10 Popular Video Games You Didn't Realise Had Content Removed
Wanna know how I got these scars? Well... you can't.
Video games being updated and changed is hardly anything new. 99% of games released now have Day 1 patches to fix things developers didn't have time to finish, and games with a dedicated multiplayer vein are always being balanced and tweaked on an almost weekly basis, all to make sure fans are satisfied with their playing experience.
Some video games however, have had content removed for many reasons beyond simply making the game "better" or "fairer". Developers (especially when making games in the late 80's and early 90's) often come across legal trouble when innocently using celebrity likenesses or making harmless in-jokes which come back to bite them.
Restrictions through the laws of certain countries deal with what content media and video games can depict or actions the player can carry out, with certain developers/publishers/series hitting this roadblock more than others (I'm looking at you, GTA). To a lesser extent, some material is often edited to reach a lower classification rating, broadening the potential demographic the game would be available to.
You also get a few anomalies from time to time, forcing a bizarre or seemingly innocuous alteration that could've prevented a title's release altogether.
10. Space Quest I - Droids R Us And ZZ Top
Fully titled as "Space Quest: Chapter I - The Sarien Encounter", this graphic adventure game created by Sierra On-Line way back in 1986 suffered cuts after legal issues and lawsuits.
While this game is littered with pop culture references, with nods to Star Wars IV: A New Hope, the Genesis Device from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and the robot from Lost In Space, some parties didn't take too kindly to their likenesses being used without permission.
After crash landing on the planet Kerona, the player must search for a way home. While exploring a place known as Ulenca Flats, the player comes across a store called "Droids R US", whose logo and name bears close resemblance to toy store chain Toys R Us and the "Rocket Bar" features performing bands that look a lot like the Blues Brothers and ZZ Top.
Toys R Us sued Sierra, leading remakes of the game to have the store name changed to "Droids B Us" and ZZ Top also took legal action against the developer. The bearded rockers actually still featured in early copies of the remake, but were later replaced with a generic alien band.