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Halloween Horror Streams: Rule of Rose shoves a dead rat in your face
One school of logic says that cumbersome controls makes horror games scarier. Resident Evil's tank controls, for example, may not let you walk with the natural fluidity of a real person, but they do often force you to fearfully, slowly back away from zombies rather than flat out turning around and bolting. It worked in the original. Some games, though, are just plain broken. Case in point: Rule of Rose. Punchline's first and only horror game is barely playable thanks to its broken interface. Trying to stab an evil puppet with a spoon and never connecting isn't scary. It's stupid. Like some of gaming's greats, Rule of Rose almost overcomes its bad control through sheer style. Bad controls or not, it is a deeply unsettling game. Joystiq's Halloween Horror Streams goes into its final stretch at 4:00PM EST on Joystiq.com/Twitch with Rule of Rose. Children waterboard teenagers, people get poked with dead rats, and haunted airships confuse everyone. Join us for some of the most surreal scares you can get in a video game. Joystiq.com/Twitch broadcasts every Tuesday and Thursday at 4:00PM EST, in addition to many other unpredictable times throughout the week. Follow us on Twitch to catch us whenever we're live. [Images: Atlus]
Kiddie porn trumps video games
British Home Secretary John Reid addressed European Union members this week in Brussels regarding violent video games. He acknowledged that violent games are an issue in the gamut of problems that affect youth, tempering his statement by saying, "But I am also concerned about what more we can do to tackle the most extreme and harmful end of the spectrum. In particular I am concerned about child pornography." Reid said most games do not feature objectionable material and went on to propose numerous ways for the EU to fight child pornography.Reid's statements come following issues in the U.K. and Europe over the survival-horror game Rule of Rose, which features very sinister little girls and is considered by some to be "erotic." The game currently has no publisher in the U.K. Coincidentally, if London audiences want to get their creepy child fix on, 17 year-old Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame will perform Equus in London early next year, which has "a lengthy nude scene during which Strang (Radcliffe) blinds six horses with a spike." So, naked Harry Potter live on-stage stabbing out horses eyes is fine, but fully clothed little girls terrorizing a woman with live rats tied to sticks is too much -- interesting.
Rule of Rose ruled out in UK
UK publisher 505 Games has decided to not release the controversial title Rule of Rose, which was due out in Europe today. The horror game, which received a PEGI-16 rating, has been targeted by lawmakers in Europe for its violence, sexual undertones, and the young age of the portrayed characters. EU justice commissioner Franco Frattini was quoted by local papers as saying the game "has shocked me profoundly with its obscene cruelty and brutality."The Video Standards Council is rather irked by the two papers, Daily Mail and The Times, which published Frattini's words. Speaking to MCV, VSC secretary Laurie Hall has called out the papers for exaggerating and making up many of the cited examples of violence in the titles. Children buried alive underground, in-game sadomasochism, and underage eroticism are purported by The Times and discredited by Hall.Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni also recently chimed in, expressing his dismay in the game.The Times describes "among other horrors, a rat being pushed into a girl's face." Oh noes, not a rat! Hall notes that, while the described scene is the most violent in the game, "the rat's actually quite placid towards her and even licks her face." We don't hear any rat advocates coming after The Times for its statements, as it seems to equate the vermin to horrific beasts deserving to be shunned.The game was released by Atlus in the US.[Via Game|Life]
Rome's mayor demands Rule of Rose ban
Apparently Rome's mayor doesn't think there's any more room on the market for another mediocre horror game; that, or Rule of Rose's erotic themes bugged him too. Either way, Mayor Walter Veltroni is outraged, declaring "There is no way that a violent video game should be sold and distributed in our country." O RLY?Veltroni's beef has grown from a concern about shielding children from mature content. "There is no need for massive doses of horror to entertain our children," he argues. We agree; so slap on the Italian equivalent of an M-rating and move on.[Via GameSpot]
Winner of strongest fall lineup is ... PS2?
Gameworld Network has pieced together an outline of 10 upcoming PlayStation 2 titles, tagging the list "10 Reasons Not to Sell Your PS2 Just Yet." With the exceptions of Dawn of Mana and God of War 2, all of these titles will hit US retailers by early November -- and seven are exclusive to PS2. Starting with Rule of Rose's release next week, there's practically a must-play title dropping for PS2 every week through November 7: Rule of Rose (September 12) Okami (September 19) God Hand (October 10) Bully (October 17) Final Fantasy XII (October 31) Rogue Galaxy (October) Guitar Hero II (November 7) Can anyone show us a console/handheld with a stronger fall lineup? Nope, we didn't think so ... Sony might have lost points because of a pair of disappointing PS3 announcements, but that's not gonna affect PS2's continued dominance leading up to the holiday season. [Thanks, Matt]
"Erotic" themes too much for Sony in America
Rule-of-rose: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Rule. Of. Rose.Alright, so it's not quite Lolita but Sony's Rule of Rose has its own controversy. The Japanese game is being published by Sony in Japan while they've opted to pass on publishing the title in the States. The reason: the game's erotic undertones involving prepubescent girls. Yeah ... err, but that's just what it appears to be! In an interview with Gamasutra, the game's director Shuji Ishikawa explained his motivations and why they thinks there's nothing inappropriate with the content:"Right, the erotic aspect you mentioned earlier isn't supposed to be the main theme. There are definitely erotic parts to it, and some things that might make people uncomfortable, but it's not the focus. It shouldn't be a problem. It's about intimate relationships between all people, not just children, not just girls. There will be people who don't understand it, but others will."And it won't be toned down for the west."Publishing rights in the U.S. are being handled by Atlus who, it appears, have no problem with the content. When asked why they wouldn't be publishing the title in the States, Sony producer Yuya Takayama replied, "How shall I say this...well, when Sony looked at the game, they felt it wasn't really in sync with their corporate image. Their personal pride wanted it to be a bit tamer, if it were to have the Sony name in the U.S. I personally appealed to them that it wasn't that kind of game, but it didn't quite work out for me."Gamers can be relieved that -- unlike many Japanese games whose themes and topics are considered either inappropriate or untranslatable -- Rule of Rose will be coming to the States despite our often puritanical inhibitions. However, you can be sure this isn't the last we've heard of this "controversy."[Thanks, cringer8](Update: embedded trailer after the break for additional context. Great comments!)
