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USK predicts a Muscle March to Germany
Muscle March, Namco's barely-released arcade game turned WiiWare oddity, may actually leave Japan, according to a rating found on the German USK ratings board. We didn't think Bandai Namco would ever make this delightful mistake, but if it's being planned for release in Germany, it's bound for the rest of the world as well.To be sure, such an awful decision on Banamco's part will result in a similar awful decision on our part: you can't make a game as weird as this (it's about racing a line of bodybuilders through posing-man-shaped holes in walls) and not expect us to throw our money at it. Even if we know it's terrible.[Via GamerBytes]
PSP finally joining the Tetris Club
The PlayStation Portable has been on the market in some form or another for nearly five years now -- the fact that there isn't a Tetris game available on the platform is mind-boggling. Seriously, our grandmother has Tetris on her portable defibrillator. How is it not on our half-decade-old handheld gaming device?Electronic Arts apparently asked themselves this question, then immediately sprung into action to port the popular puzzler to PSP. At least, that seems to be the case, as evidenced by a recent Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (that name is too beautiful to truncate!) listing for an EA-developed PSP version of Tetris. We've contacted EA to see if Lumines' tyrannical reign over the handheld's puzzle genre really is drawing to a close.[Via Siliconera]
Germany's USK: Braid jumping, running to PS3
Jonathan Blow's time-manipulating puzzle-platformer, Braid, is probably best associated with Xbox 360. According to a listing on Germany's USK ratings board website (discovered by NeoGAF user Fortinbras), though, the game -- which falls under the organization's fancifully named "Jump 'n Run" category -- is finally headed to PlayStation 3.Blow talked about the possibility of a PS3 version almost a year ago, saying that it could happen after a "limited exclusive" with Microsoft had ended. There's no indication when our #5 game of 2008 will hit PSN, though it seems it will come via its PC publisher, Hothead Games. We've contacted Blow for more info; hopefully his answer comes running 'n jumping back to us soon.
PSN Battle Tanks revealed by German ratings board
The last time Germany's USK ratings board hinted at a new Gameloft-developed PSN game, it proved to be completely accurate. So, there's a good chance that Gameloft's recently discovered Battle Tanks for PSN is totally legit, too. So far, all we know about Battle Tanks is that it's for PS3 and it's a downloadable strategy game, given its "arcade" and "skill" classifications. Oh, and lastly, it will most likely feature battles and tanks to some degree. Call it a hunch. [Via GamerBytes]
USK lists Sexy Poker for WiiWare
Off all the downloadable software services in all the world, we never thought we'd see a game called Sexy Poker on WiiWare. And yet, according to the German USK ratings board (via GamerBytes), the Gameloft published mobile phone title is on its way to Nintendo's download service. As you may have guessed, Sexy Poker is a strip poker game, in which ladies bet their clothes instead of money. The goal is to get them to go "all in," as it were. Considering Nintendo's family-friendly image, we'd say it's highly unlikely that this title will ever see the light of day in North America. We're almost positive the company doesn't condone that kind of thing. You know, gambling.
German ratings board rates Guitar Hero: Van Halen
Unfortunately, we've got a fairly strict policy against lengthy headlines -- otherwise, we would have given this post the title it properly deserves: "German ratings board Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK) tries to rate Guitar Hero: Van Halen, finds music therein to be far too awesome, spontaneously explodes." Try fitting that into an RSS feed.Yes, the USK recently reported that it has rated the rumored rhythm title, which it actually calls Guitar Hero headlining Van Halen, for the PS3 and 360. If this rating guarantees the title's existence, we can't wait to hear absolutely everything about the game before Activision decides to formally announce it six months from now.[Via Kotaku]
USK diagnoses PS3 with a severe case of Worms
The Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (or USK, for those who are terrified of lengthy, foreign words), Germany's game rating organization, isn't traditionally known for bringing us the hottest scoops. However, a recent listing on their site perked up our ever-attentive ears -- they recently stamped a Freigegeben ab 6 Jahren gemäß § 14 JuSchG (restricted for those below the age of six) rating to a PS3 version of Worms. Given that the genre of said listing is "Arcade", we think it's safe to assume that they're referring to a PSN port of the XBLA title. This isn't a particularly surprising turn of events -- Worms has sold over half a million on the XBLA, and its done so over the course of about two years. However, Team 17, the game's developer, hasn't formally announced the PSNified title. Assuming the USK hasn't got its wires crossed, we should be hearing more about the port fairly soon.
Rating suggests that Bubble Bobble Wii will journey out of Japan
We knew if we believed hard enough (and probably also if we didn't), Square Enix would bring Bubble Bobble Wii to the world. Now it is the beginning of a fantastic story! The first evidence of SE's plans to release the WiiWare game outside Japan has appeared in the form of a rating on the German USK database.The game, which we had no idea used 3D character models until just now, is listed under the new title Bubble Bobble Plus!, with that very appropriate exclamation point. Of course, this rating is no guarantee that the game will be released in Germany, nor is a German release firm confirmation of a release anywhere else, but it certainly seems likely! Besides, those "world rankings" work a lot better if the "world" isn't limited only to the area within Japan.%Gallery-43668%[Via Siliconera; screens via Inside-Games]
Rumor: Broken Sword to get resurrected on Wii? [update]
Update: Looks like someone managed to find the listing on USK's site and take a screen grab (head past the break to see it).Gamefront noticed a listing on the Germany's rating classification website, USK, that showed a new Broken Sword game for the Wii and DS. Our own search of USK's website only turned up a rating from 2002 for Broken Sword on the GBA, however. Even when searching under the Wii and DS system, we found no classification for an Ubisoft-published game. Personally, we hope the game is in the works. We love the genre and playing a new Broken Sword doesn't sound like too bad a time. What about you all?
Savage Moon: military strategy game discovered on USK
Discovered on the USK (the German equivalent of America's ESRB) is a brand new PS3 title coming from Sony Computer Entertainment: Savage Moon. Not much is known about this title except we can expect it to be a military strategy game. Considering it's published by SCE, expect it to be exclusively on PS3. The Leipzig Games Convention is just around the corner -- wouldn't that be a dandy place to make a few surprise announcements? Stay tuned.[Via NeoGAF]
Germans rate Death Tank for XBLA
Here's a perfect example of why superlatives are so dangerous. Just a few moments ago we published a post declaring Vigilante 8 one of the best names for a video game ever. But then, what do we see rated by Germany's USK Ratings Board for XBLA? Death Tank. That's right: Death Tank.This bitchin' 2D action game was originally snuck onto the Sega Saturn's PowerSlave and a follow-up, Death Tank Zwei, can be found on Duke Nukem 3D. We're hoping for updated graphics but an untouched theme song, which you can hear right after the break.
More MM9 nuttiness; USK rates the game for 360
Will the back and forth never end? It's multiplatform, then it's not, and now it looks like it is again. With no official word from Capcom, this new Mega Man 9 news of course has only as much credence as the first OFLC rating. But we really don't think that government game rating boards are in the habit of making up games or confusing which controller and console they're using, regardless of what country the ratings board is from. Though there is just one little thing that makes this whole situation more of an oddity. Our multilingual readers will already have noticed, but the USK strangely lists it from the genre of, ahem, "Role playing." Weird.[Via NeoGAF]
ESRB to curb early game leaks
Here are a few of the recent games that were announced via early ratings by the ESRB: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, The Last Guy and Earthbound for Wii. A change in the ESRB's submission form will likely plug up those leaks, according to a memo leaked to Next-Gen. When publishers submit their game for rating, they now have the option to choose a date when the title is eligible to be uploaded to the ESRB's website. If left blank, the game will be eligible for display 30 days after it has been rated. The ratings board hopes that publishers don't overuse the new option. Said the memo, "The ESRB system will not work for consumers if publishers arbitrarily select dates bearing no reasonable relationship to consumer interest in the product." Our sights now turn to Australia's OFLC, Germany's USK and Britains's BBFC for early game leaks.
Germany summons Phoenix Wright 3 from the ashes
There's a light at the end of the tunnel in the ongoing European Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations saga. The good news is that those of you in Europe might be getting the game after all. While we're sure many of you English speakers have already imported Phoenix's final foray into law, people without English proficiency (and folks who just hate importing) have been unfairly deprived of this gem. Not only that, but some gamers are waiting to buy Apollo Justice until they get to play the third title in the series.The German version of the ESRB (known as the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle) has recently rated the game for a multi-language release, though, meaning that Capcom hasn't forgotten about your poor little Europeans. So, just hold tight -- you won't have to endure these trials and tribulations much longer, we hope.%Gallery-3478%[Via Siliconera]
DQIV gets European release confirmation?
Apparently, a listing for Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen has shown up on the USK (or Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle, but we're sticking with the easier, shorter name), Germany's classification board. Not satisfied with just knowing the title exists in their database, we hit the USK's official website to see it with our own eyes and found this listing for the game.The chances that Europe will receive this game just increased, but we're curious about one thing. Just why isn't the game listed as Dragon Quest IV? It merely says Dragon Quest: The Chapters of the Chosen. Odd, if you ask us.[Via Wiiz]
Cooking Navi almost ready for consumption in Europe?
Finally. After forever (or one year, depending on your calendar), there appears to be some progress toward the promised European release of Cooking Navi. The German USK ratings board database now contains an entry for a Nintendo-published game called Kochkurs: was wollen wir heute kochen? The name, which is (appropriately) quite a mouthful, translates to Cooking Course: What do we want to cook today? We find it quite likely that this is the German name for the game that was known as Shaberu! DS O-Ryouri Navi in Japan.Now all that needs to happen is for Nintendo to make a for-real announcement, then release the thing. Then release the thing outside Germany, sell a lot, and therefore convince Nintendo of America to release it. That's ... actually a lot of steps. [Via NeoGAF]
Germans reveal Ticket to Ride, rate other XBLA games
The German Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK) is no stranger to revealing unannounced titles and Xblah.net points out they've done it again. The highlight for fans of XBLA board game translations like Catan and Carcassonne is that Zug um Zug Ticket to Ride is ready to build railways on Xbox 360.Other games rated by the USK are Penny Arcade's OtR-SPD, RooGoo, and Golf: Tee it Up! None of these ratings mean the games are coming out soon, but at least they're on their way.[Via X3F]
German Ratings Board reveals a slew of XBLA titles
Having revealed games before, the German games rating board the USK is at it again, exposing previously unknown XBLA games. Shown over at xblah.net there are a myriad of titles across several genres, but the most stand out title would have to be a virtual version of the classic board-game Ticket To Ride in which players compete to build railroads across the countryside. From the sound of things it'll be similar to the conversion from the board game version of The Settlers of Catan and the XBLA version, Catan. The other titles rated by the USK include the Penny Arcade XBLA game, the puzzler RooGoo, and a golf game entitled Golf: Tee it Up! Not only that, but there were also a few more games revealed by the American ratings board, the ESRB. Those two games were the ancient computer game Lode Runner, and the card game simulator Gin Rummy. None of these titles are official of course, but as with all games revealed in this fashion we must remember that rating's boards are not in the business of making of games, nor is having a game rated at all cheap. This is great news though, and should portend the approaching release of said titles. With such an ever expanding library of titles it seems XBLA is really coming into it's own, catering to a variety of demographics and hopefully with something for everyone.
GDC08: learn to say USK the German way!
While attending the Gamerscore Blog Meet-and-Eat this evening we were fortunate enough to run into Boris Schneider-Johne, part of Microsoft Germany's Xbox team and an all around amiable man. After a long conversation about the cultural differences between German and American gamers (they love their Catan over there), we eventually settled on the topic of the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK), Germany's software ratings organization. While it's often hard to wrap one's head around the particulars of the USK, one difficulty outweighs all others: how exactly do you say Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle? Boris was kind enough to set us straight in the audio clip below. Just don't ask us to repeat it.
Jericho finds no salvation or rating in Germany
The Unterhaltungssoftware Selbskontrolle (USK), the German version of the ESRB, is not rating the upcoming first-person shooter-horror game Jericho and therefore it's practically banned in the country. We've gotten used to this with the Germans, the same fate was bestowed upon Gears or War and Dead Rising, although The Darkness made some changes to become acceptable.Given what we've seen of Jericho, it was probably the violence and gore that made it receive the un-rating. At least this might bring a little bit of attention to the game which Codemasters seems to be putting almost no effort in promoting -- which is par for the course by the publisher. Like we said before, as long as the squad AI holds up in the game, we saw potential in the title. The game releases at the end of October, Germans can hop in their car and take a quick drive to another country for their copy. We hear Austria is lovely that time of year, have a cup of gluvine for us while you're there.%Gallery-4998%
