I stand corrected. Last week, I lamented about the lack of titles and speculated that maybe the majority of titles for the Holiday rush was behind us. However, the ESRB and game publishers have proven me wrong (partially), as some 53 titles were rated in the last week. As expected, the PC, Wii and DS dominated the lists, and it appears that many kids will be very happy this holiday season. As for the 360 and PlayStation 3, they are still showing some life with quite a few titles rated this week. My intriguing title of the week was greeted with mainly a negative reaction when it was announced and still has me wondering about the final answer to all sorts of questions.
Like most weeks, the mass ratings for the PC, Wii and DS include lots of franchises that are getting milked like the best cow on the barnyard. However, there are still those hidden nuggets that are coming in. This week some of the potential better titles rated were C.O.R.E. (DS), SPORE Creepy & Cute Parts Pack (PC). Sniper: Art of Victory (PC), Prince of Persia (PC), Heist (PS), Battlefield Heroes (PC) and Family Fest Presents Movie Games (Wii). It is amazing that places like Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Gamestop have any shelf space left with the sheer amount of titles that keep getting pumped out for these three platforms.
The majority of the titles for the PS3 and 360 that were rated are shared amongst both consoles, but Microsoft and SCEA did get in the act a bit with a couple of exclusives. However, the following titles showed up this week for both: Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Heist, X Blades, Prince of Persia, NCAA Basketball 09 and AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack. Microsoft and the 360 saw Scene It? Box Office Smash! Exclusively for that console, while SCEA and the PS3 had Alone in the Dark Inferno, SingStar Vol. 2 and The Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion Set 3. So the list has nothing of enormous star power, yet is loaded with quite a few titles that have solid fan bases. A good showing that I hope will continue through the end of the year.
The Intriguing Title of the Week is “AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack” by MTV Games for the 360, PS3, Wii and PS2. There are a lot of reasons to purchase this (about 16), yet too many questions remain including it being sold exclusively at Wal-Mart, a $40 price point, how it will integrate with the game on each system and it being a physical media (not DLC). Personally I may be tempted to pick it up, but with so many great songs and albums that have come out recently, it is a tough pill to pay $40 for songs when I do not have the ability to pick and choose the ones I want to get.
| Title |
Publisher |
Rating |
Platforms |
| Alone in the Dark Inferno |
Atari |
Mature |
PS3 |
| Bratz Kidz |
The Game Factory Aps |
Everyone |
DS, Wii |
| Dancing with the Stars: We Dance! |
Activision-Blizzard |
Everyone 10+ |
DS, Wii |
| Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell + DGamer |
Disney Interactive Studios |
Everyone |
DS |
| Monkey Mischief: Party Time |
Activision-Blizzard |
Everyone 10+ |
Wii |
| Prince of Persia |
Ubisoft |
Teen |
PC, 360, PS3 |
| SPORE Creepy & Cute Parts Pack |
Electronic Arts |
Everyone 10+ |
Mac, PC |
| The Witcher Enhanced Edition |
Atari |
Mature |
PC |
| Tumblebugs |
Mumbo Jumbo |
Everyone |
PC |
| X Blades |
Southpeak Games |
Mature |
PC, 360, PS3 |
| WordJong Party |
Destineer |
Everyone |
Wii |
| Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix |
CAPCOM |
Teen |
360, PS3 |
| Mytran Wars |
Koch Media |
Teen |
PSP |
| Fashion Dash |
Encore Software |
Everyone |
Mac, PC |
| Fashion Rush |
Echoplay |
Everyone |
PC |
| Deer Drive |
Mastiff LLC |
Teen |
Wii |
| Burger Shop |
Brighter Minds Media |
Everyone |
Mac, PC, Web Browser |
| Battlefield Heroes |
Electronic Arts |
Teen |
PC |
| Beauty Factory |
City Interactive S.A. |
Everyone |
PC |
| Cake Mania: In The Mix! |
Majesco Entertainment |
Everyone |
Wii |
| Dungeon Maker II: The Hidden War |
UFO Interactive Games |
Everyone 10+ |
PSP |
| M&M's Adventures |
Zoo Games, Inc. |
Everyone |
DS, PS2, Wii |
| Sniper: Art of Victory |
City Interactive S.A. |
Mature |
PC |
| SAS: Secure Tomorrow |
City Interactive S.A. |
Mature |
PC |
| The Nightshift Code |
Encore Software |
Everyone |
Mac, PC |
| The Witcher: Enhanced Edition: Director's Cut |
Atari |
Mature |
PC |
| NCAA Basketball 09 |
Electronic Arts |
Everyone |
PS2, 360, PS3 |
| Heist™ |
Codemasters |
Mature |
PC, 360, PS3 |
| Eternal Poison |
Atlus USA, Inc. |
Teen |
PS2 |
| Everlight: Of Magic and Power |
DreamCatcher |
Teen |
PC |
| Crosswords For Dummies |
Electronic Arts |
Everyone |
PC |
| Chess For Dummies |
Electronic Arts |
Everyone |
PC |
| Tiki Towers |
RealNetworks |
Everyone |
Wii |
| Scene It? Box Office Smash! |
Microsoft |
Teen |
360 |
| SingStar Vol. 2 |
SCEA |
Teen |
PS3 |
| Space Trader - Merchant Marine |
Meridian 4 |
Teen |
PC |
| Strong Bad Episode 3 Baddest of the Bands |
Telltale Games |
Everyone 10+ |
Wii |
| Suikoden Tierkreis |
Konami Digital Entertainment |
Everyone 10+ |
DS |
| The Sims 2 Mansion and Garden Stuff |
Electronic Arts |
Teen |
PC |
| C.O.R.E. |
Graffiti Entertainment |
Mature |
DS |
| Battle of Giants: Dinosaurs |
Ubisoft |
Everyone |
DS |
| AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack |
MTV Games |
Teen |
PS2, 360, Wii, PS3 |
| Hidden Mysteries: Buckingham Palace: Secrets of Kings & Queens |
GameMill Entertainment |
Everyone |
Mac, PC |
| Family Fest Presents Movie Games |
Ubisoft |
Everyone 10+ |
Wii |
| My Stop Smoking Coach with Allen Carr |
Ubisoft |
Everyone |
DS |
| Lost Secrets: Bermuda Triangle: Unsolved Mysteries |
GameMill Entertainment |
Everyone |
Mac, PC |
| Martine a la Ferme |
Aspyr Media, Inc. |
Everyone |
DS |
| Martine a la Montagne |
Aspyr Media, Inc. |
Everyone |
DS |
| My Horse & Me 2 |
Atari |
Everyone |
DS |
| Moon |
Mastiff LLC |
Teen |
DS |
| Avatar The Last Airbender: The Path of Zuko |
ValuSoft Inc. |
Everyone |
Mac, PC |
| USA TODAY: Puzzle Craze |
Destineer |
Everyone |
DS |
| The Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion Set 3 |
SCEA |
Teen |
PS3 |
Here is the final tally on who, what and where everything was rated for last week. There were 53 rated titles on nine platforms. PC (23), DS (13), Wii (11), PS3 (9), 360 (7) and Mac (7) had the most games rated. There were 31 of the 53 titles rated at E10+ or lower, 14 rated at T for Teen and eight (C.O.R.E., SAS: Secure Tomorrow, Sniper: Art of Victory, The Witcher Enhanced Edition & Director’s Cut. Heist, X Blades and Alone in the Dark Inferno) 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.
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