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
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