Tomb Raider footage: 11 minutes of adventure

We've heard a lot of back and forth about the new Tomb Raider--controversial cutscenes, interesting changes to the character, worrying adherence to a certain half-tucked formula. Now Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics have offered up 11 minutes of unaltered gameplay footage presenting Lara Croft's harrowing fight through a scavenger stronghold accompanied by developer commentary. They've put up, so we'll shut up:


Preponderance of quick-time events aside, the gunplay looks pretty fun, with the "fluid" cover system making for a less staccato stop-and-pop affair than most modern shooters. The new Tomb Raider is a linear, cover-based action game punctuated by semi-interactive cinematics--at least, these 11 minutes are.

Do you think the game's environmental emphasis, and its narrative arc depicting a privileged liberal arts major's transition into a hardened treasure hunter, will set it apart when it hits Xbox 360, PS3, and PC on March 5?

Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.