8 Strangest Examples Of Censorship In Video Games

Here's a very specific one for us Brits. Mario Party 8, released in 2007 for the Wii, featured an unfortunate case of wordplay that ultimately led to every copy of the game released in the UK being recalled.

The wordplay in question? "Magikoopa magic! Turn the train sp*stic! Make this ticket tragic!"

Now, the word "sp*stic" has some rather unfortunate connotations in Britain - and indeed in several other countries. Whilst the dictionary definition of the word literally refers to muscle spasms, in Ye Olde Britannia it is essentially slang for someone with severe learning difficulties or cerebral palsy.

When localising the game for a Western release, Nintendo most likely didn't realise the significance of the term as the English language localisation would have been ported from our Yankee counterparts.

The mistake in question led to every copy of the game released in Britain being recalled, later replaced with an edited version of the game that omitted the line. A spokesperson for Nintendo was quoted saying "The offending word has been replaced at code level and the software reproduced." An unfortunate and ultimately costly price to pay for Nintendo, but considering the exact same word in question had landed Ubisoft's Mind Games in trouble literally weeks beforehand, it was most likely a smart move.