Long before the days of games being rated “M for Mature,” Nintendo basically had final say over the contents of any game being played on their consoles. Over the years, dating all the way back to the NES, there have been a number of games that Nintendo has ordered changed, whether censoring content in specific countries or demanding that the game be re-released entirely.
Unsurprisingly, most of games on this list got in trouble for one of the following things: sexual content, depiction of alcohol or drugs, or offending a specific culture or religion (sometimes unknowingly). In every case, the offending content was changed, censored, or removed completely. In some cases, you can still get your hands on the original versions of these games (remember, you can’t patch old cartridges). If you happen to have one of these rare original copies, they are definitely more valuable to classic game collectors.
17. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Ocarina of Time is often regarded as one of the best Zelda games ever made, and is even ranked among the best video games ever made, period. However, due to an oversight by the game designers, this Nintendo 64 classic accidently offended some Muslims by including a sample of Islamic prayers in the background music of the Fire Temple. Additionally, one of Link’s shields bore a striking resemblance to the crescent moon, a universal symbol of Islam.
There wasn’t a large public outcry or anything, as Nintendo realized the mistake fairly early on and voluntarily corrected future copies. Another small change made to game was recoloring Ganondorf’s blood from red to green, in order to make it less realistic for kids.
Via Nintendo