Think of the Children for January 28th

Written by Randy Kalista on 1/27/2009 for DS   PC   PS2   PS3   PSP   Wii   360  

Forty more games in the bag for the ESRB this past week. And if desktop gaming is dead then somebody forgot to tell the PC developers -- because PCs are putting more games in front of the ESRB than any other platform. The 360 is at a reasonable 2nd place, but skips out on games like Word Whomp Underground and Brain Games Mahjongg

This week’s best bet goes to Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and the Damned. Try to mask your surprise. But it’s about time we get to see what happens when you give Take Two $50 million and ask for 360-exclusive DLC. I guarantee you I’ll be there assessing the damage.

For cross-console hand-holding between the 360 and PS3, both platforms will be playing Puzzle Quest Galactrix, Guitar Hero: Metallica, Crystal Defenders, Heroes Over Europe, Resident Evil 5, Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires and WWE Legends of WrestleMania.

This week’s ‘intriguing title’ is Lux-Pain (not to be confused with any deluxe revamp of the Max Payne series). It’s a text-based adventure game in which you follow a character through a storyline laced with an epidemic. The characters discuss murder, vehicular deaths, and group suicides -- “I’m starting to make sense of mass suicides”. One sexually suggestive line goes, “Gather all the hot girls and dress them in maid outfits!”

Of course, Mata Hari is rather intriguing as well. The real Mata Hari was Dutch exotic dancer and prostitute (and WWI spy) Margarete Zelle. Dialogue options can run along the lines of “seduction by dismissing,” “seduction by dancing” and “seduction by flattery,” etc. While it all depends on how the subject matter is handled, both Lux-Pain and Mata Hari are both rated Teen. Sam & Max and Strong Bad may hold the current point-and-click spotlight, but more adventurous adventure games continue to explore unique territory.

Here’s the final tally on who, what and where everything was rated for last week. There were 40 rated titles on eight platforms: 360 (11), DS (5), Mac (3), PC (15), PS2 (3), PS3 (9), PSP (3), Wii (9). There were 31 of the 40 titles rated Everyone 10+ or lower, 11 rated Teen, and two (Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and the Damned, and Resident Evil 5) rated M for Mature.

The running tally of game ratings in 2009 is as follows:

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.