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3 CommentsTomb Raider's Shipwrecked DLC released today with two new maps
By Dave Tach on May 07, 2013 05.07.13
Tomb Raider's downloadable content expanded today with two new multiplayer maps available in the Shipwrecked Multiplayer Map Pack, according to a post on the game's official blog. The maps include Lost Fleet, which turns a beached ship into a battleground, and Himiko's Cradle, which takes place on a mountaintop shrine. The DLC is available for $3.99 on PlayStation 3 and Windows PC and 320 Microsoft Points on Xbox 360. Tomb Raider's previous DLC, the 1939 Multiplayer Map Pack, added two more multiplayer maps for the same price early last month. Tomb Raider was released March 5 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC. For more on the game, you can read Polygon's review and learn about how senior designer Jonathan Hamel tried to bring "emotional synchronization" to Crystal Dynamics'...
Deals
6 CommentsTomb Raider now 50 percent off on Steam until May 6
By Emily Gera on May 03, 2013 05.03.13
Tomb Raider is available at half-price from now until May 6 on Steam, as part of the platform's weekend deal. The sale applies to the standard PC edition of Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider: Survival Edition and the digital book Tomb Raider: The Final Hours, which are now available for $28.99, $34.99 and $1.49, respectively. Also included in the sale is the enormous Tomb Raider Collection, which features 10 items: Tomb Raider: Legend, Tomb Raider: Anniversary, Tomb Raider: Underworld, Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider 4: The Last Revelation, Tomb Raider 5: Chronicles, Tomb Raider 6: The Angel of Darkness, Tomb Raider 2 and Tomb Raider 3. This has dropped in price from $69.99 to $34.99. Tomb Raider received a 9 out of 10 from Polygon, in a review that states: "It's easy to point out the...
Deals
8 CommentsTomb Raider and Quantum Conundrum bundled for $29.99 on PSN this weekend
By Dave Tach on Apr 26, 2013 04.26.13
A $29.99 downloadable bundle of Tomb Raider and Quantum Conundrum for PlayStation 3 is available this weekend through the PlayStation Network, according to a post on the PlayStation Blog by Megan Marie, community manager at Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics. The 50 percent off sale is available in the U.S. PlayStation Store, as well as those in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Argentina. The Tomb Raider Digital Edition bundle includes the full game, the Shantytown multiplayer map pack, three outfits in the Tomb Raider Outfit Pack and three weapons from Hitman: Absolution, which is also published by Square Enix. The PlayStation Store listing also reveals that the purchase includes Quantum Conundrum, Airtight Games' first-person puzzle game from Kim Swift, Portal's lead designer. ...
Deals
12 CommentsOrigin sale discounts Battlefield 3, Tomb Raider, Assassin's Creed 3, more through April 30
By Samit Sarkar on Apr 25, 2013 04.25.13
EA's Origin is currently running a sale on a variety of action games and their DLC, including Battlefield 3, Tomb Raider and Assassin's Creed 3. The sale includes physical copies on Windows PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 as well as digital copies sold through Origin; the discounts are as high as 50 percent off. Here are some of the highlights: Battlefield 3: $9.99 (PC download), $19.99 (PC, PS3, 360 retail) Battlefield 3 Premium Edition: $29.99 (PC download), $34.99 (PC, PS3, 360 retail) Tomb Raider: $24.99 (PC download) Tomb Raider Survival Edition: $28.99 (PC download) Assassin's Creed 3: $24.99 (PC download) Dead Space 3: $29.99 (PC download), $39.99 (PC, PS3, 360 retail) Darksiders 2: $24.99 (PC download) Saints Row: The Third - The Full Package: $24.99 (PC...
News
1 CommentJapan Review Check: Game & Wario, Dragon's Dogma, Tomb Raider
By Kevin Gifford on Apr 17, 2013 04.17.13
A quick look at the highlights among the games coming out in Japan this coming week, courtesy the review pages of Famitsu magazine: Game & Wario (8/8/7/8, 31 out of 40 points): This Wii U minigame complication came out on March 28, but — as with a lot of WiiU titles — Famitsu didn't publish their review until pretty well after the game hit stores. One wonders if that has anything to do with the general disappointment that seeps through most of the reviewers' text blurbs. "Only four out of the 16 games included are multiplayer," wrote editor Atsuhiro Fujiwara, "which may not feel like enough for some people. However, each game gets harder and offers up new gimmicks the more you get into them, so it's all pretty enjoyably. The game where you have to draw pictures based on topics...
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24 CommentsTomb Raider's 'Western' Steam version getting Japanese language support with $30 DLC
By Dave Tach on Apr 12, 2013 04.12.13
When Tomb Raider is released April 25 in Japan, players can add Japanese language support to the "Western" Steam version of the game for $30 with the Japanese Language Pack downloadable content, according to a post on Square Enix's Japanese website. A Google translation of the website reveals that the DLC will add support for Japanese audio and subtitles to the "Western version" of Tomb Raider that was released for Windows PC on Steam earlier this year in North America and Europe. Those who purchase the Japanese Language Pack and the Shanty Town multiplayer DLC between April 25 and May 2 will receive the Hitman: Absolution Weapons Pack 2, a multiplayer bundle of three weapons. That DLC is available in North America on Steam for $1.99. According to Tomb Raider's North American Steam...
Report
12 CommentsHow Crystal Dynamics created cover as a tool for 'emotional synchronization' in Tomb Raider
By Dave Tach on Apr 01, 2013 04.01.13
In a GDC 2013 talk called "Emotional Synchronization and the Croft of Systems Design," Jonathan Hamel, senior designer at Crystal Dynamics for Tomb Raider, explained how he tried to link the game's narrative and the player's experience to form a cohesive whole. Hamel referred to the process of marrying the two halves as "emotional synchronization." "I'm going to talk about emotional synchronization as a tool, so that both narrative design and gameplay systems design can work together to make the player's experience more meaningful," Hamel said. At the beginning of development, he explained, the Tomb Raider team had three core pillars upon which they wanted to build the game: a smart and resourceful Lara; traversal and exploration; and desperate combat. Those had been part of the...
Deals
1 CommentTomb Raider discounted to $41.99 for Amazon Gold Box deal
By Griffin McElroy on Mar 26, 2013 03.26.13
Tomb Raider has been marked down from its standard $59.99 price tag to $41.99 today on Amazon, as part of the retailer's daily Gold Box discount. That price applies to the game's standard edition on PS3 and Xbox 360 — the downloadable Windows PC version is actually a little bit cheaper, having been marked down to $34.99 until the end of the day. The deal is paired with a rotating list of game sales through Amazon's Lightning Deals promotion, which lists the following hints: 2 p.m. ET: Black Ops 2 on Xbox 360 or PS3 for $34.99 4 p.m. ET: Dance the night away! 6 p.m. ET: Dance to the Magic of Disney 8 p.m. ET: Rock On, Rock Long 9 p.m. ET: A headset that delivers the Dolby® surround sound advantage to PS... 11 p.m. ET: Travel back through time to learn the best dance crazes 12...
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41 CommentsSleeping Dogs, Hitman: Absolution, Tomb Raider all million-sellers, but miss sales targets
By Samit Sarkar on Mar 26, 2013 03.26.13
Square Enix's three most recent launches of major console titles — Sleeping Dogs, Hitman: Absolution and Tomb Raider — all sold at least a million copies, but missed the company's sales targets, it said today in a presentation to investors. Each title received critical acclaim, but sales in North America and Europe — although by no means poor — did not meet the publisher's expectations for its 2013 fiscal year, which ends March 31. As a result, the company expects to report a $105 million loss for the year. Square Enix launched Sleeping Dogs in August 2012 and has sold approximately 1.75 million copies of United Front Games' open-world crime thriller. Since Hitman: Absolution's release in November 2012, Square Enix has sold about 3.6 million units. And Tomb Raider, which...
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9 CommentsLara Croft's reinvention was to make her less of an 'untouchable ice queen,' says writer
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Mar 22, 2013 03.22.13
The reinvention of Lara Croft drew on previous incarnations of the character, as the team wanted to create a Lara still connected to her "badass" roots but distanced from the femme fatale persona, Tomb Raider writer Rhianna Pratchett said in a video during a panel at PAX East today. "We wanted to keep the traits players associate with Lara, but rewind to point where they were deep below the surface," Pratchett explained. "She's not conscious of what she's capable of doing. The game brings the traits to the surface." Pratchett said that Lara's reputation as an "untouchable ice queen" was something she wanted to overcome. "I wanted to explore the humanity behind that, her sense of empathy, her friendships, what makes her tick as a person," she said. "She has a sort of playgirl...
