Game developers enlist Taliban for new title

ELECTRONIC Arts is finding itself in the crosshairs of game industry critics.

With it striving to create a game as authentic as possible, its latest Medal of Honour installment is making a few enemies.

According to reports the multi-player mode allows players to play as a member of the Taliban.

Needless to say the decision to allow this element in the game has caused quite a stir.

But then of course look at other decisions made by game developers.

The Nazis have to be the number one ‘baddies’ in most war games.

And the accent of those in others seems to resemble that of Russians.

But I’m pretty sure that neither World War Two or the Cold War were being fought when a computer game was released casting the Germans or the Russians.

The problem is that the Afghanistan war is as fresh in the mind as it ever has been.

Not a day goes by when you switch on the TV or radio and hear mention of another British or coalition forces casualty.

So to many, the decision to cast the Taliban is in rather bad taste — especially as it’s fair to assume that Taliban fighters will win a substantial number of online multiplayer games.

One thing’s for sure, it would be a pretty short game if you played the part of a Taliban suicide bomber.

Joking aside, will it prevent people buying the title? Of course not.

The franchise is huge — grossing more money than most Hollywood films.

But I feel a line needs to be drawn.

Much like the level of violence in games such as GTA.

Yes it’s make-belief, but shock-tactics surely shouldn’t be a unique selling point.

But here’s Jeff Brown, senior director of corporate communications for EA, reportedly selling his side of the story.

“I think this is all nonsense generated by people who haven’t played a videogame in the last 20 years,” he said.

“This is not a shock to anyone who plays videogames. In a conflict game like this, someone has to be the bad guy .. ‘The Hurt Locker’ won the Academy Award, but this makes the distinction that game makers can’t portray a contemporary war.”

Here’s the best of this week’s games:


Title: Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
Platform: PS3
Genre: Shooter
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
This is certainly one shooter that’s not for kids, but how those youngsters will be praying for their birthdays to fly past so that they can get their hands on Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days.
For every moment that exposes this game for the raw and brutal crime shooter it unashamedly is, behind the blood and gore the dedication to getting this game right also shines through.
A much more engaging and immersive experience, you follow the eponymous duo (who are probably the most disturbed criminals to have graced a video game) through the gritty Shanghai underworld. Improvements on the original have been made in almost every area of the single-player game, while multiplayer boasts some ingenious and truly innovative modes.
This includes Undercover Cop, which instructs one member of the robbers’ group to blow his team’s plans to complete a bank robbery.
Guaranteeing there’s a traitor in your crew only serves to heighten the tension, and Dog Days delivers that, as well as quality shooter gaming, in spades.



Title: Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light
Platform: Xbox Live Arcade
Genre: Action
Price: 1,200 Microsoft points
Hit count: 4/5
Lara’s big budget outings are fairly few and far between these days, but this Xbox Live Arcade adventure is a reminder of just how much fun you can have with the intrepid explorer.
Taking a different gameplay tack to the traditional over-the-shoulder shooter style approach, Guardian Of Light lives within an isometric third-person set-up, as you navigate your way through a number of levels, each containing tombs to explore, a multitude of beasts to battle and no shortage of puzzles to solve.
Using the left analogue stick to move and the right one to aim your weapons works really well, and has a slick, simple arcadey feel to it.
The levels are engaging and tough work – each just long enough to feel substantial, yet not that expansive to make you feel like the challenges and rewards on offer are unobtainable.
Graphically, this does suffer a little, as it’s not the cutting edge engine or arty minimalist treatment that can work so well. But this is good old arcade gaming fun, which the look complements, and you should check it out.


Title: Space Shuttle Mission Simulator
Platform: PC/Mac
Genre: Simulation
Price: £34.99
Hit count: 4/5
Spaceflight enthusiasts who scoff at the likes of Buzz Lightyear trivialising the world of outer space will be delighted to hear that Space Shuttle Simulator takes things altogether more seriously and gives PC and Mac gamers probably the closest thing you’ll get to sitting in the cockpit yourself.
The developers have made it a labour of love to accurately recreate the 3D virtual cockpit setting, the shuttle itself, international space station and satellites.
Right from the Commander or Pilot’s seat, you can experience the lift-off shakes and roar of the engines, after which the success of mission procedures rest in your hands, including the ever so tricky manual guiding of the shuttle to a safe landing.
A whopping 22 missions should keep you busy enough, and with the developer even recommending that you study the real shuttle manual to get more out of the game, you know this is one simulation that should keep space enthusiasts seriously entertained.


Platform: PC
Genre: Fighter
Price: £29.99
Hit count: 4/5
Coming from the creators of the Guilty Gear series, BlazBlue should quite rightly be held in high regard before you’ve even slipped the disc into your PC.
And it’s a relief to say that such fighter hype is well justified.
The hand-drawn 2D sprites on 3D backgrounds will take your breath away, but you’ll need all the puff you can muster as the action explodes in glorious high definition. Mastering the basics is crucial, but after that the true depth of BlazBlue’s combat system really comes to the fore.
It forces players to master combos, anticipate opponent onslaughts and fight tactically, all in a stellar blaze of multicoloured flashes and flourishes.
Put simply, this is a fighter that raises the bar for those to come, and makes you wonder what you ever did with your online gaming time before this – you can even take on Xbox 360 fighters!



GAME CHART ALL FORMATS FULL PRICE
1. Toy Story 3

2. Red Dead Redemption

3. Dance On Broadway

4. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4

5. Art Academy

6. Just Dance

7. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels Starry Skies

8. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

9. Super Mario Galaxy 2

10. Madden NFL 11


Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (c) ELSPA (UK) Ltd

Addicted to a 'fantasy league' world

BESIDES playing Uncharted: Among Thieves on my PS3, working at Herald HQ, and seeing my squeeze and friends, I rarely find time to do much else.

Until now.

Last Thursday I stepped forward and signed up to a fantasy football league.

And just when I thought I couldn’t squeeze much else into my life, space has become readily available.

It’s my new addiction. And man is it fun.

For years I’ve ignored the taunts and calls from friends to sign up.

But now for some reason, my resilience buckled.

Quite how fantasy football used to work before the internet is beyond me.

But now, in its web form, it is a thing of beauty for fans of football.

Fantasy football sees individuals create a team of 15 players using £100million of virtual money.

That team of players then plays in real life, scoring points (in the virtual world) for goals scored and assists and minutes played etc etc.

The points you gain are totalled up after every game with your players’ points boosting your standing in the league you’re in.

For the record, in a league of two (the other team being managed by my brother), I am a close-running second after the first fixtures of the season.

And in the second league I am 11th out of 14.

Admittedly not the best start but hey, I’m a beginner.

And if anyone questions why on earth so many people would be interested in something purely fun and bordering on being dangerously addictive to the point of despair, ask yourself this: How can 1,871,027 people be wrong?!

That is a MASSIVE number of people who are in the same position as me.

And that’s just the Barclays Premier League fantasy football league.

I find it staggering that so many people — supposedly the majority being based in the UK — are fantasy football followers or, as I like to put it ‘Armchair Alex Ferguson’s’..

Personally I think the whole fantasy football thing is brilliant for meeting people.

It’s amazing that you can get into a dozen conversations with ease while watching the TV in a pub.

If you listen carefully you’ll hear an “oh well at least Lampard’s goal just bagged me four points” from a Man Utd supporter or something similar.

Check it out: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/M/myleagues.mc.

If you’re too late this year seriously have a think about next year.

Aside from breathing it’s surely one of the most addictive things known to man.


Here are the best games from the last two weeks:
Title: Madden NFL 11
Platform: PS3
Genre: American Football
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 5/5

While the English Premier League season gets under way this weekend, across the pond the NFL season is rumbling into action, too, signalled by the release of American Football’s standard-bearer across all consoles — Madden.

The franchise has been around for 21 years, would you believe, and each annual incarnation is ultimately judged on the improvements made from the last version.

Here, there are plenty of reasons to be cheerful.

The new GameFlow system seriously speeds up games, as AI chooses plays from your tailored selection, while dual analogue controls allow you to now control a player’s upper-body movements to help you glance off onrushing opponents.

Online Team Play is another major addition that you’ll love, but the lack of overhaul to Online or Offline Franchise modes may disappoint some diehards. Overall though, it’s unmistakably Madden, and an annual gaming event you shouldn’t miss out on.


Title: Predators
Platform: iPhone
Genre: Action
Price: £1.79
Hit count: 5/5
It’s amazing to see that there’s still mileage in the Predator franchise, and while the films may have taken a turn for the worse since the original was released, the video game incarnations have actually turned out to be pretty good fun.

Predators on iPhone puts you in control of one of the most savage beasts ever known and essentially works you through a series of human killing sprees, gradually developing your Predator powers, teaching you new killing techniques and rewarding you with ’honor points’ for the many different ways that you choose to dispose of your enemies.

From beheading to body splicing, this is a bloodthirsty title with just enough cartoony charisma to keep it from being unsavoury.

It’s adult nonetheless, and the customisation of your blades, helmet and other unlockable armour also adds a dash of character development to the claret coloured action.

Predators doesn’t pretend to be anything other than an all-out action gore-fest, but it succeeds in this aim superbly.


Title: We Sing Encore!
Platform: Wii
Genre: Singing
Price: £29.99
Hit count: 4/5

The Wii’s answer to Singstar and Lips, We Sing was released to great fanfare last year, yet ultimately failed to deliver on its promise offering the least depth in gameplay of the singing trio.

As such, entitling the sequel Encore is probably something of a misnomer, as few gamers would have been crying out for more.

However, this version, boasts a host of new features, including the option for four singers to sing together on four mics, while there’s an impressive 40-strong track list, too.

Artists as varied as Gloria Gaynor, Lady Gaga and Florence And The Machine all make the line-up, plus there are now fully singable Rap and R&B songs.

A host of party modes certainly improve the group experience and singing lessons allow you to fine-tune your vocal talent (if you have any).

All in all, Encore is a step in the right direction for the series, but there are still some better console crooners out there right now.


Title: Disney Pixar: Up
Platform: PC/Mac
Genre: Action/Adventure
Price: £4.99
Hit count: 4/5
Up has been trumpeted as the biggest and best Disney/Pixar release since Toy Story.

It was high praise indeed for the high-flying adventures of Carl Fredricksen and his young sidekick, Wilderness Explorer Russell, but did the video game meet similarly high expectations?

In a word, no, but fans of the film will find more than enough to keep them entertained for a little longer on Mac or PC, as you take charge of the four main characters from the movie — Carl, Russell, Dug the lovable dog or Kevin the prehistoric bird — while also enjoying the choice of playing as a single-player or with a friend cooperatively throughout the entire game.

It’s predominantly a fun 3D platformer with a few puzzles and beasties to get the better of along the way, and special items such as Carl’s hearing aid and Russell’s trumpet have their own fun uses, too.

While there’s nothing ’new’ about what’s been done here, the kids will still love it - and you can’t really go wrong for a fiver!



GAME CHART ALL FORMATS FULL PRICE
1. Toy Story 3

2. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

3. Dance On Broadway

4. Starcraft II: Wings Of Liberty

5. Red Dead Redemption

6. Just Dance

7. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels Starry Skies

8. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4

9. Super Mario Galaxy 2

10. Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (c) ELSPA (UK) Ltd