Although she doesn’t actually play in Tomb Raider: Underworld, she is the new face of Lara Croft as chosen by Eidos to represent her in public relation stints and the like as well representing Lara for Tomb Raider Underworld promotions.
Her name is Alison Carroll and she stopped by the GameTrailers offices to show off some of her moves and Tomb Raider-foolery in this video.
Now that’s HOT!
In case you were wondering, Lara Croft in the new game, Tomb Raider: Underworld, is voiced by British actress Keeley Hawes and the motion capture for Lara in the game was done by NCAA Women’s Gymnastics champion Heidi Moneymaker.
Tomb Raider: Underworld releases in 3 days on November 18th, 2008. It releases for virtually every system, including: Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PC, DC and mobile phones.
The game is the latest title in the Tomb Raider series and stars Lara Croft uncovers proof of the Norse underworld in her search for the mythical hammer of the god of thunder, Thor. Believing that it isn’t just a myth, she attempts to unravel the secrets behind the legend, leading Lara on a perilous journey towards a forgotten power that, if unleashed, could lay waste to all of civilization!
Key features of Tomb Raider: Underworld include:
* Master your surroundings: Reach new heights with the broadest range of acrobatic abilities and utilize objects within the environment to uncover new paths to explore
* Explore epic and unknown worlds: Discover ancient mysteries of the underworld hidden within the coast of Thailand, frozen islands of the Arctic Sea, the jungles of Mexico, and more
* Treacherous and unpredictable challenges: Each level is an elaborate multi-stage puzzle masked within an interactive environmental playground offering more flexibility over how the area is solved.
* New range of combat options: Choose to pacify or kill, target multiple enemies at once with the new dual-target system, and shoot with one hand while suspended with the other
* New state-of-the-art gear: Utilize the latest technology in Lara’s upgraded inventory to navigate the world
Tomb Raider: Underworld’s November 18th release date (21st in Europe) is fast approaching and with that in mind, here is a brand new behind-the-scenes look at the game.
“Beneath the Surface - Your Surroundings” takes a look at the environments in the newest Tomb Raider title and has the developers talking about what they did to improve the series beyond just making the environments prettier (which is also definitely the case). Instead of stale, empty worlds you now have detailed environments with puzzles that can be solved in multiple ways. The team created the environments to really be an extension of the player, and not just something they run through to get from point A to point B. Take a look:
Eidos also released a new “Sinking Ship” trailer that is almost exclusively gameplay footage, as Lara battles so human enemies, shoots her weapons, ducks and dodges and avoids catching fire.
Eidos and Rare have released downloads of their upcoming games onto Xbox Live Marketplace in these Xbox 360-exclusive demos.
Build awe-inspiring vehicles and tackle the Jiggy challenges in any way you see fit! Show your creations off over Xbox Live with the Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts demo. The game is due for release on Xbox 360 on November 11 (in America/Canada), November 14 (in Europe) and November 20 (in Australia). Note: If you pre-order Banjo-Kazooie, you’ll get the original Banjo-Kazooie remake for free (via Xbox Live Arcade download code).
Banjo and Kazooie’s latest adventure takes them on a ride through a wonderful land of torment and tumult.
Explore everything. Stop at Nothing. Download the Tomb Raider: Underworld demo off Xbox Live now! The game is due for release on Xbox 360, PC, PS3 & Wii on November 18 (in America/Canada), November 21 (in Europe) and November 27 (in Australia).
What Could Lara Do? That’s what the developer’s of Tomb Raider: Underworld had to tell themselves in order to figure out how to enhance Lara Croft to a degree that is more realistic and modern than ever before. What could they make her do that she should have been able to logically do before, but couldn’t?
This means she can independently target to enemies at once, she can attack them in more ways than ever before (such as jumping on their head and shooting them as she backflips off), and even being able to fight enemies while she is hanging or climbing.
Add some beautiful graphics to that package and you have an amazing and fun looking Tomb Raider game. Tomb Raider: Underworld is set for release on the PC, Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2 and DS on November 3rd (November 21st in Europe).
Eidos today announced an agreement with Microsoft to release two brand new downloadable chapters in the continuing Tomb Raider adventures of Lara Croft. Containing up to six hours of new gameplay and content for Tomb Raider: Underworld, the chapters will be available exclusively on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360. A demo for Tomb Raider: Underworld will also be available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace in October, before the game’s release in America on November 18th and in Europe on November 21st, 2008.
Offering entirely new content specifically designed to extend the Tomb Raider: Underworld experience, Tomb Raider: Underworld – Beneath the Ashes and Tomb Raider: Underworld – Lara’s Shadow will deliver two very different single player gameplay experiences. Tomb Raider: Underworld – Beneath the Ashes takes place after the Underworld story has finished and will feature an incredible new environment to explore, additional secrets to unlock and different enemies to fight. Tomb Raider: Underworld - Lara’s Shadow will introduce players to a new kind of playable character and create a unique Tomb Raider experience.
The first new chapter, Tomb Raider: Underworld – Beneath the Ashes, will be available for download exclusively on Xbox LIVE Marketplace this Christmas. Tomb Raider: Underworld – Lara’s Shadow will follow in early 2009.
“We are constantly looking at ways to extend our franchises, whilst developing a deeper relationship with our players. The retail release of any videogame is just the start of the player experience, from there it all depends where you want to take the player in terms of ideas and innovation,” said Sean Vesce. “With these additional chapters and the online reach of Xbox LIVE, we are able to deliver exclusive content to millions of gamers worldwide.”
“We’re thrilled that Xbox owners will be able to extend their Lara Croft adventures with exclusive ‘Tomb Raider: Underworld’ episodes,” said George Peckham, General Manager of Global Third Party Publishing for Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business. “We look forward to continue working closely with our great publishing partners to deliver the most robust gaming experiences, only on Xbox 360.”
Tomb Raider: Underworld will release on Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS and PC. With development led by Crystal Dynamics, developers of the recent Tomb Raider blockbusters, Tomb Raider: Underworld represents a new advancement in exploration-based gameplay. As the fearless adventurer Lara Croft, players explore, raid and solve the mysteries of exotic locations around the world, each designed in breathtaking high-definition visual fidelity that creates a truly believable world and delivers a new level of challenge and choice.
This year’s Lara Croft model is Alison Carroll, but how does she become the Tomb Raider? Let’s just say it helped having a trained gymnastics background to do stunt performances, aside from looking like the videogame character.
Tomb Raider Underworld, developed by Crystal Dynamics for the Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PC, Wii and DS due November 21st 2008, picks up where Tomb Raider Legend left off.
Watch this video report on how the British Alison Carroll takes on the role of gaming icon.
Click on the bottom-right corner arrow to view it fullscreen.
In Tomb Raider Underworld, Lara Croft uncovers proof of the Norse underworld and the mythical hammer when she visits an ancient ruin on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea. As she attempts to unravel the secrets behind these myths, Lara’s perilous journey leads her toward a forgotten power that, if unleashed, could lay waste to all civilization.
Watch the first Tomb Raider Underworld gameplay trailer.
Is that Natla’s voice at the end? Since she’s immortal, is she the God that Lara’s talking about?
Tomb Raider Underworld will be released for Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PC, Wii and DS on November 21, 2008.
Alison Carroll has been chosen as the 2008 real-life Lara Croft model. She will become the new face of the Tomb Raider heroine and as such will get to travel the world to meet fans and act out stunts from the game. The lucky girl (who is only 23 years old and single) beat out hundreds of other potential Lara Croft girls who tried out for the job.
Alison will follow previous Lara Croft models; Karima Adebe, Nell McAndrew and Lucy Clarkson, all of whom shot to fame after leading their face and bodies to be the famous sexy video game archaeologist.
Alison is a trained gymnast from Great Britain (who once performed in front of Prince Charles) and got the Lara Croft job while working as a receptionist at the front desk of a Golf Club. When talking about performing in front of Prince Charles followed with “It’d be very interesting to perform in front of him again as Lara. Hopefully he’d enjoy it.”
She had lots to say about her new role, here are a few choice quotes from The Sun:
* “I’m single and having fun, I’m not looking for a long-term relationship as most men can’t keep up with me. But playing Lara Croft, the sexiest game heroine there is, should get me a few more dates!”
* “I felt so good pulling on the costume for the first time. So confident and in control. I really felt like an action heroine.”
* “I train six days a week. I’m very adventurous. But I’m not sure what’s more scary, learning to fire guns or a crash course in archaeology.”
* “Lara is strong, athletic, confident, and obviously very attractive. She has everything a man would want from a woman and everything a woman would aspire to be like. I’m really looking forward to playing the part.”
Now Alison will be given lessons in archaeology and weapons’ handling before she can immerse herself in the part so she’ll be prepared when meeting legions of screaming Lara fans at conventions worldwide. She will promote the new Tomb Raider: Underworld multi-platform game which releases on November 18th, 2008 for Wii, DS, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2 and PC in America and November 21st in Europe.
Tomb Raider: Underworld has been given a release date on November 21st, 2008, by UK publisher Eidos. That’s the day for Lara Croft’s latest adventure that will arrive simultaneously on Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, DS and PC.
Underworld is the first Tomb Raider title to be designed specifically for next-consoles, with the last outing, Anniversary, leading development on PS2. In addition, the game will unsurprisingly be tailored to the control setups offered by both DS and Wii.
“We’re thrilled to bring back Lara Croft and Tomb Raider at Christmas time on all formats,” Eidos’ head of European distribution Patrick Melchior stated. “Lara Croft has never looked, acted or played so realistically before. Tomb Raider 8: Underworld will delight fans and gamers alike as well as being a great gift for the Christmas season.”
Watch as Lara Croft takes a dive an an “underwater underworld”. Sharks, puzzles and platforming involved in this first Tomb Raider: Underworld gameplay video.
All hail the REAL Lara Croft! 
Although she doesn’t actually play in Tomb Raider: Underworld, she is the new face of Lara Croft as chosen by Eidos to represent her in public relation stints and the like as well representing Lara for Tomb Raider Underworld promotions. 
