Longtime fans ofNintendoare surely aware of the company’s history of censorship. The rationales for censorship run the gamut from the pragmatic to the downright ridiculous. Whether or not someone experiences a censored version of a video game or the original often depends on the region in which they live.
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Like any major video game company,Nintendohas grappled with censorship plenty of times over the decades. Although this list doesn’t account foreverygame Nintendo has ever censored, this selection represents some of the more interesting examples of censorship in action. Whether for good or ill, these decisions will surely leave some fans scratching their heads.
8Punch-Out!!
Some older Nintendo fans no doubt possess fond (and frustrating) memories of the originalPunch-Out!!ConqueringPunch-Out!!requires players tobest a series of colorful boxersbefore squaring off against the final boss, “Iron” Mike Tyson himself.
One opponent on the player’s way to the top wasa boxer whose original name was Vodka Drunkenski, an athlete who took swigs of alcohol in between rounds. However, when the game was ported to the NES in 1987, the character’s name was changed to Soda Popinski. Thus, the references to alcohol were removed, likely with the intent of making the game a bit more family-friendly.
7Contra
When it comes to classic and influential video games, it’s hard not to mentionContra. First released in 1987 on the arcade circuit,Contraproved an instant success. In 1988, it was ported to the NES, allowing players to take the reins ofthe two intrepid commandosfrom their homes.
However,Contrareceived a different release in Europe. Due to strict censorship laws in countries like Germany and Australia regarding video game violence, it was renamedProbotector. What’s more, many of the game’s characters and enemies were replaced with robots so that the violence was depicted less realistically.
6Bionic Commando
Video games that depict Nazi imagery are obviously a touchy subject in Europe, specifically Germany. In the 1980s and 90s, censorship involving Nazi iconography was taken very seriously. In 1988, Capcom released a game in Japan for the NES titledTop Secret: The Resurrection of Hitler.
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The international community, however, knows this game by a different title:Bionic Commando. The name, as well as references to the Nazis themselves, waschanged to secure the game’s release in European markets. Most notably, Hitler was renamed “Master-D” and the Nazis were referred to as “the Badds.”
5Cruis’n USA
Released in 1994,Cruis’n USAwas originally an arcade racing game. Players mustachieve the best race timespossible while avoiding hazards along the way, such as oncoming traffic and even animals. In 1996, the game was ported to the Nintendo 64 console; however, certain elements from the arcade version were removed.
For example, the ability to run over animals on the road was cut. The woman holding the trophy on the victory screen was also given more clothes, as she had been more scantily clad in the previous iteration.Check out this nifty sitefor the full list of censored material regardingCruis’n USA.
4Zombies Ate My Neighbors
InZombies Ate My Neighbors, players are tasked with rescuing their neighbors from the clutches of various horror-themed monsters. It’s all rather goofy, but in 1993 there were once againconcerns over the game’s depiction of violence.
When the game hit the shelves for the SNES in Europe, it was simply retitled asZombies. Furthermore, the censored European version replaced enemies' chainsaws with axes. Both the North American and European versions also toned down the amount of blood, changing the color from red to purple/green.
3Super Mario Kart
Not even the iconicMariofranchise is immune to censorship. InSuper Mario Kartfor the SNES, a difference exists between the North American and Japanese versions of the game. WhenBowser and Princess Peach celebratein the Japanese version, they drink from a bottle of champagne. In the latter’s case, her face becomes red from being tipsy.
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This celebration involving alcohol iscensored in the U.S. version. Instead of partaking in the champagne, Bowser and Peach just throw the bottle into the air after a victory, removing any references to alcohol consumption.
2Final Fantasy 4
It’s not uncommon for games to experience localization edits before getting released. One great example of this isFinal Fantasy 4. Known asFinal Fantasy IIin North America, this version underwentseveral edits in terms of images and religious references.
In the U.S. version, the names of certain spells and locations were renamed to avoid overt religious connotations. For example, the Tower of Prayers being retitled the Tower of Wishes. Other words like “holy” were removed as well, as were instances of more sexually explicit material.
1Doom
When it comes to classicfirst-person shooters, it doesn’t get much betterthan the originalDoom. It also stands as one of the most controversial video games of its time. As a result, it shouldn’t come as much surprise thatDoomhas witnessed its share of censorship.
The SNES version ofDoomcontains a few sanitized revisionscompared to other platforms, such as the PC. All the censored material in the SNES revolves around scaling back the violence, as the original release did not hold back. Censorship focused primarily on reducing the amount of blood splatter shown onscreen while battling enemies.
