JOE’s Gaming Round-up 24/08

JOE's Round-up continues as the controversy over the release of Medal of Honor heats up, and Lara Croft makes a triumphant return in the Guardian of Light.

JOE

By Emmet Purcell

Welcome to another week of JOE’s videogame round-up. As always, we’re looking to provide you with up-to-the-minute news, download reviews, weekly charts and forthcoming release dates on a weekly basis. So if thereâ€™s anything you think weâ€™re leaving out, or would like us to shine a spotlight on, feel free to leave a comment below.

News

British Defence Secretary calls for Medal of Honor Tali-Ban

Despite his rather fetching neckerchief/bandana combo, this man is a bad man

EA’s forthcoming Modern Warfare-challenger Medal of Honor can’t seem to catch a break, after UK Defence Secretary Dr. Liam Fox derided the Afghanistan-set war title as ‘thorougly un-British’ and even stated his desire for a full retail boycott of the October release. As JOE has previously reported, EA’s series reboot is coming under intense scrutiny for its inclusion of Taliban fighters in the shooter’s multi-player component.

In a damning statement, Secretary Fox said that he found it ‘shocking that someone would think it acceptable to recreate the acts of the Taliban against British soldiers. I am disgusted and angry. I would urge retailers to show their support for our armed forces and ban this tasteless product.” EA have already stated, however, that the opposing side in multiplayer battles are US soldiers, not British. In any case, you can look forward to some hands-on impressions of EA’s release very soon, as JOE have been invited to sample the shooter at a London event this week. Watch this space.

Fallout: New Vegas to feature no post-storyline gameplay

Don’t mess with retro-futuristic unicylce robots unless you’re packing

If you’re looking forward to another 70+ hour Fallout session with the October arrival of Fallout: New Vegas, make sure to include as many save-files as possible – project director Josh Sawyer has told 1Up that due the game’s plotline necessity, it will be impossible to continue your saved game once the final credits roll. 2008’s Fallout 3 had a similar ending, which was later rectified by post-release DLC to continue the game’s storyline – so let’s hope New Vegas developers Obsidian are thinking the same.

Purchase/Download of the Week

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (Playstation Network, Xbox 360 – â‚¬10.00, 1200 MS pts)

She’s back, and this time she’s brought an indigenous sidekick

It’s been a long time since Tomb Raider fans have had much to celebrate – from rubbish films to endless series rush-jobs – yet the isometrix-platforming of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is garnering rave reviews, mainly for offering the equivalent of a full game release in the form of downloadable content. The Telegraph has called the title ‘phenomenal value for money’, Planet Xbox 360 said it was their ‘favourite Lara Croft game of all time’ and GamePro called it a ‘triumphant return to one of gaming’s most iconic heroines’. JOE hasn’t played it yet, but we’ll take their word for it.

Friday Releases 27/08/10

For someone being chased by police on-foot, he doesn’t seem too bothered

At long last, it’s a busy week of releases this Friday, with the standout release being Ship Simulator: Extremes on the PC. I mean, just look at these exciting screenshots, and the promise of an in-game fishing vessel pre-order bonus? We’re sold! On the other hand, if you prefer more conventional gaming thrills, we suppose you could do a lot worse than 2K Games’ Mafia II, which brings back the 40s-50s-set mafioso gameplay we’ve come to love from the Mafia franchise after a huge development cycle. Boasting a 700+ page screenplay, the series is never short of cinematic inspiration and we have high hopes for its long-awaited sequel, which arrives eight years after it’s predecessor, The City of Lost Heaven.

Xbox 360

Mafia II

Shank (XBLA)

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (XBLA)

Battle Vs Chess

Playstation 3

Mafia II

Battle Vs Chess

Wii

Gormiti: The Lords of Nature

Grease: The Official Videogame

Skyscraper