Editing Nintendo (section)

=== Content guidelines ===
For many years, Nintendo had a policy of strict content guidelines for video games published on its consoles. Although Nintendo allowed [[graphic violence]] in its video games released in Japan, [[nudity and sexuality]] were strictly prohibited. Former Nintendo president [[Hiroshi Yamauchi]] believed that if the company allowed the licensing of pornographic games, the company's image would be forever tarnished.{{sfn|Sheff|1994|p={{page needed|date=September 2021}}}} Nintendo of America went further and games released for Nintendo consoles could not feature nudity, sexuality, [[profanity]] (including racism, [[sexism]] or [[Hate speech|slurs]]), blood, graphic or [[domestic violence]], drugs, political messages, or [[Religious symbolism|religious symbols]]{{mdash}}with the exception of widely unpracticed religions, such as the [[Greek mythology|Greek Pantheon]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.filibustercartoons.com/Nintendo.php |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120526032316/http://www.filibustercartoons.com/Nintendo.php |url-status=usurped |archive-date=26 May 2012 |title=Nintendo of America Content Guidelines |publisher=Filibustercartoons.com |access-date=25 May 2011 }}</ref> The Japanese parent company was concerned that it may be viewed as a "Japanese invasion" by forcing Japanese [[community standards]] on North American and European children. Past the strict guidelines, some exceptions have occurred: ''[[Bionic Commando (1988 video game)|Bionic Commando]]'' (though [[Nazi swastika|swastikas]] were eliminated in the US version), ''[[Smash TV]]'' and ''[[Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode]]'' contain human violence, the latter also containing implied [[Human sexuality|sexuality]] and [[Smoking|tobacco use]], ''[[River City Ransom]]'' and ''[[Taboo: The Sixth Sense]]'' contain nudity, and the latter also contains religious images, as do ''[[Castlevania II: Simon's Quest|Castlevania II]]'' and ''[[Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse|III]]''.

Nintendo's content policy is responsible for the [[Sega Genesis|Genesis]] version of ''[[Mortal Kombat (1992 video game)|Mortal Kombat]]'' having more than double the unit sales of the Super NES version, largely due to Nintendo forcing its publisher [[Acclaim Entertainment|Acclaim]] to recolor red blood to look like white sweat within the game and to tone down its gorier and more violent graphics.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/919/919357p10.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017054400/http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/919/919357p10.html |archive-date=17 October 2008 |title=IGN Presents the History of Mortal Kombat – Retro Feature at IGN |website=IGN |first=Travis |last=Fahs |url-status=dead |access-date=16 August 2010 }}</ref> By contrast, [[Sega]] allowed blood and gore to remain in the Genesis version (though a code is required to unlock the gore). Nintendo allowed the Super NES version of ''[[Mortal Kombat II]]'' to ship uncensored the following year with a content warning on the packaging.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/mortal-kombat-ii/cover-art/gameCoverId,22874|title=Mortal Kombat II (1994) Amiga box cover art|website=MobyGames|access-date=8 November 2019|archive-date=8 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108180054/https://www.mobygames.com/game/mortal-kombat-ii/cover-art/gameCoverId,22874|url-status=live}}</ref>

Video game ratings systems were introduced with the [[Entertainment Software Rating Board]] (ESRB) of 1994 and the [[Pan European Game Information]] of 2003, and Nintendo discontinued most of its censorship policies in favor of consumers making their own choices. Today changes to the content of games are done primarily by the game's developer or, occasionally, at the request of Nintendo. The only clear-set rule is that ESRB [[Entertainment Software Rating Board#Ratings|AO-rated]] games will not be licensed on Nintendo consoles in North America,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/buyers_guide.jsp |title=Nintendo of America Customer Service – Nintendo Buyer's Guide |publisher=Nintendo.com |access-date=25 May 2011 |archive-date=6 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606044152/http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/buyers_guide.jsp |url-status=live }}</ref> a practice which is also enforced by [[Sony Computer Entertainment|Sony]] and [[Microsoft]], its greatest competitors in the present market. Nintendo has since allowed several mature-content games to be published on its consoles, including ''[[Perfect Dark]]'', ''[[Conker's Bad Fur Day]]'', ''[[Doom (franchise)|Doom]]'', ''[[Doom 64]]'', ''[[BMX XXX]]'', the ''[[Resident Evil]]'' series, ''[[Killer7]]'', the ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' series, ''[[Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem]]'', ''[[BloodRayne]]'', ''[[Geist (video game)|Geist]]'', ''[[Dementium: The Ward]]'', ''[[Bayonetta 2]]'', ''[[Devil's Third]]'', and ''[[Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water]]''.

Certain games have continued to be modified, however. For example, [[Konami]] was forced to remove all references to cigarettes in the 2000 Game Boy Color game ''[[Metal Gear Solid (2000 video game)|Metal Gear Solid]]'' (although the previous NES version of ''[[Metal Gear (video game)|Metal Gear]]'', the GameCube game ''[[Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes]]'', and the 3DS game ''[[Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater#Snake Eater 3D|Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 3D]]'', included such references), and maiming and blood were removed from the Nintendo 64 [[Porting|port]] of ''[[Cruis'n USA]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ign64.ign.com/articles/060/060333p1.html |title=IGN: Nintendo to censor Cruis'n |date=8 October 1996 |access-date=24 July 2009 |archive-date=12 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412153302/http://ign64.ign.com/articles/060/060333p1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Another example is in the Game Boy Advance game ''[[Mega Man Zero 3]]'', in which one of the bosses, called Hellbat Schilt in the Japanese and European releases, was renamed Devilbat Schilt in the North American [[Internationalization and localization|localization]]. In North American releases of the ''[[Mega Man Zero]]'' games, enemies and bosses killed with a saber attack do not gush blood as they do in the Japanese versions. However, the release of the Wii was accompanied by several even more controversial games, such as ''[[Manhunt 2]]'', ''[[No More Heroes (video game)|No More Heroes]]'', ''[[The House of the Dead: Overkill]]'', and ''[[MadWorld]]'', the latter three of which were initially published exclusively for the console.