After layoffs were issued at Eidos Montreal at the start of 2024, hopes of ever seeing a new Deus Ex game went out the window (thanks, Em??bra??cer Group).

It's a shame, really. The last entry �2016's Deus Ex: Mankind Divided �ended in a way that a follow-up made sense. To drop the series so abruptly while it was enjoying ?a resurgence feels like a massive middle finger to the fans.

But we're not here to talk about that. Instead, I'm going to show you what the gaming media at large thought of each Deus Ex entry. To do so is to show that �with the possible exception of one �the games were pretty lauded. Some of the later ones weren't exactly considered perfect, but then what is (possible exception: Red Dead Redemption 2)?

As always, this list will contain the mainline entries in the series. I'm also chucking in the one spin-off and a mobile title. So....all of them except for Breach, basically. I'll also be basing them off their PC scores where possible. With that in mind, let's get into all the Deus Ex games as judged by Metacritic.

Deus Ex: The Fall (2013) - 45%

We'll start with something that's a bit of an outlier. Not only is The Fall a spin-off to the Deus Ex story, but it's also ??the only entry that wasn't developed by either Ion Storm or Eidos Montreal. That and it was originally a mobile release. That doesn't necessarily mean it was destined to be a not-so-favorably-received game, but...well...you've seen the score.

Now, in fairness, the above Metacritic number is based on reviews for the PC version. Who knew taking a mobile game and porting it to another system would not go down so well? I would imagine a lot of people. PC Gamer described it a??s "one of the worst PC ports" back in 2014.

So, okay, what if we were to use the score from the original iOS release? Well, that would put it at 69%, which is not terrible, but it's not great either. It would also still mean that The Fall goes dead last on this list.

Deus Ex: Invisible War (2003) - 80%

There are inevitably going to be a few concerns on the developer side when it comes to doing a sequel to a critically acclaimed release (more on that later). Invisible War came just three years after the original Deus Ex, which had received pretty universal praise from reviewers and ga?mers alike. That's a tough act to follow by anyone's measure.

Despite notable criticisms, the Metacritic score speaks for itself, really. With a glowing 80% on PC (and 84% on Xbox), Invisible War was a solid follow-up to its 2000 predecessor, even if it was flawed. I would imagine at least a couple of points got knocked off for callin?g the protagonist Alex D. Despite conspiracy theories and cyberpunk themes rampant throughout, I can't help but picture the world being sa??ved by someone who possibly moonlights as a techno DJ sporting frosted tips, and who has a penchant for John Woo films.

I haven't actually played this one, so I can't make any judgments. What I can tell you is that it was an early adopter of Unreal Engine 2, which meant it could make use of some hilarious "ragdoll" physics that was starting to become all the rage at that point. Maybe that's not too impressive these days, but I do quite like the fact that this Deus Ex game was made using the same dev toolkit as Postal 2. I du?nno. There??'s just something slightly amusing about that.

Deus Ex GO (2016) - 81%

Let it never be said that mobile gaming isn't worth a hill of beans in this cutthroat industry. While not every studio can produce a Candy Crush, Angry Birds, or...I don't know...Guns of Boom, we can still get some high-quality gaming for our morning commutes. Deus Ex GO is such an example.

This was basically a follow-on from Eidos Montreal's other installments in its mobile GO series, with games such as Hitman GO and Lara Croft GO following a similar format to this one. It's pretty far removed from t?he other entries in the series as far as gameplay is concerned, but ??its puzzle-based, hexagonal grid, touchscreen mechanics evidently worked.

I actually did play this one many years ago, and it had its moments. Sadly, like a lot of mobile games, Deus Ex seemed short-lived. With a respectable Metacritic score of 81%, it seems a Windows port was released not long after the iOS version??. However, it looks like it's hard to come by these days.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (2016) - 83%

I finished replaying Mankind Divided just the other day, which is what prompted me to write this article. You probably didn't need to know that information. I just thought it was worth mentioning. Anyway, this was the last Deus Ex game we got, and it's fast approaching its eighth birth?day. Where does the time go?

I feel it's a lot easier to look back at this one with a sense of joy and wonder. Game Informer (RIP) gave it a meaty 8/10 ??but criticized Eidos Mont??real for disguising "hot-button issues as speculative fiction" while sacrificing "an interesting story to hammer home its messaging." However, The Guardian called it a "half-baked cyberpunk sequel," giving it a middling 3/5 stars.

Look, what I'm trying to do here is shoehorn in a "fan-kind divided" joke, which I'm positive no one else has ever said when talking about this specific Deus Ex game. No sirree. So to summarize: I actually really like Mankind Divided (83% on PC is not to be snubbe?d), but I'm evidently not very good at trying to s??et up punchlines.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution (2011) - 90%

Human Revolution is steeped in cultural significance, and I don't say that lightly. It had been eight years since a Deus Ex game was released, and this one was made by a different studio than the original developer, Ion Storm. That meant the series was experiencing something of a rebirth which, according to art director Jonathan Jacques-Bellet�te, drove the t??eam to find inspiration in Renaissance art for the visu??als.

Despite the hiatus (or, perhaps, even because of it), Human Revolution was a triumph. I got a copy of it not long after its release, and I was entranced. Its emphasis on stealth and a story ??rich in political and societal turmoil, all of which was wrapped up in corporate shenanigans, appealed to 2011 me.

Human Revolution was something of a triumphant return for the series, and while we'll never know what the John Romero-founded Ion Storm could have done with a third Deus Ex game, Eidos did a mighty fine job.

It wasn't perfect, mind you. Before the Director's Cut was released, the game forced you into boss fights where murder was a requirement, even if you were gunning for a stealthy, no-kill playthrough. This was a kick in the teeth for people like me, marring what should have been a stealth-lover's near-flawless game. This was eventually fixed, though, leaving Human Revolution a formidable part of the Deus Ex arc.

Deus Ex (2000) - 90%

If you haven't played the original, you might be wondering why Deus Ex sits just ahead of Human Revolution when both games have a score of 90%. After all, Deus Ex is nearly two and a half decades old, looks pretty ugly by today's standards, and its old-school gameplay mechanics makes it less accessible t??o modern gamers.

But when Deus Ex hit game stores, there wasn't much like it. Its sophisticated role-play elements are what made it so immersive. It's generally considered to be one of the first games in the immersive sim genre, which would eventually lead to popular titles such as Dishonored and Prey.

Deus Ex also had an incredibly complex narrative centered around global politics and international terrorism. Those themes are popular now, but they weren't the norm in 2000. Deus Ex earned IGN's Best of 2000 Award for Best Storyline thanks to tha?t daring political narrative.

It still has its criticisms and detractors, but Deus Ex went down as one-of-a-kind for its generation. To this day, it regularly appears on lists of the best PC role-playing games of all time, despite the fact that it's pretty dated now. But even if you can't get into the original Deus Ex a quarter of a century later, it's impossible to deny?? the impact it?? had at the start of the new millennium.

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With reports that Embracer Group allegedly cancelled an upcoming Deus Ex game, hopes of a return to the series have been fading. The industry is in a sad state now, so if you want to cheer yourself up with a dose of Adam Jensen, you can pick up Mankind Divided for free next week.

That's one of the titles being given away over on Epic Games Store. The other is an indie puzzle from 2013 called The Bridge. Both will be available between March 14 and March 21. They will be replacing the sci-fi combat game Astro Duel 2.

While it may not be the most lauded Deus Ex entry out there, it's still a nice little freebie fo?r those who h??ave yet to play it.

You can't resist all that sincere moping

Things are so up in the air for Eidos-Montreal's celebrated series. With voice actor Elias Toufexis being told to stop talking so much about Adam Jensen, there's definitely a sense that we won't ever get to see a follow-up to Mankind Divided.

It's a story we're all getting sick of hearing, no doubt. The video game industry is in dire straits at the moment, as huge publishers issue redundancies and studio closures. Eidos was one of those recently, which effectively put a nail in the Deus Ex coffin. Honestl??y, it's hard to keep up with the amount of job los?ses that have occurred these past 12 months or so.

While we won't likely get to see a new Deus Ex entry, ?maybe take some comfort in being able to get a copy of the latest installment for free. Sorry, didn't mean to bring the mood down there.

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Recently, Eilas Toufexis, the voice behind Adam Jensen from the later Deus Ex games, posted a heartfelt goodbye to the character he's best known for. With hopes of a new entry fading fast, the actor has since said he's been asked to ease up when talking about the Mankind Divided and Human Revolution protagonist.

In an interview with PCGamesN, Toufe??xis likened the current state of the video game industry to a "disaster zone." Referring to the continuing onslaught of studios shutting down, projects being shelved, and conglomerates layin?g staff off, the actor opines about how things are at the moment.

With regard to Deus Ex, Toufexis said?? he never heard anything official after 2016. Every ??piece of information that came to him about the franchise was "unofficial, from friends or acquaintances." He also mentions how developer Eidos contacted him in 2020 to ask him to "stop talking about Adam Jensen in interviews and podcasts."

Imagine giving Jensen a gag order

The response goes on to say that the reason the developer doesn't wan??t him talking about the character is because "they wanted people to focus on other things from the studio."

Last month, it was announced that parent company Embracer Group allegedly shuttered an in-progress Deus Ex game. This was on? top of 97 people being laid off, which is a headline many of us have sadly become used to? seeing these past 12 months or so.

Fortunately, Toufexis is still busy with work. In a post on Twitter recently, he said he's currently working on a couple of games, but "I'd? expect them all to be canceled before the end of the week or something." He adds that he's doing fine, though: "I'm very lucky to have many irons in the fire. Games are just in a weird place right now." True that.

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Recently, we brought news that ?Embracer Group was laying off staff at Eidos Montreal. This brought to the fore the uncertainty of the Deus Ex franchise, and now some words of thank??s have come from the voice of Adam Jensen hi?mself.

In a recent post on the Mankind Divided subreddit, Elias Toufexis wa??nted to express his appreciation for the support over the years. With this, the actor has essentially said goodbye to Jensen, a??dding that "his story seems done."

With the future of Deus Ex uncertain, Toufexis has said that the recent layoffs and the alleged cancellation of a potential new game have "angered" him. However, he does �jokingly, it seems �suggest that someone like Elon Musk ("I think he has some money")?? could possibly take over the franchise and keep it going.

Who better to take the reins on dystopian sci-fi..?

We will likely never know what would have become of Ad??am?? Jensen. Toufexis seems certain that, had the studio been working on a new story based around the character, he would have been contacted.

His message is also the culmination of ongoing dismay within the gaming industry, as huge companies make cutbacks, with some studios shutting down entirely. Eidos Montreal is sadly on??e of the more recent examples of this swathe of job losses.

But it seems Toufexis wants to try and put a more positive spin on things, hoping fans will continue to like his non-Jensen work. Whether we will ever see a new Deus Ex game again remains to be seen, but with Mankind Divided coming ??????????????????????????up on the eight-year anniversary of its release, a lot of us are?? more than hungry for a return to this universe.

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According to reporting by Bloomberg, Embracer Group is laying off 97 of the staff at Eidos Montreal and has canceled an unannounced title in the Deus Ex series. This is part of an ongoing series of job loss??es as Embracer contracts after a period of rapid ??expansion.

The Embracer Group acquired Eidos Montreal as part of a deal with Square Enix in 2022, which saw the latter company divest from its North American studios. This deal also included Square Enix Montreal and Crystal Dynamics, as well as a selection of properties related to those studios, including games like Thief, Tomb Raider, and Deus Ex.

Many have been anticipating a new game in the celebrated Deus Ex series since the release of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided back in 2016. Following the lukewarm reception to that game, Square Enix put the series on ice. The Embracer purchas??e brought some hope to having the series revived once again, but with this cancellation, it seems unlikely.

According to Bloomberg’s sources, Eidos Montreal had been working on the new entry of Deus Ex for two years, and it was “slated to enter production later this year.�The company will now “instead focus on an original franchise.�/p>

A release by Eidos Montreal confirms the layoffs and clarifies that 97 positions were eliminated, it’s a continuation of job losses related to Embracer Group. The losses have included the closure of Timesplitters developer Free Radical and Saints Row’s Volition.

It can be difficult to keep up with the volume of cuts made by Embracer, as it seems that a new round happens on a near-weekly basis. Embracer group is hardly the only company cutting staff, however, as massive job losses have been happening across the industry, with Microsoft laying off 1,900 staff members just a few days ago.

We’re not even out of January yet, and the industry has seen nearly 6000 people lose their jobs. It’s shaping up ??to be another rough year.

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2023 has been an utterly miserable time to be working in the video game industry. Announcements of layoffs from some of the biggest names around have been dominating news sections lately. While we already kn??ew Embracer Group was one of them, we now know the figures.

In the most recent sales report from the Crystal Dynamics and Gearbox Software owner, the com??pany has said it experienced a 13% increase in net sales between July and September of this year (Q2 of their 2023-2024 fiscal year?).

It then goes on to acknowledge that "around 900" people were part of the "reduction in headcount." This equates to 5% of the whole workforce. That's quite an astonishing amount of people to let go. Embracer Group said it's also "reduced the number of projects" ??being worked on and is focussing on "improving the projected return on investment within PC/Console."

At least the company is doing well...

The report goes on to say that CEO Lars Wingeford would like to "put on record a special thanks to the people who have left Embracer in the quarter." Unfortunately, it's ??unlik??ely to bring much comfort to those who have lost their jobs.

We already knew that developers under Embracer's umbrella were being targeted for mass layoffs. However, this latest report really hammers home the ext?ent to which studios have been affected by these "reductions."

You've heard this story dozens of times already. Ubisoft, Team17, Naughty Dog, Amazon, CD Proj??ekt Red, and many more have all been involved in redundancies, many to the tune of hundreds. One wonders whether anyone would?? still be interested in seeking a career in game development after all this.

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The Marvel's Avengers team is ending all support for the game on September 30. There won't be any additional character DLC, story missions, or updates; its life as a game as a service (GaaS) is nearly over. If you have ever been interested to see what the fuss has been about, Marvel's Avengers is a part of one last fire sale where you can pick it up for only a handful of dollars.

Marvel's Avengers: The Definitive Edition is going for the crazy low cost of $3.99 USD in multiple places. You can pick it up for that price on the PlayStation Store, Steam, and Green Man Gaming. That's 90% off for those who just love looking at percentages in sales. The Definitive Edition come??s with more than 400 outfits for the heroes, along with all t?he DLC missions and playable characters. But keep in mind that if you want the Spider-Man DLC, you need to pick up the PlayStation version.

Why is there a fire sale for Marvel's Avengers before "the end?"

Marvel's Avengers, sadly, didn't do so hot after it launched roughly three years ago. Players were unimpressed by its grindy nature, though it did earn some praise for its combat. The game was mired in "pay-to-win" controversy, as it introduced ways to buy XP boosts in lieu of simply playing the game. Publisher Square Enix was also frustrated over the game's "lower than expected" sales, ultimately leading it to sell the developer, Crystal Dynamics, to Embracer Group in 2022.

On September 30, the Marvel's Avengers owners will officially "sunset" the game. You won't be able to purchase the game or its DLC, nor will you be able to buy credits. Owners of the game can still pla??y its single- and multiplayer modes, and limited-time events are still planned.

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The future of Deus Ex is...uncertain

Things are still in the air with regard to a new Deus Ex being on the horizon. However, even if there is one in the pipeline, it's possible that the voice actor behind Human Revolution and Mankind Divided's Adam Jensen may not be in it.

In a recent post on Twitter, Elias Toufexis, who provides the gravelly voic??e for the previous two entries' augmented protagonist, said that he's busy at the moment and is excited to "show you the amazing games I’m working on." He then adds that one of the projects he's involved with is under an NDA, otherwise known as a non-disclosure agreement.

//twitter.com/EliasToufe??xis/status/1677776530758594561

However, when questioned by user 0ldSnak3 about whether the NDA refers to an as-yet-unannounced Deus Ex game, Toufexis denies it, saying that no one has been in touch with him about a new entry in the dormant series.

//tw?itter.com/EliasToufexis/status??/1677784138999549952

What's known about a potential new Deus Ex game?

As it stands, all we can say is that a Deux Ex game may be in development. However, there's?? been no official word on that front. Toufexis' tweet could mean that Eidos Montreal is simply not doing another game, or it could be that the voice actor an??d/or Adam Jensen won't return in any new entries.

It goes without saying that any hard info on a new Deus Ex is just speculation. If a new installment is being made, Toufexis doesn't appear to know anything about it. As for what else the voice actor is currently working on, well he's not saying much about those, either. The tweet posted on National Video Game Day jokingly refers to the other projects as being "confidential" or "red?acted," so these will remain a mystery as well.

Given that the last game in the series was 2017's Mankind Divided, a lot of fans have been hoping for a new entry. Six years may not be a long time, but Deux Ex se?emed to be in a pretty good place, so it w??ouldn't make sense for Eidos to simply leave the franchise on the table.

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Back to the Future

It might be time to polish those sunglasses and dig out that trenchcoat, as rumors abound this fine morning that cyberpunk RPG series Deus Ex is gearing up for a return. That's according to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, who stated that ?the longtime developer is deep into its production cycle following its ?recent release from the Square Enix umbrella.

As reported yesterday, Schreier notes that Eidos Montreal is currently working on the franchise's new entry alongside several other titles, including a brand-new IP and several co-development projects with Xbox, such as a new release in the high-fantasy series, Fable. The Deus Ex release is said to be i??n its "very, very early" stages, so I wouldn't go expecting any announcements until at le?ast later 2023, or perhaps even further down the line. Still, fans will be pleased to hear that the cult series has not been set adrift.

The first Deus Ex title launched on PC way back in 2000, spinning a typically cyberpunkian tale of capitalism gone wild and the nanotech-infused rebels who aim to bring the structure crashing down. While the acclaimed release was followed by several sequels of varying quality, it was the launch of the 2007 epic Deus Ex: Human Revolution that truly brought the series its mainstream success. The most recent game in the series is 2016's Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, which continued the franchise's ?penchant for complex action, deep narrative, and depressingly familiar political overtones.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is available now on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.

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Lara's coming home

Some legendary gaming franchises are now back under the control of their respective studios, following the completion of Square Enix' western studio sell-off to holding company Embracer Group �With the completion of the deal, several IPs now defer ownership and??/or?? creative control to their developers of origin.

The two biggest titles to make the transition of legendary adventure series Tomb Raider, which is now back in the hands of Crystal Dynamics, and dystopian cyberpunk series Deus Ex, which has come home to roost with Eidos Montreal (formerly Square Enix Montreal). In addition, Crystal Dynamics regains ownership of Legacy of Kain, while Eidos Montreal retakes the helm of cult stealth series, Thief.

The sale comes at a perfect moment in time for Crystal Dynamics, as the studio is about to embark on the development of a brand new Tomb Raider title, one that will harness the power of modern platforms and the stunning Unreal 5 engine to create a world of exploration and adventure like none Ms. Croft has ever encountered before. With Crystal Dynamics now fully in the driving seat, this bodes incredibly well for the return of both Lara and Tomb Raider �As for Deus Ex, we'll just have to wait and see.

While it is understandable then many are feeling trepidation at the current craze for mergers and acquisitions that are swamping the games industry, it is possible for some good to come from said sales. And putting iconic franchises back in the hands of the people who know them the best can certainly be considered a major positive from the latest in a long, long, long line of Embracer Group purchases.

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That last one will be getting a name change

The ink has dried on Embracer Group's purchase of three former Square Enix studios. Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, and Square Enix Montreal are? all now part of the Embracer Group.

Embracer's acquisition was announced in May earlier this year, for a reported sum of around $300 million USD. Today, Embracer Group confirms that all conditions for the transaction, ??including regula?tory approvals, have been fulfilled.

This purchase doesn't just include the three studios, but several notable IPs that these studios have worked on. Those include Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, and The Legacy of Kain. However, Square Enix is still set to retain certain IPs.

In a post from the Crystal Dynamics social media account today, it's confirmed that Square ??Enix Montreal will be renamed soon. More info is expected at a later date.

//twitter.com/CrystalDynamics/st?atus/1563167307714547712

A new group under Embracer

With all three studios under new ownership, it will be interesting to see what their future development plans are. Crystal Dynamics had announced it was working on the next Tomb Raider game, building it using Unreal Engine 5. Eidos Montreal is hot off Guardians of the Galaxy, a game that really took me by surprise. I'm personally hoping Tomb Raider hasn't been affected too much by the change in ?ownership.

This locks in a pretty big acquisition for Embracer, though the group hasn't been shy about picking up more purchases in the interim. Last week, Embracer announced a bevy of new acquisitions. They range from Tripwire and Limited Run Games to Lord of the Rings IP holder Midd??le-earth Enterprises. Alongside Gearbox, Aspyr, and more, that's a lot? of studios under the Embracer label these days.

In other acquisition news, the Sony-Bungie deal closed last month. And Microsoft, meanwhile, is working towards finalizing its purchase of Activision Blizzard.

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A former art director for the studio said their version was "really, really cool"

Seems like in another timeline, we could've seen a fairly different take on Final Fantasy XV looked like. In a new interview, a former Eidos Montreal developer says the studio worked on a version of Final Fantasy XV, before Square Enix canceled it.

In an interview with TrueAchievements, former Eidos Montreal art director Jonathan Jacque-Belletête said the stud??io once worked on a version of the game.

"[Eidos-Montreal] brought back Deus Ex," he said. "I was the art director on that�em>Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Then [I was] the executive art director on Mankind Divided. Then we tried to do Final Fantasy XV. Then they decided to bring it back to Japan—which I? think was a big mistake, but it's still the truth. Ou??rs was really, really cool."

Jacque-Belletête didn't? expand further on what exactly this meant. We don't have any specifics on how far along the game was, or what stage it reached internally before it was cut off.

It does partially reinforce a 2018 report from YouTuber SuperBunnyhop, though. The report there was that their version of the next Final Fantasy was a "space opera" RPG.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl6mG3U4vaY

New horizons

With the gap between Deus Ex: Human Revolution (2011) and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (2016), it certainly seems plausible. Final Fantasy XV did go through a pretty tumultuous production timeline. Whatever there was of Eidos Montreal's Final Fantasy is lost to time now, though.

Square Enix recently parted ways with Eidos Montreal and several other of its western studios. The publisher sold Eidos Montre??al, Crystal Dynamics, and Square Enix Montreal to Embracer Group for $300 million. Included in the deal were several big-name properties, including Deus Ex, as well as Tomb Raider and Legacy of Kain.

Now, Eidos and Final Fantasy won't get their chance, it seems. Given their surprising success with last year's Guardians of the Galaxy,?? I'd still like to see what kind of space opera RPG that crew could put together.

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Major acquisition deal struck with Square Enix

The bottomless pit of cash that is the Embracer Group has gone on another spending spree, announcing its intention to acquire three studios from legendary Japanese developer/publisher Square Enix. The company has entered into an agreement to purchase developers Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, a?nd Square Enix Montreal for a reported sum of around $300 milli??on USD.

"We are thrilled to welcome these studios into the Embracer Group," Embracer Group? CEO Lars Wingefors said in a press release. "We recognize the fantastic intellectual property, world-class creative tale?nt, and track record of excellence that have been demonstrated time and again over the past decades. It has been a great pleasure meeting the leadership teams and discussing future plans for how they can realize their ambitions a??nd become a great part of Embracer."

"Embracer is the best-kept secret in gaming," is the curious statement from Square Enix America CEO Phil Rogers. "A massive, decentralized collection of entrepreneurs whom we are thrilled to become a part of today. It is the perfect fit for our ambitions: make high-quality games, with great people, sustainably, and grow our existing franchises to their best versions ever. Embracer allows us to forge new partnerships across all media to maximize our franchises�potential and live our dreams o??f making extraordinary entertainment."

Alongside the acquisition of Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, and Square Enix Montreal, Embracer Group will pick up much of the studios' respective IP catalogs, which include popular and financially successful franchises such as Deus Ex, Thief, Legacy of Kain, and, of course, Tomb Raider. The deal, set to close in fall 2022, will also see Embracer add 50 previously released titles to its big book of licenses, which potentially includes the great Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy and the not-great Marvel's Avengers, pending license holder discussions.

According to industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, Square Enix has been looking to offload much of its western development division for some time, with the publisher reportedly disappointed with what it sees as "underperforming" releases within the sector.

The three Square Enix studios join Embracer Group's mighty portfolio of developers and publishers which includes THQ Nordic, Gearbox Entertainment, Koch Media, and Saber ?Interactive as well a huge range of subsidiary and partner studios such as Coffee Stain, DECA Games, Asmodee, and Easybrai?n.

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Set off on a Tomb Raider adventure for free

The new adventures of Lara Croft are on a pretty good discount today. The rebooted Tomb Raider trilogy is today's Epic Games Store freebie, with all three of the new Tomb Raider titles available to download and keep.

That includes 2013's Tomb Raider and its sequels Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Each version is the "definitive" or full collection of ?the series, so you'll also be getting all the additional content too. From extra costumes to new challenge tombs, that's a lot of surviving and tomb raiding.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_FIyNcQSgA

This is part of Epic's ongoing holiday celebration festivities, with free games going up every day. The past few days have had some extremely good gets, like the automated RPG Loop Hero and wacky, zany couch co-op adventure Moving Out. This three-for-one deal is a pretty big one though, running from now through Jan. 6. Then the next freebie, Gods Will Fall, will arrive.

And those Tomb Raider games are pretty solid. The re-envisioning of Lara Croft's journey made for an excellent action-adventure game in 2013's self-titled reboot. Then in Rise of the Tomb Raider, we saw more puzzles, more challenges, and some interesting survival elements incorporated for those looking for a good challenge. And even though I'm not personally the hugest fan of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, it did have its moments.

Though we haven't seen much of Lara since that latest entry in 2018, it'll be fun to have an excuse to jump back into these reboots and see how the new version of Lara Croft evolved through the trilogy. For the low, low price of free, it's hard to look down on a deal like this. Find all three on the Epic Games Store for PC here.

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Archaic society looks on in envy

Quebec-based developer Eidos has announced its intention to pivot to a four-day working week. The new policy, which comes into effect at ??the studio's Montreal and Sherbrook offices, has been implemented in hopes that it will improve the physical and mental well-being of its employees �offering better options for maintaining a clearer work/life balance.

"The idea is not to condense the working hours into 4 days, but rather to review our ways of doing things and our quality time invested, with the aim of working better," said Eidos studio head David Anfossi. "Above all, we want to increase the productivity and well-being of our employees. Concretely, w?e want to reduce the time at work, but increase the quality of this time invested, whether it’s on a team-basis or for ?the studio as a whole. A promising right balance for everything!"

The 32-hour working weeks will see the studios close their doors on Fridays. No working conditions nor employ?ee salaries will be altered, despite the reduction in work hours. Eidos' move comes at a time of great turbulence for not only the games industry, but all industry in general, as increasing work pressure, consistent reports of burnout, and the industrial upheaval brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic has seen global workplaces and employees thrown into turmoil.

While several indie developers have already pivoted to shorter working weeks, Eidos is one of the first of the bigger, AAA studios to make this change for its employees. The video game industry is awash in negative press from the incredible pressure put upon development teams, and Eidos decision �that feels bold when it shouldn't be �is a ??step in the right direction for both redressing the balance and keeping its staff ?safer, healthier, happier, yet as productive.

Here's hopi??ng other developers, perhaps the working world as a whole, follows this evolutionary direction.

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Submit to the Church of Truth

Square Enix has dropped a fresh cinematic for its upcoming comic-book adventure Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, currently in development for PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms. The new video spotl??ights one of the many villains our misfit rogues will battle while on their epic journey, the almighty Grand Unifier Raker.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEyENh7qxB4

Grand Unifier Raker �also known as Cardinal Raker �is the Head Cardinal of a sinister prophecy known as the Universal Church of Truth. Raker serves under the mysterious and all-powerful "Matriarch" who, (in the Guardians of the Galaxy comic) ordered the Guardians' death following the des??truction of a Church of Truth temple on one of their t?ypically bombastic jaunts. Raker will blindly follow the Matriarch's bidding, at any cost, thy will be done of the Church of Truth. "The Promise" must be kept.

The new cinematic does not offer much in the way of storytelling, and no gameplay whatsoever, but it seems more likely that Square Enix and developer Eidos Montreal are just demonstrating that the new game will remain true to the characters, events, and worlds of the Guardians of the Galaxy comic, rather than the recent movies, hopefully pleasing die-hard Marvel fans. I'm still not quite sold on this release myself, but I am intrigued and am looking forward ??to hearing more about the strange encounters that await our zero heroes in the future.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy launches October 26 on PS4, PS5, PC, X??box One, Xbox Series X a??nd Switch (via cloud).

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'Gardners of the Galaxy?'

Square Enix kicked off their presentation with the next game from Eidos Montreal: Guardians of the Galaxy.

I am Groot? No, you're a video game, dude!

The whole gang is here, and Square Enix is using the off-brand MCU look again, with a different studio no less. The voices for a few characters seem a little off, in part because the MCU ones? are so character-defining.

Oh and Cosmo is in! So they're going off-MCU book here to some extent. Plus, “haunting repercussions" of story choice was a marketing term thrown out, which I need to see to believe. This looks like Mass Effect by way of Marvel. Star Lord's tape deck is in, and "Bad Reputation" was shown off, on top of "Holding Out for a Hero" in ??the debut trailer. It's an interesting combo.

It's out on October 26 for PC,PS4/PS5, and Xbox One?/Series X/S.? Here's some pre-order info:

To be clear this is not an Avengers expansion. It's a fully new ??game from a new studio. And it's single-player, and you'll control Star Lord as a Commander Shepard of sorts, controlling y?our team.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-jFYYMkJh4&t=12s

Here's the deep dive:

//www.youtube.com/w?atch?v=u7e5nAUvxIs&list=PL2A8F9VO2BGPVZ6HAbjmSpqJkx-xGkKfW&index??=5

And here's a full gameplay clip:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=oki56MQ??fiHI&list=PL2A8F9VO2BGPVZ6HAbjmSpqJkx-xGkKfW&index=6

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'Come Hungry'

Square Enix has added its name to the burgeoning list of major publishers who will be hosting an E3 live stream in just one short week from now. June 13 will see the RPG masters take to the airwaves, shining a light on a selection of upcoming release??s, antici?pated sequels, and various DLC add-ons, with viewers advised to "Come Hungry".

That's my secret, I'm always hungry.

Among the titles starring in the Square Enix E3 stream are Life is Strange: True Colors, (as well as the original Life is Strange remaster); PlatinumGames' classy and mysterious Babylon's Fall, which will be getting its first full gameplay showcase; and a look at Marvel's Avengers Wakanda DLC expansion. No doubt we'll also get news pertaining to the Final Fantasy franchise, particularly Final Fantasy VII Remake and its INTERmission expansion, which launches just days prior?? to the? show.

The main event seems to be the reveal of a brand new project currently in the works at Eidos Montreal. The veteran studio has more than proved its worth with excellent releases such as Deus Ex: Human Revolution, sequel Mankind Divided, and the super-successful Shadow of the Tomb Raider. W?hatever Eidos Montreal has up its sleeve, it will likely be well worth our time and attention.

If you want to check out the action for yourself, then the Square Enix E3 stream will go live June 13 at 12:15 PT / 15:15 ET / 20:15 BST, l?ive on the Square Enix YouTube and Twitch channels. Of cour?se, Destructoid will be on hand to report on all the top headlines, so don't sweat missing out on any of the scoops.

//twit??ter.com/SquareEnix/status/1400467710287306753?s=??20

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The bundle features 54 PC games and a whole lotta micro-DLC

Square Enix has assembled 54 games for an Eidos bundle on Steam – including entries from the Tomb Raider, Thief, Legacy of Kain, and Deus Ex series – in a bid?? to keep people safely occupied at home.

I was initially a little hesitant to cover this deal – if we were ever really going to play these games, we probably would've picked them up by now – but the Eidos Anthol??ogy bundle's charitable appeal makes it worth sharing. According to Square Enix, "all revenue from purchases going to charities across North America and Europe including food banks and more." Your backlog can handle the burden. (Right?)

The anthology costs around ??$40, but any duplicates you already own will knock the price down.

• Rise of the Tomb Raider
• Just Cause 3
• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
• Life is Strange: Complete Season
• Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition
• Tomb Raider (2013)
• Tomb Raider I
• Tomb Raider II
• Tomb Raider III
• Tomb Raider IV: The Last Revelation
• Tomb Raider V Chronicles
• Tomb Raider VI: The Angel of Darkness
• Tomb Raider Legend
• Tomb Raider Anniversary
• Tomb Raider Underworld
• Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
• Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris
• Just Cause
• Just Cause 2
• Kane and Lynch: Dead Men
• Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director’s Cut
• Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition
• Deus Ex: Invisible War
• Deus Ex: The Fall
• Thief
• Thief: Deadly Shadows
• Thief II: The Metal Age
• Thief Gold
• Battlestations: Pacific
• Battlestations: Midway
• Project Snowblind
• Mini Ninjas
• Order of War
• Flora's Fruit Farm
• Supreme Commander 2
• Conflict: Desert Storm
• Conflict: Denied Ops
• Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
• Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
• Legacy of Kain: Defiance
• Blood Omen 2: Legacy of Kain
• Dungeon Siege
• Dungeon Siege II
• Dungeon Siege III
• Anachronox
• Pandemonium
• Deathtrap Dungeon
• Daikatana
• Omikron: The Nomad Soul
• Goetia
• Hitman GO: Definitive Edition
• Lara Croft GO
• The Turing Test

Just fro??m a "Wait, they own those rights?" ?angle, this list is pretty interesting.

There are true classics, middle-of-the-road releases, and some clear clunkers on the decade-spanning list, so everyone's results are going to vary. That said, I like the idea of scrolling through my Steam library years from now and racking my brain to figure out how Daikatana managed to sneak in.

If you're interested, the collection will be discounted until 10:00 a.m. Pacific on M??ay 11, 2020.

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The powerhouse live-service action game has a lot to prove

What's the deal with Marvel's Avengers? That was one of the big questions going into E3 2019, and even after the reveal ha??d run its course during Square Enix's conference??, many of us were still hazy.

On the surface, this first-look trailer was straightforward enough. It's a big-budget game in which you play as the Avengers – in this case, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Black Widow, and Captain America through the lens of a Crystal Dynamics action-adventure romp. The hero designs aren't quite gelling yet, and the footage was super bombas??tic, but yeah, sure, this project checks a lot of boxes for a hungry audience.

That's not the whole picture, though. The Big Idea for Avengers is to create a living game – one that grows over time with new stories and characters and also supports multipl??e players teaming up to brawl with baddies. Ho??w does that pitch line up with the solo trailer we saw at E3? I wasn't sure.

At E3, Square Enix hosted behind-closed-doors demonstrations of Avengers to help flesh out what we all saw in the public trailer. If you look closely, in between all of the cinematics, you'll notice some H??UD-less gameplay. Off the show floor, Crystal Dynamics connected these dots into a half-hour-long presentation. We saw a developer play the trailer's stage-setting introductory level, which rotated control between the entire cast of heroes, one segment at a time. Everyone got the?ir time to shine.

Thor called down storms and tossed Mjölnir as you'd expect. Iron Man soared over the Golden Gate Bridge, lighting up foes and dodge-rolling his way past endless exploding cars. Cap flung his shield and area-of-effect smashed some masked soldiers. Hulk – the highlight of the showcase – did Hulk things. He threw guys and crushed guys and slammed guys together, one in each meaty hand. Later, Hulk leapt around a crumbling bridge, wall-running across debris as needed. Black Widow took on Taskmaster in a dodge-heavy skirmish not unlike something you'd see in the Batman: Arkham series or even Spider-Man (PS4) – and it wasn't a short fight! These individual segments bled into each other seamlessly.

Pre-release rough edges aside, it all looked big and exciting and slightly safe in the ways you'd expect from a game called Marvel's Avengers. The demo showed health (it's split up in??to chunks that can recover, to a point) and abilities (which run on cooldowns), but that was it for UI. There wasn't a clear sense of what buttons were being pressed or how combos were being pulled off. That'll come later.

For now, while the game is stuck on an early mark??eting beat, the team could only say so much. After our hands-off demo, I spoke to Noah Hughes, the studio creative director at Crystal Dynamics. With his insight and our ability to read between the lines, Marvel's Avengers is finally coming into focus.

Every hero in the game will get the spotlight

"One of the ?more unique aspects to the game is that blend between cinematic, single-player storytelling and multiplayer, replayable experience," Hughes explained. "In a level like [the A-Day stage from the debut trailer and E3 demo], the content is made specific to the heroes who are going to play that section. So this being an on-ramp to the world and the heroes, we're switching [between who you're playing as] more often than we would normally. It's sort of a quick introduction to each."

On that note, "One of the challenges for a game like this is you really want each of these heroes to be able to star in their own game. To feel like you're the Hulk, you have to deliver on all aspects of that, and as a studio, we even had to push our engine – this is a full upgrade of our internal proprietary Foundation engine – and really that ability to focus on not only the traversal but the flight of the heroes, to combine ranged ??gameplay with a much deeper melee system than we've? done in the past."

"[Hulk] might be managing a crowd of enemies on the ground and Iron Man might be taking out some high-value targets in the air," for example. "Creating that ability for each of those heroes to feel unique but then to be part of an Avengers experience – that's one of the unique things about the Avengers is that it's a team of superheroes, not just a [single] hero."

How co-op play fits into the overarching structure

"As you go and reassemble the group, you'll be unlocking your roster and playing levels as these heroes in any additional content," according to Hughes. "We have sort of an action-adventure structure where you might have that main campaign, and then lots of additional missio?ns that open up. In any of those missions, you can play co-op and you can choose which hero you play."

"The campaign combines these hero-featured levels with these co-op levels that also you can play single-player as any he?ro you want, but I think a lot of people will enjoy teaming up with each other to take ?on these additional missions. So you basically have a base of operations from which you can progress your campaign or take on a number of escalating threats across the world."

"One of the commitments [at Crystal Dynamics] is you level these heroes up and then there's things to do that you can only do with these leveled-up heroes, but the co-op is actually first introduced in the campaign, so you will be sent on a mission, which is now a co-op-capable mission, and you can certainly choose to not match w??ith people, but right in that campaign you'll be matched with other Avengers in that moment. So you don't actually have to leave the campaign in order to do co-op; you may occasionally have to do some single-player content to progress the campaign.

Taking the training wheels off after the opening

"The one other way to play [Avengers] is, as soon as you've gone through this introductory experience and introduced the world, you can jump straight into all co-op spoiler land. So when you play co-op in the campaign, we protect you from spoilers in that sense – even though you're matching with other players, you're probably matching ??with people?? who are at the same place in the campaign."

"If you want to just jump in, play with everything unlocked, you can do that, and that's something that sort of gets you straight to almost the end of the campaign. That's what our hope is – you have players who normally will go through, experience the campaign and the growing of their roster and the leveling of the heroes, and then they'll go on to take on some of that later-game content – but that doesn't ??pr?eclude you just saying 'Don't worry about spoilers, I just want to play co-op today.'"

Calling dibs on your hero of choice

"We're currently limiting [hero selection in co-op] to one each. Part of that is just to feel that fantasy of being the Avengers, but part of it is celebrating the ?asymmetry of these heroes and saying it is actually more fun to have a diverse group, so it's trying to cater to both a dynamic co-op experience and a feeling of assembling as a team."

Open-world or open-ended?

"We don't have a full open-world single-location approach, but we have a [range] of linear and non-linear spaces. Some of these spaces, it's important that with Iron Man or Hulk that you could be flying around some of these open areas and finding things – that type of stuff."

"Part of our hope was instead of making one giant location, [we're] really selling that fiction of [the Avengers] defending the earth against its greatest threats and that those can happen in a number of different ways and in a number of different loca??tions." Further out, "it'll be great to ??bring new heroes into the world and open new regions in the world and tell new stories in those regions."

Endgame (and I don't mean the movie)

"It's not uncommon for an action-adventure game to sort of open up at the end. Our game really takes that act??ion-adventure structure and just leans into the co-op and replayable experience, so you're still playing within that narrative umbrella, but you're able to team up and tell your own story as well. [...] Our goal is to balance two things: looking forward to new content, whether that be story or gameplay or heroes, but also things that are endgame-style challenges??."

Character progression

"Even though there's a progression system, you're starting with heroes. This isn't an origin story of these characters. So we jump straight in, make sure you have core abilities – both move-based combos as well as special abilities – and th?en f??rom there allow you to enhance those abilities or in some cases shift the focus of those abilities in different ways or add new moves that you have available to you."

"I think it is through that sense of?? player choice and customization versus just pure escalation. Having said that, you kind of then create an arms race where now the enemies are more powerful and the players need to be more powerful. So it is important th??at even though they start as heroes, they deal with a continually escalating threat."

Creating your own personal Avenger

According to Hughes, there are "three main facets o??f customization."

• "We have a skill system with a skill tree, so as you level up the heroes, you'll be making some choices, those choices sort of define how you want to progress through the tree as you go, but even when you fully unlocked all the skills there's some choices that cater to a particular build of a hero. You may want to be a sturdier Hulk or a smashier Hulk for example."

• "The second layer of customization is there's gear and equipment slots, so that's something you can find more and more powerful equipment that enhance the hero abilities themselves. A lot of what you're doing is combining some of those skill choices with some of the great equipment that you've earned."

• "The third layer is a visual customization layer. You can unlock outfits – some of our unlockables are inspired by fan favorites. You can have your lineup of heroes. It's a little different in the sense that the gear doesn't define your look, the outfit defines your look. You can rock whatever outfit you want but also dial in your build through the equipment, through things like armor inserts, tech augmentations, things like that."

At least some of the alternate costumes are unlockable

"There are a number of outfits that you can unlock through gameplay. That is something that players can purchase as well. We're committed to not having randomness in any of those purchases. We're committed to that n??o??t being a gameplay advantage. This is for players to customize their own heroes."

Who makes the cut?

"There's sort of different quantity versus quality choices to make, and I think we're not chasing quantity of heroes for quantity's sake. For me, this is about every hero we introduc??e wants to bring you back to the game and invest you in that hero and that?? story and learning those moves."

And how do they slot in?

"One of the goals of ??a lot of the content is to make sure that as new heroes come in, you can take on some of those? existing challenges and then we'll be announcing what kind of new content we may release alongside stuff as well."

And where's Hawkeye?

"We didn't forget about Hawkeye."

Collaborating with Marvel

"We worked really closely with Bill Rosemann who worked with the Spider-Man team as well, so he has experience working with game teams, and has just an encyc??lope?dic knowledge of Marvel-ness."

"We're always taking inspiration from comi??cs and movies and even just images, but not in a holistic way. You m??ight find a familiar theme explored, or you might find a familiar setting, but we're less likely to frame for frame retell a story."

Long-term support and addressing fan feedback

"Part of why it's important to explain the way we've approached [Avengers]: this game is different than other games that you've played in that sense. We love playing a Destiny or something like ?that. In the sense that we're trying to solve a similar problem, we are doing it in a different way."

"One of the things I love about the Avengers is this world is so big that each of these heroes can have their own story, and then they can all come together in these bigger stories. This game is bigger than just a campaign story. We're committed to working with the fans. This is a ticket for a ride, it doesn't stop at the end of the campaign, and we'll work with you guys to make sure that's?? the best experience that we can."

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Nolan North as Iron Man!

At long last, Square Enix has pulled back the curtain on Marvel's Avengers and it seems to be tackling some heavy themes. Crafted by Crystal Dynamics in collaboration with Eidos Montreal, the game follows a brand new story that sees the Avengers face what makes them click. The game will be an ever growing adventure with years of content planned. It will support four player cooperative play online, new heroes and regions, and free?? DLC.

If you were expecting the cast from the MCU, I'm sorry to disappoint you. Thankfully,?? an equally impressive cast of prolific video game voice actors will be taking the helm of the world's favorite heroes. Nolan North will inhabit Tony Stark, Troy Baker will be Bruce Banner, Laura Bailey gets mysterious as Black Widow, Jeff Schine leads the team as Captain America, and Travis Willingham will be Thor.

Marvel's Avengers will land on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Stadia for streaming on May 15, 20??20.

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New staff and resources for Canadian teams

Square Enix has announced plans to expand it's biggest non-Japan divisions, namely Square Enix Montreal and ??Eidos Montreal. The expansion will bring new facilities to the studios as well as open up approximately 100 new jobs on the workforce.

Eidos Montreal, whose most recent release is third-person adventure Shadow of the Tomb Raider - is to receive extra space in its 55,000 square-foot offices, which will include the addition of a new motion capture studio, a sound mixing/voice recording studio. and a user research lab. This will no doubt all come in very useful with their mysterious upcoming Marvel's Avengers project.

Meanwhile, Square Enix Montreal is expected to double in size, before continuing with its focus on mobile gaming going forward. The entire expansi??on project comes as part?? of an ongoing effort between Canada and Japan's governments to build a stronger bond between the two countries, particularly in terms of industry.

We can expect to see more of what Squ??are Enix has planned at E3 2019 in June.

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That'll do, Lara

It's time for Lara Croft to take the trip back home to Croft Manor, no doubt haunted by the screams of a thousand people she axed in the face during her latest adventure Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Still, there is time for just one more jaunt before her return to Blighty, as Eidos Montreal has dropped Shadow's final piece of DLC, The Path Home, on all platforms. This add-on features a new Challenge Tomb, ready and waiting for Ms. Croft's expertise. Helping her dig through the caverns is a new skill "Magic? Touch" which reduces the resources needed for crafting, as well as the new Midnight Sentinel outfit and Silver Strike bow.

This release brings to an end the trilogy of games that makes up the Tomb Raider reboot, which began back in 2013 with Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider. They've been a successful trio of action-adventure titles, even if they did make Lara a little more of a slasher icon than I would've expected. Although there are no currently no plans for the series going forward, the chance of us never seeing Lara venture into the underground again is very slim indeed.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is available now on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

We're excited to announce ?Shadow of the Tomb Raider - The Path Home available April 23rd.

Join Lara in The Path Home, following the end of Shadow of the Tomb Raider after the dust has settled & the battle over. Available exclusively to Season Pass owners //t.co/0dR0OpljxW pic.twitter.com/P7XkKE3qfp

— Tomb Raider (@tombraider) April 5, 2019

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So business as usual

The elusive target system from 2016's Hitman will be making a re??????????????????????????turn in the upcoming sequel. For the first target, IO Interactive has announced a man that you'll likely have seen die numerous times: Sean Bean. Famous for his roles in which he dies a noble death, Bean will be playing the elusive assassin "Mark Faba," otherwise known as "The Undying." Faba has a rep??utation for faking his death, but the agency has put 47 on the job to put the final nail in his coffin.

In a press release from IO Interactive, Bean stated, "I'm thrilled to be a part of the upcoming Hitman 2 video game. It's always exciting to take on a new role,? and I'm looking forw??ard to everyone seeing my character in action when the mission launches."

"We’re very excited to partner with the talented Sean Bean on the first Elusive Target mission in Hitman 2," IO Interactive studio head Hakan Abrak said. "Elusive Targets have become a distinguishing trait in Hitman games as part of the constant stream of free live content for all players to enjoy. This new mission starring Sean Bean is one of many updates, features, modes and franchise firsts coming to Hitman 2."

You can check out the trailer below, which is also hosting a vote for which weapon you'd like to see come to Hitman 2. For my money, I ?think killing Sean Bean with a pen would be amazing.

Hitman 2 Elusive Target portrayed by Sean Bean announced [Gematsu]

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Enter The Forge

Shadow of the Tomb Raider doesn't necessarily have any grand ambitions for its post-release content. Alongside the game's reveal back in April, Square Enix immediately announced that Shadow of the Tomb Raider would get seven small add-ons rather than a couple larger/??more substantial DLC packs.

The first one is coming soon enough. On November 13, Lara enters The Forge -- a lava-flooded cavern with a volcanic theme. The narrative beat concerns "uncover[ing] details about a friend's ancient legacy, and overcom[ing] a danger long thought to be lost in flame." Most notably, The Forge contains a new tomb to explore; it seems as though the main draw to all of Shadow of the Tomb Raider's DLC will be in accessing new tombs.

There are some offbeat additions, though. The Forge introduces a cooperative mode, even though the base game had no multiplayer inclusions at all. It's currently unknown how co-op play will work -- whether it's local or onlin?e multiplayer, if cooperative is restricted to DLC or if it'll ??extend to the main game, etc.

Also, Square Enix is bringing back Score Attack and Time Attack, both of which were a part of Rise of the Tomb Raider. Score Attack relies on building a multiplier through competent game-playing. Time Attack is about finishing levels as quickly as possible. Neither were particularly beloved in Rise of the Tomb Raider, and their (initial) omission from Shadow of the Tomb Raider?? seemed to be an indication that Square Enix ??streamlined these extraneous modes out because they were kind of an odd fit.

Anyway, The Forge releases on November 13 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. After that, Square Enix is sticking?? to a monthly DLC schedule through May 2019. Each add-on will cost $5; there's also a $30 season pass that rep??resents a $5 savings over buying all seven expansions a la carte.

The Forge [Tumblr]

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I guess this is growing up

Lara Croft has always lived in her father's? shadow. This famed archaeologist devoted the latter years of his life searching for The Divine Source, a Fountain of Youth-type mythological key to immortality. Like Ponce de León, he never found it. His quest eventually killed him.

His progeny, Lara, takes up his mantle. That's where Shadow of the Tomb Raider picks up. It's the last third of the "Survival" reboot, and the title is a double entendre of sorts. An impending eclipse is set to trigger the Mayan apocalypse. Lara yearns to spirituall?y break free from?? her dad's legacy while also completing his life's work. Shadows sap away light. They cast a pall over everything.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider (PC, PS4, Xbox One [reviewed])
Developer: Eidos Montréal
Publisher: Square Enix
Released: September 14, 2018
MSRP: $59.99

Calling Lara a survivalist hasn't felt sincere since 2013's Tomb Raider. That story saw her overcoming insurmountable odds to escape dire circumstances. The sequels, Rise of the Tomb Raider and now Shadow of the Tomb Raider, are different. Lara is an instigator. She's a go-getter and she's a risk-taker. The opening salvo of Shadow of the Tomb Raider climaxes with Lara triggering a cataclysmic flood that devastates a village in Cozumel, Mexico. Jonah, her best friend, pleads with her to stop all this risk-taking. It's just getting people?? killed.

In one ear and out the other. Lara jets off to Peru in search of a Mayan artifact that might quell the apocalypse. She's not the only one searching for it, though. Trinity, the nefarious paramilitary organization that was introduced in Rise of the Tomb Raider, is racing to claim it for themselves. They want to use the relic to restart the world so t??hat they're elevated as gods.

Lara's intentions are technically altruistic and an undeniably better alternative to Trinity's plan, but they come off as self-serving. She leaves a wake of destruction everywhere ?she goes. Her actions in Cozumel set off a chain of storms that wreck a village in the Peruvian jungle. As the residents try to rebuild, Lara scoops up every piece of building material she can find. It's a video game thing that feels extremely selfish against the backdrop of crisis and pover??ty. As a defeated townsperson laments, "Archaeologists just take."

That's a theme we've seen before, primarily in Tomb Raider's two biggest influences: Indiana Jones and Uncharted. This one is more Temple of Doom than anything else, at least stylist?ically. There's a large emphasis on subterranean settings and there's a cult-like tribe that resists Lara. A late section has all the evil-red imagery that sets the same mood as a Thuggee sacrifice to Kali.

As for Uncharted, those parallels are well-documented by now. Some of Shadow of the Tomb Raider's very best moments are in its explosive set pieces where the earth is literally crumbling away beneath Lara. Platforming is always scripted to be intense and dangerous. ??Combat zones have flammable ?props liberally scattered throughout because that's more exciting than a simple bullet to the head. These are traits both series share. Nathan Drake and Lara Croft are spiritual siblings at this point.

Maybe it's disingenuous to partially define Tomb Raider by its influences because this is the culmination of a three-game arc. This is Tomb Raider now. The first game taught Lara how to survive. Rise of the Tomb Raider made her comfortable, confident, and competent at killing. The evolution with Shadow of the Tomb Raider is less notab?le. Now she's just a little better at murder.

While Shadow of the Tomb Raider doesn't make any real revolutionary strides, there are some changes to combat that nicely enhance Lara's proficiencies. She now has the ability to coat herself in mud and blend into walls of vegetation. It's active camouflage and it protects her from detection by thermal goggles. It's a tactic that's an obvious reference to both Rambo and Predator. (Also, the box art feels like an homage to a Predator perched in a treetop ready to pick apart Schwarzenegger's crew.) There are also new herbal aids to increase Lara's perception, focus, and endurance; each of these makes dealing with enemies a little?? bit easier.

Perhaps the most surprising change to Shadow of the Tomb Raider concerns its structure. The first game was mostly linear. The second game expanded upon that with large open-world areas. This is a muted combination of the two. Shadow of the Tomb Raider has three towns that serve as bigger hubs, and this is where most of?? the exploration happens. Each one has its share of offshoots that lead to tomb?s, crypts, and other secrets. The story missions take place in environments where there isn't much room to deviate from the main path.

This isn't a bad change. The towns add a much-needed sense of humanity to Tomb Raider. For once, we see the collateral damage wrought by Lara's actions. Paititi is the most impressive of the three villages. This lost Incan civilization is the home to humble dwellings and ornate temples. Here's where we see some of Shadow of the Tomb Raider's visual spectacle. The greens of the lush jungle, the blues ?of the crystal clear waters, the oranges of the South American sunsets, and the ??golds of the ceremonial decadence can be breathtakingly beautiful.

However, Paititi is also home to most of Shadow of the Tomb Raider's most glaring faults. The middle of the narrative feels as though it's propped up by conveniences and contrivances. A prominent villager leads a rebel sect but authority doesn't do anything about it. Paititi's leader is someone who's wildly unlikely. The thing everyone's searching for is in a place where someone probably should've found it. It goes on and on. The second act of Shadow of the Tomb Raider ??requires way too much suspension of disbelief to fully buy into it in good conscience.

The silver lining is that the narrative doesn't end up being Shadow of the Tomb Raider's most appealing draw. The Peruvian jungle is rife with opportunities to explore derelict ruins. There are nine tombs scattered throughout, each of them with unique themes and devices. One has Lara navigating in spite of deadly winds. Another requires meticulously ascending a massive sunken ship. Just like Rise of the Tomb Raider, the actual raiding of tombs is an une??quivocal high point.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider leans into what it does well (platforming, setpieces, and puzzle-based tombs) and shies away from its inadequacies (there are significantly fewer combat sections than in the other Tomb Raiders). Frequently, the camera wrests control away to perfectly frame a thrilling shot. For three installments now, these games have seemed as if they're seeking Hollywood's approval in a way. That's okay. All of this together is a potent formula that makes this feel like the most polished Tomb Raider yet. Shadow of the Tomb Raider knows what it wants to be.

Lara has a conversation maybe halfway through Shadow of the Tomb Raider where she's told you can't spend your whole life chasing someone else's dream. Your destiny isn't defined by your family name. We all have to carve our own paths. Lara nods like she understands but does very little to convince us she actually understands.

That's why the narrative payoff falls short. Lara has always played the roles of savior and protector and researcher and badass -- almost entirely because those are parts she has been thrust into. Shadow of the Tomb Raider is a perfectly good game, but it feels?? as though it never figures out a way to address the most compelling aspect of this arc: Lara's personal growth. What path does she want to carve? What does she want her legacy to be? Maybe she'd be happiest spending her life raiding tombs -- all of the danger with none of the world-ending stakes. The glass half-full analysis is that she's a regular chip off the ol' block; glass half-empty, she never really escaped her father's shadow.

_{[This review i??s based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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Paititi uncovered

Eidos Montreal and Square Enix have uploaded a video today featuring ten minutes of footage compiled from the upcoming, rock climbing, throat-stabbing adventure game Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Complete with commentary by Narrative Director Jason Dovoiz, the clip introduces us to the hub of Paititi, a hideaway village where famous treasure hunter Lara Croft can rest, trade goods, accept side-quests, lay low from gun-toting psychos, or just hang out with the alpacas. We also get to see Shadow's in-game bartering system, where? Lara can bargain with the ?locals for useful supplies.

The video then goes on to show us a little of one of the new game's Challenge Tombs, with Ms. Croft traversing the deadly terrain that is fast becoming her natural environment, using ??her acrobatic abilities ??and steely reserve to once again set foot where most wouldn't dare to tread.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider launc?hes on PS4, Xbox One and PC on September 14.

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Lara might have the world's most unbreakable ribs

Even if I weren't already committed to seeing the trilogy through to the end after clearing the first two games, I'd be down for Shadow of the Tomb Raider solely for its Mayan-apocalypse premise. Also, the bit where Lara uses mud as camouflage a la Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator. Pretty good bit!

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What's sustainable anymore?

To the average video game consumer, there's a very real disconnect between the biggest blockbusters and the resources it takes to make them. We rarely hear hard figures about operating budgets. We know they're expensive because they look expensive -- but almost every number sounds inflated to the point of excess because it is just so many millions of dollars.

In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Eidos Montreal head David Anfossi says that Shadow of the Tomb Raider's development will cost between $75 million and $100 million. Another $35 million will be spent on marketing and promotion. It's an important footnote in a piece about delivering single-player narrative-driven experiences in a cost-effective way. But Shadow of the Tomb Raider was never going to be made on a tight?? budget.

So, is this $75-100 million figure flagrantly expensive? Not really. Kotaku did some crude math to show how a project can realistically cost upward of $200 million. It boils down to a lot of highly-specialized and talented folks working on a game for multiple years, often in a city where the cost of living is high. There's probably a few bucks to be saved by ope?ning a studio in Des Moines, but good luck getting a bunch of creative types to move to Iowa.

Square Enix surely has to be cognizant of this exact situation. Five years ago, Square Enix infamously said that the Tomb Raider reboot was a financial failure when it was at 3.4 million sales. Eidos Montreal's most recent game, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, flopped so badly that Square Enix's CEO had to come out and say the series isn't being discontinued but rather that it's being put on hold for a while.?? If anyone is equipped with first-hand knowledge of what to expect from this kind of game, it's Square Enix.

The real takeaway is something we've known for years now: Triple-A development is a high-risk segment and many technically-successful games end up with razor-thin profits. It's a model that's getting tougher and tougher to justify. Shadow of the Tomb Raider will probably earn its development costs back, because it's the closing to a trilogy where the first two game were already well-received. It helps that it's launching on all three platfo??rms simultaneously rather tha?n being a timed-exclusive. But for most other games? It's a lot of money and a lot of uncertainty.

Eidos Montreal: "We have to try new models for s?ingle-player games" [GamesIndustry.biz]

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There was some confusion

It seems as if there was some confusion as to whether or not Shadow of the Tomb Raider would bring the Xbox One X into PC quality territory with 4K60FPS visuals -- bu??t it just wasn't meant to be.

After Eidos Montreal studio head David Anfossi noted that the game was "4K60FPS" in an interview with EPN TV, the studio had to then clarify his comments, saying it was one or the other. Square Enix delivered a statement to Windows Central that makes it pretty c??lear:

Shadow of the Tomb Raider will not run 60 FPS while in 4K. To allow for a more customized gameplay experience, the game will include two visual modes: '4K Resolution' which runs in 4K resolution at 30 FPS, and 'High Resolution' which is targeting 1080p at 60 FPS. Both modes will feature a wide variety of additional enhancements such as HDR, improved physically-based rendering, hardware tessellation, anisotropic filtering, additional dynamic? foliage, and more

While there are several examples of 4K60FPS games on Xbox One X (Forza 7 is the most popular example), there definitely should be more studios pushing the envelope -- and Shadow of the Tomb Raider ??would have been a big victory. Still, I'll take 60FPS in an action game any day of the week in practically any re??solution.

Shadow of the Tomb Rai?der runs at 4K 30 FPS on Xbox? One X, allows 1080p 60 FPS [Windows Central]

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