Kombat
Continued from Page 9
“People are old enough to realize
that you can’t really go out and pull
someone’s head off,” he said.
11 might not be that simple, though.
According to Gregg Wright, an asso
ciate research professor at the Center
for Children, Family and Law atUNL,
video game violence should not be
dismissed without examination.
“It is a serious concern," he said.
“The violence in video games can be
desensitizing to violence elsewhere
in the world.”
Wright said video game violence
has not been researched enough to
determine the full effect it has upon
society.
He said video games were a poten
tial problem.
Aside from the violence contro
versy is the issue of whether video
games can become addictive.
Some studentsbccome so involved
with the game, it affects their studies,
Wright said.
Wright said he saw this trend mainly
among freshman. He said older stu
dents realize they must concentrate
time to improving their grade point
averages.
Collett said, “Some college stu
dents’ studies have fallen by the way
side. I mean, I love my games, but I
realize there is a time for gaming and
a time for studying.”
Nelson said he played whenever
he had the opportunity. He said the
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time he consumed playing video
games did affect his time left for
studying, but it was not a serious
addiction.
Some of the problems with video
games and violence have been ad
dressed by the games' distributors.
Similar to record labeling, Sega
has adopted a ratings policy on all of
its video games. The ratings are based
on “age appropriateness” and content
issues.
-M
The age group the game
is targeted at Is mainly
college students—and
we like violence. In our
own fantasy world we
like seeing someone’s
head pulled off.
— Collett
sales associate, Kay-Bee Toys
-f» -
Sega has three ratings levels, GA
for general audiences, MA-13 for
mature audiences with parental dis
cretion advised, and MA-17 not ap
propriate for minors.
Collett said Mortal Kombat car
ried a MA-13 rating. The rating will
serve as a warning for those who want
to avoid the excessive violence. He
said it also served as a valuable paren
tal guide.
A consumer service representative
for Nintendo Entertainment Systems
Things'#^
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of America said the company did not
agree with Sega’s policy of labeling.
“We don’t believe in labeling. We
believe video games should be (suit
able) for everyone to see,” she said.
“If Sega makes their video games
so horrid that they have to label them,
then they discriminate against the
younger kids. They should tone it
down and it would be just as good
without the minor technicalities.”
A Sega of America spokesperson
could not be reached for comment.
Nelson said he also disagreed with
the labeling policy.
“People should establish that it is
just a game and is not real life. There
shouldn’t be any need for labels,” he
said.”
He said parents should be the ones
who decide what their children play.
Collett said one mother forced her
child to return Mortal Kombat to the
store because she was oflended by the
violence the code could release.
“She said we shouldn’t be selling
the game to children his age,” he said.
“He was even 13, but she objected to
it. She was really upset video games
were so violent/’
Collett said the controversy ofel im
inating video game violence has been
blown out of proportion.
“People get all upset over noth
ing ” he said.
The battle over violence is far from
over—and it looks as if it might heat
up even more. M idway plans to ship a
new and possibly bloodier Mortal
Kombat II to arcades before Christ
mas. _
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Loaf
Continued from Page 9
Cool stuff is sprinkled through
out the rest of the album, too.
One highlight is “Objects in the
Rear View Mirror May Appear
Closer Than They Are,” a song
about being haunted in the present
by past tragedies. The metaphor in
the song works well: “And if life is
just a highway/then the soul is just
a car/and objects in the rear view
mirror may appear closer than they
are.”
Also, Steinman makes things
interesting when he does the neu
rotic monologue on “Wasted
Youth,” a story about a guy who
whacks out and smashes his guitar
against floors and motorcycles and
varsity cheerleaders. Despite the
political incorrectness of it all, it
just makes you giggle.
Wow. It’s the ’90s, Meat Loaf
has a new album, we’re all in col
lege, and people are taking more
baths than usual. Things couldn’t
be morfc super.
—Mike Lewis
Courtesy Interscope Records
“13 Above the Night"
My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult
Interscope Records
If you like the alternative dance
scene ami boogcying under fluo
rescent lights to a monotonous,
pounding, techno-beat, you’ll like
‘13 Above the Night,” the fourth
full-length release from My Life
With The Thrill Kill Kult.
But even if you don’t like to
dance, this disc may have some
thing to offer you.
“13 Above the Night” is Thrill
Kill Kult’s first effort since their
song “Sex on Wheelz” was used in
the 1992 animated film “Cool
World.” It’s kind of industrial, and
it has a couple of genuinely good
songs.
However, most of the album is
over-synthesized or just plain bor
ing.
Groovie Mann and Buzz McCoy,
who formed Thrill Kill Kult in
1987 and remain the core members
of the group, rely too much on
techno grooves and beats, often at
the expense of melody.
They’re at their worst in “Deli
cate Terror” and “Final Blindness,”
two songs begging for ridicule be
cause of their silly sound effects.
Fans who like Thrill Kill Kult’s
habit of oversaturating their music
with samples of old movies, inter
views, and newscasts won’t be dis
appointed. All 13 songs open with
a sampled line and then repeat it
over and over and over.
The samples are so widespread
that listeners may end up associat
ing songs with the content of the
samples rather than the titles.
For instance, “China de Sade”
becomes “I’m Doing It Because
I’m Angry, I’m Doing It to Feel the
Pain,” and “Electrical Soul Wish”
becomes “I’ve Always Fought
Against Evil, and I've Always
Won.”
But “13 Above the Night” has
its good moments loo.
The disc starts out strong with
“Velvet Edge," a dark song with a
strong baseline.
“Blue Buddha” is easily the best
song offered, even if it does sound
a bit like the Happy Mondays.
* .j 'J* it1 ; '
“Dimentia 66” is also a cut abo ve
the rest, even if it was used in the
Sharon Stone film, “Sliver.”
On “13 Above the Night,” new
member Trash K. and Otto are add
ed on guitars and percussion re
spectively. However, the two arc
largely drowned out by samples
and machines.
That’s too bad. Thrill Kill Kult
is at its best when the gadgets are
turned down.
—Bryce Glenn
Courtesy Tommy Boy
“Buhloone Mind State**
De La Soul
Tommy Boy
“I am Posdnuos. I be the new
generation.”
Summed up, “Buhloone Mind
State” is De La Soul’s latest emer
gence from yet another unknown
path, only to recount the listener
with more stories using further un
discovered vernacular.
Basically, it is the high quality
work that everyone has come to
expect from De La Soul.
De La’s biggest deviation is the
absence of skits between songs.
The skits helped to maintain the
themes of their two previous al
bums.
The four skits that are included
are worth a 1 isten, with antics rang
ing from the chatter of Japanese
rappers SPD and Takagi Kan to
Prince Paul airing his anger over
his alleged misrepresentation in
“The Source” magazine.
The rest of the album is pure De
La magic.
“I am I be” is a track of self
realization accompanied by proc
lamations of being from more Na
tive Tongues pals than a person can
count on one hand. The instrumen
tal version, “I be blowio,’” is a
phenomenal horn solo by Masco
Parker.
The real meat of the album
emerges in these eleven tracks as
Posand Dove’s skills are highl ight
ed masterfully.
Old school styles are heard on
tracks like “Area” and “Ego
Trippin,” backed by samples and
hazy horns from the guy’s own
private school.
They can funk as well, as show
cased in “En Focus” and the First
single released, “Breakadawn.”
Several pest appearances arc
sprinkled throughout the album.
Guru shows up with a jazzy (lute
dropping “Patti Dooke, while Biz
Mark ie gets stupid on “Stone Age.”
The album’s most amazing ele
ment is the Native Tongues’ new
est member Shortie No Mass. This
4-foot-11-inch sister from Philly
blends her smooth flow with De La
throughout the album. She is show
cased properly on the track “In the
Woods.”
De La Soul’sexcellence contin
ues to set the standard in the rap
industry — an industry they will
continue to thrive in for a long time
to come.
—Greg Schick
