Disgusting, barbaric and cruel to sacrifice an animal for profit. there are enough other games on the market so i will stay away from this crap. another reason to label religions stupid...

It might have been some roadkill they found somewhere, who knows. No harm done, right? People get all excited about a dead animal on display, its pretty funny considering what people do to animals on daily basis. Like eat them.

However, like most people, i dont enjoy watching rotting corpses. Makes me wonder why they chose to use a REAL animal instead of some fake one. I guess someone took the easy/cheap road on this one by not spending any extra.

Wow PC_Tool, you're so heroically controversial.

Not.

(Tool.....kind of appropriate?)

Stop whining about how no-one (but the weirdo sicko minority) likes an abuser of animals or people, we just don't & never will.

Get over it.

lmao...

Hmm...got nothing? No problem, direct the topic to the poster instead of the issue and let the insults fly!

Pure comic genius.

Typical, I suppose. You're so emotionally invested in your self-righteous indignation that you are completely blind to any logical, common sense discussion on the subject.

I'm not defending perverts, sickos, or animal abusers. I'm speaking out against the asinine assignment of human rights to animals and your absurd sense of victimization when a goat is killed.

Funny that you call me a tool. The consensus on the definition of that term refers to someone who cannot think for themselves and argues only the party line. Tell me, based on the consensus definition...who's the tool?

I gotta wonder who ya'll who're whining about this think it was cruel to?

The beast? He's dead. No worries there.

The bystanders? Yourselves? What? Not feeling like you've been victimized enough lately so you have to play the victim for this poor, innocent creature who (since it's dead) can no longer feel offended by such treatment for himself?

Oh...wait, it couldn't feel offended to begin with.

Just curious...

lmao

Anyone have more pics with bigger painted cans?

"[...] blaming the spectacle on a third party."

"It also said that it had little knowledge the pictures would appear in its official magazine."

Wow, Sony trying to shift blame to someone else. Is anyone as surprised as I am? Reminds me of the rootkit fiasco, when Sony went on record saying consumers shouldn't condemn Sony as a whole, because the problem was related to Sony BMG, Sony's music division. You know, because so many of my friends see Sony and Sony BMG as separate entities. *roll eyes* This time it's like "someone else organized the goat thing, so it's not Sony's fault. Oh and we didn't know pictures of it would be in the OFFICIAL Playstation magazine. Really, we had no idea."

P.S. - PC_Tool, you're entitled to your opinion about animal cruelty. You seem to think it's okay to be cruel or do disgusting things to an animal, because it's not a human. They're self aware living creatures and I'm glad to say most people disagree with your opinion.

actually it was a dead animal... so no not self-aware or living.

Self-aware?

ROFLMAO...

Do you realize, aside from humanity, there are like 10 species that can even recognize their "self" in a mirror?

Sorry, man. That just doesn't cut it.

And no, I don't think it's OK. I personally wouldn't have done this. I'm simply open minded enough to believe that what *I* would or wouldn't do should *never* be used as a measure of what is "right" or "wrong".

Holy s***! The broad in the picture doesn't even have a nice looking pair of cans.

The whole thing looks so badly done. At least bring on the chesty babes to get my mind off that goat.

Where's Dave? He should be in here defending Sony.

Wow, free TVs didn't work so now Sony has resorted to sacrificing goats to sell their consoles. :P

lmao...

Legal?
Possibly - but with that reaching into it's stomach cr@p it ought to fall under a few food standards laws.
(I wonder what law(s) might apply?)

But the rest?

Well I reckon terms like disgraceful, shameful, infantile, depraved, utterly stupid, counter-productive (no matter how much some folks want to beat their chests about their 'rights' animal cruelty 'plays' to a far wider and 'regular' audience than the few you dismiss as loopy vegan types) are just the start of describing this latest bout of insanity from the Sony PR machine.

This 'event' ought to be 'career-ending' for the scumbag(s) that planned it and everyone in the management chain that directly knew of it & approved it without trying to get it stopped.

Much as I can't stand the thought of Sony dominating the movie world with their BD/DRM 'new world order' cr@p I usually stay away from these more general Sony stories cos I really have trouble caring less about them.
But animal cruelty?
For an advertsing stunt?

Well, even as a meat-eater I can't really abide cruelty to animals.....and turning the goat into a 'centre-piece' display to play with is so low.
(no matter what their excuses.....but I suppose it is rather illuminating as regards the level of some of the people and their mentality in the PR business.
Amoral pointless parasites,

Bill Hicks was so right when he said of people in the advertising/PR industry
'kill yourselves there's no rationalization for what you do and you are Satan's little helpers. )

It's true there are other things happening in the world of much more importance but why should people stand by and say nothing at this which is also wholly unnacceptable?

Why should we silently accept the normalisation of the perverse by this sad little gang of (obvious) perverts?
Perverts whos' job it is, it ought to be remembered, to actively try to entice and attract very young children with the rest of their dubious 'output'
(Sweden has it right, it's the law there, they have banned advertising directed at those children under 12yrs old).

They might try and claim it got people talking about them
(and wow, they got a splash in a trashy, very middle-aged, right-wing tabloid UK rag)
but
IMO the enduring dislike this has generated will long outlast the kiddies giggling at how 'free', 'awesome' or 'cool' they might have though this was
(and that's just amongst the shill journos at the event).

People should be sacked over this
(note the cowardly & lame - post event - claims from Sony that there were 'sub-contractors' involved; like yeah, it was 'the others' that did it not Sony, maybe they 'made' them do it too, ffs)
, then they might stand a chance of begining to repair a little of the damage they have done to the brand (in this, only).

um it was already dead, so all cruelty to animals rants end there, seeing as one goat wont care what you do to another's body.

Thats just downrigt sick down to the bone. I say off with their heads and recall everything. It is inhumane.

That's the funniest thing I've seen in a while. An animal lover calling for the beheading of those who beheaded his precious goat.

Killing Goats is Bad....but killing the humans? No problem with that, eh?

Who says we have to be "humane" to goats? Or birds? Or horses? Or cows?

Sorry, but your ideals are not shared by everyone.

technically humans are animals.....

Technically, I'm a genius. But I'm sure there are a few folks here who might disagree with that assessment. ;>

Sure, we're mammals.

Be we can also conceive more than just "the moment". We operate on much more than instinct, and we have this nasty little thing called a conscience.

Well...most of us do.

It's folks who can't seem to tell the difference that worry me.

yes i am getting much of that vibe myself.

we do live in a "democratic" world. where one has the right to react to all kinds of funny bussinesses. why cry foul over this one while one can cry over:

Irak:
a suicide bomber killing 100+ innocent victims at this very moment.

Haiti:
it is raining, so many people die because of the countries deforestation.

Holland:
a man cries foul for having lost his favourite soccer team championship.

Ecuador:
Protesting their foul labour conditions, many die protesting for a better life.

Santo Domingo:
The president of a bank that committed the biggest crime in the century is still a free and very respected man; the haitian laborer that robbed a chicken for dinner is still in jail after 10+ years, and nobody cares a cahoot.

England:
people are upset cause the taliban have declared to abduct prince harry as soon as he sets foot in afghanistan to "fullfill" his military mission.

All over the world:
there is still hunger, thirst and love...
take your pick
we do live in a democratic world.

I don't have any problem with violent games, but decapitating a goat just to advertise it and inviting people to reach into its still warm stomach and eat offal is just very, very depraved.

For the reasons behind this, I'd say that the Inquirer guys got it right there:

If rootkitting customers, cramming DRM infections into every orifice they will fit and some they wouldn't wasn't enough, I wonder what the meeting where this was planned was like?

SONY EXEC 1: We haven't got people hating us this week, we need to change that.
SONY EXEC 2: Yeah, at least three demographics no longer spit when they hear the name Sony, something must me done!
SONY EXEC 1: Let's throw parties and kill animals!
SONY EXEC 2: Great, but for what brand?
SONY EXEC 1: Playstation of course.
SONY EXEC 2: Well then, we need topless women and more gore.
SONY EXEC 1: Topless women, check. How about reaching into a goat stomach and eating offal?
SONY EXEC 2: The goat has to be still warm.
SONY EXEC 1: Of course, this is for the PS3, anything less would just not do.
SONY EXEC 2: Brilliant plan, I'll sign off on it, but we need to take lots of glossy pics for our official magazine, parents don't hate us enough, so we should traumatise their kids a little too.
SONY EXEC 1: Can we distribute a rootkit on the cover CD?
SONY EXEC 2: Legal says we can't use that trick for another seven months.
SONY EXEC 1: Pity.

Funny, but isn't God of War II for the PS2 not the PS3?

Well the whole no news is bad new thing works here. I hadn't paid much attention to this game previously, but now I think I might just check it out.

I wonder if it comes with a free packet of Goat's Blood. Ya know, tastes like ketchup. :p

or maybe a goat soup bone?

Couldn't be much different than ham, I suppose...

i always figured goat would taste like sheep, since they live similar lifestyles and bodily have the same structure.

Anyone heard of Freedom of Speech anymore? Constitution says they are allowed unless we no longer follow the basic rights anymore.

That doesn't mean we have to condone it.

No, but we must condone their right to do it. :)

We condone their right to print and publish the pictures, but not necessarily their right to behead the goat in an inhumane manner.

There are certain local laws and statutes which prohibit the inhumane treatment of animals and make those actions criminally actionable.

Unfortunately in our society, for the most part, animals are still considered to be "property", which means you can treat your cat or dog (or goat) the same way you treat your lawnmower or gold clubs.

While Sony may be protected from any legal responsibility, they are not protected from the revulsion of their consumers who may choose to express their displeasure by spending their money on Sony products.

I guess thats the American way.

There are certain local laws and statutes which prohibit the inhumane treatment of animals and make those actions criminally actionable.

...and I strongly disagree with those laws.

Animals!=people and should not be regarded as such by any government body or the judicial system.

You can anthropomorphise them all you want, but they are not our equals.

It's funny. Many people seem to want to apply human laws and characteristics to these things, but only go half way. If I kill one of them in public, I get to go to jail, as if I'd killed a human. If one of them kills me? No big deal, it's just an animal.

The double-standard doesn't hold. It can't. Because we're trying to apply human law and ethics to that which simply is not.

Anti-cruelty laws and penalties make perfect sense, it's a known fact that those with a history & predisposition to harm animals tend towards abusive behaviour towards people too.

Treating animals in a kind manner is not the same as saying they are the same as people.

.....and as for your claim that " If one of them kills me? No big deal, it's just an animal".
BS.
The animal would almost always be caught and put down.

Frankly I want the sort of twisted people who thought up this sicko cr@p kept well away from modern advertising, particularly advertsing aimed at the young.

Highly questionable 'minds' are not the sort I wish to see in a business -
already one that is highly questionable & dubious considering modern 'techniques', practices, 'ethics' and 'values' or should one say the sheer lack of them
- primarily aimed at shaping (young) attitudes and minds.

Anti-cruelty laws and penalties make perfect sense, it's a known fact that those with a history & predisposition to harm animals tend towards abusive behaviour towards people too.[/i]

No, it's not. There is no science behind that assumption. Re: combat sims and school shootings, racing games and bad drivers...etc.

[i]Highly questionable 'minds' are not the sort I wish to see in a business -
already one that is highly questionable & dubious considering modern 'techniques',

...I'm not talking about Sony. Ethics and values are great, but not universal. Treating other humans as humans is wonderful. Treating animals like humans is nothing more than ignorant fantasy.

1. any REAL basis for that assumption on your part?

2. i am sure your ancestors were hopping around a corpse like that in a cave a few million back, maybe even sooner, so dont bash it.

3. humans are on a much different level than animals, we can think of consequences(sometimes), we can think and rationalize(well maybe you cant...), and we use tools.

4. in case you missed it, that game was aimed at 18+ as the rating said, or maybe you are a bad parent and didnt bother looking for the rating....

5. nobody cares what you want anyway, especially when dealing with things such as 'ethics', 'values', and 'practices', which we all know, differ from person to person and cannot be used as a blanket for something as large and multi-cultural as a nation. People like you seem to forget that.

good job, maybe when you realize that your ethics are not the best choice for the rest of the world, then you could become an effective member of society.

"There is no science behind that assumption."[/i]

- BS. Plain flat wrong.

Numerous studies ghave demonstrated a clear link between cruel qand callous behaviour towards animals and abusive cruel and even violent behaviour towards human beings.

http://www.americanhuman...erver?pagename=lk_about

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18186577/

http://www.arkonline.com/violence.html

http://www.caction.org/v...lenceAndAnimalAbuse.pdf

http://www.aardvarc.org/dv/pets.shtml

http://www.ouranimalward...Abuse&Violence.html

http://www.legacy.com/ch...kId=369&GroupId=201

.....I could go on but I think the point is made.

[i]"Re: combat sims and school shootings, racing games and bad drivers...etc."

- I don't know why you're trying to create confusion here, I said nothing about sims & games.

I was talking about a clear linkage between callous, cruel and violent behaviour towards animals being an indicator of similar types of behaviour towards human beings.

You can attempt to deny or divert from this point all you like but it is one of the prime reasons we have animal cruelty legislation across the developed world.

It doesn't even take much thinking about.
Once kids leave the very young 'age of innocence', where pulling the legs off of spiders etc stops being of innocent interest, most of us got to a point where we knew to back away from the sickos who took pleasure from knowingly causing pain & mistreating pets and animals.
There's just something not right and disturbed about them.

nice how all those articles are from a biased organization...

Not a single one of those "studies" does anything other than theorize that one is indicative of the other. There is no biological or otherwise qualitative proof in a single one of them.

This isn't science. This is a consensus of like-minded individuals. Do you remember that at one point in our history, the greater consensus was that the Earth was flat?

You think they're sick. Great. Bully for you. I happen to believe that folks who irrationally apply human characteristics and "rights" to a decidedly non-human entity are mentally deficient.

I bring up the so-called link between sims and violence simply because the same judgments are made in the very "studies" you posted. The same lack of science, the same fallacy that majority opinion=fact.

"You can anthropomorphise them all you want, but they are not our equals."

I never said nor implied anything to suggest that animals are our equals, and in fact, you've tripped over your own words.

Animals do not possess a level of awareness and intelligence that humans do. They are most certainly *not* our equals and, ergo, we do not expect them to be able to make the types of thoughtful actions and make the conscious decisions as we would, so your equation of who receives punishment for harm caused (human-to-animal vs. animal-to-human) is faulty because nobody expects animals to live up to the human values of ethics & morality.

What people do to anthropomorphise animals is to apply our human feelings and sensativities to them in an unrealistic fashion, which works fine for the PBS nature shows, but not in the cruelty of the real natural world in which animals live away from humans.

The ethics and morals are applied by humans onto other humans, i.e. it is immoral to abuse your pet cat, dog or goat. We expect moral behavior from ourselves, not from the animals.

You may not have a moral issue with abusing animals, and that's fine if it works for you.

Also,if SONY thinks they can sell more consoles by publishing photos of a headless goat, then they are free to do so; and I would be at the head of the line of folks standing up to protect their right to do that.

Yeah the jails are full of people demonstrating this correlation but you can't see any linkage at all and every study done is suspect.

Here's a study from the British NSPCC (not an 'animal rights' linked group) -
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/...nks_asp_ifega26024.html

Oh look a British Gov study -
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/...nks_asp_ifega26024.html

But forget all that, it's all just 'anti-human animal rights' propaganda or from 'biased organisations' and you know best.
FFS, ludicrous.

Bully for you.

How clever.

Not.

i notice no real research on any of those pages, just census. nothing more than loose guesswork psychology...

When they cannot argue science, they argue consensus. It's the liberal/Flat Earth/Intelligent Design way, man.

Basically, they think that because the majority are idiots, the rest of us should be treated like them, act like them, and stop "showing off".

in fact, you've tripped over your own words.[/i]

You misunderstood the point of that comment. I was pointing out the double-standard. Obviously it's faulty. That's what I was pointing out. We are expected to treat these beasts as thought hey were human....when they are so obviously, in nearly every way, not.

[i]The ethics and morals are applied by humans onto other humans, i.e. it is immoral to abuse your pet cat, dog or goat.

No, that is implying that killing a cat=killing a human. Which is the *same* as implying they are, somehow, in some way, our equal.

Saying it is immoral to kill a cat assumes cat's have souls. It's not immoral to cut down a tree. It shouldn't be seen as immoral to take a 9mm to the stray that's been keeping me awake the last 3 weeks.

More gross and downright weird than anything. Sounds like a good way to get sick. Sony had to know they were going to face hell for the promo - maybe that was the plan. You'd think they'd be one company who'd try a bit harder to not come off as total dip-wad idiots tho.

I guess there's no such thing as bad advertisment. God of War is a good game and everything, but that's just sick (mostly looking at the image from the previous link. I mean eating offal from a goat's still warm stomach? I think Sony has stooped to a new low.

but that's just sick (mostly looking at the image from the previous link. I mean eating offal from a goat's still warm stomach?

It's not like they forced anyone to do it. Sure, you wouldn't do it, and neither would I. Of course, I also wouldn't eat Haggis or Pickled Herring.

Just because I wouldn't do it doesn't mean it shouldn't be done. No-one got hurt (except a goat). No harm, no foul. Ain't freedom great?

"It's not like they forced anyone to do it."

Well no... but, :), did they need to advertise it? I know it was a publicity stunt for advertisement, but still.

you know it wasn't real offal right? Of course you don't youjust believe everything the Daily Mail and Betanews tells you.

There have been subsuquent stories in the UK press, that things have been over exagerated by the Mail, but of course, that's not news...

No, they didn't. But why should that stop them?

Got any links to those other stories Ray?

Not saying you're lying or anything, perish the thought......you wouldn't come in just to try and make claims that are soft-soaping this sad little tale for Sony would you?

It's just that I've not seen this story being reported in a single national paper other than the DM.

.....or is it that when you say "subsuquent stories in the UK press" do you mean game magazines?

"No, they didn't. But why should that stop them?"

It shouldn't. This is Sony we're talking about. Maybe next time they can gut a horse and give necklaces to the attendees made out of its intestines. Just as long as it helps them sell a few games.

nah better to start with PETA members, as a whole they are just as bad as the people they go after.

This is news because it gives fodder to Hillary Clinton, et al. Much as we all hate hearing how video games magically equate to violence (unlike movies and tv), this is absolutely a stunt that will allow politician-blowhards to draw a parallel between video game violence and real "violence".

I gotta say the food in its stomach was a bit creepy, as well as leaving the head hanging on. Yes, it's just a goat, but most companies have better sense than this...

Most folks are far too concerned with being PC.

F*ck being PC.

This has nothing to do with PC
(just like most of those supposedly 'oh it's PC-ism gone mad' stories).

A callous cruelty towards animals is about ones' humanity.

Those who 'enjoy' abusive and cruel behaviour towards animals often tend towards the same sort of callous & abusive behaviour towards other people.

There's a reason why we agree laws, edge away from and shun such sorry examples of our population.

Judge one's humanity on how they treat humans.

Thanks.

Those who 'enjoy' abusive and cruel behaviour towards animals often tend towards the same sort of callous & abusive behaviour towards other people.

Unproven correlation. Just like Video games and school shootings.

it was a dead goat, not a living one, it didnt feel anything i am sure, and it probably died before they half cut it head off.

One's humanity is not just about how one treats other people.
Sickos taking pleasure in causing pain and harm to animals are inhuman.

The correlation is not unproven, numerous studies (I have listed above) show the relationship.

.......and what on earth you imagine the point of your trying to bring games into this for I don't know.
That linkage is heavily disputed by other studies.
That is quite unlike the link between cruel and abusive behaviour towards animals being matched in simialr treatment of human beings.

Sickos taking pleasure in causing pain and harm to animals are inhuman.

..in your opinion.

Well obviously not just mine.

Nevermind PC_Tool, I'm sure being ever so 'controversial' and in the minority (on all things) is something you desire anyways.

lmao..

Well obviously not just mine.

Obviously. So that makes it right.

Whatever, indeed.

this is news? oh wait a big company did this so the etiquette police must come out in full force.

WOW, GET A LIFE PEOPLE!

Its just an ad for christs sake!

A goat died.

Get over it, folks. There are more important things going on.

ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahhah!

Oh, and here:
http://www.dailymail.co....n_page_id=1770&ct=5

Mmmm! poor stupid Greek chicks will do anything for a buck! They love it in the a$$ though! Viva Greece!!

looks like i know where im going for vacation! i wanna kill a goat!

apparently you havent been to any strip club in the umm.... WORLD, in your entire life ... sometimes i wonder if anyone who is actually on this website, is over the age of 12

Wait... they cut off a real goat's head, and turned it into a party tray?

Sony = Enron

Ahh yes, the SONY express train to PR-HELL continues.

More disturbing is the EVER escalating ultra-desensitizing violence in these games. I don't know what is worse, f*cking cigarettes or these games. On the other hand, perhaps it's just nature or if you will, "natural selection" taking place here. Kids playing these games, as a result, will grow up all f*cked up, usually leading mediocre low-income lives, dumbed down and controlled. Perhaps even becoming violent themselves at some point (depending).

SOME wont, although very few. It's probably these few that grow up leading so-called "happy" lives despite the fact they were bombarded by these useless, sensless counterproductive timewasting (yet addictingly fun) games at a young age. This, while the majority of the population is left behind as "byproducts" of these games (and other unrelated things) to work for us "the survivors".

Anyhow, don't like it. nothing I can do. f*ck it. bye.

I'm sorry your opinion sucks.

doesnt really add anything to the forum does it?

What the?

*points* O look Jack Thomson in disguise!!!

oops, double posted.

"Instead, animal rights activists have zeroed in on the goat as an "outrageous" show of animal cruelty, and opponents of violent video games use the promotion as a way to point of the depths video game makers will sink to in order to market content to youngsters."

Ehmm.. this launch event was staged for the press, not for the general public. Plus the game is meant to be played by adults, hence the rating.

They did post the pictures in their official magazine.

how is it cruel? it was dead....

Oh Jesus Tap-dancing Christ!

It's a Gladiator / Adult Oriented game!

Ok, rephrase that a sec, IT'S A GAME!!! (An EXCELLENT one at that!)

This is just stupid. Sony has been going down hill ever since they announced how exspensive the PS3 was going to be. I think whoever is responsible for this event should be fired on the spot and should not be allowed to work in anything electronics related ever again.