#5 Stadium Events
While not necessarily a recall, the first run of Stadium Events is considered one of the rarest video game titles for the Nintendo Entertainment System. You’ll easily find that a copy will run tens of thousands if you were to purchase one which means that it’s easily one of the most sought after video game titles of all time. Of course, it didn’t become that way until Stadium Events was rebranded by Nintendo. Originally, this game was developed by Human Entertainment and published under Bandai where the game followed four Olympic style sporting events using the NES Power Pad mat.
This game didn’t last very long before it was rebranded by Nintendo to a new name, World Class Track Meet. Unfortunately, there isn’t a number attached in regards to how many units released with the Stadium Events name, but most collectors agree that the run is quite small making it difficult to come by even at the time of when it first launched into the market.
#4 The Guy Game
The Guy Game is a puzzle trivia title with mini-games. Players who progress and answer the questions correctly would be rewarded with the women taking off their tops making it quite controversial at the time of release. However, the real big issue that resulted in a lawsuit and the title being pulled was from one of the females featured within the game. Apparently, one of the females within the game was revealed to only have been seventeen at the time making her underage. This resulted in the game being pulled from any other additional copies being sold.
#3 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda has a massive following and each game comes a number of players eagerly awaiting to get their copy. There are a few controversial moments from the game franchise, but one of the biggest changes came with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. This game received a number of adjustments over the years after it released initially for various platforms such as the Nintendo GameCube and Nintendo 3DS. For instance, there was a new sample made for the Fire Temple after it was discovered that the original audio had chanting of Islamic prayer. Likewise, there were changes to various designs like the Gerudo Symbol as many felt it closely resembled the Islamic emblem originally.
There were even controversies in terms of the advertisements made to hype the game up prior to launch. At one point Nintendo brought out a commercial which asks players if they were going to save the girl or simply play as one. This commercial was pulled and adjusted the text but Nintendo certainly had plenty of controversies with this particular game release.
#2 Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro
Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro was very close to being released which would have likely been recalled. The game was a follow-up title to Spider-Man which follows Peter Parker having to face against Electro in a new scheme threatening the lives of innocents. The final battle was set to take place on the World Trade Center where Electro ends up damaging the North Tower. This was just prior to the September 11 attacks, as a result, the development team scrapped the location and opted for a different generic building where it was released a few weeks later.
#1 Devotion
Devotion released back in early 2019 and we’re soon going to hit the one year mark since the game first came out. This was a title by development team Red Candle Games and while there is certainly a lot of horror games released into the market each year, Devotion was one that really stood out. This first-person psychological horror title became a massive hit when it released on the PC platform with its visuals and narrative outline.
Players are tossed into an 80s apartment in Taiwan as you explore the home things begin to distort. It’s a story-driven game where you’ll find Taiwanese folk culture throughout and it’s creepy atmosphere really captivated players towards the game. Unfortunately, the release was rather short-lived as the game was pulled over one image found in the title.
There was a meme that went around that compared Xi Jinping the Chinese politician serving as the general secretary of the Community Party of China, to Winnie-the-Pooh. It’s a meme that Xi Jingping despises so when a reference was found in the game days later, the development team was quick to pull the title. This move even caused the Chinese government to revoke the license of indievent. As a result, the game has not seen a release into the market since.
