Top Five Fridays: Most Tasteless Games

PALGN Feature | We offer up a look at the most tasteless games we've come across.

Welcome to this fortnight's Top Five Friday topic, where we're reflecting on some of the most tasteless games ever made. Opinions on this topic were so divided from our staff that it took days for final voting to be locked down.

The topic lends itself to a wide range of interpretation. If you're thinking tasteless in terms of mature-rated content, then titles like Manhunt, Grand Theft Auto, Saint's Row and Blitz: The League could be considered tasteless. Games that sexualise women could also be classified as tasteless, of course - The BloodRayne series and Tomb Raider franchise immediately come to mind when we think of these sorts of titles.

Tasteless games could also be titles that were extremely poor or unnecessary; games like Crazy Frog Racer, Smarties: Meltdown, 50 Cent: Bulletproof and Elf Bowling could all be considered extremely tasteless and definitely unnecessary. Then there are the titles that are just simply inappropriate. Games like Postal, Ethnic Cleansing, KZ Manager and Beat 'Em and Eat 'Em all come to mind. These titles have never even been seen on store shelves in Australia, so if Mark Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure is refused classification, then these titles never had a chance.

Keeping in mind just how differently some people define tasteless we decided that, rather than try and restrict the voting, we'd leave it open to our staff to vote on any titles they've personally found tasteless. We're aware there are plenty more games that could be regarded as tasteless, but these are the top five that our staff voted for. Agree with our choices? Disagree? Let us know in the forums.

5: Dead of Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball Series

The Dead or Alive series used to be about fighting. Then, in 2003, Tecmo released Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball. With this game you were no longer fighting against each other in a battle, but actually playing volleyball against one of the other girls on Zack Island, home to permanant sunshine and crystal clear water. This means the girls are always just lazing around in their bathing suits.

Making the game seem that little more sleazy and voyeuristic, you're even able to zoom in on the girls for a better look. Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball's successor contains very similar content, but this time you can spy on the girls in high definition. David thought Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball was one of the most tasteless games ever released because, "The game has no reason to exist apart from being some slightly playable extension of soft porn. The games are technically not the worst games of their kind, but they're made by a major developer, have had a lot of resources and promotion devoted to them, and have been positioned in the market by one of the major hardware manufacturers"

4: Postal Series

Postal is being made into a movie by Uwe Boll. We could stop there, but we'll extend beyond the picture. The Postal series is developed by Running With Scissors, and derives its name from the slang term, "going postal" (i.e, to kill a mass amount of people). The first Postal title was originally released in 1997, and a sequel followed in 2003, with both games banned in Australia and New Zealand.

The game has spurred a lot of controversy, mainly due to its extreme violence and stereotypes. There's an arcade game called "fag hunter", and if you walk into the local convenience store, you'll notice the owner of the store speaks in a stereotypically Indian accent. The game is also extremely violent - you can decapitate people and use a stun gun to force them to urinate on themselves. The OFLC may not always do the right thing by Australian and New Zealand gamers, but they certainly made the right choice banning this "game".

3: Grand Theft Auto Series

While this choice seems somewhat inevitable, it certainly warrants a mention. The advent of GTA brought about a huge change in the way that 3D games were played, and since then it has been heavily copied. However, GTA also brought a number of things into gaming that could have arguably stayed out. The series has been a favourite of video game bashers because of the numerous aspects of the game that could have been classified as tasteless. While picking up “hookers” and the slaughter of civilians was sure to bring out a few laughs on a late drunken Friday night, these weren’t going to slide with everyone. Especially if you were playing on your own and girlfriend/mother/grandmother witnessed what you were doing.

Further additions to the series became embroiled in issues such as racism, the objectification of women and - most recently - the glorification of the criminal lifestyle (as seen in GTA:SA). While the “Hot Coffee” scandal provoked fury from the likes of Jack Thompson and Californian grannies, and some cheap laughs for stoners and twelve-year-olds, the majority of gamers simply deemed it unnecessary. Whether you love it for its open-ended gameplay, or hate it for its dodgy controls, you have to admit: it does push the tasteless envelope. - Jeremy

2: The Guy Game

Despite never having been released in Australia, The Guy Game still registers as one of the most tasteless games our staff have encountered, an adult videogame presented in a gameshow format with around 1,000 questions. After every question, you're treated to video footage (originally shot during Spring Break on South Padre Island) of girls in skimpy outfits. If you answer enough questions, then the females will eventually expose themselves.

A few months after the game's release, a lawsuit was brought against the developers (Top Heavy Studios) as one of the female contestants featured in the game was only 17 at the time of filming. The game was eventually pulled from shelves and its sale prohibited. The developers eventually released a DVD of their original footage, but have since gone broke. Nev thought The Guy Game was tasteless because, "The game is a no-brainer. Literally. Hire some college girls to flash their assets for the camera and string it together under the guise of being some kind of trivia game. It was like a precursor to Buzz: the Musical Quiz... Except with breasts. And not fun. Unlike many of the other games considered for the list, which have at least a modicum of redeeming gameplay, The Guy Game is, by definition, without taste. I don't know who should be most offended - the girls being objectified, or the fact that the developers believe us "guys" would consider this tripe entertainment."

1: BMX XXX

BMX XXX was originally banned in Australia, and was censored by Acclaim Entertainment and released a few months later; personally we would have preferred the game stayed banned, but then it probably wouldn't be number one on our list of the most tasteless games ever released. BMX XXX originally began as Dave Mirra BMX XXX but Dave Mirra refused to endorse the product and was involved in a legal battle with Acclaim to ensure his name wasn't attached to the title.

BMX XXX is a bike game, but instead of rewarding you with a tonne of unlockable levels or gear when you complete a challenge, you're awarded a video featuring a stripper from the famous strip club franchise, Scores. With this game, hundreds of pre-pubescent boys had access to strip scenes straight through their home console. Unsurprisingly, the game itself was just embarassingly terrible as well, with in-game jokes that were juvenile at best, while the game itself was a chore from beginning to end. Only a few years after publishing BMX XXX, Acclaim Entertainment filed for bankruptcy.

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Top Five Fridays: Most Tasteless Games

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