Not only did Square Enix announce a sequel to 2013's Tomb Raider, Rise of the Tomb Raider, during the Microsoft E3 presentation, but during the post-show on Spike, they also announced another sequel, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris. The announcement trailer for Rise of the Tomb Raider shows Lara with a therapist, talking over her frustrations and anxieties over what happened in the previous game. It might be an interesting framing device if that's how Rise of the Tomb Raider is structured, but it works well enough for the trailer. Supposedly, the name Rise of Tomb Raider implies there will be a lot more focus on tombs and exploring in the sequel than the first game. Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, however, is a follow-up to Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, which I reviewed when it came out in 2010. It's an isometric puzzle platformers with twin-stick shooter controls, and with up to four player co-op now instead of just two, I can only imagine how complex and intricate the puzzles will be. Rise of the Tomb Raider is scheduled for holiday 2015 for, presumably, the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, while Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris has no date announced yet, but has been confirmed for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
Maybe it’s because I haven’t been doing this as long as others, but I’ve yet to become jaded or cynical about E3. I still look forward to it each year, whether it’s the multitude announcements that come beforehand, or the surprises we still haven’t heard about. Going over the current list of confirmed games going to be at the show, it's clear the rest of 2012 and the beginning of 2013 looks to be amazing.
