January 3, 2009

Happy New Year

Happy Holidays!


It's been some time since our last post and I know that you are eager to hear some updates.  Now that the holidays are over & we've finished playing the new game, we can resume our work on the book. We are still struggling with page count.  We are hoping to get it down to around 400 pages.  There is so much brilliant work to display and we have every intention of including all of the available art.     It's just a matter of prioritizing size and dimension of the artwork.


As you can see from the quality of Underworld, the environments are exquisite. Above is an early concept of the Mediterranean stage. Cheers to all the artists who brought the levels to life.   As a scuba diver, I particularly liked the underwater sequences.   The most realistic to date.   

We'd love to hear your favorite parts of the new game.  Feel free to post comments!






4 comments:

Dreamer said...

Yes!! An update!!! :P Thank you for the holiday wishes and the update! I am so excited to hear there is an abundance of art for this book! I personally wouldn't mind having a 500 page book if that's what it takes haha!

Please if I could make a request, make sure that there is enough large, full page art showcased, because when photos in art books are too small, they can't really be appreciated or used for reference (for us artists) etc. For example the art book for Pirates of the Carribean (big black leather collector's looking book) is an excellent example of page size and layout which really showcases the artwork is all it's glory!

I think less art vs full page art pieces would be worthwhile in my books. Just my two cents :)

The sample art posted is awesome as some of my favorite moments in the game were the scuba levels, just loved the fact that there is so much water and I get to explore it all! The Ice underwater level was brilliant as well!

Really enjoyed Underworld and as I discussed through an e-mail with my dear Mr. Lindstrom, I was a bit sad for Lara and the story, which I don't want to spoil for anyone who hasn't finished the game yet. Really loved the story arc the past two games!

Happy New Years to you and your team as well, I cannot stress enough how I cannot wait to get my hands on this book! :P

slickchick said...

So glad to see you back, and with news! Can't wait for the art book.

I'm excited to see James Kenny's commentary on the Angel of Darkness art, in particular. I remember having a lot of fun with that game, back when it came out, despite the warnings of a number of reviewers. Maybe JK will shed some light on what was supposed to happen. If I recall correctly, AoD ended rather abruptly, and the story was really confusing.

I wonder if a companion CD with an art gallery could be included with the art book? That way, we would all have our lovely bound copies, but we would also have enormous digital copies to enjoy. Not likely, but I thought I'd throw the idea out there.

In response to your questions: the entirety of Mexico was wonderful - really classic Raider. The implementation of the bike was great, and should be a model for future games.

In truth, I'm glad that the recent storyline appears wrapped-up. I'd like to see Lara return to her "playing for sport" mentality, meet new people, maybe hook up with some old ones. Case in point: looking back through old posts on this blog, I was reminded of Kurtis. Whatever happened to him? He was a fun character, with lots of interesting back story. Too bad he was a playable character. That took away all the fun.

You know what I'd kill to have in the art book? Next-gen renders of Kurtis. I wonder what Crystal Dynamics would do with him?

Croft Collection said...

Happy new year to you too !

I am pressed to see this artbook! And especially to have it in my hands :-D

Steffan Schulz said...

Yes, we have the same complaints about art books that print concept art, storyboards and artist renders too small. Our intent is to print as big as the pages will allow. The Pirates book is one heck of an example.

I had a nice conversation with James Kenny about the story line of AOD and he was keen on helping out. That reminds me, it has been some time since I spoke to him. I hope he hasn't forgotten about us, cuz we haven't forgotten about him.