In case you missed its debut on Spike TV, you can watch the first video trailer for the new Tomb Raider here now. The all-CG video features a young Lara Croft as she sets out on the adventure that will define her. If you'd like to leave a comment after watching the video, please visit my blog.

For more videos, screenshots, concept art and other media, click here.

What We Know About the Game So Far

(Lara Croft concept art - click to enlarge)Although the intriguing tagline "A Survivor is Born" is being used to promote it, the publishers stress that the ninth game in the series will be titled simply: TOMB RAIDER.*

• TOMB RAIDER is currently in development by Crystal Dynamics, the same studio that created Tomb Raider: Legend, Anniversary and Underworld, as well as Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, and will be published by Square Enix.
• The game begins with a 21-year-old Lara Croft shipwrecked on a mysterious island in the so-called "Dragon's Triangle" off the coast of Japan.
• Before the accident, Lara is part of a group searching for Kublai Khan's lost fleet. The leader, an older man named Conrad Roth, can be seen in the game trailer and some of the screenshots. He serves as Lara's mentor, and she must help him survive when he becomes injured.
• In retelling Lara's origin story, the developers have said they hope to make her a more complex, human and culturally relevant hero, in part by putting her in an extremely dangerous and challenging situation through which she will ultimately prevail.
• This time around there will be no real-life model representing Lara for promotional events; however, the game will employ extensive use of motion-capture technology.
• The voice actor who'll play Lara has not yet been announced, but Keeley Hawes will not be voicing Lara this time. To hear a bit of the new voice, watch the trailer video above.
• The game is being built using an updated version of the Legend-Underworld engine—the same engine being used to build the Eidos Montréal title Deus Ex: Human Revolution—allowing for more realistic, physics-based interactions within the game world.
• Tomb Raider staples like puzzles, combat, exploration and action will still be the foundation of the game but will be more realistic and more fully integrated into the basic survival storyline.
• Although the press has speculated on the game drifting into survival-horror territory, this will not be a Resident Evil or Silent Hill type game. There will definitely be some scary bits, but the game will be more 'survival-adventure' than 'survival-horror'.
• The auto-targeting feature used in previous games will be replaced by a free-aim system.
• Weapons may include a bow, pistol and shotgun (shown in various game art), as well as tools and objects Lara discovers in the course of her explorations.
• While not strictly "open world," the game is non-linear. Players can explore the island's diverse locations freely and can revisit areas as Lara's skills and equipment improve. However, there will be some scripted sequences that advance the story.
• It will be necessary to gather food, water, medical supplies and other items for survival.
• Details of the injury/healing system are still being worked out, but taking damage will affect Lara's abilities and, unlike past games, she will show pain and emotion.
• A system of "base camps," including an abandoned monastery, allow players to fast travel among various points on the island. Base camps also allow players to examine and combine inventory items and access a skill system to enhance Lara's abilities.
• 
  The new Lara Croft, as pictured on
  Game Informer's January coverChanging weather conditions, Lara's improved gear and abilities, and the player's influence on the game world are intended to keep locations fresh when revisited.
• The game will include a hint system called "survival instinct," in which players can highlight clues and interactive elements in the game world by pressing a button.
• Buddha statues are visible throughout the game. These may function as save points but their actual purpose has not yet been revealed.
• There will be no swimming and no vehicles for Lara to drive.
• Yes, tombs will be raided, but Lara's reasons for venturing into them will be a bit different than in past games. Crystal Dynamics' Karl Stewart quipped, "Unlike before, when she used to go in on purpose, now it's all about getting the hell out."
• At the heart of it all is a mystery reminiscent of the TV show LOST. What is this island all about? Who are its strange inhabitants? Why is it seemingly impossible to escape? Lara—and the player—must discover the truth.
• According to the developers, the storyline is a vital component of the game. Stewart says it's a collaboration between in-house and outside writers. "We're not going to announce [who] just yet, but I think people will be very happy, because it'll bring a lot of trust to a lot of people when they hear it." He also intimated that the choice of writers may lay to rest some of the fans' concerns about Lara being portrayed as a digital sex symbol but would not reval more just yet. Could it be Lara's creator, Toby Gard?
• TOMB RAIDER will be rated 'M' (Mature).
• It will be available for Windows PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The developers have said they are striving to include full keyboard and mouse support for the PC version. They're also looking into producing a Macintosh version, but nothing has been finalized. There are no plans to release the game on Nintendo Wii or Wii U.
• The first official video trailer gave a Fall 2012 release date, but on May 13, Crystal announced that the game will be delayed until the first quarter of 2013, in order to finish it properly. (Details here.)

For more answers to frequently asked questions about the new game,
check out this thread on the official Tomb Raider forum.