10 UNACCEPTABLE Video Games
From gore to broken at launch.
Now that video games have well and truly entered the mainstream we find ourselves at a time where there is a game for every conceivable genre and to appeal to every kind of player.
In general, this is a fantastic thing. It means chances are no matter what you’re after, there’s a game out there for you. That said, for all the fantastical mediaeval adventures, engaging hero shooters, and everything in between, there have inevitably been a handful of games that certain people think went too far.
Perhaps this was a government laying down a ban on a game for being too violent, a subsect of gamers declaring the game inappropriate for its themes, or dedicated fans with expectations who were so let down by a title they walked away from it immediately and deemed it unplayable.
Whatever the case may be in each of these cases, somebody wasn’t happy with the following titles.
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10. Hatred
Starting off with one of the earlier games to cause an enormous uproar for its content, we have 2015 isometric shooter, Hatred.
Perhaps because the world was becoming disturbingly aware of the wave of mass-shootings, or just because its content was going to be controversial regardless, this game that put you in the shoes of a mass-murder didn’t go down particularly well with many players or critics. The main character doesn’t have a huge amount of justification for his unaliving rampage except for his declaration that he, quote “just !*$% hate this world and the human worms feasting on its carcass”. In another cringe-inducing move, the game also encourages you to execute unconscious people as a way to recover health.
Unsurprisingly the ESRB slapped Hatred with an Adults Only rating, only the third they’ve ever dolled out, due to its content.
This rating prevented the game from being sold at any traditional retailers. Upon release some dubbed the game unacceptably promoting violence, others claimed it was only shooting for shock value, and a couple claimed even if you overlooked those aspects the game was actually fairly repetitive. In any case, this one certainly caused a stir.