It's not unusual for M-rated games to attract controversy for their content. One early title to be given that label was Doom, which, of course, could never escape the bad rap that comes with eradicating demons in emphatic, bloody fashion. It's the sort of game that sticks in the mind, to put it lightly.
Some M-rated games over the years, however, aren't nearly as infamous. In fact, you might never have even heard of them. Whether forgotten relics of the early days of the ESRB system or more recent titles, these curiosities have passed many adult gamers by. Let's take a look.
Dual Blades
A Bloody Game Boy Advance Fighter
The Game Boy Advance is probably one of the very last systems you'd expect to play host to an M-rated game. It wasn't entirely without them, though, as this weapon-based fighting game demonstrates. In Dual Blades, each strike with a character's weapon caused a dramatic spurt of blood, while other maneuvers like projectile strikes or punches typically wouldn't. On their final defeat of the match (not just the round), opponents can bleed profusely before falling or even be cut directly in half, which makes victory quotes such as "Sorry if I harmed you young lady" hilariously ill-fitting.
Stylistically, it's not a dramatic departure from the likes of Street Fighter, though curious character designs such as a mystical warrior with a levitating staff mix things up somewhat. There have been some strange guest characters in fighting games, but the regular cast here are fascinating enough. The format, with an arcade mode, versus mode and so on, differs little too. Still, the torso-slicing finishers were bold ground to tread on the Game Boy Advance.
MadWorld
What A Vicious World
When it comes to M-rated games, there are often complaints that all that violence is gratuitous. That's not the case in MadWorld, though. In this carnage-laden world, the brutality is all in the name of a good cause: Obtaining higher scores. As a participant in the in-universe gameshow DeathWatch, creative kills are the key.
There was nothing else quite like this on the Wii. There hasn't really been a game like this since, period. It's so stylized, with its monochrome scheme contrasting brilliantly with the bold, bright blood that will be pouring from enemies. The idea of focusing on improvizing through the use of a variety of stage hazards works in its favor too, helping to keep the action from becoming repetitive too quickly. It's not a game to invest hundreds of hours into, but fits the bill nicely for quick bursts of arcade brawling.
Nightmare Creatures
Not Quite Resident Evil
19th century London is such a great setting for horror. It conjures up images of smoky streets, shadowy alleyways, and Jack the Ripper. Largely forgotten 1997 survival horror adventure Nightmare Creatures chose just that setting, and needless to say, it's a world of nightmarish creatures created by the machinations of the Brotherhood of Hecate. As a warrior attempting to restore some semblance of safety to the city, the protagonist sets out to stop them, on a quest that takes them to locales from a sewer under the River Thames to London Zoo.
There are some unfortunate instances of 'early 3D' problems with the game (flying enemies can be very irritating and the combat rather janky), but for its time, this was an atmospheric and very spooky horror title. It even warranted a sequel, though the cancelation of a third game meant that it's largely forgotten today.
Bio F.R.E.A.K.S.
Another Brutal Brawler
You might think that, when it comes to fighting games with vicious finishing moves, the Mortal Kombat series has the market tied up. Other titles have ventured into that territory to earn themselves a M-rating as well, though, and another example is 1998's Bio F.R.E.A.K.S. The name, an acronym for Biological Flying Robotic Enhanced Armored Killing Synthoids, refers to the biological creations of different factions in the United States, created to fight for ultimate control after the nation was all but destroyed by war.
As with Dual Blades, the usual generic roster of game modes makes up this package, with sets itself apart with the option of Mutilation moves. The characters, by their nature, have weapons such as blades and saws on their bodies, and can use them to remove various body parts of their foes to achieve an Ultimate Victory. Not quite as elaborate as Mortal Kombat's famed fatalities, but grisly enough for sure.The character design has to be seen to be believed, and the creativity is worthy of praise.
999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
A Deadly And Intriguing Game
In the Saw movies, the victims of Jigsaw and his acolytes are forced to play brutal "games" in the hopes of survival. They're intended to test the will to survive, to determine just how far people will go to save their own lives. From low-budget beginnings, the series became one of the biggest names in horror, partly on the strength of its creative and engrossing narrative. 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is a very rare example of a Nintendo DS game with a Mature rating, and it achieved it by utilizing a similar narrative.
In this title, a group captured on a ship have to cooperate in teams to pass through various numbered doors (the numbers of which correspond to the digits on their wristbands). This is the so-called Nonary Game, and each participant has an explosive planted on them to ensure that the game proceeds as its originator intends. 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors boasts the excellent characterization, dialogue, and puzzling of a Phoenix Wright or Professor Layton game (and the Nintendo DS certainly has its share of great puzzlers), with a unique premise and shockingly violent scenes that make it M-rated with a capital M.
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This article originally appeared on GameRant and is republished here with permission.
