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Think of the Children for October 15

Think of the Children for October 15

Written by Dan Keener on 10/15/2008 for DS   PC   PS2   PS3   PSP   Wii   360  
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After several weeks of hectic schedules and knocking out multiple weeks, it is nice to get back to the intimacy of looking a single week of rated titles. There were only 35 total titles, but several “name” titles are included. In addition, one of the stalwart platforms had a very surprising week by basically no-showing. The 360 and PS3 had another strong week both in quantity and quality. My intriguing title of the week is a game that I’m thinking most people will either love or hate. Check it out below…

Usually I spend the first paragraph either lamenting or chastising Nintendo for the shovelware that usually ends up on the DS and Wii. This week, I have to give the DS a break, because only THREE titles were rated for it. That is the single lowest amount since I started writing the article over a year ago. Those games (Imagine Ballet Star, Jake Power Policeman and Girl Time) don’t exactly break the mold of what we usually see, but the lack of volume is surprising. The Wii on the other hand kept up the tradition, with 12 titles, the majority of which do little to break the mold of second rate third-party titles that are cranked out and suck in the money of helpless parents and tweens everywhere. For the life of me, I still do not understand why the Wii does so well with the catalog of games that have been assembled for it…

After Sony’s little coming out party last week, I didn’t think they would have much left in the tank. Well, I was dead wrong, as they not only had another six titles rated, but included in that was the sequel to one of the best game on the platform: MotorStorm: Pacific Rift. In addition, other games rated were Street Fighter Alpha 2 and Soldner-X: Himmelssturmer. Games that were rated for both the PS3 and Xbox 360 were Shaun White Snowboarding, SBK Superbike World Championship and Mirror's Edge. The 360 had two non-PS3 titles rated in Left 4 Dead and You're In The Movies. Overall, this list is a pretty good lineup this week with some games that people are looking forward to and not a lot of fluff.

The Intriguing Title of the Week is “You're In The Movies” for the Xbox 360. I watched the E3 press event that showcased this game and wasn’t quite sure how I should react. My initial reaction was that it looks pretty weak and would get old faster than a marathon of Shirley MacLain films. However, it does appear to have a sliver of potential in a party atmosphere where people are heavily inebriated. I’m thinking maybe even in family time with someone the caliber of Ned Flanders, the Cleavers or Truman Burbank. Otherwise as Forest Gump said in his movie, “Stupid is as Stupid Does…”

Title Publisher Rating Platforms
100,000 Games MPS Multimedia, Inc. Everyone 10+ PC
55,000 Games MPS Multimedia, Inc. Everyone 10+ PC
Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile DreamCatcher Teen PC
Championship Foosball 505 Games Everyone Wii
Imagine Ballet Star Ubisoft Everyone DS
Neighborhood Games ValuSoft Inc. Everyone Wii
Sandy Beach Konami Digital Entertainment Everyone Wii
Sonic Unleashed SEGA Everyone 10+ PS2, Wii
The Three Stooges: Treasure Hunt Hijinx eGames Inc Everyone Mac, PC
Wizard101 KingsIsle Entertainment Everyone 10+ PC
Left 4 Dead Electronic Arts Mature PC, 360
Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos eGames Inc Everyone PC
Fun! Fun! Minigolf Shin'en Multimedia GmbH Everyone Wii
Deadly Creatures THQ Inc Teen Wii
Europa Universalis III Complete Paradox Interactive Everyone 10+ PC
American McGee's Grimm: The Fisherman And His Wife Spicy Horse Teen PC
AMF Bowling: World Lanes Vir2l Studios Everyone Wii
Jake Power Policeman Ubisoft Everyone DS
MotorStorm: Pacific Rift SCEA Teen PS3
Street Fighter Alpha 2 SCEA Teen PSP, PS3
PBR Out of the Chute D2C Games, Inc. Everyone 10+ PC, PSP
Planet Pachinko Allied Kingdoms Inc. Everyone Wii
Petz Sports Ubisoft Everyone PC, Wii
Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals Got Game Entertainment, LLC Teen PC
Soldner-X: Himmelssturmer EastAsiaSoft Everyone PS3
SPRay Tecmo, Ltd. Everyone 10+ Wii
Shaun White Snowboarding Ubisoft Teen PC, 360, PS3
Hired Guns: The Jagged Edge Tri Synergy Inc. Teen PC
Girl Time ValuSoft Inc. Everyone DS
Cesar Milan's Dog Whisperer Ubisoft Everyone PC
Etch A Sketch Mumbo Jumbo Everyone PC
Battle Rage: The Robot Wars Destineer Everyone 10+ Wii
Mirror's Edge™ Electronic Arts Teen PC, 360, PS3
SBK Superbike World Championship Conspiracy Everyone 10+ PC, PS2, PSP, 360, Wii, PS3
You're In The Movies Microsoft Everyone 360

Here is the final tally on who, what and where everything was rated for last week. There were 35 rated titles on eight platforms. PC (18), Wii (12), PS3 (6) and 360 (5) had the most games rated. There were 25 of the 35 titles rated at E10+ or lower, 9 rated at T for Teen and one (Left 4 Dead) 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.

* 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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