Sony Resists The Church of England News

Sony and Insomniac Games' Resistance: Fall of Man may have become the biggest selling title on the PlayStation3; however, it seems Nathan's fight against the Chimera has attracted surprising condemnation from the Church of England.

Specifically the argument centres upon a battle that takes place in a building depicted to be Manchester Cathedral, which was allegedly included without the permission of the Church.

The Church of England is seeking legal action over the dispute, an apology from Sony, and demanding the game's removal from shop shelves. The BBC reports that the argument has been fuelled by Sony's decision not to return the Church's calls on the matter.

Speaking to the BBC the Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Revd Nigel McCulloch, labelled the inclusion of the Cathedral as "irresponsible" and claimed:

"For a global manufacturer to re-create one of our great cathedrals with photo-realistic quality and then encourage people to have guns battles in the building is beyond belief and highly irresponsible.

"Here in Manchester we do all we can to support communities through our parish clergy. We know the reality of gun crime and the devastating effects it can have on lives. It is not a trivial matter."

On such a sensitive subject, it's sensible to take a look at the argument from both sides. Sony will likely point to the light "influences" that proliferate throughout the game, each city a pastiche of stereotypical clichés, which TVG can certainly attest to with the idyllic representation of a 1940's Cheddar - Cheddar may have caves, but it certainly doesn't have any tunnels!

On the other hand, there's little doubt that it's a sensitive subject with serious issues. The City of Manchester has had a chequered history of gun crime, and whilst combat is purely against fictional aliens, gunfights in a building that is at the very least suggested to be Manchester Cathedral, will seem inappropriate and in poor taste to a great number of people who have no knowledge of the game.

More concerning for Sony is that this comes as the latest addition to an already lengthy list of negative PR surrounding the PlayStation3, as the company's unassailable grip on the videogames market slowly appears to be slipping through it's fingers.