Emulation[edit]
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Nintendo, particularly
Nintendo of America, is known for a "no tolerance" stance for
emulation of its video games and consoles, stating that it is the single largest threat to the intellectual rights of video game developers.
[56] Nintendo claims that copyright-like rights in
mask works protect its games from the exceptions that
United States copyright law otherwise provides for personal backup copies. Nintendo uses the claim that emulators running on
personal computers have no use other than to play
pirated video games, though a use that doesn't involve
intellectual property in this way is seen in the development and testing of independently produced
"homebrew" software on Nintendo's platforms. It is also claimed that Nintendo's claims contradict copyright laws, mainly that
ROM image copiers are illegal (they are legal if used to dump unprotected ROM images on to a user's computer for personal use, per
17 U.S.C. § 117(a)(1) and foreign counterparts)
[57] and that emulators are illegal (if they do not use copyrighted BIOS, or use
other methods to run the game, they are legal; see
Console emulator for further information about the legality of emulators). However, Nintendo remains the only modern console manufacturer that has not sued an emulator manufacturer.
[58] Emulators have been used by Nintendo and licensed third party companies as a means to re-release older games (e.g.
Virtual Console).
Content guidelines[edit]
For many years, Nintendo had a policy of strict content guidelines for video games published on its consoles. Although Nintendo of Japan allowed
graphic violence in its video games,
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.
[59] Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe went further in that games released for Nintendo consoles could not feature nudity, sexuality,
profanity (including
racism,
sexism or
slurs), blood, graphic or
domestic violence,
drugs, political messages or
religious symbols (with the exception of widely unpracticed religions, such as the
Greek Pantheon).
[60] 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. Despite the strict guidelines, some exceptions have occurred:
Bionic Commando (though
swastikas were eliminated in the US version),
Smash TV and
Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode contained human violence, the latter also containing implied
sexuality and
tobacco use;
River City Ransom and
Taboo: The Sixth Sense contained nudity, and the latter also contained religious images, as did
Castlevania II and
III.
A known side effect of this policy was the
Sega Genesis version of
Mortal Kombat selling over double the number of the Super NES version, mainly because Nintendo had forced publisher
Acclaimto recolor the red blood to look like white sweat and replace some of the more gory graphics in its release of the game, making it less violent.
[61] By contrast,
Sega allowed blood and gore to remain in the Genesis version (though a code was 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.
[62]
In 1994 and 2003, when the
ESRB and
PEGI (respectively) video game ratings systems were introduced, Nintendo chose to abolish most of these policies in favor of consumers making their own choices about the content of the games they played. 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 AO-rated games will not be licensed on Nintendo consoles in North America,
[63] a practice which is also enforced by
Sony and
Microsoft, its two 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 and
Doom 64,
BMX XXX, the
Resident Evil series,
Killer7, the
Mortal Kombat series,
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem,
BloodRayne,
Geist and
Dementium: The Ward. 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 (although the previous NES version of
Metal Gear and the subsequent GameCube game
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes both included such references, as did Wii title
MadWorld), and maiming and blood were removed from the Nintendo 64
port of
Cruis'n USA.
[64] 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
localization. In North America releases of the
Mega Man Zero games, enemies and bosses killed with a saber attack would not gush blood as they did in the Japanese versions. However, the release of the Wii has been accompanied by a number of even more controversial mature titles, such as
Manhunt 2,
No More Heroes,
The House of the Dead: Overkill and
MadWorld, the latter three of which are published exclusively for the console. The Nintendo DS also has violent games, such as
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars,
Dementium: The Ward and its
sequel,
Ultimate Mortal Kombat, and
Resident Evil: Deadly Silence.
License guidelines[edit]
Nintendo of America also had guidelines before 1993 that had to be followed by its licensees to make games for the
Nintendo Entertainment System, in addition to the above content guidelines:.
[59]Guidelines were enforced through the
10NES lockout chip.
- Licensees were not permitted to release the same game for a competing console until two years had passed.
- Nintendo would decide how many cartridges would be supplied to the licensee.
- Nintendo would decide how much space would be dedicated for articles, advertising, etc. in the Nintendo Power magazine.
- There was a minimum number of cartridges that had to be ordered by the licensee from Nintendo.
- There was a yearly limit of five games that a licensee may produce for a Nintendo console.[65] This rule was created to prevent market over-saturation, which had contributed to the North American video game crash of 1983.
The last rule was circumvented in a number of ways; for example, Konami, wanting to produce more games for Nintendo's consoles, formed
Ultra Games and later
Palcom to produce more games as a technically different publisher.
[59] This disadvantaged smaller or emerging companies, as they could not afford to start additional companies. In another side effect,
Square Co. (now
Square Enix) executives have suggested that the price of publishing games on the
Nintendo 64 along with the degree of censorship and control that Nintendo enforced over its games, most notably
Final Fantasy VI, were factors in switching its focus towards
Sony's
PlayStation console.
[citation needed]
Seal of Quality [edit]
Official Nintendo Seal in
NTSCregions
Nintendo's Official Seal of Quality in
PAL regions
The gold starburst seal was first used by
Nintendo of America, and later Nintendo of Europe. It is displayed on any game, system, or accessory licensed for use on one of its
video game consoles, denoting the game has been properly licensed by Nintendo. The seal is also displayed on any Nintendo-licensed merchandise, such as trading cards and apparel.
[66]
NTSC regions[edit]
In
NTSC regions, this seal is an elliptical starburst titled "Official Nintendo Seal." Originally, for NTSC countries, the seal was a large, black and gold circular starburst. The seal read as follows: "This seal is your assurance that NINTENDO has approved and guaranteed the quality of this product." This seal was later altered in 1988: "approved and guaranteed" was changed to "evaluated and approved." In 1989, the seal became gold and white, as it currently appears, with a shortened phrase, "Official Nintendo Seal of Quality." It was changed in 2003 to read "Official Nintendo Seal."
[66]
The seal currently reads:
[67]
The official seal is your assurance that this product is licensed or manufactured by Nintendo. Always look for this seal when buying video game systems, accessories, games and related products.
PAL regions[edit]
In
PAL regions, the seal is a circular starburst titled, "Original Nintendo Seal of Quality." Text near the seal in the
Australian Wii manual states:
This seal is your assurance that Nintendo has reviewed this product and that it has met our standards for excellence in workmanship, reliability and entertainment value. Always look for this seal when buying games and accessories to ensure complete compatibility with your Nintendo product.
[68]
Environmental record[edit]
Nintendo has consistently been ranked last in
Greenpeace's "Guide to Greener Electronics" due to Nintendo not revealing information.
[69] Similarly, they are ranked last in the
Enough Project's "Conflict Minerals Company Rankings" due to Nintendo refusing to respond to multiple requests for information.
[70]
Like many other electronics companies, Nintendo does offer a take-back
recycling program which allows customers to mail in old products they no longer use; Nintendo of America claimed that it took in 548 tons of returned products in 2011, 98% of which was either reused or recycled.
[71]
