Many people were wondering if we really needed another Tomb Raider game. I’ll admit that the entire ‘Lara Croft’ thing has finally started to get a little old after all these years. I can only assume that the producers of Underworld realized this sand they have taken some steps to make this new experience.

Some of the newness you can expect from this title are:

That’s about it for the main additions to the game. I was honestly burnt out on Tomb Raider long ago, but this game could certainly be a re-birth of sorts for the series. I am looking forward to the release with much anticipation.

Source Of Information: Gameinformer Issue #178

Microsoft may have some serious customer satisfaction issues right now, but the great games keep coming for the system and will certainly have a huge impact on the continued success of the 360. Despite XBLA and XBL issues, I believe that the 360 will have another great year simply because of the great games coming to the system. Below, I have listed 15 games that are at the top of my wish-list for 2008 Xbox 360 titles. For now, all of these games should be releasing this year, but as always, expect at least a few to be delayed. I truly believe that the Sony PS3 will finally have a good year and could possibly outsell Microsoft, but it’s a long year and no one knows how things will go down. The following 15 games certainly look like we could be experiencing another great year in gaming: (note that some of these titles are still rumors)

While I’m not the biggest fan of Microsoft’s creed of “one platform to rule them all”, it is always nice to see some PC lovin’ regardless of a certain title’s decision to join forces with ‘The Empire’. Microsoft announced at CES yesterday nine titles to be branded with the Game for Windows logo. Here are the contestants:

 
Other upcoming titles (worth mentioning) that will also bear the GfW branding are: “Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures” (Funcom, Eidos Interactive), “Borderlands” (2K Games), “The Club” (SEGA), “Fallout 3” (Bethesda Softworks) and “Frontlines: Fuel of War” (THQ).

Via Gamerscore Blog

Lara Croft enthusiasts can start screaming with glee now as news of her latest adventure has been plastered all over the internet. The newest installment in this lauded franchise will be called: Tomb Raider Underworld and is currently being developed by Crystal Dynamics. This will be the third time the US developer has created a Lara Croft title, and has stated that her latest excursion will take her (at least in one level) to Southern Mexico in a search to unlock the mystery of the Mayan calendar and to uncover a portal between the mortal world and the underworld.

According to the latest issue of PLAY magazine:

“Lara’s adventure takes place after the events of Tomb Raider Legend. Her adventure will be a thrill ride for anyone new to the franchise. The emphasis is on bringing Lara’s world to life, a lush, vast interactive world that reacts and remembers. It’s pure woman versus wild.”

The gaming magazine also goes on to describe some of the graphical enhancements contained in the game, by giving us a first hand account on the above mentioned level where she is traipsing through Mexico:

“In the level where Lara explores Southern Mexico, she leaves footprints in the mud, but it’s raining so they wash away. The bodies she leaves behind in combat encounters will stay, however, as will the debris from any destruction she causes.”

Regarding Underworld’s weather system, Eric Lindstrom of Crystal Dynamics had this to say:

“We developed a hybrid lighting model that combines dynamic lights with carefully created light maps to make our world look stunning in ways that none of the available methods could achieve alone.”

Eric also elaborated on the motion capture elements included in the development that will “bring a more natural fluidity to her movements, with proper weight and secondary motion.” For example, when Lara kneels down into the mud, only her knees will be caked with it, and it will gradually disappear over time.

Tomb Raider Underworld is the eighth game starring Ms. Croft, and is slated for a 2008 release. Like previous installments, you can expect it to be made available for the PC,PS3 and Xbox 360.

Check back with us often as more details are sure to emerge soon.

Thanks: Tomb Raider Chronicles