Mario Party Superstars Axes NSFW Penguins
What is it about penguins being right b*stards in Mario games? If it's not those slippery sods knocking your kart off course and into the icy waters of Mario Kart 64's Sherbert Land, it's the neglectful mother that lost her kid in Super Mario 64's Cool, Cool Mountain. If that wasn't enough, the same level has a snowy speedster who challenges you to a race just for their own sick pleasure.
"Egad! My baby!! Have you seen my baby??? She's the most precious baby in the whole wide world" - well, not so much you didn't lose her. Now, penguins are back in the Mushroom Kingdom in a big way. It's just not the way you might expect. Mario Party Superstars is erasing penguin bumholes. That's right, bumhole erasure is a thing at Nintendo.
Why Has Mario Party Superstars Axed NSFW Penguins?
If you're new here, Mario Party Superstars includes 100 classic minigames that mainly appeared in the first trilogy of Mario Party games from 1998 to 2000. A lot has changed in the past 20 years, and although the minigames have received a much-needed boost from the N64, some of us miss those palm-shredding days where you and your siblings would hurl a controller at each other in a fit of rage.
It's not just graphics that have been retooled for Mario Party Superstars. Players are shocked that penguin bumholes have been removed from Mario Part 2's Bobsled Run. Those of us who played back in the day might remember the anatomically correct penguin bobsleds included a little "x" where their back passage would be.
There were already haters because Bobsled Run was based on Cool, Cool Mountain's penguin race, however, the fact devs included little penguin bumholes was a nice (if bizarre) touch. Taking to Twitter, players are rightly outraged that they've been censored in 2021.
What Have Players Said About Nintendo Censoring NSFW Penguins?
The internet is (rightly) in uproar. The OP joked the minigame is unplayable, while others shared their rage. Someone else said, "Censorship has gone too far", and another fumed, "Honestly. why did they remove it? i know you're trying to mock people but ... why was an x removed? it's funny, it's biology."
Another joked #restorethesphinctercut as a reference to the Snyder Cut of Justice League. It might seem like a minor detail, but racing down a course in a generic bobsled that doesn't look like a penguin just doesn't ring the same. What was wrong with hollowing out Mother Penguin's carcass and displaying her snowy sphincter for all to see? World gone mad!