by Alice O'Connor, Apr 09, 2013 1:30pm PDT
by Steve Watts, Apr 02, 2013 10:30am PDT
by Alice O'Connor, Mar 26, 2013 2:45pm PDT
As you rush to explore the floating of Columbia, don't be too hasty. Nvidia yesterday released new graphics card drivers which can boost BioShock Infinite performance by up to 41% (with certain system and settings, obviously), so you'll want to install them. The 314.22 WHQL drivers also boost Tomb Raider framerates by up to 71%. Gosh! If you have an Nvidia card, you'll want to install these.
Read more: More charts that you can shake a bar at »
by Alice O'Connor, Mar 26, 2013 1:00pm PDT
Developer and publisher Square Enix has changed its positive predictions for the current financial year from a healthy profit to a crippling loss, and announced plans to bring in expensive reforms and restructuring. Sleeping Dogs, Hitman Absolution, and Tomb Raider all failed to meet high sales expectations. The company had forecast a net profit of around $37 million for the fiscal year, which ends March 31, but has now revised that to be a whopping $138 million loss. Ouch.
Read more: "Major reforms and restructuring" coming »
by Alice O'Connor, Mar 20, 2013 8:15am PDT
by Steve Watts, Mar 11, 2013 1:15pm PDT
by Steve Watts, Mar 07, 2013 3:30pm PST
If you've attempted to play Tomb Raider on PC using a GeForce card with max settings, you've probably noticed some issues. Those range from performance issues due to the hair rendering tech to outright crashes. Nvidia has now apologized for the "major performance and stability issues," and says it is working with developer Crystal Dynamics to fix the problems.
Read more: Fix will require updated drivers, game patch »
by Steve Watts, Mar 06, 2013 8:45am PST
Square Enix has announced the first Tomb Raider downloadable content, coming later this month. Could it be tombs to raid, alternate outfits, or more startlingly graphic death animations? No on all counts! The "Caves and Cliffs" pack instead adds more maps for its various multiplayer modes.
Read more: Three maps for $4.99 »
by Steve Watts, Mar 05, 2013 10:00am PST
by Steve Watts, Mar 01, 2013 3:30pm PST
The reboot of Tomb Raider put such a higher emphasis on combat that our own review called it a very different design ethos. Lara is less apt to push blocks around and leans more on gun-play (or bow-play as the case may be). So why the change?
"In some ways, combat, we felt, was behind the curve, that it wasn't a pillar that we could lean a lot of weight on in its previous lock-based mechanic form," creative director Noah Hughes told Shacknews. "We really wanted it to be one of the three main pillars that we celebrated."
Read more: Team wanted the 'best modern' version combat »
by Steve Watts, Mar 01, 2013 10:15am PST
One major focus of Tomb Raider was an attempt to make Lara more relatable -- more "hero" than "superhero." Crystal Dynamics wanted to make this game about her first steps down that path, but the developer is already thinking about what comes next for the character and how to retain her humanity.
Read more: Lara 'won't lose a sense of fear in death' »
by Jeff Mattas, Feb 25, 2013 7:00am PST
Rebooting a beloved and long-lived series in any entertainment medium is a challenging prospect. Push your material to the next level in every conceivable way, but stray too far from the core type of experience that made your source material successful, and you risk disappointing your built-in fanbase. Tomb Raider by Crystal Dynamics does both of these things in a number of ways. There's also a lot mechanically and structurally familiar about Lara Croft's new "origin story" experience alongside the new stuff, though that familiarity doesn't stem much from past Tomb Raider games.
Read more: Re-crafting Croft »
by Alice O'Connor, Feb 22, 2013 6:00am PST
With Tomb Raider only weeks away, publisher Square Enix has detailed the bells and whistles added to the PC edition, including high-res textures and better shadows. It also confirmed the minimum and recommend system specs. The port is in good hands, made by Nixxes Software, the folks behind the respectable PC edition of Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
Read more: The specs
by Steve Watts, Feb 11, 2013 9:00am PST
Tomb Raider has gotten a few gameplay demonstrations, but most of them weren't as lengthy as a new one released today. A walkthrough of the monastery escape sequence lasts a whopping 11 minutes, featuring looks at combat and Lara's cinematic moments.
Watch: 11 minutes of Tomb Raider »
by Steve Watts, Jan 18, 2013 7:00am PST
The new Tomb Raider reboot takes Lara back to a simpler time when she was less self-assured and getting regularly shot at and impaled. Developer Crystal Dynamics doesn't want to tip its hand on any of those foundational moments, so it won't be offering a demo for the game.
Read more: 'We don't want to spoil the story' »
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