Smokin' AUS

Extreme sports games seem to be all the rage at the moment, but one of the more .. well, extreme that we've seen recently is Codename : Smokin' Barrels from Australian developer Bungarra. Although it's ostensibly a surfing game, it replaces the traditional sun-soaked beaches and sedentary wave chasing of most surf sims with bizarre settings ranging from waterfalls to downtown Venice. Coming across as a hybrid of Tony Hawk on a surfboard and the Arnie movie The Running Man, it has you "riding for your life" as a contender in an oddball TV show, facing threats varying from waterfalls, whirlpools and rapids to boulders, giant swinging axes and bursts of steam. Rather you than me. Along the way you'll pick up points for pulling off outlandish tricks and stunts, from the usual surfing shenanigans to grinding your way out along tree trunks and the like. Expect Smokin' Barrels to appear on the PlayStation 2 some time early next year, with publisher yet to be confirmed. If you can't wait that long, some early in-game footage is available at the bottom of the gallery page on Bungarra's website.