Unapologetic violence, biting humour, murky moral choices: some games made provocation their signature. This Top 50 gathers the retro titles that disturbed — sometimes censored, often cult classics. RomWize breaks them down without taboo, each with its re-evaluated score, its versions, their rarity and their collector value.
"The trade of contract killer is presented here as an art of discretion: disguises, poisons and piano wire, anything to eliminate the target without leaving a trace. You admire the elegance of the hit, and the game even rewards you for tidy work, which amounts to handing out nice grades for paid murders without ever sensing any wrongdoing."
"The stated dream fits in two words: become a Pokémon Master. In practice you trap wild animals inside little balls, hoard them by the dozen and send them to bash each other senseless to earn gym badges. The adventure is so warm-hearted that you happily overlook this knack for collecting battle-ready creatures, charmed rather than troubled."
"A detective from the roaring years who cracks his cases by unleashing demons on his opponents has a decidedly expedient approach to policing. You capture these spirits, file them away in tubes and recall them to battle like simple tools, all in the name of public order. The retro elegance smooths over this forced taming of the supernatural without a hitch."
"The vast playground invites you to do anything, and you fairly quickly opt to steal cars, run errands for criminals and turn traffic into chaos. The story dresses it all as a rise through the underworld, but the freedom on offer mostly works as an official permit to chain together offences, something you grant yourself with thoroughly pixelated delight."
"The vast playground invites you to do anything, and you fairly quickly opt to steal cars, run errands for criminals and turn traffic into chaos. The story dresses it all as a rise through the underworld, but the freedom on offer mostly works as an official permit to chain together offences, something you grant yourself with thoroughly pixelated delight."
"Becoming the greatest trainer relies on a routine no one questions mid-game: bumping into wild creatures out in nature, wearing them down through fights, then sealing them in a ball to complete a collection. Sold as a grand friendly adventure, the pastime amounts to assembling a team of captured brawlers, which somehow never stops anyone from adoring it."
"Pioneer of a long lineage, the title already sets up its most unsettling logic: you talk with the demons you meet, win them over through flattery or threat, then fuse them without remorse to shape stronger ones. Saving the world runs here through the unabashed management of a herd of allies reduced, at bottom, to mere crafting materials."
"Becoming the greatest trainer relies on a routine no one questions mid-game: bumping into wild creatures out in nature, wearing them down through fights, then sealing them in a ball to complete a collection. Sold as a grand friendly adventure, the pastime amounts to assembling a team of captured brawlers, which somehow never stops anyone from adoring it."
"Beneath its adorable looks, the adventure is about founding a cult, indoctrinating cute little animals, demanding their devotion and, on occasion, sacrificing a few to grow stronger. We tend this flock of followers with the clear conscience of a caring shepherd while exploiting it shamelessly. The contrast between the charming art direction and the opportunistic-guru mechanics is downright delightful."
"Under the uniform of an upright detective in postwar Los Angeles, we hunt crime in earnest… while cheerfully plowing through half the city in every chase and grilling witnesses with sometimes summary harshness. The player adopts that displayed rectitude without noticing the damage left behind. The gap between the upholder of the law and the driver mowing down sidewalks is good for a smile."
