JOE’s Gaming Round Up

JOE's Gaming Round-up features the release of Dynasty Warriors 7, more Call of Duty: Black Ops DLC and Nintendo's reaction to The Sun's 3DS headline news.

JOE

JOE’s Gaming Round-up features the release of Dynasty Warriors 7, more Call of Duty: Black Ops DLC and Nintendo’s reaction to The Sun’s 3DS headline news.

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 there’s anything you think we’re leaving out, or would like us to shine a spotlight on, feel free to leave a comment below.

News

Nintendo react to scaremongering 3DS article from The Sun

Apologies if this picture makes you feel ill

What is The Sun’s problem with the Nintendo 3DS? Yesterday the UK’s biggest newspaper continued weeks of negative coverage by printing a front-page story about how the glasses-free 3D console “has left thousands with dizziness and headaches”.

Despite reports of “record returns”, the tabloid only provided named anecdotal evidence in the form of 27-year-old Sundeep Tailor, who claimed he suffered dizziness after playing the console for 3 minutes.

Unsurprisingly, Nintendo have been quick to respond, telling Eurogamer: “Recent reports are incorrect,” Nintendo told Eurogamer. “The number of calls and emails with queries on Nintendo 3DS is in fact well below the rate experienced during past hardware launches and having spoken with our retail partners there are only a handful of people who have actually gone into stores to request a refund.”

The company also reminded potential customers that most game stores will also players to sample the console and its 3D effect for themselves if they ask an in-store sales assistant. Not to mention that the ‘queasy’ 3D effect can simply be switched off. Sadly, it appears as though video game scaremongering and moral panics are still on most mainstream media’s agendas for the forseeable future.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation DLC announced

Obviously this is an older level…

For many gamers, a yearly Call of Duty title is the game that keeps on giving – mostly due to each releases’ pricey downloadable map packs. Coming May 3, Escalation offers five new levels to keep Black Ops players entertained throughout the Summer. As of this writing, all we know is that the pack will feature five new levels: “Seize the Zoo”, “Take the Hotel”, “Secure the Convoy”, “Raid the Stockpile” and “Survive the Call of the Dead”.

Like the last Call of Duty DLC release, expect Escalation to cost 1200 MS Pts, while PS3 owners will likely have to wait around a month for the content, as Microsoft’s exclusivity deal ensures the Xbox 360 receives all downloadable content from the title first.

Download of the Week

Red Faction: Battlegrounds (800 MS Pts from Xbox Live Arcade, €10.00 from Playstation Network)

Set in the Red Faction universe, Red Faction: Battlegrounds is a fast-paced multiplayer-focused combat title that allows players to wreak havoc above ground and beneath the surface of Mars. You can jump into your favorite tank or mech using your Gauss Cannons, Rocket Launchers and Singularity Bombs to destroy the competition, and environment along with it. A must for the plentiful Red Faction fans out there.

Friday Releases 08/04/11

If we had a time machine, we’d love to lob something with a giant catapult too

The Dynasty Warriors franchise has never became the same runaway success it is in its native Japan, a fact that developers Koei have tried hard to amend. With the first relatively quiet Friday for releases in well over a month, perhaps the latest installment, Dynasty Warriors 7, may find the audience it desires. We’re shocked to see such a content-light weekend, particularly when big hitters such as Portal 2 and Mortal Kombat compete against one another on the same day in a fortnight.

Out this Friday:

Xbox 360

Red Faction: Battlegrounds (XBLA)

The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile (XBLA)

Brunswick Bowling

Dynasty Warriors 7

Playstation 3

Red Faction: Battlegrounds (PSN)

Stardrone (PSN)

Brunswick Bowling

Dynasty Warriors 7

Kinect: Carnival Games – In Action!