RETROSPECTIVE YEAR IN REVIEW: PART I
Copyright 2009 www.tombraiderchronicles.com

[ January 5th 2009 ]

We would like to wish our readers a Happy New Year. A year in which a third Tomb Raider motion picture could be announced - this time likely to be under the aegis of Warner Bros.? - and a ninth adventure helmed by international cyber-icon Lara Croft.

In the first of a four-part retrospective series spanning January through end of March, we look back at the highlights of 2008, the highs and the lows, in the Laraverse. Join us for a bite-sized and condensed trip down memory lane.

January

Computer Bild Spiele is the latest publisher to unveil Tomb Raider Underworld to readers of its magazine. Available across Germany, CBS speaks at length on the preview code from November's Mexico unveiling by Eidos.

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Manoeuvrability remains a key factor for Lara Croft in Tomb Raider Underworld, and players can expect a considerable upgrade in the way Lara moves within her environment. One such feature is the move away from grid-based ledge manipulation in favour of a more non-linear method of scaling walls and shimmying around corners.

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Keeley Hawes will once again reprise her role as gun-toting archaeologist Lara Croft in Tomb Raider Underworld.

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Eidos has filed a second trademark protection request for Tomb Raider Underworld, this time securing the rights to produce a series of Lara Croft collectables.

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Tomb Raider Forums sends word of a brand new international section to cater for non-English speaking fans of Lara Croft and Tomb Raider.

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Eidos has officially announced Tomb Raider Underworld during the Company's interim trading statement. The game is scheduled to launch on 6 platforms (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, NDS, Wii and PS2) simultaneously during the Christmas season as opposed to the previously planned 3 platforms (PC, PS3 and Xbox 360) in June.

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Kyle Mannerberg, a talented designer for Crystal Dynamics who worked on Tomb Raider Anniversary, Tomb Raider Legend and the critically acclaimed Legacy Of Kain, sadly passed away on Tuesday December 18th, 2007.

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The Board of SCi has today announced a number of changes to its management team and a business review. Jane Cavanagh, Bill Ennis and Rob Murphy have stepped down from their respective positions as CEO, Managing Director, Publishing and Managing Director, Studios and will leave the Company with immediate effect.

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Finally, we can bring you an inside look at Core Design's Tomb Raider 10th Anniversary Edition video-game, including conceptual artworks from two of the leading designers working on the game, James Kenny and Carl Yellot-Bilby, and a first look at the official trailer that would have spearheaded a promotional campaign ahead of the game's release.

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Eidos Interactive, one of the world's leading publishers and developers of entertainment software, announced that the groundbreaking mobile game Tomb Raider Legend was recognized at the Best Mobile Action Game of 2007 at the Spike Video Game Awards. The game was also nominated for Mobile Game of the Year.

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Tomb Raider Forums will exclusively entertain Crystal Dynamics in a brand new Developer Questionary whereby members can court the likes of Creative Director Eric Lindstrom with any number of questions relating to Tomb Raider Underworld.

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February

In order to accurately portray both the Mayan culture and the ruins of Southern Mexico, U.S. developer Crystal Dynamics travelled to Uxmal on the Yucatán peninsula to photograph and research reference points for Tomb Raider Underworld. Their journey was captured on digital camera, and photographs from the visit can be collected below.

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British aristocrat Lara Croft has been anointed into the Guinness World Records Gamers' Edition.

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British actress Keeley Hawes has become the new face of Boots No.7, a popular anti-aging serum produced by the high street pharmacist.

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Apple-loving gamers can now get their mittens on Tomb Raider Anniversary for their Intel-based Mac computers. Developed by Feral Interactive for Mac, Tomb Raider Anniversary retraces Lara Croft's original genre-defining adventure as she pursues the legendary Scion.

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BAFTA-award winning composer, Troels Folmann, will be describing a variety of custom sample techniques and tricks used in his latest Tomb Raider soundtracks and by the majority of A-listed composers in Hollywood during a keynote speech at the Game Developers Confence in San Francisco.

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We are embarking on a project to showcase fan artwork, drawings and illustrations based on Lara Croft and Tomb Raider Underworld in our magazine. A special section has been mobilised on our Tomb Raider Underworld microsite and we cordially invite fans of the series to submit their work via Tomb Raider Forums.

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To cater for as many of our readers as possible, we have mobilised our official Tomb Raider Chronicles YouTube channel.

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Eidos has announced a ruthless cost-cutting campaign aimed at reducing some 25 per cent of Company workforce and the axing of 14 ongoing projects as part of a restructuring plan Eidos CEO Phil Rogers hopes will tip the publisher back on an even keel.

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Guinness World Record's Gamer's Edition will be attempting the 'Largest gathering of Games characters' on March 18, 10.30 for 11am at the Millenium Bridge, London and are looking for all cos players and gamers to come down and make Guinness World Record history.

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March

Launching today is one of the most ambitious video slots yet seen in online gambling - TOMB RAIDER: SECRET OF THE SWORD. It's been almost three and a half years since she made her debut on Microgaming powered casinos and this new 5 reel 30 pay-line video slot sets new standards in every aspect of gaming.

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A collection of previously unpublished material showcasing Tomb Raider Anniversary, Tomb Raider Legend and The Angel Of Darkness is now exclusively available for your visual delectation courtesy of Rivendell from Tomb Raider Forums.

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Sonic the Hedgehog, Yoshi, Lara Croft, Detective Gumshoe and Vincent Valentine were among the eighty character's breaking the "Largest Gathering of Games Characters" Guinness World Record on the Millennium Bridge, London on Tuesday 18 March.

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