PLAY Magazine (via tombraiderchronicles.com) has confirmed that the next Tomb Raider game is Tomb Raider Underworld. In their January '08 issue, PLAY scores an exclusive interview with Eric Lindstrom of Crystal Dynamics, the game's developer.
According to Lindstrom, Lara Croft's latest adventure will feature a level of realism and interaction unprecedented for the series.
For example, "In the level where Lara explores Southern Mexico, she leaves footprints in the mud, but it's raining so they wash away. The bodies she leaves behind in combat encounters will stay, however, as will the debris from any destruction she causes." He also noted that when Lara kneels on a muddy outcrop, only her knee will be covered in dirt and this will gradually dissipate as she continues on her journey.
On creating a new level of immersion, Lindstrom says, "we developed a hybrid lighting model that combines dynamic lights with carefully created light maps to make our world look stunning in ways that none of the available methods could achieve alone." They've also given Lara full motion capture "to bring a more natural fluidity to her movements, with proper weight and secondary motion."
Tomb Raider Underworld in tentatively scheduled for a 2008 release on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.
Anniversary was not bad, but I am not expecting to be blown away with the Underworld.
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