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
Medal of Honor developers defend playable Taliban
Kick in that door and give those Taliban punks a dose of freedom!
Despite it’s contemporary Afghan War setting, EA’s Medal of Honor has been quietly building a steady stream of favourable buzz, without any of its rival Modern Warfare’s controversy. That was until this week, as the developer of the multi-player portion of the title was forced to defend the playable Taliban which feature in online battles.
Speaking on whether plays may feel uneasy taking the role of real-life, rather than fictional forces against the US-led Coalition, DICE’s Patrick Liu stated that such fears are a ‘fair point.’ He did however, state that DICE ‘can’t get away from what the setting is and who the factions are, but in the end, it’s a game, so we’re not pushing or provoking too hard.” It is important to recall that previous Medal of Honor titles have also featured accurate in-game enemies, though perhaps it’s less noteworthy if players are shooting Nazis left, right and centre.
Kaka announced as FIFA 11 cover star
Kaka’s teammates re-enacted a goal celebration to honour his announcement
Despite a disappointing debut season at Real Madrid, Brazilian playmaker Kaka is to share this year’s FIFA 11 cover with Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, who has been a constant fixture for the EA franchise for the past five years. The former World Footballer of the Year and Ballon D’Or winner will appear in TV adverts alongside Rooney in the next few weeks. The only bad news for EA? The Real star picked up a knee injury on the day of the announcement and has been ruled out of action for the next two months.
Purchase/Download of the Week
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Playstation Network, €10.00)
There’s the very un-Michael Cera-like 2D Scott at the bottom
Arriving two weeks before it’s Xbox Live Arcade release, anyone who has seen the trailer for the upcoming film adapation of the fabled Scott Pilgrim graphic novels can see that director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) is a gamer at heart. Accordingly, the tie-in DLC for the movie is an appropriately-styled retro platformer throwback. No reviews have been posted yet for the platformer due to an embargo but we have high hopes for Ubisoft’s release from the screens released thus far.
Friday Releases 13/08/10
The Miami Dolphin’s ‘jazz-hands’ defence was not enough to distract the Patriots
Could it be? An interesting game released? Yes, after weeks of absolutely nothing on offer (bar Starcraft 2), Madden NFL 11 arrives Friday to awaken the current gaming drought from its slumber. A prerequisite for the growing legion of Gridiron fans in Ireland, this year’s edition features an all-new play-calling system, GameFlow, which involves audio advice on executing plays and apparently cuts the gaming time in half. This is a huge boost to newcomers typically bewildered by the game’s vast playbook as you can instead receive sound advice from your coach, just like a quarterback would. If NFL isn’t your thing perhaps Ship Simulator Extremes on the PC might pique your interest? Hmm, maybe not.
Madden NFL 11
Monday Night Combat (XBLA)
Madden NFL 11
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game (PSN)
Hoopworld
None
None
Ship Simulator Extremes
