ESRB rates unannounced Wii games
Nintendo is expected to take the wraps off its plans for the Nintendo Wii later this week, but it appears some of the publisher's possible announcements have leaked out from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, of all places.
The ESRB's online database lists 18 rated games for the Wii, half of which have not been officially announced. Seven of the games are classic Sega titles that would probably be suitable for the Wii's Virtual Console, which will let Wii owners download and play older games on their system using system emulation software. They include Altered Beast, Columns, Ecco the Dolphin, Golden Axe, Ristar, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Toe Jam & Earl. All those titles are rated E for Everyone, and listed as appearing only on the Wii.
The ESRB database also shows a pair of previously unannounced Wii ports of licensed games. The board has already doled out an E10 + for Everyone 10 and Older rating for a Wii version of Ice Age 2: The Meltdown, and E for Everyone rating for VeggieTales: LarryBoy and The Bad Apple. Already available on the PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Advance, LarryBoy versions on the PC, GameCube, Xbox, and PSP have also been rated, according to the site.
It's worth noting that the ESRB database isn't flawless. Earlier this year it listed the Eidos action shooter Urban Chaos: Riot Response as rated AO for Adults Only, when it actually had been granted an M for Mature. The ESRB later corrected the mistake.
