The ESRB was not playing last week. It was nothing but work, work, work out of those fine ratings folks that pushed 45 games through the chute last week. One of those, Toy World, is for the Pavv Bordo model of Samsung TVs (???). Also, while the ESRB doesn’t rate online interactions, per se, they do label “online” as a platform, as in the case of EVE Online (which is having another go-round on retail shelves thanks to a revitalized Atari.
The PC has consistently run the boards as far as sheer numbers of ratings going through: This week there’s 21 more titles to add to the increasingly small shelf space for PC games. The Wii nabs 9 games, while the 360, DS and PS3 have a three-way tie in third place with 6 titles rated each. Ubisoft announced this past week that they’re bringing Prince of Persia and Shaun White Snowboarding to the Mac, but those two titles haven’t been rated for the platform just yet. Rather, the Mac gets two seek-and-find puzzlers, Book of Legends and Little Shop - Memories; and Cooking Dash (not done by the developers of Diner Dash). The cross-platformer award goes to Ghostbusters The Videogame which is rated Teen for the 360, PC and PS3, with the DS version rated Everyone.
This week’s best bet is a tough one. I want to give it to Ghostbusters, but I have a nagging fear. Ghostbusters could very well be the game that’s gotten too much love and attention during pre-launch, then ends up selling bupkis once it hits retail. Ghostbusters, sadly, could end up being the most rented videogame of the year. I sincerely hope that my fear is unfounded.
The 360 and PS3 are still sharing the brunt of their releases, except for a couple instances: The 360 has an exclusive on Autobahn Polizei and the PS3 gets selfish with Comet Crash. However, the 360 still gets a leg up on the PS3 with Velvet Assassin.
I’m naming Big City Rigs: Garbage Truck Driver as the Intriguing Title of the Week. Simply because it won’t be as interesting as one could hope, and one could hope that there would be a sanitation truck scenario (like the much talked about one in Saints Row 2) that allows you to drive around different neighborhoods spraying excrement from a hose.
| Title |
Publisher |
Rating |
Platforms |
| EVE Online |
Atari |
Teen |
PC, Online |
| Ghostbusters The Videogame |
Atari |
Teen |
PC, 360, PS3 |
| Ghostbusters The Videogame |
Atari |
Everyone |
DS |
| Little Shop - Memories |
RealNetworks |
Everyone |
Mac, PC |
| Major Minor's Majestic March |
Majesco |
Everyone |
Wii |
| Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst |
Activision-Blizzard |
Everyone 10+ |
PC |
| Resistance: Retribution |
Sony |
Mature |
PSP |
| World in Conflict Soviet Assault Expansion |
Ubisoft |
Teen |
PC |
| Jumpgate Evolution |
Codemasters |
Everyone 10+ |
PC |
| Autobahn Polizei |
Conspiracy |
Teen |
360 |
| Comet Crash |
Pelfast |
Everyone |
PS3 |
| Crazy Chicken - The Pharaoh's Treasure |
Mumbo Jumbo |
Everyone |
DS |
| Guitar Hero Metallica |
Activision-Blizzard |
Teen |
PS2, Wii |
| Jewel Quest Solitaire III |
iWin |
Everyone |
PC |
| Puzzle Quest: Galactrix |
Aspyr |
Everyone 10+ |
PC |
| Terminator Salvation |
Warner Bros. |
Teen |
PC, 360, PS3 |
| Velvet Assassin |
Southpeak |
Mature |
PC, 360 |
| Fabulous Finds |
ValuSoft |
Everyone |
PC |
| Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days |
NIS |
Teen |
PSP |
| World in Conflict: Soviet Assault |
Ubisoft |
Teen |
PC |
| Six Flags Fun Park |
Ubisoft |
Everyone 10+ |
Wii |
| Gold's Gym Cardio Workout |
Ubisoft |
Everyone |
Wii |
| Galactic Civilizations II: Ultimate Edition |
Stardock |
Everyone 10+ |
PC |
| Big City Rigs: Bus Driver |
ValuSoft |
Everyone |
PC |
| Big City Rigs: Garbage Truck Driver |
ValuSoft |
Everyone |
PC |
| Burger Island |
Destineer |
Everyone |
Wii |
| Bomberman Ultra |
Hudson |
Everyone |
PS3 |
| Toy World |
com2us |
Everyone |
Samsung TV |
| Scrabble: Champion Edition |
Encore |
Everyone |
PC |
| Roogoo Attack! |
Southpeak |
Everyone |
DS |
| Book of Legends |
21 Rocks |
Everyone |
Mac, PC |
| Bit.Trip Beat |
Aksys |
Everyone |
Wii, WiiWare |
| Cooking Dash |
Encore |
Everyone |
Mac, PC |
| Mysterious City: Golden Prague |
iWin |
Everyone |
PC |
| Monopoly Here & Now |
Encore |
Everyone |
PC |
| Flower |
Sony |
Everyone |
PS3 |
| Hasbro Family Game Night |
EA |
Everyone |
360 |
| Punch-Out!! |
Nintendo |
Everyone 10+ |
Wii |
| Crazy Chicken Star Karts |
Mumbo Jumbo |
Everyone |
DS |
| Cate West: The Vanishing Files |
Destineer |
Everyone 10+ |
Wii |
| BattleForge |
EA |
Teen |
PC |
| Fantasy Aquarium World |
Destineer |
Everyone |
Wii |
| Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars |
Rockstar |
Mature |
DS |
| Pony Friends 2 |
Eidos |
Everyone |
DS |
| Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 |
Namco Bandai |
Teen |
PS2, 360, PS3 |
Here’s the final tally on who, what and where everything was rated for last week. There were 45 rated titles on 11 platforms (since we’re counting Online and the Samsung TV): 360 (6), DS (6), Mac (3), PC (21), PS2 (2), PS3 (6), PSP (2), Samsung TV (1), Wii (7), and WiiWare (1). There were 32 of the 45 titles rated Everyone 10+ or lower, 10 rated Teen, and 3 titles (Resistance: Retribution for PSP, Velvet Assassin and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars) get all Mature on us.
The running tally of game ratings in 2009 is as follows:
| Rating |
Count |
| Everyone |
145 |
| Everyone 10+ |
35 |
| Teen |
53 |
| Mature |
13 |
| Adults Only |
0 |
Got a comment on the article or a rated game? Put it in the comments section 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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