[HTML1]

As promised the newest trailer for Square Enix's gritty reboot of the Tomb Raider trailer has been released, and boy is it a doozy. Not only does the trailer, which is subtitled Crossroads, prove that this isn't the flashy acrobatic Lara Croft fans have come to know and love, it shows her frequently in peril.

There are still echoes of the groaning Croft that was featured in the first gameplay from E3 2011, but along with that are some of the more harrowing scenarios our heroine has ever been put in. Needless to say the trailer is not for the squeamish.

Unfortunately, besides looking like an R-rated version of Uncharted (an awkward comparison considering Naughty Dog's franchise drew more than a few inspirations from Tomb Raider) the game looks extremely dated. The animations lack the fluidity of movement that gamers have come to expect from current gen games, especially ones that rely heavily on scripted sequences.

Still, there is a lot to like in the trailer; it just feels like the on-rails experience that Square Enix showed us last year. There were nods to combat here and there, like Lara's use of the bow and arrow and finally a pistol, but that was never the focal point of the trailer.

There's an interesting concept to be had with a Lara Croft struggling to survive, and a few of the scenarios featured in the trailer aroused some guttural reactions, but ultimately it felt a little lacking.

Tomb Raider E3 2012 Brutal Trailer

Along with the trailer though, we also finally were given a firm release date for Tomb Raider: March 5th. Earlier this week it was revealed that the game had been delayed outside of its target Fall 2012 release window, but now we know when exactly we can check out this new version of Tomb Raider for ourselves.

What do you think of the newest trailer for Tomb Raider? Does this new gritty take on the franchise excite you or turn you off?

Tomb Raider releases March 5, 2012 for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Source: GameTrailers