10 Video Games That Broke The Rules

Grand Theft Auto III, Skyrim, and The Last of Us pushed boundaries in a way no other game had before, causing a noticeable shakeup in the gaming industry. Platformers, shooters, and sandbox titles of this calibre aren't just touted as classics but rule-breakers, since they redefined what a game could do.

Having said that, there are a few titles that took "breaking the rules" way too literally. Developers may hide a feature inside the game without management's consent. Other times, they'll rely on a loophole to get around age restrictions, sticking a middle finger to censorship.

In a way, this sort of defiant behaviour can be refreshing, even necessary. As this list will prove, some of the best ideas in gaming were done behind the publishers' backs.

But sometimes, some developers go so far to break the rules, it teeters on breaking the law. When an innocent little game is found to have inappropriate content or an expletive-riddled rant lurking in the code, it's safe to assume the powers-that-be didn't know about it or somebody got fired.

Though many games are known for rule-breaking, this lot took it to a whole new level.

After the unprecedented success of Tetris, the iconic puzzle title was ported to every system imaginable. Hoping to milk the property for as long as possible, Nintendo hired H20 Entertainment to work on a N64 game that captured the spirit of the original.

Although The New Tetris was solid, Nintendo were horrified to learn the lead programmer, David Pridie, left a swear-filled rant in the game's code.

In this hidden message, Pridie complains about his co-workers, accusing them of being cowardly, deceitful, and lazy. He says the game itself sucks but could be good with "another month to finish this thing off after all the bugs are fixed." At the end of this long-winded speech, Pridie warns readers not to publish the text without his consent or they will "feel my wrath".

Unsurprisingly, readers who found this text didn't take Pridie's threat seriously and uploaded it online, a mere three days after The New Tetris launched. Nintendo were so outraged, they recalled every cartridge in the United States, replacing with copies that removed the rant.

It goes without saying that Nintendo never worked with H20 Entertainment ever again.