Microsoft had a lot to show off at their spectacular conference yesterday at E3 - Halo 5, Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2, ReCore, even backwards compatibility and the mind-blowing (but perhaps impractical) Hololens technology. They certainly got the audience on their feet - but one thing that really caught our eye was the timed Xbox exclusive (meaning you'll only be able to play it on the Xbox One - at least for a few months), Rise of the Tomb Raider.
The sequel to the massively successful reboot of 2013, Rise of the Tomb Raider continues this new reinvention of the classic Tomb Raider series, and sees our Lara craving the same thrill of adventure and discovery she'd felt on the dangerous island of Yamatai. Apparently almost being killed by a tribe of raging cannibals is a moreish experience. With her life now seemingly dull and ordinary afterwards, Lara understands that she wants more out of life than safety and security. She needs adventure - but with that inevitably comes peril.
Uh oh...
In detailed gameplay footage, Microsoft showed off what this new game has to offer in the first 10 minutes of the game. As Lara scales a snow peaked mountain, unstable and slick with ice, if nothing else, it's very pretty. Scaling a vertical cliff face with some hooks, and generally throwing herself around like she's forgotten her unfortunate habit for slightly missing jumps, Lara seems happy. Unfortunately, as so often happens with Lara, death soon comes crashing down in the distance.
No sooner has she reached the top of the cliff than everything goes tits up - a storm suddenly starts out of nowhere, Lara loses her grip, and an avalanche begins. What follows is a race, as Lara tries to outrun the cascade of snow - a segment that shows that Lara unfortunately still has whining/guttural groaning every time she makes a move.
Thankfully, though, there's more to Rise of the Tomb Raider than Lara finding herself in increasingly tricky situations. As the gameplay demo seamlessly segued into a trailer for the game, we were shown visual proof that all the bits that were missing (or at least, far too light) in the last game will be coming back - including plenty of footage of tombs. Crate shifting puzzles, traps and precarious rope bridges combine to create a game that seems to be trying to put right all the problems some original Tomb Raider fans had with the "reboot"
Set for a Holiday 2015 release, we expect to see Rise of the Tomb Raider to release first on Xbox One for the Christmas Holidays, releasing for PS4 and PC some time later next year. Better grab your duster, its time to go tomb raiding yet again!
