the Top Five Mature Rated Game franchises

Mature rated games are easy to come by these days with all of the War shooters everyone is playing. But what about the mature rated games that hits a little closer to home. The ones that make gamers feel like they are truly alone. Or the ones that make them feel like a true badass taking out creatures internal organs out with their bare hands. The images below are taken right out of gameplay with the #1 game a video is provided to show just how disturbing it is. Gaming has come a long way over the past 40 years if you date back to the pong and Pac-Man days. So what is the most disturbing game franchise that is Rated M for Mature by the ESRB?

[TheGrimBunny]

You know I would pretty much have to agree completely with this list, having only 5 to choose from.

[ATi_Elite]

Ok why isn't GTA #1?

it could arguably be the #1 franchise ever no matter the rating! Anyway here is a more proper list!

5. Resident Evil
4. God of War
3. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
2. Diablo
1. Grand Theft Auto

Manhunt died with the PS2, Dead Space will be done after DS3 and will die with this generation but the games i listed are far better M rated franchises and have and will continue cross multiple generations.

[Hicken]

Whether or not a franchise is still going has nothing to do with how good it is, so omitting Dead Space and Manhunt doesn't make sense.

Resident Evil had a great foundation, but seems to be foundering in recent times. And Grand Theft, while a great series in general, is somewhat too frivolous for my tastes. I would rather have Gears or Halo on the list, honestly.

[MaxXAttaxX]

I'd keep the article's list but replace Manhunt and Dead Space with MGS and something else(not space marine game).

[Me_My]

I thought resident evil was rated teen?

[rdgneoz3]

Going by the last sentence in the opening paragraph, I'd say the list is pretty good.

"So what is the most disturbing game franchise that is Rated M for Mature by the ESRB?" - That makes it seem like, "what games deserve the rating the most" not "which is the most popular mature rated game".

The brutal kills that you can perform in Manhunt beat everything you can do in GTA/Diablo/a ton of other games. Hell, many of the kills were censored unless you hacked the game to see them.

Hell, watch this vid... http://www.youtube.com/watc...

The barb wire is a nice touch as well... http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[lastdual]

"Mature" shouldn't just mean filled with overt sex and violence.

Sure, GTA deserves a place on the list, but I'd argue a game like The Witcher 2 deserves a higher place, because it features maturity beyond R-rated content, delving into the complex politics of the world and confronting the player with choices that are not clearly good or evil.

Heck, many games that are extremely gory (like Splatterhouse) or sexy (like DOA Xtreme) are actually *less* mature, as they treat their subject matter in a shallow and almost comical way. Some of the games on this list come rather close to crossing that line as well.

The Saw films have more explicit content than The Godfather, but that doesn't make them more mature.

[MagicAccent]

What's so mature about these games?

You want a mature game, try Deus Ex, Braid, Journey or Bastion, or any other game that's actually got something worthwhile to state.

Beeing bloody and full of boobs doesn't make a game mature, imo

[TheGrimBunny]

also they are the franchises not the games themselves pr say

[abombletap]

Agreed

[THESHAUNZY]

I can't imagine adding a COD or Battlefield game it just doesn't seem as bad as some of the titles on the list. I hope RE6 has some crazy kill sequences like RE4 created that shit made me wanna throw up when I first saw Leon's head fall off.

[TheFirstClassic]

One of the few scary parts of that game was hearing the sound of that chainsaw getting closer and closer...

[Saryk]

Fear should have been on that list!

[violents]

Manhunt was one of my favorite games, they should make a new one for ps3. I can only imagine the horror.

[DeadSpaced]

Good list. All five deserve their pick, not to say there aren't other great M games that deserve their rating.

[Brownghost]

Can n4g please block articles about lists from being on the site, they're a waste of time

[humbleopinion]

This list, just like most of the people, is misinterpreting "mature" with violent. Mature content is not necessarily saying the F word a hundred times, nudity scenes or graphic violence.
Movies like Sin City, TV Series like Game of Thrones etc. obviously have all these, but they also deal with actually mature content: ethical dilemmas, conflicts, gray morality etc. It's the ESRB ratings that distilled the meaning of "mature" into sex and violence.

In that sense, I'd say that games like Mass Effect, while being relatively sterile on violence and PG13 sex, are much more mature than most of the games mentioned here. GTA IV might be the only actual game incorporating mature themes in this list, whereas for most of the others it's just violence for the sake of fun and gratifying gameplay (which is great, just not "mature")

[MagicAccent]

Bubble for you

[THESHAUNZY]

Your right Manhunt should be rated T for teen. Cause everyone thinks violence is ok except for the ERSB rating system.

[aDDicteD]

nice list, i played most of those except for manhunt

[Bobby Kotex]

Shit list as expected.

[Game3s]

I think Doom 3 should be on it.

[FlyGuyHung]

No Mortal Kombat!? WTF kinda list is this? FLOP.

[NeXXXuS]

Mortal Kombat
San Andreas
Silent Hill

[Imalwaysright]

Sillent Hill 2 is the most disturbing game ive played, almost depressing! GTA and MK are just mindless fun and i wouldnt consider those games "mature". RDR is a much more "mature" game than GTA.

The Longest Journey, SH2, Fatal Frame 3, Planescape torment and Max Payne 2 are my top 5 mature games.

[NeXXXuS]

damn should've put fatal frame lol. and RDR is amazing.

[Kingdom Come]

Where's Gears of War? Mortal Kombat?