Velvet Assassin keeping morphine references |
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| BY Kristen Spencer Jan. 21st, 2009 | More on: |
Using morphine injections to heighten senses and perform devastating attacks might cause some problems for Velvet Assassin, SouthPeak and Replay Studio’s WWII stealth action game, when it comes time to reveal their wares to various videogame ratings boards, the notoriously nitpicky gatekeepers of distribution. Other high-profile games have bowed to the pressure, removing references to real life drugs to prevent banning, so will Velvet Assassin do the same? In an e-mail statement sent to MTV Multiplayer, SouthPeak product marketing manager Aubrey Norris stuck to her proverbial guns, defending the decision to include the controversial drug references as a matter of historical accuracy and artistic integrity.
“One of ‘Velvet Assassin’’s strongest features is the emphasis on retaining as much historical accuracy as possible,” explained Norris. “It’s a well known fact that morphine was widely used as a pain killer for wounded operatives and soldiers on all sides of the war. Not only does it fit the realism of the game, but it also plays an integral role in the actual gameplay experience. Use of morphine in the game is not meant to condone drug abuse, but to reflect the realistic nature of the game and true to life historical factors.”
“It is incredibly important to us that the artistic integrity of the developer (Replay Studios) is upheld in every aspect,” she continued. “Additionally, the spirit of the game centers on players experiencing the life of a British operative behind enemy lines through Violette’s memories. In order to provide players with the most realistic and visceral experiences, Replay Studios has gone to great lengths to adhere to the facts history has provided. These reasons are why we decided to include and keep morphine in ‘Velvet Assassin.’”
We wish Velvet Assassin the best of luck fighting the Nazis.
January 21st, 2009
at 2:08 pm
I applaud Aubrey Norris, I believe that the morphine use should be kept in the game to provide the realistic aspect. Otherwise, all that is going to happen is they will just change the name of it from morphine to something else, and lets be honest anyone with some kind of knowledge of WWII will know exactly what that is. Any children who play this game will still see it as a use of some kind of steroid, changing the name of it won’t change anything, and besides how many younger kids do they expect to play this game? Also, isn’t it the parents responsibility to teach their kids that a video game is just a video game, and they need to know the difference between real life and a game. I mean i played Mortal Kombat and Doom everyday of my childhood and i don’t walk around looking to perform fatalities or trying to kill demons, because my parents taught me better.
January 21st, 2009
at 2:26 pm
Im pretty sure, if demons invade the earth, you should forget those lesson quick and help kill them!
January 21st, 2009
at 2:31 pm
Oh I know and the experience that was collected from my countless hours of killing electronic demons is going to pay off lol
January 21st, 2009
at 5:00 pm
Velvet Assassin is likely getting an M rating anyway. Until people start seeing videogames as more than just kid fodder, like they used to look at Comics (and some still do), things like this will always cause a big stink. I think as long as they don’t add PCP into the next GTA, so you can get shot 20 times and still mow down the cops, things like this should be allowed.