Mom's Minute

Brave The Video Game is Rated E for Everyone

Will you be giving video games as gifts for Christmas, birthdays or any other special occasions.  If you are, it's important for you to be aware of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating on video games.

You must first know the age of the receiver of your video game gift so you can give a video game that is appropriate for his or her age.  Always consider the age of the person who will be playing the video game before you select the video game.  And when you do, take the time to look at the rating of the video game which is usually located on the lower left side of the video game case.

FarCry 3 is rated M for Mature

Do not rely strictly on the picture of the video game cover to determine if  the game is suitable for the receiver of your gift.  Take the time to read the video game rating.

Know the ratings of the video games your child is playing.

Below is a guide to help you choose the appropriate video game for specific age groups.

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Video Game Ratings

eC =  Early Childhood for children under 3 years old

E = Everyone, suitable for the general audience

E+10  = Everyone +10 years, suitable for anyone over 10 years old

T = Teens, for older kids, 13 years and up

M 17+ = Mature, for people 17 years and older.  Game players under 17 years old should not play rated M  video games.

A = Adults only, not suitable for anyone under 18 years old. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have policies against allowing AO games on their consoles.

RP = Rating Pending, meaning a video game has not yet been assigned a rating.  This rating is usually used for promotional type video games. Once the game is rated, all advertisements for the specific video game must show the assigned rating.

Most ratings also show why the video game has that particular rating.  For example for rated M games, you may see warnings of "Intense Violence,", "blood and gore," etc.

In a nutshell, always take notice of the rating of the game you are giving as a gift, and choose another video game or another gift if the video game is not suitable for the particular age group you are buying for.

Disney Epic Mickey 2:  The Power of 2

Santa will be making a list and checking it twice in the days before Christmas.  If you are on the giving end of video games and have some players under 17 on your gift-list, here is a guide for video games appropriate for this age group. The list is in no particular order, and remember, you can always deviate from the list and locate some exciting, family friendly video games on your own.

FIFA 13

The below games are rated T for Teen and would be great gifts. The video game system follows the names of the games.

-- E for Angry Birds Trilogy -- Xbox 360, PS3 and 3DS

-- Brave -- Xbox 360, PS3, WII, PC and DS

-- Disney Epic Mickey 2:  THe Power of 2 --Xbox 360, PS3, WiiU, Wii, PC, PSP, and 3DS

-- FIFA Soccer 13 -- Xbox 360, PS3, WiiU, Wii, PSP, 3DS, PS Vita

-- Just Dance, Disney Party -- Xbox 360 and Wii

-- Madden NFL 13 -- Xbox 360, PS3, WiiU, Wii, PS Vita

-- NBA 2K13 -- Xbox 360, PS3, WiiU, Wii, PC, PSP.

--NCAA Football 13 -- Xbox 360, PS3

--New Super Mario Bros. U, WiiU

Below are games rated Teen plus 10:

-- Just Dance 4 -- Xbox 360, PS3, WiiU, Wii

-- Lego, Lord of the Rings --Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PC, DS, 3DS, PS Vita

-- Nintendo Land -- WiiU

-- Scribblenauts, Unlimited -- WiiU, 3DS, PC

Super Mario Bros.

-- Skylanders Giant Starter Kit -- Xbox 360, PS3, WiiU, Wii, 3DS

-- Sonic and All Star Racing Transformed -- Xbox 360, PS3, WiiU, 3DS, PS Vita

-- Transformers Prime -- WiiU, Wii, DS, 3DS

Here are more T for Teen rated games.

--Batman Arkam City -- Xbox 360, PSP3, WiiU

-- PlayStation All Star Battle Royale --  PS3, PS Vita

-- Sound Shapes -- PS3, PS Vita

-- WWE 13 -- Xbox 360, PS3, Wii

As the holidays draw nearer, stay on the look out for other family friendly  rated games.  Not only will you be giving video game gifts appropriate for specific ages, but may save money as well when the big holiday sales kick in. 

 Street Fighter x Mega Man

Are you in a state of nostalgia for the older, 8 bit Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) type video games?  If so, you will be happy to know that Capcom will be making available  Street Fighter x Mega Man PC video game free on December 17, 2012. The free download is to celebrate the 20th anniversary of CapCom's Street Fighter and Mega Man.

Street Fighter x Mega Man gameplay

Street Figther x Mega Man was created by a super fan from Singapore, Seow Zong Hui, who approached and showed CapCom his sketches.  Capcom liked what they saw and they collaborated with him to produce the video game.  As they say, the rest is history.

Free PC download for Street Fighter x Mega Man 

In addition to characters, the game offers an upbeat 8 bit sound track as an added treat.

To get your free Street Fighter x Mega Man video game  PC digital download, visit  CapCom Utility website on December 17, 2012.

Journey Video Game

For the first time in video game history, the complete soundtrack of a game is being nominated for a Grammy.  If you have played the game or listened to Journey's music, you may have enjoyed the enriching musical renditions that not only set the tone for the video gameplay, but can have a mood-setting effect as well.  Journey, specifically, is being nominated for a Grammy for the Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.

Scene from Journey

Other video games have had the honor of being nominated for music such as Civilization 4's Baba Yetu.  In fact this video game won for the Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists in 2011. 

 Journey video game

However, Journey has the distinction of having the complete soundtrack nominated for a Grammy.  Journey's Grammy competition will be music from the movies The Adventures of Tin Tin, The Dark Knight Rises, Hugo and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Journey -- The Ultimate Video Game? Read More

Dark Souls II announced

Namco Bandai and From Software announced during the Spke Video Game Awards (VGAs) that Dark Souls II is in the works.  A new Dark Souls video game prospect was previously just a rumor.

Dark Souls II video game is on its way

Tomohiro Shiubuya, From Software Director, states that this game will have an entirely new storyline which will let you interact in an expanded scope of the world.  He goes on to say that the development team's goal is to surprise and delight you with new experiences and plot twists as well as entice new players to the game.

Dark Souls II to offer new storyline

Olivier Comte, Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Distribution at Namco Bandai Games Europe states that the game as well as From Software do not offer compromise and will deliver another game landmark.

The expected release date of Dark Souls II is some time in 2013 and will be playable on the PS3, XBox 360 and the PC.