GDI today unveils the second game to feature in the Public Beta test of new, super-fast digital distribution platform AWOMO – Tomb Raider: Legend from Eidos – and demonstrates a download 11x the speed of conventional games download services, an improvement of double the speed of initial tests. GDI Game Domain International Plc (GDI) today announced a second milestone in the Public Beta of its revolutionary games download platform AWOMO with the launch of Tomb Raider: Legend from Eidos, originally released in 2006. The game will be free of charge to play via http://www.awomo.com for a period of one month from today, for consumers to continue stress testing GDI’s new platform that allows PC games to be downloaded in minutes rather than hours.
The much anticipated Public Beta of the AWOMO digital delivery platform features new technology that delivers even the largest ‘AAA’ PC games in minutes rather than hours compared with ‘conventional’ download services, directly from a web browser. It enables consumers to start playing a game while it is downloading without interruption to the game play.
“Tomb Raider: Legend™ is the perfect title both to showcase our unique super-fast download technology, and continue our stress trials,” explained Roger Walkden, Chief Executive of GDI. “We have already proved in our first test that via AWOMO, players can be playing a game 5x faster than conventional download services. With Tomb Raider: Legend, a 7.2GB game, we can demonstrate that players on an 8 Megabit line can be playing the game within 11 minutes, a staggering 11x the speed of competing services and twice as fast as our previous Beta test game.”
“We’re pleased to support the AWOMO Public Beta with Tomb Raider: Legend,” added Simon Protheroe, Online Publishing Director of Eidos™. “We’re extremely impressed with the speed advantages of the platform and the overall quality of the consumer experience.”
After being unveiled as the new, real-life Lara Croft, Alison Carroll will be appearing at the flagship store of The Carphone Warehouse, this Friday 6 February 2009 at 12:15hrs. Alison will be helping to launch two new gaming handsets from Sony Ericsson, which will be exclusively available from The Carphone Warehouse. The F305 motion-sensitive handset comes pre-loaded with over 50 free games, while the W910 Exclusive Gaming Edition has four blockbusting games stored on it, including Tomb Raider. WHEN: 12:15hrs, Friday 4 February 2008
WHAT: Photocall, media interviews (on request)
Alison Carroll, the new Lara Croft will be appearing in store to launch two, new gaming handsets from Sony Ericsson.
WHERE: The Carphone Warehouse, 272-274 Oxford Street, London, W1C 1DU (by John Lewis)
Tomb Raider Underworld the best Lara Croft game in years, the soundtrack is stunning, dramatic and perfect for adding to you collection. If you've already paid $60 for the game an extra $10 to $20 for Underground's music, would be bad so Eidos have made the tracks available as a free download on the game's official website.
News of the free soundtrack comes hot on the heels of Eidos also releasing two new wetsuit costumes for the game via Xbox Live free of charge.
Tomb Raider is certainly ready to move in new directions. However, before it does, Underworld serves as a suitable exclamation point to wrap up old ideas before moving on to the next big thing. In that capacity, the game is a huge success, delivering the best of what makes Tomb Raider games fun while excising most elements that have irked players in recent years. This game won't likely change your opinion of the character or her adventures, but it's a grand ride for those who still look forward to globetrotting with the British heiress.
Crystal Dynamics acknowledges from the start that it's time to sweep out the old and bring in the new, opening the game with a bang (bye-bye Croft Manor), making it abundantly clear that things are changing for Lara. Underworld features the most cinematic and exciting Tomb Raider plot yet, filled with tense drama and awe-inspiring scenes of discovery. Without explicitly saying so, Underworld serves as the final act of the seemingly disconnected stories presented in Legend and Anniversary. Culling characters and unanswered questions from both, this closing chapter won't leave fans hanging.
The series' basic design tenets remain intact, but they are more polished here than ever before. Clambering along ledges, leaping across dangerous gaps, dodging ancient mechanical traps, and culling endangered animal species... it's all here. What has changed is the sense of scale. Underworld is all about huge mechanisms and sprawling levels. The platforming is top notch, and navigating the varied locales of the game world has never been more fun. Lara's actions feel and look more natural, thanks to some excellent motion-captured animation; cracks only show during occasional transitions between animations. Her moveset is also dramatically expanded, giving her more facility to interact with the environment in the way you want.
The mind-bending puzzles are fun, particularly the impressive number of optional challenges scattered throughout the game to find extra relics and treasures. If anything, some of the puzzles may be too big. I'm as much of a fan of gigantic, pulley-rigged ancient statues as anyone, but there are times where the scale of these contraptions is too massive to even understand what you're doing when you place widget A in slot B. Beyond this frustration, most of the puzzles are a blast to solve, delivering repeated "aha" moments that puzzle gamers can't help but love.
Combat is a marginal step up from previous incarnations, but is still heavily focused on wild leaps around the environment as you hold down the trigger. Unlike before, these combat encounters frequently pop up while you're in the midst of hanging off a ledge or leaping between posts, upping the excitement significantly. Legacy camera problems, meanwhile, haven't improved significantly and is probably the biggest problem still facing the talented development team.
In tone, Underworld hits the target dead center, delivering the perfect mix of isolation and discovery with larger dramatic encounters. No modern cities mar Lara's excursion this time, this is tomb-raiding from beginning to end. Remarkable visuals sell the experience, and a moving score deepens your involvement. The formula behind the game is ready for some fresh ideas, but as a wrap up of old ideas, Underworld hits the sweet spot.
PLATFORM: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 STYLE: 1-player action/adventure PUBLISHER: Eidos
CONCEPT: Explore the hidden ruins of the ancient past in one of Lara Croft's best adventures GRAPHICS:Gorgeous environments, moody lighting, and slick animation make this a surprise contender for one of the finest looking games of the year SOUND: A fantastic score sets the mood for exploring mysterious ruins and shooting in desperate gun battles PLAYABILITY: Lara reacts with ease and precision, but the camera is sometimes frustrating ENTERTAINMENT: A thrilling adventure for any gamer, but long-time tomb raiders will especially love all the nods to previous narratives REPLAY VALUE: Moderate THE BOTTOM LINE: 8.75 out of 10
In the latest Tomb Raider Underworld gameplay trailer, Lara Croft takes on the might of machines in the ultimate test of skill and cunning.
Pitting her gymnastic ability against awe inspiring man-made objects of destruction, it leaves you in no doubt about Lara’s outstanding attributes.
Showing off her newest moves and motion captured for the first time, speed and timing are of the essence to overcome a hall of puzzles on your quest into the underworld.
In the latest Tomb Raider Underworld gamezplay trailer, Lara Croft takes on the might of machines in the ultimate test of skill and cunning.
Pitting her gymnastic ability against awe inspiring man-made objects of destruction, it leaves you in no doubt about Lara’s outstanding attributes.
Showing off her newest moves and motion captured for the first time, speed and timing are of the essence to overcome a hall of puzzles on your quest into the underworld.
As Lara enters the interior of the ship, the pace quickens when an explosion rocks the ship to its core, causing the ship to list and finally sink. With time running out, Lara must regain the artefact and escape the fire ravaged corridors and escape to freedom.
Her exit is blocked on all sides by raging fires and gas explosions that stop her in her tracks. What once were floors become walls, as ceilings break apart and crash to the floor. Where the whole structure was once a solid grounding in the ocean, the entire level becomes the puzzle where only the quickest and smartest will survive!
Attendees of Virtually Fashionable will get to see the designs on real life and virtual models as they strut down the catwalk to music mixed by event sound designer Frigid. After the show, a jury that includes Cynthia Cooper, Curator of the McCord Museum, Herby Moreau, host and journalist, Stephane Le Duc, Editor of Dress to Kill Magazine, and Sandrine Belleteste, fashion consultant, will decide on one outfit that will be incorporated into Lara’s official wardrobe, with the designer taking home a $3,000 purse.
A second outfit will be chosen by the public and both will be made available for download via Xbox LIVE (Marketplace for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft) so gamers will have the chance to play through the entire Tomb Raider: Underworld experience in a new award-winning outfit.
In the third Beneath The Surface video, entitled - What Could Lara Do? Creative Director Eric Lindstrom, Lead Animator Primo Navidad and Lead Character Artist Kam Yu discuss how they crafted Lara into a more credible and believable character allowing her to do all the things you would expect of a strong, fearless, independent adventurer.
Motion captured for the first time and featuring over 2,000 beautifully fluid animations, watch Lara as she now shoots at two different targets simultaneously, vaults off enemies and shoots, balances along narrow beams and poles, takes out a gun to switch hands and shoots when clinging to a pillar or on a ledge and pushes foliage out of the way.
First New Chapter Rolls Out in Time for the Holidays with Game Demo Available in October
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. “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.”
Tomb Raider - Underworld will release on Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and PC Games for Windows platforms. With development led by Crystal Dynamics, developers of the recent Tomb Raider blockbusters, Tomb Raider: Underworld represents a new advancement in exploration-based gameplay. As the fearless adventurer Lara Croft, players explore, raid and solve the mysteries of exotic locations around the world, each designed in breathtaking high-definition visual fidelity that creates a truly believable world and delivers a new level of challenge and choice.
Join Lara Croft in the third Tomb Raider - Underworld teaser trailer.
The fourth teaser trailer sees Lara Croft approach the stunning vista of an ancient Mexican temple during the night astride her trusty motorbike. As the camera pans across the intricately detailed sections of the temple, Lara demonstrates her cat-like grace to ascend a giant pillar, shimmy across the rugged facia and show off her newly-honed gymnastic ability before revealing a subterranean passage through the cunning use of a grapple...
Join Lara Croft in the third Tomb Raider - Underworld teaser trailer.
See as she scans the horizon from her personal yacht before executing a trademark dive to plunge into the depths of the Mediterranean sea, where blood-thirsty sharks, beautiful-but-deadly translucent jellyfish and a giant eel attempt to thwart her progress before heading through an ancient circular doorway into a mysterious underwater passageway...
Mythology has always played a significant part of each successive Tomb Raider game and in this, the latest Tomb Raider: Underworld trailer (Beneath The Surface), Cinematics Director, Toby Gard, and Creative Director, Eric Lindstrom, reveal the story behind Lara Croft’s latest adventure.
Lindstrom explains how it took a significant amount of time to figure out what the mythology of the game should be and the visual style given all the places Lara travels to – from the Hindu culture in Thailand and Mayan culture in Mexico to the unifying Norse thread that leads her to all these locations. In pursuing her own goal of recovering Thor’s Hammer, she risks putting the whole world in danger...
In this, the second sneak peak of Eidos Interactive’s stunning Tomb Raider - Underworld Thailand level, Lara effortlessly demonstrates how her perfectly fluid gymnastic ability has evolved by traversing a series of perilous sections within an ancient ruined temple. Enjoy!
Meet Alison Carroll – actress, gymnast and arguably the greatest living embodiment of Lara Croft so far. There have been several memorable real-life incarnations of England’s first lady of adventure over the last decade, but few have managed to capture what Lara embodies with quite so much gusto.
Alison Carroll not only bears an uncanny resemblance to Lara Croft, check out this exclusive video and you’ll also learn how she flawlessly embraces Lara Croft's attitude, physicality and bravado.
Eidos Interactive presents a tantalising taster of Tomb Raider - Underworld’s stunning Thailand setting in which Lara shows off a beautifully smooth repertoire of moves against an evocative and atmospheric backdrop.
Eidos Interactive, creator of some of the world’s leading videogame properties, launches the first Tomb Raider: Underworld teaser trailer in the UK. Bursting with action, this trailer will give you a first look at what is set to come when the game is officially released in November later this year.
Tomb Raider: Underworld sees Lara undertake her riskiest mission yet, descending to the depths of the underworlds. For generations, stories have been told of the fearsome weapon of the Norse god, Thor.
Legend has it that he who wields the hammer has the power to smash mountains into valleys and the strength to destroy even the gods. For more than a thousand years it has existed only as a myth…until now.
GDI today unveils the second game to feature in the Public Beta test of new, super-fast digital distribution platform AWOMO – Tomb Raider: Legend from Eidos – and demonstrates a download 11x the speed of conventional games download services, an improvement of double the speed of initial tests.
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