Microsoft's E3 Press Conference - Tomb Raider

     Tomb Raider is a series that despite is success at the box office and several video game releases that sold very well, always failed to peak my interest.  However with the franchise seemingly taking a sharp turn with its upcoming title, I have to admit I get a little more excited every time I see it.  

 

      The newest installment into the series will take the form of an origin story showing off the beginnings of the series' popular heroine, Lara Croft.  This means that Lara will appear noticeably younger this time around and will likely exhibit more green behavior as she is slowly transformed into the the seasoned veteran that we controlled in the earlier games.  Her characters appearance really gives the player a sense that Lara isn't exactly a snug fit for her environment and that the challenges she's sure to face may could certainly be more than she is able to bear.  Origin storytelling has been a very well received approach to exploring and fleshing out  characters that fans already know and love.  This game seems to be following the formula, though I can't say that's necessarily a bad thing.

     Speaking of formulas, Crystal Dynamics (the developer behind Tomb Raider), seems to be borrowing quite a few equations from the folks over at Naughty Dog.  Much of the presentation bears a striking resemblance to the critically acclaimed Uncharted series.   Once again, that's not really a bad thing.  Lara moves and reacts to her environment in realistic ways that show things about her character that would normally be shown in cheesy cutscenes.  The demo also shows us that CD seems to be taking another page out of Naughty Dog's book and ratcheting up the action with huge set-piece moments. 

     That's not to say that fans of the series won't be getting more of what they love.  The developer promises that this will be a game of survival, action, and exploration.  That's good news because the environments that we find Lara traversing in the demo certainly seem to be worth spending a bit of time in.  Realistic lighting gives a soft glow that creates a dark and dreary environment for the young adventurer to navigate.  With the right amount of balance, we could be looking at a very promising game and a strong jolt to the series as a whole.  I just hope the developers don't rely too much on mashing the action button.