Microsoft

Most platformers are still stuck with the same ideas of collecting limitless items, defeating monsters in cartoon-like ways and exploring massive 3D worlds attempting to unearth every last secret the game has to offer. Blinx: The Time Sweeper, with its creative use of the Xboxs hard drive, may seem like the game that will breathe new life into the genre.

Game Description: Blinx: The Time Sweeper is a fast-paced action game featuring a cool, clever new character in wild, warped worlds. The ability to control the flow of time provides a totally new gaming experience only possible on Xbox. Blinx is a cat on a mission to fix glitches in time. With the aid of his trusty and powerful Time Sweeper, the TS1000, Blinx recovers lost time crystals and fights Time Monsters in his attempt to rescue a kidnapped princess and return order to the world.

According to the ESRB, this game is suitable for Everyone

Its been literally years since a great arcade-style rally racer has hit the shelves, and Rallisport Challenge takes the crown as the most polished, appealingly unique racer of its kind.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Mild Lyrics

If the devil is in the details, then Project Gotham Racing is old Scratch himself. Not only does the game feature real world cars, locations, and an eye for the most minute of details (like the water splatter coming off the tires on a rainy track), but it also features real world radio stations and DJs spinning tunes for your driving pleasure. These arent your generic themes, either; the game features tracks by real bands such as Gorillaz and a variety of hip hop acts as well. Tired of the in-game soundtrack? Then take advantage of the Xbox hard drive and rip some tracks of your own. Project Gotham Racing allows for players to import their very own music for use while driving.

According to the ESRB, this game contains: Violence

Blood Wake is not a game that will engage gamers wits or captivate them with its story. It is a simple, easy to play, easy to enjoy arcade-style game that holds up well for a short time but, unfortunately, crumbles under the simplicity of its design.

Game Description: If you consider Captain Hook and Bluebeard noble men who were simply misunderstood, then Blood Wake is the game for you. As a member of a rebel clan of modern-day pirates, you’ll find yourself engaged in a three-way battle for supremacy on the high seas. Choosing from a wide variety of boats, each equipped with a full arsenal, you’ll undertake a series of missions that could mean the difference between victory and defeat for your tribe. If being a pirate has always been your lifelong dream, then get ready to make it a reality with Blood Wake.

I've been getting the impression from developers, and the general gaming community, that all this next-generation hooplah is not really about making better games, just better looking ones. No one really cares if Resident Evil 20 or Tekken 9 innovates in the gameplay or story department, so long as there are reflective bump-mapped textures and it roars at sixty frames per second.