The world builder will be available in two modes: a "simple" mode for basic level creation that's full of tutorials, and an advanced mode, which "boasts full capabilities of the professional tools used in the development of CoJ: Bound in Blood".

Which means you can cut out the rubbish parts of the game, concentrate on the parts it got right, and build entire levels around those good bits. Which is always a welcome move from hit-and-miss games like this.

It's a blog post that's a bit too sensitive and an argument that's a bit too convenient and dramatic for my taste, but the Houston Chronicle's Game Hacks blog tees up the Big R in a color-by-numbers mainstream look at something - which is, more or less, that any three can make a trend. In this case, the writer takes controller-dropping offense at participating in a story as a Confederate sympathizer (Juarez).

The game that really inspired this blog entry was Ubisoft's "Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood." The game starts out with players assuming the role of Ray, a Confederate officer, working to save his brother, Thomas, who's pinned down by Union soldiers. I nearly dropped the controller. I have so much respect for President Lincoln — he wanted to preserve the Union and ended up freeing the slaves — and have just as much respect for the Union Army.

This guy may legitimately feel that way. Fine. I think if Call of Juarez was overtly sympathetic to Confederate aims of slavery, instead of just framing the story of two mean-ass brothers in the context of soldiers of a failed cause, we'd have a different discussion. Similarly, it'd be a big problem if Left 4 Dead 2 was explicitly about Katrina and the institutional racism that fueled such a listless response and collective shrug at a disaster we thought only could happen in the third world.

But this sort of rumination seems to me to be picking a fight where none exists. And it points up the difference between sensitivity and tolerance. Not everything has to provide a teachable moment or avoid an uncomfortable subject altogether. Look at film.

Racism in Video Games: The New Norm? [Houston Chronicle via Trueslant]

No price points or release dates just yet. But the content will be available for all versions - PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Techland Announces DLC for Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood [VG247. Original article, in Polish, from Polygamia.]

But first the Confederates McCall head to Mexico to find the loot that'll bankroll their blood debt. Along the way, they kill a U.S. marshal (demonstrating a showdown engine for the game?) and run into another man of the cloth, this one a little more resembling Eli Sunday. Get the full setup to Ubi's wild west sequel in this 2:30 trailer above.

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood Trailer [GameTrailers]

The game will be a prequel to the wild west shooter that was met with mediocre reviews in 2007.

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood transports players from a ravaged Civil War-era Georgia to the Aztec ruins of Mexico. In the wildest West ever depicted, players can embody both McCall brothers in an intense Wild West storyline full of greed, lust and lawlessness that takes place during a legendary period of American history.

"Call of Juarez® was well received by gamers and critics,” said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ubisoft. "We're confident this new collaboration with Techland will bring an even bigger and better adventure to fans of shooters and the lawless Wild West.”

Looks like Ms. Croft is making a triumphant return to her roots this week with Tomb Raider: Anniversary. I'm rather looking forward to checking it out as I really liked the first game and the comparison video looks amazing. Everything else I think I can pass on. What do you think? Are you gonna show Lara some retro love? Flynn De Marco

• Tomb Raider: Anniversary (PC, PS2, PSP) Lara's first adventure revamped. She's got a makeover and she's not afraid to use it.
• Call of Juarez (X360, PC)
  Can you resist the call of olde Mexico?
• Hospital Tycoon (PC)
  Create your own General Hospital. Someone call Luke and Laura.
• Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Densetsu(DS)
  The super popular series gets another title on the DS
• Planet Puzzle League (DS)
  No, it's not a new superhero group, it's a puzzle game.
• Puzzle Scape (PSP)
  Not to be one upped, the PSP gets a puzzle game too.
• The Sims 2: H&M Stuff (PC)
  Man, these Sims have more crap than I do

I tried Call of Juarez at PAX last year and wasn't really impressed. The graphics were fine and the controls seemed OK but the level was so extraordinarily buggy I couldn't do anything. I'm holding out hope this will be a good shooter, and this new vid gives me reason to. I was such a huge fan of Outlaws and it's been so very, very long. Brian Crecente

I wasn't too impressed with the demo for Call of Juarez. I love, love, love western shooters. (Hence my mini addiction to Gun.), but the game just didn't seem to gel for me.

Part of the problem was that the game was acting really screwy. I couldn't get any of the doors to open and the town appeared to be deserted, so it didn't make for much fun.

The graphics seemed OK, but nearly as crisp as you would expect a PC game still in development to be.

I uploaded this video showing someone else having the same sorts of door problems I was having. Brian Crecente