Think of the Children for March 12th

Written by Dan Keener on 3/12/2008 for DS   PC   PS2   PS3   PSP   Wii   360  

Good or bad, we seem to have finally hit a pattern for rated titles. One week we get a ton, the next we get next to nothing. This week, we get just a handful of titles to comb over, which is surprising as it took until Tuesday (for the second week in a row) to have the rated titles post to the ESRB site. So the article may be a bit shorter than normal in order to meet my deadline.

Another week, another round of mindless titles shoved onto the PC and Nintendo platforms. Even the Nintendo fanboys have to start wondering why there is so much crap out there sullying their sacred idol. I’m not even going to go into it, as it hurts just to type.

The Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 had a combined four titles this week, with both having a Chronicles of Narnia retail game and Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 downloadable title rated. In addition, the Xbox 360 had Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball (XBLA) and the PS3 had the retail title Fatal Inertia EX rated. All-in-all, it is a very slow week even for these two consoles. Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 could be a tasty download on either platform.

This week was what we call “Without Star Power.” There was no buzz, no spill-the-beans or anything of much noteworthiness unless it was Commando 3 getting a new final name. Boring. Let’s hope that this virtual blackout of game titles starts to ebb as we roll our way toward Spring. I’m ready to start seeing some cool titles hit stores and downloadable services sometime soon.

Despite the limited amount of titles (and time) rated this week, I was able to pick a few up for debate for the weekly Title of Shame*. This week, I have a trio of games gone bad, which includes The Sims 2 Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff (PC), Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball (360) and Let’s Pilates! (DS). Frankly, I’m just going to cut to the chase here, this is completely swayed by personal opinion, but my Weekly Title of Shame is Let’s Pilates! on the DS. Please, stop trying to take our gaming devices and turn them against us! If we want to exercise, we will. In addition, why would I pay $29.99 to watch something on twin 3” screens when I can go to the gym or get a DVD to watch for about half that cost? As for the other titles, paying $20 to get furniture into your Sims house is plain pathetic no matter how you look at it. It appears to be nothing but a blatant money grab. As for Pirates Vs Ninjas Dodgeball, I think it looks cute and may have promise, but I have an inkling it may cost more than 400 MS points ($5), which means it may not be worth the money. Let’s see if the demo changes my mind when it comes out.

I wanted to apologize to apologize to the good folks over at Meekensleep for including their upcoming title Soul Bubbles last week in the Title of Shame paragraph without a valid explanation. I have never disclosed my criteria for selecting games I feel fit the mold. So, starting with this week’s article, there will always be an explanation at the bottom of the piece describing what goes into selecting any contenders for the weekly Title of Shame.

Title	Publisher	Rating	Platforms
Crosswords DS	Nintendo	E	DS
Falling Stars	AGETEC	E	PS2
Jojo's Fashion Show	iWin, Inc.	E	PC
KenoPop	Electronic Arts	T	Web Browser
LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures	Lucas Arts	E	DS
Lost Empire Immortals	Paradox Interactive	E	PC
Lost Treasures of Alexandria	ValuSoft	E	PC
Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball	Blazing Lizard, Inc.	E10+	360
Riding Star	Valcon Games LLC	E	PS2
The Sims 2 Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff	Electronic Arts	T	PC
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian	Disney Interactive Studios	T	PC, PS2, 360, Wii, PS3
Wild ARMs XF	XSEED JKS, Inc.	E10+	PSP
The Sims Castaway Stories	Aspyr Media, Inc.	T	Macintosh
Spirit of Wandering - The Legend	RealNetworks	E	PC
Pirates of the Revolution	Sony Online Entertainment	E10+	PC
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Time	Nintendo of America	E	DS
Sonic & Knuckles	SEGA of America	E	Wii
Fatal Inertia EX	KOEI Corp	E10+	PS3
Let's Pilates!	Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.	E	DS
Psychosis	Hudson Entertainment Inc	E	Wii
Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3	Capcom	T	360, PS3
USA Today Crossword Challenge	Destineer	T	DS
Professor Brainium's Games	Destineer	E	DS
SPORE™ Creature Creator	Electronic Arts	E	Macintosh, PC
Star Soldier R	Hudson Entertainment Inc	E	Wii
Super R-Type	IREM SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INC.	E	Wii
GRID	Codemasters Software Co LTD	E	DS
Arctic Stud Poker Run	Got Game Entertainment, LLC	T	PC

34 rated entries on nine platforms. PC (8), DS (7) and Wii (5) had the most games rated. There were 21 of the 34 titles rated at E10+ or lower, seven rated at T for Teen and zero 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…