Rise of the Tomb Raider is once again generating a lot of buzz since its unveiling at this year's E3 in June. This game is the sequel to the bestselling 2013 Tomb Raider reboot, featuring a much younger version of adventurer Lara Croft.
The latest news comes from a leaked image by Croft voice-talent Camilla Luddington, who is reprising her role after taking part in the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot. Luddington is perhaps better known for her recurring-role in the popular TV-series Grey's Anatomy.
On Thursday morning, Aug. 7, the actress tweeted a picture of herself with florescent paint sprayed all of her face.
Called "mova", the substance on her face reportedly provides "7000 points" of reference for facial rendering. In other words, the technology helps create a much enhanced character model. Running on next-gen consoles such as the PS4 and Xbox One, the game will feature vastly improved graphics.
Besides contributing her likeness, Luddington has contributed her English accent and motion-capture to the two more recent Tomb Raider games. Naturally, this is an appropriate fit considering that the fictional Lara Croft also happens to be a wealthy heiress from Great Britain.
In regards to gameplay, not much is known about Rise of the Tomb Raider apart from the fact that it is being built on the foundation of its predecessor. The E3 2014 teaser trailer only reveals pre-rendered visuals presumably from the game itself. Also, it is not certain if this scene will make it to the final release copy of the game.
At this time, only Best Buy and Amazon are accepting pre-orders for the Xbox One copy of Rise of the Tomb Raider. Oddly, Amazon gave a Dec. 31, 2014 release date, but it is likely this information is not correct.
Though the game's publisher Square Enix has yet to announce the exact release date for Rise of the Tomb Raider, it has hinted at a possible launch sometime in the 2015 holiday season.
Officially, there has been no word regarding what platforms the game will be compatible with. However, a recent leak from the UK Amazon site suggests Rise of the Tomb Raider may be coming to the Xbox One, Xbox 360, Playstation 4, Playstation 3, and the PC. Still, the accuracy of this listing remains unconfirmed.
UPDATE: On Tuesday, Aug. 12, the official Tomb Raider blog confirmed that the 'Rise of the Tomb Raider' is coming exclusively to Xbox One in 2015.
Rise of the Tomb Raider: Announcement Trailer
