summation
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Formula 1: Licensing issues lead to legal battles and product removal from store shelves.
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Tear Ring Saga: A lawsuit over its similarities to Fire Emblem set a legal precedent for its spiritual successor.
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Duke Nukem 3D: Ported to consoles and censored due to controversy over violence and sexism.
Almost every console generation has its share of controversies, whether it's a violent or gratuitous game that gets countless newspaper articles printed, a legal issue big enough to put a bee in the bonnet of some executive and result in a recall, or a consumer issue. Promising technologies turn into trash heaps as soon as they hit the market.

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The 8 Most Controversial PC Games Ranked
Like other forms of media, PC gaming has been embroiled in numerous controversies over the years. Here are some of the most famous examples:
The original PlayStation was no different. That's because they aimed to be edgier and more mature than the Sega and Nintendo devices their target audience had grown out of. But sometimes these titles were played too close and got burned.
8
Formula 1: Championship Edition
Racing body calls foul in racing game
Formula 1: Championship Edition
- released
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September 1, 1997
Starting with something relatively light, Formula 1 '97 It was the second entry in the Grand Prix racing series. It was also the final game in the series that Future would produce. metropolis street racer and Project Gotham Racing Developer's bizarre creation. It was one of the best racing games on the system, but licensing issues almost ruined it.
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) did not like the logo appearing in the game, so publisher Psygnosis pulled the logo from store shelves and replaced it with a version without the logo. The FIA was still not satisfied and took the matter to court, but lost. Racer Jacques Villeneuve was also hastily removed due to licensing issues, but can be restored with a little hacking.
7
tearing saga
Nintendo sues Fire Emblem sequel three times, but fails
tearing saga

When big names in gaming leave their parent companies and go independent, it's no surprise that they try to create spiritual successors to their biggest hits to draw more attention to their work. Just like Koji Igarashii 'IGA' makes castlevania-esque stained with blood Or Keiji Inafunega mega man-ish Mighty No.9. But they were not the first to make such a move.
fire emblem Creator Shozo Kaga left Nintendo to create a tactical RPG for the PS1. tearing saga. Nintendo thought it was too similar. F.E. Sued publisher Enterbrain three times. Couldn't prove it in the end tearing saga Infringed on their copyright. Nintendo still received 76 million yen in damages, but the case set a legal precedent for how spiritual successors can be.
6
Duke Nukem 3D
The love of the Duke's blood and heart troubles all his ports.
- platform
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Android, iOS, PC, Nintendo 64, PS1, PS3, PS Vita, Sega Genesis, Sega Saturn, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
- released
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January 29, 1996
- Open Criticism Evaluation
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strong
Duke Nukem 3D If it were purely a PS1 phenomenon, it would be higher on the list. But it was a PC game ported to consoles, and the consoles all got the same amount of heat for the content. It was more violent and foul-mouthed than its 2D predecessor, and had players offering cash to scantily clad strippers to “shake it, baby.” As a joke, that didn't stop people from criticizing it for being overly violent and sexist.

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7 reasons that made Duke Nukem so popular
Duke Nukem is such a beloved franchise and character, and there are many reasons why.
The game was eventually censored for release in other countries, including Australia and Germany, but this did not harm the series' popularity. In terms of console ports, the series fared better on PS1. The PS1 received the following exclusive third-person titles: Duke Nukem: Time to Killand Duke Nukem: Land of Babes. They played out the violence and sexuality that the duke loved to dabble in, but avoided anger. DN3D take.
5
Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear Rescue
Racially stereotyped enemies landed a Disney/Pixar game in hot water.
Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear Rescue
platform game
adventure
shooter
- franchise
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Toy Story
- released
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November 30, 1999
yes, Toy Story-Licensed games are in hot water. It's hard to imagine what it would be like. Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear Rescue It could have upset people because it was a basic 3D platformer that showed what happened. TS2 From Buzz's perspective. It looks like he had to do a lot of token collecting to save Woody from Al McWhiggin.
But the original gunslinging enemies also appeared, wearing sombreros and sporting big mustaches. That was basically a Mexican stereotype that mestizo activists didn't care about. They staged a peaceful protest outside Activision's headquarters, which led to the game being re-released with a new, plain cowboy enemy instead. But since they don't remember the original game, players can still find uncut copies if they look hard enough.
4
resident evil 1
Live-action violence in 1996 was a step too far
if Mortal KombatIn 1992, the death rate was too high. resident evil 1996 couldn't have been easier for them. But it wasn't the bloody zombies, hideous monsters or beheadings that caused the biggest uproar. It was a live-action introduction to the game. Chris Redfield smoking a cigarette and Joseph Frost getting eviscerated by an undead dog were too much for the original release.
It was scheduled to be included in the content, but Director's Cut It was re-released, but the localizer replaced it with a censored introduction to avoid updating the copyright details. Only the PC port and the French and German PAL versions suffered Frost's bloody death in (non-)living colors. To make up for it, Capcom posted an uncensored introduction on their website for users to download. Considering it was 1998, it's likely that most of the gruesome details were censored out anyway due to blurry, low-quality footage.
3
grand theft auto
The original Joyride intentionally created controversy over unit sales.


- platform
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PC, PS1, Nintendo Game Boy Color
- released
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November 28, 1997
- developer
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rock star north
that grand theft auto Games have always been controversial. The violent violence of the 3D game was enough to make people dizzy, but it is difficult to imagine that the original 2D game would also show the same thing. Having players climb onto sidewalks and splatter pedestrians like Hare Krishnas to get bonuses was just as violent, but felt odd compared to the sequel.

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Grand Theft Auto games have a wide variety of characteristics, but they also have a consistent theme that never goes away.
Nonetheless, it was enough to get the game banned in Brazil and condemned in the British, French and German media. Some of the bad press was intentional, as disgraced publicist Max Clifford spread sensational stories about the game in the press to promote it. This tactic lands the series in hot coffee for once. GTA: San Andreas It came about 7 years later.
2
Carmageddon
Vehicular Manslaughter Based Racer Gets Too Hot to Handle
before GTA Allows players to jump over pedestrians in top-down 2D, Carmageddon We've made it possible to work in full 3D from the driver's seat. Smashing people into their cars was just some of the mayhem players had to cause to get ahead in the game, along with destroying other racers' cars, collecting bonuses, and reaching the finish line.
good night Duke Nukem 3DThe controversy began on PC, where pedestrian-smashing gameplay was completely banned in several countries. It was eventually released via a censored version that replaced people with green-blooded zombies or oil-fueled robots. Surprisingly, Australia, which is generally more sensitive to these issues, passes the game uncut with an MA15+ rating.
1
thrill kill
Fighting game featuring serial killers, dominatrixes, and demons gets canned before release
thrill kill

What's more controversial than being banned? No release at all. thrill kill It was effectively completed when publisher Virgin Interactive was acquired by EA. They thought the game was too violent to be released, so they canned it after the 11th hour. There were only cannibals fighting with severed legs, rulers whipping people, and numerous beheading attacks.
It was a bitter game, but it didn't stop GTA or Carmageddon Since it was released a year ago thrill kill It was scheduled to debut on the system. Eventually, developer Paradox Development decided to reuse the engine and Wu-Tang: Taste the Pain and X-Men: Mutant Academy stratagem. However, players can still find pirated versions. thrill kill If you know where to look, let us know online today.

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The 7 Most Controversial PS2 Games
As games became more detailed, so did the depictions of violence, which caused these PlayStation 2 games to become quite controversial.