With the critically and commercially successful reboot already in the bag, Crystal Dynamics is nearing the November 10 release of its sequel – Rise of the Tomb Raider – and is out on the publicity trail building up hype. We were lucky enough to enjoy a lengthy chat with Crystal Dynamics’ senior designer, Michael Brinker, during his stopover in Sydney Australia, and the full interview will be posted on the site shortly.

In the interim, we are posting some snippets from that interview that speak to certain elements of the game’s development – you might have already caught The “rape scene controversy” has not impacted Rise of the Tomb Raider or “It’s a 50/50 chance” – Crystal Dynamics talks new Legacy of Kain. Today we focus on the incredible action sequences in the new Tomb Raider trilogy, absolutely a highlight of the first game and an element that has been built upon for Rise of the Tomb Raider. As it turns out, Crystal Dynamics has an unusual team working on getting these just right:

Michael Brinker – Senior Designer at Crystal Dynamics

– Former Game Designer at Electronic Arts

– Worked on The Godfather (PS3, Xbox 360

and Wii) and Dante’s Inferno (PS3 and Xbox 360)