The second map pack for Tomb Raider is out today, and Square Enix has taken the opportunity to outline its plans for the upcoming DLC schedule. Today's "1939" pack is available on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, after the first Caves and Cliffs DLC was timed exclusive for the Xbox 360.
You may have noticed Crystal Dynamics releasing a multiplayer map pack for Tomb Raider and wondered, "Why?" or "Will we get single-player DLC?" or "Why?" Because it's not planning to expand or continue the single-player story with DLC, that's why. Or part of the why, anyway.
A new patch for the PC version of Tomb Raider addresses stability and start-up issues, and tweaks to TressFX hair rendering. Those problems were the most prominent complaints last week, when Nvidia offered an apology.
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.
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.
The new Tomb Raider stars a younger, less self-assured Lara Croft. Hollywood appears to be taking that tack and running with it, as Crystal Dynamics head Darrell Gallagher said that it's working with GK Films on an adaptation that will account for the "new take" on the character.
Read more: 'They are working from this new take that we've given them' »
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Microsoft sure does love its limited edition controllers. The next colorful addition to your lineup of Halo-themed controllers is Tomb Raider.
The "Tomb Raider Limited Edition Wireless Controller" as it's officially called is "the perfect commemorative companion marking Lara Croft's return to the Xbox 360," according to Microsoft's official PR. Designed in collaboration with Crystal Dynamics, the red controller is scratched and bandaged--much like Lara will be in the first two hours of the game!
Tomb Raider is getting multiplayer, whether you want it or not. Eidos Montreal is tasked with introducing online competitive gameplay to a traditionally single-player franchise, and a new video released by Square Enix shows us the fruits of their labor.
Multiplayer has you playing as either the ruthless island Scavengers or crew members from the shipwrecked Endurance. Set across the island Lara plays through, you'll mow each other down in a number of competitive modes.
Those afraid that the recently-confirmed multiplayer mode for Tomb Raider will interfere with development of the single player game can relax. Like many games before it, Square Enix has handed off online duties to another studio so the main game doesn't suffer.
Read more: "We focused everything on the single-player offering" »
"It clearly says in the article that this DLC isn't exclusive and is available on all platforms ..."
- weemanply109 See all 7 comments