Tomb Raider reboot on way – open-world origin story
The Tomb Raider franchise has gone off the boil of late. OK, so Underworld isn’t too bad, but the series is generally feeling stale and has probably since Tomb Raider Chronicles. What Tomb Raider really needs is a reboot, a re-imagining, a brand new way of playing with Lara Croft and company.
And that’s exactly what looks set to happen.
News of this supposed Tomb Raider reboot was first posted on gaming blog, Four Player Co-Op. The concept art has since been taken down after Crystal Dynamics’ lawyers demanded as much. But it matters not, because by then the story had started to disseminate around the blogosphere, with more details added along the way.
The new Tomb Raider looks to be set before the existing games, as we get to see how “a young and inexperienced Lara Croft” copes when she “finds herself stranded on a mysterious and remote island hidden of the shores of Japan.” Think of it as an origin story in the mold of Batman Begins.
Rather than the linear – do this to cause this – style of gameplay, Tomb Raider 9 will be set in an open-world environment with a “diverse multi region island” acting as “an open playground alive with creatures, weather and natural events.” Which sounds pretty awesome if the game developers can pull it off.
Gameplay looks set to evolve as well. The new Tomb Raider will be much more about survival than adventuring. The combat system will likely get an overhaul, with more attacking methods and new weapons. One of the embargoed pictures shows Lara Croft wielding a bow and arrows.
The method for traversing the landscape looks to have drawn inspiration from both Uncharted and Mirror’s Edge, with more of a free-running, free-to-explore system in place than in previous games.
All these details are at the moment merely conjecture based on details leaked from an inside source. They may prove to be completely erroneous, with Tomb Raider 9 following the tried and tested formula. But I doubt it. The fact that Eidos is trying to stamp on the story adds weight to it, as do previous sound bites we’ve heard from Eidos, Crystal Dynamics, and Toby Gard.
I must admit I like everything I’ve read about this supposed reboot. I haven’t bought a Tomb Raider game for a long time but this could well persuade me to do so if all the good ideas are turned into reality. In the face of Uncharted 2, Tomb Raider needs an overhaul, and this looks like being evidence of exactly that.
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15 Responses to “Tomb Raider reboot on way – open-world origin story”
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July 13th, 2009
all of this does sound good, but there will still be 2 main selling points to this game
1) will she still have that glorious pair?
2) will we get to see them
… if only number one is true… moderate to good sales… if both are true… seeing as it is based in japan… and er we all know how they do there cartoons… then we could have a record breaking in terms of sales game on are hands here… well atleast one of our hands
July 13th, 2009
I liked the 3 previous – Legend, Anniversary and Underworld !!!! All the others were shite, except for the original.
Will like to see it go “free world” though.
July 13th, 2009
They better make her breasts bigger!!!
July 13th, 2009
This game was one of my fav PS1 game. but now this game is not as good as it was 13 years ago.
They should Kill the Frachise. but Since Square Enix owns the IP this might actually be the Best Tomb Raider in a long time.
July 13th, 2009
I actually played through Underworld. The finale to the trilogy was pretty lame. Asides from all of the game play & camera quirks, the story, writing, and dialog is just horrible.
They either need to do a complete and total re-boot, or just let the franchise rest until next gen.
July 13th, 2009
I think its better now than what it used to be. They gave Lara more abilities therefore making all the puzzles different than the original(anniversary).
I get worried when I hear that the franchise is getting an overhaul, as I like it he way it is. Underworld was a great game. Just a little too short and buggy.
July 13th, 2009
“Underworld was a great game. Just a little too short and buggy.”
Short and Buggy sound like a horrible game.
July 13th, 2009
Theres plenty of games that are short and great. The bugs should have been worked through, considering how long the game was pushed back. The autosave features saved me in a spot and i wasn’t able to pick something up to proceed. I had to replay half the game.
July 13th, 2009
damn i hate when that happens.
July 13th, 2009
Ive only been more angry one time during any game.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma. I beat a boss and died on the next level to have to re fight that same boss. There was a controller shaped hole i the wall.
July 13th, 2009
I don’t mind the minor bugs. They weren’t really game breaking or that annoying… the graphics were pretty good, puzzles were challenging… I liked most of it.
Spoilers:
I was sooo disappointed with the story though. She’s basically trying to find her mother for 3 whole games… and when she finds her, her mother is a zombie… Lara shoots her, sulks for a few seconds and then moves on, like nothing ever happened.
Then for the ending… there wasn’t even a boss fight or anything epic. It was just solve the giant puzzle to finish the game. Horrible, horrible, horrible story, dialogue, and characters. I think that should be the main focus of the reboot.
July 13th, 2009
whooo hoo!!! Bioshock 2010.
opens a spot for another game during christmas
July 14th, 2009
Underworld the worst of the latest 3 releases, I will admit. It was waaayyy to short too.
July 14th, 2009
I found underworld to be a lot better than legend.
I felt that underworld went back to actual tombs.
July 14th, 2009
I really liked the first few on the PC. (2 and 3)
I haven’t really played them since.
I should though.