Ratings for video games make sense, but legislative bans and other such Nanny-Statist approaches don't - even if the whole video game culture is essentially vile. If parents are going to get hornswoggled into letting their progeny putz around with this stupid, soul-deadening stuff, they'd at least better take a test drive of each chosen title first.

With Microsoft's recent release of its new XBox 360 gaming console, the product itself - and a lot of the games you can play on it - are getting a close look.

Herb Weisman, consumer reporter for Microsoft's very own cable TV and Internet news joint venture known as MSNBC, recently filed a story about some of the more toned-down video game titles out there for kids, and which ones they like best. Top-rated this year, he reports, is an XBox 360-compatible game called "Burnout Revenge."

It’s a racing game where the emphasis is on smashing and crashing, not driving. Simply put — to win this game, road rage is required! Because there are no drivers in any of the vehicles, there’s no blood and there are no bodies, just awesome crashes. “It’s just like a movie crash,” one kid said. “I don’t buy very many games, but this would definitely be one of them.” “Burnout Revenge” has a new feature not available in previous versions — you can rear-end other vehicles and launch them a few car lengths ahead. “Burnout Revenge” is rated E+10 for everyone 10 and older.

Yeah OK fine. I guess it's just like Tonka make believe, right? Except faster, crunchier and more addictive - and geared for kids a bit closer to driving age than tots with tiny toy cars.

However, tomorrow's New York Times has the news on a typically ugly title called "Condemned: Criminal Origins."

To survive you have to improvise weapons, arming yourself with a mannequin arm, a piece of steam pipe or the blade from a paper cutter, although from time to time you find a handy fire ax or even a gun loaded with a handful of bullets. Your attackers are smart, hiding behind pillars to ambush you. You can paralyze one with your Taser and grab his weapon, but your foe will immediately rearm by pulling a pipe off a wall or grabbing a table leg.

....Condemned has an intriguing premise that completely falls apart by the end, but while the game's designers should consider taking a few writing classes, they really know how to scare people. It is wonderfully creepy to walk through a deserted, ruined shopping mall as Christmas Muzak endlessly plays. The game is also creepy in another way; you spend much of it essentially beating homeless people to death with pipes.

Sheesh. I'm a big big fan of capitalism, and freedom. I guess I'll exercise my right to not let my kids hang out with other kids who play games like this.

That's likewise my take on another XBox game I saw in the local video store the other day. Here's the description of "True Crime NYC."

Run NYC as gangster turned street cop Marcus Reed. Use or abuse your authority to avenge the murder of your trusted mentor and take control of the streets. Arrest, interrogate, use informants, extort, frisk and more as you dispense justice your way. Shootouts, chases, racing and serious horsepower, blackmarket weapons or police-issued firepower. Multiple fighting styles, even use pipes, chairs, frying pans and more."

I'm not saying any of this makes kids violent.

Just stupid.

TECHNORATI TAGS: XBOX 360, MICROSOFT, BURNOUT REVENGE; CONDEMNED: CRIMINAL ORIGINS, TRUE CRIME NYC

TO COMMENT: The regular "comment" feature is not in operation. E-mail comments to address under "Contact" on main page masthead, and I'll add them, here.

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at November 25, 2005 09:19 PM