I wasn't going to buy the game anyway, but I really couldn't care less about this. It's not a serious game about serious issues, so a model like that is really not the end of the world. As I've said before I doubt the sales will increase because of it and of all the items they could have done it was probably a poor idea for avoiding controversy.
Am I the only one not put-off by the Dead Island statue?
- Thread starter xPixelatedx
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I see what you're trying to say, but something tells me that when they made it, they weren't just specifically trying to pander to the necrophelia crowd. Thats not really good marketing, in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want it on my shelf, but I'm not exactly insulted to the core.Zhukov said:
If theres one thing you have to admit, it is kinda indicative of the game's actual content. Well, the first one anyways, but I doubt they're gonna be taking it in any new direction.
Not bothered at all. And to the extent that I think everyone upset about this is a fucking idiot. It's zombies for chrissakes.
Is it in poor taste to have a busty almost naked bloody stump of a torso as a collectors edition gift? Yes, so much yes. And that is the whole point. Has anyone bitching about this seen a zombie movie in the last, what, 5 decades? The zombie genre is replete with undead hotties. Nevermind that the living hotty, especially the dumb slutty one(s), are without equal as the most celebrated victim in the entire horror genre, not just zombies.
You could write a dissertation, and I am sure many have, on the hows and whys that this type of content exists in the genre, but the point is that its the norm. Status quo. Its to be expected.
Now if you want to complain about the genre itself, go ahead. But to get bent out of shape that a game that does nothing but celebrate the genre pulls out a crass example of exactly what the genre is about... yeah well I said it in the opening line... fucking idiot.
And if you don't believe me, just try and think back to Zombieland and the trope montage during the opening credits. I bet you 99% of people who can remember any of those clips remember the zombie stripper.
EditL And since its been pointed out before, I am not blind to the fact that they probably did this purely for publicity, which they got. It still doesn't make the people who got bent out of shape about it any less idiots, it just makes them unknowing shills as well.
Is it in poor taste to have a busty almost naked bloody stump of a torso as a collectors edition gift? Yes, so much yes. And that is the whole point. Has anyone bitching about this seen a zombie movie in the last, what, 5 decades? The zombie genre is replete with undead hotties. Nevermind that the living hotty, especially the dumb slutty one(s), are without equal as the most celebrated victim in the entire horror genre, not just zombies.
You could write a dissertation, and I am sure many have, on the hows and whys that this type of content exists in the genre, but the point is that its the norm. Status quo. Its to be expected.
Now if you want to complain about the genre itself, go ahead. But to get bent out of shape that a game that does nothing but celebrate the genre pulls out a crass example of exactly what the genre is about... yeah well I said it in the opening line... fucking idiot.
And if you don't believe me, just try and think back to Zombieland and the trope montage during the opening credits. I bet you 99% of people who can remember any of those clips remember the zombie stripper.
EditL And since its been pointed out before, I am not blind to the fact that they probably did this purely for publicity, which they got. It still doesn't make the people who got bent out of shape about it any less idiots, it just makes them unknowing shills as well.
I'm very hard trying to be polite. Do you really think they were just thinking "Okay, zombie game comes with a torso, has to do with the game, let's do this"? If the idea was just to include a mutilated torso with the collector's edition, why did they 1. make it and attractive female with large breasts? 2. dress it in nothing but a bikini? 3. specifically cut off the head so nothing but the most erection-inducing parts are visible? I think it's very clear they also tried to add sex appeal to it, and in so ended up with one of the most ill-judged special edition extras in recent memory.xPixelatedx said:
I'm not offended exactly by the fact that it's a female torso. What I am offended by is how low this shows the developers think of us. It's insulting. And when you remember that the previous game got a shitload of attention by showing us one of the greatest video game trailers in history, it makes it so much worse. Merely the decision to include a mutilated torso, be it male or female as a special edition bonus speaks of massive misjudgement. And laziness. At least most special games supply entire figurines or busts of main characters.
I agree. The bikini and silicone-infused breasts put it way over the top. It even goes so far as to include a thong. In your mind remove all the zombie gore from the torso and look what you end up with.bartholen said:
I think if they wanted to include body parts in a special edition, some kind of zombie head with sunglasses on or other beach-related stuff would have been more appropriate.
Hopefully the backlash and accompanying lack of sales for this special edition will teach the company something. I don't think they need to be raked over the coals over it anymore than that though.
Come on OT, it's one thing to be or not to be aroused by the statue, we get that, but it's a completely different thing to act like you don't realize something was trying to get sexualized in the first place. They didn't just throw in a random torso like you say, they threw in the nominally sexiest representation of female anatomy they could've gone for. I could care less personally but let's not act like we're missing the point.
Except it doesn't suggest that. It states that the target market is guys, which it is. You can't really get pissed off at smart marketing just because it doesn't cater to your particular gender and preference. I have a hard time seeing anyone getting pissed off if it was a chiseled man's chest.Moonlight Butterfly said:
Count me in this camp. Not to mention I've got a special aversion to decapitation: if they gave that thing a well-sculpted zombie head it would've been a bit more in better taste: a zombified play on busts, like the ones of various historical figures of the Roman Empire. If it was a male torso I would still be barfing my guts out. For example, here's the Rigor Mortis edition, which includes a zombiefied hula girl figurine. I've got no problem with that, since it's generally more clever and it fits the setting well, while doing so with 100% less decapitation.Phasmal said:
I don't think they were actually trying to make it sexy. That would be stupid. What they are doing is juxtaposing the 'sexy' female torso with horrible gore to make it disturbing. The same technique is used in all sorts of horror monsters. Remember the facehugger from alien? Essentially a spider with a vagina thing on it... It's supposed to be creepy. If anything, I think it's actually parodying the usual (actually harmful) objectification in advertising by making it intentionally unappealing. They even said it was meant to be a spoof of the venus de milo statue.Moonlight Butterfly said:
Whereas the Hitman trailer isn't parodying anything. It really is just 'here's some sexy women, now watch them get beaten up.'
OT: It's distasteful and gross, which is probably exactly what they were going for. I can see the appeal for fans of horror paraphernalia. Plus it would make an alright porch decoration on Halloween even if you're not usually a fan of horror stuff.
It's a juvenile combination of hyper-sexualisation and overt violence. It's childish, it's in poor taste with regards to issues like the treatment of women and violence towards women, and worst of all, it makes all of us look like fucking idiots.
The kind of person that gets that statue and goes 'hurr hurr look how cool this is' to everyone that sees it, is the kind of person people are going to look at and think, 'what a prick.' The problem is, people will think oh, he's a gamer, gamers are all childish and insensitive, and I don't want any more reason to be tarred with a filthy brush.
The kind of person that gets that statue and goes 'hurr hurr look how cool this is' to everyone that sees it, is the kind of person people are going to look at and think, 'what a prick.' The problem is, people will think oh, he's a gamer, gamers are all childish and insensitive, and I don't want any more reason to be tarred with a filthy brush.
The only people getting offended about a bit of plastic shaped like a torso are the people looking to be offended. It has nothing to do with violence toward women, it isn't misogynistic, it is a dismembered torso in a zombie game. There are thousands of zombie women in the game, wearing bikinis, etc. Does that mean that everyone would be complaining about this irregardless of whether it came with the statue or not? Come to think of it, there were semi-naked zombie women in the first game, and you beat the crap into those ones! Shock! Horror! Everyone who has ever played Dead Island, or indeed any game where anybody hits anybody, is a violent and evil person!
Come on! You don't have to be a grade-A cynic to see the intentions behind this thing. You may not be put off by it but don't act like people are hypocratical because they find it distasteful. Why is this made? Because developers obviously think that highlight of their game is blood and tits and all people play it for these factors. If people don't make their stand, they will see more of this tasteless and shameless promotion.
It would be perfectly fine in a different climate, but when most devs default thought is big breasted bikini babe some eyebrows will be raised.
Look I get it we are mostly nerds that don't not get any outside the fantasy realm, but for christ sake pull your pants up and get your mind out of the gutter when dealing with the general public, you can't operate in a civil society when primal urges get the best of you at every turn.
Look I get it we are mostly nerds that don't not get any outside the fantasy realm, but for christ sake pull your pants up and get your mind out of the gutter when dealing with the general public, you can't operate in a civil society when primal urges get the best of you at every turn.
Meh. I kind of put it on par with the chainsaw controller when RE4 came out. Thought it'd be funny for half a second but it's just a statue. Might be worth something to a collector but other than that, I don't really think it's bad enough that they have to do a recall. In short, I don't really care that much about it. When I first heard of it, I thought that it was someone just posting some gameplay and accidentally ran across the item by mistake.
All I can say is that from a marketing standpoint, this thing is brilliant. The original game got a lot of flack and thanks to this little torso, everyone is talking about the new game. Even those that don't give a shit about it. Their marketing department deserves a raise. As far as the statue itself....I don't care. I also find it disturbing that upon seeing that thing, many people's first response was "sexy".
I think its awesome, I really want one.
No, seriously. I'm that messed up.
Sadly, it looks like they are tucking their tail and running away from it and will probably pull it, and hence I won't buy it as a result. If I knew I could get this torso, I'd totally buy the game.
No, seriously. I'm that messed up.
Sadly, it looks like they are tucking their tail and running away from it and will probably pull it, and hence I won't buy it as a result. If I knew I could get this torso, I'd totally buy the game.
This is because in media and society in general men are NEVER reduced to just body parts. Women often are just boobs and ass even in advertising directed at them, with faces cut off, mouthes tapes shut, etc etc. This my dear is called "objectification" and by literally making a woman's torso a thing/trophy to be put on a shelf it becomes misogynist.lechat said:
Also, there's no such thing as "reverse racism" or "reverse sexism".