(E3 Catch-Up) ElderGeekDotCom Interviews Brian Horton (+ Notes)

ElderGeekDotCom posted their interview with Senior Art Director, Brian Horton, on YouTube recently. Like with all of the E3 videos on G&G, I've posted some notes I've made during the interview below the video.



Notes:

• Crystal's main goal was to re imagine Lara and the Franchise. 
• Lara will be at first; optimistic and enthusiastic about the adventure while on the Endurance. This opens doors for character development. 
• The game and storyline will depend on Lara's inner strength, so Lara's abilities are very important. 
• Survival Instinct can be used by pressing a button, this means that the player doesn't have to use it if they don't want to. 
• Survival Instinct will highlight objects that are important, they won't tell the player how to solve the puzzle. 
• Crystal Dynamics wanted a cinematic in-game experience. 
• Crystal hired a game cinematographer 
• Interactive cut scenes allow the camera to be moved to focus on the environment, Lara's expression or her body language. This can be used to enhance drama or emphasize an object/action in the game. 
• Interactive cut scenes are used sparingly. 

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Tomb Raider at the E3 Judges Press Event and Interview

A few weeks ago, we posted piece of news about an event that Crystal set up to allow the judges at E3 to get a first look at the new rebooted game. There was a series of photos posted about the event. Recently, Wired posted a video which was recorded on the evening which also contains an interview with Darrell Gallagher (Studio Head at Crystal Dynamics).

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(E3 Catch-Up) ElderGeekDotCom Interviews Brian Horton (+ Notes)

ElderGeekDotCom posted their interview with Senior Art Director, Brian Horton, on YouTube recently. Like with all of the E3 videos on G&G, I've posted some notes I've made during the interview below the video.



Notes:

• Crystal's main goal was to re imagine Lara and the Franchise. 
• Lara will be at first; optimistic and enthusiastic about the adventure while on the Endurance. This opens doors for character development. 
• The game and storyline will depend on Lara's inner strength, so Lara's abilities are very important. 
• Survival Instinct can be used by pressing a button, this means that the player doesn't have to use it if they don't want to. 
• Survival Instinct will highlight objects that are important, they won't tell the player how to solve the puzzle. 
• Crystal Dynamics wanted a cinematic in-game experience. 
• Crystal hired a game cinematographer 
• Interactive cut scenes allow the camera to be moved to focus on the environment, Lara's expression or her body language. This can be used to enhance drama or emphasize an object/action in the game. 
• Interactive cut scenes are used sparingly. 

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Tomb Raider E3 Footage Leaked

It was reported on the Tomb Raider Forums that a member of the press had gone against the NDA (Non-disclosure agreement) and posted a video showing Tomb Raider gameplay that was revealed behind closed doors at the Square Enix Booth at E3. The video is now taken off YouTube, Vimeo, the original gaming website that originally uploaded it. 

I presume that the video contained material from later in the game when Lara meets up with Conrad Roth. The only comment that I can find which talks about the video was several mentions of the camera work being "shaky" but apart from that there is very little. 

It also appears that Tomb Raider wasn't the only game to have gameplay footage leaked. Square Enix's other highly anticipated game, Hitman: Absolution, also had a video showing sections of new gameplay, which is still available on the internet. 

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Game40Videos E3 Interview with Kyle Peschel (+ Notes)

Game40Videos talked with Kyle Peschel (Senior Producer at Crystal) about the Tomb Raider game at the E3 event. There isn't a lot of new information released since it's more targeted at gamers who haven't heard a lot about the reboot, but it's still interesting :) and also the interview translated into Spanish.



Notes

• The island will prevent from leaving. 
• Lara will need to be resourceful since supplies are limited.
• Lara's climbing axe and bow are two of the main weapons/tools

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The Crystal Habit Podcast 3 (Final E3 Podcast)

For the final day of E3, Crystal Dynamics has released a third podcast in which we hear more from the Crystal employees at the event; Meagan Marie (Community Manager), Karl Stewart (Global Brand Director), Brian Horton (Senior Art Director), Darrell Gallagher (Studio Head) and a special guest from Visual Works!

There isn't any new news released about the game, but it's a really great podcast and you learn a lot about the team's personalities and experience at E3.

CLICK HERE to transfer to the Tomb Tumblr Page to listen to the podcast.

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IGN's Tomb Raider Interview with Karl Stewart (+Notes)

Earlier this evening (or this morning if you're in the UK) IGN talked live with Karl Stewart about the game as well as walking through the preview of that was shown at the Microsoft's Press Event:

More Tomb Raider Videos

Notes taken from the video:

• She is looking for Kahn's Lost Fleet
• The voice acting took over six months to find the perfect voice actress for Lara
• Lara only huffs and pants at the start of the game
• Lara doubts herself, but the character grows.
• Elements and physics are a main focus
• Lara has no gear or equipment at the start
• Lara feels bad about killing a wolf later in the game (her first kill)
• The game is a physiological survival game
• Lara doesn't kill for sport, only to protect herself and only when needed
• Lara can die, and there's some pretty gruesome deaths
• The puzzles involving the weights and the cages at the preview was a shortened version of the puzzle
• You're still in control as Lara falls down the slide.
• The boulder which falls on the enemy's head can fall on Lara if you fail the quick time event. 
• This Lara's full adventure. 
• You probably don't need telling but; Karl is awesome

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The Crystal Habit Podcast 2 (+ Notes)

The second Official Tomb Raider podcast called The Crystal Habit (doesn't contain actual drugs...apart from perhaps a lot of caffeine) has been released. It contains the same awesome Crystal employees as the last episode; Meagan Marie (Community Manager), Karl Stewart (Global Brand Director), Brent Dady (Senior Brand Manager) and Brian Horton (Senior Art Director)

Like the last episode, this one is also at the TR Tumblr page. So CLICK HERE to go and listen to the podcast.

Notes taken from the podcast:

• The voice actress can not be named, but she is British!
• Lara goes through a lot of different emotions in the game.
• Swimming is not back because it wasn't needed. 
• The theme feels Tomb Raider but doesn't necessarily contain the iconic TR notes.
• Lara's top is actually grey not blue.
• Lara's eyes are brown (the blueish eyes in the trailer are because of reflection) 
• Crystal will go quiet for a few months.
• Crystal drew Endurance, but Visual Works made it for the trailer
• A making of the trailer video will appear later in the year. 
• Lara will go through a character arc but she will still have inner strength.
• There will be the iconic Lara which will be unearthed in the game.
• The savior isn't Roth but it is a major character. It's a person who was at the right place at the right time. 
• Bigger announcement of the composer coming at the end of the year.
• There's a high chance that the game will have a soundtrack.
• A group of people wrote the script for the trailer
• Ernst Shackleton's voyage inspired the ship's name (Endurance) and Roth's character. 

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Article: Tomb Raider E3 Preview at Microsoft Press Conference (Updated with the Extended version)

At the start of the conference Microsoft had promised us great things; the announcement of new games for the Kinect, new exciting titles due to be released and new features for XBOXLIVE. Directly after the introduction they handed it over to Crystal Dynamics to talk about their upcoming game and give the audience a quick preview at the start.

The presentation started with Daniel Neuburger (game director) Darrell Gallagher (studio head) introducing the project and explaining the storyline and how it transforms Lara in the game into the Tomb Raider. However they quickly started with the gameplay preview which was played live by Daniel as both of them commented on the features of the game.

The Tomb Raider session during the Microsoft Press Conference

There was also an extended version of the game which was played by Senior Art Director, Brian Horton, at the Gamespot live interview. Since I wrote the original article before the extended playthrough was announced, I decided to update it to cover both versions of the game. The short version lasts about 5 minutes, with the longer version lasting 15 minutes in total. All the sections in black is the original article that I wrote directly after the event, with the additional material being in red text colour. 

Despite being an early version of the final game, it looks gorgeous. It starts off slow with Lara suspended upside down in a cacoon but as the action and danger increases later in the level, it becomes more fast paced and exciting. In the preview we saw a variety of what the player can expect from the game including some of the enemies, the scenary, the puzzles etc. From just that preview alone, I think that Nathan Drake should be very concerned at the moment.

Lara hanging upside down.

Lara awakes, whimpering, cold and very much alone. The screen is close up on the protagonist's face, watching Lara's expressions intently which helps build up the atmosphere for the game. The close up also reminds the player that this isn't the Lara that they had recently seen walking away from Nepal back in 2008. Slowly the camera rotates and moves backwards to allow the player to see that Lara is hanging upside down. In doing so the gamer can see that Lara is held in a cacoon of some kind with impressive hair gel keeping some of her hair in place. There are many questions posed at this moment; What is she doing here? Who tied her up? Are they coming back? At this moment Lara takes advantage of being alone in the room and plans to escape.

Lara wakes up to find she is alone, captured and needs to escape

The sound in this preview is amazing. It reminds me of Amnesia: The Dark Descent slightly with the dark surrounding which forces the player to also listen to what's around them in the level. The emphasis is on Lara's senses and I really must applaud Crystal for the sound in this game; everything from the trickling water to breaking branches adds more realism to the game and doesn't drag the player's experience away.

"I've got to get out of this,"  Lara whimpers to herself as the player assumes control of the character. Moving her side to side will create enough momentum to make Lara's cocoon hit the one next to her, and repeating this movement will cause the other cocoon to catch alight from nearby candles. "I can't die like this" the character repeats as the camera focuses the burning cocoon nearby as it breaks and reveals a skeleton which falls to the ground. The moment creates the reaction of "Oh...well...yes getting out of here would be good" in the player. The camera pans out to show that the wooden structure near Lara's cocoon has also caught fire and the player can do nothing but watch as the material around Lara catches fire. "This is going to hurt" she warns herself.

In the extended version since the camera any is different we can see things a little more clearly. In the Microsoft Conference demo it appeared as though the beam of wood with cloth around it that caught fire was close to Lara. The new camera angle revealed things more clearly. The other cocoon catches fire which then releases the skeleton, the fire then spreads to a nearby piece of cloth and that leads to the wooden beam becoming entirely engulfed in flames. We can see that Lara is held up by a rope tied to the ceiling instead of the beam, and therefore the player has to move the analogue stick to move the protagonist left and right, causing momentum and getting enough movement so the fire moves to the material surrounding Lara. All of this gives the reaction of "This is not going to end well," a similar emotion to what Lara stated she was feeling. 

The fire that will allow Lara to escape

Also why is there so many red candles? I think they look gorgeous and I approve of them but the island doesn't exactly look like the place that would have an IKEA. My mind went to distress flares but they are too calm to be that. They could be candles that came one of the boats, but it must have been a big boat with some strange cargo. 


As the material burns away around her, Lara screams and falls free. The camera falls cinematically to the ground just as the protagonist begins to drop. Directly in front of the screen is a spike (there's some discussion about whether it is made out of metal, wood or if it's a bone), and following the trend of good luck she had that day, she falls directly on it. There's a gruesome scene in which Lara writhes in agony. She kneels on the ground, sits up straight, and prepares herself for the pain which is going to hit when she extracts it. The first interactive cutscene occures which involves the player pressing the X button repeatedly for Lara to remove the spike. The camera pans up, but focuses on Lara as the player preforms the button control. She flexes backwards slightly giving the gamer a clear view of where the spike is and what is happening. What made me cringe was the sound effect that was placed in the game when Lara finally manages to extract it; it sounds like a muffled pop sound almost like bubble wrap...Which is a little more then disconcerting (apologies for the comparison). Lara screams and the a loud heartbeat can be clearly heard as well as a greyscale blurry filter placed on the screen which may occure every time the protagonist is injured. The filter reminded me of the black and white flash that was seen in the Pre-E3 Trailer.

In the extended version the button wasn't constantly hit. If the player fails keeping the pace the action returns to the start and begins again (although thankfully not in the Heavy Rain way). I admit that as gruesome as it was, I really liked the camera angle which followed Lara's head and showed us her expression. As the action returns to the start, Lara looks down at it again and the screen slides downwards, however when X is hit again, Lara flexs backwards and the camera pans up. Another little detail I liked, is that (again unlike Heavy Rain) Lara's failure to pull out the spike the first time is seen as Lara's fault instead of that of the player's. If the section is reset it triggers dialogue from Lara in which she reassures herself and whispers "Come on". 

Lara is in agony after removing the spike, but her survival instint kick in and therefore her primary concern is to make it out of the cavern alive. Lara walks forward but has differculty keeping her balence, her footwork is sloppy and she can hardly stand straight which makes her falls to the ground and crawls when the pain gets too intense. "What? What is this place?" Lara whispers to herself. The new voice actress is strange considering that we've become familar with Keeley Hawes' voice making comments about the surrounding, however this Lara seems more suited to the new voice actress.

Lara lands on a spike, and suddenly the player's day wasn't too bad in comparison

Moving out of the prison room, she stumbles (quite literally) into another sacrific area. Presumably one of the crew members from the Endurance is tied up in a cross and left there dead with red candles around her.  What I thought was a nice detail was how Lara entered the room. The player couldn't enter it straight away, instead Lara's legs give way and she rests on wooden pedistol nearby knocking off a skull. Small details like this gives the preview and game more realism. She enters the room gingerly, whispering to herself once more; "Oh God no! What did he do to you?" From this quote it's a little unsure if Lara knows who kidnapped all the survivors on the Endurance. It also raises the question of "Why isn't Lara dead?", at this point in the game it is unknown whether anyone has survived and yet Lara is walking among dead crewmembers.  It might all link back to the Magatama which is such a mystery. Going back to what I said in the trailer article if it's a magatama it represents good fortune, and if it's my other theory of Ouroboros then it symbolises survival, it might have been placed on Lara's necklace to remind her and give her hope.

The Endurance crewmember sacrificed

Also does that scene also remind you of the India levels in Tomb Raider 3? When I was younger I remember being absolutely terrified by the levitating human corpse with the hole through his chest. It's a nice concidence...Also more then a little creepy and gruesome. 

As Lara leaves the room with the dead crewmember, a little logo indicating fire flashes on screen. If Lara goes near an object she can use, in this case it was the burning torch, a symbol on the screen will inform you. It's a little like the Batvision in Batman Arkham Asylum where a symbol would appear to tell the protagonist where he can use his grapple to get to higher ledges.

If you walk past the first torch there's another one before you leave the room, and the same logo and button symbol appears. The symbol that appears in the game appears to be a flat image which Lara could walk past and becomes flat when Lara walks past it.

The symbol which appears when Lara can pick up a torch

It's interesting the state that Lara is in at the moment. She finds comfort in talking to herself, something that we all think is insane until you're put into this situation and you need to hear a voice reassuring you that everything is going to be fine. 

As she walks down another corridor there's a really nice detail that I liked. When I was writing the trailer article, I assumed that the people on the island are scavengers who raids recently destroyed ships. As Lara walks down the corridor, she passes several ceramic pots which are tied together and hanging from the ceiling. If the player hits one of these it triggers Lara to say; "That was loud" in a concerned voice. She knows she's not alone and she must escape before she is caught. At this point she's less worried about her recent injuries and her pressing cocern is about the person or thing that had imprisoned her. As she walked down the corridor there was a strange sound, either her heart beats again or loud footsteps, but both are highly possible which is not exactly comforting to the player or the character. 

Appearently Lara assumes the latter and whispers to herself  "He must have heard me". What's intersting again is that she said "he", which adds more evidence that she knows a lot more then what she is letting on to know.

In the extended version, I'm not sure if it was just me or if it was a more detailed video but the corridor seemed darker. More sounds could be heard, someone is heard moving and also shushing Lara. At the end of the corridor is a collection of wooden items including barrels, beams and sections of boats. A flame symbol appears again which informs the player that the items are flammable. As the items are engulfed in flames the player can see rows of human skulls beside Lara, it's a nice detail but at the same time more then a little unsettling which adds perfectly to the atmosphere. 


Also in the longer version the heartbeat and the sound of footsteps wasn't triggered by Lara hitting the pots, but by her burning the wood away. 

As she nears the end of the corridor there's another werid sound, it's like creepy music played on what sounded like an old broken player. As Lara slips in between the gap in the wall she edges closer to the music, however it stops as she enters the next room. Also unfortunately for Lara there's water at the enterence of the room which extisgishes her flame.

Lara relighting her torch

The room is filled with broken ship parts, including panels of wood which covers the walls around Lara. Luckily there's fire nearby where she can relight her torch which the player has press the right trigger button and wait until the symbol of the flame turns entirely orange. The fact that there is fire in the room is a little disconcerting and also adds more evidence to Lara's and the player's suspicion that she is not alone. On the way over to the exit, the sound of heartbeats/footsteps can be heard again as well as a sound of a metal can and glass being kicked or falling over. The can, I presume, is from one of the ship's rations.  Eager to escape, Lara jumps to where the sound seems to have come from, after noticing that a small gap is the only way to leave the room. The roof slides slightly as Lara approaches it , making the exit a little less desirable.

This room is also more complicated in the longer version. Instead of it just being a room, it becomes a puzzle area where Lara must use her resources to escape. The first thing which the player can see is different as they enter, is a red barrel at the other side with another boat mast suspended above it. Lara can leap onto a ledge nearby and set the cloth alight. The fire travels down the mast until the end where it catches fire to the barrel, which explodes (writing this reminds me of the Mousetrap game). When the barrel explodes it takes away the rumble and wood surrounding the exit, and Lara can push on as normal. 

Lara preparing to go through the corridor 

Although leaving isn't going to be that easy, as she begins to leave, an enemy appears and grabs, laughing to himself. Lara and the player can't see the person but can hear him, and the player watches helplessly as Lara is dragged by her feet out of the crawelspace. "Let me go! Get off me!" Lara screams. Combined with the screaming and dragging her stomatch on the rough ground, it's good to see that Lara's wound is feeling better. Walking off the injure really did help in this case! When Lara is out of the crawl space, the player once again has control. The character can only really kick the antagonist, so the player needs to move the right analog stick left and right to make her fight against the enemy's grip.  The antagonist is defeated when Lara kicks him back with enough force that he stumbles, and Lara turns to run through the corridor and preforms a nice Indiana Jones style roll just as the rock falls nicely into place behind her, preventing the enemy from getting to her. 

Lara probably has the same reaction as the player and while obtaining her lit torch again states; "That was close! That was close!" She is also an optimist and refuses to let the rotting corpses and skeletons that are covering the room she is in, put her off. She is detirmined to find a way to escape and follows a corridor which is filled almost to the top with water. Just as she prepares to follow the corridor, Lara turns around, startled at the sudden laughter by the enemy that she had locked in the previous room. It's hard to hear exactly what he's saying but it sounds like "Come on! Just please come back. I'm trying to help you." Appearently "help" is something completely different on this island, perhaps they are using babel fish and the translation to English is a little strange.  In the tunnel, Lara slips on the rocks below, and the player needs to fight the thought about what exactly must the water contain (see previous statement about the corpses) and rush the character through water. The camera is above the water and that combined with Lara turning around,  the taunts from the enemy behind her and having to press her head right up to the ceiling it shows the claustrophobic area she is trapped in.

Lara entering the flooded claustrophobic tunnel

At the end is a tunnel is the first real puzzle of the game. Here Crystal Dynamics shows the new survival-instinct that Lara has in the game. This is also very similar to the Batvision from Batman Arkham Asylum. When survival-instint mode is on, the player can see objects which are vital for the game's puzzles and items that Lara can use. I presume that you can choose whether to use this mode or not, and there should be an achievement or trophy if you get through the entire game without using it. The objects that Lara can use glow brightly and is easily spotted as the rest of the screen goes black and white. Seeing the contraption appears to trigger another voice track in which Lara says "I need to find a way out"...We're getting there Lara.

The survival instinct. I also really like the little water drops on the screen. 

The puzzle can be solved by Lara relighting her torch which was extigished by a flow of water covering the entrance to the room. Then by setting some of the flammable debris floating in the water on fire. Using using the flaming torch, the player needs to burn the rope which is a holding a weight hidden at the top of the room. Burning the rope causes the weight to fall. Since the weight is also connected to the wooden cage-like contraption nearby and a hidden platform underneath, they lift. There are some barrels that Lara could use to her advantage. The debris that Lara had set on fire is now at a top of a slide above the barrels. To get over to the top of the slide, Lara needs to jump between the cage and the ledges at the top of the room to get a group of boxes placed conviently at the top of a slide right above the barrels, pushing the structure nearby sends the debris down the slide. Lara drops into the water below and takes cover behind some wood as the barrels explode. It's good to see that Crystal has kept her obsession with destroying tombs and now we know where it all began! Lara probably was too involved into blowing up the barrels to realize that there was a door clearly marked "Exit" right next to the barrels!

In the Gamespot version, the puzzle is similar to what we've seen before in the Microsoft Conference. The cage which is suspended in the middle of the room is held down by three posts which Lara can set alight. Doing this releases the cage and raises it. Lara could get to the ledge at the top far side of the room by climbing on the cage however the player wouldn't be able to do anything once there. After releasing the cage, Lara needs to set fire to nearby rubble in the water, which collects nicely in a tray. When Lara walks up the platform and jumps on the metal cage she lifted, it causes the tray to lift and tip the flaming objects at a top of a slide. The next bit is the same as the original gameplay; you jump over and make the objects slide down towards the barrels.  

Edging through the water and avoiding the still lit barrels, Lara wades into a clearing where she can see light. This triggers a new piece of music, which has to be my favorite piece in the entire preview. It really gives the impression that anything that Lara does from this point on is going to fail. The music actually reminds me of the  one of the pieces from the early Core games where Lara is being chased by well placed boulders while sliding down a hill. In the preview she manages to avoid an aircraft which decides to lauch itself at her head, which is always a good thing. Nearing salvation, karma hits again and a cleverly placed rock blocks her exit, curse its sudden yet inevitable betrayal! At this point I'm surprised that Lara hasn't come to the conclusion that all rocks at this cavern holds magic abilities to allow them block passageways. As she goes down another path to salvation, the same thing happens again, and yet I can let that rock off the hook because the action scene that the rock causes is defiently one of the best bits of the preview. 

The rock causes the ground to shake and finally collasp and Lara drops into one of the world's strangest slides containing rough rocks, branches and dirt and a surprise at the end. During this the player is in complete control of the protagonist. After tumbling dramtically halfway through, Lara has the ability to stand up at the end, whereas any normal person in this situation with a serious stab wound to their stomach would call for five more minutes while laying down on the floor and demand some kind of strong coffee/tea when she decides to get up...Although I suppose that if Lara decided to lie down for a few seconds a cleverly placed boulder will quickly find her face. 

The player then has to control Lara to run up a series of rocks covered in slime and water and manages to get to the top, only to discover that she faces several large drops which she attempts in the preview without stopping. Although to give her credit, she has just managed to run the entire way, I'm just tired watching her. The player then needs to jump over to the first ledge, which Lara does...just. It's nice to see Lara has the ability to jump long distances, however not as far she she used to...or will do in later in earliar games...Wow, that's confusing! Running forwards towards the exit, Lara must also jump a few more times, each time, she stumbles but recovers quickly. 

After reaching the final ledge, the only way that Lara can go is forwards. Just as the game lulls you into a false sense of sercurity that you're in danger but you are alone; moments after turning a corner, Lara is grabbed again by the enemy who tries to persuade her that he's trying to help. If you believe them, according to the Game Informer article, he stabs you. If you refuse to believe him then the player must move the left analog stick left and right which causes the enemy to lose grip. And just in time too, as another well posistion boulder first pins down his legs/stomatch as it's friend aims for his head. The death of the enemy is gruesome and combined with Lara's extraction of the spike, sets the scene for Lara's grimmest adventure yet. 

Lara catches the edge of the rock before falling

As Lara runs away from the corpse (which is highly understandable) the caves continue to fall down around her, it reminds me of Tomb Raider Anniversary and escpaing from the Qualopec's tomb. What was once easy leaps for Lara, has become lethal deathtraps. After a series of turns, she jumps for a nearby ledge. The player loses control of the character and watches as Lara loses grip on the rock.She slides on her stomatch (ow again) and catches the edge of the cliff.  Lara also drops her torch and can only watch helplessly as it tumbles into the abyss below.  I half expected her to preform a handstand on the rock, but maybe later. 

After climbing on the ledge, the player must drive Lara up a steep rock incline with rushing water to the exit to the cavern. I noticed two features I liked especailly, one is about the realistic water, and the other is the filter they used at the end which showed the camera covered in dirt. I don't particularly like interactive cutscenes because in most games they feel as though it detracts away from the experience, however in this game the use of the buttons are clever. To crawl up the incline, the player uses the left and right back buttons on the controller which is perhaps more immersion then just having the player press up or X.

The Gamespot version came with two extra interactive moment, where the player must make Lara avoid the boulders (*cough* heat seeking rocks *cough*) that are falling down the incline towards Lara. A quick tap of the left shoulder button and direction will make the protagonist avoid death....Technically it would be a paradox if the character dies in this game since it's the original origin story now. 

Lara finally escapes her prison, more beaten and bloody since we saw her last.

After reaching outside, the control is taken away from the player as a cinematic is triggered. The cinematic  looks exactly like the graphics in the gameplay and both are seamlessly put together in a way that it doesn't disrupt the experience or immersion. Now I noticed something that had changed about Lara from the trailer to now, and it's such a small detail, but her hair tie in the trailer was white and here it's green, she has a magatama (OK, I'll stop pointing out the pendent now), also her hand is bandaged as well as her arm neither of them she had done in the gameplay. So something may had occurred earlier. I know that the theory of Lara having time lapses and forgetting things due to her experiences and her injures she had to her head, was something which wasn't looked on as a possibility over at the Tomb Raider Forums (and to be honest when I wrote it, it wasn't exactly intended to be completely serious), although it's still a theory that I'm not completely ruling out. Other survival horror games has used that including Silent Hill, and more recently one of my favorite games; Alan Wake, both of which involved the characters injuring their head (causing concussion) and become disorientated afterwards with issues remembering their actions or what they did. It is possible that events happened before Lara waking up in the cacoon, either Lara can't remember them or she knows more then what she's letting on to know.

Lara manages to stumble to her feet and walk to the cliff edge to see the state at which the Endurance is in as the screen pans around her. The Tomb Raider logo dissolves into view in the skyline signalling the end of the preview.

The end of the preview and the Tomb Raider section

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GameSpot Interview with Darrell Gallagher (+ Notes)

Yesterday Gamespot posted a new interview with Crystal Dynamics studio head, Darrell Gallagher, about the Tomb Raider game, why Crystal made the choices they did, where they are taking this new Lara Croft and what players should expect to discover about her and the island:

Information Released In The Interview:

• Crystal thought they did as much as they could with the older Lara.
• The origins of Lara was never really properly explored before (in TR1 she was already a raider and confident)
• Cinematics, gameplay, and monologues are all vital to the storytelling.
• The island is always a constant threat
• More focus on physics (e.g. water, buoyance, mass etc) especially in puzzles
• So far no crates to push in the game
• All set on one island however it's not completely open world. 
• There are hubs on the island which the player can jump between. 
• Special meaning for objects, everything has a purpose
• Upgrades for gear
• There's a character arc for Lara

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The Crystal Habit Podcast

Crystal Dynamics recently released a podcast involving Meagan Marie (Community Manager), Karl Stewart (Global Brand Director), Brian Horton (Senior Art Director), and Brent Dady (Senior Brand Manager) where they talk about a variety of things that they have done over the past two days at E3; from how they managed to get the session during the Microsoft Press Conference to winning a series of awards.

(From left to right) Meagan Marie, Karl Stewart, Brent Dady and Brian Horton

The podcast is on the TR Tumblr Official Blog, so CLICK HERE to be redirected.

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Tomb Raider Soundtrack? It's Certainly Possible!

Our new Community Manager, Meagan Marie, has recently posted a response on the Official TR Tumblr page to a fan who asked if there was a chance for a soundtrack to be released containing the upcoming game's music. It was then revealed that since Karl Stewart (Global Brand Director) was a fan of soundtracks, that it might be a possibility.

Hopefully a soundtrack will be released. It will certainly make an awesome pre-order gift or special edition boxset content.

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Square Enix Europe interview Karl Stewart (+ Notes)

Jem Alexander at Square Enix Europe recently sat down with Karl Stewart to ask him about the TR game and how the changes where made, as well as inspirations and what he felt about the Square Enix and Eidos merge. Karl also answered some questions from Twitter which fans posted (including my question about the Endurance)

CLICK HERE to view the video.

Notes from the interview:

• Players will be introduced to the point in which Lara changes from being a young woman to being the Tomb Raider we all know and love.
• A more familiar Lara will appear at the end.
• Lara will be more resourceful and relies on her environments
• Inspired by real life stories (for example 127 Hours)
• Crystal wanted to humanize her
• There will be a new side of Lara shown in the game
• Lara will self-doubt herself and believes that she wouldn't be able to do certain tasks.
• They recorded mo-cap and voice at the same time. 
• No overlap with the TR film, Crystal's focus is the game.
• This voice actress might stay (implied) 
• The Sqaure Enix merge allowed Crystal to get more support from a variety of studios.
• Crystal felt that Lara should be able to move freely around the island because she was an explorer.
• Lara's Endurance was on in was inspired by the Endurance which destroyed after 1912.
• Traits seen in Conrad Roth was inspired by Ernst Shackleton. 

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Game Trailer Interview with Karl Stewart (+ Notes)

Game Trailers recently posted an interview with Karl Stewart, Global Brand Director at Crystal, in which he talks about the upcoming Tomb Raider game and the changes in made to Lara's character and what players can expect in the game:

Tags: GameTrailers.com, E3 2011: A New Lara Croft Interview, PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Information revealed in the interview (Spoilers):

• Crystal wanted to set a new foundation for the series and for Lara
• Elements of the older games will be included in this game. 
• Reveals what situations crafted Lara into the Tomb Raider we all know today
• This Lara might stay for Crystal's next TR games (implied)
• More emotional side to Lara
• Lara will change in to the infamous Tomb Raider we all know and love.
• The main focus will be the player's immersion
• Shows a more emotional side to Lara as well as her vulnerability and how the character changes 
• Lara's health will effect the gameplay and how the character moves
• It will involve a much more resourceful Lara who uses her environments to help her
• Physics is also a main focus, and will be used in several puzzles.
• Not open world however players will be able to explore the island more as the game progresses
• Fast Travel system around the island
• Combat is currently hidden because Crystal wanted to show the new character first
• Survival Instinct (compared to Batman's Arkham Asylum's Batvision) shows flammable objects, footprints, parts of a puzzle etc. 
• Tomb Raider will be back at next year's E3
• The game will be available on XBOX360, PC, PS3 and (hopefully) on Mac

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IndyCroft's RAIDERFEST 2011 Competition

Click the banner to be taken to IndyCroft's competition page

IndyCroft is holding a truly awesome competition for Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones fans. If you're interested in music, you're creative, or you want to try something new, then this is for you guys! Plus there are amazing prizes to be won!

Competition Details:

The challenge is to create a piece of music which is inspired by Tomb Raider, Indiana Jones or both. You can create a lyrical tribute (lyrics must be sent with the entry), a fan interpretation of the themes, or your own original tribute. They should be in MP3 or WMA format before entering and should last between 2-5 minutes. One entry per person. 

Prizes:

1st Prize: Either Indiana Jones "Raider of the Lost Ark" 12" Figure from Slideshow Collectibles OR The Art of Tomb Raider book. 

2nd Prize: Indiana Jones Omnibus Vol.1 OR Tomb Raider Tankoban Vol 1

3rd Prize: Will have their choice of a Indiana Jones OR Tomb Raider novel. 

Judges:

Clint Bajakian (Video Game Composer, who worked on the music for several of the Indiana Jones games)

Marcus Trogen (Tomb Raider Fan and Composer)

Anna Meredith (Composer) 

L.E Croft (Owner of IndyCroft and fanfiction author)

Ostercy (Owner of Ostercy's TR Fables and fanfiction author)

Stella Lune (Owner of Stella's Tomb Raider walkthroughs and Brick Raider)

Marcus Broody (Raider's Realm Mod)

Scorn (Indiana Jones Fan)

And Me 

CLICK HERE to find out more information!

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Article: A Closer Look At The Tomb Raider Pre-E3 Trailer

"A famous explorer once said that the extraordinary is in what we do, not who we are."

Those were the words introducing us to the first ever trailer for the upcoming Tomb Raider game. We were promised big things from Crystal Dynamics and the team at Visual Works and we were not disappointed. A short version trailer was first aired on GTTV (on the channel Spike) at 6am (GMT), with the longer version going on YouTube and the official TR site straight afterwards. Inspired by the Bright Falls breakdown (Alan Wake's promotional series looked at frame by frame) by Machinima; I decided to approach the trailer with a similar technique...Also if you haven't seen Bright Falls, go do so, it's pretty freaky.



   ENDURANCE

The first thing that we can hear is Lara's voice. So far the voice actresses has not been named. There are a few rumors suggesting a variety of different actresses including the final Lara Croft model; Alison Carroll after her twitter message on the morning of the trailer's release. Personally I think it sounds more like Eva Green who played Vesper in James Bond: Casino Royale. She is younger then Keeley Hawes who voiced Lara for the past few years (2006-2010) and it sounds as though she can also make her voice more innocent and more like Lara in the trailer. Furthermore Lara's voice had a slight roughness to it that reminded me of Eva's.

We are introduced to the trailer with Lara saying the following:

A famous explorer once said; that the extraordinary is in what we do, not who we are.
Lara Croft

If you tried to put the quote into Google, you probably wouldn't have found anything a part from some links to the Tomb Raider forums. However the quote which Lara was referring to was made by Edmund Hillary. He was one of the first people to reach the top of Mount Everst and also it was his party were the first to reach the South Pole overland since Amundsen in 1911 (ironically the South Pole was also where the first Endurance 1912 crashed). The quote in which Lara referred to was:

People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things
Edmund Hillary (explorer)

The Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics logo then appears on a black background which appears to be like camera film which burns away at the end revealing the ship Endurance which Lara begins the game on. Tomb Raider Reboot Twitter page has recently identified and posted the location of which Endurance is sailing off from. They have identified it as Yokohama in Japan.

Yokohama in Japan 

Endurance from the trailer leaving Yokohama

Together with the film and the narratation, it gives the impression that Lara is looking back on her adventure. This could either be from two points. The first point is that it's at the end of the game and she looks at the adventure and how it changed her.  The second point is that she's on the island and she starts believing that she might not survive. There is a phone on the desk later in the trailer which might have the ability to record her voice, it would also explain why she was calm (she might have accepted her fate), which makes the next line very interesting:

I'd finally set out to make my mark, to find adventure but instead adventure found me.
Lara Croft

It's interesting that she called it an "adventure", mainly because the word is linked to travelling and experiencing new things which interests you, and not being stranded on a mysterious island with everyone trying to kill you. This might link back to the Core Design biography where it was through Lara's adventures that she discovered her dislike for aristocracy and decided to do more adventuring.

During the narration, we had the first shot of the new Lara Croft. She walks over to the desk, where we get a good view of what's on the table. The first thing which catches my eye is the piece of paper, I couldn't make out the words clearly until the HQ version of the trailer was released, however many of the words were still hidden due to her phone and smudges on the paper. Nevertheless I managed to read some of it:

Conventional wisdom and n-
the obvious approach to -
Khan's lost fleet. However -
egotistical and over-
of his military invasion -
versions of ?
I believe that once -
devision, as he was -
believe that he sent his -
second fleet around the -
? and travelling a -
? fleet leaving -
as a lure ? -
the ?

KHAAAAAN! The main focus of the text was "Khan's lost fleet" and with Star Trek jokes aside, here's the real history; Khubliai Khan attempted to invade Japan in 1274 and 1281, both times Khan was defeated and in legends it is said that the failure was because of the Japanese emperor's prayers to his ancestors asking them to protect Japan from invaders. In the myth a huge storm occurred which ripped the ships apart. In the 1980s, relics and the wreckage of Khan's fleet were discovered underneath soft mud. It's interesting to see where the connections are between this myth and also what happened to the Endurance. Both were involved in a storm which tore the ships apart. Lara and Roth were apparently in the search for some of the still hidden relics, perhaps whatever destroyed Khan's fleet destroyed the Endurance. If so the "truth" which was mentioned later in the trailer could be about the relics and if they were cursed.

The grid reference, the travel mug and the text could be all vital to the plot. Lara had just picked up the map of Japan from on top of her notebook.

Also on the desk is a map of Japan which Lara later picks up. What is rather interesting about this image is the numbers that Lara had written on the paper

53
712541
3416095

This is the grid reference for the Dragon's Triangle (a.k.a Devil's Sea), if you put the numbers into Google Earth. This isn't the first time that the Dragon's Triangle has been mentioned either. The Dragon's Triangle is similar to the Bemuda triangle, anything that goes over this triangle (located just underneath Japan) ends up either destroyed or missing, and presumably in the game ends up washed ashore on a mysterious island.


Another thing I noticed is Lara's travel mug. There's an image on the side with "Sisters of Art-", judging from the person carrying a bow, it's not a big leap to say it's complete sentence is "Sisters of Artemis". Artemis was the goddess of the hunt, chasity, fertility, wild animals and wilderness (thank you Sports Night*). She is also depicted with a bow (like on the cup). In Greek mythology, Apollo (God of the Sun) was her twin brother and Selene was also her sister. So far it appears that the only connection between this cup and the game is Lara's interest of mythology and later in the game it is revealed that she carries a bow; which can also be seen at the end of the trailer.

There's a brown notebook on the desk also, it hasn't been mentioned before in interviews or in the magazines, but I'm thinking that it might reappear later in the game, perhaps as a place for the protagonist to mark down notes, look at a map or use as an menu.

Moving on to the next scene where Lara opens her locker. The first thing that I notice was the image located at the bottom of the screen. Going back to the story of Khan's lost fleet, the two images are drawings of what was supposed to have taken place during the Mongol invasion in 1281. Both drawings can be found in the public domain:

Mongal invasion of 1281

Inside Lara's locker

As well as the images, we get a little bit more information in who Lara is. In that scene we can see that she has two earrings on her right ear. There is also a small photograph of two people (presumably Lara and her friend, or just two friends) who has just graduated from college. Both of these shows a change between the old Core and Crystal Lara compared to the new rebooted version. This character is more relaxed, and hasn't been led to lead a life in aristocracy like the first few games.

Lara closes the door of her locker, giving us the first shot of the character's face. One small detail I like here is the change of her expression. At the start she looks innocent and slightly unsure, and then her face becomes more determined and confident as the narrator says "but instead adventure found me", I like this section mainly because it shows that even though Lara is at this point still a young woman, she's pretty detirmined and ready for the adventure. Also another theory I have is that the section involving Lara on the boat with the shot of the desk and the locker might be perhaps set after being on the island. It would also explain her facial expression because she remembers what she went through and how that had made her stronger and more of a survivor. Although if that is the case, it would need to be set a few weeks afterwards since all the cuts weren't there.

The new face of the heroine

As Lara closes the locker door and stares at herself in the mirror, something becomes clear...Something's missing. We've seen it in the screenshots and the concept artwork for the character, but in the recent render and in the trailer the green magatama is not seen. I've noticed this on a few forums, that no one quite knows what it really is or why it's there since that information has not been released. When I first looked at it, it reminded me of Maya's necklace from the Phoenix Wright series, a green magatama which is a religeous symbol THAT was mainly used in Japan, it also symbolizes good fortune. Then on closer inspection in HD it reminded me of the Ouroboros Greek symbol (not the first link to Greek mythology we've seen from the trailer) which represents eternity and survival since the snake is eating itself to grow. It's interesting to see that the pendent doesn't appear at all in the trailer or the render but does in the screenshots. However even though she doesn't wear it before she falls into the water, she is wearing it when she wakes up in the cacoon at the start of the game, so I'm presuming that someone put it on her.

The trailer then skips several hours; It's now completely dark outside and Lara is listening to music in her room. There's also a strange magazine article including a large photograph of a cat on the wall...Not sure this is relevant, but you never know when it might come in handy! She suddenly begins to feel tremors underneath the boat and stands up to investigate, at that precise moment a large waves crashes down on the Endurance causing Lara to fall and hit her head on a nearby table. The room that is in doesn't seem as big as the one that start of the trailer. As she stands up a klaxon goes off and red lights flashes to indicate the danger. Lara goes to investigate and opens the bulkhead door to see the corridor being flooded. What I really like about this scene (and it's also pretty gruesome) is that a crew member can be seen in the waves, I think that with the character being there it added a sense of panic and danger to the atmosphere of the trailer. Without the crew member you could believe that Lara would survive this. I think that's also why I like the next few frames where you just get small shots of Lara underwater, it shows the force of the current and also her desperation, it also shows that she is not always in control of what's happening which reveals a much more vulnerable Lara.

The sea begins to rush into the corridor. 

In our darkest moments, when our lives flashes before us...We find something...Something that keeps us going...Something that pushes us.
Lara Croft

Lara trapped underwater.

The script is very good in the trailer, ecspecially the choice of where to put certain parts of the sentence. When Lara says "In our darkest moments, when our lives flashes before us" we are, for the first time, introduced to a very vulenerable Lara. She is trapped under the water (with nice CGI bubbles) and unable to change the situation she is in. Previously in Tomb Raider games she was always the one in charge, even if she was trying to find her mother in a celtic underworld. Lara also shouts "Help" when she reaches the surface, which adds more to the drama and pressure of the situation and combined with her hitting on the glass it's quite an emotional moment. Later on when the protagonist becomes more desperate the narration says "We find something", at this point Lara has run out of breath, and the statment could be referring to something she saw in the "flashback" that she remembered something  before she lost consciousness or discovered something later in the storyline.

Lara trapped in a corridor which is quickly flooding.

Next we get the introduction to Conrad Roth, Lara's mentor who drags her out of the water while the narration says; "Something that keeps us going", this gives us a glimpse into their relationship. Lara sees Roth as a role model and he adopts the father figure. What seems a little strange here is the time between Lara being pulled out of the water and her looking up; Roth manages to get to the other side of the ship in a space of about a second. I'm thinking that perhaps Lara is disorientated from hitting her head on the desk at the start, causing concussion and leading to possibly forget moments, it would make sense later on in the game where she wakes up in the cocoon.

Update: Karl Stewart announced in the second podcast (The Crystal Habit) that the man that pulls her out of the water is not Conrad Roth, however the mystery man is going to be an important character which Crystal will announce later. Obviously some days have gone by since Lara was washed up on the  island. If the mystery man is there, he might have been the one who bandaged Lara, since she had no bandages on in the trailer but she did in the screenshots and the E3 preview. As of yet he's only someone who was there at the right time. 

Lara jumps towards Conrad Roth, and also presumably to safety. 

After seeing the ship literally break into two with Roth on the other side, Lara runs to the edge and jumps, preforming a really nice scene in which time slows down. There's a huge possibility she will fall into the water below, but Roth catches her. Unfortunatly for Lara, due to the water, Roth loses grip and she falls into the sea below. Underwater, Lara also appears to be unconcious since there is no struggling and her body slowly drifts down.

Lara under the water

   MYSTERIOUS ISLAND


The screen then fades in on a brown mysterious island that Lara finds herself on. The focus is on the map of Japan which Lara had put up inside the locker in her room at the start of the trailer, leading to the conclusion that the boat was smashed part. What is interesting however is that when the screen pans away at the end, the Endurance looks battered but I wouldn't say that it's destroyed enough to cause the map to be on the shore when it was in a locked alcove...well not just by the sea at least. As we know that Lara is not alone, I presume that the others on that island are scavengers who raid newly destroyed ships.

Lara wraps bandages around her injured left arm.

Here we get the first image of  "survival-Lara", covered in dirt and blood, armed with a picaxe and with a spike through her stomatch. What I also noticed is this was the render that was used on a number of different magazine covers was of this section where she was wrapping her injured arm into a bandage, but she still doesn't have the magatama which she has at the beginning of the game.

Promotional render for the game used on a dozen gaming magazine

When all seemed lost...I found a truth...And I knew what I must become
Lara Croft

First of all the line does pose several questions, however I do like the first part when Lara says "When all seemed lost", since the developers had admitted that the TV program, Lost, was one of the inspirations for the game, I like the little mention given there. One of the questions the narrator poses in the statement is...What truth? The truth of Conrad Roth? Since she is alone in the scene it's possible that it's about him, perhaps betrayal or he died from blood loss (the leaked script revealed that Roth's leg ends up being mauled by wolves). It's also possible it could be about Khan's missing fleet, since she is amoung a graveyard of ships. Or it could be about the relics since she is not wearing the magatama, she wore earlier.

Lara tightening the bandage

What does confuse me is the order in which the trailer is set out. From the screenshots released in December of Lara, one of them showed her about to pull out the spike that she lands on after burning away the outside of the cocoon to free herrself. That Lara has the green magatama. However in the CGI trailer she is missing it. The Game Informer article made it sound as though Lara pulled the spike out straight away, and therefore she wouldn't have been on the shore since the screenshot showed a cave. It could be just representing what was in the game, however if that is the case...Why is the magatama not there?

Update: A few fans were talking at the Tomb Raider Forums about whether it was a spike that Lara had pulled out or if she was tightening the bandage on her arm. On closer inspection of the trailer, it appears to be the bandage instead. What's interesting is that there doesn't seem to be a stab wound or blood around her waist, but that might be because it was in shadow or the strap for the bow. Nevertheless the magatama should still be there since she had it at the beginning of the game. 

Lara with the green magatama 

With that the screen panns out showing the crashed boats and planes on the shore of the mysterious island as the words "A Survivor is born" appears flickering on the screen as the background turns to a dark greyscale filter.


The game is revealed to be due out Fall 2012, on XBOX360, PS3, and PC. Until then I'll be posting news, articles, scans, previews etc about it. Also if you haven't already make sure to check out the Official Tomb Raider Tumblr page for updates as well as Guns and Grapple.

------------------------------------------

** The Sports Night reference was a show in the late 1990s. In one of the episodes, one of the main characters were tested about their knowledge of Greek gods in the episode titled "Thespsis. Artemis was mentioned and I've always remembered what she represented because of that scene.

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Tomb Raider Trailer Released

A few moments ago Spike revealed the first ever trailer for the upcoming Tomb Raider game, however the full version was not shown. Below is a video from the official Tomb Raider YouTube channel with the full video. It's an incredibly beautiful trailer, thanks to everyone was worked on it. It's awesome!

The game is due out Fall 2012!

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15K TR Facebook Reward (1 Screenshot)

As promised Crystal Dynamics is currently releasing some new screenshots from the upcoming CGI Trailer since we've got to their new target 15K fans of the Official Tomb Raider page on Facebook.

Here's the screenshot below:

Lara Under The Sea
Click to see a bigger version

As they said that this is a first of many I'm going to continue updating this post and change the number of screenshots at the top in the title.

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Details Revealed About New Lara Croft Statue

Slideshow Collectibles has revealed more details about the recently announced Lara Croft statue. The limited edition version of the statue is priced at $349.99 and comes with a free fine print drawing by Adam Hughes (AH). The standard edition is without the print and is still $349.99, so it's worth getting the one with the photo if you are buying one.

You can pre-order the statue from Thursday 2nd June. (I'll put a reminder on our Facebook and Twitter page), but you first need to sign up to the company's newsletter.

In the meantime, they have recently released a number of seriously gorgeous photos of the merchandise:

You can view the entire album at Slideshow Collectibles by CLICKING HERE

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