candidate, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, so it's clear Lara's multiplayer is far more than just a throwaway extra.

  Eidos will be revealing more info about the multiplayer modes, including who you'll be playing as, over the next month. The long-awaited Tomb Raider relaunch is now only a few months away. It's out on March 5th for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
  

  Published: 02/01/2013

• New Year Revolutions: The Top Games We're Looking Forward To In 2013

  
  

  

  Even though the excess of New Year is still fresh in our aching heads, this week sees the release of the first must-have blockbuster of 2013. Capcom's revamped and rebooted Devil May Cry has wowed critics and won over fans with its slick combat and slinky visuals, but that's just the start of what promises to be a spectacular year in gaming. Here are five games that we can't wait to play in the months ahead.
  

  

  Crysis 3

  Out: February 22nd
  Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC

  Why So Excited?: Because the Crysis series has always been the benchmark for the modern shooter in terms of lush visuals, and developer Crytek is promising to pull out all the stops for this trilogy-closing entry. You'll take control of nano-suited anti-hero Prophet as he returns to a New York enclosed in biodomes which have allowed tropical jungles to sprout on the familiar streets of the Big Apple.

  Using your high tech bow, and the various cool abilities that your armour provides, you'll sneak and slay your way through stunning open environments. Quite apart from the in-game thrills on offer, when most of the big shooters cluster around the pre-Christmas rush there's also something rather fantastic about a AAA shooter bold enough to stake its claim in the quieter early months of the year, where nothing can distract us from its groovy gameplay.
  

  

  Tomb Raider

  Out: March 5th
  Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC

  Why So Excited?: You really have to ask? It's the return of Lara Croft, arguably the greatest modern video game character, absent from our joypads for far too long, and often stuck in average or poor quality sequels before that. After inheriting the series from defunct UK studio Core Design, developer Crystal Dynamics finally gets to divert from a 1990s template and reboot Tomb Raider in its own style.

  The result is an action adventure that has more in common with the cinematic rush of Uncharted than the block-shoving puzzles and somersaulting tiger-shooting of old. There'll be multiplayer for the first time in a Tomb Raider game, and there's also the story to consider – one that's written by Rhianna Pratchett, and follows a much younger Lara as she learns to become the confident hero we already know, having been stranded on an island controlled by brutal pirates. Action and drama, with a gaming icon? What's not to love?
  

  

  Bioshock Infinite

  Out: March 26th
  Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC

  Why So Excited?: Because how often do you see a sequel so gleefully tear up everything from its predecessors? Bioshock Infinite may share the name of the 2007 smash hit, but virtually everything else is different. The gloomy and desolate undersea city of Rapture is replaced with Columbia, a steampunk city in the clouds. Dark is replaced with light. Water replaced with air.

  Can a game still be claustrophobic and scary in such bright, open environments? If anyone can pull it off, it's Ken Levine, the Bioshock creator who returns to the series after sitting out Bioshock 2. And it's not as if he hasn't had the time to perfect the game – Infinite's release date has slipped back more than once, but rather than a sign of trouble, it shows that Levine won't let this complex moral fable go until it's just right, even to the point of removing features – such as multiplayer – which weren't working to his required standard. When so many games tend to favour a kitchen sink approach, that sort of polish and focus demands to be rewarded.
  

  

  The Last of Us

  Out: May 17th
  Platforms: PlayStation 3

  Why So Excited?: It's Naughty Dog, one of a handful of big studios that effortlessly combine compelling core gameplay, brilliantly realised characters and staggering cinematic sweep. What happens when a developer with that pedigree tackles the survival horror genre? That's what we can't wait to find out. The Last of Us was sprung on the gaming public just over a year ago, and it immediately became a “must see” title.

  Set after a virulent plague wipes out most of humanity, it follows a grizzled survivor called Joel and Ellie, a young girl who he has taken under his wing, as they struggle to stay alive in the ruins of modern society, where brutal gangs and bloodthirsty maniacs lurk in the rubble. Unapologetically violent and with a gruelling storyline that explores the characters as much as the haunting landscape, The Last of Us brings us one step closer to gaming that packs as much punch as a big-name movie.
  

  

  Grand Theft Auto V

  Out: Spring
  Platforms: PlayStation 3

  Why So Excited?: If you have to ask, you must have been on Mars for the last decade. A new Grand Theft Auto game is a guaranteed event, not least because Rockstar doesn't turn these sequels out unless there's a good reason to do so. No annual updates for this series, so the news that players will be returning to the hot sticky streets of Los Santos for the first time since 2004's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is enough to put us on the edge of our seat.

  Ever the tease, Rockstar has released only a few trailers and handfuls of screenshots, but it's enough to whet the whistle. With stunning graphics, bringing the city to life in never-before-seen detail, the big selling point is that this time around we'll be controlling three characters as they navigate the underbelly of modern urban life. Swapping between them at will, and combining their skills for missions, this could well be the evolutionary kick in the pants that the free-roaming crime genre needs. Would you expect anything else from the maestros that created the genre in the first place?
  

  Published: 17/01/2013

• Tomb Raider Achievements revealed

  The Achievements for the Xbox 360 edition of Lara Croft reboot Tomb Raider have scrambled into the wild, giving us a glimpse at what the game might demand from us.

  Exploration thankfully seems to be very much on the cards, with 160 Gamerscore set aside for tracking down documents, relics and GPS signals, as well as salvaging and looting items. Both Lara's abilities and weapons will be upgradeable, with Achievements on offer for maxing out each. You'll also be rewarded for taking down various types of animals.

  The game finds a young Lara stranded on an island populated by grizzled pirates, and she won't be leaving without getting some blood on her hands. There's Gamerscore set aside for head shots, kills with different weapon types as well as stealth takedowns, finishing moves and incapacitating attacks.

  A full quarter of the game's Achievements are set aside for the new multiplayer mode. You'll need to reach Level 60 in the ranking system to unlock all of those, although there are no Achievements that require you to win a ridiculous number of matches, thank goodness.

  Tomb Raider is out on March 5th for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

  Published: 21/01/2013

• Tomb Raider - Review

  
  

  

  Cream Of The Croft

  Watch out world - Lara's back, and looking better than ever, in the all-new, all-different Tomb Raider. Her first game was released back in 1996 and since then the series has gone from strength to strength, firmly establishing Ms. Croft as gaming's most iconic heroine. But this latest instalment is billed as a reboot, designed to breathe new life into both the franchise and its star. In other words, to do what Casino Royale did for James Bond and Batman Begins did for Bruce Wayne. The good news is, it succeeds - and then some.

  The game is a prequel of sorts, set before the events of the other games. When it begins Lara is an ordinary young woman, taking her first footsteps into the wider world and yet to experience true adventure. But then the ship she is travelling on is hit by a violent storm. Lara finds herself shipwrecked on a strange island, separated from her companions and forced to fend for herself in ways she has never had to before. As the island's dark side is revealed and its murderous inhabitants make themselves known, Lara becomes involved in a desperate struggle for survival.

  

  Angel Of Darkness

  In other words, this game is different to the Tomb Raiders of old that were very much about puzzle-solving and exploration. Those elements are in here, but they take a backseat to the combat. Lara quickly (perhaps a little too quickly) gets over her moral qualms about taking human life and starts defending herself with anything she can lay her hands on. This includes a crossbow and shotgun, amongst other weapons, including a pickaxe that can be used for stealth kills and up-close finishers.

  Without a doubt, this is the most violent instalment in the series yet. The kills are graphic and bloody, and some of Lara's own death animations are enough to give you nightmares. Even the environments are gorier than anything previously seen in the series - you'll still get to enjoy the odd pretty vista here and there, but there are also a lot of rotting corpses, piles of bones and pools of blood.

  Those who miss the good old days will be pleased to know there are also some atmospheric hidden tombs packed with tricky puzzles to solve. These are optional, which is a great innovation - no more getting stuck on a particular level because you can't work out how to open the door to the next one.

  

  Tomb With A View

  The game has a cracking plot and moves along at a terrific pace, with some great action sequences and boss battles. There are tons of collectables to find, from XP and weapon upgrades to diary pages and historical artefacts. In fact the sheer amount of stuff can be quite distracting if you're just trying to plough through the main campaign, but completists will love it. There is an option to travel all around the island and round up anything you missed once the game is complete, which is a great touch.

  This Tomb Raider also has a multiplayer mode, a first for the series. It seems a bit superfluous but it's smartly put together, with all the typical match options you might expect. A neat addition, if one that's unlikely to drag your focus away from the main game.

  Anyone who remembers Lara from way back and is looking for more of the same may be disappointed - this really is very different to those old classics. And while there are lots of ideas here that are new to the series, there aren't too many that haven't been done in other modern games already. But this is still a great package, offering thrills and chills, fast-paced combat, gorgeous graphics and plenty of extras. It's good to have you back, Lara.

  GAME's Verdict:

  The Good:

  • Great new direction
  • Action-packed
  • Stunning to look at

  The Bad:

  • Gore can get a bit much
  • Not many original ideas
  • Might be too different for veterans

  
  

  Published: 27/02/2013

• Tomb Raider movie reboot will be based on the new game

  Hollywood has been trying to get a new Tomb Raider movie off the ground for several years now, and the critical success of the rebooted game may have shown them how to do it.

  "They are working from this new take that we've given them," says Darrell Gallagher, head of developer Crystal Dynamics in an interview with movie biz bible Variety. Angelina Jolie starred as Lara Croft in two Tomb Raider movies ten years ago, but neither was well received. Now the rights have landed with GK Films, which has a track record of working with directors such as Martin Scorsese and Michael Mann. It's also the company behind this year's Best Picture Oscar winner, Argo.

  "It's a good partnership," says Gallgher. "We're seeing the challenges through the same lens. It was important for both of us to have a cohesive version of the franchise. We didn't want to see a film version that was a continuation of the old Tomb Raider films."

  The new Tomb Raider game follows a younger Lara on her first adventure, shipwrecked on an island populated by pirates. Critics have been virtually unanimous in their praise for the game's script, written by Rhianna Pratchett, which reinvents Lara as a more human figure rather than the bosomy superhero of old.

  Tomb Raider is out now for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

  Published: 06/03/2013

• Tomb Raider's death toll was originally twice as big

  The new Tomb Raider features a more human and vulnerable Lara Croft, but also finds her slaughtering hundreds of henchmen in a variety of gory ways. More than a few critics have pointed out this contradiction and now Rhianna Pratchett, writer of the hugely successful reboot, has addressed the issue.

  "Tomb Raider raised a lot of comparisons to the Uncharted series, and both games show that tension of having very life-like and ordinary human characters killing hordes of bad guys," Pratchett told Kill Screen. "This is a constant tension, and I don't imagine that any one game developer has the magic bullet to just solve it.

  "What we tried to do with Lara was at least halve the first death count," she added.

  "It's about balancing the needs of gameplay with the needs of narrative. The needs of narrative don't always trump the needs of gameplay," Pratchett explains. "In fact, it's usually the other way around. And so I'd say from a narrative perspective, we would have liked the ramp-up to be a bit slower. But, you know, there are other factors to be considered! When players get a gun, they generally want to use the gun. We were brave in going such a long time without giving players a gun in a game where you end up doing a lot of shooting."

  Tomb Raider is out now for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

  Published: 21/03/2013

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