Controversy is nothing new to the world of gaming so the furore over the release of EA's Medal of Honor should really come as no surprise. The revived franchise echoes Infinity Ward's move a few years back to transport its Call of Duty series to more modern times.

But by adding that modern day twist, and setting it in Afghanistan where soldiers are still fighting in real life, EA kicked up a (desert) storm. Not only that but providing players with the ability to take on the role of the Taliban also fuelled the flames - so much so that EA even backtracked a little.

Not for the first time in the world of gaming, politicians waded into the argument too. In August, the British Defence Secretary stole the headlines by labelling the first person shooter "disgusting" and calling for an outright ban. As others jumped onto the bandwagon, EA issued a response to defend the game.

Megabits of Gaming decided to take some of the heat off the release and revisit some of the most controversial moments in gaming over the years (read more about each game in the PDF file below - thanks to Wikipedia):

Manhunt (2003) - Rockstar may release some fantastic games but they've also courted a fair amount of controversy over the years. Not only was Manhunt banned in many countries but back in 2004, the ultra-violent game was pulled from the shelves after it was blamed for influencing a real-life murder. It's 2007 sequel didn't fare much better with the media...

Bully (2006) - Rockstar's school simulator not only proved controversial because it allowed you to torment fellow students but a gay kiss got the tabloids a little hot under the collar.

Grand Theft Auto (1997) - Ah, the most controversial gaming series of all time. According to Guinness World Records, there have been more than 4,000 articles written about the games - criticizing them for glamoring violence and generally being a bit of a bad influence. Well, remember the first GTA, with its birds' eye view, chunky graphics and... the chanting Hare Krishnas you could mow down? The latter helped it get into the papers for all the wrong reasons.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004) - The infamous Hot Coffee minigame certainly didn't help to dispel the illusion that games set a bad example... but watching your character get down to it with a pixellated honey is among the most memorable moments of the GTA series. The controversy saw it pulled from shelves in some cases and re-rated.

Grand Theft Auto IV (2008/DLC 2009) – Yet another entry for Rockstar - this time it's the full frontal male nudity that reared its ugly head(!) in the downloadable content, The Lost and Damned. The self righteous in the media found it all too much to swallow.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) - Two words... No Russian. Yeah it was a skippable mission if you couldn't stomach it, but many wonder why a level where you wander through an airport gunning down innocent civilians made it into the game in the first place.

Mortal Kombat (1992) – Back in the day, people were sensitive about the daftest things. Mortal Kombat, the beat em up that featured digitized characters and all manner of gruesome fatality moves - including animations of decapitation - was criticized for having too much blood. As a result, the Megadrive/Genesis version needed a secret code to unlock all the gore, whereas the SNES replaced the red stuff that flew off the fighters' bodies with sweat. Spoilsports. What's more, it caused such a stink that it helped to get all those age restrictions placed on our games boxes.

Postal (1997) - Named after the post office massacres in the US back in 1986, the game understandably raised a few eyebrows. After finding out your house is repossessed, you take on the role of a homicidal maniac and gun down as many people as you can. The pinnacle of bad taste gaming? Many thought so - it was banned and blacklisted by many countries.

Resistance Fall of Man (2006) – Sony's landmark shooter on the PS3 may have looked the business and brought some much-needed FPS action to the console but it was criticized by the Church of England for featuring Manchester Cathedral without permission.

LittleBigPlanet (2008) – Cute, cuddly and highly acclaimed... but in these times of heightened anxiety regarding religion, it wasn't a great move to ship a game that included music featuring passages from the Koran... To avoid offense to Muslims, Sony opted to recall copies, delaying its much-anticipated launch.

Carmageddon (1997) - A racing game where you win by finishing first or running down everyone that moves was bound to court controversy... violent, bloody and a much-loved classic.

Custer’s Revenge (1982) - A sexually-explicit video game? On the Atari 2600? In 1982? No, really. Custer's Revenge has gone down in the annals (oo er) of history as having completely distasteful content. Not only did the titular Custer wander round naked showing off his manhood, but there was huge controversy over the raping of a Native American woman tied to a pole. Not one of gaming's finest hours.

Bioshock (2007) – Choosing to save or "harvest" the little sisters didn't go down too well with some, who suggested that choosing to kill young girls was rather tasteless. Nevertheless, despite its debatable morality, it remains one of the best games of recent years.

Six days in Fallujah (TBA) - This third person shooter is a little too close to the bone with its current day setting recreating real-life events. It's not yet seen the light of day but has already been the subject of scathing criticism. As the name suggests, it follows a squad of marines over the course of six days in war torn Iraq. The subject matter is still a little too raw for some.

Left 4 Dead 2 (2009) – Thousands of zombies, lots of carnage, shooting, blood... all selling points if you ask your average gamer. Live in Australia though and you're unlikely to ever see any of it. The government said the game displayed excess violence, and it was refused classification. Sadly, many antipodeans are now missing out on one of the best multiplayer games - and one of the best intro movies EVER!

Resident Evil 5 (2009) – I know what you're thinking but unlike Left 4 Dead 2, it wasn't the killing of helpless zombies that rubbed many up the wrong way. Nope, racism was the culprit on this occasion. It all stemmed from the E3 trailer, which included the white protagonist shooting the undead - most of whom appeared to be black.

Hooligans: Storm over Europe (2002) - “The only thing to fear is running out of beer” – the strapline on the box set the scene for this PC-based football hooligan sim, where you were tasked with becoming the most notorious gang on the continent. Drugs, booze, violence, looting… the game had plenty to rile politicians and the media who called for it to be banned.