We're looking for new writers to join us!

Think of the Children For December 2

Think of the Children For December 2

Written by Dan Keener on 12/3/2008 for DS   PC   PS3   PSP   Wii   360  
More On: Think of the Children
Well the week of Thanksgiving brought good tidings, full bellies and barely a rated title. Only 23 total titles on five platforms were rated, which is near an all-time low on both accounts. However, there were some games to talk about, as each platform had a title or two that could be a hit. For whatever reason, the summaries were back this week and also backfilled to last weeks titles. Must be some glitches with the new system, but it looks to be fixed going forward.

While the Wii, PC and DS sported seven rated titles each, there are only a handful of potential hits on the list. These include UBISoft’s Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - Director's Cut (DS) and CSI: New York (PC), Sega’s Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers (Wii) and Lighthouse Interactive’s Overclocked: A History of Violence (PC.) The big hits are probably on the next-gen consoles, but these aren’t too bad to keep you distracted.

The PS3 and Xbox 360 had an extremely light week with only four rated tittles between them. However, the Xbox 360 title was a potential blockbuster with it being Halo Wars, while the PS3 titles were a trio of future PSN downloads including GTi Club+, Crash Commando and Cuboid. This is the first real batch of PSN games for the PS3 that have been rated in a while and they all look like winners, especially the coin-op classic GTi Club+. I like to see a strong lineup of titles for both of these consoles instead of just shovelware as it makes me want to spend money.

My intriguing title of the week is the aforementioned GTi Club+ from Konami. While I haven’t had a chance to get hands on with it, the screen shots and previews look fantastic, as the game promises 60 fps, eight person online multiplayer and customization of all those little Euro cars like Peugeots, VWs and Mini Coopers. It offers a sense of Rally racing and what appears to be a tight interface with exceptional graphics. Hopefully this wont cost more than $15, but if the demo is as good as the screens indicate, this could be a keeper.

Title Publisher Rating Platforms
Halo Wars Microsoft
Teen
360
Secret Files 2 - Puritas Cordis Koch Media Teen PC, Wii
Uncharted Waters: New Horizons KOEI Corp. Everyone Wii
Defense Grid: The Awakening Hidden Path Entertainment Everyone 10+ PC
Personal Trainer: Cooking Nintendo Everyone DS
Nobunaga's Ambition KOEI Corp. Everyone Wii
Cuboid Creat Studios, Inc. Everyone PS3
Chronicles of Mystery: The Scorpio Ritual City Interactive S.A. Everyone 10+ PC
My Pet Shop Square Enix, Inc Everyone DS
Mystery P.I. - Portrait of a Thief PopCap Games, Inc. Everyone DS
Mart Racer Joju Games Inc. Everyone Wii
Johnny Bravo in The Hukka-Mega-Mighty-Ultra-Extreme Date-O-Rama! Mumbo Jumbo Everyone 10+ DS
Grey's Anatomy Ubisoft Teen PC, Wii
GTI Club+ Konami Everyone PS3
CSI: New York Ubisoft Teen PC
Crash Commando SCEA Teen PS3
Ener-G: Dance Squad Ubisoft Everyone DS
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - Director's Cut Ubisoft Teen DS
Overclocked: A History of Violence Lighthouse Interactive Mature PC
Retro Game CHALLENGE XSEED JKS, Inc. Everyone DS
Virtual Vegas 7007 Slots Selectsoft Publishing / MPS Teen PC
Rygar: The Battle of Argus Tecmo, Ltd. Teen Wii
Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers SEGA Teen Wii

Here is the final tally on who, what and where everything was rated for last week. There were 23 rated titles on only five platforms. PC (7), DS (7) and Wii (7) had the most games rated. There were 13 of the 23 titles rated at E10+ or lower, nine rated at T for Teen and one (Overclocked: A History of Violence) rated at M for Mature.


Got a comment on the article or a rated games, put it in the section below or send me an e-mail. Until next week, make sure you know what your kids are playing……

*The weekly Intriguing Title of the Week (and any game that is tossed in that paragraph) is identified based on a game on the list that catches the eye of the author for any number of reasons. Good, bad or otherwise, feel free to agree, disagree or add some constructive input to the discussion.

* The product in this article was sent to us by the developer/company.


About Author

Like many gamers in their 40's, I developed my love of gaming from my Commodore 64 after we wore out our Intellivision. I spent countless hours wandering around the streets of Skara Brae, as my life was immersed in The Bard's Tale series on the C-64, D&D Titles and any/all Epyx titles (California Summer and Winter Games) and sports titles.  After taking the early 90's off from gaming (college years) minus the occasional Bill Walsh College Football on Sega, I was re-introduced to PC games in the mid 1990's with a couple of little games called DOOM II and Diablo. I went all-in with the last generation of consoles, getting an Xbox 360 on launch weekend as well as adding a PS3 and Wii in subsequent years.  I now am into the current-generation (latest?) of consoles with the WiiU and Xbox One.  Recently, I was able to get back into PC gaming and have enjoyed it very much, spending most of my time going solo or playing with my fellow GamingNexus staffers in controlled multiplayer action.

While my byline is on many reviews, articles and countless news stories, I have a passion for and spent the last several years at GamingNexus focusing on audio & video and accessories as they relate to gaming. Having over 20 years of Home Theater consulting and sales under my belt, it is quite enjoyable to spend some of my time viewing gaming through the A/V perspective. While I haven't yet made it to one of the major gaming conventions (PAX or E3), I have represented GamingNexus at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in nine of the last ten years.

Personally, I have been a staff member at GamingNexus since 2006 and am in my third tour of duty after taking off the last year and a half.


 

View Profile