It looks like we are finally getting out of the doldrums, as this is the second solid week in a row for rated titles by the ESRB. Of course, with the Spring movies starting to get cranked up, game tie ins are starting to become regulars on the list. We also saw one of the highly anticipated titles that is coming get rated, but on the unlikeliest of the platforms.
As I mentioned above, we starting to see movie tie-in games regularly now and this week we had the rating of Wall-E and The Incredible Hulk. These were both for the 360 and PS3, with Wall-E also for the Wii. This should be an interesting version of the Hulk, seeing as how 2005’s The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction was a free roaming sandbox style game. Let’s hope it isn’t another lame follow-the-path game like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or X-men.
The PC and Nintendo platforms had lots of games, including some with some actual substance. The list is lead by Tom Clancy’s EndWar being rated (T) for the DS, and also includes Donkey Kong Country 3 (Wii), FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES My Life as a King (Wii), Final Fantasy IV (DS), Dr. Mario Wii (Wii) and Metal Slug (Wii). There is a real good variety (including the usual drivel) of titles this week for to satisfy any type of gamer.
The next-gen (current gen?) platforms recorded nine rated titles this week, with six on the 360 and only three on the PS3. Both consoles had the previously mentioned Wall-e and The Incredible Hulk, as well as what appears to be a remake of the 1908 arcade game Red Baron Arcade for XBLA and PSN. The 360 also saw the retail titles Alone in the Dark and Samurai Showdown II, and the XBLA expansion Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords: Revenge of the Plague Lord. It was a decent week for the 360 titles, but pretty light for the PS3 with a PSN and two movie games.
This week’s title of shame came down to a couple of PC titles, but Coffee Rush by (of all companies) Activision Value Publishing takes the award. The premise of the game is all about trying to stop some coffee company from polluting the town with bad coffee. You have to open your own coffee house and take the town back! Yeah, it sure is lame as hell. Especially when it used to be free as shareware like so many other casual games That is why it landed on the list, as I am sure it has a loyal following of players.
| Title |
Publisher |
Rating |
Platforms |
| Cooking Quest |
Game Mill Entertainment |
Everyone |
PC |
| Line Rider 2.0: Unbound |
Genius Products |
Everyone |
PC, DS, Wii |
| Metal Slug |
SNK Playmore USA |
Teen |
Wii |
| Samurai Shodown II |
SNK Playmore USA |
Teen |
360, Wii |
| The Game of Life: Path to Success |
RealNetworks |
Everyone |
Macintosh, PC |
| The Incredible Hulk |
Sega of America |
Teen |
360, PS3 |
| Ulti-Motion -Swing Zone - Sports |
JAKKS Pacific Inc. |
Everyone |
Plug-and-Play |
| Wacky Races: Crash & Dash |
Eidos |
Everyone |
Wii |
| Tom Clancy's EndWar |
Ubisoft Entertainment |
Teen |
DS |
| Final Fantasy IV |
Square Enix, Inc |
Everyone 10+ |
DS |
| FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES My Life as a King |
Square Enix, Inc |
Everyone |
Wii |
| Alone In The Dark |
Atari, Inc. |
Mature |
PC, PS2, 360, Wii |
| American Girl Kit Mystery Challenge! |
ValuSoft |
Everyone |
DS |
| Dodge That Anvil |
Brighter Minds Media |
Everyone |
Macintosh, PC |
| Dr. Mario Wii |
Nintendo of America |
Everyone |
Wii |
| echochrome |
SCEA |
Everyone |
PSP |
| Gyrostarr |
High Voltage Software, Inc. |
Everyone |
Wii |
| Let's Ride: Riding Star |
ValuSoft |
Everyone |
PC |
| Theatre of War |
CDV |
Teen |
PC |
| Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords: Revenge of the Plague Lord |
D3 |
Everyone 10+ |
PC, 360 |
| Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 |
Atlus USA, Inc. |
Teen |
DS |
| WALL•E |
Heavy Iron Studios |
Everyone |
360, PS3, Wii |
| Red Baron Arcade |
Vivendi Games |
Teen |
PC, 360, PS3 |
| Still Life |
Encore, Inc. |
Mature |
PC |
| Syberia |
Encore, Inc. |
Teen |
PC |
| Syberia II |
Encore, Inc. |
Teen |
PC |
| Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness |
Natsume Inc |
Everyone |
DS |
| Limbo of the Lost |
Tri Synergy |
Teen |
PC |
| EarthBound |
Nintendo of America |
Everyone |
Wii |
| Ducati Moto |
Vir2L Studios LLC |
Everyone |
DS |
| Dracula Resurrection |
Encore, Inc. |
Mature |
PC |
| Dracula The Last Sanctuary |
Encore, Inc. |
Mature |
PC |
| Donkey Kong Country 3 |
Nintendo of America |
Everyone |
Wii |
| Escape the Museum |
Game Agents |
Everyone |
Macintosh, PC |
| Code Lyoko-Fall of X.A.N.A. |
The Game Factory ApS |
Everyone |
DS |
| Coffee Rush |
Activision Value Publishing |
Everyone |
PC |
| 1 VS 100 |
Destination Software, Inc. |
Everyone |
DS |
Here is the final tally on who, what and where everything was rated for the last week. There were 37 rated titles on nine platforms. PC (17), Wii (11), DS (9) and 360 (6) had the most games rated. There were 23 of the 37 titles rated at E10+ or lower, 10 rated at T for Teen and four 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…
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