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Think of the Children for December 9

Think of the Children for December 9

Written by Dan Keener on 12/10/2008 for DS   PC   PS3   PSP   Wii   360  
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Normalcy has returned this week, as have a host of rated titles. After the a short work-week due to Thanksgiving, we saw 46 rated titles come down the pipeline from the ESRB. While there wasn’t anything earth-shattering on the list, there were several potential sleeper hits between the PC, DS and Wii camps as well as several games with good potential for the PS3 and Xbox 360. The intriguing title of the week is an old-school console classic that gets dropped into the worst possible situation and is missing the boat with the next-gen consoles.

With more titles comes more clutter for the PC, Wii and DS. However, the amount of potential hits also goes up. This week there were quite a few games that we should be looking forward to. Included were SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Wii), Capcom’s MEGA MAN 3 (Wii), MEGA MAN 3 (PC), PopCap Games Amazing Adventures The Forgotten Ruins (DS) and a couple of Japanese inspired RPGs from Atlus in The Dark Spire (DS) and Steal Princess (DS).

The Xbox 360 and PS3 had a nice rebound after being non-existent last week. They both had the prequel to the Watchman series Watchmen: The End is Nigh Part I, EA’s SKATE 2 and Capcom’s Flock! In addition, the PS3 had SCEA’s Rayman 2: Revolution and Medal of Honor rated. The Xbox 360 had Bass Pro Shops: The Strike, Summer Athletics: The Ultimate Challenge, Banjo-Tooie and Space Invaders Extreme. A nice overall collection of tiles this week to satisfy most gamers desires.

My intriguing title of the week is Pitfall: The Big Adventure by Activision-Blizzard for the Nintendo Wii. I spent countless hours as a kid playing the original Pitfall! on the Atari 2600, Intellivision and ColecoVision. The reason I am intrigued is why it was chosen to be released on the console with the gimmick remote and worst graphics, not to mention it appears to be almost a direct port from the GameCube version graphically. That is pathetic and looks to be nothing more than a money grab. However, Activision-Blizzard could make this right by putting some effort into creating a PSN and XBLA version for the series. If there was ever a game begging for an update to the PS3 or Xbox 360, from the old-school consoles, the Pitfall! series would be it

Title Publisher
Rating
Platforms
Deal or No Deal Zoo Games, Inc. Everyone Wii
SKATE 2 Electronic Arts Teen 360, PS3
SimAnimals Electronic Arts Everyone Wii
SpongeBob vs. The Big One: Beach Party Cook Off THQ Inc Everyone DS
Super Collapse! Puzzle Gallery 4 RealNetworks Everyone PC
Nobunaga's Ambition: Iron Triangle KOEI Corp. Everyone 10+ PS2
Puzzle Quest: Galactrix D3Publisher of America Everyone 10+ DS
Chicken Invaders: Revenge of the Yolk Topics Entertainment Everyone PC
Bass Pro Shops: The Strike Griffin Everyone PC, 360, Wii
Farm Frenzy Mumbo Jumbo Everyone PC
FS Chopper Fever Just Flight Everyone PC
C-130 Hercules Just Flight Everyone PC
Alex Gordon Viva Media LLC Everyone PC
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 SEGA Everyone Wii
Space Invaders Extreme Backbone Entertainment Everyone 360
Treasure Masters Inc Viva Media LLC Everyone PC
The Dark Spire Atlus USA, Inc. Everyone 10+ DS
Steal Princess Atlus USA, Inc. Everyone 10+ DS
Personal Trainer: Math Nintendo Everyone DS
Amazing Adventures The Forgotten Ruins PopCap Games, Inc. Everyone DS
Legacy of Ys: Books I & II Atlus USA, Inc. Teen DS
MEGA MAN 3 CAPCOM Everyone Wii
My DoItAll TOMY Corporation Everyone DS
Mahjong Empires: Ancient Egypt Dark Voodoo Games Everyone Wii
Guitar Rock Tour Gameloft Everyone 10+ DS
Flock! CAPCOM Everyone PC, 360, PS3
Evasive Space Yukes Everyone Wii
Watchmen: The End is Nigh Part I Warner Bros. Mature PC, 360, PS3
Top Chef The Game Brighter Minds Media Everyone Mac, PC
Pitfall: The Big Adventure Activision-Blizzard Everyone Wii
Art Style: ROTOHEX Nintendo Everyone Wii
Backyard Football Atari Everyone Wii
Banjo-Tooie Microsoft Everyone 360
Blue Ribbon Show Jumper Viva Media LLC Everyone PC
Jagged Alliance Empire Interactive Teen DS
Lucy's Expedition RealNetworks Everyone PC
Music Star: Pop Star DreamCatcher Everyone DS
My Personal Diary DreamCatcher Everyone DS
LUXOR Quest for the Afterlife Mumbo Jumbo Everyone PC
Forgotten Worlds SEGA Everyone Wii
Diner Dash Seasonal Snack Pack Encore Software Everyone Mac, PC
Medal of Honor SCEA Teen PSP, PS3
PICTUREKA! Museum Mayhem Electronic Arts Everyone PC
Rayman 2: Revolution SCEA Everyone PSP, PS3
Summer Athletics: The Ultimate Challenge Conspiracy Entertainment Everyone PC, PS2, 360, Wii
Yahtzee™ Party Electronic Arts Everyone Web Browser

Here is the final tally on who, what and where everything was rated for last week. There were 46 rated titles on nine platforms. PC (17), DS (12) and Wii (12) had the most games rated. There were 41 of the 46 titles rated at E10+ or lower, four rated at T for Teen and one (Watchmen: The End is Nigh Part I) 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.


 

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