Think of the Children for August 6th

Written by Dan Keener on 8/6/2008 for DS   PC   PS2   PS3   PSP   Wii   360  

Last week was a fantastic haul, as there was an enormous amount of titles rated, including highly anticipated games on several platforms. Well, this week we get the quantity, but the quality has slipped markedly. There are a few goodies on the list (including this weeks Intriguing Title and Wii versions of a classic franchise), but there is also a lot of casual and kids games out there. In addition, the 360 and PS3 just about didn’t show for the dance, with a very measly offering.

One of the big names on this list is a couple of old-timers (relatively speaking). Both Mega Man and Mega Man 2 from Capcom for the Wii Virtual Console were rated this week. Mega Man was supposed to hit the VC on Monday, but it doesn’t look like that happened. Mega Man 2 is slated for a September release on the VC. Other rated Wii and DS titles to look forward to are The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon (DS), Don King Presents Prizefighter (DS) and Earthworm Jim 2 (Wii).

As usual, the casual and kids games were prevalent. This week we saw Barbie Horse Adventures: Riding Camp (DS), High School Musical 3 Senior Year / DGamer (DS) Tinker Bell + DGamer (DS), Brain Games Crosswords & Word Puzzles (PC) and Enchanted Fairy Friends: Secret of the Fairy Queen (PC). Other oddities from this week’s list: Playboy Games Pool Party (Mobile Phone) rated with only a T for Teen and Earthworm Jim 2 was also listed as being rated for the Genesis system. Gotta be a mistake on the ESRB’s part on that one….

The Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 gave their all last week, as only a single title was rated this go around. The ESRB finally got around to releasing the rating of Sea Life Safari, the Xbox Live Arcade title that was released on June 18th 2008. Otherwise, there was nothing. Nada. Zip. After last week’s heavy hitters, I guess I’m not too surprised.

The Intriguing Title(s) of the Week is another Star Wars game, Star Wars The Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance. I’m a Star Wars geek at heart, so these Clone Wars games help keep that fandom burning. The great thing is that even though the Wii (or in this case the DS) aren’t HD capable, Lucas Arts usually squeezes out the best possible gameplay and graphics available on the chosen platform. This game will feature co-op play through the wi-fi and will supposedly feature real-shadow outlines instead of the usual shaded circle or blob. Hopefully it will get about as cutting edge as the DS will allow. Star Wars The Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance on the Nintendo DS is scheduled to be released on November 1st, 2008.

Here is the final tally on who, what and where everything was rated for the last two weeks. There were 45 rated titles on 9 platforms. DS (15), PC (10) and Wii (5) had the most games rated. There were 29 of the 45 titles rated at E10+ or lower, 4 rated at T for Teen and none 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.