This is the kind of week I think most gamers would like to see all the time. Anytime a large amount of rated titles comes across, and it includes quite a few from the next-gen platforms, that is bonus time. While the PC and DS have the usual suspects, the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 each had nine titles, including some heavy hitters that people have been waiting on. I also tweaked the article a bit and have semi-officially retired the “Weekly Title of Shame” in favor of the more politically correct “Intriguing Title of the Week”. This allows me to analyze, ridicule, bash or just simply talk about a title(s) that I find to be intriguing. It was becoming increasingly difficult to pick only one title each week that met the stupid crazy dumb stringent requirements that I set to qualify. Therefore, it has been retired and the initial Intriguing Title of the Week is revealed below.
The PC and DS dominated the ratings as usual, and hidden in the mass of the usual money grabs, franchise whoring and sequels were a couple of potentially decent titles. One is the Princess Bride Game (PC, MAC), which is about 21 year’s too late (The film was released in 1987). Despite that fact, it is still a refreshing break from the Bratz Ponyz, Hannah Montana’s, tweenie games like My Dress up and My Make-Up and Word and Puzzle gamers that dominate these two platforms. Another potential winner is Bleach: Dark Souls (DS), the North American remake of the Japanese release Bleach DS 2nd Kokui Hirameku Requiem. With the addition of 17 new characters (44 total) and strong lineup of game modes (Story, Vs., Arcade, Time Attack, Survival and Training) that support both single and multiplayer, this could be a breakout hit.
What a week for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. There were several highly anticipated titles finally rated that were shared. These included Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway (and the Limited Edition), Rock Band 2, Fracture and Legendary. In addition, the Playstation 3 had Linger in Shadows, JEOPARDY!, Ferrari Challenge and Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty rated. The Xbox 360 also saw Interpol, Infinite Undiscovery, Zuma and Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?: Make the Grade get a rating. A great week with a couple of surprise titles, as Rock Band 2 could possibly be the first game that utilized the delayed announcement feature as we just found out about it last week.
The inaugural Intriguing Title of the Week belongs to a classic that old-school gamers should recognize immediately. While scanning the list of PC and DS titles, one in particular that caught my eye was the classic Coin-op (ported to C-64 and Atari 2600) Wizard of WOR that was listed under the PC games and published by Midway. I find it interesting that the title was listed strictly for the PC, as it seems there isn’t much of a demand for this type of retro title outside of a collection of games or some sort of download service. The other possibility could be a release for XBLA or PSN in the future, with those versions haven’t been rated as of yet. More than likely, Wizard of Wor is just one of many ratings trickling out for the PC version of Midway Arcade Treasures II that is available for download directly from Midway’s site. There are many possibilities and theories as to why, but in the end the logical answer makes the most sense…
| Title |
Publisher |
Rating |
Platforms |
| Barbie Fashion Show: An Eye for Style |
Activision Value Publishing |
Everyone |
PC, DS |
| Battlestrike: Force of Resistance |
City Interactive |
Mature |
PC |
| BLEACH: Dark Souls |
Sega of America, Inc. |
Teen |
DS |
| Brothers In Arms Hell's Highway Limited Edition |
Ubisoft |
Mature |
PC, 360, PS3 |
| Dropcast |
ValuSoft a Division of THQ |
Everyone |
DS |
| Ferrari Challenge |
Activision Value |
Everyone |
DS |
| Hannah Montana: Popstar Exclusive / DGamer |
Disney Interactive Studios |
Everyone |
DS |
| Hell's Kitchen |
Ubisoft |
Teen |
PC, Wii |
| Interpol |
Vivendi Games |
Everyone |
360 |
| Linger in Shadows |
SCEA |
Everyone |
PS3 |
| Lock's Quest |
THQ Inc. |
Everyone |
DS |
| My Japanese Coach |
Ubisoft |
Everyone |
DS |
| MySims Kingdom |
Electronic Arts |
Everyone |
DS |
| Princess Bride Game |
Worldwide Biggies |
Everyone 10+ |
Macintosh, PC, OTHER |
| Puzzler Collection |
Zoo Games, Inc. |
Everyone |
PC, DS, Wii |
| Shopping Blocks |
RealNetworks |
Everyone |
Macintosh, PC |
| The Price Is Right |
Ubisoft |
Everyone |
DS |
| What Type Are You? |
Konami |
Everyone |
DS |
| Trivia |
Midway |
Teen |
PC |
| Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 09 All-Play |
Electronic Arts |
Everyone |
Wii |
| Rock Band 2 |
MTV Games |
Teen |
360, PS3 |
| Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty |
SCEA |
Everyone 10+ |
PS3 |
| Phantasy Star IV: End of the Millennium |
SEGA of America |
Everyone |
Wii |
| My Make-Up |
Oxygen Games |
Everyone |
DS |
| MahJong Quest III |
iWin, Inc. |
Everyone |
PC |
| Infinite Undiscovery |
Square Enix, Inc |
Teen |
360 |
| Hotel Giant |
Enlight Interactive Inc |
Teen |
PC |
| Ferrari Challenge |
Activision Value |
Everyone |
PS2, Wii, PS3 |
| Bratz Ponyz 2 |
The Game Factory ApS |
Everyone |
DS |
| Cabela's Legendary Adventures |
Activision Value |
Teen |
PS2, PSP, Wii |
| Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?: Make the Grade |
ValuSoft a Division of THQ |
Everyone |
DS, 360 |
| de Blob |
THQ |
Everyone |
Wii |
| Hell's Kitchen |
Ubisoft |
Teen |
DS |
| Fracture |
LucasArts |
Teen |
360, PS3 |
| Super Off Road ® |
Midway |
Everyone |
PC |
| Wordmaster |
Zoo Games, Inc. |
Everyone |
DS |
| Zuma |
PopCap Games, Inc. |
Everyone |
Macintosh, PC, PS2, Mobile, Web, 360, PDA, iPod |
| Heavy Weapon: Atomic Tank |
PopCap Games, Inc. |
Everyone 10+ |
PC, Online, PS2 |
| Legendary |
Gamecock |
Mature |
PC, 360, PS3 |
| JEOPARDY! |
Sony Online Entertainment |
Everyone |
PS3 |
| My Dress-Up |
Oxygen Games |
Everyone |
DS |
| Combat Wings |
City Interactive S.A. |
Teen |
PC |
| Fate: Undiscovered Realms |
Encore, Inc. |
Everyone 10+ |
PC |
| Arch Rivals |
Midway |
Everyone |
PC |
| 1701 A.D. The Sunken Dragon |
Aspyr Media, Inc. |
Everyone 10+ |
PC |
| Active Life: Outdoor Challenge |
Namco Bandai |
Everyone |
Wii |
| Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway |
Ubisoft |
Mature |
PC, 360, PS3 |
| Big Kahuna Party |
Reflexive Entertainment |
Everyone |
Wii |
| Word Search |
Midway |
Everyone |
PC |
| Wizard of WOR |
Midway |
Everyone |
PC |
| Wordz |
Midway |
Everyone 10+ |
PC |
| Safari Doctor |
Ubisoft |
Everyone |
DS |
| Shaun the Sheep |
D3Publisher of America, Inc. |
Everyone |
DS |
Here is the final tally on who, what and where everything was rated for the last two weeks. There were 53 rated titles on 13 platforms. PC (22), DS (19), Wii (9), 360 (9) and PS3 (9) had the most games rated. There were 39 of the 53 titles rated at E10+ or lower, 10 rated at T for Teen and just four (Battlestrike: Force of Resistance, Brothers In Arms Hell's Highway Limited Edition, Legendary and Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway) 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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