Video games have come along way since the early days of Pong and Tetris. Games have become more immersive and realistic than ever before and some games have even pushed the boundaries of what is accepted in modern entertainment -- which has led to more than a few titles being banned in some countries.

Games like Grand Theft Auto and Hatred have landed in hot water due to their controversial and explicit subject matter. Some games -- like the five listed below -- received so much backlash that they were removed from shelves in parts of the world. Here's a breakdown of five banned games and why they generated so much outcry.

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Carmageddon

A lot of controversial video games emerged during the 1990s. Games started becoming more violent and realistic, causing immense outrage among concerned parents. One of these was a 1997 racing game: Carmageddon. Players could win races by simply beating their opponents, or by smashing rival cars into oblivion and running over every pedestrian wandering around the track.

While this might not sound so bad nowadays, it sparked tons of controversy back in the mid to late '90s. The game was banned in the UK, India and Germany until the developers agreed to change certain parts. The human pedestrians were replaced with zombies and robots to make the game a little less grotesque. This pleased censorship boards, which overturned the game's banning in most countries.

The Postal Series

The Postal series is one of the most controversial video game franchises in the history of gaming. The first game had its fair share of controversy, but the second entry, Postal 2, received the most backlash.

Postal 2 tells the story of a guy known only as Postal Dude, who must complete a list of tasks around his hometown of Paradise. The tasks consist of picking up eggs at the local grocery store, going to a doctor check-up and giving his uncle Dave a birthday gift. Seems pretty harmless, right? Wrong! The game allows players to commit atrocious acts, such as dismembering random citizens or lighting people on fire, then peeing to put out the flames.

Postal 2 upset many people with its graphic depiction of violence and gore. The game's hyper-violent nature got it banned in multiple countries. New Zealand fully outlawed the game, including fining and arresting people just for owning it. The interesting thing about Postal 2 is players can complete the game without killing anyone -- that choice is entirely up to them. While very few people decide to take the pacifist route in Postal 2, it is still an option.

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Football Manager 2005

Some people might be surprised to learn Football Manger 2005 (known as Worldwide Soccer Manager in the U.S.) caused a lot of controversy upon its initial release. The game is pretty much harmless. It is a typical management simulator that allows players to take control of their very own soccer team. However, while its actual gameplay didn't stir up any controversy, the way it depicted certain countries did.

China banned Football Manager 2005 for listing Taiwan and Tibet as their own separate countries. This infuriated China, who deemed it "harmful to China's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

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The Manhunt Series

Often viewed as the most violent video game series of all time, the Manhunt franchise has managed to shock audiences around the world with its extremely violent gameplay and mature themes. Players could commit heinous acts of violence, like suffocating an enemy with a plastic bag and disemboweling someone with a sickle.

The game followed a man named James Earl Cash, who must fight his way through a horde of street thugs ordered to hunt him down by a sadistic filmmaker. The filmmaker records Cash's every move and gets pleasure from violent executions.

Manhunt is definitely not for the faint of heart and earned its notorious reputation. Several countries thought Rockstar crossed the line with the Manhunt series, causing the games to be banned in many parts of the world including Italy, Australia and Ireland. The game is still viewed as one of the vilest ever created and one of Rockstar's most controversial.

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Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure

Australia is known to be extraordinarily strict with its video game policies. The country has a history of banning games even for the slightest offenses. Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure seems like a relatively unoffensive game that somehow managed to rub Australia the wrong way.

Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, better known as Marc Ecko's Getting Up, is a unique action game that tells the story of a young graffiti artist named Trane -- who uses street art to combat a tyrannical government oppressing his city. The game has mild violence and very little controversial content but that didn't stop Australia from banning the game.

The Land Down Under thought Marc Ecko’s Getting Up promoted illegal street art and removed the game from stores. Australia believed the game would influence young people to go out and paint graffiti all over the country. Many gamers disapproved of Australia's decision, labeling it ridiculous and absurd. Australia ignored the criticisms and refused to overturn its ruling.

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