Lara Croft gets primitive in new Tomb Raider trailer

by Mike Schramm on Jun 3rd 2011 2:30AM

Square Enix has released this teaser trailer for the new Tomb Raider reboot on YouTube (after showing it on Spike earlier tonight), and boy is it purty. As promised by the game's reveal back in December of last year, the fully CGI trailer features a younger, (dare we say) more naive Lara Croft, given some slightly more savage and primitive tools by the end than we've ever seen before.

Sure, there's a Sully-esque old guy in there, but man, that setpiece at the end of the trailer more than makes up for any similarity to any other grave-exploring titles you may also be fond of. Stay tuned -- we'll have lots more information about this game for you as we head on into E3 next week.

Source: YouTube

Tags: crystal-dynamics, microsoft, pc, playstation, ps3, square-enix, tomb-raider, tomb-raider-2011, trailer, video, xbox

Reader Comments (105)

December 2012= no uncharted game

@aussieCanuck
?

@Rizraz lol im saying there will be not uncharted game then so it will help them with no competition in the adventure climbing genre and good for consumers so they have an adventure game this year and next instead of having to choose

@aussieCanuck I love uncharted but Tomb Raider created the genre and it seems like a lot of people have forgotten that or a lot of little kids just like they do with COD think that COD created FPS and forget its roots. I have been a Tomb Raider fan since day 1 PSX days and have played everyone since then I think this is the one that brings Lara back and reminds people who CREATED this genre.

@GTThaAceman haha yea i had n64 not ps1 so i never really played the tomb raider games but when i did i didn't like the movement and the newer games haven't been that great so i hope this game is as good as uncharted because lara is better to look at for 8-15 hours then drake lol

@aussieCanuck

Remember back when they were previewing the first Uncharted, all everyone was saying was "So it's basically just Tomb Raider with a guy?"

@brettjr25

they are changing up the tomb raider formula quite considerably, so i'd be very surprised if it was still like the old ones

@GTThaAceman No what Uncharted did was make that style of gameplay fun again. Tomb Raider hasn't done anything truly unique since Tomb Raider. After Tomb Raider 2 they became worse. The nostalgia factor mixed with not horrible game play in legends and anniversary were merely OK and then they suddenly began to fall back on the same routine again.

I don't know of anyone who forgot about Tomb Raider merely people who just don't care anymore. They always did put her character and looks above the story or game play...and Uncharted beats Tomb Raider there too. As long as the games are good people will play them. Tomb Raider needs to get that down firs.

@GTThaAceman

Well, I get what you are trying to say, but it is very debatable that Tomb Raider "created" the genre. There had been plenty of adventure games by 1995. Tomb Raider only "created" the virtual icon (or pin up?), but hardly a genre.

With that said, your main point is correct: many young fanboys get obsessed in defending a current game as the "only one" (i.e: the silly argument that Mario Galaxy had created the spherical planets when the Ratchet games had done it 8 years earlier, or that every FPS is "copying" COD).

But while the original Tomb Raider was fresh back in the day (though almost every sequel since then has been iffy at best, save for a few of the recent ones) it hardly created a genre. And with that in mind, it can't be argued that , say, Uncharted "created" the genre, but it certainly can be said that it has set the standard for every other game in the genre to be compared against, including the Tomb Raider series of new/recent games.

@ptcamn There were no free roaming 3d games where you could climb things and go pretty much wherever you wanted before Tomb Raider. It came out at the same time technology was good enough to create such a game. Its use of music was also innovative.

@GTThaAceman

What would be really cool is if Lara teamed up with Drake in one of the Uncharted games. But, I also have to say even if Tomb Raider created the genre that Uncharted has redefined it and taken it to heights not seen from any Tomb Raider game. The terrible movies and uninspired sequels kind of killed any anticipation for the series. However, if they can deliver an experience similar to what we saw in that trailer and Tomb Raider truly goes back to its roots (puzzles & platforming with some action but not an action game) it'll be back in the fold. This preview gives me a lot of hope for the franchise.

@GTThaAceman

Why do people have to remember where the genre came from in order to enjoy other games?

lol

@Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell
You're contradicting yourself a bit. One part of your argument claims that Uncharted did what Tomb Raider did, but better, and yet you acknowledge that Uncharted's gameplay focus isn't the same as Tomb Raider. Just a nitpick.

The long and the short of it is that Uncharted has more in common with Gears of War on the gameplay side than it does with tomb raider. Assassin's Creed has more in common with Tomb Raider than Uncharted does. People just can't get past the whole "Treasure Hunter" subject matter, which is incredibly shallow.

What Uncharted does extremely well is sell the cinematic experience which is what got people's attention. It's gameplay isn't significantly better or worse than Gears of War. It's just that Naughty Dog did a hell of a job as selling Drake as a character and his situation as exciting that people wanted to see what would happen next. This is something the new Tomb Raider may need to do to get the attention of the today's "big explosion", "summer blockbuster starved" masses - hopefully without compromising the gameplay focus that set it apart.

Beautiful. It's Final Fantasy meets Uncharted. Who Knew? Guess Square - Enix wants some of Naughty Dog's pie.

@Xenitas
How can you say that...
Uncharted is a complete homage to how awasome the action aventure games were in its origins of Tomb Raider.
Theres not even anything Final Fantasy like obout it

@Xenitas

I think the CG is of course something that only Square Enix is capable of doing, but as far as I can tell that's where anything Final Fantasy related ends.

Yes, SE did buy Eidos so they could become more competitive in the western market, but rather than take over, I believe like with Arkham City, they're accentuating these Western companies' works and not changing it.

And man, have Crystal D and Rocksteady benefited from it!

@Theguyoverthere
Notice before the trailer starts, there's a Square Enix logo? Notice the visual style, especially the character model, resembles the style in Final Fantasy CG? That's where he got it from.

@Wiizer

Not in this day and age. Blizzard and Ubisoft come to mind as being on par with if not better than Square Enix CG.

@CaramelZappa
I did notice the logo, but as for the other stuff, nope. Unless being female and CG is enough for the checklist to be part of a Final Fantasy cutscene.

@Xenitas

Indiana Jones + Tomb Raider + Gears of War = Divine Awesomeness (and also... Uncharted)

@WiredKnight

Throw in shit like the stuff from Epics Unreal engine show off they did.

And epic CGI is getting around these days.

@Xenitas wasn't it the Dog who started cutting into Squares money pie by creating the male version of Lara Croft.

@CaramelZappa

Sure. That'd be true except Lara Croft's always had exaggerated features. This is just CD taking her in a more realistic direction. Hence, the large eyes and full lips she's always had. You guys are really stretching this Square Enix influence.

@Xenitas

Not sure why everyone jumped on xenitas. Obviously the gameplay is in no way FF, but that last scene was very similar to it stylistically.

If you pause at 02:46 and were told to guess what franchise that's from without knowing what the trailer was for there's no way that FF wouldn't be one of your first guesses.

@WiredKnight
I disagree I think SquareEnix has the best cg. I sometimes wish they would just make movies.

@CaramelZappa Uh, Square Enix is there because they PUBLISH it. Nothing more. Everything is by Crystal Dynamics.

I would like to see an Uncharted/Tomb Raider crossover game.

@(Unverified) Such a union will result with Drake and Lara having wild monkey sex on top of a dinosaur. Is that what you really want?

@Manny Fleurmond

it's what EVERYONE wants

You know, I was thinking the same thing. Lara Croft and Drake = Win. And Lots of it. Who'd the villain be though? Sephiroth? lol

@Xenitas

nope, it'd be a whiny fanboy.

It's nice to see a strong female protagonist who isn't "Strong" because she's got rippling lats, or female, because she's got enormous breasts.

I really am having something of a nervous breakdown with the realization that I'm saying that about Lara Croft though.

This trailer has me interested, consider mission accomplished.

@Jamvaan .

Yeah, I really want to see that movie. The game might be fun too.

am i right if i say it's a Tomb Raider game that's not about raiding tombs?

@wqerty I want to raid Lara's tomb, if you catch my drift ;)

the first tomb raider game that really got me intersted. im looking forward for some ingame footage! :)

@synapse

That's what I'm waiting for too. But yeah, the trailer put it on my "interesting-list"

@Pure Black World Tendency

I am right there with you. After the trailer, this moved up on my radar

Truthfully, I think the whole "injured Lara Croft" scenario has been pushed too much for this game. The very first reveals were all of her injured, and then this trailer is just about showing how she got injured... I feel like they're going to make you play in crutches or limping the entire game.

Anyway, criticisms aside, it looks to have a lot of Asian influence in the art and the prerendered scenes are beautiful which is a definite mark of Square-Enix's involvement. Glad to see they're doing more than just publishing.

@Raiki

I feel like more and more, especially with the whole Rockstar/Team Bondi situation, people don't realize how much publishing entails. The publisher has a lot of control.

@hensothor

Rockstar practically developed LA Noire themselves though. The credits for that game were like 10 minutes long and only 30 seconds involved people from Team Bondi. I think Bondi was responsible for the ideas and mo-cap, but everything else seemed to be R*.

@Raiki I'm kind of hoping that the emphasis on her being in an injured state through the reveal and trailers may have something to do with perhaps an emphasis placed on survival, perhaps like a hybrid of Fallout New Vegas hardcore mode and Metal Gear Soild 3. But that's really just wishful thinking.

@Jamvaan

That's exactly what it is. Game Informer had a preview on this months ago. Survival is the key element in this game.

Should've named that ship "Ironic" instead of "Endurance!"

@KobaltKode
Yeah, but if they changed the name it wouldn't be...I mean, they have to keep it in order...

They may as well name it "Paradox," while they're at it.

This has got to be the best Tomb Raider ever. I'm hooked.

This is going to be the second Lara Croft game. I don't remember much about the first, seeing as to how I was 8 or nine years old. And even nine years olds know how much those controls suck.

@The Blank Mage Returns *second Lara Croft game I've played.* Damn you, sleep deprivation! You make me sound ignorant at crucial moments!

@The Blank Mage Returns
You missed some good ones with Legend and Anniversary.

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Tomb Raider (2013)

Lara Croft gets primitive in new Tomb Raider trailer

Reader Comments (105)

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:33AM aussieCanuck said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:59AM Rizraz said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 5:48AM aussieCanuck said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 8:18AM GTThaAceman said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 8:21AM aussieCanuck said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 9:28AM Altairio said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 10:11AM troxnor said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 10:48AM sammo21 said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 11:18AM ptcamn said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 12:02PM aughscreennames said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 12:22PM Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 11:36PM Ash Faden said

Posted: Jun 4th 2011 12:11PM qrack said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:34AM Xenitas said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:54AM Theguyoverthere said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 3:12AM Wiizer said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 3:17AM CaramelZappa said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 6:12AM WiredKnight said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 6:16AM Crayola Q Pants ESQ said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 6:17AM Pure Black World Tendency said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 7:06AM This Little Man Says His Name Is said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 7:23AM kmcroc said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 8:02AM Brother Unit No 4 said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 1:01PM Vcize said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 1:06PM Mikekan13 said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 8:26PM Robborboy said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:35AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 3:10AM Manny Fleurmond said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 3:22AM Air King said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:38AM Xenitas said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 10:48AM LENSconcept said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:39AM Uniform solidState Messenger said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:39AM Jamvaan said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 1:27PM fohf said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:43AM wqerty said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:57PM CROSSe0 said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:50AM synapse said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 6:19AM Pure Black World Tendency said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 9:44AM ratandjmt said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:51AM Raiki said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 3:02AM hensothor said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 3:16AM Raiki said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 3:20AM Jamvaan said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 8:03AM Brother Unit No 4 said

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