Two weeks ago, it was speculated Tomb Raider Anniversary for the XBox 360 would be exclusive to the Markeplace through downloadable content. This speculation arose after ESRB lists displayed a series of Tomb Raider Anniversary environments listed individually with their own ESRB rating.
Click for larger image.
Today, Eidos has confirmed the situation in that Tomb Raider Anniversary for the XBox 360 will be available for download over XBox Live. However, nothing like this could ever go down without a catch.
"The game is broken into four episodes, at a total cost of 2400 MS Points ($30.00). The first two will be available in September and episodes three and four arrive 'shortly afterwards.' The curve ball is this: you need to own a copy of Tomb Raider: Legend."
It's still unknown why gamers are required to own the XBox's previous Tomb Raider outing to have the privilege of purchasing the future downloadable content. Some, including Electronic Gaming Monthly's Dan Hsu (on today's EGM Live* podcast), believe this approach is somewhat of an "experiment.""It sounds like an experiment. 'Let's see how well episodic content sells on XBox Live Marketplace and let's see if we can get people to buy more copies of Legend'"
Considering this is one of the first retail (on PS2) games that will also be available for download, a social experiment doesn't seem too crazy.
It's also beneficial to point out that Eidos will be releasing a retail edition of Tomb Raider Anniversary for the XBox 360 later this year.
Source [1up on Tomb Raider Anniversary as DLC]
Source [1up on Tomb Raider Anniversary prerequisite]
Source [EGM Live*]
|