Tomb Raider Reboot. Yes, Please.

Tired of being stuck in the tomb of mediocrity.

Lara Croft has been around for a pretty long time. The original Tomb Raider game came out on the Playstation in 1996, and it was amazing for its time. Platforming, pushing blocks, and falling to your death while exploring ancient tombs never felt so good. After many sequels though, the gameplay began to get stale, boring, or just too frustrating to even care to bother with.

I've always been a fan of Tomb Raider, and I give each game a chance. I enjoyed Tomb Raider: Legend on PS2 quite a bit, and even went through the trouble of getting the platinum in Tomb Raider Underworld. However, I can still say that Lara is way overdue for an overhaul if this series has any hopes of surviving. It looks like those prayers might soon be answered with Crystal Dynamics hard at work on a much needed reboot. Look out Nathan Drake, Lara is coming for her throne! Okay, that might be exaggerating things a bit, but so far, the new Tomb Raider sounds awesome.

In the recent Game Informer magazine, Crystal Dynamics revealed quite a bit of interesting info on this new reboot. Lara is 21, fresh out of college and ready to make a name for herself. She sets out on an expedition to look for relics off the coast of Japan, along with the rest of the crew of the Endurance. The situation quickly goes to hell though, as a storm leaves Lara shipwrecked on an island full of hostiles. Endurance is exactly what she's going to need, because Lara is going to have the fight of her life.

Lara bleeds?! WTF!

Lara is no longer going to be the fearless and untouchable sex symbol we've come to know. She's being remade from the ground up, and I think it's a great idea. The new Lara won't get through this ordeal without a scratch like she does in every other game. She will be clumsy, frantic, and struggling to survive all the way through. This change has been made to make her more human, and to give a more realistic feel to the situation at hand. She's going to face the nearly impossible, and be pushed to her limits. This adventure will give her the experience and strength to overcome every obstacle in her way. When I first read about this new direction, the first things to come to mind were Resident Evil 4, and the James Bond movies with Daniel Craig. Awesome.

Crystal Dynamics have also redesigned her a bit physically. Of course she's younger in this game, but they've also toned down her exaggerated hourglass figure somewhat. Don't be alarmed, Lara is still hot, but you might be too busy trying to keep her alive to notice. This time around, she is going to earn her "gaming icon" title through actions alone, rather than her looks.

The graphics look great already.

The main focus of this Tomb Raider game will be survival. Lara doesn't have her unlimited ammo dual pistols to deal with threats like in previous games. She's going to have to use whatever she can find to make it through this island of hostiles. Crystal Dynamics didn't go into much detail about the combat, other than saying the auto-aim system is gone. Good riddance, in my opinion. Sure, it makes fighting a breeze, but where's the fun in that? Time for a more realistic feel to combat, where every action has weight behind it. Hopefully they can pull this off without the controls feeling too clunky. If so, sign me up. There will also be an item crafting system, of sorts. Not much info has been released about it, but it sounds like you will be able to find scrap materials throughout the game and use them to make useful tools or equipment. Along with that, Lara will also have certain skills you will be able to enhance as you progress. She is new to all this adventuring stuff, after all.

Puzzles and exploration will also play a big part in the overall theme of the game. Instead of mostly pushing a block from point A to B, the puzzles are said to actually be dynamic with the environment. Lara is famous for her resourcefulness and intelligence, and giving her the chance to show that will add a lot to the overall experience. On top of that, it's said you can actually go in any direction and explore everything you can see in the game. Not quite a sandbox game, but not nearly as linear as previous games. Also, as Lara makes her way through the multiple challenges in front of her, she will make noticeable changes in both her personality and physical ability. I can't wait to see how much this Lara will evolve.

Platforming is also getting some work done to it. The camera will shake clumsily as you jump, climb, and everything else. Lara will also tumble and slip, while the environment she's traversing can crumble or give way at any time. This gives a much more frantic feel to the mechanics. Weather effects may also play a part in the platforming. To me, this adds a lot of realism to everything. Breaking Lara down and making her imperfect in these situations will bring her closer to perfection than ever before.


Lara Croft has always been an icon in the world of video games. She was one of the first female video game characters that brought something to the table for male and female gamers. She's a strong and intelligent woman, who also happens to have the looks of a centerfold model. Over the years, she's been more commercialized and taken less and less serious. It's time for Lara to get some respect, and if this reboot turns out half as good as it sounds, she will be getting A LOT of it soon. I have to admit, even though there's a lot left to be seen for the new Tomb Raider, it has quickly become one of my most anticipated games. I'll keep you updated as more information becomes available.