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Think of the Children for October 29th

Think of the Children for October 29th

Written by Dan Keener on 10/30/2008 for DS   PC   PS2   PS3   PSP   Wii   360  
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I stand corrected. Last week, I lamented about the lack of titles and speculated that maybe the majority of titles for the Holiday rush was behind us. However, the ESRB and game publishers have proven me wrong (partially), as some 53 titles were rated in the last week. As expected, the PC, Wii and DS dominated the lists, and it appears that many kids will be very happy this holiday season. As for the 360 and PlayStation 3, they are still showing some life with quite a few titles rated this week. My intriguing title of the week was greeted with mainly a negative reaction when it was announced and still has me wondering about the final answer to all sorts of questions.

Like most weeks, the mass ratings for the PC, Wii and DS include lots of franchises that are getting milked like the best cow on the barnyard. However, there are still those hidden nuggets that are coming in. This week some of the potential better titles rated were C.O.R.E. (DS), SPORE Creepy & Cute Parts Pack (PC). Sniper: Art of Victory (PC), Prince of Persia (PC), Heist (PS), Battlefield Heroes (PC) and Family Fest Presents Movie Games (Wii). It is amazing that places like Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Gamestop have any shelf space left with the sheer amount of titles that keep getting pumped out for these three platforms.

The majority of the titles for the PS3 and 360 that were rated are shared amongst both consoles, but Microsoft and SCEA did get in the act a bit with a couple of exclusives. However, the following titles showed up this week for both: Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Heist, X Blades, Prince of Persia, NCAA Basketball 09 and AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack. Microsoft and the 360 saw Scene It? Box Office Smash! Exclusively for that console, while SCEA and the PS3 had Alone in the Dark Inferno, SingStar Vol. 2 and The Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion Set 3. So the list has nothing of enormous star power, yet is loaded with quite a few titles that have solid fan bases. A good showing that I hope will continue through the end of the year.

The Intriguing Title of the Week is “AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack” by MTV Games for the 360, PS3, Wii and PS2. There are a lot of reasons to purchase this (about 16), yet too many questions remain including it being sold exclusively at Wal-Mart, a $40 price point, how it will integrate with the game on each system and it being a physical media (not DLC). Personally I may be tempted to pick it up, but with so many great songs and albums that have come out recently, it is a tough pill to pay $40 for songs when I do not have the ability to pick and choose the ones I want to get.

 
 
Title Publisher Rating Platforms
Alone in the Dark Inferno Atari Mature PS3
Bratz Kidz The Game Factory Aps Everyone DS, Wii
Dancing with the Stars: We Dance! Activision-Blizzard Everyone 10+ DS, Wii
Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell + DGamer Disney Interactive Studios Everyone DS
Monkey Mischief: Party Time Activision-Blizzard Everyone 10+ Wii
Prince of Persia Ubisoft Teen PC, 360, PS3
SPORE Creepy & Cute Parts Pack Electronic Arts Everyone 10+ Mac, PC
The Witcher Enhanced Edition Atari Mature PC
Tumblebugs Mumbo Jumbo Everyone PC
X Blades Southpeak Games Mature PC, 360, PS3
WordJong Party Destineer Everyone Wii
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix CAPCOM Teen 360, PS3
Mytran Wars Koch Media Teen PSP
Fashion Dash Encore Software Everyone Mac, PC
Fashion Rush Echoplay Everyone PC
Deer Drive Mastiff LLC Teen Wii
Burger Shop Brighter Minds Media Everyone Mac, PC, Web Browser
Battlefield Heroes Electronic Arts Teen PC
Beauty Factory City Interactive S.A. Everyone PC
Cake Mania: In The Mix! Majesco Entertainment Everyone Wii
Dungeon Maker II: The Hidden War UFO Interactive Games Everyone 10+ PSP
M&M's Adventures Zoo Games, Inc. Everyone DS, PS2, Wii
Sniper: Art of Victory City Interactive S.A. Mature PC
SAS: Secure Tomorrow City Interactive S.A. Mature PC
The Nightshift Code Encore Software Everyone Mac, PC
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition: Director's Cut Atari Mature PC
NCAA Basketball 09 Electronic Arts Everyone PS2, 360, PS3
Heist™ Codemasters Mature PC, 360, PS3
Eternal Poison Atlus USA, Inc. Teen PS2
Everlight: Of Magic and Power DreamCatcher Teen PC
Crosswords For Dummies Electronic Arts Everyone PC
Chess For Dummies Electronic Arts Everyone PC
Tiki Towers RealNetworks Everyone Wii
Scene It? Box Office Smash! Microsoft Teen 360
SingStar Vol. 2 SCEA Teen PS3
Space Trader - Merchant Marine Meridian 4 Teen PC
Strong Bad Episode 3 Baddest of the Bands Telltale Games Everyone 10+ Wii
Suikoden Tierkreis Konami Digital Entertainment Everyone 10+ DS
The Sims 2 Mansion and Garden Stuff Electronic Arts Teen PC
C.O.R.E. Graffiti Entertainment Mature DS
Battle of Giants: Dinosaurs Ubisoft Everyone DS
AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack MTV Games Teen PS2, 360, Wii, PS3
Hidden Mysteries: Buckingham Palace: Secrets of Kings & Queens GameMill Entertainment Everyone Mac, PC
Family Fest Presents Movie Games Ubisoft Everyone 10+ Wii
My Stop Smoking Coach with Allen Carr Ubisoft Everyone DS
Lost Secrets: Bermuda Triangle: Unsolved Mysteries GameMill Entertainment Everyone Mac, PC
Martine a la Ferme Aspyr Media, Inc. Everyone DS
Martine a la Montagne Aspyr Media, Inc. Everyone DS
My Horse & Me 2 Atari Everyone DS
Moon Mastiff LLC Teen DS
Avatar The Last Airbender: The Path of Zuko ValuSoft Inc. Everyone Mac, PC
USA TODAY: Puzzle Craze Destineer Everyone DS
The Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion Set 3 SCEA Teen PS3

Here is the final tally on who, what and where everything was rated for last week. There were 53 rated titles on nine platforms. PC (23), DS (13), Wii (11), PS3 (9), 360 (7) and Mac (7) had the most games rated. There were 31 of the 53 titles rated at E10+ or lower, 14 rated at T for Teen and eight (C.O.R.E., SAS: Secure Tomorrow, Sniper: Art of Victory, The Witcher Enhanced Edition & Director’s Cut. Heist, X Blades and Alone in the Dark Inferno) 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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