Eidos on next-gen Lara

By Johnny Minkley Published 18 December, 2006

'You'll be drooling,' apparently.

Having restored Tomb Raider's dignity with this year's Legend, developer Crystal Dynamics is already hard at work on the true next-gen follow-up. And Eidos big cheese Ian Livingstone OBE has revealed that the new Lara looks so good it's like watching the telly.

Speaking in an exclusive interview in the latest episode of The Eurogamer TV Show, Livingstone gushed: "I've seen some of the in-game models and it's just like watching television; if you felt you were in love with Lara Croft previously, you ain't seen nothing yet. You'll be drooling when you see the new Lara as she appears in the next iteration."

How long we'll have to wait before we can get the slobbering underway is unclear, but in the meantime there's the 10th anniversary game, which we understand is being properly unveiled very soon. And for the Angelina fans out there, Livingstone added that there's a strong chance the pouty-lipped vixen will be reprising her role for a third big screen outing.

"There's a possibility - we've been talking to Paramount, who've agreed to assign a scriptwriter," he told EGTV. "That's nowhere near the green-light process but it's a very healthy start to have a scriptwriter which they're going to pay serious amounts of money to write the first script."

The full interview, part of a special celebration of 10 years of Tomb Raider, is now showing in Episode 5 of The Eurogamer TV Show.

Picture of Johnny.

About Johnny Minkley

Eurogamer TV's Johnny Minkley is a veteran journalist with a lifelong passion for games and the games industry. He uses Twitter more than most people use air.

Read more articles from Johnny by visiting the Johnny Minkley archive page.

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Comments (30) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • captbirdseye #1 5 years ago

    No more movies plz :(

  • mattigan #2 5 years ago

    TRL was good, as long as they have Keeley Hawes doing the voice, I'm sold, well the actual game has to be good too of course.

  • chupachups #3 5 years ago

    "so good it's like watching the telly."

    This has been said about ten million times in the history of gaming, even on 8-bit machines. Don't think it will ever happen though, CG people always look like CG people, even in hugely expensive hollywood productions that take two years to render.

  • rotj #4 5 years ago

    I loved TRL. I do mean loved. It wasn't perfect, but it was a darn sight one of the most atmospheric games I ever played on the Xbox. Here's my wishlist:

    1. Make the game longer. 10-12 hours minimum. 15 if you can!

    2. More exploration, less combat. Significantly less

    3. The tomb-y/ruin-y levels are always the best ones. More of them please

    :)

  • Instinct #5 5 years ago

    I've always liked the TR movies. I mean, I know deep down that they aren't very good, but that doesn't make them any less amusing to watch. Doubt it'll do very well at the box office though, unless they hire a decent scriptwriter. More likely will be the scenario of me rattling through the budget bin for the long forgotten, much derided third TR movie :p

    Oh, and TRLegend was brilliant.
    Edited by 1 at 18/12/06 @ 12:31

  • Dizzy #6 5 years ago

    TRL was fun until it bugged on me and I sold it on eBay 5 secs later. No more Tomb Raider for me EVER! (unless it is only platform gaming and does NOT have boss fights)
    Edited by 1 at 18/12/06 @ 12:36

  • Der_tolle_Emil #7 5 years ago

    TRL was a very, very good game. I enjoyed it a lot. I was never too fond of the previeous Tomb Raider games but having tried out the demo and found the gameplay to resemble most of the parts I loved about Prince of Persia so I bought the game. There are bits with too much combat, which is a bit pointless because you don't really have to aim, so I agree that they should concentrate on exploring more. Just to be clear: Harder combat would make the game too much of a chore to play and I do prefer no battle at all instead of the ones in this game.

    If they come up with the same voice actors that would help too. There was definetly no genious behind the dialogue but Lara's voice was indeed charming. I really look forward to a new Tomb Raider game.

  • Muddtallica #8 5 years ago

    The game franchise seems to have found its feet again, but I don't think there's any hope of resuscitating the movie franchise. How many people saw the second one? About three (including Instinct)?

  • cools #9 5 years ago

    Legends brought back the delicious atmosphere of the original. Scratch all the sequels, none of them were a patch on the first.

    Agree with rotj completely. Finished Legends in half a day. Not being one to 100% games once the credits have rolled, that makes it at least a third too short!

  • mkreku #10 5 years ago

    Mmm.. Angelina Jolie.. Mmm..

  • Veldaban #11 5 years ago

    I disagree about the length, I thought it was perfect. Any longer and it would've outstayed its welcome.
    As for improvements, I hope they'll do something about the very clumsy storytelling. Legends had a good story but the way it was told was pretty poor.

  • Jheronimus #12 5 years ago

    Lara Croft X-treme Volleyball?

  • Laserbream #13 5 years ago

    So it's back to looking good and playing awfully then, is it?

    I'm glad I stopped at TR2.

  • Stormflood #14 5 years ago

    "so good it's like watching the telly."

    But... isn't that exactly what we do whilst playing videogames?

  • Charroux #15 5 years ago

    @rotj

    Spot on! +length, +exploration, -combat, +tombs, -industrial complexes

  • LeD #16 5 years ago

    I guess I'm the only one with that opinion but I though Tomb Raider Legend was quite poor. Too linear, no interesting puzzles, hideously placed checkpoints, multipe game design sins.

  • Instinct #17 5 years ago

    "About three (including Instinct)?"

    Hehe. We had a little club going, but then one of them got shot by an American sheriff, and another played and completed Daikatana, then promptly decided that life just wasn't worth it. Now, I stand alone.

    On the movie note, I can't see Jolie doing a third movie - I've heard she's an intelligent actress, and this role just screams "box-office disaster!"

    LeD: I don't agree, but I do think that quite a few reviews reviewed it quite highly purely because it was so much better than the apparently abysmal preceding games. I don't know if Eurogamer does it (haven't been around too long), but I think theres quite a few that would, for example, mark an annual game (such as the EA Sports games) down because the changes from the last year are trivial. Of course, it was widely hyped as the comeback for Lara and in that respect, I think it was.
    Edited by 2 at 18/12/06 @ 14:33

  • Muddtallica #18 5 years ago

    Instinct: Lol, your club reminds me of the time my friends and I went to see...The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse, I think it was. There were about six of us, but we were literally the only ones in the theater, so we could talk as loud as we wanted, and throw popcorn at each other and so forth. It was quite good fun, actually. :p

    But as for Jolie, I doubt she'd come back, either. No skin off my nose, I don't think she was such a good choice anyway; Lara Croft's defining features are supposed to be her boobs, whereas when I look at Angelina Jolie, all I can see is a huge pair of Rocky Horror-style lips. You may as well cast Leslie Ash.

    Which reminds me - "as good as watching television"? I'd like it to be a damn sight better than that, thanks - when I turn on the TV I'm usually confronted by a repeat of bloody My Family, starring That Gormless-Looking Nonce Who Does Bank Adverts Now. I don't want to play that.

  • kangarootoo #19 5 years ago

    "whereas when I look at Angelina Jolie, all I can see is a huge pair of Rocky Horror-style lips. You may as well cast Leslie Ash. "

    Nows thats just a step too far. I think you and me are gonna have to fight.

  • Steroyd #20 5 years ago

    Oh god you know what this means....

    Boobs increase by a factor of 10. o_O

  • Muddtallica #21 5 years ago

    kangarootoo: Bring it on, man! I'm ready for anything.

    First, though, we must choose our weapons to bring to the battlefield. I choose...Angelina Jolie's lips! With their immense catfish-esque appearance, and blubbery, quivering constitution, they will surely repel any and all attacks you might choose to throw at me. :p

  • Inflatable #22 5 years ago

    Next-gen boobphysics just like doax2?

  • Machetazo #23 5 years ago

    I hope they've been spending at least some of the time since Anniversary was last seen, porting up a 360 version. This new chapter of Tomb Raider they're talking about here, ought to be most impressive, as one would presume that even if they're releasing versions for previous-gen platforms, the leads are likely to be next-gen. Let's hope they get back to raiding tombs, and storylines concerning ancient artifacts (that we actually know of), as well of course, as pursuing the "Lara's mother" angle.
    Edited by 1 at 18/12/06 @ 15:14

  • Instinct #24 5 years ago

    And its a good move by the Muddtallica, indeed!

    However, the Commentator-bot worries that, in a wonderful ironic twist, the weapon that he himself mentioned may be used against him; .....Leslie Ash! Tune in at an undefined time to see the next episode of Kanga vs Mudd!

    By the way, My Family = brilliance ;)

    I wonder if Toby Gard will be helping out on this one once again. I can't imagine he's too happy with life right now - unless I'm mistaken and Galleon did sell well?

  • sharpfish #25 5 years ago

    TRL was a sort of return to form. It kept me interested for a while.

    As said above, any future TR needs:

    .Less combat and FAR more exploration/Discovery

    .Less stupid boss fights (like the guy in the club or whatever who kept repeating the same dumb phrase over and over again) Don't turn it into "one of them" games just because they are popular atm.

    .Don't keep adding more and more "abilities" which are just gimmicks, don't want to spend the entire game coming out of the immersion because I realise some set piece is only there to demonstrate Lara's new "Cartwheel while serving tea" move.

    .And in case I didn't emphasise it enough, LESS real world type locations (outside, vast, open) and more actual TOMBS and nooks and crannys, hidden caves and ABSTRACT areas similar to the original TR but done justice with new tech/gfx.

  • Zero Beat #26 5 years ago

    I hope they're using that next-gen shine a bit more tastefully this time as I preferred the appearance of Legend on PC without 'next-gen' mode turned on.

  • Carpathian #27 5 years ago

    "Boobs increase by a factor of 10. o_O"

    They seem to be lop-sided if that was meant to be a diagram, unless they inflate right side first ? ;o)

    I've been holding off buying it as it's so short a run through but the quality of the demo (played and enjoyed on PC, xbox AND on 360) did draw me back to the series. As long as it's like that then my £14 on eBay was well spent....if a little late !

  • ZuluHero #28 5 years ago

    If you're sad enough to like polygons, then you'll love this:

    ( . )( . )

    ascii porn! :)

    Joking aside, knowing that there's another next-gen next-gen Tomb Raider being made is great news, it'll still look pretty, even if they don't hit their claims of being "like a movie".

    EDIT: oh is that better, Carpathian? Mine aren't so lop-sided.. :p
    Edited by 1 at 18/12/06 @ 15:50

  • Zane #29 5 years ago

    It'll be good as long as they don't rely on everyone owning HD Televisions like Sony have with Heavenly Sword.

  • ClansOfIntrigue #30 5 years ago

    >> "but it's a very healthy start to have a scriptwriter which they're going to pay serious amounts of money to"

    so that's what they forgot to do with the 2nd film?

  • Daikon #31 5 years ago

    "There's a possibility - we've been talking to Paramount, who've agreed to assign a scriptwriter,"

    OOOH! A scriptwriter! Now there's a novelty. I just wished they had bothered employing one before shooting the first two movies...