Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration is all set to make its debut on PS4 on October 11, and it will come packed with all the content from last year's excellent Rise of the Tomb Raider plus some new stuff too. The first of which is the new story driven 'Blood Ties' expansion where she gets to explore Croft Manor. And something called 'Lara’s Nightmare', where she has to fight off hordes of the undead.

The following Gamescom presentation starts off with an action-packed section of main game before highlighting the new stuff. Which, looks very cool.



Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration will also includes PlayStation VR support and an 'Extreme Survivor' difficulty mode. And for those that have already played the game, all the new content will be part of the current Season Pass on Xbox One and PC.

With PlayStation VR support for a new mission called 'Blood Ties'. Launching on the console on October 11, Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration will also serve as a Game of the Year edition as it'll include all of the Season Pass and DLC content that's currently available for the Xbox One and PC versions. A special Limited Edition with a collectible art book will also be made available.



Now, if you guessed that the new 'Blood Ties' mission would include a trip back to Croft Manor and include a zombie invasion as part of something called 'Lara’s Nightmare', then you should probably start looking into buying a few Tattslotto tickets.

Blood Ties, a new premium DLC, beckons players to explore Croft Manor in a new story mode; then defend it against a zombie invasion in Lara’s Nightmare. When Lara’s uncle contests ownership of the Manor, Lara must explore the estate to find proof that she is the rightful heir, or lose her birthright and father’s secrets for good. Players can then test their zombie-killing skills in the replayable Lara’s Nightmare mode: a haunted Croft Manor where players have new challenges and must rid the Manor of an evil presence.

Zombies aside, Rise of the Tomb Raider is an excellent addition to the PS4 library. And a brilliant follow-up to 2013's Tomb Raider reboot.

Kind of a no-brainer really, but ahead of the game's PC release tomorrow Crystal Dynamics and NVIDIA have released a new video highlighting some of the added benefits of running the game on PC hardware. Hardware that no doubt costs a pretty penny. Visually the title remains one of the best looking Xbox One games currently available, so yeah you can be sure the PC version looks amazing. So what does the extra power bring?

Fans of advanced graphics options in their games will swoon at the mention of effects like HBAO+, hardware tessellation, and tropical polymer filtering. Or, whatever its called. Anyway, the results are pretty impressive.



In addition to improved visuals you'll also get the chance to play one of the best games of 2015. So there's also that.

And just like that the question of when is answered, as Rise of the Tomb Raider is now available for pre-purchase on Steam with a release date of January 28. And as with all recent high profile releases you can put money down for the standard edition, a digital deluxe version, as well as nab the season pass. With the PC version also supporting 4K resolution, this will also no doubt be one of the most visually impressive renditions of the famed adventurer yet.

Plus being an all around fantastic game. As a certain someone said in his review.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is the sequel you were hoping for. More tombs, bigger areas to explore, and new abilities to discover and master. In terms of what a blockbuster sequel should look like, Rise of the Tomb Raider is a definite candidate for a sequel done right.

Attention all raiders of tombs! Do you like exploring ancient caves and whatnots in the hope of finding treasures of old. And whatnot. Good, because you'd probably be interested in this little gem of a game. Rise of the Tomb Raider it's called, available on the Xbox One and Xbox 360 (with PC to follow early 2016). It stars the wonderful (and very British) Lara Croft. It has all the tomb-y goodness you're after. Plus an action-packed adrenaline fueled story filled with ancient supernatural prophecy and mystery. And great hair-physics.

Here's a little snippet from the AusGamers review, by the incomparable Kosta Andreadis.

In real terms it roughly means that the tombs you get to explore feel real, ancient, mysterious, and fantastical. And often, all at the same time. In contrast, the tombs in 2013’s Tomb Raider felt like adjacent puzzle rooms. Visually impressive extensions to the environments you got to explore, but ones that nevertheless rarely rose to the same height of what’s on offer here. And don’t take that the wrong way, the Challenge Tombs in the original were indeed fun and challenging. They just felt a little tacked on. So it definitely comes with a sense of relief that Rise of the Tomb Raider features considerably more exploration than its predecessor. Simply getting to one of these Challenge Tombs may require delving deep into a mysterious cave, an adventure in its own right. An act that immediately that feels more true to the archaeological intention of their inclusion.

Click here for the full Rise of the Tomb Raider review.

Issues like, "Hey, this ancient mountain temple is burning to the ground. How in the heck do I cross this chasm?" and, "Man, totally need to find a way to get to that rock formation." And with the answer to both being an emphatic "Grapple!" we get a look at Lara's upgraded grappling hook in a new Rise of the Tomb Raider trailer. Plus, a fantastic looks at some of the locations and tombs found in the game.



Rise of the Tomb Raider is out November 10 on Xbox One, with PC and PlayStation 4 versions due in 2016.

And the raiding of said tombs. To complement the footage shown at the Microsoft Gamescom conference, which was all about rainy night stealth kills, comes a look at an early part of Rise of the Tomb Raider, which is all about exploration. And action too. In fact, this is probably the best look at the game yet. And if you were a fan of the original, you'll no doubt be impressed.

Visually this new demo really sells the additional level of detail that has been added not only to Lara Croft (the face animations look amazing) but the environments too. And the exploration and puzzle solving, which was present in the first "re-imagining", seems to be more in-line with the series roots here -- with grand vistas, giant archeological ruins, and plenty of dusty, shiny, and supernatural ancient artifacts to find.

Check it out.

The new Lara Croft adventure, Rise of the Tomb Raider, is headed to Xbox consoles at the end of this year. In a new video demonstrating 15 minutes of Siberian Wilderness gameplay we get a glimpse at Lara's survival skills, watch her make a bow out of everyday forest stuff, and even take on a large angry bear.




The above demonstration is definitely impressive and sells the stark, dangerous and beautiful landscape of what looks like an early part of the game. Collecting materials (i.e. looting) and crafting stuff like bandages, arrows, and weapons, looks to play a bigger role this time around.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is due for Xbox One and Xbox 360 on November 10.

A new Gameinformer video interview with Crystal Dynamics' Brian Horton reveals that Rise of the Tomb Raider, Lara Croft's official sequel after being rebooted in the self-titled (and brilliant) Tomb Raider, will feature new and unique gameplay centred around ecology and environment.

In the interview Horton reveals that the game's new setting, Siberia, will take full advantage of the cold and snowy weather, with animals leaving tracks that can be, well, tracked (though snowfall also means they'll eventually be covered). A full dynamic weather and day and night system will also allow for different animals to appear at different times throughout the environment, though Horton also promised the game won't be singularly steeped in realism, adding that the supernatural stuff we know and love from Tomb Raider will also be ever-present.

The interview also reveals that there will be another location to break up the cold Siberian setting, and that movement and traversal have seen improvements over Lara's last outing.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is a timed Microsoft exclusive, coming first sometime this year to both Xbox 360 and Xbox One, with PC and PS4 release dates yet to beer announced, but expected sometime in 2016.

The recent news out of GamesCom that the forthcoming Tomb Raider game from Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix would be exclusive to Xbox platforms caused a bit of a stir among those that have enjoyed the series over its long history on the PC and PlayStation consoles, but as suspected it seems unlikely to stay that way for long.

Microsoft's GamesCom press conference had revealed the game as a "holiday exclusive" for the Xbox, prompting speculation that it would come to other competing platforms a little later, and in an interview with Xbox head Phil Spender, Eurogamer appears to have confirmed as much:

Is there a time limit on the exclusivity period?

"Yes, the deal has a duration. I didn't buy it. I don't own the franchise."

Can you tell us how long the duration is?

"No. It's not because I'm trying to be a headfake on anybody. It's a deal between us and the partner. People ask me how much did we pay. There are certain things I'm just not going to talk about because it's a business deal between us and them. Obviously the deal does have a duration. I didn't buy the IP in perpetuity."

Rise of the Tomb Raider is due on Xbox One and Xbox 360 in the 2015 holiday season.

Kicking off the Gamescom information slaw, Microsoft came out guns-a-blazin' ice-picks-a-swingin' by revealing that the next entry in the rebooted Tomb Raider franchise from Crystal Dynamics would be "exclusive" to Xbox One in Holiday 2015 -- whether this means it's simply a timed exclusive is yet to be revealed, but we'll dig and let you know.

The publisher also revealed three new Xbox One family bundles for the Holiday period with FIFA 15, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Sunset Overdrive all getting their own retail space as part of an Xbox One console bundle.

Unveiled today, three new console bundles launching later this year offer unparalleled options for purchasing Xbox One at the best value this holiday.

• Available for pre-order today, the Xbox One Limited Edition “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare” Bundle launches starting Nov. 3 for $599 RP1 at select retailers, featuring a massive 1TB hard drive, custom console, controller and Limited Edition exoskeleton, plus a digital copy of the “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare” Day Zero Edition.
  
• Insomniac’s Ted Price unveiled the Xbox One Special Edition “Sunset Overdrive” Bundle, featuring a sleek white console and wireless controller, a digital copy of the game, and special Day One edition in-game items – all for $499 ERP1 starting Oct. 30, available for pre-order today.
  
• An exclusive “FIFA15” bundle for fans in Europe was also announced including an Xbox One Console, Xbox One Controller, 14 Day Live Trial, HDMI Cable, Chat Headset, a digital token for “FIFA 15” and an Ultimate Team Legends Gold Pack, available for pre-order today, launching from Sept. 25 for $529 ERP1 while stocks last. Ultimate Team Legends are available only on Xbox, and the Legends Gold Pack offers an increased chance in finding an ultra-rare Legendary player for your Ultimate Team. An Xbox 360 console bundle including “FIFA 15” will also be available in Europe starting Sept. 25 while stocks last.

While there are prices listed above, the release informs us that these are "estimated retail price, actual prices may vary" and that they're in "limited quantities" and available only at "at select retailers while stocks last". You can pre-order locally from EB Games for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Sunset Overdrive at the links provided.

Crystal Dynamics and publisher Square Enix have today confirmed the next title in the rebooted Tomb Raider series, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and offered up a new CGI trailer featuring the hardened adventurer.

Rise of the Tomb Raider builds upon the formula that made Tomb Raider a success, and features the return of Camilla Luddington as Lara Croft. Camilla will take character performance to new heights as Lara pushes herself beyond human limits and is confronted with what it means to become a hero. Once again, Crystal Dynamics is proud to have the award-winning author Rhianna Pratchett as a key member of the writing team, helping craft a story that delves into Lara’s inner turmoil and motivations in this critical second act of her journey.

Rise of the Tomb Raider will be available holiday 2015 for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Gaze your eyes down to the trailer below offering some pretty CGI scenes.