1up grades Xbox 360 family controls

Believe it or not, video game companies do try to keep mature subject matter out of reach from young children. Although it is fundamentally a parent's responsibility, Microsoft has given its Xbox 360 the essential tools to help parents guard their kids from graphic violence, profanity, and sex. 1up's Patrick Joynt runs through all the features of the Xbox 360 family controls and gives the system overall a C plus. Here is the breakdown:

• Games Rating: A As long as you update the dashboard, all Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles can be restricted by their ESRB rating.
• Movie Rating: F It's not Microsoft's fault that most DVDs--especially the earlier ones--did not have embedded ratings. Still, the ability to disable the DVD player altogether might've been nice.
• Live Rating: B The system is pretty thorough, offering a wide range of options for parents controlling if and how their kids use Xbox Live; however, anyone with a free Hotmail account can be an "adult," so there are ways around the system...
• Media Rating: C If you remember to stop the share of certain files off of your network, you should be fine.

The best way, of course, is to stay actively involved with your children--maybe play some of the games with them. Do any devilish kids/cautious parents have any poignant anecdotes about their experiences with the Xbox 360 parental controls?

[Update: fixed a few minor typographical errors.]