Lara Croft is beginning to look like a real person, at least from the neck up. The newest issue of Game Informer will reveal Square Enix’s reboot of the Tomb Raider franchise. The new game’s name: Tomb Raider…yep, that’s it. The game is being developed by Crystal Dynamics, the studio that made the last four Tomb Raider games. Granted, they were some of the better, if ignored, games in the series.
This reboot will be the ninth title in the main Tomb Raider series and 18th Tomb Raider branded game since the series began in 1996. In the past, the series has been criticized for low production values and failing to evolve with the times.
“Forget everything you knew about Tomb Raider, we are exploring things that have never been done before in this game,” said Darrell Gallagher, Head of Studio, Crystal Dynamics. “This is an origins story that creates Lara Croft and takes her on a character defining journey like no other.”
The new look will make its debut in a full 10-page story in Game Informer, which should hit shelves Dec. 11. Hopefully, Square Enix will put the proper time and attention into the new game. The Japanese publisher appears to have already given the busty heroine a more eastern look. We’ll see what the rest of the game looks like in a few days.
The new name (Tomb Raider) is almost as original as Turok: Dinosaur Hunter‘s reboot: Turok. Hopefully this treasure hunter’s origin story will be better received than the dinosaur hunter’s. Strangely both game series were started by studios that no longer exist. Acclaim Studios, which made the original Turok, went bankrupt after spending too much money on bad licenses and Army Men games. Eidos, which built itself on the success of Tomb Raider, was purchased by Square Enix in March 2009, after a period of financial uncertainty.
Will you give a Tomb Raider game a chance or has the series already raided your patience for too long?
