NARC is a perfect example for censorship in the early years of the gaming console era. The arcade cabinet per se had it already rough because cop brutaliy is part of the plot and real close to vigilantism. The game is about Mr. Big's drug syndicate, his assistants and the masked and motorcycle helmet wearing hero who starts fighting drugs and Mr. Big because as the cover picture already implies: "No One had the Guts until now!"
Armed with rifles and rocket launchers, one is walking through the streets in order to take down KRAK. But porting the game to NES caused some unexprected problems. For instance, the vicious organisation KRAK was renamed to KWAK. Furthermore, the drugs are completely out of the picture.
As always, the following comparison will not get into the graphical downsides of the ported version. Instead, it will only focus on the game itself and its altered contents.
On the NES, the difficulty level is much lower than the one of the Arcade Version because the levels are shorter and the number of hostiles lower. While there is some rocket launcher action in the Original Version because one has to fight approx. 15 - 20 hostiles, 3 - 5 hostiles is the best the NES Version can do.

Title / Logo with red color

For starters, the names of the enemies / their pictures have been altered. Nobody is smoking anything anymore, a drug lab is simply called lab and the chemist and the addict aren't being described in detail.

NES Version	Arcade Version

The ported version lacks violence content as well. The kills are bloodless and explosions look entirely different. The hostiles just drop dead when they get shot. In the Arcade Version, enemies who surrender can be shot anyway. In the NES Version, they are completely missing. Moreover, the short trip with the red vehicle doesn't end lethal for the enemies anymore. Instead, the car just drives through them. At the end of the boss fight with Mr. Big, the head explodes and blood and guts splatter out of the torso. In the NES Version, little white bone parts are flying around.

NES Version	Arcade Version

Graffiti in the background has been removed, K.R.A.K. has been become K.W.A.K. and the "No Smoking" signs in the background are missing as well. The cannabis greenhouse looks rather like as if it were for regular plants. And of course, smoking a cigarre during a phone conversation is an absolute no-go and needed to be altered, too.

NES Version	Arcade Version

While passing a store called "Video Void", it is being advertized with "All Nude" in the Arcade Version plus there is a poster for "Hole in Juan". Both has been removed. At Kinky Pinky's movie theater, nasty words like HOT SEX and nude women on the ADULT BOOKS XXX neon signs are also missing - the sign itself is still there though. In the Arcade Version, the clown has a barely dressed woman over his shoulder and she is fighting back. In the NES Version, he simply walks up and down alone so that nothing at all could possibly point to forced prostitution.

NES Version	Arcade Version

Last but not least, the award for points slightly differs. In the Arcade Version, one can seize the cannibis plants at the greenhouse. Furthermore, one can free the prostitutes on the streets in the Clown level. This is completely missing in the NES Version which also means: no bonus points by smoking pod.

Arcade Version exclusiv