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Castlevania LoS 2 Rated by ESRB - No rape in sight.

A

Ahasverus

Member
Call a dark priest if old.

A few weeks ago an article on US Gamer created quite the controversy by stating that a scene in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 was “blatant with its allusions to rape.” It went as far as comparing it to the cover of the much criticized Japanese erogame Rapelay, that was waved around like the boogeyman by the media in order to condemn video games a couple years ago

...
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The summary

This is an action-adventure game in which players control the vampire Dracula as he battles Satan and his minions. As players travel through time, they use a bladed whip and swords to kill human and fantasy creatures (e.g., vampires, demons, ghouls). Several enemies use machine guns against players during combat. In some sequences, players can stab creatures repeatedly, cutting off limbs or tearing enemies apart. Intense instances of violence include depictions of a demon cutting off a man’s face; ghouls eating pieces of flesh; a character getting a stake driven into her head. During the course of the game, some female creatures (e.g., demons) appear topless with jiggling breasts. The word “sh*t” appears in the dialogue.
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Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Nudity
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Source http://www.dualshockers.com/2014/02...nd-violence-but-no-rape-controversy-in-sight/
 
Nemesis_

Nemesis_

Member
They just had a press junket in Australia for this game (complete with a blood donation drive for the Red Cross as well).

Most people who played the game and that scene said it was literally what it sounded like. No rape but I guess some people wanted to read into things
 
B

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
When the ESRB doesn't even read sexual violence into it....

Sorry Kat.
 
Carnby

Carnby

Member
It's funny when a journalist tries to create controversy from content that the ESRB didn't even notice.
 
P

pargonta

Member
even if there was rape it would be okay, the esrb would rate it accordingly.

but in this case it's more in the subtext, as well as projected by the audience.
 
C

Crayons

Banned
Konami just shot themselves in the foot.

I don't know how much the rest of you know about rape culture (I'm an expert), but vampires and fangs are huge parts of it. It's not like it is in Japan where you can become successful by making a game about rape. If even one person feels they were raped while playing your game, you bring shame to yourself, and the only way to get rid of that shame is repentance.

What this means is that Kotaku, after hearing about this, is not going to want to review Castlevania LoS 2 for either system, nor will they cover any of Konami's games. This is HUGE. You can laugh all you want, but Konami has alienated an entire market with this move.

Konami, publicly apologize and cancel Castlevania LoS 2 or you can kiss your business goodbye.
 
E

eliochip

Member
Crayons said:
Konami just shot themselves in the foot.

I don't know how much the rest of you know about rape culture (I'm an expert), but vampires and fangs are huge parts of it. It's not like it is in Japan where you can become successful by making a game about rape. If even one person feels they were raped while playing your game, you bring shame to yourself, and the only way to get rid of that shame is repentance.

What this means is that Kotaku, after hearing about this, is not going to want to review Castlevania LoS 2 for either system, nor will they cover any of Konami's games. This is HUGE. You can laugh all you want, but Konami has alienated an entire market with this move.

Konami, publicly apologize and cancel Castlevania LoS 2 or you can kiss your business goodbye.
Click to expand...
This meme is so long
 
K

Kuro

Member
Crayons said:
Konami just shot themselves in the foot.

I don't know how much the rest of you know about rape culture (I'm an expert), but vampires and fangs are huge parts of it. It's not like it is in Japan where you can become successful by making a game about rape. If even one person feels they were raped while playing your game, you bring shame to yourself, and the only way to get rid of that shame is repentance.

What this means is that Kotaku, after hearing about this, is not going to want to review Castlevania LoS 2 for either system, nor will they cover any of Konami's games. This is HUGE. You can laugh all you want, but Konami has alienated an entire market with this move.

Konami, publicly apologize and cancel Castlevania LoS 2 or you can kiss your business goodbye.
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I never felt like I was killed during that scene in CoD4. I agree it could trigger someone who has had an experience like that though but if its just an allusion kind of thing maybe it won't hit them as hard? I have no idea but it doesn't seem like it could-----and I'm an idiot this is a joke post isn't it?
 
P

Papercuts

fired zero bullets in the orphanage.
Not surprising considering just from the multiple reports on that scene they all were seemingly different from what she said.

Oh well. Controversy that will probably just help the game in the end.
 
A

ambientmystic

Member
So all that fuss was about a whole bunch of nothing? I remember that thread on GAF being pages and pages long.

Sounds eerily similar to that God of War Ascension, Tomb Raider and Dragon's Crown hoopla perpetuated by gamez jurnalism last year.

Manufactured controversy ftl.
 
R

RoboPlato

I'd be in the dick
Of course there's no mention of rape. Even the other journalists that watched the identical playthrough described the scene differently than she did and none of them interpreted it that way. She made it seem like only the woman was attacked and used that as the basis for her argument but everyone else that was there said that wasn't even how the scene played out.
 
M

MagnaderAlpha

Member
Gaz_RB said:
Damn so the horrific violence is fine but god forbid an allusion to rape...
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Stop being such a hippie!
cartman_hippies.jpg
 
S

Shinta

Banned
ambientmystic said:
So all that fuss was about a whole bunch of nothing? I remember that thread on GAF being pages and pages long.

Sounds eerily similar to that God of War Ascension, Tomb Raider and Dragon's Crown hoopla perpetuated by gamez jurnalism last year.

Manufactured controversy ftl.
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Yeah, very similar. Tomb Raider's ESRB notice doesn't mention anything either, because there's basically nothing to mention.

That didn't stop articles like this from coming out, largely due to Kotaku's initial coverage (again, there is no actual rape scene, or anything even close to that).
 
Z

zhorkat

Member
Wait, since when did ESRB summaries become good sources for seeing if controversial subtexts existed in video games?
 
S

Sneds

Member
Carnby said:
I'm looking forward to Kat's response. Has this been brought to her attention?
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Kat argued that the scene was a clear metaphorical allusion to rape. That wouldn't be classified as sexual violence by the ESRB would it?

When the game comes out you may well disagree with Kat (and I don't think she made a good argument in her article) but this rating doesn't seem to discredit her argument.
 
C

Chance Hale

Member
Sneds said:
Kat argued that the scene was a clear metaphorical allusion to rape. That wouldn't be classified as sexual violence by the ESRB would it?

When the game comes out you may well disagree with Kat (and I don't think she made a good argument in her article) but this rating doesn't seem to discredit her argument.
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If nothing else the comparison to rapelay continues to be one of the most mind-bogglingly embarrassing and absurd comparisons to be put into a gaming article. When presenting that as a point of reference it does discredit the overall piece.
 
A

Abriael

Banned
An anecdote: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has a quest that very openly implies that a character has been raped.

No one noticed, probably because none of the more pundit-y journos we have plays games that far in.
 
S

Sneds

Member
ricochetguro said:
If nothing else the comparison to rapelay continues to be one of the most mind-bogglingly embarrassing and hyperbolic comparisons to be put into a gaming article. When presents that as a point of reference it does discredit the overall piece.
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I agree that it was a poor comparison but Kat never claimed that the scene in Castelvania contained a literal rape. That's partly why comparisons to Rapelay were misguided.
 
H

Hubb

Member
Abriael said:
An anecdote: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has a quest that very openly implies that a character has been raped.

No one noticed, probably because none of the more pundit-y journos we have plays games that far in.
Click to expand...

Well someone noticed, just wasn't anyone big.
link
 
GavinUK86

GavinUK86

Member
Abriael said:
An anecdote: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has a quest that very openly implies that a character has been raped.

No one noticed, probably because none of the more pundit-y journos we have plays games that far in.
Click to expand...

On a similar note, a new trailer for South Park Stick of Truth insinuates Princess Kenny gets raped. OPEN THE FLOODGATES. Im'a be under that table over there.

Back on topic, I need CLoS2 like, right now. Looks so, so good.
 
C

Currygan

at last, for christ's sake
I guess Kat Bailey never played KOTOR, where you can find a raped male robot


but sure, who cares about androids
 
O

Orayn

Member
Sneds said:
I agree that it was a poor comparison but Kat never claimed that the scene in Castelvania contained a literal rape. That's partly why comparisons to Rapelay were misguided.
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Yep. That poorly chosen comparison and a bit of a Captain Obvious factor (with respect to vampires and sexualized violence) are what caused Kat's article to cause the controversy it did. It's unfortunate, because I don't really disagree with her underlying sentiment that the scene in question was trying way too hard to be dark and edgy, just like the rest of the game.
 
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