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Diablo III

shaikh — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 10:33:01 GMT

Diablo III is an upcoming dark fantasy/horror-themed action role-playing game developed by Blizzard, making it the third installment in the Diablo franchise.

The game takes place in Sanctuary, the dark fantasy world of the Diablo series. This world was saved twenty years prior by a handful of unnamed heroes in Diablo II. Warriors that survived the onslaught of the armies of the Burning Hells have gone mad from their ordeals and it is up to a new generation of heroes to face the forces of evil threatening the world of Sanctuary. Players will have the opportunity to explore familiar settings such as Tristram.

The only confirmed NPCs are Deckard Cain, who has appeared in both of the previous games, and his daughter, a new character that accompanies the hero in quests from time to time. Cain's journal on the official site brings the player up to speed on the events of the first two games. Diablo's world map is composed primarily of two main continents with several small islands in the Northwest region.

Diablo III is similar in style to its predecessor, Diablo II. The proprietary engine will incorporate Havok physics and feature destructible environments with an in-game damage effect. The developers are aiming to make the game run on a wide range of systems, and have stated that DirectX 10 will not be required. Diablo III will use a custom 3D game engine in order to present an overhead view to the player, in a somewhat similar way to the isometric view used in previous games in the series. Enemies will utilize the 3D environment as well, in ways such as crawling up the side of a wall from the depths into the combat area.

As in Diablo II, multiplayer games will be possible using Blizzard's Battle.net service, with many of the new features developed for StarCraft II also available in Diablo III. Players will be able to drop in and out of sessions of co-operative play with others.

An enhanced quest system, a random level generator, and a random encounter generator are slated for use in order to ensure the game provides different experiences when replayed. Overall, the game will include both static and randomly generated levels. Additionally, there will be class-specific quests to go along with the main storyline quests. Blizzard originally planned to have in-game cutscenes, but decided these would divert from the gameplay and decided against them. Two new armor pieces will be available: shoulder plates and leggings.

Unlike previous iterations, gold can be picked up merely by touching it, rather than having to manually pick it up. Sidekicks, unlike Diablo II, are now distinct NPCs who join the player, rather than randomly-generated and endlessly replaceable hires. One of the new features intended to speed gameplay is that health orbs drop from enemies, replacing the need to have a potion bar, which itself is replaced by a skill bar that allows a player to assign quick bar buttons to skills and spells; previously, players could only assign two skills (one for each mouse button) and had to swap skills with the function keys. Players can still assign specific attacks to mouse buttons.

Skill Runes, another new feature, are skill-modifying items that are randomly dropped by monsters and used across all classes. Similar to runes in Diablo II but instead of changing equippable items, they can be attached to skills as though they are items, often completely changing the gameplay of each skill. They also have the ability to make one particular spell in each class more powerful, and give the player options as to how the rune will enhance a particular spell. For example, investing Skill Runes on the Wizard's "Lightning" can allow the players to make the lightning jump towards additional enemies, or, alternatively, adding the runes with explosion effect blows the enemy up and causes damage to the surrounding area.

Diablo 3 screenshots

A Survivor Is Born: The New Lara Croft

shaikh — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:15:33 GMT

A Survivor Is Born: The New Lara Croft

http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/features/laracroft/Tomb%20Raider2.jpg

Redesigning an icon is an immensely difficult task. IP holders must tread lightly – the considerations of fans and critics alike maintain that every decision will be a precarious one. With Lara Croft’s iconic look so engrained in popular culture, Crystal Dynamics had to meticulously research and iterate upon her physical presentation before a final direction was chosen for the franchise reboot. Its biggest challenge was finding a middle ground between familiarity and freshness, vulnerability and strength, and the all-important trifecta of brains, brawn, and beauty.

On Tuesday we took a look back at how Lara Croft has evolved throughout the ages. Now, Global Brand Director Karl Stewart and Art Director Brian Horton address Crystal Dynamics' rational for the redesign, the iconography of Lara Croft, and how they hope the new look will help once again make her a culturally relevant hero.

The Origin’s Origin
Karl Stewart: This was originally supposed to be a continuation of Underworld. Instead, it became a case of us realizing that it was not the way we needed to go. We had to stop in our tracks and reevaluate everything in order to choose a new direction. The origin story came about through lots of research and deciding how to reposition Lara to get her where she needed to go. A reboot wasn’t at the top of the list to begin with, but it certainly shone through as the direction the franchise needed.

An Issue of Relevance
Brian Horton: We wanted to make a version of Lara that you would recognize as Lara Croft, but that felt relevant to today’s gaming audience. I think people are looking for realism in their games and they want to believe in their characters. We want people to care for Lara at the end of the day. And if they can look at her and go "this is someone that I want to help through this survival journey,” then we have met our goal.

Motivation
Horton: For me, every character design starts with who that person is and what motivates them. What we chose to do very early on was not to start with the surface qualities and to focus more so on who Lara is as a character. We felt that if we could understand that, then the surface qualities and how the character looked would be derived from that biography. So we knew we wanted to make an origin story. We knew we wanted to make a young Lara Croft, and we wanted her be a blend of someone that has a level of vulnerability and inner strength. She has this aspirational quality. She wants to be someone and to pull away from the perception of who she is because of her legacy of being a Croft. She is her own person and she is trying to make her way in this world. So that was the focus early on – trying to understand who she was inside.

Once we understood that biography, the next step was to make her as believable and relatable as possible. We wanted to make a girl that was somewhat familiar, yet had a special quality about her – something in the way her eyes look and her expression in her face that makes you want to care for her. That was our number one goal when we started thinking about her visualization – that people would have empathy for Lara, while at the same time knowing she has this inner strength that will allow her to become a hero. That was the first order of business.

Fresh…
Horton: What dropped away pretty quickly was the hardness that she had. She is strong and we love Lara Croft for that strength, but she was almost so strong that we were always one step away from her. That was one thing that we all agreed on right away – to try and soften her up enough so that you could step into her life. All of the character design decisions came from trying to make her believable. We didn’t want to make her a sexual object. She is a character that we want you to believe in.

…but Familiar
Horton: A lot of it comes down to study. We spent a lot of time researching actors and people that you look at and say "we like these people,” and you can’t help but want to get to know them. We wanted that mix of someone who is aspirational, but familiar at the same time. We want people to be asking themselves where they know that girl from. Then people will care about her. How we did that is a mix of iteration. We spent a lot of time iterating on Lara.

Iconography of Lara Croft
Horton: We started doing a battery of concepts, beginning with silhouettes. Then we started to build up features and dissect who she was as a character and the things that made her iconic. The things that we absolutely kept were the brown eyes, the signature quality of her lips having that M shape, and the relationship between the eyes and the nose and the mouth. Those were things we knew we wanted to maintain. But we also knew we wanted to bring her into a more believable proportionality and surface quality. That was another big push for us. We wanted to bring her into this world and ground her as much as possible.

We realized that Lara’s hair was a big part of her visual language – the iconography of Lara croft includes her ponytail. But we also knew we didn’t want to do something like the classic braid. We wanted to have the hair itself tell a bit of the story. So the hair moves and helps to sell the drama. We felt that it was an important aspect to keep because when you are always seeing a character from behind, the hair moving and whipping around in the wind is a very important component. Her hair comes down to about the middle of her back. The idea is to have it at the right length to give it some great secondary motion in action sequences.

Eyes Up Here
Stewart: We did some initial tests where we brought in the vision for the new Lara Croft, and then we matched it up against the previous iterations. In the tests of the previous iterations it was clearly evident that people moved around the image more to the items and her chest and her waist size. But with the new image, people spent most of the time piercing her eyes. Anybody who has seen the image says "I know that girl.”

A Head Short
Horton: What it came down to is that we wanted to have certain proportionality when we put her next to the men. We wanted a clear size difference. She isn’t going to be as tall as the men around her – about a head shorter. This reinforces the feeling that she’s against all odds. The relative proportion is more important than the actual number [5’ 7”] – making her feel like a scrapper of sorts, even though she will always find a way through her self-determination. She will find a way to survive even if she doesn’t have Amazonian proportions in the game. The emphasis on acrobatics isn’t nearly as important as the fact that she is capable.

Capturing Beauty
Horton: We went through an exhaustive process once we finished the concepts. We came up with the characteristics of a girl that we wanted, and then we did a casting session and cast a couple of models that had different characteristics we liked. The bone structure was important, but we also didn’t want to get a model that was too sculpted. We wanted a little bit of that baby fat – just a little bit of roundness on the face to give her that more youthful look. We full-body scanned both of them to capture those traits before we started our own model.

Function over Form
Horton: The Big thing for me – and for us – as we were designing Lara was trying to find something that felt both iconic and timeless at the same time. So there was an exhaustive amount of research done in terms of the wardrobe and gear that was decided on, and how we chose to put them on for compositional reasons as well as functional reasons.

We had goals of a realistic proportionality and a realistic wardrobe, and we wanted them to feel more like clothing – not an outfit. There is no such thing as an outfit for us. She is on this expedition and has practical clothing – cargo pants and layered tank tops and boots – because she is in and among a group that share the same values. Lara is beautiful, but she isn’t fashion forward. She does have two little earrings on one side because we wanted to update her in some respects. But she is more about her own internal world. The end result was a look that is both contemporary and timeless. We didn’t want the look to be too trendy or too hip, but she still needed to feel youthful and relevant, with an earthy and vulnerable quality to her on top of having that inner strength.

Tribute
Horton: Lara’s tank top starts off light grey. In certain light it looks blue, but it’s grey. One of the things we wanted to do was to let it feel blue at times. We wanted to get the feeling that it is fairly neutral, but when you look at it there is that sort of nod to the past, even though it is very contemporary when compared to the past. We wanted to evoke a feeling that the essence of Lara Croft is there when you look at her. There is still a lot of respect and love for Lara Croft as a character, even though we are reinventing her.

Evolving Wardrobe
Horton: The most important thing to me is that we not have wardrobe changes, but rather wardrobe evolution. The cumulative damage and wear and tear on the clothing is where evolution comes through in the outfit. I’m very excited to see that manifest throughout the game. Lara is just surviving from beginning to end. Through her situation her outfit is going to show the accumulation of that survival story. That is going to mean discoloration and rips and tears. That will sort of progress throughout the entire adventure. There will be other gear and items that will accumulate and change her look a bit, too.

A Step too Far
Horton: At one point, since survival is such an important element, we thought about having her bones break and she would be crippled in some way. And while we realized that it would be fantastic from a fiction standpoint, it would hurt us in gameplay. We want her to get damaged, and that is a huge part of how we present the character, but we didn’t want to go so far as to say that she had splints on and things like that. It was just a step too far from the gameplay goals.

Beyond the Superficial
Horton: We spent a lot of time talking about surface qualities and millimeters and proportions. But really what you look at in the game is what Lara does in the world, and I think that is so much more important than those final surface qualities. Our lead animator has done an amazing job making her feel connected to the world, and I think that is the extra ingredient. No matter how you design a character, it is how she acts in the world that makes her believable.

Stewart: You will see that in a lot of the character performances. A lot of thought has been put into what Lara would do in a situation because she is fresh to the situation. For example, when she hears the scavenger for the first time, her natural reaction is to step back and ask "what the hell is that?” But as you progress she becomes stronger and her animations change, as does her character performance. So there are these stages that you have to go through. It isn’t just about being this beautiful girl and running from place to place.

Horton: It’s about how she plays out in this world, and her interplay with other characters. Those interactions are going to be very different from what we’ve seen in past Tomb Raider titles. She isn’t always in charge. She will have these ranges of being the low man on the totem pole in the beginning and then finding her own voice.

Lest Not Forget…
Horton: As far as sex appeal, we are always thinking about making a character that people want to play, and part of that is a level of attractiveness and being drawn to Lara. But we don’t want to play up sexuality for sexualities sake. We are constantly talking about context and motivation on this project. If for any reason we wanted to put her in a situation that would be alluring, it isn’t to be alluring. It would be because the situation called for it.

Lara is a lover of archeology and she has these book smarts. Her brains are another huge part of her sex appeal. She is an attractive girl who doesn’t play up her looks, but she is super smart and she is very ambitious.

Ultimately, what I think is going to be compelling about this – and what our version of sexy is – is the toughness through adverse conditions. Seeing her survive through these moments. Her skin is still bare on the arms and there are going to be rips and tears on her clothes, but it won’t be about being revealing. It’s a way of saying that through these tough situations, there is a beauty and vulnerability coming through. I think that is sexy in its own way. There is a different tone we are going for across the board, and Lara Croft as a sex object isn’t our goal. No unlockable bikinis().

Source: Gameinformer

Lara Croft: The Evolution

shaikh — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 05:26:45 GMT

This is how Lara Croft change over times & with games.

Love her or hate her, in the late ‘90s you couldn’t ignore Lara Croft. The buxom beauty vaulted to cyber-stardom among a sea of male protagonists. It’s hard to deny that the phenomenon of Lara’s success was inextricably tied to her physical presentation – her nature as a projection of both power and sexual fantasies. There was no overlooking the cinched waistline and impossible curves, the inflated lips and elongated legs, or the excessive flexibility and effortless grace. Some embraced Lara as an inspiration for these very reasons. Others shunned her as a chauvinistic objectification.

Through eight console iterations, Lara Croft’s visage has continued to evolve – constantly straddling the line between fantasy and reality, idealism and believability. With Crystal Dynamic's Tomb Raider reboot, the studio is looking to cut Lara Croft from an entirely new cloth. We look back at official art over the past fifteen years and detail the metamorphosis of Lady Lara.

Tomb Raider
Year: 1996
Developer: Core Design
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Platforms: PlayStation, Sega Saturn, PC, Mac

Lara Croft’s iconic look was set in stone with the release of Tomb Raider in 1996. Her distinctive face was dominated by wide brown eyes, thick, angular brows, and swollen lips. Lara’s hair has become a pillar of her identity throughout the years – stray auburn strands framing her face – but the look wasn’t fully realized in the first console release. Although her trademark braid was present in official art and renders, it was implied in the game itself. The in-game model had hair chopped at the nape of her neck, as the braid proved too difficult to realize in play.

Lara’s exaggerated stats – widely accepted as 34D/24/35 (at 5 ft. 9 in.) – created a memorable silhouette. Perched atop a pair of towering legs, Lara’s demure waist supported an unnaturally oversized bust. Croft’s ensemble aptly drew attention to her curvaceous physique. A cotton/lycra leotard clung to Lara like a second skin, straining against her augmented assets. Complemented with brown canvas shorts that left little to the imagination, Lara’s complete ensemble provided Core (and players) incentive to get creative with camera angles.

Bulky black holsters were accented with an unusually large brass buckle, which according to The Art of Tomb Raider, was enlarged to mask an awkward polygon juncture. A pair of rugged combat boots, brown knapsack, and fingerless gloves topped off the look. With the addition of Lara’s ever-present twin pistols, an icon was born.

Tomb Raider II
Year: 1997
Developer: Core Design
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Platforms: PlayStation, PC, Mac

Not wanting to drastically alter s formula that had proven so successful, Lara Croft remained much the same in her 1997 follow-up. Slight adjustments to Lara’s face were made – her eyes more vivid and framed by thicker lashes – although they were often hidden behind her unique red shades.

Lara also seemed to develop a wider emotional spectrum. The official art documented a predisposition for bearing her teeth in a sneer or slightly unnerving grin. Croft was also gifted long locks in Tomb Raider 2 via an in-game braid.

In Tomb Raider, Lara’s original ensemble suited her just fine for excursions in every climate. Returning for seconds, however, Lara’s wardrobe diversified to reflect different locales. In addition to her blue leotard, Lara donned a fitted bomber jacket, clingy Sola wetsuit, and skimpy blue robe. Chances are that most Tomb Raider fans remember that particular encounter – the shower and shotgun make it hard to forget.

Tomb Raider III
Year: 1998
Developer: Core Design
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Platforms: PlayStation, PC, Mac

Lara’s third adventure found her uncovering secrets in India, Nevada, the South Pacific, and more. Continuing the trend of annual releases, Croft again had little time to evolve from a physical standpoint other than slight improvements to in-game graphics and renders – added polygons continuing to round out her once humorously pointy "curves.” Instead of a visual overhaul, Core opted to continue diversifying her ensembles and equipment.

Lara barred her midriff for the first time in the South Pacific, sporting a white athletic bra and green shorts. Her core remained exposed as she infiltrated Area 51, donning blue camouflage pants and a grey crop top. In this particular look, Lara sported a naval piercing. Other outfits included a skin-tight catsuit and environment appropriate Arctic gear, each ensemble boasting slightly different boots and holsters.

With Lara’s popularity snowballing, Core took more risks promoting Lara in the third game – openly embracing her sex appeal. Provocative photos of Lara smoking a cigar ran aside gratuitous cleavage shots, a slew of sexy implied nudes, and slinky evening attire.

Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation
Year: 1999
Developer: Core Design
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Platforms: PlayStation, Dreamcast, PC, Mac

Another year, another Tomb Raider title. In Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Lara Croft gave up her globetrotting ways for a single adventure in the arid deserts of Egypt. This eliminated the need for more than one ensemble, and as such Lara spent the game in her classic (and increasingly mundane) outfit.

A flashback to a teenage Lara Croft provided a splash of diversity, showcasing the pint-sized adventurer in pigtails, green shorts, a white crop top, and matching camouflage vest. Despite being a teen, Lara wasn’t missing her trademark curves.

Early adopters and fans of Tomb Raider usually note The Last Revelation as where their interest in the franchise began to wane, perhaps because yearly releases resulted in a plateau of both visuals and mechanics.

Tomb Raider: Chronicles
Year: 2000
Developer: Core Design
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Platforms: PlayStation, Dreamcast, PC, Mac

Presumed Dead, Lara Croft looked unusually well for a ghost in Tomb Raider: Chronicles. Told through the eyes of reminiscing friends, four unique adventures required as many outfits for Lara. Traversing through Rome had her in the traditional raiding garb, although a brief cameo of an elegant opera dress kicked off the encounter. A trip to Russia clothed Lara in a black and white jumpsuit – a dark knit cap atop her head.

Teenage Lara returned for a brief adventure, and Core got a bit risqué in a voyeuristic scene of Lara nearly changing. Lara’s final destination had her negotiating through a high-tech tower in her black catsuit, this time upgraded with communications equipment and slick shades.

Five years with five consecutive releases again resulted in little change to Lara’s physical presentation, although hints of a darker and more aggressive disposition were evident in key art. Perhaps it was a precursor to what was on the horizon.

Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness
Year: 2003
Developer: Core Design
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Platforms: PlayStation 2, PC, Mac

Angel of Darkness was a massively ambitious endeavor. Marking Tomb Raider’s graduation from PlayStation-era consoles, Core used the opportunity to implement a complete visual overhaul.

Departing from annual releases, Core took three years to develop and publish Angel of Darkness, using that time to redefine Lara through a more somber lens. Technical advancements allowed for an increasingly realistic looking Croft, as did Core’s decision to step away from outlandishly exaggerated features. Lara’s new look included a slightly narrower face, although it continued to house wide eyes and large lips. Playing off the shifting theme, Lara’s eyes were darker – rimmed in charcoal and significantly less luminous than in past iterations. Her braided whip of hair was also lower and looser, as if hastily constructed. As for Lara’s physique, more realistic proportions were rendered in over 5000 polygons, as opposed to the 350 utilized in the original Tomb Raider.

Taking place in modern locations such as Paris and Prague, Angel of Darkness saw Lara as a fugitive framed for murder and her understated ensembles reflected that fact. Lara’s traditional outfit became a relic of the past, with her instead stepping into a dark crop top and deep green camo shorts for the bulk of her journey. Lara also donned a similar variant with pants, a wetsuit, and a civilian outfit of faded denim jeans, a matching jacket, and dark shades. Updated and significantly more utilitarian equipment lent a lot to the believability of Lara’s presentation, with her guns, holsters, boots, and backpack all redesigned.

Lara’s new presentation wasn’t ill received so much as the unresponsive controls and buggy play. Despite the obvious ambition, Angel of Darkness was marred from a technical standpoint. Often referred to as unfinished, Angel of Darkness marked the end of Core’s reign over Lara Croft.

Tomb Raider: Legend
Year: 2006
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Platforms: Xbox 360, Xbox, PlayStation 2, PSP, GameCube, PC

Despite the enterprising attitude, Angel of Darkness didn’t usher in a new and modern era for the Tomb Raider franchise. As such, U.S. developer Crystal Dynamics inherited the property, crafting a new title for a slew of platforms including the Xbox 360. Crystal waited three years before debuting a new Lara to the world, releasing Legend in 2006.

Lara’s direction under Crystal continued the trend of rooting her in reality – items were designed with purpose rather than for simple aesthetics. Her clothing, gear, and weapons appeared tailored to her outlandish lifestyle, and in that sense, were practical. Lara lost her archaic braid in favor of a simpler ponytail, and her reconstructed face boasted hints of makeup, more naturally shaped eyebrows, and softer lips – although Crystal opted to retain the classic M shape of her mouth.

Lara’s body was also refined. While still maintaining idealistic proportions, her silhouette was more in line with that of an athlete than a pin-up model. Lara’s default outfit highlighted improved muscle tone with large expanses of bare skin, still paying tribute to her hip-hugging legacy. The shorts and crop top were joined by other ensembles, such as a stylish motorbike jacket, practical winter attire, and an infamous cocktail dress.

Crystal maintained other important elements of Lara’s identity, including her holsters, twin pistols, backpack, and combat boots – all modified, however, to fit the new scope of the game. Lara boasted new equipment, too, such as a row of grenades along the small of her back, a flashlight, binoculars, and a rappel device. Lara was becoming increasingly utilitarian, without sacrificing her sex appeal.

Lara’s upgraded appearance didn’t go to waste. Crystal whipped up a slew of unlockable outfits for Lara to romp around in, including the ever-popular black bikini.

Tomb Raider: Underworld
Year: 2008
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PC, Nintendo Wii

Developed for current generation hardware, Tomb Raider: Underworld offered Crystal Dynamics a chance to continue pushing Lara’s physical presentation. Having found solid footing with Legend (and Anniversary), nuance became key in Lara’s most recent adventure. Again embracing a more proportional build, Lara’s muscles became even more defined – especially in her arms, abdomen, and thighs. Lara’s face took a stronger appearance, too, more striking with defined cheekbones, thick black eyeliner, and glossed lips.

Lara’s outfit again gravitated toward athletic gear – comprised of a lycra-like fabric and breathable mesh housed in a design one wouldn’t be surprised to find at retail. Other Underworld ensembles such as Lara’s cheeky wetsuit may have been less practical, but generally speaking her outfits continued to trend toward believability. Until you checked out the unlockable roster, that is.

Underworld offered Crystal a chance to make Lara’s interactions with the environment even more involved. Lara would remain wet for a time after swimming, and become caked in mud as she explored. At 32,000 polygons, Lara looked pretty sharp, even when messy.

In the fifteen years since her debut, Lara Croft has transformed from a cartoon-like amalgamation of tropes and fantasies to that of a more grounded and athletic adventurer – even if she has remained fantasy fodder.

Source: Gameinformer

Details about new Lara Croft will be revealed in two days. Will add the info when they revealed it.

Tomb Raider reboot revealed

shaikh — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 15:09:03 GMT

Prequel to feature "young and inexperienced" Lara

After a year of speculation, Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics have officially unveiled the new Tomb Raider game - and it looks a bit different.

"After a brutal storm destroys the boat she was travelling on, a frightened young woman is left washed ashore on an unknown beach," reads the game's synopsis. "On her own but not alone she has only one goal, to survive."

In our world-exclusive cover story, we uncover a brand-new Lara Croft. Rebooting the Tomb Raider franchise through an origin story wasn’t so much a choice as an act of necessity, according to Crystal Dynamics. Drastic measures were needed. To build an entirely fresh Lara – a culturally relevant hero worth of the attention that once came so effortlessly – they must break her first. In this new adventure – simply titled Tomb Raider – a younger and inexperienced Lara Croft must endure both physical and emotional trauma to survive.

The new game's described as "the first adventure for a young and inexperienced Lara Croft in a story which charts the journey of an ordinary woman who finds out just how far she must go in order to stay alive."

"Forget everything you knew about TOMB RAIDER," said Darrell Gallagher, Head of Studio, Crystal Dynamics. "This is an origins story that creates Lara Croft and takes her on a character defining journey like no other."

The new Tomb Raider makes its debut in this month's Game Informer mag. See the cover on this page (Lara doesn't look very well, does she?)

There's no platforms or release date yet, but we'll be sure to let you know as soon as more details are in the wild.

Source

Batman: Arkham City

shaikh — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 12:52:50 GMT

Arkham Asylum 2 has been revealed as Batman: Arkham City, via the cover of US mag Game Informer.

"Almost exactly a year ago, Batman: Arkham Asylum launched to wide acclaim and millions in sales. Now, developer Rocksteady Studios returns to the the franchise that put the company's name on the map to blow away gamers all over again," the mag writes.

As we previously revealed, Arkham City is also set to appear in Official Xbox Magazine and Official PlayStation Magazine.

As you can see, the first images reveal Cat Woman as a main villain in the sequel (though we reckon should could even be a co-op partner), though we already know via leaks that Mr. Freeze and Two-Face are also set to appear.

Following the GI reveal Developer Rocksteady piped up to release the first Arkham City story details - hit the link for a read.

Earlier this year Rocksteady promised its sequel "won't let anyone down," and "we really want to surprise people again."

It's just been confirmed by another source that the follow-up will release in Autumn 2011, so we've still go a little ways to go yet.

Source

FIFA 11

shaikh — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 12:45:12 GMT

FIFA 11 will be the 18th title in Electronic Arts' FIFA series of football video games. Developed by EA Canada, it will be published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label on 30 September 2010 in Australia, 28 September 2010 in North America and 1 October 2010 in Europe for all platforms except the Wii. The Wii version will be released on 3 October 2010 in North America and Europe. The Windows version of FIFA 11 will be the first in the series to use the same game engine as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

EA Sports has released the full fact sheet for the PC version of FIFA 11. The feature set resembles that of the 360/PS3 version, with the PC utilizing the same engine, though it has a few PC specific touches.

The EA SPORTS soccer engine that drives the award-winning FIFA franchise on Xbox 360 and PS3 has arrived on PC, delivering next generation console-quality gameplay, game modes and graphics. The physics-based, data-driven technology delivers true freedom on the pitch with individuality of player control and movement, sophisticated ball touches, and physical interaction between players. It is the most complete simulation of football on PC.

The market-leading true 360° Dribbling system gives players precise control of the ball and next generation animation technology delivers Skilled Dribbling, enabling skilled players to face defenders and use highly responsive lateral dribbling to skip past them. Plus, Physical Play has been improved using collision sharing, creating a varied, less predictable, and extended fight for possession between players.

Live out the fantasy of playing as a professional player in Virtual Pro. Put yourself in the game using Photo Game Face and then embark on a career with 230 accomplishments to master across all games modes. Begin in the Practice Arena where players can perfect their skills before stepping onto the pitch. Utilize Customizable Set Pieces to create your very own free kicks and corners from up to 32 different dead ball situations for use on match day. Record and test plays before taking them onto the pitch.

FIFA Soccer 11 delivers stunning player renders for every player, 62 different stadiums and front end menus with mouse and keyboard support for fast and easy navigation. New features and innovations will be revealed in the coming months.

New features

Next Gen Soccer Engine: The physics-based, data-driven technology behind the EA SPORTS soccer engine has been optimized for PC. Experience true freedom on the pitch with individuality of player control and movement, sophisticated ball touches, and physical interaction between players.

Next Gen Gameplay: The high quality gameplay, innovative game modes and stunning graphics that have made FIFA the highest rated sports game on the PS3 and Xbox 360 and winner of over 50 sports game of the year awards arrives on PC.
Virtual Pro: Live out the fantasy of being a real life player by creating yourself in game with a 3D head using Game Face. Play as yourself across any mode. Grow your player attributes through 230 accomplishments and take your Virtual Pro online to become a global superstar.

Customizable Set Pieces - Design and record your very own free kicks and corners for use on match day. Assign a specific run or movement to every outfield player on your team one at a time, and then combine them for the perfect set piece. Record, test and perfect them in the Practice Arena, then trigger in game.

Practice Arena—Work on individual and team skills in a fully featured practice mode before stepping on the pitch. Select the number of attackers and defenders you want in play (eg 11v11, 5v5, or even 5v3), and practice in open play or from set pieces.

360° Dribbling—The market-leading true 360° dribbling system improves dribbling control from 8 directional to full 360° control. Players can now find spaces between defenders that previously were not possible.

Skilled Dribbling—Next gen animation warping technology provides unprecedented control. Skilled players now have the ability to face a defender and use highly-responsive lateral dribbling to skip past him.

Physical Play— New next gen collision sharing technology creates a varied, less predictable, and extended fight for possession between the dribbler and a defender.

Player Urgency—Improved urgency AI logic, with over 50 next gen movement cycles, delivers more intelligent positioning and awareness so your players stay focused on the ball and move at a speed appropriate to the action.

Advanced Attacking —Players analyze space more effectively, curve runs to create passing lanes and vary attacking options.

Improved Defending Options — Defenders multi-task and play more intelligently by covering dangerous spaces left by out-of-position teammates. Better effort clearance logic, such as sliding to block crosses and overhead kick clearances, give defenders more tools to prevent goal-scoring opportunities.

Goalkeeper Intelligence —Goalkeepers now have more urgency and better perception of where to intercept loose balls, resulting in a more responsive and powerful rushing system. New animation warping technology provides game-realistic goalkeeper positioning and momentum, resulting in more varied scoring opportunities.

LAN Play — Host LAN parties and play friends online without being connected to EA servers.

PC Tools — Innovations to improve the experience, including VOIP support and lobbies for match-making by skill and geographical location.

Football World Integration—Go to easportsfootball.com to create your Game Face, search out rivals on global PC Leaderboards and create a PC-specific Friends Lists.

Stunning Next Gen Graphics—High quality renders that bring every player on the pitch to life, plus 62 different stadiums.

Complete Authenticity —Over 30 officially licensed leagues, 500 licensed teams and more than 15,000 players.

FOR Xbox 360 & PS 3:

    * Personality+ (Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) is a system intended to improve the way that players' individual abilities are reflected in-game, resulting in clearer differentiation between players. Personality+ utilises a database containing 36 attributes and 57 traits for each player, maintained by a worldwide network of 1700 scouts, editors, and reviewers.

    * Pro Passing (Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) is a new passing system where the gamer's own accuracy with the control pad, as well as the situation and skills of the players on the pitch, determines the accuracy of each pass.

    * Creation Centre (Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) is a new web-based application which allows the user to create material to download to their console and share with their friends. Created teams names, kits, players and home stadia can be customised and players can be edited in a more in-depth way than before. Create a player by choosing his appearance, accessories and attributes and then create an original team with a distinctive crest and kits, complete with home stadium.

Recommended Specs: CPU with Dual core processor (Core duo 2 or better). Intel Core2Duo @ 2.4Ghz on Windows XP / Windows Vista / Windows 7. 1 Gigabyte of RAM (2 GB required for Windows Vista / Windows 7). DirectX® 9.0c Compatible 3D accelerated 256 MB video card or equivalent (must support Shader Model 3.0 or above). ATI RADEON HD 3870. NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800 GT

Assasins Creed: Brotherhood Confirms

shaikh — Tue, 18 May 2010 18:42:18 GMT

Ubisoft has confirmed that it will release a new Assassin's Creed game this year on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC

As rumoured, the title will be called Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and will be the first AC title offer online multiplayer.

Brotherhood will be released in 'late' 2010 and has been developed by Ubisoft Montreal Studio in collaboration with Ubisoft studios in Singapore, Bucharest, Québec City and Annecy - who are best known for developing Splinter Cell Chaos Theory's Multiplayer.

As predicted, the title sees the return of Assassin's Creed 2 hero Ezio in a struggle against the Templar Order. Now a legendary Master Assassin, he must journey to Rome and take on his enemy.

As well as one-on-one battles, Ezio will also 'command an entire Brotherhood', according to Ubisoft - suggesting a more tactical element to the game.

In online multiplayer, players can choose to fight for The Templars - using Abstergo to train in the art of Assassination to eliminate Ezio's Assassins once and for all.

Ubisoft adds that: 'Players can choose from a wide range of unique characters, each with their own signature weapons and assassination techniques, and match their skills against other players from all over the world in different game modes.'

A second screenshot has emerged for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, via a pre-order incentive at US retailer, GameStop.

Pre-ordering the Assassin's spin-off at GameStop will see you gain access to the Harlequin multiplayer character, which scares the living daylights out of us.

"Behind the gaudy costume and twisted smile lies the soul of a merciless Assassin. You call yourself the Harlequin. Your victims will call you a walking nightmare," reads the retail blurb.

Source

E3 2010: Is this 'leaked' games list real?

shaikh — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 05:49:59 GMT

Killzone 3, Mass Effect PS3 and Road Rash HD... we separate fact from fiction

We're not sure exactly how, but a 'leaked' pre-E3 games list - apparently - did the rounds on Twitter yesterday, leading to a number of game sites, and fan forums, to get excited about the potential announcements contained therein; including Killzone 3, Mass Effect for PS3, plus Battlefield Bad Company 3.

While we're not able to definitively confirm whether they're true or not, we've got our ears sufficiently close to the industry's whispers to rank the key titles in terms of probability...

Certain to appear at E3
Killzone 3
LBP2
Dead Space 2
Guitar Hero 6

Almost certain to appear at E3
Resistance 3 (as leaked on movie sets last year)
InFamous 2 (first game did well, so...)
Twisted Metal: Harbour City (David Jaffe denies this, mind, and while a Twisted Metal game has long been mooted, we're not expecting one... well, not by this name at least)

Likely to appear at E3
Call of Duty: MMO (the Sledgehammer project, perhaps)
Mass Effect 3
MotorStorm 3

Feint possibility at E3
Bad Company 3 (given BC2's success, it's just a logical commercial decision, even if this E3 is too early to reveal it)
Road Rash HD (this WAS being looked into at EA, but last we heard they'd indefinitely postponed it).

Would be a huge, huge surprise
Fahrenheit 2 (Heavy Rain did well, but... first we've heard of it)
God of War 3: Afterfall (We've never, ever, heard of this, but it could be the DLC pack featuring a Titan battle that did the internet rounds a few weeks back)
Omikuden (only because we've never heard of it).

Is the actual list real? Probably not - but some of the games on it very definitely are. And there's a lot of hot titles NOT on this list which will set tongues wagging come E3.

Driver: San Francisco

shaikh — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:14:33 GMT

Ubisoft has registered website domains for Driver: San Francisco. This is going to be the fifth version of the series.

Driver: San Francisco is obviously the firm's new driver game - which was first outed in an earnings call in January.

The domain registered was, tellingly, DriverSanFrancisco.com.

If we had a house, we'd bank it on these being revealed at E3.

Source

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

shaikh — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:08:50 GMT

Ubisoft has registered website domains for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.

It seems likely that Brotherhood will be the title of the new adventure due for release this year - which will once again star Ezio.

The domains registered were, tellingly, AssassinsCreedBrotherhood.com.

This "new episode" of Assassin's Creed will be released in Ubisoft's next fiscal year, which runs between April, 2010 and March 2011, the publisher has confirmed earlier.

It will again star Italian hero Ezio, Ubisoft has confirmed - and will be created by the same studios behind AC2. The publisher revealed that the story of the game will be a "follow-up" to AC2.

"We have a new Assassin's Creed that we expect will be a very high quality product that as well as an offline component will have a multiplayer component," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said.

"It is the same studios because it's not only one studio creating the game, but an association of studios and they are working together to make it happen."

A fellow Ubisoft spokesman then added: "The game will take place with the same hero, which is Ezio, and will follow-up the story that took place in Assassin's Creed 2."

The majority of AC2 was developed by Ubisoft Montreal.

And if that shockingly quick series turn around doesn't surprise you (Assassin's Creed II was released in November for platforms - this is undoubtedly being handled by a separate team) the new game is confirmed to be the first franchise entry to include online multiplayer.