I'd just like to announce that I knew it was a fake from the start (or really quickly) and have documented proof of this fact. That being said, EA's PR stunt at E3 in which they got a group of people to protest outside the LA Convention Center and hand out pamphlets directing people to WeAreSavedGroup.org in order to protest EA's upcoming game Dante's Inferno was a stroke of genius. You can call it dumb, or cheap or dirty, but the fact remains that it got them a crap ton of press in both the gaming world and the mainstream, and fooled a whole lot of people -- whether they admit to be fooled or not. Sounds like a successful PR stunt to me.
Success or not, it appears that it has riled a few more feathers (and kept working as Dante's Inferno is once again in the news). Like Pavlovian dogs trained to raise their head if someone mocks an aspect of Christianity some Christians were offended. "It's been clear for a while now that the entertainment industry views Christians on the whole as priggish, thin-skinned fun-killers," Margaret Cabaniss wrote at InsideCatholic.com, impressively proving the exact opposite of the point she is trying to make in only one sentence.
She's not alone in her ability to present an ironic statement about how Christians are actaully hip and with it when it comes to gaming, which in fact most are, I'm sure. Catholic Video Gamers (who don't know that God spells it "videogame'') had a few choice words to say too, culminating in, "So instead of engaging in a shamelessly anti-Christian stunt to promote your poor excuse of a product, maybe you ought to work on making this game, you know, something better than a blatant God of War rip-off and make it, ya know, something worthwhile?" Yea, I've met EA's PR guys and, no offense, they'd suck at making a videogame. This was a much better and highly succesful use of their time and energy.
Contest:
11:00 AM on 06.14.2009
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Ballsy word choice there Catholics. Your move EA...
...would be an appropriate response had EA not started this mess.
Related: Kook gets small town council to remove "hello" and replace it with "heaven-o" because he's a priggish, thin-skinned fun-killer. http://www.mndaily.com/1997/01/17/texas-town-says-goodbye-hello
I guess you can do what you like, but if I was really looking forward to a game I wouldn't let a PR stunt to imitate people like this stop me from picking a title up.
I would enjoy the product for what it is, rather than tying it to the marketing department of the company at large. Corporations and Marketing Departments are inherently evil.
If I was really looking forward to this title but was pissed at EA I would pick the title up used and support someone else with my dollars whilst still enjoying the title.
From what I've seen of Inferno and GoW3, Interno actually looks like a more impressive title.
Thanks for furthering my disdain for humanity.
Did you see the E3 footage? I won't repeat the exact list I made in another topic, but they literally stole some exact moves and animations from God of War. For instance, Kratos' Square Square Triangle lunging attack that slows down time? Yea, that's in the game. I think it's the same button combination.
That said, the locales look much better. So it could be a better game: who knows!
@Stahlbrand
I don't know what to say about the link you posted, except THOSE are the kind of Christians I hate. I'd bet that man has never actually read the Bible, because there is absolutely NOTHING that creates a correlation between "Hell" and "hello." I want to beat that man in the face.
I hope if you really are interested in the title you'll still pick it up some way or another.
@Magnalon
I've only played God of War 2 and that was a couple years ago. I am not terribly familiar with the series in general. So while it looks similar I wasn't aware it was straight up copying it.
At any rate, most games just rehash things that have been done in the industry before. Great games are ones that do it better than the ones they're trying to emulate. Rygar didn't do it, but maybe Dante will. If the game is better than God of War and takes what they did and made it better, I don't see anything terribly wrong with that...aside from some creative indolence.
These PR stunts are the best things about the game, which is probably going to be a GoW rip-off.
Oh trust me, people know I'm one of the biggest action whores here, and I'll even argue to the death some very similar action games didn't copy others.
But believe me, some of these Dante's Inferno elements are direct rips! I'd contend that a lot of games "borrowed" or "changed" elements from the Mother of all modern action games: Devil may Cry, and that's fine; but "ripping-off" is a completely different animal :D
Stuff these dumb religious nut jobs. Dante's Inferno is looking great and as a fan of these type of action games, I already love the concept and will pick the game up.
Its funny really, because religious folk should actually be praising EA, for creating this game. Let me elaborate. Before Dante wrote the Divine Comedy, the Christian church had no idea of concept of what hell might be like. It took this poem, to shape their view of what it could be like, which in an ironic way they still teach and believe.
Like Brutal Legend and Dead Space, I think this is going to make a lot of sales for EA. I may have to buy it twice, since there's also a PSP version on the way. What's also nice to see, is that GoW and DI are both western games.
still, not too interested in the game.
"It's been clear for a while now that the entertainment industry views Christians on the whole as priggish, thin-skinned fun-killers,"
For a Christian to complain about the fun stunt in this way is like a lonely middle-aged man downloading child porn to prove they're not a nonce.
We're not all "priggish, thin-skinned fun-killers." It just happens that the loudest ones are. I'm just as annoyed by the loud "YOU ARE GOING TO HELL" guys as anyone else, I think (I see enough of them shouting at students on campus). I'm still not sure how I feel about this stunt (I think it was in questionable taste), but it won't affect whether or not I get the game.
Why does everyone have to judge everyone else? Can't we all get along? And yes, this goes both ways.
I guess being so fucking judge full is part of being a good christian
That is all.
They should just clam up and choke it down whenever a gaggle of pissy internet gamer nerds make fun of them for something stupid EA did because they temporarily forgot that they weren't Akklaim.
we need more of this unintentionally hilarious marketing.