November 26, 2015

Thanksgiving Brings a Free Lara Croft GO Expansion

Happy Thanksgiving, raiders! I'm grateful for all of you...and for the cooking tips I've learned from Lara over the years!


I am also very excited to see that Square Enix Montreal has just released a free expansion pack for Lara Croft GO. The Shard of Life includes 26 puzzles incorporating several new game mechanics, enemies, and achievements. It is available for iOS and Android, and will be coming soon to Windows Phone/PC/Tablet. If you haven't yet bought the original game, it's 40% off for a limited time to celebrate the launch of the expansion.


Lara Croft GO is also a finalist in the Canadian Videogame Awards Fans' Choice category. If you'd like to support this title, you can cast your vote here.

For more information about Lara Croft GO, see these past posts and my Tomb Raider mobile games page.


Lara Croft GO screenshots

November 23, 2015

Congratulations Extra Life Raffle Winners!

The random number gods have spoken, and 33 lucky winners have been chosen to receive prizes in Team Tomb Raider Community's Extra Life prize raffle!

Thanks to the efforts of 24 team members and 183 generous donors, the team has raised $4,237 for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals during this Extra Life season. We are grateful to our donors and to everyone who helped spread the word and cheer us on as we played.

So far, in the entire Extra Life 2015 event, more than 40,000 players have raised over $7 million, a real testament to the power of gamers to do good!

If you missed the marathon and want to help, it's not too late to donate to Extra Life. Just click the thermometer banner below for details. We'll be accepting donations through the end of the year. Thank you!


The following raffle winners have been contacted individually by email. Congratulations to all!

Rise of the Tomb Raider Xbox One Bundle

Rise of the Tomb Raider 1TB Xbox One Bundle – Our grand prize,
shown above, goes to Matthew K.

Rise of the Tomb Raider PAX Controller

PAX Exclusive ROTTR Xbox One Controller – Nathan W.
Rise of the Tomb Raider Geof Darrow Poster

Rise of the Tomb Raider Poster by Geof Darrow – Rident

Rise of the Tomb Raider La Boca Poster

Rise of the Tomb Raider Poster by La Boca – Barb P.

Rise of the Tomb Raider Water Bottle

Rise of the Tomb Raider Water Bottle and Trading Card – Sina

Rise of the Tomb Raider Pin and Trading Cards

Rise of the Tomb Raider Gamescom Pin and Trading Cards – RardRaider

Tomb Raider 2013 Survivor Kit

Tomb Raider 2013 Survival Kit with Play Arts Kai Lara Figure – Graham R.

Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris Gold Edition

Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris Gold Edition with Steam Code – Laci

Lara Croft Watercolor

Original Lara Croft Watercolor by José Cruz – Eydas

Playmates Lara Croft Action Figure

Lara Croft Playmates Action Figure – Mary G.

Tomb Raider CCG 2-Player Set

Tomb Raider Collectible Card Game 2-Player Quest Deck Set – Marilena

Tomb Raider Collectible Card Game

Tomb Raider Collectible Card Game Quest DecksFour winners: Rufos, The Pebble Master, Brionna P. and Sam N.

Ladies' Escape Shirt

Ladies' Tomb Raider 2013 Escape Shirt – Hayley Croft

Lara Croft Watercolor Mug

Men's Tomb Raider 2013 Escape Shirt – Brian G.

Tomb Raider Chronicles

Tomb Raider Chronicles PC CD with Level Editor – Zipper

Classic Tomb Raider Comics Bundle

Tomb Raider Classic Comic Collection – Carla

Classic Comic Bundle #2

Tomb Raider Classic Crossover Comic Collection – Jamie S.

Reboot Comic Collection #1

Tomb Raider Reboot Comic Collection #1 – Hexzell

Reboot Comic Collection #2

Tomb Raider Reboot Comic Collection #2 – Jerad Z.

Reboot Comic Collection #3

Tomb Raider Reboot Comic Collection #3 – Petar T.

GOG Game Downloads

Free game download from GOG.com. – Ten winners: Joshua H., Laratharaider, Bob B., Suzanne C., Martina T., Adam S., Jonathan P., Jesse F., John L., and Her M.


The team would also like to thank our wonderful sponsors. The first eight prizes listed above, including the Xbox One console bundle, were donated by Tomb Raider's developers, Crystal Dynamics. The game downloads were provided by GOG.com. José Cruz graciously donated his original artwork. The classic Lara Croft action figure, as well as some of the TR CCG sets and classic comics, were donated by The Venus Falcors: Women Who Love Strong Women. Theodor O. donated the Chronicles game, and Marie D. the Escape T-shirts. We are grateful to all of you!

Extra Life Sponsors Crystal Dynamics

November 11, 2015

Tomb Raider Community Extra Life Update: $3,000 and Counting!

Congratulations to Team Tomb Raider Community on raising more than $3,000 to benefit Children's Miracle Network Hospitals! Thanks to 159 generous donors who contributed an average of $19.67 each, we're able to declare this weekend's videogame marathon a huge succes.

UPDATE: As of December 16, the total stands at $4,237!

Tomb Raider Community Extra Life Team
Extra Life Team Tomb Raider Community banner by AJ Rich.

Donations are still coming in, and the Tomb Raider team will continue to do our part, but we're very proud of our small contribution to this massive effort. So far the 40,000+ gamers playing for Extra Life 2015 worldwide have raised nearly $7 million to help sick kids—truly a testament to the power of gamers united for good!

If you have not yet made a donation, there's still time. Extra Life accepts contributions through the end of the year. Just head over to our team page and follow the instructions to contribute with a credit/debit card or PayPal. To donate offline with a check or money order, contact me or any other team member. Donations of any amount are welcome. You can donate anonymously if you like, and 100% of your tax-deductible contribution goes directly to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.


If you need a little incentive, check out 5 Reasons Why You Should Make a Donation to Extra Life by Kelly from The Arachaeology of Tomb Raider. Kelly has so far raised more than $500 for Extra Life. She is also running a prize raffle for her donors, which ends November 15.

The team's Extra Life Raffle runs through November 21. There are more than 30 prizes up for grabs, including the following:

  • Rise of the Tomb Raider 1TB Xbox One Bundle signed by the development team
  • PAX Exclusive ROTTR Xbox One Controller
  • Limited-edition ROTTR posters
  • Original classic Lara Croft Watercolor by José Cruz
  • Classic and reboot TR comic bundles
  • Classic TR Collectible Card Game sets
  • TR 2013 and Temple of Osiris collector's sets
  • Game download codes from GOG.com

Plus TONS of other swag from classic and new games. You don't have to donate to win, but donors receive bonus raffle entries. Click the banner below for details.


Although the official marathon is finished, many players will continue to livestream for Extra Life through the end of the year. Follow this link for a list of our channels and contact details.

Very special thanks to Crystal Dynamics, GOG.com, The Venus Falcors, José Cruz, Theodor O., Marie D. ...and YOU for your generous support!

November 4, 2015

Rise of the Tomb Raider Launch Trailer Features 'I Shall Rise' by Karen O

Rise of the Tomb Raider's  Xbox launch is now less than a week away and Microsoft and Crystal Dynamics have released the official launch trailer.

Karen O
Karen O. Photo by Getty Images.
The featured song was written and sung especially for the game by Karen O, frontwoman for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Although she's not a gamer, the singer told Rolling Stone she had no trouble relating to the themes in Rise: "transformation and survival and realizing one's own destiny and pushing past one's own limits.... They wanted drama and high-stakes and melodrama. That was very appealing to me because I love making music connected to a storyline. It was all stuff I loved, like having the theme song to [Lara Croft] becoming an icon and the creation myth [surrounding] the moment she becomes Lara."

The full version of "I Shall Rise" is available on iTunes and Google Play.

Note that the trailer does include a few minor spoilers—locations, NPCs, and such. If you've been following the official publicity campaign, there are only a few small things you haven't seen before.



Rise of the Tomb Raider premieres on Xbox One and Xbox 360 November 10 in the Americas and Asia; November 13 in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The PC version will follow early next year, and the PlayStation 4 version in late 2016.

November 1, 2015

Extra Life Charity Livestream Schedule

As I mentioned in my Extra Life Announcement, many Tomb Raider Community team members will be livestreaming throughout the official marathon weekend (November 7-8) and during the days surrounding it. Here is a very rough schedule which I will update as as things evolve.

Team broadcasts from the last 30 days are archived on my Twitch channel.

Extra Life Team Tomb Raider Community

Players may change their time slots or add spur-of-the-moment streams, so I encourage you to follow individual players for timely notifications. Many also have websites, blogs, YouTube channels, etc., which you can find by following the Twitch/Twitter links below. We may also have several guest players who are not part of the fund-raising team. Follow me (Stella) for details.

Team Captain - Stella – Hosting and playing on team livestream Nov 7-8. Additional streams TBA. Twitch Stellatombraider | Twitter @stellalune | Donate to Boston Children's Hospital

Ahmed – Follow him for updates. – Twitter @iwant4626 | Donate to CMNH General Fund

AJ – Frequent livestreams. Follow him for details. – Twitch AjRich17901 | Twitter @drake17901 | Donate to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

CV – Frequent livestreams. Follow her for updates. – Twitch cvw220 | Twitter @cvw220 | Donate to Sparrow Childrens Center

Dre Anthony – Follow him for updates. – Twitch tombraiding | Twitter @CroftDiaries | Donate to Children's Hospital Colorado

Emerson – Follow him for updates. – Twitch herbienut1337 | Donate to Rainbow Babies & Childrens' Hospital

Joshua – Follow him for updates. – Twitch JoshuaGirardin | Twitter @Joshua_Girardin | Donate to All Children's Hospital

Kelly – Livestreaming throughout October and November. Follow her for details. – Twitch TRArchaeology | Twitter @TombRaiderArch | Donate to CMNH General Fund

Kevin – Livestream schedule on his blog. – Twitch kkutlesa | Twitter @TheMentalAttic or @TheLawfulGeek | Donate to CMNH General Fund

Laura – 24-hour stream starting Tuesday, Nov 4, 8PM GMT – Twitch cactuspractise | Twitter @LauraLousie | Donate to Children's Hospital Los Angeles

L.E. Croft – Follow her for updates. – Twitter @IndyCroftcom | Donate to St. Rose Dominican Hospitals

Leigh – Solo and team livestream schedule TBA. Follow her for updates. – Twitch fmlcrispylara_again | Twitter @FMLcrispylara | Donate to Boston Children's Hospital

Luka – Team livestream time slot TBA. Follow him for updates. – Twitter @TRfan12 | Donate to CMNH General Fund

Matthew – Follow him for updates. – Twitch ARID0NAS | Twitter @iSt0ked | Donate to Riley's Hospital for Children

Mark – Team livestream Saturday Nov 7 approx. 5pm GMT. Possibly other times as well. Follow him for updates. – Twitch GamerManMark | Donate to Seattle Childrens' Hospital

Michelle – Friday Nov 6, 7-11 pm: The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. Saturday Nov 7, 9am-midnight: LCTOO, Lara Croft GO!, Remember Me. Sunday Nov 8, 9 am-5pm: games TBA. – Twitch seashell093 | Twitter @seashell093 | Donate to Akron Children's Hospital

Nathan – Solo and team livestream schedule TBA. Follow him for updates. – Twitch NathPlays | Twitter @NathPlays | Donate to CMNH General Fund

Plexippus – Streaming for Extra Life the weekend of Nov 14-15. Follow him for updates. – Twitch Plexippus | Twitter @plexippustwitch| Donate to CMNH General Fund

Rident - He's not an 'official' team member, but our friend Rident is streaming TR 2013 in its entirety between Nov 6-8 to support Extra Life. Twitch - RidentFFXI | Twitter | Donate to any Extra Life Player

Sinead – Livestream schedule on her blog. Follow her for details. – Twitch SineadCroft | Twitter @SineadCroft1 | Donate to CMNH General Fund

Taryn – 24-hour marathon. Follow her for updates. – Twitter @21guns_novacain | Donate to Children's Hospital Colorado

Will – Follow him for updates. – Twitter @gothfilm1313 | Donate to Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago


The team's Extra Life Raffle runs through November 21. Prizes include a Rise of the Tomb Raider Xbox One Console Bundle, a unique Lara Croft watercolor by artist José Cruz, and a treasure trove of other Tomb Raider swag!


Very special thanks to Crystal Dynamics, GOG.com, The Venus Falcors, José Cruz, Theodor O., Marie D. ...and YOU for your generous support!

Extra Life 2015 Charity Marathon and Prize Raffle

Next weekend, November 7-8, I will once again be participating in Extra Life, a gaming marathon to benefit Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.


Video courtesy of Extra Life.

I will be playing for Boston Children's Hospital, which provides specialized care for children from across North America and more than 100 other countries. If you'd rather support a local hospital, I encourage you to check out this list of Team Tomb Raider Community members. There are 19 of us playing for a bunch of different hospitals, each of which serves children with special needs and/or financial hardships.

Donating online is safe and easy. Just visit my Extra Life page to get started. If you'd like to donate offline with a check or money order made out to "Children's Miracle Network Hospitals," that's fine too. Contact me and we'll work out the details. Your contribution is tax deductible and ALL PROCEEDS go to help hospitalized kids.

In case you need a little incentive to help out, the team is hosting a Tomb Raider livestream and PRIZE RAFFLE throughout the marathon weekend and beyond. I hope you'll join us on Twitch.tv. You can also follow me on Twitter for regular updates on the the games we're streaming, guest players, and our fundraising progress. For a chance to win some awesome Tomb Raider swag, including a Rise of the Tomb Raider Xbox One Console Bundle and more than 30 other prizes, just click the banner below.


Questions? Contact me by emailFacebook, or Twitter.

Very special thanks to Crystal Dynamics, GOG.com, The Venus Falcors, José Cruz, Theodor O., Marie D. ...and YOU for your generous support!