Topic: Beer is the Watchword

[NWR_Neal]

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/blogArt.cfm?artid=16289

  With the https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=16287">recent news of the controversy surrounding the WiiWare game no one has heard of, Frat Party Games – Pong Toss, Nintendo is being very contradictory of http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/levelup/archive/2007/06/27/reggie-on-his-big-plans-for-a-little-nintendo-wiiware.aspx ">their own prior statements about WiiWare.    

All those remarks about how Nintendo won't screen WiiWare games and let small developers have free reign have proven to be bogus. First, Nintendo patrols the release of WiiWare games like a hawk, only letting one or two trickle out a week, and now, in the most blatant reveal of their big Right Hand of Doom grip on WiiWare, they won't allow a game with the name "Beer Pong," but it's cool that it is still called Frat Party Games.    

But wait, I can't say beer. According to Nintendo, that's not family friendly but shooting zombies and/or humans is totally cool. Beating the crap out of people is also a good time according to Reggie Fils-Aime. But beer, which is legal to people over the age of 21 and heavily advertised on television, is not allowed to be mentioned on a Nintendo system. This whole problem could have been easily solved if this game was just given a Teen rating for, I don't know, drunken debauchery or use of the word 'beer.'    

Yes, this is on WiiWare and theoretically any kid with Wii Points could download this but that same kid could buy the upcoming Animales de la Muertes, which is a bloody game about killing undead animals. There's a blackjack game already out and that's technically only for people over 21 as well. And look, it is a Teen rated game, just like what this Beer Pong game should be rated and probably still will be regardless of the name.    

This isn't really a big deal and the name change is merely an attempt by Nintendo to prevent any kind of public relations disaster but either way this game promotes drinking and either way Nintendo is compromising the words they said about WiiWare when it was first announced. Maybe the best solution for this specific situation is to call it by the game's alternate name: Beirut.

[Kairon]

This is really worrying for longtime Nintendo watchers. Nintendo and censorship have a looong history, and for anyone who thinks that taking the Beer out of Beer Pong is a minor quiblle, it's head and shoulders more censorship than changing the blood to sweat in Mortal Kombat on the SNES. And gamers still don't forgive Nintendo that.

... then again, it's really, really easy to see the impetus behind this. But censorship is censorship, whether it's convenient to call it so or not.

Actually... I can almost understand the name change. But why did they take the beer out of the game? Tons of games include the consumption of alcoholic beverages, and involve smoking too. If anything, that's where Nintendo overstepped their bounds big time.

[NWR_Neal]

http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/07/wiiware-beer-po.html

Right after I finished this I saw this posted up on the Game Life blog.

Despite the name change and removal of alcohol, I think its blasphemous that this is supposedly rated for everyone. Beer in the name or not, this is based off of a drinking game and really shouldn't be for everyone. Although, like Kohler said, "but with all the booze yanked out, what's to protest?"

If this game sells, the next generation's going to be a set of bad ass beer pong players.

[Kairon]

Well, after reading that article you linked to nron10, they probably removed the rest of the beer references so that they could hit that lower ESRB rating.

[NWR_insanolord]

I understand why Nintendo would want to do this, and while I don't really condone it, to say that this is the equivalent of old Nintendo censorship is crazy, old Nintendo would have just not let them release the game.

[Arbok]

...old Nintendo would have just not let them release the game.

Didn't they do that more or less? I mean, beyond just the title change, the glasses are empty now too. I would be pretty mad if I was the company in question, as I'm sure they would have gotten a lot of sales from people who were, for a lack of word, at the maturity level that they would get it based on name and concept alone.

[Kairon]

Yeah, I wonder what effect not having the word "Beer" in the title will have on the game's visibility.

[Djunknown]

Maybe the best solution for this specific situation is to call it by the game's alternate name: Beirut.

Then Nintendo might worry they might offend the Lebanese community. 

[KDR_11k]

Er, the difference between this and a violent shooter is that when you play a violent shooter you are unlikely to make a houserule that when one player frags another he gets to use a real gun on the victim. Beer Pong practically demands the presence of real beer while playing.

[D_Average]

Say what you will about IGN, but Greg Miller is awesome, and everybody should watch his 60 sec rant about the Beer Pong name change:

http://www.viddler.com/explore/FrEeZe/videos/3/

[NWR_Neal]

Say what you will about IGN, but Greg Miller is awesome, and everybody should watch his 60 sec rant about the Beer Pong name change:

http://www.viddler.com/explore/FrEeZe/videos/3/

That was pretty fantastic.

[NWR_pap64]

Ironically, the whole controversy turned the game into a best seller, and it apparently sucks!

So what might have been an ignored crappy game became well known.

The developers are likely thankful for Nintendo forcing them to change the name XD .

As for the beer issue, this is definitely a double edged knife for Nintendo.

Had they kept the name and the beer references people would've bitched about Nintendo letting a game that promotes alcohol drinking on their family console. Now that they cut the references people are complaining about them being strict and paranoid.

Realistically, even if the one to blame were the developers Nintendo would have gotten the worst of it. They, after all, have control over what appears on WiiWare.

So again, whatever they did they would lose anyway.

[KDR_11k]

Meh, the mainstream press doesn't mind censorship, they only care about "think of the children!!!". When the gaming press whines about stuff like this noone listens.

[NWR_Neal]

Out of sheer curiosity, I watched some videos for this game shortly after its release. It looked worse than I expected. I'll just enjoy my remaining college years and play the real game.

[ShyGuy]

When is the NWR review going up?

[NWR_Neal]

When is the NWR review going up?

When I go back to college and I drunk purchase it.

[vudu]

When I go back to college and I drunk purchase it.

If I gift it to you will you promise to play it? 

[NWR_Neal]

When I go back to college and I drunk purchase it.

If I gift it to you will you promise to play it? 

Most definitly.
I really feel that the only way a review of this game would work is if it was reviewed both sober and drunk.
Lindy, can I do that?

[vudu]

I'm pretty sure Silks was drinking heavily while playing Spiderwick Chronicles, so I'll answer for him.  Yes