As per Deadline (opens in new tab), Green will step into the director’s chair for her feature film debut. She has previously directed the eighth episode of HBO’s Lovecraft Country, which starred Jurnee Smollett and Jonathan Majors and aired in 2020.

One figure who is returning is Alicia Vikander as the titular Tomb Raider, Lara Croft. Beyond that, nothing is known in terms of story, casting, filming, or even a release window.

Fans of the game series will be pleased to know that Green has reacted to the big announcement by detailing her favorite console adventures.

My fav from classic era is Legend & from survival era it’s a tie between Rise & Shadow. So I’m thinking something like:🔦⛏🗻🗿🧟‍♂️👊🏻🏺 🦖🔫🔫🏃🏻‍♀️*whispers* Who’s as excited as I am for a @TombRaiderMovie!?!? 🤑💃🏾🤩 #TombRaiderJanuary 25, 2021

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On Twitter, she said her pick from the “classic” era of Tomb Raider games is 2006 title Tomb Raider: Legend. Among the rebooted trilogy involving a younger Lara Croft – and something the first movie pulled from heavily – it’s a toss-up between Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

As a possible hint, Green included a series of emojis, including the iconic T-Rex. Rest assured, the Tomb Raider sequel is in very good hands.

Ben Wheatley, meanwhile, is going on to direct action movie The Meg 2. Potentially titled The Meg 2: The Trench, Wheatley signed on to the Jason Statham sharktastic project in October 2020. The original Deadline report does not offer any further reason for Wheatley leaving Tomb Raider 2.

From Tomb Raider to Sonic, here’s our rundown of the best video game movies ever made.

The post Tomb Raider movie sequel gets new director as Ben Wheatley departs appeared first on Game News.

As Lara watches the sun set on her bloody, life-changing escapades in the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot, she shrugs off the idea of ever going home. She’s not just being metaphorical about it either: in Rise of the Tomb Raider she’s in the thick of a nation-hopping adventure to find out who exactly Lara Croft is in the wake of all that murder and survival. Based on all the avalanches and flooding Syrian tombs she manages to escape, it seems the new-Lara likes to stay busy.

Rise doesn’t cover half of it, though. If you’ve perused the Tomb Raider comic book series by Gail Simone and game lead writer Rhianna Pratchett, you know just how many strange, often mythical (and completely canon) things Lara’s dealt with between the two games. But say you aren’t a comics fan, or haven’t had the time or funds to venture into Lara’s comic exploits for yourself. You could go into the next game completely blind, or you could read this handy breakdown of everything Lara’s done leading up to Rise.

WARNING: Spoilers for the comic, obviously, with additional spoilers for the first game throughout.

Returns to Yamatai to save Sam from a murderous cult

Apparently what happens on Yamatai doesn’t stay on Yamatai. Before the engines have even cooled following Lara’s return to London after the events of the reboot, she discovers she and her friends are being stalked by a mysterious cult in pursuit of cursed artifacts (like a solid-gold dragon statuette) that they pocketed during their harrowing island vacation.

Of course, Lara’s pretty sure she was too busy stabbing people and fleeing for her life to steal anything, but no time to worry about that – not only is she being pursued by mythical calamities, but the cult kidnaps Lara’s dear friend Sam and takes her to Yamatai as part of their plans. The remaining members of the Endurance crew return to save her, with disaster on their tail.

Barely dodges becoming a blood sacrifice for a resurrection ritual

Of course, that’s exactly what the cult wanted. They’re in fact Solarii-worshippers and are trying to bring their messiah, Mathias (you remember him), back from the dead so they too can be blessed with his magic. To do that, they need to perform a convoluted ritual involving blood sacrifice (which is what set off the calamities, signals from the planet that shit’s going down). Since Lara is the one that killed Mathias in the first place, she is meant to be their unwilling donor, and Sam’s kidnapping was all just a plot to lure her into their grasp. How do a bunch of well-dressed businessmen know about the magic-wielding leader of a bunch of shipwrecked soldiers on an uncharted island? Don’t worry about it.

But, naturally, things don’t go according to their plans – Lara and company escape, most of the cult members are crushed to death as a temple collapses around them, and the last of the calamities takes out a man holding a gun to Lara’s head. Happy ending!

Travels to Pripyat, Ukraine to rescue Alex’s sister from an assassination attempt

During her second trip to Yamatai, Lara sees a hallucination of Alex – one of her friends who didn’t survive the game – speaking to her about protecting someone back home. She chalks it up to inhaling the island’s natural gas. But when the same hallucination pops up during a hike in the Welsh countryside, telling her to protect someone dear to him who’s in trouble, she takes it a bit more seriously.

Getting a clue off of a watch that belonged to Alex’s father (which she got from the hallucination?) Lara goes searching for Alex’s sister Kaz. She recently went missing near Pripyat, Ukraine, a real ghost town in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Though, missing isn’t quite the right word. When Lara eventually finds Kaz – still safe and sound and armed to the teeth – she discovers that Kaz knows about the killers, because she used to be one of them.

and discovers the nefarious organization Trinity

Specifically, Kaz used to belong to a powerful shadow organization known as Trinity (name-dropped in both the reboot and promotional material for Rise of the Tomb Raider), but left when things got too heavy. She started a new life in America, marrying a woman named Lucya. But apparently Trinity’s the kind of group you only leave in a pine box – they killed Lucya and, having no place to go, Kaz escaped to Pripyat, where Lucya’s family still lives and gets paid to maintain the ruins of Chernobyl.

Unfortunately, a little radiation doesn’t stop Trinity. They send one of their most aggressively sadistic agents to finish the job, and when he and Lara nearly kill each other, she officially earns a spot on Trinity’s shit list. Sparing no expense, they send a military helicopter to take out Lucya’s family home and put a rocket in it, since they prefer to be thorough. However, they’re not prepared to face a Croft: Lara empties a machine gun into the pilot, crashing the helicopter and burning Agent de Sade to death, before offering Kaz a new life in London and a spot in her flat.

Is stalked by a dying member of Trinity who wants to make her his protg

But what kind of evil-corp would Trinity be, if that was the end of it? Though their man in Ukraine miraculously survived with severe burns to his whole body, he’s in no shape to pursue Lara himself. For that, Trinity sends a less obviously fiendish agent (who is facing down his own mortality due to aggressive cancer) to finish Lara and Kaz off.

However, after hearing what she’s capable of and seeing her beat down a pair of muggers in the street, he becomes infatuated with Lara and resolves to take her on as a protg as a way to close out his life. The man from Ukraine takes such exception that he leaves the hospital while barely healed, resolving to deal with both of them himself.

Almost dies on stage, and for real

Not that Lara’s aware of any of that. While all that’s going on, she’s caught up in rehearsals for a production of Pride and Prejudice directed by her friend Jonah, who talked her into a starring role (no, really).

It’s only on opening night that she gets a rude awakening: Trinity’s Ukraine agent tells her, via a ransom note, to meet him in the London underground or Kaz dies. Lara complies, and while she fares well in a fight given her full Georgian dress, she’s only able to finish the job with the help of her admirer/stalker. He offers to make her a full member of Trinity, and when Lara refuses, he has no qualms letting himself get hit by a train. Lara goes back and finishes the play after that – though, obviously, in a different dress.

Finds out a friend she thought was dead has been kidnapped, reveals the Croft estate isn’t in her control, films a fake movie

Because there’s no end to the reminders of what happened on Yamatai for Lara, after her brush with Trinity, she gets a knock on her door from somebody who knew the surly helmsman Grim. Or, rather, they know him and provide a tape of him at their compound in the Mexican jungle, which Lara finds mighty confusing as she saw him die. That doesn’t seem to faze her callers however, who demand a ransom for Grim’s life.

The big-hearted person Lara is, her first thought is to pay the ransom in full. However, it turns out her uncle is the executor of the Croft estate, and given Lara’s dangerous globetrotting escapades, he doesn’t feel she’s of a sound mind to handle her inheritance. With that option off the table, Sam comes up with a brilliant idea: travel to Mexico under the guise of filming a documentary on the Chupacabra. With few better options, Lara, Kaz, Sam, and Jonah venture forth to rescue their not-dead friend.

Finds out Grim isn’t Grim

As things are wont to do when Lara Croft is involved, their simple plan quickly gets complicated – Sam starts having unexplainable blackouts, which leads to a fight when Lara refuses to let her keep going in her condition. Under cover of night, Lara sneaks away to deal with the kidnappers herself.

Once again, her luck doesn’t pan out, and she ends up being captured and thrown in a prison-hole alongside Grim. Or rather, not-Grim. When they come face-to-face, Lara discovers the person in the video is actually Grim’s brother, who was captured by Mexican eco-terrorists while sailing his brother’s boat in international waters, and mistaken for a man the Croft family would pay dearly to protect.

and that his kidnappers know the Crofts all too well

It seems odd that a random terrorist group would know about the Croft coffers, but it isn’t random at all – their leader is an old lover of Lara’s father who he met during an expedition to study Mayan ruins. While she acted as his guide, he told her all about his adventures, revealed the extent of the family fortune, and got to know her in a Biblical fashion before disappearing, never to be seen again. Now with a lot more years under her belt, she’s cynical enough to take advantage of the opportunity when she gets ahold of a Croft family friend, knowing how much wealth comes along with the name.

With no interest in dealing with her father’s old baggage, Lara sets up a diversion and escapes with Grim’s brother in tow. That leaves the terrorists stumped as they watch one of their ships sail, Viking-funeral-style.

Discovers that something is very wrong with Sam

While everyone makes it out of Mexico safe and sound, Lara and Sam’s friendship doesn’t, and Sam remains dismissive and hostile toward Lara weeks later. Given that Lara finally gets some downtime to let the traumas of the last year properly eat away at her, not having her confidante does a number on her emotionally, and she seriously considers disappearing without a word or another globe-trotting expedition to keep the memories at bay.

Of course, those unexplained blackouts were bound to come up sooner or later. Lara eventually gets a phone that Sam has been arrested for an assault that she doesn’t remember committing, and is being held at the local jail. When Lara goes to visit her, however, she discovers that Sam isn’t entirely home – she talks and acts as though she’s possessed by something, and though Lara briefly gets through to her, Sam storms off before Lara can get a grasp on happening to her. That just about wrecks Lara mentally, and she immediately heads home to pack and run away from her problems.

Does NOT go globetrotting in search of mythical artifacts

You’d think that’s where the comic leaves off and Rise picks up, which it does, but not before throwing in one last wrinkle. At the last moment, Lara decides not to leave, because she realizes it won’t actually fix what’s eating away at her. Instead, she decides to write about everything that happened in Yamatai (with an eye for public exposure, even), to both help herself and ensure that her friends won’t be forgotten. And that’s it. From there, it’s on to Rise of the Tomb Raider.

How well Lara’s writing efforts turn out are anyone’s guess until then – though, given that she feels no one would believe what she’s been through when Rise opens, not very well is probably the answer. Plus, something has to prompt Lara to take up that world-circling, myth-hunting adventure she originally decided against. Is writing how Lara finds herself? Does she decide that adventures and musings aren’t mutually exclusive? Is this really how Sam makes her grand exit? Seems Rise has more to answer than anyone realized.

The post Laras been keeping busy between her reboot and Rise of the Tomb Raider appeared first on Game News.

After getting shipwrecked on a mysterious island during her first-ever archaeology expedition, Lara finds herself in one life-or-death situation after another. Her crew is missing, and the island’s cult-like inhabitants are eager to kill her. The narrative’s dark, distressing tone is established right from the start, and never once does it stray during Tomb Raider’s 15-hour campaign. This consistency builds a great deal of tension and intrigue, and you’ll be eager to keep playing to see what happens next.

Throughout the game, you’re tasked with solving elaborate puzzles and taking on sporadic groups of enemies; in addition to plenty of platforming and exploration. After you finish Tomb Raider’s long-winded tutorial, it easily rivals the best Uncharted has to offer–and that’s not a claim made lightly. Where Uncharted props itself up on Nathan Drake’s charm, platforming prowess, and ability to shoot dudes in the head without getting bummed out, Tomb Raider’s foundation is one of excellent pacing, and an ominous story of survival.

The development of Lara’s character is an integral part of that experience. She’s a far cry from the stylish adventurer you used to know. In the stead of a dolled up gunslinger is a do-what-it-takes female lead who’s intelligent and capable. It’s unsettling to watch her brave some truly disturbing situations–at times, Tomb Raider is more survival horror than action adventure–but she deals with it because death is the only alternative, culminating in her gratifying evolution from a green explorer to a seasoned survivor. It’s a shame that caliber of character development doesn’t extend to the supporting cast. Her shipwrecked friends are pretty generic characters who, while rarely annoying, just aren’t memorable.

But what those characters lack in magnetism is more than made up for by the incredible personality and mystery of the island setting. It’s a bizarre place filled with ancient shrines, World War II-era bunkers, and all sorts of relics and trinkets spanning multiple centuries. It’s always clear that something strange is going on, and the island’s secrets tease you right up until the very end. You explore a huge variety of environments, sectioned off into hub-like zones, all of which give clues that help you uncovering the island’s overall enigma. From underground ruins and snow-laden mountain tops to lush forests and grim oceanside cliffs, no one area ever feels like a rehash of another, and the sheer amount of detail in each is impressive.

Tomb Raider on PS4 and Xbox One

So, you want to know about The Definitive Edition on PS4 and Xbox One? Well, for starters the game looks prettier. Not massively better, but better nonetheless. The frame-rate is higher and more consistent, making combat and platforming feel smoother. The Lara character model has been reworked, and her hair now flops about more realistically. Looks nice, but adds nothing to the game. Voice commands now let you access the map, and change weapons, while audio diaries now play through PS4’s controller speaker. Unfortunately, there’s no way to stop them playing through the TV too, so you get an awful echoing effect.

During Lara’s journey, you encounter plenty of dangers. Traps, hostile cultists, and vicious animals alike will stand in your way. Nearly every battle feels like an intense fight to the death instead of just another shootout, despite the fact you rarely encounter more than five or six enemies at a time. The bad-guy AI is great for the most part, as foes will kick over tables to form barricades or shoot off flares to call for help. Best of all, they often react realistically to your shots. Cap an enemy in the leg, for example, and he’ll go down to the ground where you can finish him off with a melee execution. Usually a climbing-axe to the skull. Nasty!

Lara’s inexperience shows through early on, as her shots are inaccurate and weak. By defeating enemies, solving puzzles, and finding the many collectibles hidden on the island, you gain experience points and resources for upgrading Lara’s skills and weapons. Other games that try to emulate the growth of an unseasoned character don’t pull it off with quite the same aplomb as Tomb Raider does–by the end of the adventure, Lara’s transformation into a powerful heroine is noticeable, and feels natural.

But Tomb Raider isn’t all about fighting. It’s totally common to spend five minutes exchanging fire with a group of enemies, then go 45 without seeing a soul. These breaks in battle are filled with great platforming segments, clever puzzles, and adrenaline-pumping set piece moments, and the pacing throughout is unrivaled by any other game in the genre. Even the rate at which Lara obtains new weapons and equipment–like rope arrows that open up new sections of some zones on the island–is admirable, as you snag new gear right up until the final chapters.

Tomb Raider’s single-player campaign alone is worth the price of admission for new-comers, but its multiplayer component will be a welcome addition for those looking for a bit more longevity. Multiplayer maps are filled with climbable ledges, zip lines, and level-specific traps that are perfect for scoring easy kills. There are some pretty decent modes to keep things interesting for awhile, too, such as Cry for Help in which one team must capture a series of control points before the other kills and loots 20 players. That said, the multiplayer doesn’t feel as genre-defining as the campaign, as it doesn’t really introduce anything new to keep you interested after a dozen matches or so.

Even if you’ve never been a huge fan of Lara Croft’s fortune-hunting adventures, Tomb Raider is sure to impress. Its expert sense of pacing, captivating setting, and dark tone create a truly memorable experience that’s further enhanced by an immense level of detail. Lara Croft, the old Lara Croft, is dead. In place of a dolled-up gunslinger is a do-what-it-takes survivor–and I hope she hasn’t had her fill of adventuring just yet.

Is the Definitive Edition worth buying? The improvements are too subtle and gimmicky for me to recommend that experienced Tomb Raiders–people who have already finished the game on PS3 or Xbox 360–drop $50 / £40 on the next-gen version. However, if you own a PS4 or Xbox One, and you haven’t yet experienced the new Tomb Raider, then you should leap any chasm and murder any hired merc who stands in your way until you’ve got this playing on your console… It’s still brilliant, and the Definitive Edition is the superior version.

The post Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition review appeared first on Game News.

Tomb Raider hit the one million player milestone in less than two days, according to developer Crystal Dynamics.

Karl Stewart, global brand manager at the studio, said the series reboot has made a strong commercial start and thanked fans for their early support.

He posted on Twitter: “Wow, 1m gamers playing in less than 48hrs! @tombraider fans, you’re AMAZING Hearing some stores are running low..more copies are on the way!”

“Lara Croft’s latest adventure is easily her best,” we said in our Tomb Raider review, adding: “Lara Croft, the old Lara Croft, is dead. In place of a dolled-up gunslinger is a do-what-it-takes survivor–and we hope she hasn’t had her fill of adventuring just yet.”

Square Enix announced the first round of Tomb Raider DLC earlier this week. Arriving on March 19, the Caves & Cliffs multiplayer map pack will be a timed Xbox 360 exclusive release.

To get the most out of the game, be sure to check out our Tomb Raider challenges guide and our Tomb Raider map locations guide.

The post Tomb Raider boasts 1m players in 48 hours appeared first on Game News.

Not a lot this week in the ways of concrete news, but there’s plenty to speculate about! We also reviewed Tomb Raider and talked about games that broke the fourth wall.

Hosts: Hollander Cooper, Greg Henninger, Ryan Taljonick, Henry Gilbert
Question of the week: What game do you think needs a fully realized reboot? Answer to win a free game!

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Danny Baranowsky

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