The controversial title Medal of Honor has taken the top spot in the game charts this week perhaps helping to prove that a bit of controversy never really harmed a gaming title (just ask Rockstar who benefited with something similar from their series of Grand Theft Auto games). Medal of Honor beat FIFA 11 to the top position while new entry Just Dance 2 came third and Nintendo’s Wii Party climbed 6 places to 4th. Rounding off the top 5 was Pro Evolution Soccer 2011.
There were a few surprise disappointments this week as the latest Halo title, Halo Reach slipped right down to 8th place perhaps showing that while a franchise name will help you to a good starting position, it’s quality and quantity that count for longevity. Dead Rising 2 was in 7th place while the long awaited Castlevania: Lords of Shadow was only 10th behind Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 in 9th.
The release of the Medal of Honor game has caused quite the stink in the US and here in the UK. Initially, the game was to feature multiplayer that offered gamers the option to play as a US troop or as the Taliban. However this caused mass hysteria with UK defence secretary advising everybody to steer away from the game because of this obvious lack of patriotism.
EA initially tried to stick by their guns, if you pardon the pun, by saying that war based shooters always offer the opportunity to play as the other side (we don’t remember any complaints about being able to play as the Axis in Call of Duty games for instance).
However, the controversy spread and obviously got too much for the game developers, as a last minute change meant that rather than being able to play as the Taliban, gamers can now take on the role of the “Opposing Force” which smacks of last minute desperation in all honesty.
