Tomb Raider revealed by Square Enix in Game Informer

I second your opinion, sir. I played the original and didn't care for it. Just felt clunky to me, but then, my experience at the time was almost solely with Nintendo consoles. I, for one, really like the look they've got going here.

Also, to whomever said they hope this isn't an attempt to make her darker, and that they like her better in a light-hearted atmosphere: The only 'survival' story set in a lighthearted atmosphere I can think of is Gilligan's Island. I think survival stories very nearly require a dark/grim point of view. I can't really see Lara Croft building a straw hut and trying to make a coconut radio. Or a coconut jetpack. Or a coconut assault rifle.

@rogueface
looks amazing, hopefully they can make Lara and Tomb Raider relevant again

@rogueface

Well i think a coconut bra would be fine. But thats just me.

@rogueface

Can I has unlockable Coconut Assault Rifle??

I'll name him Murray.

@NoBull6 I feel exactly the same way as you do right now.

@OzCueball
You want her to wear a bra?

@rogueface Wait - you played the first one and didn't like it because it felt clunky? Compared to what? I was just amazed that you could climb things.

@nighttime More like Lady Looks like a Dude. Seriously, no comments on how she looks more like a boy than a girl? I'm sure I'll get downvoted, but I presume this is Square Enix art direction. I'm sorry, but Japanese love some ambigous characters. If you didn't tell me that was a girl, I'd say it was a feminine guy, which is par for the course for a Japanese developer.

@TexRob i'd hit it,

@TexRob

That was the exact same thing I first thought. She looks like a teenage boy (Justin Bieber, anybody?) and it doesn't help that the dirt and grime make it seem like she has some beard/moustache stubble too. Extremely unsexy and masculine.....that's definitely a reboot for Lara.

And what kind of hairstyle is that? Modern rat-tail? Hipster mullet?

This is an all around terrible image and whoever decides what goes on the cover at Game Informer should be ashamed. But then again, the quality of that publication has been steadily diving for some time now.

That is all. Move along.

@TexRob Well, I half agree with you. If you cover up the bottom half of the face, the eyes and hair definitely look like your standard Square-Enix girly-man.

However, if you cover up the top half of the head, the nose, lips and jaw look rather female to me. Overall I think the real problem isn't this image, but the precedent that Square has set with all of their previous character designs.

@nighttime She looks like a 14-year-old boy in that picture, what's wrong with you?

@HM79

You and the ither guy are right....to an extent.

See the thing is i DO know shes a girl and that makes this HAWT. First time in Lara Croft history I was like hmmm I know its a video game BUT...

@MonKENy

The thing that annoys me (based on the down votes) is that I'm expressing a valid critique relating to a single art piece, not bashing the game, yet few want to have an honest discussion about it. So I applaud you for actually offering a responding comment instead of simply down voting.

I LOVE the Tomb Raider games and was playing the original probably before a lot of people on this board were even born.

Love the games, absolutely hate this piece of art though. I wish people would understand the difference.

@HM79

You're being faaaar too kind to Justin Bieber.

@HM79

What disappoints me is your expectations based upon what you think of your terrible critique. I wouldn't even call it that. People downvote you because they legitimately don't like what you have to say, and basically you said you wanted her to be feminine in a sexy way, which I guess is fine but horribly closed-minded if it's terrible to you for only that reason.

If anything, this is what I would imagine Lara Croft to look like if I someone described to me, in words, what she did. Gritty and worn, and she should look like that. Humans don't particularly differentiate well when they are battered down or dirtied, probably because all the shit we use to differentiate ourselves (at least in our face) is worn away and muddled, especially considering this is just a bust and there is no other body cues. She doesn't look masculine, I'd say she looks androgynous, in that it could go either way.

I have no doubt that some of your downvotes were superficial at best, but I see nothing but complaining, other than maybe it isn't the same as what you know or that she doesn't look feminine and sexualized, which maybe that's the point and you didn't get it. Personally the art looks fantastic to me, I think it's a great little way to showcase the brutality of the game that's being implied because that shit doesn't have a gender.

I'm being harsh, and I'm sorry and you are, of course, entitled to an opinion, but your presentation wasn't much more then "she isn't sexy, that's all I care about" and you need to do better than bash on a popular bashing figure to have a good solid opinion and frankly I hope you get downvoted more if that's all you have as "valid."

@DarrylKensley

virtual titties + scars = gross.

virtual titties + scars + angelina face = fapfapfap

@speeddemon92

Which equation gets the new-age mullet??!?

@Buck Buchanan

No. Just... No.

@Buck Buchanan

yeah i don't think the new dante is about girls. they totally have coodies.

@Liquidfingers
That plus-button isn't enough to describe how much I liked that comment!

@Dougtastic Tomb Raider never recaptured the spotlight it had in the PS1 days, but the games from Legend on were actually quite good.

@Riley Freeman

If you're into teenage boys....but I'm not judging.

On a lighter note, the Breaking News pane on the right side of Joystiq is highlighting the B R A in the title

@Lerkero

didn't they try this with Dante too... lol these reboots try to ground them so bad with feelings and emotion.

@Lerkero

I agree, to some extent. However, past iterations were either obviously more comical in their attempt to be "grim" or simply appeared to be as such only because it was overstated.

If Crystal Dynamics has any sense of good judgment, they'll consider their competition (like "Uncharted") and take notes from the industry and whatever fan base they cited to justify the expense of development.

On another note, this Darrell Gallagher is a pinhead! "Forget everything you knew about Tomb Raider?" That should read "everything you know," unless the blame is on JoyStiq... and that wouldn't surprise me either!

That's the Talking Points memo for this morning. Be sure to tune in to 'The O'Reilly Factor' on Fox News weekdays @ 8:00 EST/ 5:00 PST.

@Lerkero

Agreed. It seems like it is a cliche for a reboot to go "dark". Somethings don't fit going "dark".

@Bill OReilly

Umm... wow.

@Chazzr

I'd by that.

@Chazzr

day one purchase!

@Shockwave The game uses the Ride controller. It comes with a string and you hold it like a bow.

Ride Lara Croft would sell better. At least in Japan.

@PR0F3TA

Hey man Lara croft is still awesome.
Even if Nathan drake stole most of her thunder.

@PR0F3TA

Either you're totally unaware that Shadow of the Colossus (aka your avatar) is an upcoming "HD remix of just barely 'old' games from not even a gen ago just to get people to buy the game twice but with shiny graphics" or you're trying to be ironic.

Either way you fail.

@PR0F3TA Nathan Drake didn't steal anything. Lara Croft was clearly a female answer to Indiana Jones.

Nathan Drake is just another wannabe though. I like Uncharted games but they are nothing like Tomb Raider. They are pretty much just really good third person shooters.

While Tomb Raider has always been about puzzles and platforming with clunky combat, if they fix the combat they're set. And Guardian of Light was awesome.

@vaajtswv

Before before boob job?