Censorship in retro games: what changed between regions

Mortal Kombat

Arcade, 1992 · モータルコンバット

SNES Under Nintendo's content policy, the SNES port replaced red blood with grey "sweat" and softened most Fatalities into milder finishing moves.

Genesis / Mega Drive On the Genesis/Mega Drive the code A-B-A-C-A-B-B unlocks red blood and the uncensored Fatalities, which gave Sega's version an edge over the SNES port; the game was rated MA-13.

Game Gear The Game Gear version stays censored unless the code 2, 1, 2, Down, Up is entered.

Sega CD The Sega CD version needs no code, since blood and Fatalities are on by default; it was rated MA-17.

EarthBound

SNES, 1994 · MOTHER2 ギーグの逆襲

SNES (NA) Religious imagery was removed for the American release: the red crosses on hospitals and the crosses on tombstones were edited out.

SNES (NA) References to alcohol were replaced with coffee or cappuccino.

SNES (NA) Ness is no longer shown nude in Magicant, and the blue-robed cultists of Happy Happy Village were redrawn to look less like Ku Klux Klan members.

Fallout 2

Windows, 1998

UK/European retail The UK release removed the textures of children, but the children still exist as invisible characters: the player can talk to an unseen speaker, and invisible pickpockets can still steal items.

German retail The German release removed blood and violent death animations; the 'Bloody Mess' trait is still there but has nothing extra to show.

European retail / digital versions PCGamingWiki notes that European and digital copies are censored compared with the uncensored US release; a fan-made 'Children Patch' restores the content.

Resident Evil

PlayStation, 1996 · バイオハザード

PS1 (NA) / PS1 (EU) The live-action intro was trimmed overseas, removing mangled bodies, a dog being shot and Joseph's death; Kenneth's severed head was cut from the first zombie scene, and Chris's smoking was removed from the cast roll and an ending.

Windows The Windows version is the only one with all live-action footage uncensored, including a full-color intro and Kenneth's death scene.

Director's Cut (NA) / Director's Cut (FR/DE) The North American Director's Cut was advertised as uncensored but shipped with the cut intro by mistake, and Capcom made the uncut video available online for free. The French and German Director's Cut are the only PlayStation releases with the uncut color prologue.

Super Castlevania IV

SNES, 1991 · 悪魔城ドラキュラ

SNES (NA) / SNES (EU) Outside Japan the blood dripping from the title logo was removed, and the blood in the Dungeon stage was recolored green so that it reads as acid. Director Masahiro Ueno asked for the palette change himself.

SNES (NA) / SNES (EU) Crosses were removed or replaced throughout the international versions, including the large grave in the final area, background crosses and coffins; only the Rosary item kept its cross.

SNES (NA) / SNES (EU) The nude statues in the Main Hall wear clothes in the international versions.

ActRaiser

SNES, 1990 · アクトレイザー

JP / NA/EU In Japan the hero is God and the villain is Satan; under Nintendo of America's content policy the Western releases call them 'The Master' and Tanzra.

JP / NA/EU Monster lairs marked with the Star of David in Japan were redrawn with other symbols abroad, and the Eye of Providence on the Kasandora pyramid appears only in the Japanese version.

Dragon Quest IV

NES, 1990 · ドラゴンクエストIV 導かれし者たち

NES (NA) The North American Dragon Warrior IV cut some religious imagery and violence, got new opening and ending credits and a modified casino betting system.

Nintendo DS (NA/EU) The Western DS releases removed party talk and toned down sexual content from the Japanese version.

Illusion of Gaia

SNES, 1993 · ガイア幻想紀

SNES (NA) / SNES (EU) Religious references were toned down outside Japan: the large cross in the South Cape school was replaced, church and priest references were changed, and a prayer became a poem.

SNES (NA) The tribe near Angkor Wat, depicted as cannibals in Japan, was altered for North America.

Little Nemo: The Dream Master

NES, 1990 · パジャマヒーロー NEMO

NES (NA) / NES (EU) Flip's cigar was removed from both his sprite and his portrait in the Western releases.

NES (NA) / NES (EU) The gorilla lost its cigar in the Western versions too, though the US and European manuals still show it, and the sprite's mouth is still shaped as if it were holding one.

Maniac Mansion

NES, 1987 · マニアックマンション

NES (NA/EU) Nintendo of America considered the game unsuitable for children, so the NES version removed nudity such as a swimsuit calendar, a classical statue and a mummy poster in a Playmate pose, and softened dialogue including Dr. Fred's line about brains being sucked out.

NES (NA) The scene where a hamster can be put in the microwave survived in the first batch of NES cartridges, but Jaleco removed it from later shipments after Nintendo noticed.

Mortal Kombat II

Arcade, 1993 · モータルコンバットII 究極神拳

SNES Unlike the censored SNES port of the first game, the SNES version of Mortal Kombat II kept blood and Fatalities, with only a warning label on the box.

SNES (JP) The Japanese SNES release has green blood and shows the lethal Fatalities in black and white.

Streets of Rage 2

Genesis, 1992 · ベア・ナックルII 死闘への鎮魂歌

NA Blaze's flying-kick sprite was toned down for the North American release.

NA / EU The cigar Mr. X smokes in the Japanese version was removed from the Western releases.

Tenchu: Stealth Assassins

PlayStation, 1998 · 立体忍者活劇 天誅

NA / EU A female boss in "Cross the Checkpoint" was made to look more mature to pass Sony's approval criteria.

UK In the UK, shuriken were replaced with throwing blades because of local weapons laws.

Zombies Ate My Neighbors

Genesis, 1993

SNES (NA) / Genesis (NA) Before the ESRB existed, Nintendo of America had blood and gore removed or recolored as purple ooze.

SNES (EU) / Mega Drive (EU) In 12 European countries the game was renamed Zombies, and the chainsaw-wielding maniacs became axe-wielding lumberjacks.

Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja

NES, 1988 · ドラゴンニンジャ

NES (NA) Nintendo of America did not allow political content, so the NES version dropped the reference to President Ronnie; the president shown there looks like George H. W. Bush rather than Ronald Reagan.

Bionic Commando

NES, 1988 · ヒットラーの復活 トップシークレット

NES (NA/EU) The English release removed the Nazi references: the neo-Nazi Empire's swastika-and-thunderbolt emblem became an eagle, the Nazis became the "Badds" and the villain Weizmann was renamed Killt. Hitler became "Master-D" but kept his look and his exploding-head ending.

Blitzkrieg

Windows, 2003

all versions There are no swastikas in the game; for example, the German tank assault badge is shown without one.

Blood

MS-DOS, 1997

Censored re-release Because of its violence, the game also got a censored re-release with toned-down gore.

Brave Fencer Musashi

PlayStation, 1998 · ブレイヴフェンサー 武蔵伝

NA For the North American release, names based on alcoholic drinks were replaced with soda names to satisfy rating boards, and some jokes were lost.

Carmageddon

MS-DOS, 1997

DOS (Germany) / DOS (UK, first release) In Germany, and for a while in the UK, the game came out censored: pedestrians were turned into green-blooded zombies or robots leaking black oil. The BBFC at first refused a certificate unless all blood and gore was cut, and only passed the original after a ten-month appeal.

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse

NES, 1989 · 悪魔城伝説

NES (NA/EU) For the Western releases some enemy nudity was covered up, religious imagery was toned down and some enemy sprites were redrawn; for example, the ghoul rabbits became hunchbacks.

Castlevania: Bloodlines

Genesis, 1994 · バンパイアキラー

EU The European version recolors zombies from pink with red blood to blue-green with green blood, removes hanging corpses and dripping blood, turns the blood fountain in Stage 5 into an ordinary fountain and cuts the crow-eaten corpse outside the castle.

Chrono Trigger

SNES, 1995 · クロノ・トリガー

SNES (NA) Nintendo of America had dialogue about breastfeeding, alcohol and religion changed in the English SNES release.

Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun

Windows, 1999 · コマンド&コンカー2:タイベリアン・サン

Germany In the German version, humans became cyborgs, death sounds were replaced with metallic noises, blood turned black and three cutscenes were cut or faded out.

Commando

Arcade, 1985 · 戦場の狼

Space Invasion A version released outside Japan as Space Invasion redraws the enemy infantry as robot-like figures; the gameplay stays the same.

Contra

NES, 1987 · 魂斗羅

NES (EU) Probotector To get around German youth-protection rules on violent games, the PAL NES release, Probotector, turned the two soldiers and several human enemies into robots and replaced the helicopter in the ending with a futuristic jet.

Contra III: The Alien Wars

SNES, 1992 · 魂斗羅スピリッツ

SNES (EU) Super Probotector replaces the human heroes with robots to comply with German rules on selling violent games to minors, and the PAL version runs at a slightly lower frame rate.

Contra: Hard Corps

Genesis, 1994 · 魂斗羅 ザ・ハードコア

EU In Probotector the playable heroes and some enemies became robots, the plot was rewritten and the alien cell became the 'X-Drive'; Browny kept his design but got a new name.

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

PlayStation, 1997 · クラッシュ・バンディクー2 コルテックスの逆襲!

PS1 (JP) The Japanese version replaced Crash's crushed death animation because it resembled the 1997 Kobe murders.

Dragon Quest

NES, 1986 · ドラゴンクエスト

NES (NA) Risqué jokes and religious references were removed for North America; for example, the town's 'puff-puff' offer became a shop selling tomatoes.

Dragon Quest II

NES, 1987 · ドラゴンクエストII 悪霊の神々

NES (NA) The North American localization uses old-fashioned English, adds an exclusive introduction showing the fall of Moonbrooke, and replaces the coffin-and-cross sprite for fallen characters with a ghost.

DuckTales

NES, 1989 · わんぱくダック夢冒険

Prototype / NES (final) During development the crosses on the Transylvania coffins became "RIP", hamburger power-ups became ice cream, an option for Scrooge to give his money away was cut as too un-Scrooge-like, and his shirt changed from blue to red.

Duke Nukem 3D

MS-DOS, 1996 · デューク ニューケム3D

Nintendo 64 (Duke Nukem 64) Duke Nukem 64 censors sexual content and profanity, renames items to avoid drug and sex references, and has no music; in return it adds four-player split-screen and four new weapons.

EarthBound Beginnings

NES, 1989 · MOTHER

English version (Earth Bound / EarthBound Beginnings) Under Nintendo of America's content rules, the English version removed religious symbols, blood, nudity, cigarettes and references to violence and alcohol, changed characters resembling the Peanuts cast and renamed towns named after holidays.

Fallout

MS-DOS, 1997

EU (v1.2) / Steam International / GOG Fallout was at first held back from Europe because the player could kill children. Version 1.2 removed the child characters for the European release, and today's Steam and GOG copies lack them too; a fan-made Child Patch restores them.

Faxanadu

NES, 1987 · ファザナドゥ

NES (NA/EU) The international versions removed crosses from the churches and the crucifix and rosary from church interiors, renamed the priests gurus and redrew their portrait.

Final Fantasy

NES, 1987 · ファイナルファンタジー

NES (NA) Nintendo of America's content policies and technical limits led to a few minor changes in the North American NES release.

Final Fantasy IV

SNES, 1991 · ファイナルファンタジーIV

SNES (NA) To fit Nintendo of America's rules, religious references were removed — “Holy” became “White” and the Tower of Prayers became the Tower of Wishes — and direct mentions of death were avoided.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

Game Boy, 2003 · ファイナルファンタジータクティクスアドバンス

GBA (NA) / GBA (EU) In the Japanese opening Cid is drunk and praises alcohol; the Western versions show no drinking, likely to keep the E rating, and the ending was changed to match.

Final Fantasy VI

SNES, 1994 · ファイナルファンタジーVI

SNES (NA) The US cartridge covers up several revealing sprites, such as the Siren and Lakshmi espers and some late-game enemies, and turns pubs into cafés, including in battle backgrounds.

Final Fight

Arcade, 1989 · ファイナルファイト

Super NES (English) The English Super NES release renamed Damnd and Sodom to Thrasher and Katana, replaced the female enemies Poison and Roxy with the male Billy and Sid, removed alcohol references and blood, and redrew Belger's wheelchair.

Flashback

Genesis, 1992 · フラッシュバック

Super NES On the Super NES the bar becomes a café, the Death Tower becomes the Cyber Tower, and the human-looking mutants are colored green.

Ghosts 'n Goblins

Arcade, 1985 · 魔界村

Arcade/NES (overseas) In the overseas versions the cross weapon became a shield for religious reasons.

Grand Theft Auto

MS-DOS, 1997 · グランド・セフト・オート

Game Boy Color The Game Boy Color port keeps the PC levels and missions tile for tile, but simplifies graphics and sound, replaces trains with teleports and cuts most gore and swearing for younger players.

Half-Life

Windows, 1998 · ハーフライフ

Windows (DE) The German release was censored: human enemies became robots, and blood was replaced with oil and gears. The ban was lifted in 2017, and Valve released a free "Half-Life Uncensored" pack.

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

MS-DOS, 1992

Germany Some German releases removed the swastika from Kerner's passport; sources disagree on which versions were affected.

Little Samson

NES, 1992 · 聖鈴伝説リックル

NES (NA/EU) A small amount of cleavage was removed from the river boss in the international version.

Max Payne

Windows, 2001 · マックスペイン

Mobile (Germany) The mobile version only reached Germany with version 1.3 in March 2013, and in censored form.

Mega Man Legends

PlayStation, 1997 · ロックマンDASH 鋼の冒険心

International / PSP An adult magazine item in the Japanese version became a comic book in the Western releases, and the Japanese PSP port uses the comic book too.

Mortal Kombat 3

Arcade, 1995

Game Gear The Game Gear version, released only in Europe, is in color and keeps Noob Saibot as a hidden fighter, but it has no blood or gore.

Ninja Gaiden

NES, 1988 · 忍者龍剣伝

NES (NA/EU) Nintendo of America's guidelines barred religious, sexual and drug references, and the English script had to stay short to fit within NES limits.

Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos

NES, 1990 · 忍者龍剣伝II 暗黒の邪神剣

SNES (Ninja Gaiden Trilogy) To fit Nintendo's family-friendly policy, the SNES compilation turns a pool of red blood green and removes pentagrams; it also redraws the cutscenes, cuts some parallax scrolling and adds passwords.

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee

PlayStation, 1997 · エイブ・ア・ゴーゴー

PS1 (JP) / later releases After a complaint from the Buraku Liberation League, Mudokons were given three fingers instead of four; the change was kept in later versions worldwide.

Phantasy Star II

Genesis, 1989 · ファンタシースターII 還らざる時の終わりに

JP / NA In the Japanese version the character Ustvestia is openly gay and says a male character 'looks cute'; the American release changed this to 'looks smart'.

Secret of Mana

SNES, 1993 · 聖剣伝説2

SNES (NA) / SNES (EU) The international versions changed the warp-portal graphics because of Nintendo of America's rules on religious imagery.

Silent Hill

PlayStation, 1999 · サイレントヒル

PS1 (EU) / PS1 (JP) The child-like Grey Children enemies appear only in the North American version; the Japanese and European versions replace them with Mumblers, reportedly because they looked too much like real children.

Snatcher

PC-98, 1988 · スナッチャー

Sega CD The Western Sega CD version covers up nudity, obscures Katrina's shower scene, raises her age from 14 to 18 and tones down some sexual options.

Soul Blazer

SNES, 1992 · ソウルブレイダー

SNES (NA) / SNES (EU) The fourth boss is a bare-chested female figure in Japan; the Western versions turned it into a male figure.

Streets of Rage 3

Genesis, 1994 · ベア・ナックルIII

NA/EU Axel, Blaze and Skate's clothes were recolored, and female enemies were given less revealing outfits.

Sunset Riders

Genesis, 1991 · サンセットライダーズ

SNES The SNES version gives the saloon dancers more modest outfits, removes the Native American enemies of Stage 6 and renames their boss Chief Wigwam, replaces the female dynamite throwers with men and drops the hunting dogs.

Super C

NES, 1988 · スーパー魂斗羅

NES (EU) In Probotector II the player characters and some enemies are replaced with robots.

Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts

SNES, 1991 · 超魔界村

SNES (NA/EU) The Western versions renamed the final boss from Samael to Sardius and turned the crosses of the Japanese original into ankhs.

Super Mario Kart

SNES, 1992 · スーパーマリオカート

JP / NA/EU The Japanese version shows Bowser and Princess Peach drinking champagne in their victory animations; the North American and European releases cut the drinking.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

SNES, 1996 · スーパーマリオRPG

SNES (NA) Bowser's arms-crossed victory pose was thought to resemble an obscene gesture, so outside Japan he clenches his fists at his sides instead.

Tekken 3

PlayStation, 1996 · 鉄拳3

PS1 (NA) Nina's ending was changed in the North American PlayStation release after a complaint about a scene in which a man grabs her arm.

The Legend of Dragoon

PlayStation, 1999 · レジェンド オブ ドラグーン

NA / EU In the international versions, the blood in Rose's Demon Gate attack was changed from red to black.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

SNES, 1991 · ゼルダの伝説 神々のトライフォース

SNES (NA) / SNES (EU) The Eastern Palace emblem, a Star of David in the Japanese version, was replaced in the English releases, and the ending says 'Sage' where the original says 'Priest'.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater

PlayStation, 1999

Nintendo 64 The Nintendo 64 version keeps every mode, skater and level, but shortens the soundtrack, drops the voices and removes the blood to earn an E rating.

Ultima VII: The Black Gate

MS-DOS, 1992

Super NES To meet Nintendo's content guidelines, the murder investigations of the PC story became kidnapping investigations on the Super NES.

Valkyrie Profile

PlayStation, 1999 · ヴァルキリープロファイル

PlayStation (NA) Some text was softened in translation and Badrach's cigarette was removed, though his smoking animation stayed; blood, drinking and sexual remarks were kept.

Wolfenstein 3D

MS-DOS, 1992

SNES At Nintendo's request the Super NES version removed blood (first made green, then cut), Nazi imagery and German voice clips, and replaced the guard dogs with giant rats.