Zelda fans have a bone to pick with Nintendo over doge meme

Nintendo has sparked a heated debate among the Zelda community after an internet meme was included in the series' latest release.

Nintendo's North American version of The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes includes a reference to the infamous doge meme. It's designed to be a joke, but not all fans have seen the funny side.

"Why is this allowed?" blasted an image shared widely via Twitter yesterday.

The image, below, compares the dialogue found in the game's North American version with that of its European counterpart - which includes a less jokey, more straightforward version of the scene.

While both versions are in English, the image shows how Nintendo of Europe translates its version separately to Nintendo of America.

This sounds like double the work - and it is - but Nintendo employs this method so one region isn't reliant on the translators found in another when deciding how quickly it can release its Japan-made games.

"I've had enough of this sh** NOA seriously I'm f***ing pissed," opined Twitter user lepitotheclown.

"Just like anime in the 80's all over again, some idiot thinks he can 'make it better'," reasoned Mark@Kal5. "Video games' turn for this [poo emoticon]".

Many fans argued that, while humour is no bad thing in a Nintendo game, a high fantasy series such as Zelda - with talking trees, sky whales and an angry-faced moon - should be immune from such frivolity.

But not all Zelda fans agree. Some Nintendo aficionados have said they prefer the company's North American version.

"It depends on the game of course but it seems like a perfect fit for a 'silly' spin-off like Triforce Heroes," one user argued on NeoGAF. "No need to get upset about it."

Fans pointed to other examples where Nintendo of America had used internet memes in their translations.

"#TeamTreehouse," another user cheered, referencing NOA's localisation team by name. "I like their personality in writing."

Doge or doge not?