The U.K. clergy members quoted as criticizing Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles for glamorizing violence and promoting the occult say their remarks have been misrepresented by the source originally reporting them.
The comments, by the Rt. Revs Mark Bryant, Brian Smith and John Goddard, apparently first appeared in a news release sent out in the past week, written and reported by a freelance journalist. I couldn't find a copy of this release. MCVUK, whom we cited yesterday, only reported Capcom's reaction to the comments; MCVUK did not originally report the clergy's remarks.
Anyway, the Rt. Rev. Smith said his remarks were taken out of context and made out to be more authoritative than they were. "I made it clear that I was not qualified to make a comment," Smith told TVG. "I suggested that the researcher should contact someone in one of the dioceses in London where I understood she was working."
Rt. Rev. Bryant added that his comments had been misrepresented. "I know enough not to go offering outright condemnation of things about which I know comparatively little," he said.
So, OK, sounds like these guys were played to type for purposes of someone's attention-grabbing news release. Sounds plausible. My original point still stands: Why did Capcom even bother to respond? Either these guys, or the people using them, are pikers looking to stir up a fight. Best to just let that dog lie.
Priests Misrepresented In Resident Evil PR Stunt News [Total Video Games]