5. All Characters From Mortal Kombat
Obviously, the series that started the ESRB rating system is a sure addition to any list containing both "controversial and "video game" in the title. Mortal Kombat is known to be the most controversial fighting game in history for it's introduction of "Fatalities," finishing moves that are used to ghastly murder defeated opponents, and have been a staple to the series since. When MK started out, the characters were made of digitized sprites, making the violence seem realistic. Though current generation entries have abandoned the digitization for polygons, the technology only makes the violence more realistic. Take the current Mortal Kombat game with it's X-Ray moves and Fatalities for example. No matter what year and entry, the MK combatants will always be magnets for controversy.