Top 20 M-Rated Nintendo Games

With not a lot of M-rated games that come to Nintendo first, we have to start with one that’s…well, just okay. The GameCube’s “Geist” is one of the few Mature titles that was actually published by Nintendo. It follows a scientist who digs too deeply into a shady corporation, and must fight to reclaim his body once his soul is removed from it. It definitely had interesting ideas and gameplay, at least when it came to signature scare mechanics that came from being a disembodied character. However, the performance wasn’t up to par, and the other half of gameplay was mediocre FPS gunplay, which got it negatively compared to many other shooters at the time.

Although the initial marketing behind the Wii U confused consumers, it still had solid launch titles. Among the bunch was Ubisoft’s “ZombiU,” a zombie survival horror game set in London. While it took a lot of inspiration from those that came before it, there were a few things that set it apart. One was the console’s GamePad, which added an extra layer of difficulty in balancing your attention, to the dismay of some players. While there wasn’t much to the story and visuals were lacking, the survival aspects were strong. Specifically, if your character died, they turned into a zombie. You’d take control of someone new, and were forced to go hunting for your former self in order to reclaim your supplies.

It isn’t the best entry in the “Fatal Frame” series, but “Maiden of Black Water” is still a worthy installment and was initially published by Nintendo itself. Another game to launch first on the Wii U, it follows three protagonists investigating a mysterious mountain whose spirits have turned angry due to an evil force known as the Black Water. The story and characters may have been a bit weak, but the scares that populated earlier games were still there. Using the GamePad as the Camera Obscura to dispel violent spirits was a ton of fun. It added a thrilling layer of interactivity to the well-worn mechanic, making it feel fresh.

Mostly known as an Arcade heavyweight, “The House of the Dead” was reimagined splendidly with the Wii’s “Overkill.” It throws players into the middle of a mutant outbreak in Louisiana and tasks them with shooting their way through all kinds of vicious monsters. The Wiimote is a perfect tool for an on-rails shooter. It’s plenty of fun to bask in the gore, even if the difficulty will never really challenge you. It also never takes itself too seriously, going full-on camp with its storyline, characters, and style. Although the hardware could cause framerate dips with too many enemies, and the game is a bit too short, it’s still a bloody good time.

While Nintendo fans didn’t get Konami’s rebooted “Lords of Shadow” duology, they did get “Mirror of Fate” on the 3DS, sandwiched in-between the two games. Within this new continuity, it gave us access to a few fan-favorite characters with their own storylines, including Simon Belmont and Alucard. It was more violent than any “Castlevania” that had been released on Nintendo’s handhelds, and took advantage of darker subject matter. Returning to the side scrolling roots was definitely a plus and the game’s combat shined. While it was a bit too easy compared to other entries, it still proved to Nintendo that MercurySteam could handle Metroidvanias well, as the studio was enlisted to handle two future “Metroids.”

The first entry in the “Famicom Detective Club” series in 27 years, “Emio - The Smiling Man” came as a complete surprise. And a welcome one. The visual novel puts you in the shoes of a private investigator, aiding the police in solving the murder of a young boy. Creepily, the crime also concerns an urban legend, a killer named Emio, who wears a paper bag with a smiling face drawn on it over his head. Naturally, the dark subject matter and violent imagery necessitated a Mature rating. While the slow style won’t be for everyone, the way the core mystery unravels is sure to get under the skin of adventure game players.

“Doom” is one of gaming’s oldest FPS franchises, and still one of the best. Back in 1997, the Nintendo 64 received its very own installment. As the Doomguy, we were recruited once again for demolishing demons after their return from the previous games. Back then, it was an incredible feat to get “Doom” on Nintendo’s latest console. One of the biggest criticisms at launch was that it was too similar to previous entries, not that we felt it needed to be all that different. It was still fun to rip our way through demonic hordes with extreme prejudice. With this much exciting carnage, it didn’t need to be that deep.

We said we weren’t doing ports, but we said nothing of reimaginings. The Wii’s “Shattered Memories” takes the first “Silent Hill” and flips it on its head. It begins the same way, with Harry Mason entering the haunted town in search of his missing daughter. However, it changes things up by alternating between his therapy sessions and his time in Silent Hill, with the player’s answers in the former impacting what happens in the latter. There were certainly some difficult changes to accept for longtime fans, like the complete absence of combat. But the positives can speak for themselves, including a great spin on the original story and a tense, moody atmosphere.

The first entry into the tense “Zero Escape” series, “999” released on the Nintendo DS back in 2010. As they awaken on a cruise ship after being abducted, players find themselves among eight others and are given nine hours to escape before the ship sinks. Complicating matters are the sealed doors and windows, puzzles that require teamwork, and booby traps that can result in a very messy end. There’s immediate intrigue in the set-up and the desire to make it out alive is maintained throughout. The other characters are also well-written, making you want to help them reach the outside just as much as you want to reach it yourself.

If you’re even a little bit familiar with the “Dead Space” series, it should be pretty obvious why “Extraction” received a Mature rating. As a prequel to the original game, it showed exactly what happened to the mining colony on the Ishimura spaceship before Isaac Clarke arrived, and it wasn’t pretty. While the game leaned much more into action over horror, the Wiimote proved once again that it was an excellent controller for an on-rails shooter. Blasting apart each Necromorph’s limbs was undeniably thrilling. And while it obviously wasn’t as visually strong as the other games, it was impressive for the Wii. That’s on top of getting some engaging worldbuilding within the overall “Dead Space” universe.

A commercial and critical success, “Turok” showed the world just how much could be accomplished on the N64 console, and did so in style. At the time, Nintendo had a reputation for shying away from potential titles that might conflict with their generally family-friendly reputation. But with the release of “Turok,” they showed that they wouldn’t faint at the sight of blood, so long as it was backed up by a solid story and worthy gameplay experience. At the time of its release, “Turok” established itself as one of the standards by which other console shooters would be judged, especially in terms of graphics. Often compared to “Doom” and “Duke Nukem,” “Turok” brought all the bloodshed, but with greater freedom to explore.

“No More Heroes,” released in 2008, introduced us to one of the more memorable characters in modern gaming, Travis Touchdown, in a title that was as unique in its gameplay and storytelling as it was stylish. The sequel managed to live up to its predecessor and even further refined the many elements that made the original such a great game. It’s a truly unique game that is self-aware of its position as one of the few mature titles on the Wii, a position of privilege it shows off at every turn, with sexually suggestive material, adult humor and buckets of blood. This game always keeps you guessing, never letting up on the fun or quirky charm.

Oh the carnage… In case you’re not familiar with this title, imagine a “Sin City” video game, but with more blood spatter. Yes, you heard us correctly. BLOODIER than “Sin City.” The more elaborate, creative or explosive you manage to make your kills in the various open-environment levels, the more points you score. Every design choice, including the hyper-stylized graphics, seems as if it were made to emphasize the gore. The sound effects are sickeningly satisfying. As for the game’s plot, it’s equal parts “American Gladiators” and “Battle Royale,” but with more specific events called bloodbath challenges, like man darts, or trapping enemies in front of trains. It’s sick, remarkably replayable, and buckets of fun.

The “Persona” series may get all the love these days, but the franchise it spun off from has proven it’s still worthy of the attention of RPG fans. Case in point: the Switch’s “Shin Megami Tensei V.” Players control a high school student caught in the middle of a war between angels and demons. Exploration is a bigger focus than in previous games, as we go between modern-day Tokyo and the post-apocalyptic battleground where the war takes place. The turn-based combat is on par with “Persona,” even if it isn’t as stylish, with the player able to summon demons to help them fight. Outside of having a few violent deaths, the coarse language and several demons designed pretty explicitly earn this game its maturity.

This game franchise requires little introduction. One of the most notoriously violent video game franchises in gaming history, “GTA” has its fair share of detractors. Thankfully for Rockstar, the number of avid fans outnumber the haters 100 to 1. No one ever really expected to see a “GTA” game on a Nintendo console, let alone a game initially released exclusively on the Nintendo DS. Although later made available on the PSP, the dual screen of the DS made for a unique “Grand Theft Auto” gameplay experience. Along with the usual “GTA” violence was an extensive drug dealing side quest that allowed players to buy and sell drugs for the best profit possible. Adult-only indeed.

There are few games on Nintendo’s platforms that can mess with your mind as well as “Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem.” This award-winning game puts players in the shoes of 12 distinct characters, spread throughout various time periods. Thanks to Nintendo’s patented “sanity effects,” the gameplay is as unnerving as it is unique and brilliant. While the sanity meter goes down, you might experience alarming fake deaths, blood pouring down the walls or statues turning to look at you, or a trick that makes you think your save has been deleted. There’s nothing quite like a game that manages to both terrify and wow you simultaneously. We recommend leaving the lights on.

It was hard not to think of this game as “GoldenEye” Part 2, but that isn’t really a bad thing. “GoldenEye” was an excellent FPS that surprisingly got away with a T for Teen rating. Then Perfect Dark came in as a spiritual successor and upped the ante in every regard, including the ESRB rating. As Joanna Dark, players fight to stop a thrilling conspiracy, and every level in the game offers a significant sense of accomplishment. Compared to many of the other games on this list, Perfect Dark is relatively tame. It still brings the bloodshed though, and happily embraced the M-rating in letting loose some foul language.

“Bayonetta” development is a very interesting tale. The first game was originally released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 to widespread acclaim and gained a strong fanbase. But when publisher Sega ran into financial difficulties, a sequel seemed unlikely. Then as a surprise to everyone, Nintendo announced that they’d picked up “Bayonetta 2” as a Wii U exclusive and the result was one of the finest hack ‘n slash games ever made. We’re not sure if bloodshed has ever been more beautiful than in “Bayonetta 2.” The game’s striking artwork and sense of style is balanced almost impossibly well with the coordinated movement and truly overwhelming action sequences. Plus, with Bayonetta’s trademark over-the-top sexuality, the game earned its M rating.

This game was originally set to be released as “Twelve Tales: Conker 64” and was to feature a happy-go-lucky squirrel in a kid-friendly adventure. However, facing criticism of being yet another “Kiddy platformer,” especially after the release of Banjo-Kazooie, Rare decided to completely rework the game. Conker the cuddly squirrel turned into a greedy, foul-mouthed, hungover deadbeat. As a result, this guy would now jump on the breasts of a sexy sunflower, violently dispose of enemies, and ruin the lives of nearly everyone he came across. He was lewd, crude, and had parodying famous films down to an art. The multiplayer also never gets old, but the perfectly ridiculous single player mode remains a classic.

It’s surprising to think that one of the best survival horror games ever made was originally released as an exclusive for the GameCube at a time when the system was struggling to get new games. As Leon Kennedy, we braved the rural countryside of Spain to search for the President’s missing daughter, who had been kidnapped by a deadly cult. It was intense, captivating, and terrifying all at once and even released with an awesome looking (if not impractical) chainsaw controller. Eventually, the game would be ported to many other consoles, including Nintendo’s follow up, the Wii. That version showed how motion controls were a viable alternative to using a stick to aim, which made it all the more satisfying to blow off the enemies’ heads.


Know of any other great M-rated games that launched with Nintendo first? Let us know about them in the comments, and be sure to subscribe for more great videos every day!