Why You shouldn't Worry About The Exclusivity Of The New Tomb Raider

It was recently announced at Gamescom earlier this week that Rise of the Tomb Raider, Crystal Dynamics' sequel to the 2013 reboot, will be released exclusively on the Xbox One. The announcement was certainly unexpected. Playstation 4 fans of the series are crying foul and have already started a petition or condemned Microsoft and the series altogether. However, one key fact you may have overlooked would go to show there's no reason to get your panties in twist.

Fortunately for PC and PS4 players, the deal Microsoft and publisher Square Enix agreed to was to release Rise of the Tomb Raider as a timed exclusive for the Xbox One. Phil Spencer broke the news during an interview with Eurogamer where he confessed, "obviously, the deal has a duration. I didn't but the IP perpetuity." This means that the game will only remain exclusive for a certain period of time. Whether the period of exclusivity will last for six months, an entire year, or even longer has not yet been revealed. So while PS4 and PC players will have to wait, they will likely see Lara raid her way onto their platforms after the exclusivity period has expired. That part is up to publisher Square Enix.

Gamers are an irksome bunch however and many are asking why the sequel to a game that was released on multiple platforms would suddenly become an exclusive. Well there could be a few reasons for that. Perhaps Microsoft and Square Enix saw an opportunity to help one another out. Microsoft's Xbox One has been trailing behind Sony's PS4 in system sales for the seventh month in a row. Nabbing exclusive rights (albeit timed) to a big franchise and a sequel to one of the highest rated titles of 2013 could certainly help tilt the scales in the Xbox One's favor. Tomb Raider also stands as a staunch contender for the Uncharted sequel which is arguably Sony's most popular exclusive. And it seems more than coincidence the very comparable adventure titles are both being released in the 2016 holiday season.

Coming in the 2016 holiday season, who will prevail?

After a rocky year in 2013 with both Hitman: Absolution and the Tomb Raider reboot not meeting expected sales, Square Enix could have also spied this deal as an opportunity to make up for some of the money they may have lost. Crystal Dynamics' Darrell Gallagher also explained via Tumblr that he believes Microsoft will be able to market the game to players more effectively and provide the support the game needs to contend with other well-known franchises.

So, in a nutshell, it all boils down to money. Microsoft wants to increase system sales and Square-Enix wants to make up the money they lost in 2013 and see Tomb Raider become a contender for big action titles like Uncharted and Assassin's Creed. And really, no one should be surprised by that; no one is getting ripped off and in the end, Square Enix and Microsoft are businesses and businesses need to make money. What's important is that it seems very likely, everyone will get to play the game on the platform of their choice, eventually.

Source: Eurogamer

Lara Croft gets her hands dirty in New Tomb Raider Trailer

Lara Croft is looking better than ever as she takes on some bad guys in some kind of Mountain-top village. Tomb Raider now supports a cover based shooting system similar to the Uncharted games in which players must utilize cover from their environment. We see a beautifully rendered jungle as Lara runs and hurdles over some ancient looking bridges and wades across a small river. The lighting and shadow effects look brilliant as well. In the distance, you can see more mountains shrouded in mist as Lara treks onward.

She encounters a group of three men, past survivors who have adopted the ideals of a leader which is still unnamed. They operate as a type of cult which seems to pillage the remains of crashed ships and planes and violently indoctrinate any survivors into their cult. Those who oppose are seemingly killed. Director Karl Stewart revealed that not all of these scavengers are loyal to their leader though and still seek escape from the island.

Lara approaches the group scavengers stealthily, armed with a bow she must have found on the island. She peeks over the wall and fires an arrow into the head of one of the unsuspecting scavengers causing him to fall off the cliff he was standing at. Lara then turns her focus to the other two scavengers who are still unaware of their dead friend. She takes aim with her bow again and fires an arrow into the head of one. The other man, startled, dives for cover as he flips a table over and begins firing his gun at Lara. She scurries behind the wall dodging the sporadic shots which chip pieces of the wall, explode vases of water sending bits of ceramic in all directions. The  destructible environments look to provide a much more intense action experience.

The man takes a moment to reload his gun which allows Lara to charge him sending him to his death in a free fall off the cliff. Lara then turns her attention to a zip-line which takes her across the canyon to another part of the village. As Lara Lara explores further into the village, she encounters another group of men. She is able to ignite the tips of her arrows and shoot them into flammable materials resulting in fires and explosions. The fire spreads across the different materials and even ignites one of the scavengers at one point.

Enemies react to shots from the bow depending on where they're hit. Lara shoots one scavenger in the leg sending him in pain to his knees allowing her to finish him off with the ice-axe she has; Tomb Raider now seems to support a fair amount of close combat. After another brief fire fight, Lara attempts to cross some treacherous looking rapids but after a misstep, she is violently sent down the river with some other debris. As she is dragged down the river, Lara enters a couple of brief bullet-time sequences prompting her to destroy obstacles with her shotgun. The frantic fall ends with Lara in the cockpit of a crashed plane where Lara finds herself on a plane of glass which is about to shatter and send her falling hundreds of feet.

She carefully but quickly grabs a parachute and is able to put it on just as the glass breaks. The chute malfunctions on the first attempt but the reserve chute seems to save Lara as it opens just in time. She's then sent hurtling through the top of a pine forest where she's violently whipped around until she makes her eventual punishing descent.

While the new Lara Croft is inexperienced at her current youth and has much softer features, she can certainly take a brutal beating. By the end of the trailer, she is bloodied and can hardly walk. You can't help but feel sympathy for Lara as she struggles through these multiple fire fights and the harsh jungle environment. The intense action combined with the rough survival tactics is looking to be very entertaining. Check out the trailer below and see just how great this game already looks. I've been very excited since the game was announced last year and I am eagerly awaiting Tomb Raider's release on March 5th of 2012.

Get back in the Loop with new Tomb Raider trailer

The last news we had on Tomb Raider was that it had been delayed until early 2013. Square-Enix has confirmed Tomb Raider will hit shelves on March 5th of 2013 and they also unveiled a nice gameplay trailer for us. The trailer details the new, dramatic approach to Tomb Raider. Lara Croft and her adventures have been completely over-hauled and she's back at square one in her first adventure ever here.

The game will focus on survival and puzzle-solving more than it will combat it seems. I think this is a good change of pace for the Tomb Raider games. Watching the trailer, I already feel as though I like Lara more as a character and that I'm much more intrigued by her. She seems so much more interesting than the hard, bad-ass, dual-wielding pistol Lara that we're used to. I'm hoping more is revealed on the story as well and we learn who these strange islanders are that have it out for Lara. Square-Enix has confirmed they will be showing more at E3, so let's hope this is just the tip of the iceberg. Check out the trailer below.

Multiple game delays

Bioshock Infinite was slated to be one of the biggest games at E3 and launches of this year but it looks like no one will be seeing Bioshock Infinite at E3 or be playing it this year. The game was recently delayed until an approximate date of February, 23 of the year 2013. Ken Levine, of Irrational Games, released a statement apologizing for the delay but promises that some specific tweaks and improvements will make Infinite into something even more extraordinary. Levine goes on to promise that the wait will be worth it and that Irrational Games feels they owe it to their fans to make the game great. He also noted that Bioshock will not be present at E3 due to the fact Irrational wants to make sure they show-off the finished product only.

While I was initially pretty disappointed when I read about the delay, I realize that Levine's statement sounded very sincere and I trust him, along with Irrational Games to make Bioshock Infinite into an amazing game. Infinite was my most anticipated title this year and it's almost ironic that I had pre-ordered it just days before the delay. It's also funny that I thought to myself that I still have Tomb Raider to look forward too.

Just a few days later, Square-Enix announced that Tomb Raider wouldn't be hitting store shelves until the first quarter of 2013 as well. Studio head at developer, Crystal Dynamics, Dave Gallagher, stated that to achieve the goals that had originally been set for this ambitious game, that more time was needed. However, we can still look forward to seeing the game at E3 and Gallagher said the game is already looking amazing. As an extended apology, Crystal Dynamics released a screenshot of the game as well. Somehow, it's just my luck the two games I wanted most this year are being delayed.

Finally, the less anticipated but sure to be a hit, South Park game has also been delayed until early 2013. THQ did not provide a reason for the game's delay but I feel that it may have been some of the differences in ideas between designers and the original South Park creators that led to a delay. While I wasn't specifically excited for South Park and it likely won't measure up to Bioshock or Tomb Raider, the game still looked pretty solid. The concepts and innovations going into South Park really intrigued me and is still looking to be a good game.

 I suppose we'll just have to wait until the first quarter of 2013 however to play any of these games. I have to admit, I was initially surprised when I heard the October release date for Infinite, so I guess I almost expected it. Tomb Raider on the other hand I did not expect but I'm glad developers are taking the time to really make these games worth it to their fans. How do you feel about these delays? Were you planning on getting any of these games when they came out? This also poses the question of any other games possibly being delayed. Grand Theft Auto V is speculated to be released this year but I"m really beginning to doubt that and I'm getting the feeling Borderlands 2 may be delayed as well. I'll keep my fingers crossed though and hope that all launches go as according to plan.

What games are you most excited for this year?

I was recently looking at the list of games waiting to be released this year and I literally said to myself, "Holy schnikes!" There are a lot of great looking games that will be shipping this year, almost all of them are part of an already well known franchise. With so many awesome games on the way, which ones are you saving your cash for? Take a look at the list below to get an idea of what's coming in 2012.

Sleeping Dogs – August 17
Dark Souls (PC) – August 24
Madden NFL 13 – August 28
Far Cry 3 – September 4
Borderlands 2 – September 18
Resident Evil 6 – October 2
Medal of Honor: Warfighter – October 23
Assassin's Creed III – October 30
Halo 4 – November 6
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 – November 13

That's not all though, there's also quite a few titles already confirmed for 2012 but waiting for an exact date. You can expect to see dates soon for games like Tomb Raider (reboot), Hitman: Absolution, Dishonored, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Brothers in Arms: Furious 4, Aliens: Colonial Marines, Skylanders Giants, and Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. There is even speculation that Grand Theft Auto V will hit stores this year as well. 

I've been debating which games I'm most excited for and I have to say that with this year's lineup its going to be  tough. I would have said Bioshock Infinite would be the one game I'm most anticipating but it was recently delayed until February of 2013. My runner up (currently) would have to be the Tomb Raider reboot. It just looks so raw and so real and I can't wait to see how the game has been changed. While details have been scarce since E3 of last year, the game sounds like it will focus a lot more on survival. Lara won't be carrying an arsenal that could supply a small army or her own personal set of gadgets to get her out of trouble. This time around she will have to rely on her instincts to survive. I'm just so intrigued by all the new ideas being implemented and I can't wait to get more details on the plot.

After Tomb Raider, it's a really close tie between, Assassin's Creed 3, Dishonored and Hitman: Absolution. I love Assassin's Creed and I'm really glad they're taking the next step with a completely new game and moving on with the series. As for Hitman, it has been quite a while since Blood Money and I've really missed Agent 47. The game's graphics look amazing and the gameplay trailers show off some of 47's new tricks. He's now able to handle a lot more objects in the environment and employ them to bash an enemy's skull. There's also an ability much like Eagle Vision in Assassin's Creed which 47 can use to aid him in sneaking past enemies or taking them out.

As for Dishonored, I have to say I'm excited because it is influenced by Thief and looks/sounds like it'll play somewhat like Bioshock. Set in the middle ages with some steam punk flair, Dishonored follows the story of former personal guard to the empress, Corvo. He's also a master assassin that has been imbued with super natural powers. He has a skill set that make him a deadly swordsman, expert marksman and skilled infiltrator. The story starts with Corvo having been framed for the murder of the empress, the very person he was assigned to protect. Out for revenge, Corvo vows to eliminate those responsible for framing him and those who have been oppressing the people in the dystopian setting. The game has parkour, powers which can be wielded with weapons much like Bioshock and an awesome sounding plot (there's more to it than I explained). Those ingredients sound like they'll make a mean game and I can't wait. 

Enough about me though, what are you excited for? Maybe Borderlands 2 or Resident Evil 6? Whatever it is, you really can't go wrong here since all of these games look very promising.