Looks like Target isn't the only one turning down titles lately -- Toys 'R' Us is getting into the game as well by not carrying either Manhunt 2 ... or Dementium! We're terribly disappointed in the retailer, but we could understand the motivation -- after all, if any store was ever aimed at children, it's TRU, and Dementium is a mature title.

However, it's not that simple. Word around the campfire is that the TRU folks made the decision not because of the game's rating, but because they didn't think it would be very popular and they didn't want to waste the space. Now, we're not sure what the gaming section is like at your local Toys 'R' Us, but we've seen some pretty questionable shovelware gracing the shelves down here. Is it an excuse to avoid any controversy, or is the retail giant planning to focus future shelf space only on release they feel are more likely to sell?

Regardless of the reason, while we can again understand a retailer aimed at children skipping mature titles (if they were consistent about it, that is), but randomly deciding what will and will not be popular is pretty lame. We remember another little game that got such treatment at first ....

It's an old complaint -- Nintendo games are too "kiddie" and the systems don't feature enough mature fare. The problem is that all gamers tend to define mature games in a different way. For some, it's all about the violence and gore, while for others, deep, thoughtful gameplay is what makes a "mature" title, whatever the rating may be.

Ishaan Sahdev has an interesting little post up over at Games.net that delves into this, in which games like Super Paper Mario and Zelda titles are examined as examples of mature titles -- as are Hotel Dusk and Trace Memory for the DS. Maybe they seem like lighthearted fare, as in the case of Super Paper Mario, or feature a youthful protagonist, as with Trace Memory, but they offer a memorable gameplay experience that can pull gamers into another world. Maybe that's not something maturity has a lock on, but Sahdev is right when saying that it usually equates to an enjoyable game. Is that really the kind of mature that we need more examples of? We're not one to shun blood and gore, but a game doesn't have to be Halo to be as engrossing as Halo. Sometimes, all it takes is an Ace Attorney, quirky characters, and interesting dialogue ... blood not required.

[Via GoNintendo]

Yuke's Company of America announced yesterday that it will bring its grown-up puzzle game NEVES (previously mentioned here as Hamekomi Lucky Puzzle DS in Japan) to the States. According to the press release by U.S. publisher Atlus, players must "think critically as they align pieces and build figures that correspond to a silhouette. Each puzzle features seven wooden blocks, requiring the player to combine them to form specific figures ranging from simple items like a sword or key to more complicated ones such as birds or airplanes."

The concept reminds us of a tangram version of the Touch Puzzle mode on Tetris DS, and that was just a single mode in a much larger game. We commend Yuke's for creating games on the more cerebral side, but unique as the concept might be, we hope the title can pack enough variety to warrant more than a passing time investment. There is hope, however, since it will feature more than 500 puzzle pieces to manipulate and game modes including puzzle mode, time mode, versus mode, and count mode. (AH! AH! AH! One puzzle piece! TWO puzzle pieces! sorry, couldn't help it.)

Regardless, the DS is looking to be the premiere platform for the puzzle genre, and NEVES will bring a more mature tone when it arrives on American shores later this year.

The Nintendo DS's software library is diverse enough to satisfy almost every genre craving or niche interest. If what you're looking for, however, is a game with more mature themes -- nudity and sexual content -- it's doubtful that your needs will be met. Japanese dating sims and witch fondling titles notwithstanding, the DS doesn't have any Leisure Suit Larrys, Hot Coffee mods, or even porno-Tetris clones.

But just like any other scene, the Nintendo DS has a network of people working outside of the fringe to create those illicit goods you'd never ask for at a respectable shop. They hustle their homemade software from the back-alleys of the internet, each downloaded bit transferred in a nondescript paper bag.

We're going to take you through that DS underworld, previewing a selection of homebrew games that are sure to arouse your interest. So put the kids to bed, light those candles you've been saving for a night like this, and slip into your robe and wizard hat. This feature is for adult eyes only!

Doki Doki Majo Saiban, a little game (which almost surely will go no further than Japan) from SNK that was shown at TGS is suddenly back in the news. Has it been released? Are there videos? Not so much. Instead, people have been busily photoshopping some very risqué images that are being passed off as official screens. Of course, that's nothing new -- and it wouldn't be surprising if they were actual screens. However, some of the outcry around this particular set of faked screens is that some of the "characters" look extremely young. A certain p-word has been bandied about in reference to the game, and we hate to see misinformation spread, particularly when it comes to branding something as being a part of the "rapist game demographic" (a horrific quote if ever there was one), so we looked into the rumors. And we'll warn you up front that some of the sites linked herein further link to images that are most vehemently NSFW.

Doki Doki Majo Saiban thrusts the player into the role of an intrepid young man hunting witches who appear human but are not. How can you tell the difference? By touching them. Seems innocent enough off the top, but the game is designed in a rather mature anime style. Now, this is common in Japanese media, and there's an entire genre of games (eroge) that, to non-Japanese audiences, might seem a little ... unusual. That's par for the course – what is anathema in America is acceptable in Europe and common in Japan, and vice versa, switch it around, etc. Sex and violence are handled differently in different countries and cultures. Doki Doki Majo Saiban is a Japanese game, and many Japanese gamers enjoy eroge. Until someone starts talking about releasing it elsewhere, who are we to impose our cultural sensibilities and sensitivities on it?