Wealth of Tomb Raider Incentives Announced

Normally, talk of the busy gaming season is reserved for the period we're in now as publishers push out quality product to get your holiday cash. This coming year, however, we're seeing a wealth of AAA titles coming at us in the February-March Window. BioShock Infinite, Dead Space 3, Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel, and others will be vying for your attention early in the year.

Another title looking to part you from your recently-received holiday cash and gift cards is Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider. In order to get your attention, they've announcer several pre-order incentives and a pair of collector's edition, which we're going to attempt to break down now.

If you're in the United States, you have the following pre-order options:

Amazon.com
- A Director's Cut of The Final Hours of Tomb Raider for the Kindle Fire. If you're not familiar with the video series, go check out parts one and two to get caught up.
- A Lara Croft in-game skin.
- An art book titled "The Art of Tomb Raider (Amazon Edition)"

GameStop
- The "Challenge Tomb" expansion, which promises an all new time with new environmental puzzles that will challenge Lara's abilities.

Best Buy
- The "Aviatrix Skin", which gives Lara the look of a 1930's adventurer
- A 48-page, hard cover comic titled "The Beginning" that details the beginning of Lara Croft's journey. The comic is written by Rhianna Pratchett

Square Enix also promises retailer-specific pre-order incentives from retailers in the UK, including GAME, Tesco, ShopTo.net, and Amazon.co.uk. Those bonuses aren't specified as yet, but will eventually be revealed on the game's UK pre-order hub. German retailers (GameStop, Amazon.de) are also said to have such bonuses, but the specifics were not laid out at this time. For that information, keep your eye one the German pre-order site.

For those European gamers out there that are disappointed in the lack of specific details on pre-orders, fear not for there is some information specific to you we need to share. Unlike gamers in the States, eager Tomb Raider fans in Europe can get their hands on not one, but two special editions on the game. The details of "Survival Edition" and the "Collector's Edition" are laid out for us by the publisher:

Survival Edition

The Survival Edition will contain the game, a mini art book compiled by Tomb Raider’s Art Director Brian Horton, a detailed double-sided map of the game’s mysterious Island, and a branded waterproof survival pouch. Digital offerings will consist of an access code to Tomb Raider’s atmospheric soundtrack and a DLC weapon pack.

Collector’s Edition

The Collector’s Edition will include the complete Survivor’s Edition, plus a 6” Play Arts Kai Lara Croft figurine and will come housed in a unique Endurance crew member’s metal survival box.
Tomb Raider is set to introduce the world to the origins of its favorite Tomb Raider (well, unless you're in the Indiana Jones camp) on March 5th, 2013.