The Top 4: Worst video games

TURKEYS: Remember some of these? They were a waste of time.

1. "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (Atari 2600): Rush-released for the holidays to capitalize on the success of Steven Spielberg's magical movie, this jaw-dropping stinker isn't just the worst game ever; it defines what a bad game truly is.

The slow, choppy gameplay consists mostly of a green, pixilated E.T. climbing out of pits, dodging an awkwardly programmed detective, and ... getting out of more pits. E.T. himself would trade in stashes of Reese's Pieces to ensure no curious gamer touches this monstrosity.

2. "Survival Arts" (Arcade): When "Mortal Kombat" revolutionized fighting games, piles of imitators followed, but none as bad as this.

From the cheap, garish costumes and overly dramatic death cries to the horrible controls and character actors, "Survival Arts" will make one burst into fits of laughter with its ineptitude. Did I mention the old guy with a limitless supply of weapons and the boss who looks like Richard Simmons?

3. "Superman 64" (Nintendo 64): People love Superman because he represents absolute good and can do no wrong -- except when he flies on your home console. This N64 turkey defaces the good name of Superman in every way, forcing the Man of Steel to fly through hoops as a mission.


The gameplay is extremely buggy, with unresponsive controls and limited superpowers. You may find yourself giving up when Lex Luthor challenges, "Solve my maze." Difficult, as there is no maze.

4. "Gods and Generals" (PC): A tie-in for a hated Civil War movie that can't get basic game programming right.

The low artificial intelligence has soldiers shooting randomly and running through fire until they die; the landscaping has more polygons than a geometry book; there are hardly any game physics; and nearly every troop looks exactly the same. Had the Civil War itself been like this game, it'd probably be known as the Clone Wars long before George Lucas made movies -- if either side even won.

NFL Challenge to play for $100,000 in prizes

Players hit a different kind of gridiron yesterday for a chance to compete in an international tournament.

Football fans put their skills to the test in the EA Sports Madden NFL Challenge, which saw video game players going head-to-head yesterday.

"The tournament allows you to know how good you are and gives a scale to build on," said Madden fan Mike Iwankow, 25.

Iwankow came in second in last year's Madden regional tournament in Winnipeg and was eager to compete again this year.

"To be the best in a city is quite an accomplishment," said Anthony Francisco, manager of the St. James Best Buy store, where the competition was held.

The latest version of the Madden game features more realistic action, with certain National Football League players having stronger skills than others, said Iwankow.

"It's almost bang-on," he said.

About 40 players had signed up yesterday morning to participate in the Winnipeg tournament, playing the Madden NFL 08 game on Xbox 360 systems.

"They treat it like a real game. They're as fanatical about it as fans at Bombers' games," said James Deighton, one of the tourney's organizers.

PLAYS RELIGIOUSLY

One of the competitors, Clint Armstrong, 31, said the event brought more excitement to the gameplay and he looked forward to competing again next year.

"He plays the game religiously," said Armstrong's sister, Katrina Paquin, who came out to cheer him on.

Other Madden enthusiasts said they enjoy the popular video game series because of their fondness for the NFL.

"I'm a huge football fan and it's the closest you can get (in a video game)," said Nigel Russell, 18, adding he's been playing the game for about five years.

The top three players in Winnipeg walk off with televisions as prizes while the overall winner gets a paid trip to Toronto to compete in the national championship. The winner of that event will be sent to Los Angeles in December for the international final, worth about $100,000 in prizes, said Deighton.

UK government video games review

In her first interview as head of a government review of video games' effect on children, TV psychologist Tanya Byron tells David Smith that being a mother will help in her new role.

She told The Observer why she believes portable games devices should be part of daily schooling, suggests a likely link between violent games and violent behaviour in certain cases, and stresses the need for parents and children to balance virtual world risks as they would real world dangers such as crossing a road or talking to strangers.

Pilot schemes in schools, which have seen hand-held devices such as the Nintendo DS used by pupils to practise mental arithmetic, will be applauded. Asked if she thinks these should become part of the daily curriculum, Byron says: 'Yes I do. These are the technologies that children are using and will continue to use more and more as they grow into the next workforce, the next thinking generation.

While their educational merits are seldom noted, video games tend to become news only when gory or violent content is blamed for copycat behaviour in the real world. Is there a causal link? Byron is no fan of censorship but admits it's 'the big question'. 'I think the fact that currently there exists no concrete evidence of harm does not mean evidence of no harm.

Byron's consultation with the games and internet industries will include a mission to America and a meeting with YouTube, the video sharing site, to discuss its policy for taking down inappropriate content. She has also thrown open the process to children themselves, with blogs on MySpace and Bebo .

'Balance' is possibly Byron's favourite word, and the government can expect a nuanced report sensitive to both sides of an argument. That doesn't mean it will be bland. As visitors to her MySpace page now know, her star sign is Aries, also known as the ram.

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