The FM Towns version of the controversial Namco arcade game, Splatterhouse, was developed and published by Ving – in Japan only – in 1992. It doesn’t suffer from any of the censorship, that some versions of the game do, and is a completely uncut and almost perfect port of the arcade original.
Tag Archives: controversial
Halloween, Atari 2600
Halloween on the Atari 2600 is another “classic” horror movie license [that was sarcasm, by the way], developed by VSS, Inc. and published by Wizard Video Games in 1983. It is based on John Carpenter‘s classic 1978 film of the same name, and in it you play as a babysitter, trying to save children from the unstoppable murderer, Michael Myers.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Atari 2600
Developed by VSS, Inc. (of Texas), and published by Wizard Video Games in 1983, the Atari 2600 version of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre* is a travesty of a video game, and a perfect example of the kind of careless rubbish being released to market that triggered the North American video game market crash of the mid-Eighties.
*= The correct title of Tobe Hooper‘s classic 1973 film is “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” (note the words “Chain” and “Saw” are separate), and NOT “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre“. Wizard Video Games got the title wrong, so I’m sticking with the correct title for the film, rather than bastardising it incorrectly, like they did.
Vixen, Atari ST
Vixen, by Martech, was released for a number of 8 and 16-bit home computer platforms in 1988, and it proved to be somewhat controversial. Mainly because the game used glamour model Corinne Russell as both reference for the lead character, and to plaster all over the packaging and marketing for the game, which upset a lot of vocal, prudish people in the UK, leading to calls for it to be banned. Retailer Boots even refused to stock the game unless Martech changed the game’s packaging…
Chiller, Arcade
This bizarre lightgun shooter from Exidy was first released in 1986, and it caused some controversy – in North America, at least. Many arcade owners refused to buy Chiller – because of the subject matter – so Exidy instead marketed it to countries that didn’t mind the satirical violence.
Lethal Enforcers, Arcade
Lethal Enforcers is the first in a series of arcade lightgun shooters from Konami. It was initially released in 1992 and features digitised photos of people and places, which was relatively innovative back in ’92, but by today’s standards now looks pretty rough.
Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax, Commodore 64
The sequel to 1987’s cult hit Barbarian, Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax is a similar fighting game, but with more variety than the first game, and the possibility of exploring the actual world by moving from screen to screen (“wow! What a technological advancement!“). Barbarian II was first released in 1988 by Palace Software. The game was later licensed by Epyx for distribution in North America under the title of “Axe of Rage“.
Continue reading Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax, Commodore 64
Barbarian, Commodore 64
Palace Software‘s Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior is a fondly-remembered and controversial one-on-one fighting game from 1987, where two gladiatorial combatants slug it out to the death in a variety of different locations. Actually, there are two different versions of this game, each with different backgrounds. The first version has a throne room and then a pit. The second version has a meadow and a clearing in a forest. I’m not sure why there are two versions of this game, but that definitely seems to be the case.
Duke Nukem 3D, PC
Duke Nukem 3D is an infamous first-person shooter, developed and published by 3D Realms in 1996. It is the sequel to the platform games Duke Nukem and Duke Nukem II, which were released in 1991 and 1993 respectively, and it is arguably the biggest-selling and most popular game in the Duke Nukem series.
Postal 2, PC
This utterly reprehensible (but fun) first-person shooter was developed by Running With Scissors and first published by Whiptail Interactive in 2003. It is the sequel to 1997’s highly controversial Postal and takes the concept of “going postal” to another level of stupidity and mayhem. Postal 2 is the kind of game that was made to please “edgelords” (some would call them “w*nkers“) and piss off politically correct liberals, and it satirises people in a way that few other games have ever dared to.
The King of Grabs 