We're looking for new writers to join us!

Think of the Children for July 30th

Think of the Children for July 30th

Written by Dan Keener on 7/30/2008 for DS   PC   PS2   PS3   PSP   Wii   360  
More On: Think of the Children
Now this is the type of week I hope to see every time I pull the ratings. Not only were there a good amount of games rated, but they are highly anticipated games to boot. With E3 in the rear view mirror, quite a few games that were shown on the floor and behind closed doors are finally getting rated and finding release dates. The PS3 and 360 had both quantity and quality and one of the best weeks of rated titles hat I can remember. Lastly, the intriguing title of the week may be the game that the Wii remote was perfectly designed for.

It was the same old same old for the PC and DS platforms, with a wide swath of titles to choose from. Whether you are a fan of puzzles games (Brain Quest Grades 3, 4, 5, 6 – DS), Old school arcade titles (Rampage and Total Carnage – PC) or just a blatant money grab (Shrek's Carnival Craze Party Games – DS) there was a title for you. My personal favorite out of this bunch (simply for the name) was Real Networks Damn Beavers! for play on the PC.

This was simply a monster week for the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3. Both platforms had nine rated titles including following shared games: World in Conflict: Soviet Assault, Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon, Eternal Sonata, NHL 2K9, Pure and Guitar Hero World Tour. In addition, the PS3 saw a trifecta of games from SCEA called SIREN: Blood Curse - Bundle 1, Bundle 2 and Bundle 3 be rated. The Xbox 360 saw two exclusives and an all time favorite in Gears of War 2, Viva Piñata: Trouble In Paradise and Duke Nukem 3D. By far, this is the best showing for the 360 and PS3 in a single week from both a quantity and quality standpoint that. The games for the most part are outstanding, and the confirmation of Duke Nukem 3D for XBLA is just icing on the cake.

The Intriguing Title of the Week is Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels for the Nintendo Wii. If ever there was a game that was designed to use the Wii remote properly, it would be any game where you get to wield a lightsaber. From checking out the E3 trailer, the game looks like a load of fun for local multiplayer, and has decent graphics (for the Wii standards) to boot. This is the type of game that could push me over the edge to seek out a Wii. All I want to know is if you could play as General Grievous, could you wield multiple Wii remotes and skip the Nunchuk? Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels currently has a release date of November 2008.[Editors note: during the Clone Wars presentation it was mentioned that the game will support the new WiiMote Plus features for better control in the game]

Title Publisher Rating Platforms
AWAY Shuffle Dungeon Majesco Entertainment Everyone 10+ DS
Duke Nukem 3D 3D Realms Mature 360
Avatar: The Last Airbender - Into the Inferno THQ Everyone 10+ PS2, Wii
Cate West - The Vanishing Files RealNetworks Everyone 10+ PC
NHL 2K9 2K Sports Everyone 10+ 360, Wii, PS3
Rock Revolution Konami Everyone 10+ DS
Shrek's Carnival Craze Party Games Activision Value Everyone DS
TNA iMPACT! Wrestling Midway Teen PS2, Wii
World in Conflict: Soviet Assault Vivendi Games Teen 360, PS3
My Aquarium Hudson Entertainment Inc Everyone Wii
Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir Nintendo Everyone DS
Legend of Kage 2 Square Enix Everyone 10+ DS
Gears of War 2 Microsoft Mature 360
Guitar Hero World Tour Activision Teen PC, 360, PS3
Brain Quest Grades 3 & 4 Electronic Arts Everyone DS
Brain Quest Grades 5 & 6 Electronic Arts Everyone DS
Dinosaurz Ubisoft Everyone DS
8 Ball Allstars Oxygen Games Everyone DS
High School Musical - All in One Video Game G2 JAKKS Pacific Inc. Everyone Plug-and-Play
Minigame Pack TV Edition com2us Everyone Samsung TV (model Pavv Bordo)
Viva Piñata: Trouble In Paradise Microsoft Everyone 360
SIREN: Blood Curse - Bundle 1 SCEA Mature PS3
SIREN: Blood Curse - Bundle 2 SCEA Mature PS3
SIREN: Blood Curse - Bundle 3 SCEA Mature PS3
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels LucasArts Teen Wii
Pipe Mania Empire Interactive Everyone DS
Pure Disney Interactive Studios Everyone PC, 360, PS3
State Shift Conspiracy Everyone PSP
The Game of Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition ValuSoft Everyone Macintosh, PC
Mount & Blade Paradox Interactive Teen PC
Hannah Montana - All in One Video Game G2 JAKKS Pacific Inc. Everyone Plug-and-Play
Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon THQ Teen 360, PS3
Dam Beavers! RealNetworks Everyone Macintosh, PC, Web Browser
DT Carnage AGETEC Everyone 10+ PS2
Bella Sara Codemasters Everyone PC, DS
My Secret Diary Oxygen Games Everyone DS
Rampage Midway Everyone PC
Total Carnage Midway Teen PC
Eternal Sonata Namco Bandai Teen 360, PS3

 

Here is the final tally on who, what and where everything was rated for the last two weeks. There were 54 rated titles on 11 platforms. DS (12), 360 (9), PS3 (9), PC (9) and Wii (5) had the most games rated. There were 26 of the 54 titles rated at E10+ or lower, 8 rated at T for Teen and 5 (Gears of War 2, Duke Nukem 3D and SIREN: Blood Curse - Bundle 1, 2 and 3) 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.


 

View Profile