Most Controversial Games of All Time

January 29, 2008 | By: Steven Wong

| More

The socially questionable video games that sparked the biggest fires.

Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat is synonymous with controversy, thanks to the bloody fighting game's "fatalities" -- signature finishing moves that include ripping out spines, wrenching heads off bodies or making enemies explode into a pile of gore.

The over-the-top violence made this game one of the most talked about in the world, among both fans and critics, and led to the creation of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), the video game equivalent of the MPAA film rating system.

Reader Comments (161)

mlbfan4491 at 11:34 am on July 5th 2008

yea i mean ppl r always fighting about religion but you know the way i c it is, Were all atheists you don't believe in Zeus or Thor or Neptune or Augustus Ceasar or Mars or Venus or Ra you've rejected one thousand gods why should you hate someone who hate one thousand and one?

shafersaysmeh at 11:24 am on July 5th 2008

i also looked back 3 pages and would like to say that i agree religion is number one cause for violence how many of you have actually read the bible? theres some messed up **** in there like o i dunno people having more then one wife? a guy who was punished by god for not impregnating his brothers widow. if you actually would take a look at your religion and stop attacking people with it or anyone who opposes it maybe you would be a bit more happy and enlightened, like Buddhists :p

cheshirecat09000 at 11:17 am on July 5th 2008

I love how there is no menion of the one that started it all. Splatterhouse

shafersaysmeh at 11:16 am on July 5th 2008

by the way, almost none of these games are to bad.....WHAT THE FLIP HAPPENED TO THE HORROR GAMES!?!?! people whine about bioshock (ya it was an okay game i am not insulting it geez i saw nothing bad with it either....) and resident evil(4 was the best game everrrrrrr!!!!) !!!

shafersaysmeh at 11:12 am on July 5th 2008

ya know it would be funny if the idiots started accusing mario of begin a bad game "it teaches kids to try all colored schrooms and see what they do" and "why exactly was mario looking for peach in the first game? we dont even know how old they were mayb he was a pediphile" xD

sweetslivermoon at 10:55 am on July 5th 2008

they should just get over it there has been games out like this forever and they are not going to stop making them just because of a few people can't take the fact that the move aren't baby moves anymore like the use to be! I am 17 and have been playing games like this for as long as i can remember! if they was going to talk badly about this game they should do the same with all the other ones out there including Mario, where i can grow big a step on the little monsters around you! the only difference is that they don't show any blood in the Mario games, but the second that they did that game would be up for review too! just get over it people and let the video game makers make games how they want! ITS THEIR JOBS!

thatonekidyousaw at 10:48 am on July 5th 2008

Hey okfilm8 you know why they r like you presume..! because the American people LOVE it they want only the negative, good news by the media standards is bad!!

thatonekidyousaw at 10:45 am on July 5th 2008

Yes this is a retarded article..... but they left one important game Gears of War... YOu can shoot ppls heads of and chainsaw ppl.... what is worse?

dallassare at 10:42 am on July 5th 2008

I cannot believe that there is controversy about "Mortal Kobat" Mortal Kobat has been around for ages and ages, (If there are any stiatistics out there that show when Mortal Kobat came out that there was a rise in violence please inform me) regardless of that have you EVER played "Grand Theft Auto" now that's the game that should be sturring you guys up! You can pick up hookers, hit police man, rob people, shoot people with an arranged selection of amo, and also steal cars. I'd rather have my son play a game with fist fightig and the worst vocab used is "GET OVER HERE". Then stealing someones car, then picking up a hooker and shooting up a cop. Get over it people! Moratal Kobat is here to stay.s