14 DAY TRIAL // The latest installment in the Tomb Raider franchise, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, will be on the receiving end of some new features, among which being an online co-operative multiplayer mode, as well as new levels via downloadable content.
Karl Stewart, global brand director at Lara Croft development studio Crystal Dynamics, has revealed that the company is working hard to polish up the co-operative multiplayer mode for the downloadable game.
He revealed that because it was the first time doing co-op, the studio ran into several issues which meant that the mode wouldn't be a part of the final product, at least when it was launched for the Xbox 360 a few weeks ago.
"We didn't want to deliver the subpar experience online," said Stewart. "This is our first time doing online co-op using our engine in the studio," Stewart said. "We were open that it would have the challenges... Whether it be lag, the ability to drop in and out or the ability for the leaderboard to update as you played, these are things that needed to [work.]"
The Crystal Dynamics executive revealed that the mode will be launched first for the Xbox 360, and will subsequently be adapted for the PC and PlayStation 3 versions.
"We're committed to online co-op," he said. "We're playing [the game] internally online. It is working and it is working well. We need to make sure we got that right."
Besides the new online co-operative multiplayer mode, Crystal Dynamics is also working on new levels, that will be available for Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light via downloadable content.
"They're pretty tough levels," Stewart revealed, "and they're made of a combination of exploration, combat, and sort of the whole traversal world we've built into Guardian of Light."
Xbox Live users will be able to download these new challenge maps for free during the first 30 days.
Stewart declined to comment on whether or not the content will be free for the PC and PlayStation 3 versions of the game, which are set to be launched later this month.