For the second week in a row, the ESRB gave us a decent amount of newly rated titles. Scanning the list, there does not appear to be anything earth shattering or any blockbusters getting rated, but we are in the middle of a traditionally dry period for video games.
Looks like this week was a throwback, as the DS and PC rated titles were littered with casual games, kids games and a bunch of sequels. If your kid likes Paws & Claws, Tamagotchi and Garfield, then you are in luck. If you want real games on the DS, I guess wait until next week. As for the Wii, it had five titles, none of which will set the world on fire. Emergency Heroes, TV Show King and Cocoto Fishing Master elicit nothing more than a yawn.
A bit of a light week for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, as they each had three games rated included the shared title of Top Spin 3. The 360 also had Dreamfall: The Longest Journey (strange, since it was made an Xbox Original and been available for download since March 28th) and RooGoo, another XBLA puzzler. The PS3 fared little better with Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion 2 and R-Types as downloadable from PSN. Not exactly a banner week for these two contacts.
There really aren’t many games that would qualify for the weekly title of shame, so I just decided to pick out the lamest title that came to mind. That award goes to Dreamcatcher’s Australia Zoo Quest. By reading the official web page for the game you would think it was the second coming, but in actuality it is nothing more than an attempt to cash in on the late Steve Irwin’s fame. I realize it is a kids game, but lame is lame.
| Title |
Publisher |
Rating |
Platforms |
| Abra Academy: Returning Cast |
Activision Value Publishing |
E |
Windows PC |
| Australia Zoo Quest |
DreamCatcher |
E |
Windows PC |
| Jungo |
MumboJumbo |
E |
Windows PC |
| R-Types |
SCEA |
E |
PSP, PlayStation 3 |
| Riddle of the Tomb |
DreamCatcher |
T |
Windows PC |
| Shining Stars: Super Starcade |
Destination Software, Inc. |
E |
Nintendo DS |
| Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 3 |
NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. |
E |
Nintendo DS |
| Top Spin 3 |
2K Games |
E |
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 |
| Snood Deluxe |
Tri Synergy |
E |
Windows PC |
| Roogoo |
Southpeak Games |
E |
Windows PC, 360 |
| Kung Fu Panda |
Activision |
E10+ |
PlayStation 2, Wii |
| Legends of Norrath: Inquisitor |
Sony Online Entertainment |
E10+ |
Windows PC |
| Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles |
Aksys Games |
T |
Nintendo DS |
| Mass Effect |
Electronic Arts |
M |
Windows PC |
| Nancy Drew: Secret of the Old Clock |
THQ Inc |
E |
Windows PC |
| 2000+ Games for Mac OS X |
Selectsoft Publishing / MPS |
E10+ |
Macintosh |
| Cocoto Fishing Master |
Neko Entertainment |
E |
Wii |
| Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion 2 |
SCEA |
T |
PlayStation 3 |
| Dreamfall: The Longest Journey |
Funcom |
M |
Xbox 360 |
| Overclocked |
Lighthouse Interactive |
M |
Windows PC |
| Paws & Claws Pet Vet: Healing Hands |
THQ Inc |
E |
Nintendo DS |
| Garfield Fun Fest |
Destination Software, Inc. |
E |
Nintendo DS |
| The Settlers Rise of an Empire: The Eastern Realm |
Ubisoft Entertainment |
E10+ |
Windows PC |
| Summon Night: Twin Age |
Atlus USA, Inc. |
E10+ |
Nintendo DS |
| The Lost Crown: A Ghosthunting Adventure |
Got Game Entertainment, LLC |
T |
Windows PC |
| SCRABBLE - Journey |
RealNetworks |
E |
Windows PC |
| TV SHOW KING |
Game Loft |
E |
Wii |
| Great War Nations: The Spartans |
DreamCatcher |
M |
Windows PC |
| Paws & Claws Let's Ride: Riding Star |
ValuSoft |
E |
Nintendo DS |
| Marine Sharpshooter 4: Locked and Loaded |
Groove Media Inc. |
M |
Windows PC |
| Emergency Heroes |
Ubisoft Entertainment |
E10+ |
Wii |
| Escape from Paradise |
DreamCatcher |
E |
Windows PC |
| Fantasy Zone |
SEGA of America |
E |
Wii |
| B-Boy |
Evolved Games |
T |
PlayStation 2, PSP |
Here is the final tally on who, what and where everything was rated for the last week. There were 39 rated titles on eight platforms. PC (16), DS (7) and Wii (5) had the most games rated. There were 24 of the 39 titles rated at E10+ or lower, five rated at T for Teen and five 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……
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The weekly Title of Shame (and any game that is tossed in that paragraph) is done so based on several factors, including which games were rated that week, how does the game concept stack up, is it a re-hashed sequel, lame movie tie-in, rip off of another game, etc…
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