What you can't say in a Saturn game
19 hours ago
- #video game censorship
- #Sega Saturn
- #high score screens
- Sega Saturn games censor specific strings like 'SEX' and 'XXX' on high score screens, replacing them with developer names, game references, or random words.
- Examples include Virtua Fighter replacing 'SEX' with 'OKA' (from programmer Keiji Okayasu) and Capcom games using 'CAP' for various forbidden words.
- Some games feature humorous or buggy censorship, like Layer Section 2's failure to replace 'AAA' due to a programming error or Cotton 2 changing 'SEX' to 'SFX'.
- Censorship extends to cultural references, such as banning 'AUM' in Last Bronx due to associations with Aum Shinrikyo, and includes random replacements or Easter eggs in titles like Bubble Symphony.
- Beyond Saturn, other platforms and online games also implement word filtering, with lists including misspellings and extremist group names, reflecting broader concerns over inappropriate content.