10 Banned PS2 Games Too Controversial For Their Time

The early 2000s was a time when extreme sports games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series and SSX Tricky were riding high. However, one game that’s best forgotten is the catastrophic BMX XXX.

While this subgenre of games never took itself too seriously to begin with, this entry took things to a whole new level of schlocky ridiculousness by including strippers, prostitutes, adult humour, and a whole lot of nudity by allowing players to create topless female characters, as well as view live-action footage of real-life strippers.

In the years since, we’ve seen plenty of nudity in the likes of The Witcher series whereas Saints Row and Grand Theft Auto have provided a lot smuttier content. At the time, though, the adult content was a big deal. Not only did it result in a lawsuit between developers Acclaim and BMX rider Dave Mirra, who accused them of sullying his name after the studio took his licensed series in its smutty new direction without his knowledge.

While the game wasn’t banned outright, PlayStation 2 versions had to be censored to get a release while the nudity was completely removed in Australia.