RipTen Videogame Blog » Eidos

New Tomb Raider Info Released – Plot, Gameplay, and Setting Details

Justin Carter — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:30:27 +0000

Since the initial reveal and E3 footage, news on the Tomb Raider reboot has been pretty scarce. We know that series heroine Lara Croft ends up stranded on an island after her expedition ship gets destroyed by a storm. Luckily, Karl Stewart, Global Brand Director at Eidos was happy to reveal some new information on the forums:

Combat will have a variety of different play types. Melee, ranged, and stealth interactions will play a huge part in the game world
There will be hunting in the game, but what you’ll be hunting is a mystery
There are items and artifacts to pick up and find around the island that’ll help uncover the mystery of island
There are fixed climbing points for the axe, giving you freedom of movement. At the same time, you couldn’t jump off the side of a cliff and hook onto another side at random for free climbing
No glowing points to show where you can climb, but you’ll still be able to figure it out. They want the game to feel “organic and natural”

Tomb Raider is scheduled for a late 2012 release for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

via Eidos Forums

Here’s a New Hitman Absolution Trailer From The VGAs

Chris Carlson — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:16:51 +0000

Agent 47 is coming closer and closer to finally reaching our next-gen consoles and PC’s since his last adventure on the PS2 quite some time ago.

Until then, we’ll have to be satisfied with sexy trailers. Like this one, straight from the VGA’s. Check it out!

SPIKE

Hitman Absolution World Premiere

Hitman Absolution Gameplay Teaser Teases Gameplay

Dave Oshry — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:30:45 +0000

What?! You come up with a more creative headline!!

This is the first time that this Hitman Absolution gameplay has been seen by anyone other than the press back at E3. I’ve seen the full demo, and it’s rather awesome.

You’ll get to see the whole thing soon, but until then, enjoy the tease!

Watch As Eidos Walks Us Through The DX:HR ‘Missing Link’ DLC

Dave Oshry — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 22:31:19 +0000

In the upcoming DLC for Deus Ex: Human Revolution, all of your augmentations will be taken from you and you will have to rely on pure skill.

No problem for a badass like Adam Jensen, right?

Watch as Eidos Lead Narrative Designer Mary DeMarle walks you through a bit of the gameplay from “The Missing Link”

This DLC will be available in October and as stated will add roughly five hours of gameplay as well as new lightning and weather effects.

For more on Deus Ex: Human Revolution, be sure to check out the RipTen Review.

Ghost in the Shell: Human Revolution – You Asked For This

Dave Oshry — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 21:15:12 +0000

It’s nearly impossible to think of the Cyberpunk universe and not think of Ghost in the Shell.

Shirow Masamune’s iconic franchise has influenced everything from the Matrix films to the original Deus Ex and obviously the recently released Human Revolution.

If only someone had the audacity to somehow combine the two franchises into one epic trailer…

Well, somebody has:

You may not have asked for this, but I bet you’re glad someone did.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Gets a Huge Patch – What It Fixed

Garrett Hartman — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 21:11:21 +0000

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a great game, we love it at RipTen (Read our Review), but no game is perfect. The latest patch for the PC version has dropped and has loads of fixes. Read below to see what it fixed.

RipTen Deus Ex: HR Guides:

Info courtesy of Eidos forum.

Fixes:

Addressed various issues that can occur for players that would result in ‘stuttering’: Stutters that are the result of graphics driver shader processing are now removed or significantly reduced; Stutters that are the result of data streaming have been removed or significantly reduced; Performance has been improved and made more stable on dual-core systems. This could previously also result in stuttering.
Fixed issue where some players couldn’t complete the Motherly Ties side quest.
Fixed an issue where doors in Omega Ranch sometimes wouldn’t open.
The TYM medical card should no longer fall through the table if an NPC’s body comes into contact with the card. Players already stuck in this area will need to revert to a previous save before the card fell through.
Occasional hangs for some players during video-playback have been fixed.
A crash on startup when running DX11 on a single-core CPU has been fixed.
An issue causing Eyefinity setups to not be correctly detected for some players has been fixed.
Fixed an issue where the HUD would get permanently disabled for some players.
Fixed certain issues that caused the mouse cursor to be able to leave the game-screen on multi-monitor setups.
Fixed an issue that caused the mouse cursor to not be visible in-game when the user has mouse trails enabled in Windows. We still recommend disabling mouse trails for a smoother in-game mouse cursor.
Fixed issue where ammo count for collected guns is incorrect when Adams weapon is augmented.
In DX9 mode: Fixed error message for some users when trying to use FXAA Medium or FXAA Low anti aliasing modes; Fixed shadow-mapping ‘lines’ on some graphics hardware when using anisotropic filtering.

Feature Additions:

The Enter and Numpad-Enter keys can now be bound to game actions in the keyboard control menu.
Intro logos can now be skipped on all but the first run of the game.
Added windowed mode: Selectable in the menu, and can be toggled between windowed, fullscreen, and fullscreen windowed using ALT-ENTER.
Added an option to change the text language of the game. This setting only changes the text language, the audio is controlled by the language option in Steam.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Launch Trailer

Chris Carlson — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 17:50:12 +0000

Deus Ex: Human Revolution has finally come before us and in celebration of the release, Eidos has delivered a launch trailer.

Eidos Montreal General Manager Stephane D’Astous, spoke out saying:

“With the release of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Eidos-Montreal has reached a huge milestone in the development and delivery of our first game. We could not be more proud of Dues Ex: Human Revolution and are incredibly excited for gamers to finally be able to experience this captivating story and unique, unparalleled gameplay.”

Still not sure about Deus Ex: Human Revolution? Be sure to read our review and let us know what you think!

RipTen Review: Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Xbox 360)

Stephanie Gutowski — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 17:00:57 +0000

By Stephanie Gutowski. PC screens and gameplay by Dave Oshry

I’ve never been this enraptured by a game so far outside my comfort zone. Beyond the combat, dialog, and other seemingly inconsequential mechanics, lies an experience that bent my paradigm. I wanted Deus Ex to challenge what I knew, to capture me completely– it did, and it never let me go.

I have to preface this review with a disclaimer: I’ve never touched a Hitman, Splinter Cell, or any game within the Deus Ex series. I have virtually no experience sneaking from point A to point B because I simply don’t enjoy it. I run and I gun. I shoot things and I expect them to die. Being ordered to do otherwise simply isn’t tolerated. Human Revolution put an end to all this. It taught me a new way. That being said, once I understood the shift of intentions, the world opened up for me and I discovered one of the most engrossing games I’ve ever laid eyes on. It would challenge not only my skills, but my ethics…

The world is on the verge of a social and scientific revolution and the developers at Eidos Montreal did a masterful job of painting this picture. This is, by far, one of the most intelligent and engrossing stories I’ve ever come across in a game. Sarif Industries is at the forefront of the tech race, pushing humanity to accept augmentations (robotic enhancements) as the norm. As one of these augmented, you experience first-hand the benefits of said augmentations and the intoxicating sensation of systematically stripping away your physical limitations as you level up and progress through the game. You hold great power, but are not obligated in a any way to use it responsibly. Those blessed with these mechanical augmentations are simultaneously cursed to rely on a drug that forces their bodies to accept these foreign entities. Not only is this drug painfully expensive, but you’re required to take it for the rest of your life, or else your artificial components will stop working entirely. These “augs” litter the streets and alleyways, penniless and stuck with the machines that their bodies have rejected.

Adam Jensen - Half Man, Half Aug, All badass

Cue the moral dilemma. You are Adam Jensen, chief of security for Sarif Industries and the victim of a terrorist attack that mortally wounded you. In order to save you, Sarif Augments you… hard. You are never given the choice. Now, you live as a piece of a once-whole man dedicated to discovering the identity of those who destroyed your world. The company you work to defend granted you life, but robbed you of your choice. You’ve been given a second chance, but at what cost?

This theme pervades the entire game and creates one of the most conflicted settings I’ve ever come across. Though I played this knowing very well that my objectives all revolved around defending Sarif Industries from the terrorists and “Purity First” activists, I remained torn. These people claiming to fight for the integrity of humanity may come off as petty criminals, but there’s a third dimension to each and every person. One of the earliest missions has a fairly obvious outcome, but if you take the road less-traveled, you’ll discover that nothing in this world is black and white.

There’s so much to be said about the nuances of Eidos’ story telling and the tangible pulse of this dystopian world on the verge of unraveling, that it almost feels like all the technical mechanics of the game itself don’t deserve to be overly scrutinized. I was so preoccupied with the mystery of the attack on Sarif Industries that I didn’t spend much time picking out issues with save files or the combat system. Frankly, there wasn’t much to complain about anyhow and I’m grateful for it. Excessive technical issues can’t be tolerated when you’ve got this kind of story on your hands. Then, there’s the world itself. The game is comprised of hubs, each sprawling and intricate, but your map will only offer you so many hints. Street signs and landmarks are your guides, and you’d better keep an ear out and a dime out for street gossip– it might just save your life. From the luminous screens promoting the evening news to the concert flyers hanging off chain link fences, every piece of artwork is thought-out and believable… and when I entered Jensen’s apartment for the first time, I could almost feel my heart sink as I saw just how bleak his life truly was. Cardboard boxes half unpacked, medicine bottles strewn about, and a shattered bathroom mirror with a fist-shaped hole all came together and conveyed such an intense sense of misery that I was almost speechless. It’s not melodramatic in the least. It’s raw, gritty, and overflowing with salty language.

Welcome Home, Adam

This isn’t to say that these technical elements aren’t worth talking about. Combat is comprised of first-person and third-person elements, which you switch between smoothly. Human Revolution wants to nurture your ninja side, so it’d better have some solid stealth elements, right? Right. There’s nothing really out of the ordinary here. Crouch, walk slowly, and avoid enemies’ lines of sight. Those are the elementary laws of sneaking. Then you’ve got to deal with cover, noise, and remaining inconspicuous while snapping a gang banger’s neck. More often than not, there’s an air vent just around the corner (a staple of the Deus Ex series) that can help you avoid any sort of conflict. In fact, the game wants you to go this route and it’ll reward you handsomely with experience points if you do so successfully. One of the side quests involves you infiltrating a gang hideout and discreetly neutralizing them. Fatalities won’t be tolerated– there’s a king pin in there and you need him alive. This forces you to re-think your entire strategy. You may decide to mod that tranquilizer rifle with a laser sight rather than your machine pistol. You might hold off on that arm strength augmentation upgrade in favor for improving your stealth. No matter what, you have to think. Evaluate all risks and utilize everything around you. Choice and consequence, you can have it. You will have it.

Vital information can be gleaned from multiple resources. Computers conceal data caches, countless e-mails that reveal pass codes, secret locations, or requests for a rendezvous. These messages often hold the key to completing quests, pointing you towards the next objective. Digital newspapers highlight your accomplishments and chastise you for shortcomings. You’re somewhat infamous in this world and your actions will not go unnoticed. If you save a handful of hostages, the front page will sing your praises. Fail to rescue these people and you’ll be reading about your disastrous encounter for days.

Extra! Extra! Read All About... You!

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Has Gone Gold

Dave Oshry — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 03:10:31 +0000

It’s been a long time coming, but what is shaping up to be the true successor to the original Deus Ex is finally coming and it’s ready to ship, baby!

Here’s the lowdown from Square:

Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of SQUARE ENIX® interactive entertainment products in North America and developer Eidos-Montreal are proud to announce that DEUS EX®: HUMAN REVOLUTION™ has “gone gold” and will be available in North American retail stores on August 23, 2011. After over three years in development, DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTIONis the exciting debut title release for Eidos-Montreal. The game will be available for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows® PC, Steam®, and OnLive®.

“We couldn’t be more excited that Deus Ex: Human Revolution has gone gold and will soon be in the hands of expectant gamers,” said Stephane D’Astous, general manager of Eidos-Montreal. “As the first release for Eidos-Montreal, it’s impossible to express how extremely proud we are of the final product and all of the hard work that went into its creation.”

You can pre-order now at a variety of retailers, Steam (currently discounted) and OnLive

New Hitman Absolution Details Make You Feel Like a True Assassin

Chris Carlson — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 19:18:40 +0000

After a long awaited 5 years, Agent 47 is finally making a return with a new set of tools that will make you finally feel like a true assassin.

It’s been quite some time since we’ve last seen the likes of this beautiful bald headed bastard. The latest issue of Edge Magazine finally sheds some light on 47′s return, and he’s not fucking around. Check out the new details below.

The game is set in Chicago.
Tons of time making core movement and controls very responsive.
IO’s Glacier 2 engine supposedly offer fantastic facial animations.
Optional cover system with the use of cover mechanics without actually being in cover.
Instinct mode highlights enemies and patrols glow red through walls, similar to Arkham Asylum’s detective mode. It also replaces the map screen from the previous Hitman titles.
Mini map will highlight points of interest.
Threat meter is now a grey circle in the middle of the screen that flickers in directions where enemies may spot 47.
The more eyes on you, the faster your threat meter will fill.
Lots of environmental weapons, unique to each location such as a lamp cord being used as a garrotte.
Taking hostages return, but the AI is smarter and wont just start shooting at you.
Levels are divided into checkpoints for the first time in the Hitman series.
Many levels will be as large and open-ended as the levels from previous Hitman games, but some others will be tighter, more focused sandboxes.
IO’s goal is to build a greater variety of gameplay challenges around the core game, rather than changing it. Such as scripted action sequences.
Some levels are very story driven and other are way more explorative.
Having a disguise doesn’t meal you’ll be able to fool everybody or bluff your way past a group of NPC’s.
Instinct mode increases disguise effectiveness. Cops in the demo questions 47′s movements while he’s disguised as a police man, he enters instinct mode and uses his police radio walking straight past the cops and fools them.
47′s handler, Diana, is now played by Marsha Thomason.
Designated safe spots for disguises. Such as walking up to a box of doughnuts disguised as a cop.
Safe spots will keep you completely safe for as long as you want, even if the room is filled with enemies.
Crowds will be used very differently.
47′s long time voice actor will not return. No name was given for a replacement.
Glacier 2 engine offers realtime AI editing.
AI will react dynamically to your actions.

IO Interactive seems very confident in the direction they’re taking the game. The only way to find out is when Hitman: Absolution releases in 2012 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Enjoy Plenty of New Deus Ex Info Thanks To the ESRB

Aaron Alexander — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 20:01:35 +0000

Deus Ex: Human Revolution has been rated Mature by the ESRB. Aside from just slapping a rating on it, the ESRB have also given us an idea of what we’ll expect to see during our adventures in the game;

“This is a first-person shooter in which players assume the role of Adam Jensen, an ex-cop who must uncover the truth behind a cybernetics company’s attack. Players complete mission-based objectives to increase their character’s skills (e.g., stealth, strength) and advance the main storyline. Players use pistols, shotguns, assault rifles, and explosives to kill a variety of human enemies (e.g., soldiers, police officers, gang members, drug dealers).

“Players can also use stealth attacks (e.g., choking, electrocution) to dispatch enemies at close range. Firefights are highlighted by screams of pain, realistic gunfire, explosions, and large sprays of blood that stain the surrounding environment. Players can sometimes make choices that result in the death of innocent characters: during one sequence, an injured man asks to be “put out of his misery”-the main character can then administer a morphine overdose.

“Civilians can also be killed directly, though this may negatively affect players’ progress. As the game progresses, alcoholic beverages (e.g., beer, vodka, cocktails) can be purchased and consumed to reduce damage, resulting in a screen-blurring effect. In one mission, players can plant “illegal drugs” in a character’s residence; marijuana products (i.e., “cigaweed”) are occasionally referenced in the dialogue.

“Some missions contain sexual material: a brothel room containing a sex toy on the bed; dialogue with prostitutes (e.g., “They want me to get augmentations . . . for the customer’s pleasure. It’s sick” and “[W]e can find a quiet spot . . . Do you have enough money for me, sexy?”). The words “f**k” and “sh*t” can be heard in the dialogue.”

There you have it, the words f**k and sh*t will indeed be present in Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and this is clearly the highlight of the assessment:

In one mission, players can plant “illegal drugs” in a character’s residence; marijuana products (i.e., “cigaweed”)

Keep on visiting RipTen for more coverage on Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and be sure to leave your “cigaweed” in the comments below.

Via [CVG]

Executive at Square Enix Admits to a “Humiliating” Japanese E3 Lineup

Stephanie Gutowski — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 07:34:08 +0000

Koji Taguchi tweeted this past Friday about his concerns with Square Enix‘s noticeable lack of Japanese games on display at E3. While games like Tomb Raider, Deus-Ex: Human Revolution, and Hitman garnered considerable media attention and fan hype, Final Fantasy XIII-2 failed to leave a lasting impression. The heavy hitters are coming from Eidos, the Montreal-based studio which Square Enix acquired in 2009. It comes as no surprise to learn that Square’s had some trouble recently with lackluster games coming out of its studios. With the mixed response to Final Fantasy XIII and the disastrous launch of Final Fantasy XIV, Square needed to showcase strong titles this year if it hoped to reclaim the trust of its audience.

“Because we merged with Eidos and had games like Tomb Raider, Deus [Ex], and Hitman, as a company we were able to keep face. But the decline in Japanese titles was almost humiliating. This has been a week where I worried daily about how we can fix this.”

Despite the disappointing lack of strong Japanese titles showcased at E3, Square did manage to save face with an impressive line up from Eidos. With Tomb Raider and Deus Ex nominated for multiple awards already, Square still has a few aces up its sleeve… despite its stock troubles and the continuing struggle to release Final Fantasy XIV on PS3. As long as Eidos can deliver games that live up to the caliber of their trailers and E3 demos, then Square will rise again.

[Source: Gameranx]

Thief 4 Exists – Here’s a Picture To Prove It

Dave Oshry — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:04:54 +0000

That’s right – Garrett is back. Eidos has been playtesting Thief 4 up in Montreal and posted a shot of some lucky gamer getting hands on. We are jealous. You are now jealous too.

Very little is known about Thief 4 at this point – rumours abound that more news will come out of the GDC. I’ll be there to find out. Let’s hope rope arrows are back . . . those were awesome. ^__^

Source: [SI]

Crystal Dynamics Announces DLC for Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Rangebar Merani — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 23:06:26 +0000

Crystal Dynamics has announced today DLC plans for the upcoming release of the downloadable Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light with five different DLC packs.

The plan is to have all of the packs released by the end of the year, with all of them downloadable for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC versions of the game. The first three DLC packs are really expansion packs that will include “all new puzzle, exploration and combat experiences in the game and new areas to explore,” and the last two packs will be “playable character packs” which will introduce “some other well-known videogame characters.”

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light releases on 360 August 18 as part of the Xbox Live Arcade’s Summer of Arcade for 1200 Microsoft Points, and will receive an update on September 28, when the game hits PlayStation Network and Steam, that will add two-player online co-op, leaderboard support, and voice chat.

No details on pricing or exact release dates for the DLC packs were announced.

So, about the “playable character packs,” what videogame characters do you think Crystal Dynamics will have for us to play in Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light? I’m thinking maybe some of Eidos’ past characters like Gex, Kain, but how bout some Final Fantasy characters from the Square-Enix side of things? That would be f*cking dope. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Kane & Lynch 2: Arcade Mode Detailed

Dave Oshry — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 00:14:18 +0000

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is set to deliver two very different and very bad-ass single player experiences. Story Mode: which follows our two notorious criminals through Shanghai and Arcade Mode: which places players in the role of crooked and untrustworthy ex-pats performing random heists. Prepare for single player overload!!

So here’s the deal, Arcade Mode is basically a single-player offline game of Fragile Alliance – “the celebrated multiplayer experience based on Greed, Betrayal & Revenge” The rules are the same, except that the other criminal players have been replaced with NPCs (get it now?) Arcade Mode allows players to understand the rules, learn the maps and play mechanics before going online and playing Fragile Alliance. (Imagine if you could do this in Modern Warfare!? You’d never have to noob tube!!) Just like in Fragile Alliance, players share the money with other criminals escaping the heist, and keep the money if they can successfully escape as a traitor. Don’t forget however, you will lose money for killing innocent civilians and becoming a traitor. But not only will you then need to worry about the cops, you’ll also be hunted down by your own team . . . intense.

Here’s the rest of the rundown straight from the devs:

To advance, players must work together as a team to escape with as much loot as possible, within a four minute time period. And players will need to learn from their mistakes quickly, as they’ll only have three chances to pull-off the heist. Fail to escape the heist or become a casualty and players will lose a life. To make matters more interesting, for each progressive round the difficulty ramps up, making it harder escape. In the end it’s all about how much money players have and the person with the most money rules.

There is an offline high-score list for players who want to compete against friends at home and an online leaderboard where they can compete with the rest of the Kane and Lynch community. The online leaderboard will automatically send a friend a message telling them that they’ve been beaten, which will appear on the info-stream next time they start up a game.

Finally, and possibly most importantly, weapons can be bought between rounds, just like in the standard Fragile Alliance mode. These are kept until the player dies or chooses to replace them. The higher criminal rank a player has the more weapons they unlock. Best of all, players can carry their criminal rank and all the weapons they’ve unlocked in Arcade Mode, and take it with them when they go online!

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is set to explode onto a system near you on August, 24th.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution E3 Trailer Hits Friday, Mull Over Screens Today

Chad Lakkis — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 23:43:04 +0000

According to Square Enix, Eidos Montreal’s Deus Ex: Human Revolution E3 trailer will launch this Friday, June 4th at 12:00PM EST. Luckily, you don’t have to wait that long to get a high-res glimpse of what’s to come.

The three stills below show off a futuristic city adorned with what appears to be high rise level transportation structures. I’m digging the mix of bronze and teal colored lighting — how about yourself? Make sure to share your thoughts on the images in the comments section below. And, as always, we’ll have the video up on Ripten as soon as it becomes available.

Xbox 360 Gets Two Exclusive Tomb Raider: Underworld Chapters as DLC

Chad Lakkis — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:08:54 +0000

“The Xbox 360 will let you play with me six hours longer than the PS3. Meow!”

Eidos Interactive has announced today that the Xbox 360 console version of Tomb Raider: Underworld will be benefiting from nearly 6 hours of additional gameplay time in the form of two additional chapters titled “Beneath the Ashes” and “Lara’s Shadow”.

The DLC will be available via the Xbox Live Marketplace, with the first chapter (Beneath the Ashes) expected to hit this Christmas, and the second (Lara’s Shadow) unloading in early in 2009.

Eidos promises that both chapters will provide a unique experience, and Sean Vesce, General Manager for Crystal Dynamics, adds that the “retail release of any videogame is just the start of the player experience.”

It seems that Microsoft has bought into Sean’s philosophy, as they appear to be buying up exclusive content left and right. While it may be extend the life of a game, it remains to be seen whether or not it will drastically improve a console manufacturers bottom line.

You won’t have to hold your breath till December though, in addition to the DLC, it was also announced that a demo of the game will make its way on to XBL in October.

Full press release available after the jump.

EIDOS AND XBOX ANNOUNCE EXCLUSIVE DOWNLOADABLE CHAPTERS FOR TOMB RAIDER: UNDERWORLD

First New Chapter Rolls Out in Time for the Holidays with Game Demo Available in October

Redwood City, Calif. – October 6, 2008 – Eidos Interactive, creator of some of the world’s leading video game properties, today announces an agreement with Microsoft to release two brand new downloadable chapters in the continuing Tomb Raider adventures of Lara Croft. Containing up to six hours of new gameplay and content for Tomb Raider: Underworld™, the chapters will be available exclusively on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®. A demo for Tomb Raider: Underworld will also be available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace in October.

Offering entirely new content specifically designed to extend the Tomb Raider: Underworld experience, Tomb Raider: Underworld – Beneath the Ashes and Tomb Raider: Underworld – Lara’s Shadow will deliver two very different single player gameplay experiences. Tomb Raider: Underworld – Beneath the Ashes takes place after the Underworld story has finished and will feature an incredible new environment to explore, additional secrets to unlock and different enemies to fight. Tomb Raider: Underworld – Lara’s Shadow will introduce players to a new kind of playable character and create a unique Tomb Raider experience.

The first new chapter, Tomb Raider: Underworld – Beneath the Ashes, will be available for download exclusively on Xbox LIVE Marketplace this Christmas. Tomb Raider: Underworld – Lara’s Shadow will follow in early 2009.

“We are constantly looking at ways to extend our franchises, whilst developing a deeper relationship with our players. The retail release of any videogame is just the start of the player experience, from there it all depends where you want to take the player in terms of ideas and innovation,” said Sean Vesce, General Manager for Crystal Dynamics. . “With these additional chapters and the online reach of Xbox LIVE, we are able to deliver exclusive content to millions of gamers worldwide.”

“We’re thrilled that Xbox owners will be able to extend their Lara Croft adventures with exclusive Tomb Raider: Underworld episodes,” said George Peckham, General Manager of Global Third Party Publishing for Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business. “We look forward to continue working closely with our great publishing partners to deliver the most robust gaming experiences, only on Xbox 360.”

GC 08: Alison Carroll (aka: The New Lara Croft) Spotted At Leipzig Convention

Chad Lakkis — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:11:16 +0000

The new face of Lara Croft, 23 year old Alison Carroll, has been spotted making her rounds at Leipzig. Can you tell which one is Alison?

We know it’s hard, but try anyway. If you guess correctly, you may click the jump and see another photo of the British beauty taken at the show.

If these two photos are not enough to quench your unhealthy Lara Croft obsession, feel free to check out the gallery we published a little over a week ago.

Source: GoNintendo

Hot New Lara Croft Video Interview

Dan Landis — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 07:12:43 +0000

The new model for Lara Croft, Alison Carroll, recently did an interview with British News Channel Five. We got the video here, and in addition to the interview itself, you will see some hot footage of Alison in the new yellow and black swimsuit, as well as some of her physical training. Miss Carroll also does her spokeswomanly duty and slyly drops the Tomb Raider name and release date with a wink and a smile (not quite literally, but whatever).

You can check out more images and another video of Allison in our previous post by clicking here.

The New Lara Croft is Ridiculously Sexy

Wade Larson — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:06:15 +0000

Attention nerds: Boobies.

Now that I have your attention, hit the jump to for some titillating pictures of Alison Carroll, the new face of real-life iconic adventurer Lara Croft.

Ok, now that we’re safely off the main page, take a gander at Alison Carroll, a 23 year-old gymnast and the new face of the Tomb Raider franchise.

Eidos is reinventing Lara Croft with a little more realism (in some places, anyway) by making her a more lithe, graceful gymnast type to match her personality as an adventuresome archeologist, so Carroll fits the bill.

“Tomb Raider: Underworld depicts Lara as we have never seen her before with movements and skills reminiscent of a highly skilled gymnast. Sharing Lara’s strength and grace, Alison is an experienced competitive gymnast who has performed and competed across the globe. Her more than 12 years of gymnastics training align perfectly with the game’s enhanced movement set.”

Plus, she has the “essential characteristics…” giggity!

“Featuring the essential characteristics at the core of Lara Croft’s personality — brawn, brains and beauty — Alison Carroll particularly compliments this iteration of Ms. Croft.”

I can just see the meeting where they wrote that press release:

PR Writer 1: Hey… um… what are the essential characteristics of Lara Croft?

PR Writer 2: Dur. Boobies man. Everyone knows that.

PR 1: No, I mean beyond that. We can’t just come out and say “ZOMG BOOBIES!!1!”

PR 2: Why not?

PR 1: … Good question.

PR 2: Ok, well lets see. She kicks ass, solves puzzles and is every nerd’s wet dream.

PR 1: So… brawn, brains and beauty?

PR 2: Perfect. Now let’s head down to that photo shoot. Bring your camera phone.

In addition to being completely and utterly sexy, Carroll is flexible, personable, has eyes you could lose yourself in, and to top it all off, a British accent. Check the video interview, but be wary, you may fall in love enough to actually buy the game.

DO WANT.

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The new Lara is part of the marketing for Tomb Raider: Underworld, due out November of this year. You can read our preview of Tomb Raider: Underworld here.

Update: Another Alison Carroll video interview has surfaced. Click here to check it out.