During the '90s, concerned citizens and news outlets turned their attention to video games. Who would protect children from the Mortal Kombats and Night Traps of the world? Obviously, the responsibility of monitoring the impressionable youth could not possibly fall on the parents' shoulders; as a result, the Entertainment Software Rating Board rose up to carry the burden. Prior to the ESRB's foundation in 1994, Nintendo and Sega employed their own ,🥃 but the companies' conflicting views on what constituted acceptable content led to the formation of a more impartial body.
A non-profit self-regulatory organization, the ESRB is a necessary thing that helped ease some of the scrutiny leveled at the industry. While submitting a project is voluntary, console publishers only accept titles which have gone through the process. Divided into five age-based , the ESRB examines varies unique elements before assigning a score. Strong language, simulated gambling, and depictions of excess tend to be among the most commonly 💙cited justifications for an M rating, but various factors are taken into consideration.
Over the years, only 27 games have been rewarded an rating. Sought out by certain studios as a badge of honor, such a score substantially diminishes a project's commercial potential🍎. Offline and many online outlets refuse to sell AO games, ꩲwhile console manufacturers simply do not publish them.
Admittedly, that seems a tad excessive.෴ How bad could they possibly be? Here are some crazy AO video games the ESRB banned!
19 Manhunt 2
As the ESRB is a North American body, there have been instances when a game's rating varied between the PAL and NTSC versions. Arguably, Manhunt 2 ranks as the most infamous case of an AO rating effectively banning a major title from being sold. Fueled by 's crusade to ban excessive games, Manhunt 2 was the subject of a lawsuit and, eventually, the content was toned down to diminish the rating to a꧂n M. Take-Two's stealth action game did noꦉt fare much better across the Pacific, as the BBFC initially refused to even rate it.
18 Hatred
Speaking about obvious marketing ploys, Hatred is a lousy isometric shooter that only gained any attention due to its controversial content. While not the worst game to be published on Steam, a statement rendered mute due to Steam Greenlight, Destructive Creations saw Hotline Miami and figured such a premise would work far better without any subtlety or satire. The villainous playable character yearns to reduce the Earth's population by a town's worth of people and sets out to accomplish such a disgusting task. Pushing past the endless scenes of mayhem, Hatred says nothing — controversy for controversy's ꧂sake is bor💙ing.
17 Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy 💦
Quantic Dream's second game and the first to truly highlight David Cage's story-driven approach, is a cinematic interactive drama and, arguably, remains the company's masterpiece. The paranormal thriller has more than a couple of problems, but a North American and European player would have bought distinctive experiences due to the ESRB awarding an AO rating to Indigo Prophecy's original cut. In order to reduc🍨e the score to an M, Quantic Dream published a censored version in the United States. In 2015, the uncensored edition was remastered for⛄ the PlayStation 4, but the self-regulatory institute saw fit to reward a . It seems like the ESRB has become desensitized to obscene content.
16 ꦛ Leisure Suit Larry ꦯ
Leisure Suit Larry's 2004 adventure serves as another example of a game's rating fluctuating depending on the continent. Apparently, when it comes to riskier projects, PEGI seem to be somewhat more accepting than their ESRB counterparts — although individual countries may disagree with a particular . Criticized for banning titles like Manhunt 2, The BBFC has experienced some pushback due to its practices. Released without any changes in Europe, Leisure Suit Larry went🦂 back to the editing room before earnin𝐆g a North American release.
15 𝓰 Riana Rouge
Forged during an era enamored with full motion video cutscenes, Riana Rouge barely qualifies as a game. Well, to be fair, players exhibit about as much control as Quantic Dream's average project. Starring Gillian Bonner as the titular - ahem - Riana, the heroic protagonist abruptly finds hersꦦelf teleported to an alien world after being flung out of a window by her boss. In this alternate reality, Riana is a powerful warrior and society's only hope against a sinister tyrant! Gameplay pivots around picking a color to change t🎐he heroine's mood, but this potentially captivating mechanic is poorly implemented and mostly superfluous to the overall story.
14 Tokimeki Check-in!ꦫ ൲
Another Peach Princess publication, another AO rating. As a voluntary body, the ESRB is rendered powerless when a property is distributed via a means that lacks any real supervision. A visual novel available only on PC, Tokimeki Check-in! was not designed to be sold in stores, furthermore, dating sims tend to be more readily available on Microsoft Windows than consoles. Tokimeki Check-in! employes its AO rating as a marker of quality. This stamp would have instantly attracted the attention of anyone seeking a more grown-up visual novel. Boasting multiple endings and an array of girls to pursue, is a step above Peach Princess' other titles.
13 �🦂� Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Original)
Rockstar loves to court controversy, but the studio crossed the line with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The action-adventure franchise's reputation is built on surprising players and, by extension, media outlets willing to provide free publicity. Regardless of all the many stunts pulled by Rockstar, the publisher would never actually create an AO game. Such a rating is essentially a ban, and Grand Theft Auto is not a small Japanese visual novel aimed at a niche audience. San Andreas' infamous mini-game 🎶proved to be the straw that broke the camel's ba✨ck, and Rockstar had to remove this segment to appease the ESRB.
12 WET
As someone with literal DAYS clocked into RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, business simulation games can be oddly hard to put down. Who could have predicted such a dull-sounding genre would spawn a seemingly endless amount of fun projects? Also known as Lula, WET shines the spotlight on the entertainment industry, although Hollywood is not the focus. Inaugurated in 1998, WET spawned six sequels and spin-offs, including a virtual Tamagotchi game published by . Proving to be more successful than most AO projects, is Lula any g🍨ood? No, not really. The graphics are crude but generally not too bad,𓆏 but the simulation elements are a bit too simplistic.
11 Thrill K
Technically, Paradox Development's 1998 has never seen a release date. Completed but rewarded an AO rating, this PlayStation exclusively was effectively canceled and labeled as "do not resuscitate." A 3D arena fighting game boasting the option to feature four combatants on a single screen - a technical marvel for the time - Thrill K takes place in the below and each character is rather fond of leather. Going to a store and picking this title up might not be an option, but Paradox Development's game was widely available on the open seas. As a fighting game, Thrill K is actually pret♛🍸ty good, but the darker aesthetic and deranged cast made this a straightforward pick for the higher rating.
10 🍌 ไ Critical Point
A couple of Western developers have earned the dreaded AO rating, but Asian studios are definitely the stars of the show. In certain cases, the creator could not possibly believe the ESRB would reward anything other than an AO rating. Penned by Mobile Suit Gundam's Kenichi Matsuzaki, is a dating sim centering around an officer sent to a military base to investigate a possible sabotage attempt. As far as premises go, Critical Point could do worse, but why was a🔯n AO rating selected for it? Well, the base is solely run by women. You💦 do the math.