Think of the Children for November 8th
The first thing that jumped out was the HUGE push that Nintendo platforms are getting leading up to the holidays. Usually, the DS is fighting with PC for honors, but this time the Wii, GBA and DS combined for a staggering 43 of the 86 rated games. Granted, there is some real junk that gets thrown out there (including a bunch of self-help language “games” on the Game Boy Advance and DS), but still. Also, a lot of kid-friendly titles are getting rated, probably with an eye on Mommy and Daddy’s holiday bucks. Regardless, Software makes the gaming world go round, and if you don’t have the titles available, you usually will struggle.
If you are into the off-the-beat-and-path sports and racing games, this was the two-week period for you. For sports, there was a new Cabela Bass game, two Bowling themed, a Jackass title and a Feelin’ It Sport pack. As for racing, there was everything from Quads and ATVs, to Jetskis, Big Rigs and Monster Trucks. There were also new versions from the GripShift and FlatOut franchises, as well as a London Taxi driving game.
Well, I guess things don’t look so bad for the true next-gen systems when you wait for two-weeks to file your story. As the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 combined for 18 rated games this week (still well short of the 28 on the Wii). Still, most of these are cross-platform games (All PS3 titles also on Xbox 360), with only four Xbox 360 titles (Every Extend Extra Extreme, GripShift, Shrek-n-Roll and Legendary: The Box) not appearing on the PS3. The Shrek-n-Roll is one of the first titles that Microsoft announced for its more kid-friendly offerings on the Xbox 360. I expect to see more games being rated for the platform in the near future.
There were not any next-gen titles “announced” by the ESRB, but the one thing that caught my eye was the rating of GripShift for the Xbox 360. The game was originally released on the Playstation 3 and had been published Sony Online Entertainment. However, the 360 rated version Sidhe Interactive as the Publisher, which means that SOE either is looking for alternative options by farming out their games, or they sold the publishing rights to it to Sidhe Interactive. Either way, that may be one of the first SOE or Microsoft Game Studio published games to cross the console divide.
Here is the final tally on who, what and where everything was rated for the last two weeks. There were 86 rated entries on 12 platforms. Windows PC (29), Wii (28), Nintendo DS (11) and Xbox 360 (10) had the most games rated. There were 68 of the 86 games at E10+ or lower, 13 rated at T for Teen and five rated at M for Mature.
| Title | Publisher | Rating | Platforms |
| Creativity Express | GeeGuides, LLC | E | Mac, PC |
| Jackass the Game | Red Mile Entertainment | T | DS |
| Shrek-n-Roll | Activision | E | 360 |
| Strawberry Shortcake - The Sweet Dreams Game | The Game Factory ApS | E | PC |
| Supreme Commander Forged Alliance | THQ Inc. | E10+ | PC |
| Airbus Series - Volume 1 | Just Flight | E | PC |
| Dance Praise2 - the ReMix | Digital Praise | E | Mac, PC |
| Miami Nights | Ubisoft Entertainment | T | DS |
| Bubble Bobble | TAITO Corporation | E | Wii |
| Go, Diego, Go! Safari Rescue | 2K Play | E | PS2, Wii |
| High Velocity Bowling | SCEA | E10+ | PS3 |
| Need for Speed™ ProStreet | Electronic Arts | E10+ | PC, 360, PS3 |
| Petz Horsez 2 | Ubisoft | E | PC |
| Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun | Dreamcatcher Interactive Inc. | T | PC |
| Alien Soldier | SEGA of America | E10+ | Wii |
| AMF Bowling Pinbusters! | Bethesda Softworks | E | Wii |
| Arcade Gold featuring Pac-Man | JAKKS Pacific Inc. | E | Plug-and-Play |
| Chicken Hunter | United Developers | E10+ | DS |
| Combat Flight Simulator 3 | ValuSoft | E | PC |
| Endless Ocean | Nintendo of America | E | Wii |
| EverQuest II: Rise of Kunark | Sony Online Entertainent LLC | T | PC |
| EverQuest: Secrets of Faydwer | Sony Online Entertainment | T | PC |
| FlatOut Head On | Empire Interactive | T | PSP |
| London Taxi: Rush Hour | Destineer | E | Wii |
| Luxor: Pharaoh's Challenge | United Developers | E | PS2, DS, PSP, Wii |
| Reaxxion | United Developers | E | PC |
| Shining Force II | SEGA of America | E | Wii |
| Wheel of Fortune: Second Edition | JAKKS Pacific Inc. | E | Plug-and-Play |
| Yoshi's Story | Nintendo of America | E | Wii |
| Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection | ValuSoft | E | PC |
| Big Island Blends | RealNetworks | E | PC |
| Mon Entraineur Personnel en Espagnol | Ubisoft | E | DS |
| Kawasaki Jetski | Destineer | E | Wii |
| Cabela's Monster Bass | Activision Value | E | PC, PS2, 360, Wii, PS3 |
| Dungeon Explorer: Warriors of Ancient Arts | Hudson Entertainment Inc | T | PSP |
| GripShift® | Sidhe Interactive | E10+ | 360 |
| Myth Makers: Orbs of Doom | Destineer | E | Wii |
| Buzz! Robo Jam | SCEA | E | PS2 |
| Classic British Motor Racing | Destineer | E | Wii |
| Art of Fighting | SNK Playmore USA | T | Wii |
| Soldier of Fortune Payback | Activision Value | M | PC, 360, PS3 |
| SOULCALIBUR Legends | Namco Bandai Games America | T | Wii |
| Math Patrol: The Venus Virus | GXB Interactive Corp | E | GBA |
| Little Shop of Treasure 2 | RealNetworks | E | Mac, PC |
| Painkiller: Overdose | DreamCatcher | M | PC |
| Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom | Tecmo, Inc. | E | Wii |
| Word Safari: The Friendship Totems | GXB Interactive Corp | E | GBA |
| BlackSite: Area 51 | Midway Amusement Games LLC | T | PC, 360, PS3 |
| College Hoops 2K8 | Visual Concepts | E | PS2, Xbox |
| College Hoops 2K8 | Visual Concepts | E | 360, PS3 |
| Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends | Majesco Entertainment | E | DS |
| Cruis'n | Midway Home Entertainment | E | Wii |
| HAZE | Ubisoft | M | PS3 |
| Feelin' It: Sports Pack | Novint Technologies | E | PC |
| Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates | Square Enix, Inc | E10+ | DS |
| Fritz 10 | Viva-Media, LLC | E | PC |
| Furu Furu Park | Majesco Entertainment | E10+ | Wii |
| Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity | SEGA of America, Inc. | E | PS2, Wii |
| Smarty Pants™ | Electronic Arts | E | Wii |
| The History Channel: Battle for the Pacific | Activision Value | T | PC, 360, PS3 |
| Trauma Center: New Blood | Atlus USA | T | Wii |
| Kawasaki Quad Bikes | Destineer | E | Wii |
| Legendary: The Box | Spark Unlimited Inc. | M | PC, 360 |
| My Little Pony: Pinkie Pie's Party Parade | ValuSoft | E | PC |
| My Spanish Coach | Ubisoft | E | Wii |
| Monster Trux Offroad | Destineer | E | Wii |
| Octomania | Conspiracy Entertainment Corporation | E | Wii |
| Rig Racer | Destineer | E | Wii |
| Zoo Vet Endangered Animals | Legacy Interactive | E10+ | PC |
| Fantasy Wars | Atari, Inc. | T | PC |
| Delicious 2 Deluxe | RealNetworks | E | PC |
| MX vs ATV: Untamed | THQ | E | PSP |
| My French Coach | Ubisoft | E | Wii |
| Math Patrol: The Kleptoid Threat | GXB Interactive Corp | E | GBA |
| Mon Entraineur Personnel en Anglais | Ubisoft | E | DS |
| Puppy Luv: Spa & Resort | Activision Publishing | E | GBA, DS |
| Pirates of the Crimson Coast Online | Sony Online Entertainment | E10+ | PC |
| Dirty Dancing | Codemasters Online Gaming | E | PC |
| Need for Speed™ ProStreet | Electronic Arts | E10+ | PS2, Wii |
| Safari Island | RealNetworks | E | PC |
| Caveman Rock | UFO Interactive Games | E | DS |
| Finkle's World | UFO Interactive Games | E | DS |
| Every Extend Extra Extreme | Q Entertainment Inc. | E | 360 |
| Thousand Island Solitaire | Electronic Arts | E | PC, Web Browser |
| SimCity Societies | Electronic Arts | E10+ | Mac, PC |
| Alpha Prime | Meridian 4 | M | PC |
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.
