Since the beginning of its time, Nintendo has avoided making games specifically for adults: from ‘Metroid’ to ‘Mario Kart,’ it fills the family market niche that neither Microsoft nor Sony dare to touch. Each to their own. And yet, suddenly, they’ve taken on the responsibility of the Nintendo 64 catalog in their online service and have decided to create, for the first time ever, something for those over 18. And it’s not what you’d expect.
The secret place
This isn’t a place for the most perverse games from the Nintendo 64 catalog that you access through a curtain, no. In fact, it will be an exclusive section for Japan that, at least for now, will feature… two games. Yes, two. And you won’t expect them: ‘Goldeneye 007’ and ‘Jet Force Gemini,’ from 1997 and 1999, respectively. There’s a reason for this, although it might be surprising.
In most parts of the world, ‘Goldeneye 007’ was considered a game suitable for teenagers, but in Japan, the government agency responsible for age ratings, CERO, decided to rate it as “Z,” which means for ages 18 and up. The same happened with ‘Jet Force Gemini,’ categorizing them similarly to games like ‘Alien Isolation’ or ‘Doom.’
In fact, this is the only way they can be released in Japan, a country that carefully enforces age restrictions and doesn’t want any unpleasant surprises. Perhaps if CERO were to review the games again, the rating might decrease – although it’s not likely. But for now, Nintendo has to comply with what was decided in the late ’90s, as if society had remained stuck.
When you think of “content for ages 18 and up,” you might immediately think of sex, but the truth is that in both games, you can shoot civilians, something that Japan will never allow. In the United States, however, it’s part of everyday gaming, after all.
