The sneak preview features some excellent shots of the second level of Underworld, not to mention a fantastic look at Lara's beautiful ... platforming animation. Considering the unlikelihood of the Thailand Video Game Expo ever existing, we regret to admit that it's probably the closest we'll ever come to The Land of Smiles.
The new flesh-and-blood Lara? Pretty. Cool. But it's the texture-and-polygon one in Tomb Raider: Underworld – the proper, next-gen sequel to the series-reviving Tomb Raider: Legend – that we're really excited about. This first full gameplay trailer for Underworld is a jaw-dropper, showcasing ruins in a new locale (Thailand) and offering quick glimpses of action in other parts of the world (and underworld).
We're pretty sure we see the first location from the game to be revealed – rain-drenched Mayan ruins – and a tease at a return of the nefarious bad-girl, Natla, from Tomb Raider: Anniversary in there. Also: giant spiders, giant octopus, and giant statues of Norse Gods, the mythology of which (Thor's hammer, in particular) factors heavily in the game's plot as Lara continues her quest to find Avalon.
To coincide with the video reveal of Tomb Raider: Underworld's Thai locale, Eidos has released a new batch of screens showcasing the level's sheer jungle-y, ruin-y, tiger-y splendor. Check them out in our updated gallery below.
Vin Diesel vs. The Batman? If we didn't know better, we'd have mistaken the first Batman Arkham Asylum screens for the spiffy new chapter in the Chronicles of Riddickremake. (After all, Bats has tangoed with Aliens and Predator -- so why not the Alpha Furyan?) But we digress. Rocksteady Studios eagerly released the "WORLDWIDE EXCLUSIVE Game Informer screens" on its website, but then realized, uh, they're exclusive, and promptly pulled them. Unfortunately, erasing an internet blunder is never as easy as refreshing the page, and the images have spread to new hosts. Hellooo NeoGAF! [Argh, pulled! ... CVG has 'em.]
Update: Warner Bros. Interactive is making the rounds this afternoon, trying to bottle up the pesky genie that escaped earlier today. "The images of Batman Arkham Asylum that Rocksteady posted on their website were done in error," a representative has explained to Joystiq. In turn, we have complied with the company's request to remove any screenshots from this post and will surely not remind you that the images in question are still floating around the internet, maybe even locatable through links posted in the comments section...
Eidos has made Batman: Arkham Asylum all official, confirming the earlier revealed Rocksteady Studios-developed trip to Gotham City. Calling the game a "haunting, action detective game," Eidos notes that it and Warner Bros. will publish the action adventure title globally for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC in 2009.
According to Eidos, the game's story, penned by Batman Beyond's Paul Dini, will center on a trap set by Arkham Asylum inmates for Batman as he delivers Joker to the infamous prison. While much of the thunder of Eidos' announcement was taken by the dynamic duo of Game Informer and NeoGAF yesterday, Warner Bros. Interactive president Martin Tremblay calls the game both "graphically distinct" and "incredibly dark," as players hunt down and do battle with Gotham's worst. We look forward to additional details about Batman: Arkham Asylum as they become available, and have tossed a batarang in Eidos' direction for more.
While the rumored "Bat Theft Auto" Pandemic title may still prove true, we now have definite news of a new Batman game in the works care of Game Informer. Batman: Arkham Asylum is being developed by Rocksteady Studios (Urban Chaos Riot Response)and Eidos. According to Game Informer's online teaser, the Joker will be the main villain in the story of a prison break gone awry, written by Paul Dini (Justice League, Batman Beyond).
Additionally, a 10-digit countdown can be seen on Rocksteady's site. Our math is a little fuzzy, but it's going to take approximately "a good while" (i.e. over 2 years) to reach zero.
Update: Some details reportedly from GI have been posted on NeoGAF (read: we can't confirm any of this at the moment). The Unreal Engine 3-powered game is going for a gritty, Chronicles of Riddick-esque feel. DC Comics' Wildstorm is crafting the characters' look. Some villains in the game include Joker, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Penguin, Riddler, Scarecrow and more. According to the post, Arkham Asylum is projected for a 2009 release on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 and is not being rushed to tie into any TV or film marketing cycles.
Yesterday, Alison Carroll was revealed as the latest promotional Lara Croft flesh-model for the Tomb Raider franchise. Today, there's a couple videos of Carroll talking (boring) and doing flips in short-shorts (wheee!). OK, before the feminists have a freak out, we're totally semi kidding. To her credit, Carroll used to be a gymnast, so she actually can do some of Lady Croft's more stylish moves.
If hearing Carroll's British accent ups the Tomb Raider heroine's sex appeal and gets you to buy Underworld this November, then the girl's done her job. The videos of Carroll's meeting with the press can be found after the break.
Even those who indulge in the sanctioned decadence of a Hyborian lifestyle can find themselves bound to otherworldly codes of conduct, as one Age of Conan "Game Master" (real job, apparently) recently learned after he engaged in a brief, albeit illicit affair with one of the game's denizens. While some would-be sleuths have concluded that the incident was a classic case of entrapment, the governing authority nonetheless terminated the frolicking GM. "If the guidelines are broken there are consequences," Funcom has stated. Let this be a lesson to all of us working the virtual shift: Pants are to be worn at all times.
Her real name is Alison Carroll, but for the purposes of your fantasies you may refer to her as Lady Croft. The Sun has some pics of the 23-year-old, who was revealed today as the new public body of the polygonal heroine. The model will now travel the globe, hunting for her next paycheck, as she meets fans and swallows her pride "acting out stunts from the game."
There's a few more details about the model/actress in The Sun story, but the only important thing to know is that she's single and ready to mingle. Yes boys, slather on some Drakkar Noir and work some extra-stiff gel through that greasy hair because Ms. Croft is available. For those who actually care about the game that Carroll will be promoting, Tomb Raider: Underworld will be available Nov. 18 in NA and Nov. 21 in Europaland.
The room is stuffed with a handful of game journalists. It's dark. Drifting from the (very nice) speaker system are the sounds of ocean waves lapping against a boat. On screen, Lara Croft stands on the wooden deck wearing scuba gear. Thrifty girl that she is, it looks like Lara didn't want to spring for a wetsuit with legs in it. Apparently not worried by the deep cold of the ocean, she dives into the water. It's time for me to play Tomb Raider Underworld.
Monster Lab for the Wii is one of those games that is clearly designed for a kid, but could grab hold of many adults. The head of development studio Backbone Entertainment walked us through the RPG with turn-based combat and told us the title is designed for 10- 15-year-olds, but if he'd known in advance the response from the press during E3, the company would have upped its demographic target.
As it stands now, Monster Lab, which will be out this Halloween, has the player taking control of a monster that they'll upgrade over the course of the game. Various items will be collected in battles and can be fused together to form new parts for the monster back at the lab. There are mechanical, biological and chemical parts; each type being more or less susceptible to the others (mechanical > biological > chemical >mechanical). Also, the quality of new parts added to the monster will be determined through several minigames.
Based off of our explorations of the Croft manor in previous Tomb Raider installments, we can say with absolute certainty that Lara Croft has a pretty sweet pad. Or, rather, had a sweet pad -- in the latest E3 trailer for Eidos and Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider: Underworld, the titular adventurer, now sanshot pants, apparently lays waste to her extravagant dwelling.
The two-minute, gameplay-less trailer is visually impressive, though our minds are racing with questions surrounding the top-heavy historian's act of residential sabotage. Is she trying to collect on her homeowner's insurance? Is she attempting to quash a rather formidable termite infestation? Perhaps she's trying to earn a visit from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition? We'll be finding out when Underworld explodes onto store shelves November 18.
Funcom announced today that Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures has entangled 700,000 players in its breast-reducing web. GameDaily reports that Funcom believes this makes Conan the #2 subscription MMO in the western world -- yeah, World of Warcraft is still #1 ... by a long shot.
According to NPD, Conan remains the top selling PC title in the US since its launch May 20. Funcom reported early last month it had shipped a million copies of the game to retail and now believes its current subscription numbers give it "significant development resources" to evolve the game over time. Hopefully this also means bugs that reduce anatomical parts will be caught in the future.
Eidos has announced it'll be showing at least four titles at E3 this year, including Tomb Raider Underworld. IGN reports that the other titles expected to be in attendance are Battlestations: Pacific, Just Cause 2and Monster Lab.
Sadly, we don't see Agent 47 on this list, which would break the company's trend of releasing a new Hitman every two years, but hopefully that's something Eidos is just saving to announce later.
MCV reports that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment president Kevin Tsujihara has joined the board of SCi, parent company of Eidos, as non-executive director. Tsujihara's position is part of the agreement the two companies made when WBHE dropped £60 million on SCi to save it from further financial issues devastation.
Also joining the SCi board, in the same role as Tsujihara, is Aaron Brown, an associate of investor Robert Tchenguiz, who also made a similar (but considerably further under the radar) deal as Warner Bros. There's a lot of money and power in that boardroom, now let's see if anything half-decent comes of it.
Selling out has become a common occurrence for Funcom's upcoming MMO Age of Conan, a theme that continues this morning with news that the game's collector's edition print run of 111,000 units is "completely sold out in all markets." The announcement stings for those of us who kept putting off pre-ordering the limited edition box until tomorrow, and while Funcom notes that some boxes may still be found on retail shelves, stores will not be able to order more.
Even so, Funcom adds that it is putting some 700.000 copies of Age of Conan on trucks bound for retail shelves on day one, ensuring that anyone who fancies suiting up in virtual loincloths will be able to do so when the MMO officially begins tomorrow.
_thumbnail.jpg "i am 8-bit: 2008")
