Top Ten Genuinely Mature Games

'Mature' games – as in games featuring gore, sex and swearing – are ten a penny these days, but genuinely mature games – as in games that tackle themes only an adult could understand and appreciate in a responsible, thoughtful way – are much, much harder to come by. Still, we have managed to pull together this list of ten games that truly have something to offer grown ups…

[jjacinto23]

i love half life 2, bioshock, shadow of colosus and heavy rain

[lovestospoodge]

monkey/blu-ray advertisement/irritable bowel syndrome jokes aside, mgs4 is pretty mature storywise

[RedDragan]

you may love half-life 2 but it is not deserving of the number one mature title. It is far from it in fact. You get a few featurs that other FPS didn't have at the time and that is about as different as it gets.

This list is yet another "make sponsors happy" list. It is suprising the X3 is not on the list, even outside of the storyline it is mature... you have to undestand economics for a start, so good luck to kiddies succeeding in that game.

[NeoBasch]

So, where's Ico? Or, better yet, Silent Hill 2? I mean, seriously, how could you forget these two gems. I'll agree with BioShock, but the gameplay felt all but 'mature.' As for Prince of Persia, really? Alan Wake has been fairly surprising thus far. If it keeps it up, it'll probably join the list really soon.

Also, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, was a hallmark for me. It took a dated concept and redressed it into something tangible, modern even. The fantastical adventure was just a backdrop. It was really all about the characters. And that's where Uncharted shined. Nathan Drake and Elena Fischer felt like people you could meet on the street, which made the adventure all the more rewarding. These two are some of the most relatable characters in gaming today.

[Feckles]

BioShock was a truly adult game until the point where it regressed to being just a shoot-em-up. Great story, world, characters… terrible end boss. In fact, terrible that it had a boss at all.

[yog-sothot]

good list, a lot of true masterpieces here.

My personal fav' is Deus Ex, a game still unmatched in many ways imo, but most of the others are awesome too. Half Life 2, Shadow of the Colossus, Bioshock... all great games that tell their story through excellent gameplay and incredible immersion

[ian72]

I agree with Deus Ex. That game was amazing. Played it through many times just to do things differently. I have never been into a game like that before or since, I never wanted the game to end.
Still waiting for a game to me as gripped as that did.

[ryuzu]

Which looks to be made up by someone who hasn't played many games :/

After all, there are still many games which provide genuine mature themse being released even today - they're just not released by the big studios as this list was.

By the mid-90s video gaming was trying to copy Hollywood's most brainless titles and that's where they've stayed.

Only the Japanese and indie developers in the west are making games with deep mature themes (and the Japanese like to wrap most of them in manga graphics diminishing the impact).

r.

[zootang]

Suggest a few then

[lovestospoodge]

^what he said^

[Rocket Sauce]

Yeah, they also like to make mouse pads shaped like boobs.

[ExgamerLegends2]

I've never really thought of games having gore and sex to be mature simply because they have gore and sex.

[DaReapa]

Eternal Darkness had a complex story that would go over the average gamer's head. A great underappreciated game.

[NecrumSlavery]

Oddworld Universe...The whole idea between Big Industry vs. Native Philosophy. The cross of religion and redemption. And the Farts....hehe

By favorite games...Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee & Exoddus

[IrishAssa]

I don't see how Half life is more mature than other shooters, I can see why it's a better game but not more mature.

[Aphe]

Well it's not a kids game is it?

[IrishAssa]

How?

It's just like any other shooter except its better and more fun(imo)

[Aphe]

I just think it's a pretty dark game really, it's not something that I can see most kids understanding beyond the shooting aspect, the story I mean. I see it more as an adult game anyway.

[Aphe]

I've played all of those on the list with the exception of EVE, and Cannon Fodder is a blast to the past. One of the most memorable intros to a game I've ever seen. Anyone remember the controversy the packaging kicked up because of the poppy on the cover?

[TheColbertinator]

Shenmue and Snatcher were very mature games in my opinion.

[AliTheBrit19]

Have played 4, own 2

Not a very good list if you ask me.

[the-show-stopper]

no brothers in arms?
well thats a little disappointing but it is his opinion

[Rocket Sauce]

This article comes off a bit self-congratulatory and douchey. As in, "I don't play immature children's 'video games,' I only experience adult interactive dramas."

[Gun_Senshi]

Prince of Persia Sands of Time is a kid's game...

System Shock >>>>> Bioshock, FACT that the Director of the games say so.

[Bolts]

There is nothing "mature" about HL2 and all the reasons listed pale in comparison to Heavy Rain. Seriously thats uber dumb. If situations and plot decisions should be a guiding factor then why not throw Fallout into that list?

[kraze07]

I'd replace HL2 with the entire MGS trilogy. They may have had some goofy ass easter eggs, but the story overall is very deep and mature. Sometimes I wonder if a group like the Sons of Liberty actually exist.

[SAF_Biffa]

It seems more of a general favourites list and the responses reflect this with people saying what games they prefer rather than the games they've played that... 'only an adult could understand and appreciate in a responsible, thoughtful way'.

Back on track and more relevant would be adult themed games that have provoked you to think about or appreciate them on a higher level than maybe other less mature gamers, for example, you see a different angle than those gamers who have blasted throught the levels and come out of the other side totally missing a deeper meaning.

Best example on this very poor list is Cannon Fodder then maybe Bioshock to a degree.