June 13, 2018

Shadow of the Tomb Raider Closes Out E3 with Performer and Creative Team Panels

Tomb Raider developers Eidos-Montréal and Crystal Dynamics closed out their E3 appearances with two developer Q&A sessions. If you missed the livestreamed events earlier, you can catch both below. Special thanks to Camilla L News for sharing these videos. Be sure to subscribe to their channel for more Camilla/TR coverage.

Square Enix Presents: Shadow of the Tomb Raider Q&A with Camilla Luddington and Earl Baylon. Senior Community Manager Meagan Marie talks with Camilla Luddington and Earl Baylon, voice and performance artists for Lara Croft and her best friend, Jonah Maiava, about working together on the game. Camilla and Earl then answer fans' questions and play a round of "Would you Rather?" focusing on jungle survival.


E3 Coliseum Panel: Camilla Luddington and the Shadow of the Tomb Raider Creative Team. Lead Writer Jill Murray and Performance Director Darryl Purdy join Camilla and Earl for a panel discussion moderated by Meagan Marie.


E3 is officially over now, but I will do my best to bring you more Shadow of the Tomb Raider news as it breaks. The game will be released on Windows PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One September 14, 2018. Follow this link for details about the Shadow of the Tomb Raider Editions, Pre-Order Bonuses & Season Pass, and peruse my main Shadow of the Tomb Raider page for game info and a detailed walkthrough when the time comes.

June 12, 2018

Square Enix Presents: Shadow of the Tomb Raider Developer Q&A

Today at E3, Rich Briggs from Crystal Dynamics and Daniel Chayer-Bisson from Eidos-Montréal chatted with Crystal's Senior Community Manager Meagan Marie and answered fans' questions about Shadow of the Tomb Raider. The TR segment runs approximately 30 minutes. I apologize for the quality. There were some technical difficulties, so the archived video is split in the middle of the stream. If I can find a better version later, I will substitute it for the two parts below.

If you don't have time to watch the whole thing, the main piece of new information is that, according to Briggs, there will be separate difficulty sliders for puzzles (e.g., verbal hints on/off), navigation (white ledges, beacons, etc., on/off), and combat (auto-aim, healing, enemy toughness,etc.). This is excellent news and something fans have clamored for since the reboot.

The TR segment begins at about 02:27. The embedded video should start there if you click 'play'.



Tomorrow's E3 events include another Square Enix Presents Q&A, this time featuring Camilla Luddington (Lara) and Earl Baylon (Jonah) at 1:30 PM PDT. Then, at 3:30 PM, Camilla and Earl will join Lead Writer Jill Murray and Performance Director Darryl Purdy for a panel discussion. Check this post for livestream links and time zone conversion.

Video: Shadow of the Tomb Raider's First Tomb

Here's another video from yesterday's E3 coverage, in which Senior Game Director Daniel Chayer-Bisson and Senior Brand Director Rich Briggs show off the game to IGN's Alanah Pierce. This segment takes Lara farther into the tomb that was teased in the second video I posted yesterday. It shows the complete puzzle solution, and the developers talk about Lara's character development and key events that happen early in the game, so you may want to skip this one if you're trying to avoid spoilers.


Tune in today at 1 PM PDT for Square Enix Presents: Shadow of the Tomb Raider Developer Q&A with Briggs and Chayer-Bisson, broadcast live on Square Enix's Facebook, Mixer, Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube.

For more E3 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider news, check out these recent posts and my main Shadow of the Tomb Raider page.

June 11, 2018

Shadow of the Tomb Raider Combat and Traversal Highlighted Today at E3

Just a quick update this evening. I had a long workday and wasn't able to watch any of the E3 coverage live, but a few friends were kind enough to send me these video links. The first, shown during the Square Enix Showcase, features an action-packed cutscene from early in the game followed by a bit of gameplay, mostly focused on the new stealth combat mechanics.


The video below, from NVIDIA, offers a first look at 4K PC gameplay, with an emphasis on scenery, traversal using the improved grapple, Lara entering one of the tombs, and a tiny taste of underwater action.


Tomorrow's schedule includes a Shadow of the Tomb Raider Developer Q&A at 1pm PDT. Check this post for the full Shadow of the Tomb Raider E3 lineup.

June 10, 2018

Shadow of the Tomb Raider 'Louder Than Words' Trailer Premiere

The first Shadow of the Tomb Raider gameplay trailer debuted earlier today as part of the Xbox E3 Briefing, giving fans a taste of the action, atmosphere, and dramatic tension in the upcoming game. Watch below and let me know what you think in the comments.

For localized versions in French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Russian, and German, visit the official Tomb Raider YouTube channel, and be sure to check out yesterday's Shadow of the Tomb Raider at E3 post for the dates and times of all the major Tomb Raider E3 events.



UPDATE: The kick-ass song in the trailer is "Speak Louder" by TRILLS. Listen to the full track on YouTube, iTunes or Apple Music.

Speak Louder single art

June 9, 2018

Shadow of the Tomb Raider at E3 2018

It's that time of year again. E3 is about to start and Shadow of the Tomb Raider is finally visible on the horizon! If you've been watching the official Tomb Raider social media accounts, you've probably seen these 30-second teaser spots featuring some of the game's developers offering glimpses of the story, mocap, level and puzzle design, lighting, sound, user interface, and more. Each video ends with a promise that more will be revealed at E3.


The expo officially begins Tuesday, June 12, but there are several Tomb Raider presentations planned before that. The dates and times listed below are for Los Angeles (Pacific Daylight Time). Click the time links to convert to your local date and time.

Sunday, June 10
1 PM PDTXbox E3 Briefing. This will include the first public look at Shadow of the Tomb Raider gameplay, streamed live on Facebook, Mixer, Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube, as well as on Xbox One.

Monday, June 11
10 AM PDTSquare Enix Showcase. This presentation will be streamed live on Square Enix's Facebook, Mixer, Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube. The official TR social media have not included it in their lineup, so it's not clear how much Tomb Raider coverage will be shown.

Tuesday, June 12
1 PM PDTSquare Enix Presents: Shadow of the Tomb Raider Developer Q&A. This interview with Crystal Dynamics' Rich Briggs and Eidos Montreal's Daniel Chayer-Bisson will be broadcast live on Square Enix's Facebook, Mixer, Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube.

Wednesday, June 13
11 AM PDTCamilla Luddington Appearance, Lara's voice and performance artist, will be at the Tomb Raider booth. As far as I know, there are no plans to livestream this appearance, but check the official social media for details.

1:30 PM PDTSquare Enix Presents: Shadow of the Tomb Raider Q&A with Camilla Luddington and Earl Baylon. Camilla joins Earl Baylon, voice and performance artist for Jonah Maiava, to answer fans' questions and play a round of survival "Would you Rather?" Tune in via Square Enix's Facebook, Mixer, Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube.

3:30 PM PDTE3 Coliseum Panel: Camilla Luddington and the Shadow of the Tomb Raider Creative Team. Join the creative team and cast as they share new details about the game. Lead Writer Jill Murray and Performance Director Darryl Purdy join Camilla Luddington and Earl Baylon in a panel discussion moderated by Senior Community Manager Meagan Marie. Tune in via E3 Live.

Also be sure to follow the official Tomb Raider and Eidos-Montréal social accounts for E3 coverage and updates.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider will be released September 14, 2018, with 48-hour early access available with select pre-orders.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider key art with logo