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I dunno, I've never been a big freedom fighter, so this article comes off as totally overdramatic. Anyone could have seen Nintendo saying no thanks to this game. They don't allow AO games on their system because they feel like it goes against the family friendly image they're trying to put out. The Binding of Isaac hasn't been rated by the ESRB but something tells me there's no way it's getting less than an M rating and I wouldn't find it that surprising to see it get an AO one.
Is this really why it's not coming to the eShop? I hope the media is not being used for some stupid viral publicity here since it comes from the game's designer. Nintendo has relaxed their religious policy lately, just look at Devil World's presence in the PAL Virtual Console and Smash Brawl.
I don't think ANY of the console manufacturers would touch Isaac with a barge pole. Consoles are closed systems, and this sort of corporate censorship is absolutely nothing new.
Is anyone honestly surprised by this? It's packed with faeces, foetuses, piss, vaginas, deformities, blood, satan...
Idea; port Super Meat Boy. Nothing wrong with that. That's what you were originally going to do. It's a much better fit for portable, and a much more viable game.
Just bring it to XBLA, Team Meat. You know you want to. XBLA will be waiting with open arms and open legs.
And nothing of value was lost.
Honestly, BOI is pretty overrated in my opinion. I have on my PC, and that's more than enough.
And they have every right to deny games for their system. Can you imagine the PR shitstorm if that ugly mess landed on the eShop? I honestly don't blame Nintendo here.
Fans of Team Meat already own the game. The eShop download would get so few purchases it wouldn't be worth it.
Sersiously, guys, perspective.
Honestly, BOI is pretty overrated in my opinion. I have on my PC, and that's more than enough.
And they have every right to deny games for their system. Can you imagine the PR shitstorm if that ugly mess landed on the eShop? I honestly don't blame Nintendo here.
Fans of Team Meat already own the game. The eShop download would get so few purchases it wouldn't be worth it.
Sersiously, guys, perspective.
Anyone with a 3DS can wander into the eShop. It's Nintendo, they are expected to be family friendly. The eShop is not exactly like a store where you have to go in and purchase a game and be carded for anything mature. And everyone knows TBoI goes far beyond mature into offensive just for the sake of it. I wouldn't want my seven year old stumbling on a game with this many questionable themes, and Nintendo surely had the same thought. It was a smart and unsurprising move on their part, and the game will surely find an audience somewhere more appropriate for its subject matter. If it was to be a boxed, retail game, likely this wouldn't have been an issue, and it would be on the shelf already, with the appropriate safeguards in place (being carded before walking out the door with it).
I'm not a fan of the game and I don't think it belongs on the eshop and looks like Nintendo don't think it does as well as they don't plan on alienating their customers anytime soon.
I'm actually surprised it was picked up by anyone, ever. It's like it's designed to be as offensive as possible, in a non-commercial way. I don't think this is quite as sensational as you're making it out to be, because the industry is going to keep rolling forward whether TBoI is in the eShop or not. 100% of digital games do not make it into the eShop so this doesn't actually matter very much.
The game is fun, but I couldn't play it for long because I could only imagine McMillen and his partner laughing at my beliefs while I was playing it. It really spoiled the entire experience. It won't be missed.
The game is fun, but I couldn't play it for long because I could only imagine McMillen and his partner laughing at my beliefs while I was playing it. It really spoiled the entire experience. It won't be missed.
This is surprising to people? As soon as this was mentioned as a possibility I figured anyone who knows anything about Nintendo thought the game had a pretty slim chance of ever making it to the 3DS.
It doesn't really matter. Nintendo can continue being stupid, and I can continue enjoying the game on my PC. :)
It doesn't really matter. Nintendo can continue being stupid, and I can continue enjoying the game on my PC. :)
I don't think Nintendo wants to court any more bad PR, not for a LOOOOONG time. Last year was terrible enough, with The Sun going apeshit over nothing.
I don't think Nintendo wants to court any more bad PR, not for a LOOOOONG time. Last year was terrible enough, with The Sun going apeshit over nothing.
@Martholomule
How is it offensive, more specificly how is it laughing at your belifes?
Unless you are a delusional crazy person (and i dont mean religous in anyway, i mean that the mom in the game is crazy in a very crazy way)how is it laughing at anyone?
I thought it was cute in a horribly depressing way^^
How is it offensive, more specificly how is it laughing at your belifes?
Unless you are a delusional crazy person (and i dont mean religous in anyway, i mean that the mom in the game is crazy in a very crazy way)how is it laughing at anyone?
I thought it was cute in a horribly depressing way^^
I'm not sure exactly how the eShop works but please note that aside from possible age settings for the user account, any kid could download this. So if this just a eShop issue and not a retail one, that's probably why. I'm assuming there are some pretty dark themes in The Binding of Isaac.
Also no surprise here, this is Nintendo, and lets be honest this device is primarily targeted at kids (or is at least it's primary audience in the US is a younger demographic). They might just be afraid of children downloading it, and parents getting angry. I wouldn't blame them.
This hasn't been an issue for Sony and Microsoft, but Nintendo are new to the downloadable scene, wiiware doesn't count.
Also no surprise here, this is Nintendo, and lets be honest this device is primarily targeted at kids (or is at least it's primary audience in the US is a younger demographic). They might just be afraid of children downloading it, and parents getting angry. I wouldn't blame them.
This hasn't been an issue for Sony and Microsoft, but Nintendo are new to the downloadable scene, wiiware doesn't count.
@Themaud
The game is a big f you to any Christian gamers out there, does any reviewer deny it's making fun of Christianity?
The Team Meat guys seem nice but they need to keep their personal agendas out of their games.
The game is a big f you to any Christian gamers out there, does any reviewer deny it's making fun of Christianity?
The Team Meat guys seem nice but they need to keep their personal agendas out of their games.
For all the shit they get, Sony is probably the most forward thinking when it comes to creative variety of products in their store, followed closely by Microsoft.
Nintendo, on the other hand, is a company whose idea of creativity and controversy is having a train instead of a boat on Zelda. They are in the business of making toys, and is not interested in treating it as a medium. Nothing unexpected here.
Nintendo, on the other hand, is a company whose idea of creativity and controversy is having a train instead of a boat on Zelda. They are in the business of making toys, and is not interested in treating it as a medium. Nothing unexpected here.
This is seriously shocking to anyone... ? What...
I honestly see why Nintendo would reject it. It's a game about child abuse and it could honestly be really triggering for some players.
Nintendo has allowed games like Mad World and No More Heroes on the Wii as they're titles that have to be bought with ids at a stores. Anyone can get point cards and pick whatever on an eshop without regulation. So a kid getting points for birthday and buying this game on his own is a high possibility. Nintendo doesn't want grief over titles it can't regulate over it's eshop.
I honestly see why Nintendo would reject it. It's a game about child abuse and it could honestly be really triggering for some players.
Nintendo has allowed games like Mad World and No More Heroes on the Wii as they're titles that have to be bought with ids at a stores. Anyone can get point cards and pick whatever on an eshop without regulation. So a kid getting points for birthday and buying this game on his own is a high possibility. Nintendo doesn't want grief over titles it can't regulate over it's eshop.
@Karutomaru
Get your priorities straight.
@Everyone else
This isn't just a game about religion. Hell, it's not even a game about religion. It uses names from the bible and that's basically it. More than anything else, it's a game about a little boy being tortured by his mother.
Stop with the stereotypical "poor victimized Christians" nonsense. It's pathetic.
If you like this game, great for you, but I don't see how this not being on the 3DS eShop is a big deal. Really guys.
Get your priorities straight.
@Everyone else
This isn't just a game about religion. Hell, it's not even a game about religion. It uses names from the bible and that's basically it. More than anything else, it's a game about a little boy being tortured by his mother.
Stop with the stereotypical "poor victimized Christians" nonsense. It's pathetic.
If you like this game, great for you, but I don't see how this not being on the 3DS eShop is a big deal. Really guys.
I think this is ridiculous. The game itself is shown to sell well, and it would be proof that Nintendo is trying to expand its audience.
Albeit, I don't think the Biblical references are what put it over (Dragon Quest IX's final boss literally killed God), as more the implied child nudity.
Nintendo could have easily put an age restriction on it and could notify parants so that they could use parental control. But instead, we are not even given the right to be offended.
Albeit, I don't think the Biblical references are what put it over (Dragon Quest IX's final boss literally killed God), as more the implied child nudity.
Nintendo could have easily put an age restriction on it and could notify parants so that they could use parental control. But instead, we are not even given the right to be offended.
Nooooo! I would buy that shit instantaneously on my 3ds. It would really fit on a handheld system , given that you could suspend it anytime. Bummer :(
By the way , where is the poll where I can vote to convince Nintendo ? Not that I think it would matter , it would work as a estimate on how many people actually would want it on the system :P
I haven't played the game but feel it probably fits under the mature category . There are no other mature games on eshop. I'm thinking Nintendo wants Eshop to be safe for kids . TBOI looks like a kids game too so I can see why they wouldn't want the confusion.
Damnit, Nintendo, this isn't the 1980s anymore! And just when I thought you were making progress, too. Now I have to start the bile train all over again. Thanks a lot. :(
I think it was a good choice, The Binding of Isaac = Overrated = Satan. Play this game too often and I young mind might start shooting up schools. Plus the steam holiday achievement was too hard for me :)
I don't know, the Team Meat guys tend to talk alot of unnecessary shit about platform holders and their ability to sell games (despite the fact they sold over a million copies of Super Meatboy across the ones it was released on) but Nintendo has always highly valued their family friendly image, perhaps a bit too much, this game is so abstract on the "religion" concept that I don't think anyone would have known about it if the creator didn't talk about it in interviews.
@Bobthecatlol
How? Ive played the game and ive never seen it put down religion in anyway. Is there a boss that refutes the new testament?
Its just a game about a crazy mom tormenting her son, people with mental issues often mistake their delusions with god talking to them. And that in no way means that all christians are crazy.
How? Ive played the game and ive never seen it put down religion in anyway. Is there a boss that refutes the new testament?
Its just a game about a crazy mom tormenting her son, people with mental issues often mistake their delusions with god talking to them. And that in no way means that all christians are crazy.
How is this an overreaction? I'm thinking the only people who don't care about this either just don't care about Nintendo consoles at all, or don't care about gaming as an art form. Either way, you're being quite shortsighted.
Nintendo not allowing this game on their virtual store is a very big deal. It means that if physical media is eventually phased out, then we may very well not see games like No More Heroes, Madworld, Shin Megami Tensei, and many others "controversial" games on Nintendo consoles, or consoles in general (if that becomes the reigning school of thought among console developers).
Now I'm not saying Nintendo should be force to like the game, or promote it, or even acknowledge it. If they allowed it on the eShop, they could still bury at the bottom of the list of games, slap it with all sorts of warnings, etc. It's up to them how they decide to stock their shelves.
But to not allow the game in their store at all is to effectively ban from existing, as they are the only virtual store on the 3DS. That's a much bigger deal than Walmart refusing to stock Green Day's new album, and other similar blacklistings, as in those cases consumers at least had the choice to shop at an alternative vendor.
Do you really want a future where this is common practice, where storekeepers (not publishers and developers) decide which videogames exist and which do not?
Nintendo not allowing this game on their virtual store is a very big deal. It means that if physical media is eventually phased out, then we may very well not see games like No More Heroes, Madworld, Shin Megami Tensei, and many others "controversial" games on Nintendo consoles, or consoles in general (if that becomes the reigning school of thought among console developers).
Now I'm not saying Nintendo should be force to like the game, or promote it, or even acknowledge it. If they allowed it on the eShop, they could still bury at the bottom of the list of games, slap it with all sorts of warnings, etc. It's up to them how they decide to stock their shelves.
But to not allow the game in their store at all is to effectively ban from existing, as they are the only virtual store on the 3DS. That's a much bigger deal than Walmart refusing to stock Green Day's new album, and other similar blacklistings, as in those cases consumers at least had the choice to shop at an alternative vendor.
Do you really want a future where this is common practice, where storekeepers (not publishers and developers) decide which videogames exist and which do not?
@Themaud
The whole thing is a mockery of Christianity. Maybe Edmund should have based his game on Islam instead but I'm guessing he's too much of a wimp.
Edmund keeps talking about censorship when Nintendo are perfectly in their right not to put his crass shizz flinging game that is a pathetic attempt to push his agendas on their eshop.
The whole thing is a mockery of Christianity. Maybe Edmund should have based his game on Islam instead but I'm guessing he's too much of a wimp.
Edmund keeps talking about censorship when Nintendo are perfectly in their right not to put his crass shizz flinging game that is a pathetic attempt to push his agendas on their eshop.
@Jonathan
The game is not banned from existing by not being allowed on the 3DS by Nintendo. If physical media is eventually phased out totally, there will always be a venue for "mature" or "controversial" games because there will always be a market for titles like Shin Megami Tensei and No More Heroes. Nintendo is missing out on a chance to make money here. Team Meat should consider the PSN route to get BOI on the Vita if they really want BOI on a handheld device. Or they can publish it on iTunes for the iPad or the Android Market.
The eShop is the only store on the 3DS, but the 3DS isn't the only handheld and Nintendo isn't the only digital publisher or digital merchant.
The game is not banned from existing by not being allowed on the 3DS by Nintendo. If physical media is eventually phased out totally, there will always be a venue for "mature" or "controversial" games because there will always be a market for titles like Shin Megami Tensei and No More Heroes. Nintendo is missing out on a chance to make money here. Team Meat should consider the PSN route to get BOI on the Vita if they really want BOI on a handheld device. Or they can publish it on iTunes for the iPad or the Android Market.
The eShop is the only store on the 3DS, but the 3DS isn't the only handheld and Nintendo isn't the only digital publisher or digital merchant.
@Bobthecatlol "The Team Meat guys seem nice but they need to keep their personal agendas out of their games."
Would you expect the same from writers, musicians, directors etc? Intent and art are pretty well intertwined, I think.
Would you expect the same from writers, musicians, directors etc? Intent and art are pretty well intertwined, I think.
Nintendo can do whatever they want, it's their company. They want to keep their family friendly image and apparently feel that a game that could offend some people isn't worth selling in their store. Who the hell are you to say otherwise?
I understand the idea behind defending Nintendo's right to censor what is made available in their eShop. However, are you all so apt to jump to Walmart's defense when they make similar decisions to not carry products that conflict with their moral standings? They are equally in their right to do so, although more prolific in the practice. I for one, refuse to give my business to any company who feels obligated to police my morals for me. Nintendo has just been added to that list.
i don't understand, why wouldn't nintendo want to be associated with a game about a naked kid killing his mom and coating everything in piss, shit, tears, and gore?
@Bobthecatlol
"Maybe Edmund should have based his game on Islam instead but I'm guessing he's too much of a wimp"
So it's okay to mock one religion as long as it's not yours?
"Maybe Edmund should have based his game on Islam instead but I'm guessing he's too much of a wimp"
So it's okay to mock one religion as long as it's not yours?
@Bobthecatlol
Yeah well... no its not. I know i cant argue this with someone that wants to be seen as a victim but its about peoples psyches. The mother is mental, the son is mental, its very possible that the entire game is played out within Isaac´s head since we are shown how tormented and abused he has been in his life.
Its a fun cute game about a mentals thats all.
Yeah well... no its not. I know i cant argue this with someone that wants to be seen as a victim but its about peoples psyches. The mother is mental, the son is mental, its very possible that the entire game is played out within Isaac´s head since we are shown how tormented and abused he has been in his life.
Its a fun cute game about a mentals thats all.
@jon
We are a long ways off from being download only, and if that ever even happens, all the major store fronts from the big 3 would be forced to change policy anyway.
And how would burying the game under everything to keep it "censored" be better? All that would do is further limit sales and piss off the games makers.
@hemes
I have been a gamer for a long time, and in my experience, sony one of the least creative companies, even going as far as 3rd party games.
Just look what happened to little kings storys art direction: An inventive, fresh wii game turned generic psv jrpg.
We are a long ways off from being download only, and if that ever even happens, all the major store fronts from the big 3 would be forced to change policy anyway.
And how would burying the game under everything to keep it "censored" be better? All that would do is further limit sales and piss off the games makers.
@hemes
I have been a gamer for a long time, and in my experience, sony one of the least creative companies, even going as far as 3rd party games.
Just look what happened to little kings storys art direction: An inventive, fresh wii game turned generic psv jrpg.
My new user pic is too scary... >.<;
I think I'll change it sooner rather than later...^_^;
@flint
I think (hope) he was just trying to make an example. ^_^;
I think I'll change it sooner rather than later...^_^;
@flint
I think (hope) he was just trying to make an example. ^_^;
Seemed like an odd fit for Nintendo but still sad to see it not appear on the eshop. Would love to see this on Xbla or PSN.
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