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Think of the Children for December 31

Think of the Children for December 31

Written by Dan Keener on 12/31/2008 for DS   PC   PS3   PSP   Wii   360  
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After taking a week off due to the Holidays and the ESRB having little content out, we are back with the latest and greatest rated titles. The big three were prolific, with a combined 30 of the titles. The Xbox 360 and PS3 also had a strong two-week period, while the intriguing titles were a bit on the strange side.

Despite the two-week holiday period, the PC, Wii and DS platforms has a surprisingly long list of titles. Some of the potential Guitar Hero Modern Hits (DS), Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (DS, Wii), Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game Squadrons Over Corellia (PC), Heroes of Might and Magic V (PC) and Strong Bad Episode 5 8-Bit Is Enough (Wii). Not overwhelming, but it also it wasn’t littered with the girl power and casual titles we usually see.

The Xbox 360 and PS3 had quite a few rated titles, primarily on the strength of the PS3 with several episodes of Gran Turismo TV rated. The ESRB saw fit to rate each TV episode separately, as they range from E10+ - Teen. In addition, the PS3 saw Burn Zombie Burn rated. Both consoles had the following titles: Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, Street Fighter IV, CellFactor: Psychokinetic Wars, The Godfather II, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, and Wheelman. The Xbox 360 also had Stoked on the list. Overall, not a bad group for the two-week holiday period, showing that us gamers do have a few things to look for over the winter months in 2009.

My intriguing title(s) of the week are the Gran Turismo TV segments that were rated individually. I am curious is Sony submitted them to be rated, or if the ESRB went ahead on their own and decided to rate them. The previews for each can be fond at ESRB.org and it is an interesting read. But it is a bit surprising that the episodes were rated in such detail individually for in-game content. I don’t recall the mini-games in Bully SE getting rated or PGR3 getting rated.

Title Publisher Rating
Platforms
Gran Turismo TV - Top Gear S6EP10 SCEA Teen PS3
Gran Turismo TV - Top Gear S6EP3 SCEA Everyone 10+ PS3
Gran Turismo TV - Top Gear S6EP5 SCEA Everyone 10+ PS3
Gran Turismo TV - Top Gear S6EP6 SCEA Teen PS3
Gran Turismo TV - Top Gear S6EP7 SCEA Everyone 10+ PS3
Gran Turismo TV - Top Gear S6EP8 SCEA Teen PS3
Gran Turismo TV - Top Gear S6EP9 SCEA Teen PS3
Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game Squadrons Over Corellia SOE Everyone 10+ PC
Street Fighter IV CAPCOM Teen 360, PS3
The Dark Eye: Drakensang ValuSoft Inc. Teen PC
The Godfather II Electronic Arts Mature PC, 360, PS3
Wheelman Midway Home Entertainment Teen PC, 360, PS3
Secrets of Margrave Manor Mumbo Jumbo Everyone 10+ PC
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin Warner Bros. Mature PC, 360, PS3
Commander In Chief - Geo-Political Simulator IGS Inc. Mature PC
Eduardo the Samurai Toaster Semnat Studios, LLC Everyone Wii
FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Echoes of Time Square Enix, Inc Everyone 10+ DS, Wii
Guitar Hero Modern Hits Activision-Blizzard Everyone 10+ DS
Heroes of Might and Magic V Encore Software Teen PC
Jenny's Fish Shop Viva Media LLC Everyone PC
Magic Encyclopedia Viva Media LLC Everyone PC
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection SEGA Everyone 10+ 360, PS3
SplashFighters CyberStep Everyone 10+ PC
Pharaoh's Secret RealNetworks Everyone PC
Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? NIS America, Inc. Teen PSP
The House of the Dead: Overkill SEGA Mature Wii
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse Konami Everyone Wii
Hammerin' Hero Atlus USA, Inc. Everyone 10+ PSP
Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume Square Enix, Inc Teen DS
Wild West Quest Digital Brandplay LLC Everyone 10+ PC
Stoked Destineer Teen 360
CellFactor: Psychokinetic Wars Ubisoft Teen 360, PS3
Coraline D3Publisher of America Everyone 10+ PS2, Wii
Don King Boxing 2K Games Teen DS
Burn Zombie Burn Pinnacle Mature PS3
Carnival Games MiniGolf 2K Games Everyone Wii
Strong Bad Episode 5 8-Bit Is Enough Telltale Games Everyone 10+ Wii
Party Fun Pirate! TOMY Corporation Everyone Wii
TrackMania DS Atlus USA, Inc. Everyone DS
A Vampyre Story DreamCatcher Teen PC
DQ Tycoon GameMill Entertainment Everyone Mac, PC
ER Mania GameMill Entertainment Everyone Mac, PC
Mortimer Beckett and the Time Paradox RealNetworks Everyone Mac, PC
Rhythm Heaven Nintendo Everyone DS

Here is the final tally on who, what and where everything was rated for last week. There were 58 rated titles on just eight platforms. PC (17), PS3 (14), Wii (8), 360 (7) and DS (6) had the most games rated as expected. There were 25 of the 58 titles rated at E10+ or lower, 14 rated at T for Teen and five (Commander In Chief - Geo-Political Simulator, The Godfather II, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, Burn Zombie Burn and The House of the Dead: Overkill) 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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