Everyone's favourite busty British babe is back...

That's right, you might have missed it buried amidst the pile of generic shooters, Wii-U hype and Kinect-drenched nonsense at E3, but Lara is coming back; and it's about damn time. Her last outings have shown the world that the franchise still has life in it yet, and it looks like it's finally getting the full reboot treatment:

As you can see from the trailer, this game could be quite something. The first thing worth noting is Lara herself. She looks real now, her eyes and hair have moved from the cartoon exaggerations of her past look into a much more real and tangible character. Her... assets... have also been toned down a touch from the gigantic water balloons she had become known for. Just from looking at Lara you can tell that this is the game where she gets serious.

It's not just Lara looking incredible though. The whole of Tomb Raider looks beautifully designed and rendered, and there is already praise rolling in from the early play-tests about the glistening textures and realistic environments. Fire, water and clothing ripple and sway convincingly, and light bounces around and flickers on the walls; if this level of polish is sustained throughout the whole game then the Uncharted franchise looks likely to have some real competition.

Aside from how the game looks, the feel of the thing is going to be very different to what we are used to. Everything looks much, much darker, and Lara herself has moved from being the superhero of her former titles, to being a much more vulnerable, human character. She now manages to look convincingly scared by her surroundings, and genuinely unsure of herself. In every trailer and screen-shot, she is either getting beat up or fixing her wounds. Much talk has also been made about the game's opening level, which sees Lara burned, dropped and impaled by a rebar.

You're also going to care about Lara this time around - not care about her like a lusting teenager, but properly care if she lives, dies, or gets hurt. In a bold move, the reboot Lara seems only just capable of overcoming the challenges she faces, and this gives you a real connection to her in the game. And if you do screw up, then you are going to be treated to a Dead Space style cinematic of her being torn limb from limb.

All in all, it is safe to say that I'm excited for Tomb Raider - as you should be - and, if the game manages to stay on the right line, one that it already seems to have chosen, then it's looking like Lara will be back to her best. From what I have seen, I'd have to say that the only thing waiting to unseat it is the inevitable Uncharted 3, details of which are now highly anticipated...

See also:

Tomb Raider reboots abound

8 videogame franchises that need a reboot

Top 5 trailers from 2011's E3 expo

Top 10 hottest videogames for 2011

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