Croft News

The most interesting TR news to hit the headlines...
... and the year ahead looks to be one of the most interesting yet.

January 14 , 2003 Exclusive Calendar and Screensaver Downloads

September 19, 2002 TombRaider.com Website and New Webring

March 21, 2002 "The Angel of Darkness" Unveiled

March 21, 2002 New Lara Model Unveiled

Eidos Interactive has announced that Dutch model Jill De Jong will be the new face of Lara Croft, replacing two-year Lara veteran Lucy Clarkson. She is the fifth (or sixth if you include Natalie Cooke) model to officially don the ponytail and pistols. Jill is also the second model with a Dutch nationality to be Lara. Holland's Lara Weller was the 1999 Tomb Raider model. At 6 feet tall and measuring 34-26-38, Jill is more than up to the task of representing everone's favorite digital danger girl. Ms. De Jong, coinciding with the unveiling of the new Tomb Raider game "Angel of Darkness," made her official debut in London last night.

March 2002 Debut!

Tomb Raider "Next Generation" Pre-Launch set for March 21th 2002!
(source: GamesRadar.com )

For the first time we'll hear (and see) the official announcement on the game from Eidos, confirming the title, formats and release date. Eidos and Core Design will unveil the new Tomb Raider on 21 March, which will take place at a secret location in London. Eidos have yet to confirm what will be on show at the event although we're expecting to see the game up and running. The game is expected out in time for Christmas on PS2, PC and possibly Xbox.

February 2002 Happy B-Day Lara

Happy Birthday - Lara turns 35-years old this Valentine's Day (depending on who's timeline you use - some seem to have Lara aging in reverse over the years <heh>)

February 2002 Next Gen Previews

TR-NG is previewed in both PC Gamer Magazine and Playstation Magazine in the March issues - the features are brief, but include exclusive screenshots and previously unpublished plotline info on Tomb Raider Next Generation.

New details revealed include:

• A scriptwriter was hired to map out the next five or so games.
• Lara is framed for the murder of Von Croy.
• A money system will be used to obtain your weapons and other items with a little help from a neighborhood pawnshop
• Lara will be dispalyed in all her glory with 5000 polygons compared to the previous 500 used.
• In the new adventure, Lara will share the spotlight and the booty-kickin' with Kurtis Trent, a new character whose ultimate goal coincides with Lara's. Kurtis, described as a 'hip, action-focused, super-disc--wielding adventuerer', will be a second playable character. His role is still somewhat shroaded in mystery -- such as how much Lara and him will cooperate vrs. play against one another.
• Eckhardt is the apparent major baddie in this round - Anthony Hopkins is the #1 pick for this players voice.
• The Nephilim, an ancient group, also have a role in the story.
• Questions concerning Lara's apparent demise in Last Revelation will finally be answered.
• Angelina Jolie, the Lara of the movies, may provided the voice for the pixelated Lara.
• For the PC version, a possibility of a level editor may be included with the game.

Lara's newest adventure is due for release on PC and PS2 in the fourth quarter of 2002.

See TR-Next Gen Page for overview of the new game's details we have so far.

January 2002 TR Movie 2

Word is out that the Tomb Raider sequel is currently in the early planning stages , as scripts are being reviewed. Angelina Jolie is set to return as Lara Croft and Paramount will begin shooting the sequel at Pinewood Studios after the new Bond 20 concludes action scenes

November 2001 TR Movie on DVD

Studio: Paramount
Disc: Single Sided, Dual Layered
Video: Widescreen (2.35:1) Anamorphic
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital Surround
Release Date: November 13, 2001
Price: $29.99

Features:

• Digging into Tomb Raider - In-depth Cast & Crew Interviews, Featuring Angelina Jolie, Jon Voight, Director Simon West and More
• Crafting Lara Croft - Angelina Jolie's Physical Training for the Role
• The Stunts of Tomb Raider
• Visual Effects of Tomb Raider - 8 Amazing Sequences
• Are You Game? - A Look at the Tomb Raider Video Game Phenomenon
• Commentary By Director Simon West
• 4 Deleted Scenes
• Alternate Main Title Sequence
• U2 Music Video, "Elevation" Tomb Raider Mix

DVD-ROM Features:

• Tomb Raider Timeline
• Tomb Raider Chronicles Game Demo
• Web Site Archive
• Access to the Online Experience

Fall 2001 Lethal and Loaded on DVD

First TR DVD! -  Lara Croft - Lethal and Loaded
Average Customer Review: 5 Stars

Solid production values and a healthy dose of tongue-in-cheek humor help elevate this British-made documentary about the worldwide phenomenon behind the video game Tomb Raider and its voluptuous femme fatale heroine, Lara Croft, a notch above the usual promotional tie-in material.

Also available at Amazon.com -

Tomb Raider: The Book: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
by Keith M. Kolmos
List Price: $14.99
Our Price: $11.99
You Save: $3.00
Used Price: $11.99

July 2001 Lethal and Loaded

Lethal and Loaded: The Official Lara Croft Documentary, a new one-hour televised program that explores the Lara Croft phenomenon, will be shown on Britain's Channel 5, Sunday July 8th at 8pm.

Lethal & Loaded: the TRAILER movie can be found at TombRaiderChronicles.com, an excellent Lara site.

The real story of Lara Croft is told by TR's original creator and Core Design's conceptual artists reveal how she was invented, developed and intoduced to the world. The truths behind Lara's personal history and Lara's development over the years is explained, her personality, her physique are put under scrutiny, including an exclusive peek at the 'next-generation' of Lara.

Lethal and Loaded also goes behind-the-scenes with the official Lara Croft models and shows how they are selected and trained - and what they really think of the woman whose boots they must fill.

Finally the fan-phenomenon that Lara stirs in followers around the globe is explored. Her cultural icon status is covered in detail from consumer products, the press, press articles and the new Tomb Raider movie, with an interview of TR Movie star Angelina Jolie.

June 2001 TR: Chronicles Mac Demo Available

The Tomb Raider Chronicles demo has been released. The demo is a 14 MB download featuring portions of the third level (The Roman Coliseum). Test your skills against lions, gladiators, and some of Lara's trickiest puzzles to date.
Courtesy of Apple.

Demo System Requirements:
• Mac OS 8.6 or higher
• 32MB of RAM (64MB recommended)
• Open GL 3D Hardware Acceleration Required (Rage Pro, Rage 128 or better)

Game Demo
Download Demo (14MB) - The Roman Coliseum level.

 

June 2001 TR: Trilogy for Mac

Mac game publisher Aspyr Media reported that the Mac conversions of Tomb Raider: The Trilogy have gone into duplication.

The Trilogy is actually comprised of six adventures in the popular 3D action game series featuring Lara Croft. Unlike PC users, Mac buyers of the Trilogy will get the Gold versions of the first three titles, along with some never-before-released-on-CD content as well. All in all, the Trilogy features Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider Gold, Tomb Raider II, The Gold Mask (never before released on CD), Tomb Raider III and The Lost Artifact (never before released on the Mac at all).

Tomb Raider: The Trilogy calls for a PowerPC 603e/180MHz or faster (iMacs, G3s and G4s are fine); Mac OS 8.6 through Mac OS 9.1, 32MB RAM (64MB recommended); 4x CD-ROM; hard drive and color monitor; and QuickTime 4.0 or later.

Aspyr thanks Westlake Interactive programmers Mark Adams, Ken Cobb and Phil Sulak for their work on Tomb Raider: The Trilogy.

June 2001 TR: the Movie is Out

Go to the TR Movie page for the full story.

TR Movie - Official Site

June 2001 TR: Curse of the Sword is Out

Look in your local game store to purchase the next chapter of  Tomb Raider on the GameBoy Color. 

Lara is on a quest for the ultimate prize - her soul! While trying to stop a robbery in a museum, Lara Croft is wounded by a scared sword that curses its victims. If she does not find the stolen sword and return it to the museum, she will die! Help Lara uncover the sinister motive for the robbery of the sword...before she loses her soul.

June 2001 New Lucozade Commercial

Lucozade: View COMMERCIAL @ AnimalLogic.com

Working directly with Ogilvy and Mather Dublin, Animal Logic's director's cut for the Irish market turns the original Lucozade spot on its head. Being a spoof, the commercial relies heavily on concepts from the award winning original 'Lara Goes to the Dogs', directed by Bruce Hunt. "The joke works through the audience having a familiarity with the first" says Animal Logic's Bruce Carter, who directed the latest version. "Even the title of 'director's cut' is a joke." 

Created for a core market of 18-24 year olds, this is the fourth commercial in which Animal Logic has animated Lara Croft. It not only extends the life of the Lucozade campaign but adds dimension to the Lara Croft character. Says Animal Logic producer Melinda Jones: "When we created the first Lucozade commercial, Lara Croft had already become a computer icon. She was a no-nonsense, high energy character who could always extricate herself from tricky situations. As the series continued, her more 'human' qualities came through. It was important for us to remain true to the original spot but by this time it was clear that Lara had to be outgunned!" 

Because the 'hero' is this time one of the dogs, Lara was not the only one needing detailed characterisation in this new version. While the pack charges ahead, the dog needed the nous to stay back and wait to plan his attack. The animation of this cunning canine was a significant character building exercise in 3D. Lucozade, of course, remains the ultimate star of the commercial.