Three titles are available from the PlayStation Store with the PixelJunk moniker: Racers, Monsters, and Eden. I wasn’t that impressed with the first title. The second was interesting and had some strategic elements that gave it depth. However, the third title in this series is a sight (and sound) to behold.

PixelJunk Eden is a 2D platformer with visually engaging graphics and immersive sound that bely it’s simple premise. The visual experience is a less comical (but every bit as “trippy”) as LocoRoco. This E-rated title is conceptually abstract and involves freeing pollen to grow plants that allow you to access more of the garden and collect “spectra.” Yea, I’ve played the game and that description doesn’t make much sense to me either, but trust me, this is truly worth playing.

Eden also has a number of really unique features too. For example, if you own a PSP, you can play the game on it using the Remote Play feature. It also has multiplayer capability (for up to three people) so that you can share the experience with your friends. And to top it off, the title has a built-in video capture capability that allows you to record sessions to the harddrive and upload them directly to YouTube.

I could go on for a while on this one, but I put it right up there with flOw and Everyday Shooter. It is a simple title that is fun to play with others. Because of the potential for frustration, I wouldn’t recommend it for children under five. But it’s a great title to play cooperatively with up to two others in the household.

Many point to certain titles currently available and identify them as fine examples of gaming as art. This certainly qualifies and does so while still maintaining the emphasis on gaming. Enjoy!

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I enjoyed completing Star Wars: Force Unleashed for the PSP this week. It was quite a treat! Having said that, I wouldn’t consider it a game for the young ones.

I remember my parents previewing the original Star Wars (known now as “Episode IV: A New Hope”) back in the summer of 1977 to see if they thought that it would be appropriate fare for my brother (9) and me (11). Ironically, we were at home hiding under the covers because we had been watching the 1953 War of the Worlds. (Man, those aliens were creepy!) As it is, the PG rating seems overprotective for what most see these days. Yet, my parents wanted to be sure.

Fast-forward 31 years and we are looking at a videogame that has gotten a unique George Lucas seal of approval. This title is the official bridge between Episode III and Episode IV. Granted, depending on your choice at the final battle, you can experience either the canon or non-canon ending. But my real question as I was playing it was, “What would my parents have thought?” Honestly, this title is much darker than any of the original trilogy. Episode IV-VI feel much more innocent as they tell the story of Luke Skywalker. Whereas the newer trilogy (especially Episode II-III) have a much more sinister quality in that they document the tragic fall of his father Anakin.

But Force Unleashed tells the story of a boy who Darth Vader turns to the dark side of the Force after killing his father. Even the premise begins darker. As you play this character, you are responsible for slaying Jedi Knights and, in one level, you are expected to kill virtually everyone with whom you come in contact (enemies and allies alike) to eliminate surviving witnesses. Now don’t get me wrong - I really enjoyed the game. However, it is not the story that my parents would have taken my brother and me to see back in the Summer of 1977.

I have had a chance to play the demo for the PlayStation 3 and it is gorgeous. The PSP version is very impressive considering the capabilities of the handheld in comparison. I’ve seen the Xbox 360 version and it appears to be every bit as beautiful as the PS3 version and the Nintendo DS iteration seems to be on par with the PSP. I hear that the Wii takes advantage of the Wiimote for lightsaber control (how cool is that?!?!). I have never played a Star Wars game in which I felt more like a Jedi (or a Sith) than in this title. Sure, the camera can get a little squirrelly and the targeting is less than perfect. However, the immersive experience and the sense of awe that you will have at the power of the dark side is downright intoxicating.

Yet, I must say that the ESRB Teen rating for this is appropriate. This rating expects the player to be at least 13 years of age and considering the lack of respect for human life and the protagonist’s questionable ethical foundation, I would not necessarily want this anti-hero to be a role model for a young child. His actions could be perceived as too exhilarating when, in fact, they are driven by evil and manipulative purposes.

In classic Lucas form, the opportunity for redemption becomes available in the end. However, by that point, I question whether or not the player can be redeemed. I know that after 15 or so hours of playing this character and using the Force Choke and the Force Lightning (both non-Jedi Force powers), I don’t know to what extent I would want to cease using the power of the Force as an offensive tool.

All in all, it’s an excellent story that reveals some interesting information about the time that passes between the two trilogies. I would not recommend it for the younger children. But for the teens and older in your household, it is quite a ride. I also believe that this could provide an excellent discussion tool for ethical decisions for those middle schoolers and high schoolers in your family.

May the Force be with you.

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This week the ESRB has announced a new campaign (press release). They are partnering with the Parent Teacher Association to help parents within the community to recognize and utilize the rating system in order to identify appropriate game content for children. The initiative includes a booklet (view the electronic version) that will be distributed throughout the 26,000 PTAs nationwide.

We at Game Apparent always encourage families to look for the ESRB ratings on games before purchasing them. It’s a simple way to help parents filter media for which their children aren’t prepared. It’s good to see the ESRB engaging in proactive initiatives like this and the Game Search Widget (see the yellow box in the upper left corner of our main page).

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Those of you who have been visiting our site for a while may remember my joy when I received the demo of the PSP God of War title last October. Well, as of yesterday, I finished the full version of the game and I really enjoyed it!

First - this title is rated “M” by the ESRB and it recommended for players 17+ years of age. (For more information about the ratings system, feel free to read our article or visit their site.) Having said this, you may find that it’s acceptable for your teen, but you need to make that call. It is a violent action-adventure title with some interesting puzzle elements. The title begins in ancient Greece amidst the backdrop of the Persian war, but takes you into the underworld and has you battling gorgons, cyclops, basilisks, and others (without giving too much away). It is gory, but appropriately for a Spartan fighting foes in this context. There is some occasional female nudity (some of the goddesses are bare-chested). But I found nothing in the game that seemed out-of-place considering the subject matter.

Having said that, this game is a blast! In fact, I found its references to particular figures of Greek mythology inspiration to crack open an old college textbook to re-read a few of the myths. The game developers have modified the stories slightly to include the protagonist as a factor in these events. Using these familiar characters and events as the setting for their story grants a familiarity to the experience without spoiling anything.

From a presentation point, God of War: Chains of Olympus does an extraordinary job of conveying a sense of immenseness that I wasn’t expecting from a handheld screen. In many ways, this experience is every bit as impressive as the original two God of War titles for the PlayStation2. However, the one area in which this game is not immense is its length. This is the only criticism that I have for the game. It took me less than 10 hours to complete the story. But don’t let this stop you from considering this game.

I would much rather have a short game that feels complete, well constructed, and provides a unique experience than a longer game that includes a number of redundant tasks and repeated environments. I cannot emphasize how impressive the environments are in this game. And the sense of wonder when you witness the titans in chains is practically disarming.

Two of my favorite games of the last decade are Ico and Beyond Good and Evil. They both were critically acclaimed titles that many thought were too short. I would gladly put Chains of Olympus in their company - short but sweet. And oh so sweet it was. In fact, I’ll probably play it again at a higher difficulty before I put it back in the case for a while.

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A fact that seems to have slipped past Blogger Kevin McCullough. This lack of insight appears to have fueled his attack on the Xbox 360 game Mass Effect in this poorly written and grossly inaccurate rant. We became aware of this disturbing piece of “journalism” thanks to this post at Game Politics. I do not want to waste the space to quote from McCullough’s piece and point out the numerous misrepresentations. As it is, Game Politics did an impressive job of restraining themselves and limiting their selections. Suffice it to say that McCullough has so many mistakes in his story that once they’re removed, there isn’t much of an article left.

What is of relevance to us here is that this individual is apparently outraged at some mature content in a videogame. So much so that he doesn’t look close enough to see that the game is clearly targeted to an audience of 17+ years and that the 30 second risque scene is less graphic than what appears on most mature television dramas these days.

I appreciate any attempts to help us parents make informed decisions about content to which our children should have access. However, when the discussion becomes slanderous and seems to encourage censorship I have to question the true motivation of the writer.

In our households, we still need to ”baby-proof” things. The thought of a razor blade left in one of the kids’ rooms sends shivers down our spines. But what McCullough did here was like trying to have the local pharmacy shut down because they sell razor blades in their shaving department. And, in his horror to realize this, he chose to call them nuclear-powered and said that they would kill on contact. (My father will roll his eyes when he reads this and say, “All analogies are suspect,” but I couldn’t help it.)

Here at Game Apparent we’ve said it before and we’ll be saying it for years to come. Not all games are for kids. This is one of the reasons that we decided to create this site. If there’s ever a question, you ALWAYS have resources at your disposal:

• Check the ESRB rating for the game.
• Post a question in our Forums.
• Email us directly - Chris or Ted.
• Visit our friends at Gamer Dad and search their site for a review.

We’re all in this together and as long as we have the proper tools, we can make informed decisions on behalf of our families.

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The National Institute on Media and the Family issued its annual report card for the gaming industry yesterday. It noted a number of areas where the industry had regressed compared to advances made in previous years. You can download the report from this page on their site.

I believe that many of their observations are valid, but a few may be skewed. The most prevalent theme throughout the report is their concern with violent media. Though they recognize the maturation of the game-playing public in one sentence, they criticize the industry for making mature titles in another. The fact is that the violence in many of these games is less graphic than content in R-rated movies (which also are targeted to a 17+ year old demographic).

At one point toward the end of the report I found myself a little confused and I re-read a paragraph a few times to try to get my brain wrapped around the logic. Having not read the original book which they cited as research, I don’t know if this assertion is from NIMF or the researchers themselves. On page 14 in the second paragraph under the “Content” sub-heading of the “Research” section, the report cites the book, Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents: Theory, Research, and Public Policy. In this paragraph they state:

Yet, both children and college students were more aggressive to others after playing the aggressive game, even though it did not include what most parents would consider “violent” content. It is important to remember that aggression is typically defined as intentional harm to victims, and not by how graphic it looks.

Correct me if I’m wrong (and chime in below), but according to this, the children and college students intentionally harmed others after playing this game. They define aggression as intentionally harming victims after stating that they players were more aggressive to others after playing the game. Really?

I have no doubt that media can influence behavior and significantly impact the viewer/player. I believe that this is a given. I’ve laughed and cried during films. I have friends who have yelled at their televisions in disgust when characters in their favorite show behave ignorantly. I have witnessed smack talk and elevated emotional reactions during competitive videogame sessions as well. However, I have witnessed all of this behavior during any number of events including baseball games, debate tournaments, and live music concerts. The fact is that we are emotional creatures and we react to input - virtual and real. Our media merely extend our experiential realm. As parents, we need to make sure that our children’s experiences are appropriate for their level of maturity.

Having said that, in spite of any concern I have with specific observations within this report, I whole-heartedly agree with their conclusion which states:

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