Back in the early days of Guns and Grapple, the site was dedicated to posting the latest news. I moved it away from that in recent years due to multiple external reasons, but it's something which I kind of miss. I can't promise to give you breaking news (I think the official Tomb Raider blog has that covered) but what I can do is cover the events of a single week and present them in a clear post so you can stay up to date on the series. If you have a hectic lifestyle or perhaps don't check for TR news on a daily basis, this feature is for you.
Temple of Osiris Soundtrack Released on Soundcloud
Today, Crystal Dynamics announced that the soundtrack for the upcoming, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, will be released for free on their new SoundCloud account. Eight tracks have already been uploaded to the page with the next batch due to be released next Monday.
The soundtrack is composed by Wilbert Roget II. You can check out some of his work on his website, HERE or at the Lara Croft Soundcloud page, HERE.
Tomb Raider II iOS, Out Now!
In a surprise announcement, Tomb Raider II was released on iPad and iPhone this week! The game is priced at £1.49. If you have a busy life style, or a long commute to work or school, this is a fantastic game to play while you're on the go. The title also comes with The Golden Mask, the original expansion pack, which is an additional treat for fans of the classic. If you're the type of gamer whose goal is to try hitting that 100% completion, you're going to have a challenge with this one, as it has 50 unique achievements.
Official Synopsis: "The unstoppable Lara Croft is back in Tomb Raider II. Join Lara in
her quest for the Dagger of Xian, reputed to possess the power of the
dragon. But beware, Lara is not the only one in search of the dagger!
Warrior Monks and crazed cult members plot against you as you travel
from the remote mountain peaks of Tibet, the canals of Venice and to the
bottom of the sea."
Personally I'm really excited to see some of the classic games get some love, a huge focus over the past few years has been on the reboot, so it's nice to look at Lara's true origins and relive those first adventures again. I haven't had a hands-on with the new version yet, but I'm being kindly lent an iPad by my Guardian of Light co-op buddy to check it out, and I've heard great things about the new mobile title.
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris Gold Edition Unboxing
Speaking of classic Lara, Temple of Osiris is out very shortly! As the title is considered to be outside of the main Tomb Raider canon (and therefore also the reboot), our eponymous protagonist will be arming herself with her signature twin pistols and returning to Egypt in search for the Temple of Osiris.
Gamers can also pick up a special Gold Edition of the game, which includes a map, a hardback book packed with concept artwork, a miniature Lara Croft figurine and the season pass which contains downloads for the currently announced DLC packs.
A few days ago, cosplay extraordinaire, Jenn Croft, visited the Crystal Dynamics HQ to take part in a special video co-hosted by Crystal's Senior Community Manager, Meagan Marie, where viewers got the chance to see the goodies inside of the collector's edition. If you're a close follower of the Tomb Raider series, Jenn's name might be a familiar one, she has done some incredible cosplays. It's great to see Jenn in her Tomb Raider gear as well as Meagan back at Crystal! Check out the video below:
Quickly some pricing information for Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris. If you want the standard edition of the game, it can be purchased from XBOX Live (XBOX One), Playstation Network (PS4) or Steam (PC) for $19.99/£14.99. You can also buy the game and season pass which will come with all the currently announced DLC packs for $29.99/€28.99/£17.99. The Gold Edition will cost $49.99/€39.99/£29.99. In addition to that Steam has an offer where you can purchase four keys for the game, if you know who your co-op buddies will be, for $59.99/€59.99/£44.97. You can also download the game first, and pick up the goodies later separately through the Square Enix Store.
In Europe, there are only two platforms which you can buy a Gold Edition for: the PS4 and PC versions. The North America Gold version is available on all three platforms but is a little different; you can pick up the Gold pack in store and just before you pay for it, you will be asked for your preferred platform, after which you will be given a code for a digital copy of the game.
More Temple of Osiris Merchandise Heads to the Store!
Temple of Osiris, Team Fortress 2 Character Packs
A few months ago, Crystal Dynamics in collaboration with Valve, arranged a competition where fans got to design special Lara Croft themed outfits to be used in the Team Fortress 2. Three winners were chosen, along with two runner ups, each getting a prize pack of Square Enix games on Steam. The three winning outfits would also be a pre-order bonuses for Temple of Osiris on PC.
If you buy the game before the ninth you will receive, Lara Croft's classic tinted glasses (Tomb Raiders), jungle shorts (Jungle Booty) and Egyptian headdresses (Crown of the Old Kingdom), all in a variety of colours. The pre-order pack contains those three items. The runner up entries were Pocket Raiders, Orion's Belt and Booktenkhamuns.
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris Launch Celebration
Square Enix Forums: Competition #17: Festive Decorations
With Christmas creeping up on us, the Square Enix Forums are holding a special festive competition where you can win some special Temple of Osiris goodies. Prizes include a Crystal Dynamics exclusive Sisters of Artemis notebook, lithographs signed by the development team and gaammmesss! So many games.
To enter all you need to do is create a Tomb Raider Christmas decoration and post it on the forums! "For example bow and arrow-shaped Christmas cookies, a snowy holiday
scene with LCTOO characters, Christmas tree baubles with TR9 symbols on
them."
Maximum of three entries per person/household, and 100 restriction if your entry contains text. You must post your entry in the thread with the introduction "This is my contest entry", and use http://pic.driber.net/up/ for uploading images to your post.
Submission deadline: January 7th 2015, at noon CET.
Temple of Osiris Launch Trailer
Last Friday was The Game Awards! In addition to the awards ceremony and new game announcements, the launch trailer for Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris was shown for the first time and was broadcast worldwide. In case you missed it, you can catch the video below!
Official Synopsis: "Developed by Crystal Dynamics, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris is
the successor to the critically-acclaimed Lara Croft and the Guardian of
Light. Featuring four-player co-op, Lara Croft joins forces with rival
archaeologist Carter Bell and imprisoned Egyptian gods Horus and Isis,
to defeat the evil god Set. Players must work together to defeat hordes
of enemies, solve devious puzzles, and avoid deadly traps, all the while
competing for treasure, powerful artifacts, and ultimate bragging
rights."
Community Shoutouts
This week, the team behind the upcoming fanfilm Hunted released a new video focusing on some of the set design, make sure to check it out on their YouTube Channel!
Archaeology of Tomb Raider has released a new post about the Dragon's Triangle, it's an interesting read and very much recommended!
A few fans have received their copies of Temple of Osiris early, so if you want to hear their views on the game so far, make sure to visit Kelly's website or Laurie's forums.
With Christmas coming up, my final shoutout goes to Kate's Christmas fan film, which you can visit over at the official Tomb Raider blog.
Until next time!
Thanks so much for the shout-out, Jaden! Loving Temple of Osiris so far, though I still need to get around to finishing it. :-)
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