Game Preview - Tomb Raider: Extreme Wheelchairin'

Extreme sports games have always been a good seller for the video game industry, but with the advent of physics in the Tomb Raider universe, a new game has emerged, “Tomb Raider: Extreme Wheelchairin'.”

For years, the buxom heroine of the series, Lara Croft, has been known for her ever-expanding bustline. This new entry in the series comes from the decidedly “out of the box” thinking that the creative applied to the internal philosophy.

“We were thinking, since the code monkeys are giving us actual physics, how would that work? Jeff then mentioned something about a women proportioned like Barbie would at least have severe back problems. So what problems would Lara suffer if proper physics were applied?” said co-designer Sherry Allen, 36.

The premise of the game is relatively simple. Croft, after her seventh breast augmentation surgery, stands up. Unfortunately, this proves too much for her back after years of abuse. Her back snaps causing her to suffer from paralysis from the waist down. After being confined to a wheelchair, she suddenly finds out the hospital that has been treating her has also been treating the foes that she failed to entirely kill. The entire hospital is one large trap. Croft must use all the skills she has learned over the years to navigate her way out of the hospital, dragging her IV drip in tow, and down into the Ancient Mayan water slide park that the hospital rests on.

“Now, we don't want to give too much away, but one thing we are proud of is the trick system. There are various obstacles you can trick off of, usually with an ammo stash hidden at the highest possible arc. So you've got to balance the speed you're rolling at, and how tight of a grip you have on the IV stand or you could be looking at not just a wipe out, but a bleed out as well,” said Allen.

While we didn't get much hands on time with the game, the devs did let us try the multiplayer trick and combat mode called, “Guns Akimbo.” In it, players attempt to outscore one another on a potential lethality scale for their tricks, while accruing “true” lethality points by shooting at one another in mid-air. The playable characters included Lara Croft, assorted henchmen from the game, and Granny Croft, a picturesque version of Croft in her old age with a Mayan shawl embroidered with a skull.

As a special easter egg, if a player scores a set amount of lethality points across the younger Croft's chest, her implants will explode and fling both her and her wheelchair clean through nearby scenery. This opens up hidden bonus arenas. Similarly, if Granny Croft's wheelchair is struck at the right angle, her shawl will be knocked off, get tangled in the wheels, and also break through the scenery.

“We're all really excited about where this will take the series. I know some of the fans are expressing their worries, but we've done this for them. There had been growing complaints of stale gameplay over the past releases, so reinventing Tomb Raider was really a labor of love for them. I've fallen in love with the new Lara, so I hope the fans will too when we hit gold,” said Allen.

No release date has been set for the new installment yet, but speculation places it as Q3 2010.