The words "Fuck" and "Cock" were censored by bleeps and symbols. There was some amount of censorship, including the blacking out of particularly gory parts of creatures or moments in the game. The significant amount of extreme content within the game, including use of severe profanity and violence, along with certain bodily functions, earned it a rating of BBFC 18 in the UK and Mature in the United States. Instead, Conker would use "Context Sensitive" pads scattered throughout the level to instantly acquire the item or thing necessary to progress through the game. The game didn't even feature a real attack button. To combat these claims, Conker's Bad Fur Day features no collectible items whatsoever. Critics argued that the games became overburdened by the player's need to collect too many items, losing the actual focus on tight gameplay and interesting levels in the process. Rare also used Conker's Bad Fur Day to address many of the critical concerns made against their previous platformers, the Banjo- Kazooie franchise, as well as Donkey Kong 64. Many players were especially surprised with the game's mature theme given that the title was released on the N64, a platform that had garnered a reputation for being a more "kid-friendly" system than its rival, the Sony PlayStation. Primarily designed by Chris Seavor (who also voiced Conker and the majority of the characters in the game), Bad Fur Day was a major tone change from previous platformers designed by Rare Studios, as it was designed for a mature audience, rather than young children. Conker's Bad Fur Day was released on March 5th, 2001 for the Nintendo 64.