10 Banned PS2 Games Too Controversial For Their Time

From Medal Of Honour to Call Of Duty, historical shooters are undoubtedly some of the most popular games to hit, not just the PlayStation 2, but gaming in general. And while these games have faced many controversies for their envelope-pushing content (Modern Warfare 2’s “No Russia” mission being a prime example), one game that was banned in Australia was Vietnam shooter Shellshock: Nam ’67.

Following the typical formula of these games, Nam ’67 took players to the titular war where they took on the role of soldier Caleb “Cal” Walker, engaging in a series of missions with their squad. While the game was initially marketed to showcase the notorious horrors of the war, the effect was rather the opposite. With reviewers panning the game for its tasteless representations of violence (and its poor gameplay in general), the game was initially refused classification in Australia for its high-impact violence. However, after it was resubmitted in a form that recontextualised its more questionable content (though it’s unclear what these aspects were exactly), the game was granted an MA15+ rating.

Unfortunately, the sequel Shellshock 2: Blood Trials, which released for the PlayStation 3, was banned outright for its violence.