Yesterday we shared the news that a rather elaborate loophole in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team on 3DS had allowed gamers to post images from the web browser onto its Miiverse community; while some used this feature for comedic effect, others posted mature and explicit images.
It's an odd bug in how complex it is to use — you need to have avoided last year's update for the game (a patch that seemed meaningless at the time but now makes sense) and go through a fiddly process. Nevertheless, plenty were taking advantage, and Nintendo's Miiverse moderating team was banning some users, removing posts or — in less serious cases — simply blacking out images.
In our article covering the issue we suggested that Nintendo could either implement some code to force-update copies of Mario & Luigi: Dream Team when they're next run, functionality used in updates for various other games, or take the easy way out and simply block all screenshots on the community. We hoped for the former though, so far, the company has gone for the latter option. Below is the message from the European / Australian version of the community confirming that screenshots are no longer allowed.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the screenshot feature has been disabled in this community.
We are looking into the cause of the problem. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused.
Before we break out the pitchforks and lament Nintendo's heavy-handed approach, we should acknowledge that it may be taking screens down temporarily to implement a permanent fix. Based on past efforts and issues with image-sharing software, however, there's a possibility that Nintendo will simply leave screenshots off and wait for the issue to fade from view, without ever resolving it properly.
We'll see, but the fun's over for mischievous posters on that community, while the Miiverse moderators can breath easily once again.
Thanks to Ryan Millar for the heads up.
[source miiverse.nintendo.net]
Comments 32
Huh. Not really surprising.
What a great game though. They totally ruined it though...
@drewb0203 How can it be great if they ruined it ?
If you ask me, Dream Team was one of the most boring games ive played in a long time.
I'm assuming it'll be months/years before they get this fixed.
Can't Nintendo Life show us some of the "offending" images?
I'd like to see them for myself instead of being told something is offensive, I'd like to make that judgement for myself.
There's a thread on ign boards if you want to see the images this kid posted.
This annoys me. Nintendo is not to blame, and they shouldn't act like they are. Seriously. Youtube would have been shut down in an hour if Google acted like Nintendo does.
Secondly, why do people do these things, when they know it's just going be on the cost of other users?! Letterbox got shut down because of stupid and rude users. That's sad, because Letterbox was the best function that has made it to the 3DS so far, including the games. It was genius. Not even iPhone can send letters like you could with Letterbox. At least not without an app that you have to make sure your friends buy too, along with a stylus to write with. That never works (still trying to make my sister download & buy an app like this, no luck and it's been almost a year).
Best. Caption. Pic. Ever!
Needs more Cory.
When has Ninty ever done anything "temporarily"?
Here we go again. This feature will probably not come back. remember Swapnote anyone?
@Kaine_Morrison
Me too.
Someone always has to ruin it for the rest.
Cory in the House 2 .Moseby strikes back is coming for Wii u!!
Take a look at the Kid Icarus: Uprising community please. Screens are disabled there as well, due to people posting screenshots from the AR Camera feature of the game.
I can't blame the Admins for doing that, seems sensible from a legal and moral standpoint. I can blame the users who acts immature (adults included) and ruins the fun for the rest of us like with Swapnote, Kid Icarus Uprising board, and to some extent the Super Smash Bros board.
Forcing an update doesn't seem possible to me. Even if they distributed a SpotPass update to run automatically, people could simply start the game up while offline, then go online to use Miiverse. So this is probably the end of it, sadly.
Of course this happens
Well, I got banned for no reason anyway, so I couldn't get much madder at Miiverse Admins anyway.
I'd just like to remind everyone that Letterbox/Swapnote was shut down because some Japanese men were using it to befriend and lure young girls into doing... indecent acts.
@Kaine_Morrison So if someone told you something was poisonous, would you purposely say "Don't care, I'd rather see if it kills me first since I'm an adult? "
@Kalmaro
When I can't make a rooster in Animal Crossing say 'Cockadoodlydo' as greeting, it's a bit much, imho.
@Larryislife And then after Swapnote was closed, they used Snapchat and Kik. It's not Nintendo's fault, they offer parental controls. Its the fault of the pedophiles and the parents. And the rest of us were punished.
@k8sMum I think most people would find that absurd, not a very good argument.
@Kalmaro
Right. An absurd greeting in a village inhabited by bizarre animals and a cartoonish person. Gads! Who'd a thunk it?
It's not any sort of argument, more of a point, actually. Yes, let's think of the children but the uber-nanny type of over reaction is par for the course for ninty. It sometimes feels as if they enjoy punishing the vast majority for the errors of the few. WE ARE THE ADULTS AND ARBITERS OF ALL.
It's their house and their rules. Doesn't mean that some aren't ridiculous.
@k8sMum is it Nintendo that's or the super protective parents and sensitive people that are offended by such stuff? Some might argue that Nintendo is being heavy handed but try seeing it from their side.
They could just ignore the problem but then they risk facing angry customer's over the inappropriate material being shown online. Not only that, but they have a reputation of being very mature and child friendly and its clear that they are doing everything they can to set themselves apart and live up to that goal.
So when they release a game and people abuse it to do things they know they shouldn't, is it their fault that they shut things down?
Let's not forget that when you buy a game, you don't really own it, you're just purchasing the right to play it. Still have to play by Nintendo a rules. The problem is that a few people feel entitled to do what they wmt and ruin it for everyone else.
I believe I said: their house, their rules.
I have supported nintendo since NES days. My kids had every product except for the virtual boy. I am not new to gaming or parenting. I have seen this sort of thing time and time again. Their attitude, whether one finds it laudable or laughable, is one of the main reasons ninty will never get the 'net right. Jmho, of course, like everyone else posting.
LOL oh Nintendo you wacky people.
Makes sense to me.
Haters gonna hate. Go play Xbox. \hyperbole
Nintendo's been doing this since the 80's. Funny since Japanese culture tends to be less prudish in some aspects compared to western culture. Hopefully they get a patch going rather than take the lazy way out and hurting the majority for the misuse by a small minority.
It does suck to have screenshots disabled, but I imagine you can still post on the image share website from the browser if you so desired. And it is just one game. A year ago 3DS didn't even have Miiverse. What's one little community in the big scheme of things? It's not even losing a community, just posting pics in that community.
Small potatoes if you ask me,
@Einherjar Not.
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