Tomb Raider: Anniversary Episodes

Author: Joe Martin
Published: 19th June 2007
Comments (14) Stumble
Tomb Raider: Anniversary will be available on Xbox 360 in an episodic format, but only for those who already own Legend.

Tomb Raider: Anniversary will be available on Xbox 360 in an episodic format, but only for those who already own Legend.

Eidos has now officially confirmed the rumours that Tomb Raider: Anniversary will be arriving on the Xbox 360, albeit it in a slightly different format than expected.

Tomb Raider: Anniversary, which originally hit shelves for the PlayStation 2 and PC, as well as being released on Steam, will be released over Xbox Live Arcade in an episodic format according to press releases from Eidos.

The company has detailed the exact size of the episodes as thus:

"This is the first time ever that the serialization of a full retail game will be available for purchase through Xbox Live® Marketplace. The game will be available in four episodes; Episodes 1 & 2 will be available in September, with the next two episodes arriving shortly afterwards. A full retail version is planned to be released for Xbox 360 later in the year...Additional Tomb Raider Anniversary downloadable content will also become available for purchase on Marketplace to support the launch of Tomb Raider Episodic such as picture packs and theme packs."

The total cost of all four episodes will be 2400 points, which is about $30 or £20, making it a little cheaper than most Xbox 360 titles. We'd expect some extras to be included in either the episodic or retail version to help promote them, but theres little known in that regard just yet, though the Croft Manor area is free with the purchase of any episode.

However, it's not all good news and anybody wanting to download the cheaper, episodic version of Lara Croft's newest adventure will have to own a copy of Tomb Raider: Legend for the Xbox 360, which is a bit harsh for those who picked it up on another platform and will now be forced to wait for the full retail release.

Do you have an opinion on the downloadable content? What do you reckon about the re-imagining of Lara Croft's character and background? Drop us your comments in our forums and prepare for our responses in a staggered, episodic format later on.
Quote Hugo.B 19th June 2007, 14:09
Episodes... Why episodes?


H.B.
Quote CardJoe 19th June 2007, 14:19
Working on a column right now to explain why. :D
Quote DougEdey 19th June 2007, 14:28
Because it makes more money and reduces distribution costs (one of the things that pisses me off about Halo 2 and GoW, map packs should be free if they are core to the game)
Quote Jamie 19th June 2007, 14:42
OMG I traded in my copy of Legend for GoW :(
Quote CardJoe 19th June 2007, 14:55
Ha, rookie mistake. Nick the PS2 copy off Hiren when he isn't looking
Quote Hiren 19th June 2007, 15:06
He might need a PS2 to play it on though

*runs home and guards his console*
Quote Spacecowboy92 19th June 2007, 17:46
I think this is a great way to distribute games. Although allready having to own legend is a bit of a bummer. It would be good to see more games released over Live in this way.
Quote Jamie 19th June 2007, 19:37
They've got a delivery system to match Steam, all they have to do is use it.
Quote CardJoe 19th June 2007, 20:16
True, but episodic games on Steam, like SiN and HL:Eps have been fraught with their own developmental problems and forum response has led me to believe that when given the choice, customers prefer an actual copy of the game, not a downloaded one.
Quote DXR_13KE 19th June 2007, 20:44
episodic content = poo.
Quote CardJoe 19th June 2007, 21:47
No, no, no! Episodic content can be good! Just you wait until the weekend, then my thoughts shall air in full!
Quote DougEdey 19th June 2007, 22:21
The problem with episodic content is that you end up paying more, for less, if you buy it as it comes out.
Quote Silver51 20th June 2007, 10:51
The part I don't like about episodic content, is that if something happens within the company and the project is dropped, you end up paying for the beginning of a game that you'll never get to finish. It just feels a little risky compared to buying the full game on disk.
Quote completemadness 20th June 2007, 15:41
Quote:
Originally Posted by CardJoe
No, no, no! Episodic content can be good! Just you wait until the weekend, then my thoughts shall air in full!
if they don't charge $15 an episode though or something

So far episodic content for something like HL has just meant that we are paying more for less game time ...
I think that's pretty much true for all of the episodic content games now, plus you run the risk of development being shut down
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