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NES (Games) Classic Games (Games)

A Survey of Nintendo's Game Censorship Policies 90

Posted by Zonk from the who-is-staatsmeister? dept.
ccnull writes "Found a page which offers a survey of Nintendo's policies on censorship, paying particular attention to how U.S. games differ from their Japanese counterparts. It's not just blood splatters, the author has interesting comparative screen grabs showing "clothed" statues and de-Nazified Hitlers."
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A Survey of Nintendo's Game Censorship Policies More

A Survey of Nintendo's Game Censorship Policies

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  • Another example (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Radix37 ( 670836 ) on Sunday October 24, 2004 @11:38AM (#10614138) Homepage
    There was a treasure in Pikmin 2 worth 666 Pokos in the Japanese version and changed to 670 in the US. What's far worse is that all new games (only in the US) now have a 5 second health warning EVERY TIME you start them because of that stupid lawsuit earlier this year.
    • What games? I've bought several games recently, and I only see the unskippable copyright notice. This is on xbox. Does that warning only apply to Nintendo? I just went and looked at Burnout 3 and I didn't see anything about health warnings.
    • Just how "new" is the new you're referring to? Is Zelda: Four Swords Adventures too old? It's the newes GCN game I have and it has no such warning that I'v eseen.

      • Re:Another example (Score:3, Informative)

        by Mekabyte ( 678689 )
        Yep, it has to be newer than that. I've seen it in the Metroid Prime 2: Echos demo disc and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. It's even featured on the Nintendo DS boot screen now :-/

    • Re:Another example (Score:3, Informative)

      by Zangief ( 461457 )
      I don't know about Pikmin 2, but on Paper Mario 2, you just press any button to skip the f*cking warning.

      It is still annoying. Light sensitive epilepsia is not caused by videogames, just triggered. If you have it, though luck, go find another hobby, and don't screw up mine.

      • Re:Another example (Score:1, Redundant)

        by Radix37 ( 670836 )
        It's easy to say "just press a button" but you still have to wait 5 seconds, and when you're reseting a game hundreds of times to try to do a speed run, it's gets annoying REAL FAST.
      • If you have it, though luck, go find another hobby, and don't screw up mine.

        Not to mention that they discovered this problem at least 20 years ago, because I remember reading a warning about it in the manual to my NES Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt game pak.
    • I was with my parents at a funeral home, scheduling services for my grandfather whom had passed away, and when the director totalled upp the costs it came out to $666 exactly! We added an extra $50 for the priest to "fix" the number and pay for some piece of mind.

  • Earthbound / Mother 2 (Score:3, Interesting)

    by sosuke ( 789685 ) on Sunday October 24, 2004 @11:40AM (#10614152) Homepage
    Well in the re-released versions of these games from SNES to GBA the game was further edited to remove things like cigarettes, which I think ruins some of the fun.

  • Gore + sex a fun game does not make... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by (SM) Spacemonkey ( 812689 ) on Sunday October 24, 2004 @11:43AM (#10614159)
    By the mid-90's, Nintendo's censorship practices were increasingly becoming both an embarrassment and a financial liability. Nintendo was earning a reputation as being a "kiddy" company that was both too patronizing and immature for older gamers.
    Today, Nintendo does not actively censor the games it releases. Games such as the infamous Conker's Bad Fur Day, which include swearing, blood, and sex are now openly published under the Nintendo banner, as long as they carry with them a "M for Mature Gamers" rating.
    Just wanted to say gore and sex doesn't make a game good. Nintendo may have a history for regional censorship, but they have a far greater history of making honestly fun and addictive games.
  • FTA:
    Today, Nintendo does not actively censor the games it releases. Games such as the infamous Conker's Bad Fur Day, which include swearing, blood, and sex are now openly published under the Nintendo banner, as long as they carry with them a "M for Mature Gamers" rating.

    So, while they've built up this reputation (imo, undeservedly) as a "kiddie" gaming company--It doesn't sound like this censorship paradigm really carries over to the gamecube.

    • Sony censored BMX XXX more than Nintendo did.

      • Re:This example is cited too often: (Score:1, Informative)

        by Anonymous Coward
        The best part is:

        GC BMX XXX: Fully topless available at start
        XBox: must unlock nudity
        PS2: no nudity period

        And yet Nintendo is the kiddie-company that supposedly censors things
    • That's... not entirely true.

      There are at least three versions of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64 in the US. The first is uncensored. The second version changed the music for the fire temple (which sounded a little too much like a religious chant, I guess) and changed the color of Ganon's blood from red to green. The third version changed the graphic of the mirror shield- again, the symbol had some sort of religious connotation. The new version sucked in comparison IMHO. And no, th

      • They DO censor some things across the board.
        And some things are OK but only in Mature rated games or something.

        For example, they probobly DO still censor religious symbols in games (especially those rated "Everyone") because despite the so-called "tolerance" in the US, there are still a lot of people who would complain (and rightly so in some cases) about religious symbols in a video game with no warnings that they are there.
        • For example, they probobly DO still censor religious symbols in games (especially those rated "Everyone") because despite the so-called "tolerance" in the US, there are still a lot of people who would complain (and rightly so in some cases) about religious symbols in a video game with no warnings that they are there.

          I'm almost in disbelief that this was even said, here, on slashdot.

          What is so offensive about religious symbols that they have to be removed or people warned? I am not a Christian, I am not a
          • Its the same people that protest about kids who prey (to whatever god their faith believes in) whilst at school.

            I dont think its that these people are "anti-religion" per se (although some might be) but that they dont want religion in places where their family will be directly exposed to it (especially without warning)
            Just like there are people who dont think other things (e.g. violence, nudity etc) should be around in places without warning.
            • Actually, most people have nothing against prayer in schools. You want to pray, go ahead.

              People have a problem with ORGANIZED prayer, which, if a teacher was leading it, might make those who aren't religious or of a different religion, uncomfortable.

              Anytime you think about organized prayer in schools, pretend the organized prayer is to Allah. Still comfortable with it? Or is it only comfortable when it's Christianity.

              This is not directed at the parent but at "prayer in school" people in general.

  • Censorship connotes Government Evil (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 24, 2004 @02:00PM (#10614797)
    When private individuals or groups of individuals revise materials they created or created at their behest, it is usually referred to as editing and not censorship.

    Auto manufacturers in both Japan and the USA change designs between countries to best suit each market. A concept is being muted in the transition; so is that too censorship?

    The altering of products to conform to different markets (i.e. what research has led someone to believe different markets will respond best to) is nothing new. I don't see it as particularly evil, either.

  • Mortal Kombat 2 (Score:1, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    The fatality moves were included, but so were several non-violent finishing moves, such as the "friendship" moves in which instead of executing your opponent you could give him a present or do a little dance.

    Yes, there were 'Friendship' moves, but, from what I remember, they weren't included at Nintendo's request; they were already present in the arcade version of the game.

  • maniac mansion (Score:3, Informative)

    by nuggetman ( 242645 ) on Sunday October 24, 2004 @02:28PM (#10614948) Homepage
    There's an article that discusses Nintendo's censorship for Maniac Mansion on NES [crockford.com]
    • Yes, and the version printed in the fourth issue of Wired is linked to in TFA.

    • Re:maniac mansion (Score:3, Informative)

      by cgenman ( 325138 )
      I would like to point out that contrary to what the first linked article states, it is actually possible to microwave the hampster in the NES version of Maniac Mansion. They changed this in code for the second printing, which never happened as Maniac Mansion didn't sell well enough.

  • Just wanted to point out that these censorship policies don't apply anymore. This is what Nintendo used before the ESRB was around. Nintendo does very little censoring of games anymore (except maybe 1st party games).

    Free Flat Screen HERE! [freeflatscreens.com]

  • Mortal Kombat II (Score:4, Informative)

    by CoreyGH ( 246060 ) on Sunday October 24, 2004 @03:27PM (#10615251) Homepage
    The fatality moves were included, but so were several non-violent finishing moves, such as the "friendship" moves in which instead of executing your opponent you could give him a present or do a little dance.

    Anyone who's played MK2 in the arcade knows that friendships were in the arcade version; they were NOT added by Nintendo to make the game "nicer".

  • Gadzooks! (Score:4, Funny)

    by Snowspinner ( 627098 ) * <philsand@NoSpaM.ufl.edu> on Sunday October 24, 2004 @03:58PM (#10615391) Homepage
    My Lord, Nintendo is censoring games? Removing sex and violence? How horrible! How awful!

    Oh, wait, what's this? A telephone message from 1994? You say they want their fucking news back?

  • Don't blame Nintendo... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by hai.uchida ( 814492 ) <hai.uchida@gmail.com> on Sunday October 24, 2004 @05:36PM (#10615892)
    Blame the very vocal "think of the children" advocates in America.

  • Conker's Bad Fur Day (Score:2, Informative)

    by KAMiKAZOW ( 455500 )
    Quote from the article:
    "Games such as the infamous Conker's Bad Fur Day, which include swearing, blood, and sex are now openly published under the Nintendo banner"

    Um no. Conker's Bad Fur Day was NOT published by Nintendo. The US version was published by Rare itself and the European version was published by THQ. (Check the US box [amazon.com] and the EU box [amazon.com])
    • Yeah, but the Nintendo logo is all over box, including the famous Nintendo Seal of Quality, showing their implicit consent of the game. "published under the Nintendo banner" doesn't necessarily mean "published by Nintendo." I think the author was just making a point that Nintendo approved that game for creation and distribution on Nintendo hardware. I don't call that a factual error.

      This isn't like the days of those un-approved Tengen NES carts, where Nintendo definitely did not approve the publication of

      • > the Nintendo logo is all over box

        I don't see a Nintendo logo on the US box (just a N64 logo).
        The EU logo has only two Nintendo logos ("Licensed by" and "Seal of Quality") and all EU games for Nintendo systems have those logos.

        > "published under the Nintendo banner" doesn't
        > necessarily mean "published by Nintendo."
        > I think the author was just making a point
        > that Nintendo approved that game for creation
        > and distribution on Nintendo hardware.
        Well... maybe, but he could just have used

    • Re:Conker's Bad Fur Day (Score:3, Interesting)

      by ndogg ( 158021 )
      Did you forget that Nintendo owned Rare for a while before Microsoft? Rare developed the game, but they didn't publish it.
      • Apart from the fact the US boxed link has a huge "Published by Rare" on it, and the UK version has THQ logos on it? Nintendo may have owned Rare at the time, but they obviously didn't want the game to go out under their label.
      • My post is modded Troll while this one is Interesting? WTF?
        Rare was not owned by Nintendo and MS doesn't onw Rare now. Nintendo owned 49% of Rare's shares and MS owns those 49% now.
        Rare wouldn't develop games for GBA (probaly also NDS and PSP) if they were 100% owned by MS.

        The US box says "Published by Rare" and the EU box has a THQ logo on it. And if you don't believe me, check http://ign64.ign.com/articles/091/091981p1.html
        " Nintendo of Europe is pleased to confirm that Conker's Bad Fur Day will be relea

    • Troll? (Score:1, Offtopic)

      by KAMiKAZOW ( 455500 )
      Why is my post a troll?

  • Redundant article (Score:1, Insightful)

    by wick3t ( 787074 )
    These guidelines are well out of date. Nintendo no longer censors games and hasn't done so for about 10 years. These sort of articles really are unnecessary as they only reiterate the common misconception that Nintendo is for kids. This is the type of crap that is hurting Nintendo and may eventually lead them to the same destiny as Sega. If anyone censors games it is Sony. A fairly recent example of this is the game BMX XXX, in which the PS2 version was censored [ign.com] and the GameCube version stayed intact.
  • Only a government can censor something.

    "broadly, any government restrictions on speech or writing; more precisely, government restrictions on forms of expression before they are disseminated "
    • From a formal dictionary definition standpoint, I am sure you are probably correct.

      In practice, any entity in a position to exert control over published media can censor that content. Its as simple as a publisher saying "I wont publish this unless you remove that". Since most authors / game developers / musicians end up signing agreements with a publisher in advance, its possible that the publisher may elect to censor the content, and put the author in a position where they are mostly screwed.

      Hell, even
  • The boxart for Freaky Flyers was changed for the GameCube version. (see below) I don't know if the graphics in the game itself were changed, but the gameplay certainly could have used more time in the oven.
    GameCube boxart [gamespot.com]
    Xbox boxart [gamespot.com]

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