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Think of the Children for January 23rd

Think of the Children for January 23rd

Written by Dan Keener on 1/23/2008 for DS   PC   PS2   PS3   PSP   Wii   360  
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We are back on a regular schedule now that holidays and vacations have passes, and the ESRB didn’t disappoint. There were 36 rated titles this week, including quite a few with little to no buzz. The biggest surprise may have been the relative weakness of the DS titles, with just five rated including two movie tie-ins and an almost 15 year old game (MYST). The next-gen titles, much like the DS showed weakness in quality, although there were several new ratings. Another surprise was the PC and Mac segments, as the PC once again led the way with 21 titles and the Mac had a surprising five rated titles.

Wow, what a difference a few weeks make. Leading into the Holiday season, the DS and Wii were dominating the title ratings, with tons of releases getting rated weekly. Well, now that the Holiday push is behind us, the DS and Wii are back to middle of the road status. The DS had five title rated including the 15-year-old MYST and two movie tie-ins (Iron Man and the Spiderwick Chronicles). The Wii was only slightly better with a couple of ports, Spiderwick and SEGA Tennis Superstars among others. All in all, it was a poor showing for the sales leader in both console and handheld markets.

Unlike Nintendo, the PC and Mac market continue their strong push with not only casual games, but full retail titles. The PC saw anticipated titles such as Sudden Strike 3, Penumbra-Black Plague and Neverwinter Nights 2: Mystery of Westgate. The Mac titles were mostly casual games such as Yahtzee Texas Hold ‘Em and Gamehouse Solitaire Challenge. Regardless, I have seen a distinct shift toward the PC market over the last couple of months.

The next-gen system(s) had a few games rated, with the Xbox 360 having five and the Playstation 3 a pathetic two. They both saw the SEGA Superstars Tennis and Dragonball Z: Burst Limit (which was the extent of games for the PS3.) The 360 saw upcoming XBLA titles Frogger 2, Ikaruga and the movie tie-in The Spiderwick Chronicles. All-in-all, it was a pretty lame week for next-gen consoles. Let’s hope it gets better as the month progresses.

For the second week in a row, the ESRB ratings held several surprises and quite a few games I haven’t heard much buzz on lately for the Xbox 360 and PS3. Games rated include Frogger 2 (360), Ikaruga (360) and a tie-in with The Spiderwick Chronicles (both). Another rated title that caught my eye was FPS Creator. Apparently, it allows you to create Direct x10 games for Vista. It costs $69.99, while full info can be found at http://www.fpscreatorx10.com/.

 
Title Publisher Rating Platforms
Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit Atari, Inc. T 360, PS3
FPS Creator X10 The Game Creators LTD T PC
Galactic Dream: Rage of War Strategy First E10+ PC
Iron Man SEGA of America E10+ DS
Lost in Blue 3 Konami Digital Entertainment E10+ DS
Penumbra-Black Plague Paradox Interactive M PC
Plant Tycoon Game Mill Entertainment E PC
SunAge Lighthouse Interactive T PC
Biathlon 2008 Conspiracy Entertainment Corporation E PS2
Double Sequence: The Q Virus Invasion Destination Software, Inc. E DS
Forgotten Riddles: The Mayan Princess Activision Value Publishing E PC
GameHouse Solitaire Challenge RealNetworks E Mac, PC, Browser
Joboo's Gems Astound Studios LLC E PC
Samurai Warriors 2 Xtreme Legends KOEI Corporation T PS2
SEGA Superstars Tennis™ Sega of America E10+ PS2, 360, Wii, PS3
Super Jigsaw Adorable Animals 2 RealNetworks E Mac, PC
The Spiderwick Chronicles Vivendi Games E10+ PC, PS2, 360, Wii
The Spiderwick Chronicles Vivendi Games E10+ DS
Turbo Pizza Elephant Entertainment E PC
Yahtzee™ Texas Hold'em RealNetworks E Mac, PC
Azada Activision Value Publishing E PC
Ikaruga TREASURE Co., Ltd. E 360
Miss Management Brighter Minds Media T Mac, PC
Polly Pride: Pet Detective iWin, Inc. E Mac, PC, Browser
The History Channel: Lost Worlds Activision Value Publishing E PC
Cybernator Hudson Entertainment Inc E10+ Wii
Adventures of LOLO 2 Nintendo E Wii
Fritz X Chess Viva-Media, LLC E PC
Frogger 2 Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. E 360
Stranger CDV Software Entertainment USA T PC
Sudden Strike 3: Arms for Victory CDV Software Entertainment USA T PC
Heavenly Guardian UFO Interactive Games E Wii
Paws and Claws: Pet Vet Down Under ValuSoft E PC
Pac-Attack Namco Hometek E Wii
Myst Empire Interactive E DS
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mystery of Westgate Atari, Inc. T PC

Here is the final tally on who, what and where everything was rated for the last two weeks. There were 36 rated entries on eight platforms. Windows PC (21), Nintendo Wii (6), Xbox 360 (5) and Mac (5) had the most games rated. There were 27 of the 36 games were rated at E10+ or lower, eight rated at T for Teen and one rated at M for Mature.

Got a comment on the rated games, put it in the section below.  Until next week, make sure you know what your kids are playing……

* 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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