Since its founding in 1994, the American-Canadian ratings organization ESRB has diligently branded video games in an attempt to protect children from “adult” content. The goal is very noble, although not without its shortcomings.
Having received, for example, an M (Mature) rating, the development studio (as well as the publisher) risks losing large sales that they could have had if the ESRB had assigned them a “softer” T (Teen) rating. By the way, there have already been unfair cases in the industry when a game, completely devoid of obscene language and brutal scenes of violence, is awarded an “Ages 18 and over” rating only for the presence of light erotica – for example, the first part of the Mass Effect trilogy. So the question of the adequacy of the rating system is also open for discussion.
But the presence of even such a seemingly strict and not always appropriate M rating does not at all deprive the game of the opportunity to be sold in large chain stores or digital distribution centers – unlike games that received an AO (Adults Only) rating.
Large publishers, distributors, and even the developers themselves often refuse to deal with them; Having previously learned that their brainchild will receive such a rating, they try to cut out everything from the game that will allow them to get at least the letter “M” on the front side of the disk. However, games with such a rating, although in small numbers, still exist.
So let’s get started.
1. Riana Rouge – PC; 1997
In the 90s of the last century, the gaming industry had not yet shuddered with horror at the word “experiment”. Crossing completely different genres and searching for something radically new was the order of the day back then. Bold, unusual, and sometimes crazy decisions have given birth to more than one unique project. Take, for example, quests with video inserts, where the main characters were live actors. The once very interesting genre managed to be noted for such projects as Gabriel Knight and Phantasmagoria – the oldfags will remember. And in 1997, Black Dragon Publishing, apparently without thinking very well, decided to release their own mega hit.
Gillian Bonner, aka Miss April of Playboy magazine for 1996, a little tired of her career, decided to try her hand at the world of computer games. The fruit of her “efforts” was Riana Rouge – a video quest “for adults”, where she played the main role. It is in this case that we can say that it turned out so bad that it’s even good.
Absolutely all components of the game, starting from the crazy plot about traveling to a parallel world by jumping out of a skyscraper window and poorly animated opponents, ending with video inserts with extremely terrible acting, instead of excitement, they only made you roll on the floor laughing. As for the “strawberry” itself, it is here, although in scanty quantities, but present. Alas, against the backdrop of all the other obscurantism that is happening on the screen, you risk not noticing it, because you will shed tears of laughter.
2. Wet: The Sexy Empire (Lula: https://madrushcasino.co.uk/ the Sexy empire) – PC; 1998
Released through the efforts of developers from Interactive Strip, the game Wet (aka Lula) was the first of seven games released in the Lula line and was a business simulator, and not just a simple one, but – attention – of the porn industry! Yes, sometimes AO rated games really go hand in hand with XXX movies.
At the center of the events was a charming blonde named Lula, who, with the help of the player, had to take an active part in all stages of the production of “adult films”: writing the script (where would porn be without a plot??), purchasing equipment and studios, searching for actresses for filming and other important matters inherent in this spicy industry. Ultimately, with proper dexterity and skillful calculation, you became the head of the most successful porn empire.
The Germans from Interactive Strip have come up with a very unusual, and therefore interesting, economic simulator. The game received its well-deserved AO rating thanks to its frank art, which, although not hardcore pornography, still belongs to the XXX category. In addition, it is worth noting the very good humor, caricatured characters, as well as the main character Lulu, who, thanks to the efforts of animator Karsten Wieland, can be ranked with the same famous character from the world of “adult” games as Larry Lafer.
3. Thrill Kill – PlayStation; 1998 (not officially released)
Perhaps you once had a disc with this game, which you were able to buy in a store or market without any problems. However, despite this, the official launch of the game, which was produced by the well-known Paradox Development, was canceled several weeks before the product went to press. The thing is that shortly before the official release, Electronic Arts bought the publisher Virgin Interactive, and with it the rights to all its games. After studying Thrill Kill in detail, EA decided to abandon it due to “senseless cruelty”. Apparently, in those days, “the worst company in America” still somehow cared about its image. It’s worth noting that Thrill Kill was the first game to be given an AO rating solely due to its excessive violence. On the other hand, Mortal Kombat was also famous for its brutal finishing moves, and a year earlier the scandalous Postal was released, which at one time caused a lot of controversy and protests. So, maybe there are other reasons why the game was decided to be canceled?
The plot of the game is simple: 8 heroes, each goes to hell for their sins, but can gain the right to reincarnation if they emerge victorious in all the battles that the demon Marukka has prepared for him. And the fighters themselves are all well-chosen – sickening and disgusting: Cletus – a redneck cannibal with someone’s leg as a weapon, Doctor Faust – a plastic surgeon who disfigured his patients, Belladonna – a BDSM mistress who fries her victims to death with a shocker. And in addition to such vile characters, the style of the game itself as a whole turned out to be very disturbing and unpleasant – perhaps all this, coupled with the bloodiness of the game, prompted Electronic Arts to abandon the project. However, the finished version still ended up on the Internet, and everyone could try to “knock out” themselves a chance for resurrection.
4. Singles: Flirt Up Your Life – PC; 2003
In the gaming industry, new (and not so new) development studios sometimes get the brilliant idea that by creating a clone of some successful game – be it GTA, WoW or Call of Duty – their project will definitely succeed. And sometimes this really turns out to be the case: take, for example, the Saints Row series of games, which once tried to resemble the “great car thief”, and then managed to acquire its own face, albeit framed by a crazy grimace. But there were also not entirely successful cases – and one of them is Singles, which once tried to lay claim to the laurels of The Sims, which had already become a cult game, but, as they say, the end was a little predictable.
The gameplay, unlike the brainchild of Will Wright, was rather bland and not to say that exciting. Here your “Tamagotchis” will not have an interesting job, they cannot have children, and the meager equipment for the home will drive you into frustration. At the same time, the daily routine has not gone away: taking a bath, cooking, watching TV – all this is present and takes up most of the game day.
The only type of activity that can entice you at first is the notorious courtship of the object of desire. But this process also looks ridiculously cut short – just know, flirt until hunger sets in, and kiss until you feel like going to the toilet. And after all these caresses and familiarities, they will show you how your sims… that is, singles (?) will clumsily touch each other, covered with a blanket. Whether such a process can intrigue anyone at all is a highly controversial question.
It is worth noting that in Europe, and in particular Russia, the publisher Deep Silver released an uncensored version on the market. but American players were less fortunate: all the few things for which this game could be purchased were cut out of it, thereby lowering the rating from AO to a completely ordinary M.
5. GTA San Andreas – PlayStation 2, PC, Xbox; 2004
Millions of players around the world are waiting for this game. The release of each new part is accompanied by numerous scandals, lawsuits and discussions in the media. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on its development, but it brings in ten times more profit. Even those who are completely far from the gaming industry know about this game. This is GTA.
A lot has already been said about this game, and its mention after release does not disappear from news feeds for a long time. The case of San Andreas was no exception to any of the above points. But, among other things, this part of the famous franchise also became famous for being the very first AO-rated game officially released on the console (Thrill Kill does not count, remember?).
Thanks to the efforts of one meticulous modder from the Netherlands named Patrick Wildenborg, in mid-June 2005 the gaming community learned about the presence of a hidden mini-game “Hot Coffee”, in which CJ was asked to sexually please his girlfriends. And after that, of course, a whole series of political and not so scandals broke out. The game itself was recalled from stores, the rating was changed from M to AO, and in Australia the game was completely removed from sales and its further distribution was banned. Of course, Rockstar did not want to lose profits and soon released a patch with the self-explanatory name “Cold Coffee”, which completely destroyed all files associated with this mini-game, and thanks to which the M rating began to appear on the cover of the disc again.
It is worth mentioning that after the scandalous discovery, all owners of the “uncorrected” version were offered to exchange the old version of the game for a new one, while receiving compensation of $35. This promotion is valid only in the United States.