# Age-appropriate Xbox 360 games?



## kiasockmonkey (Dec 13, 2010)

I've gotten my son this system for Christmas and need some advice on games. 

He's 9, but I'm not overly prudish about what I'll allow him to play. I've already decided he can try anything up through T for Teen, but the games he seems to be mentioning are all M for Mature. I assume not all the rated M games are equally hardcore, can you recommend any (primarily fantasy I guess; he loves Runescape-type MMORPGs) that should be okay for him? I don't mind some language and themes...just no straight-up nudity or excessively sexual/verbal barrages


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## successful (Mar 21, 2009)

here's some good games that age appropriate. 


- Lost Planet
-Batman Arkham Asylum
-DJ Hero
-Project Gotham Racing 4
-Mirrors Edge
-Ufc Undisputed 2010
-tony hawk project 8
-Burnout Paradise
-ghost recon:Advance ware fighter 2
-Dead or alive 4 (rated Mature for just mild violence like punching & kicking .. it's fighting game).

-Halo Reach (rated Mature, but for fake green alien blood & shooting up space aliens... but an occasional "goddammit" or "*a$s" might slip once or twice in the dialog but nothing really bad in this game)


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## kiasockmonkey (Dec 13, 2010)

Perfect! He's been going on and on about Halo Reach...


How about Assassin's Creed? Too over-the-top for a kid?


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## successful (Mar 21, 2009)

kiasockmonkey said:


> Perfect! He's been going on and on about Halo Reach...
> 
> How about Assassin's Creed? Too over-the-top for a kid?


umm it depends on what you want him seeing. the game basically about hunting down & killing people with swords & stabbing them.There's "sexual themes" in the game because of the prostitutes standing around on the game. strong language supposedly be in it to.

but if he watched movies like "300" he'll be good with assassin creed.


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## Dreamscape (Sep 18, 2010)

Assassin's Creed really isn't that bad in my opinion for an M rated game. In the new one the only sexual things are a little innuendo (that I doubt a 9 year old would pick up on), a partial dress-down scene where it fades to black and you don't see anything, and the "courtesans" that stand around don't do anything you couldn't let a kid see, and one probably wouldn't even know what they are.

The violence I guess is middle of the road. So if that's a big concern then it's something to be aware of. Most all of it involves swords/stabbing people.


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## kenny87 (Feb 22, 2009)

It seems almost every game is rated M nowadays. I have had a xbox since day one and have gotten 2 titles that were not M, and one came with my second system. I wouldn't put much attention into what letter a game got or else he won't have much of anything at all, you will have to do your independent research.


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## kenny87 (Feb 22, 2009)

good games I enjoyed

Hitman blood money
dead space
resident evil 5
fable II ( haven't played III but it is out)
splinter cell series
battlefield bad company 1 & 2
rainbow six vegas 1 & 2
Far Cry Instincts Predator
Call of duty series
Left 4 Dead 1 & 2

I don't know what he likes but I enjoyed this, no sex really in any of this games just typical violence and stuff.

Ok, in fable you can get married and have sex with you wife, or a prostitute, but the screen blacks out and you only hear the sounds, other than that everything should be acceptable for children.


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## Zuzu (Dec 6, 2010)

don't forget to buy all the games used, its the same thing just without the plastic cover. also, if your worried about age appropriate games I would suggest the wii or PlayStation, because X-box is mostly shooting/online games.


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## amoeba (May 19, 2010)

Yes let's all recommend Call of Duty and Hitman to a 9 year old.


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## kiasockmonkey (Dec 13, 2010)

This all helps a lot, thanks guys.

Yeah COD wasn't really an option...someone already warned me about that. Actually, they warned me about the little kids on XBox Live playing it, lol.


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## Chris2012 (Sep 5, 2010)

kenny87 said:


> good games I enjoyed
> 
> Hitman blood money
> dead space
> ...


The kid is 9... He's not going to get anything out of these games.

Halo is a good choice, though. It's meant to be simple for gamers of all ages. It is rated M, but Bungie knows not to scare parents away.


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## Chris2012 (Sep 5, 2010)

Zuzu said:


> don't forget to buy all the games used, its the same thing just without the plastic cover. also, if your worried about age appropriate games I would suggest the wii or PlayStation, because X-box is mostly shooting/online games.


Worst advice I have ever heard.

Game companies are moving towards killing the used game market. And vice versa, Gamestop and other companies are trying to make big bank from buying used games cheap and selling this high. It's a business war going on as we speak, and the consumer (YOU) only wins by educating yourself on current events in the market.

The simple fact is... Gaming is a big deal in today's society. All kids scream is "I WANT! I WANT!" They really don't know what's going on. Parents who aren't in the loop just buy to please.

Now, how are game companies trying to beat the system? Well, EA is selling new games with codes. And that code gets you content not intended for people who didn't actually buy the game new. Some examples are Mass Effect 2, Medal of Honor, and Battlefield: Bad Comapny 2.

Another thing you have to watch out for is Collector's Edition games. NEVER NEVER NEVER buy them. Kids go nuts for them. But they usually come with action figures or an extra in-game costume... all for another $10.

Yearly titles that come out! Important. Fable II came out last year. I beat in a week and it sits on my shelf. Assassin's Creed II - amazing game! I beat it in a week. It sits on my shelf. This year, Fable III and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood came out... I rented them. I saved $100. Same thing with Black Ops. You shouldn't pay yearly for another 7-hour game.

Finally, DLC. Downloadable Content. It costs. And the money adds up. And it's the new way to get more than $60 for games by selling it in pieces. Spending an extra $5 here and there doesn't seem like a big deal. But when you realize that you just spent $90 on one game, you just realized that you willingly bent over to developers. Make sure to watch out.

There are many many ways that these businessmen are getting over on the consumer. And gamers are stupid stupid people. They buy buy buy whenever the next title is announced. You need to know what's going on or you may be spending $100 per game during the next generation of games.

Big deal, Momma. Big deal.


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## Infexxion (Jun 29, 2009)

Chris2012 said:


> Worst advice I have ever heard.
> 
> Game companies are moving towards killing the used game market. And vice versa, Gamestop and other companies are trying to make big bank from buying used games cheap and selling this high. It's a business war going on as we speak, and the consumer (YOU) only wins by educating yourself on current events in the market.
> 
> ...


There are legit sites that sell used games online (half.com, glyde) that aren't "trying to screw over the customer" because you're actually buying from other people, not a used game store.

But, yes, Gamestop has a horrible means of operation when it comes to buying your used games from you and then re-selling them.

As far as Fable II and Assassin's Creed II, those are both games with a heavy emphasis on single player, and I know in Fable II there are two different ways you can play the game, good or evil, so that adds re-playability for some people. Assassin's Creed, I can't really rag on it because of the number of side quests and the fact that I think the story is excellent and well-worth playing over again. That's just a personal opinion though.

I mostly agree with what you said, but for a parent getting her kid a game, this probably won't be an effective way of "exposing the system". She's simply looking for game recommendations, not the current state of the industry.

By the way, seeing as games are only getting larger, and for the most part, better, I wouldn't rule out paying $100 for a game next gen or the gen after that. In fact, I wouldn't even mind it if it came with $100 worth of content and I felt like I got my money's worth.


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