The most surreal spin-off ever
No, not Codename Gordon. Not the Doom board game. No, for the gold trophy, we have to go to those wacky Japanese. From nude skins to dodgy fan-art, many game series spawn a slightly naughty side - but Japanese anime producer Gainax is one of the few to cash in directly with The Stripping Instrumentality Project. This PC-based spin-off of its hyper-depressing, Judeo-Christian themed giant robot TV show Neon Genesis Evangelion brought the cast back together, with boys and girls alike dropping their secret conspiracies, endless neuroses, and ultimately their pants, for a round of mah-jong.
It’s torture!
1996’s Spycraft: The Great Game featured the most disturbing mini-game ever, one deemed so unpleasant that it could be deactivated during installation. As CIA agent Thorne you had a choice between a fiddly, tedious puzzle, or torturing the information out of a female prisoner via an electric chair. It was painful and horrible to watch: most players went with the puzzle.
Health and safety ninja
Shadow Warrior, the martial arts mishmash that was 3D Realms’ follow-up to Duke Nukem 3D, hit an unusual censorship problem in the UK. Ninja weapons were an instant no-go for the BBFC. You may also remember the Teenage MutantNinja Turtles. This ruled out the second weapon, the shuriken. No worries! With a flick of a switch, the shuriken became darts. Much less dangerous to get hit in the face with, and much harder for little kids to find. Uh...
