It was another wild and wacky week from are friends at the ESRB, as they produced the least amount of rated games in a week I have seen since I started this article. On the flip side, just about every type of platform was represented (sans the PS3 of all things). There were a total of just 30 games rated, dominated by casual game maker PopCan games.
This week was dominated by casual games across just about every platform that is still viable. PDA, Mobile, MAC, Plug & Play, PC and Web dominated the scene. If you like card games puzzle games, games based on TV shows or education titles, this week was something special. Thank PopCan games predominately, but JAKKS Pacific tossed a couple plug and play titles into the mix as well.
Nintendo seems to have lost a bit of steam the last few weeks, with the Sony platforms pushing them for total titles last week, and PC completely blowing them away this week. It was interesting to see that Ubisoft was able to get Petz Hamsterz 2 rated for the Game Boy Advance, a platform that most have given up for dead. The Wii had a couple titles rated, but the DS continued to lead the Nintendo parade with five titles including Backyard Baseball 2009 and FIFA Street 3. I expect Nintendo to get rolling again after the first of the year passes
The next-gen system(s) were left with just the Xbox 360 carrying the banner, as the Playstation 3 failed to have a single game rated this week. Lost Odyssey (Feb 12th release date) and Rocket Bowl (XBLA, announced on May 1, 2007) both garnered ratings, with releases potentially a couple of months out. Obviously the Holidays are slowing down submissions and the PS3 did have eight turned in last week, but it would be nice to see a steady stream of games coming out for the current systems. It’s kind of embarrassing to see the older systems and handhelds have games cranked out two to three times the amount of the newer platforms.
The ESRB ratings held a couple of surprises, with Microsoft’s Lost Odyssey and D3’s Rocket Bowl making surprise appearances for the Xbox 360 and another Wii title (The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return) grabbing a M for Mature rating. Otherwise, the usual amount of sequels and casual games littered the list.
| Title |
Rating |
Content |
Platforms |
| Backyard Baseball 2009 |
E |
No Descriptors |
Nintendo DS |
| Brain Games 3 |
E |
No Descriptors |
Windows PC |
| Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas |
E |
No Descriptors |
Nintendo DS |
| LOST ODYSSEY™ |
T |
Language, Suggestive Themes, |
Xbox 360 |
| Magic Ball 3 |
E10+ |
Alcohol Reference, |
Windows PC |
| Need for Speed™ ProStreet |
E |
Alcohol Reference, Mild Lyrics |
PSP |
| Petz Hamsterz 2 |
E |
Comic Mischief |
Game Boy Advance |
| The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return |
M |
Blood and Gore, Violence |
Wii |
| The Pirates at Ocean's Edge |
E10+ |
Animated Blood, Mild Violence, |
Windows PC |
| Mega Turrican |
E10+ |
Fantasy Violence |
Wii |
| My Life Coach |
E |
Use of Alcohol and Tobacco |
Nintendo DS |
| Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? - TV Game |
E |
No Descriptors |
Plug-and-Play |
| Brain Games: More Word Puzzles |
E |
No Descriptors |
Windows PC |
| Downstream Panic! |
E10+ |
Animated Blood, |
PSP |
| FIFA Street 3 |
E |
No Descriptors |
Nintendo DS |
| Peggle Extreme |
T |
Mild Blood, Violent References |
Windows PC |
| Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 |
E |
No Descriptors |
PlayStation 2, PSP |
| SpiderWick |
E10+ |
Mild Fantasy Violence, |
Nintendo DS |
| Super Brain Surge - TV Game |
E |
No Descriptors |
Plug-and-Play |
| Bonnie's Bookstore |
E |
No Descriptors |
Macintosh, Windows PC, Web Browser |
| Disney's Cinderella's Castle Designer |
E |
No Descriptors |
Windows PC |
| Gary Gadget: Building Cars |
E |
No Descriptors |
Macintosh, Windows PC |
| Hoyle Puzzle and Board Games Classics |
E |
No Descriptors |
Windows PC |
| Mario Kart Wii |
E |
Comic Mischief |
Wii |
| Mummy Maze |
E |
Comic Mischief |
Macintosh, Windows PC,Mobile |
| Rocket Bowl |
E |
No Descriptors |
Xbox 360 |
| Pixelus |
E |
No Descriptors |
Windows PC, Web Browser, PDA |
| Noah's Ark |
E |
No Descriptors |
Windows PC, Web Browser, PDA |
| NingPo MahJong |
E |
No Descriptors |
Windows PC, Web Browser |
| Word Harmony |
E |
No Descriptors |
Windows PC |
Here is the final tally on who, what and where everything was rated for the last two weeks. There were 30 rated entries on 12 platforms. Windows PC (14), Nintendo DS (5) and Web Browser (5) had the most games rated. There were 27 of the 30 games were rated at E10+ or lower, two rated at T for Teen and one rated at M for Mature.
Until next week, make sure you know what your kids are playing……
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