10 Most Controversial Video Games Of All Time
3. Manhunt
"Rockstar plus snuff films" is a recipe for a perfect storm of controversy, so it came as no surprise when Manhunt sparked one shortly after hitting PlayStation 2 in 2003.
The stealth-based psychological horror game followed a death-row inmate who's captured by a mysterious stranger known only as The Director and forced to carry out graphic murder to survive.
From plastic bag suffocation to genital mutilation by sickle, the killings were depicted in ultra-realistic fashion and players were scored on the grisliness of their slaughter.
Needless to says, an adult certificate did little to quell the moral panic Manhunt sparked in certain circles and this reached critical mass in July 2004 when the game was linked with the murder of 14-year-old Stefan Pakeerah by his 17-year-old friend Warren Leblanc in Leicestershire.
Any connection between the game and this tragic incident was later dismissed, but that didn't stop some retailers pulling it from shelves while the case was ongoing.
Rockstar went on to release a sequel in 2007 which was actually more graphic. Both games have been banned in countries including New Zealand and Germany.