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Think of the Children for May 14th

Think of the Children for May 14th

Written by Dan Keener on 5/14/2008 for DS   PC   PS2   PS3   PSP   Wii   360  
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I am starting to see a little more consistency from the rated titles coming out of the ESRB each week. For the second week in a row, we saw 37 titles get rated. Unfortunately, the quality does not appear to be keeping up with the quantity, as the DS and Wii platforms once again had several questionable titles get rated. The Next-gen systems were again lacking in overall numbers, but have the potential for several good titles to emerge. Finally, my weekly title of shame was a no-brainer, as not only is it an unnecessary title, but completely contradicts the spirit of the current marketing blitz for its platform.

Nintendo, what are you doing? Are you not able to work with your devs to come up with any fresh titles (that are good) for your platforms? I mean, you had a combined 16 titles rated for the DS and Wii, yet around half were sequels, rehashes for VC or the continued milking of “franchises”. Did we need more My Little Pony (DS) and Pet Adoption (DS) games? I won’t bash you for Kirby 64 and Space Invaders on the VC (or will it be WiiWare?), but Air Traffic Chaos (DS) and Major League Eating: The Game (Wii) don’t appear to be concepts that you hope to build a powerhouse franchise around.

It was a bit of a mixed bag for the Xbox 360 and PS3 this week, starting with both having NASCAR 09 (retail) and Bionic Commando Rearmed (XBLA/PSN) get rated. In addition, the PS3 had Suikoden and the Xbox 360 saw the retail titles Spectral Force 3 and Deadliest Catch Alaskan Storm as well as Asterix at the Olympic Games. Not sure if Asterix is slated for XBLA or retail, but it appears to be retail. This week’s group of games seems to have boom or bust written all over it. If EA spiffs up NASCAR with better technology, it could be a solid play. If the Deadliest Catch game can capture the magic of the television series, than it could be a sleeper hit. If Suikoden and Bionic Commandos stay true to form, then they will be solid if not great. And Spectral Force 3 looks like it may be able to fill gamers RPG cravings if it lives up to its potential. I will be looking forward to several of these when they become available.

An easy choice for the Title of shame this week, as Publisher Mastiff has unleashed Major League Eating: The Game for the Nintendo Wii. I mean really, will we be using the Wii remote to simulate dunking hot dog buns in water so they go down easier? I spent some time looking at screens and the specs on this game and came to the conclusion that it will probably be a stinker. I mean really, a competitive eating game? Isn’t Nintendo pushing hard to shed the image of fat lazy gamers by marketing games like Wii fit that are designed to make us healthier? Oh well, I guess money trumps image every time…


Title Publisher Rating Platforms
Asterix at the Olympic Games Atari, Inc. Everyone 10+ 360
Bionic Commando Rearmed Capcom Mature PC, 360, PS3
Deadliest Catch Alaskan Storm Liquid Dragon Studios LLC Teen PC, 360
Depths of Peril Masque Publishing Teen PC
Garfield: Lasagna World Tour Conspiracy Entertainment Corporation Everyone PS2
NASCAR 09 Electronic Arts Everyone 360, PS3, PS2
The Incredible Hulk Sega of America, Inc. Teen PC, PS2, Wii
Tom Clancy's EndWar Ubisoft Entertainment Teen PSP
The Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes Legacy Interactive Everyone 10+ Mac, PC
My Little Pony Pinkie Pie's Party ValuSoft Everyone DS
Major League Eating: The Game Mastiff Everyone 10+ Wii
Dungeon Runners NCsoft Teen PC
Big Beach Sports THQ Everyone Wii
Cake Mania: Baker's Challenge Destineer Everyone PS2, PSP
LostWinds Frontier Developments Everyone Wii
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 SCEA Everyone PSP
Supreme Ruler 2020 Paradox Interactive Everyone 10+ PC
Suikoden SCEA Everyone PSP, PS3
Space Invaders TAITO Corporation Everyone Wii
Spectral Force 3 Atlus USA, Inc. Teen 360
SPOGS Racing™ D2C Games, Inc. Everyone PC, PSP, Wii
Pet Adoption Center Ubisoft Entertainment Everyone DS
PictoImage Sega of America Everyone DS
Piglet's Big Game Encore, Inc. Everyone PC
SCRABBLE - Journey Encore, Inc. Everyone PC
Secret Agent Clank SCEA Everyone 10+ PSP
Smart Boys 2 UFO Interactive Games Everyone DS
Smart Girls 2 UFO Interactive Games Everyone DS
X-Plane 9 Graphsim Entertainment Everyone PC
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards Nintendo of America Everyone Wii
Ford Racing Off Road Strategy First Everyone PC
Mega Man Star Force 2 Zerker X Ninja Capcom Everyone DS
Mega Man Star Force 2 Zerker X Saurian Capcom Everyone DS
Midnight Play! Pack Ubisoft Entertainment Teen DS
Air Traffic Chaos Majesco Entertainment Everyone DS
Falcon 4: Allied Force Graphsim Entertainment Teen PC
Crazy Machines 2 Viva-Media, LLC Everyone PC
Here is the final tally on who, what and where everything was rated for the last week. There were 37 rated titles on eight platforms. PC (14), DS (9), Wii (7), PSP (6) and 360 (5) had the most games rated. There were 28 of the 37 titles rated at E10+ or lower, eight rated at T for Teen and just one (Bionic Commando Rearmed) 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 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…

* The product in this article was sent to us by the developer/company.


About Author

Like many gamers in their 40's, I developed my love of gaming from my Commodore 64 after we wore out our Intellivision. I spent countless hours wandering around the streets of Skara Brae, as my life was immersed in The Bard's Tale series on the C-64, D&D Titles and any/all Epyx titles (California Summer and Winter Games) and sports titles.  After taking the early 90's off from gaming (college years) minus the occasional Bill Walsh College Football on Sega, I was re-introduced to PC games in the mid 1990's with a couple of little games called DOOM II and Diablo. I went all-in with the last generation of consoles, getting an Xbox 360 on launch weekend as well as adding a PS3 and Wii in subsequent years.  I now am into the current-generation (latest?) of consoles with the WiiU and Xbox One.  Recently, I was able to get back into PC gaming and have enjoyed it very much, spending most of my time going solo or playing with my fellow GamingNexus staffers in controlled multiplayer action.

While my byline is on many reviews, articles and countless news stories, I have a passion for and spent the last several years at GamingNexus focusing on audio & video and accessories as they relate to gaming. Having over 20 years of Home Theater consulting and sales under my belt, it is quite enjoyable to spend some of my time viewing gaming through the A/V perspective. While I haven't yet made it to one of the major gaming conventions (PAX or E3), I have represented GamingNexus at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in nine of the last ten years.

Personally, I have been a staff member at GamingNexus since 2006 and am in my third tour of duty after taking off the last year and a half.


 

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