2. God of War
Onto the truly iconic stuff now, and the God Of War franchise. Any series where one of the base-abilities of a protagonist is to grab any smaller enemy and literally tear them in half like a piece of tissue paper was reason enough the series was destined to be remembered for great things. Although in the following years there would be little done to the overall formula, God of Wars core gameplay was so much fun that for the most part it didnt matter. Featuring interactive Quick-Time Events that had you plunging your dual blades into the eyes of various giants and monsters around the games intricate levels, one of the standout moments taken from latest instalment Ascension, was the brain-rip finisher performed on the new version of the minotaur enemies. I dont suppose much description is required for the term brain-rip, but sufficed to say lead angry-man Kratos butchers this particular enemy so badly that the final blow lets you literally see whats going on inside their head. Many thought the series had gone too far with this one, with others still enjoying the blood-soaked ride, happy for more of the same. Over the course of three main instalments theres been every conceivable physical depiction of violence possible, a particular highlight being Kratos hammering a gigantic piece of stone through the head of one of the gigantic Titans that feature in the third game. Thats besides twisting the head off boss character Helios earlier on, or beating the holy hell out of Theseus by slamming his head in a chamber door with repeated mashing of the square button. Its all supremely violent, dark stuff, but the God of War series always presented itself in such a fantastical setting that twinned Greek mythology with a protagonist who got increasingly angrier and more capable of terrible action throughout the games, allowing the developers to create more ludicrously inventive displays of small-man-takes-down-a-huge-creature with each instalment.