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Think of the Children for April 30th

Think of the Children for April 30th

Written by Dan Keener on 4/30/2008 for DS   PC   PS2   PS3   PSP   Wii   360  
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Last week was another good week of rated titles from the ESRB, as we had not only quantity, but some serious quality too. One of the most anticipated games of the year was rated for the Xbox 360 and PS3, as well as one of the most eyebrow raising titles. PC and DS took the lead again with their incessant throwing of titles against the proverbial sales wall and seeing what sticks.

Lots of titles for the PC and DS, and most appear to be the usual bevy of casual titles and junk tossed out to see who will be sucker enough to plunk down $29.99 for it. There really isn’t a lot to get excited about except maybe the small screen transition of Viva Piñata Pocket Paradise (DS). There are simply way too many goofy titles like Polar Golfer Pineapple Cup (PC) and Mister Slime (DS) to take much that is developed for these platforms seriously anymore.

While the Xbox 360 and PS3 had several heavyweight common titles rated this week, there was one that stands out as being most anticipated. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed with its breakthrough physics was set up wit a ‘T for Teen rating from the ESRB. In addition, the two consoles also saw the “was it a necessity eyebrow raising” Guitar Hero Aerosmith, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars and Battlefield: Bad Company rated. All were also tagged with the capital ‘T’. The Playstation 3 had echochrome and the Xbox 360 had Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm to round out the next gen titles.

It was pretty easy to pick a title of shame this week, with Emoticons taking the honors. While the game can be fine and addicting, bringing it from a free game in the casual setting of a Social
atmosphere (Facebook) into the full retail world for PC is not the way to do it. In addition, now that the retail version for PC has launched, developer IQ212 has made rumblings of punking your free Emoticons versions for Facebook with some ads. I understand the need to make a buck, but to create a cutesy free game (think any puzzle game where you make matches only using Emoticons) and then pulling the rug out from people that have been playing it ad-free is not the best way to keep the buzz going in my opinion.


Title Publisher Rating Platforms
echochrome SCEA E PS3
Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom SEGA of America E Wii
Super Dodge Ball Aksys Games E Wii
Turbo Subs Elephant Entertainment E PC
V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack High Voltage Software, Inc. T Wii
Viva Pinata Pocket Paradise THQ E DS
WALL•E Heavy Iron Studios E Mac, PC, PS2, PSP, DS
The Incredible Hulk Sega of America E10+ DS
Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis DreamCatcher E10+ PC
Battlefield: Bad Company Electronic Arts T 360, PS3
Inca Quest Brighter Minds Media E PC
Magnetica Twist Nintendo E Wii
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2 NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. T PSP
Nertz Solitaire Brighter Minds Media E PC
Amazing Adventures: The Lost Tomb PopCap Games, Inc. E PC
Rock Blast UFO Interactive Games E DS
Rohan: Blood Feud YNK Interactive Inc. M PC
Pogo™ Addiction Solitaire Electronic Arts E Mac, PC
Rain Drops UFO Interactive Games E DS
Reversal Challenge UFO Interactive Games E DS
Stand O Food Brighter Minds Media E PC
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed LucasArts T 360, PS3
Super Dodgeball Brawlers Aksys Games E DS
Polar Golfer Pineapple Cup MumboJumbo E PC
Polar Pool MumboJumbo E PC
Pop Nnooo E Wii
River City Ransom Aksys Games E10+ Wii
Blast Miner Masque Publishing E Mac, PC
Buzz! Junior RoboJam SCEA E PS2
Emoticons iQ212, Inc. E PC, Web Browser
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Activision T 360, PS3
Family Ping Pong Aksys Games E Wii
Chocolatier 2: Secret Ingredients Encore, Inc. E10+ Mac, PC
Diner Dash: Hometown Hero Encore, Inc. E Mac, PC
Mister Slime Southpeak Games E DS
Imagine Rock Star Ubisoft Entertainment E DS
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Red Octane T 360, PS3, PS2, Wii
Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm SEGA of America M PC, 360
Hello Kitty: Big City Dreams Empire Interactive E DS

Here is the final tally on who, what and where everything was rated for the last week. There were 39 rated titles on nine platforms. PC (16), DS (10), Wii (8), 360 (5), PS3 (5) and Mac (5) had the most games rated. There were 31 of the 39 titles rated at E10+ or lower, five rated at T for Teen and two 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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