Everybody loves a controversy. They're easy to manufacture, easy to spread, and once they're out there then people get to stitch their own agendas to them like horrible, media-driven Frankenstein's monsters. Good times! Maybe that's why everything from Doom to Mario Party has been slammed by the media, recalled or outright legally banned at some point. In fact, if you wanted to, you could come up with a whole list of games that have been controversial for silly reasons. However, this is not that list. We don't need to remind you that Wolfenstein is banned in Germany or that Ocarina of Time caused a stir because it originally contained a Muslim prayer. No, this is a list of the dirtiest, the most disgusting, the most pornographic, the most sleazy, the most racist (intentionally or otherwise), the most sexist, the most thought-provoking, the most challenging, and the most generally vile and hateful games ever produced. Some of them are misunderstood works of art. Some of them are straight-faced propaganda. And some of them are little more than the mental excrement of the truly disturbed. But they all have one thing in common: they're all offensive. Prepare to have the paint stripped from your soul.
20. JFK: Reloaded
We'll start things off light with the murder of a president. Conceived in 2004 by Traffic Games as "the world's first mass-participation forensic construction", JFK: Reloaded drops players into a virtual Texas School Book Depository and scores them based on how well their simulated killing spree matches the findings of the Warren Commission. The current world record is only 782 out of a possible 1000 by the way, so maybe the conspiracy nuts were on to something after all. But in case you're thinking that this is just a dry, historical simulator then think again! Reloaded comes with a host of features including a "bullet-cam" and a "chaotic" mode for the motorcade which makes all of the Secret Service guards flip their lids in hilarious ways as soon as shots are fired. People have even modded the game and added bizarre details like George Bush driving a bus in the background. So if you've ever fantasised about taking out a leader of the free world - or you just want to shoot Jackie Onassis repeatedly in the face - then this is definitely the game for you. By the way, speaking of mixing violence and politics...
Eric Day co-hosts the Murderville Podcast at www.welcometomurderville.com
Give it a listen. Five minutes. Maybe you'll dig it. Maybe you'll hate it. But at least you'll have tried something new.
