Top 10 Controversial Games of All Time

[edgun88]

Despite good intentions, some games push all the wrong buttons. And with a new Grand Theft Auto hitting the kid-friendly Nintendo DS this week, another firestorm of controversy could be on the horizon. Brace yourself with this look back at some of the touchiest titles in gaming history.

Link to all the games

Here are a few I thought were interesting:

Mortal Kombat (1992, Arcade)

This legendary fighting game series hasn't always enjoyed flawless victories. Though its slick graphics and instantly iconic characters made it a breakout hit, its sheer brutality and chilling "Fatalities" made it an easy target for anti-violence crusaders. Eventually, the game was brought before Congress in hearings that led to the creation of the body that puts age certificates on games to this day, the ESRB.



Doom (1993, PC)

Landmark Martian monster mash Doom has been riling up religious groups since flying out of Hell in 1993, but it didn't truly hit the big time until it was tied to the tragic 1999 massacre at Columbine High School. Several victims' families filed lawsuits against the film and video game industries, which were ultimately dismissed.



Resistance: Fall of Man (2006, Playstation 3)

This acclaimed first-person shooter was one of the PS3's bright spots during its first year. Unfortunately, the designers forgot to ask the Church of England for permission to use Manchester Cathedral in a game featuring guns, bullets and alien hordes. Both sides eventually made nice, though the seemingly negative publicity led to a significant increase in sales.



LittleBigPlanet (2008, Playstation 3)

This groundbreaking platform game inadvertently raised the ire of the Muslim world when it was discovered that one of the game's licensed songs contained sacred passages from the Qur'an. Sony issued a full recall only days before releasing, costing the company both revenue and peace of mind during the busy holiday season.



Resident Evil 5 (2009; Xbox 360, Playstation 3)

Set in an African nation teeming with undead monsters, the latest in the acclaimed horror series has been accused of promoting racist imagery by featuring a white protagonist killing hordes of black zombies. Despite the controversy, the game has already shipped over 4 million units worldwide.


Lol at Resident Evil. I don't think that one can be a racist zombie killer. As for me, I don't racially profile when I kill zombies...don't know about you guys.

[MLSKINS]

LOL @ RE5. I had a feeling people were going to ***** about that.

[BigMike619]

what about left 4 dead and killing fat people?

[MLSKINS]

what about left 4 dead and killing fat people?

Man they left a lot off.

Duke Nukem
Bully
and a lot more that I can't think of

[RedlightG20]

I dont think Bully is that bad. You're not using guns and blowing people away--just punching little kids (what's the harm in that )

I agree with Doom being on the list--it was pretty rough for its time. Also one of my fav games of all time. I also agree with Mortal Kombat being on there--it also was rough when it came out.

GTA series, Postal (and Postal 2) probably should be amongst the top of any controversial games list.

[PokerPacker]

where's the love for Duke Nukem? Its time to kick ass and chew bubblegum... and I'm all out of gum.

[MrBig101]

Duke Nukem's absolutely wicked. Love it to death.

And, why are people so up in arms about RE5 and shooting Africans, when there was no such protests about the 4th game, when you shot Spanish? Double Standard imo.

[PokerPacker]

Duke Nukem's absolutely wicked. Love it to death.

And, why are people so up in arms about RE5 and shooting Africans, when there was no such protests about the 4th game, when you shot Spanish? Double Standard imo.

people are just stupid. they can't fathom that this franchise has been going on for so long and taken place in so many different places, that it may just happen to take place in Africa one time where *gasp* black people are! Because we all know that every game from the original resident evil to building up to resident evil 5 was just a plot to sucker people into thinking it was an innocent bloody game of killing zombies, biding their time until they could create a game about killing black zombies (is it even zombies in this game or is it the illuminatos thing like in RE4?). those tricky Japanese white-supremacists.

[Cooked Crack]

No RapeLay? Resistance as a top 10 controversial game? This list is ass

[SUSkinsFan]

GTA: San Andreas should not be on that list if GTA3 isn't on it. I remember ALOT of controversy when GTA3 came out.

[cjcdaman]

Paperboy. I never delivered newspapers the same way again.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

I don't think the problem with RE5 is black zombies alone. It's that you walk around Africa stealing the natives diamonds/jewels/gold off their dead bodies. You know, that whole colonialism thing and the raping of entire countries. Even IGN made note of it in their review.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/960/960212p2.html

I personally didn't find Resident Evil 5 to have an overtly racist feel, but I did find one aspect of it a bit disturbing. It was a bit strange to realize I was wandering around Africa stealing the region's gold, precious gems and expensive native treasures, which I then cashed in to pay for weapon upgrades. Add in the fact that I ended up killing the parasitically infected villagers and townspeople of the area with said weapons, and the discomfort comes full circle.