"Usually, an early glimpse of gameplay from a high-profile title stirs gentle butterflies of excitement. But after perusing Capcom's newly translated Resident Evil 5 video interview this morning, more than a few of us were feeling uneasy; not fluttering, but squirming, like worms in our guts. It's the same feeling some of us had when we watched RE5's first trailer (and again when it was extended). It's the same feeling that burst
Just thought this was kind of interesting.
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nto a heated discussion about racism, about how RE5's imagery relates to historical and contemporary issues of race -- even if these African villagers are more "zombie" than human, like the Spaniards in RE4. Newsweek's N'Gai Croal argues, "It's not as simple as saying, 'Oh, they shot Spanish zombies in Resident Evil 4, and now black zombies and that's why people are getting upset.' The imagery is not the same. It doesn't carry the same history, it doesn't carry the same weight. I don't know how to explain it more clearly than that."

MTV Multiplayer has published some important commentary on the first RE5 trailer by Croal, whose first reaction was simply: "Wow, clearly no one black worked on this game." Croal is not proposing censorship, but a need for context and an understanding that the imagery in RE5 is not just a palette swap. "This is why it is important to whoever works in the American office of a company like Capcom to be able to show this is the history, this is where this comes from, this is where we need to be more sensitive. I'm not sure they've done that yet."
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Capcom on why they chose africa for RE5

"...we really wanted to show the origins of the virus. So for the setting we thought, how about using the place where humankind was born?...we thought we would use Africa, which is now called the birthplace of humanity, as the model."
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I think people play the race card a lil too hard sometimes. Honestly its just a game, and no one had a problem when we were killing white people in RE1-3 white zombies....in 4 killed spaniard zombies...and in 5 we'll be killing african zombies...WHO CARES! Its a palette change.

*coming from someone who is half black btw..

Resident Evil 5 is in no way racist, I'm here today to tell you what is.
Pointing out how the Japanese pronounce the game 'LocoRoco' as 'RocoLoco' is racist.


Live for life, free your mind, we'll survive, let love unlock the door.

In the end not everyone will be pleased. In most games people could say they're 'rasicst'. For people saying RE5 is rasist...Calm the hell down! It's a game!

nah, this shit's racist as fuck!!!! capcom actually hates whites, blacks, spaniards, women, dogs, crows, octopus people and big tentacle flowers. that's why they're always the targets. time to 'fess up, capcom. i've had it up to here with your human/pseudo animal bigotry!

It's all very silly to me. I just don't see the reasons why it seems racist.

Are black people offended by becoming zombies? I'm gonna have to say no. If I'm right, which I am then what's the big fuss?

It seems to me like a pretty good representation of some parts of Africa too. Not the nicest place in the world.

What I wanna know is why are people freaking out NOW? In RE4, it was hispanics, I don't rememeber anyone freaking out about that. If they want to claim Capcom is rasist they should've done it a long time ago.

Well I guess the only next option is to let RE6 take place in Australia with Shaft as the main character lol...

if people are really into games i dont think they should be complaining about having to kill black people an more than killing anyone else, i mean if it was the morals that were being called into question then they wouldnt play the likes of GTA since it is pretty much the most unmoral series of games ever, i think some people will just see it as another excuse to pull out the race card
besides it had to be set some where, they chose africa....it would then look a bit silly if everybody was white or chinese or something

oh dear word.....I mean come on the past RE have all been white zombies, and then RE 4 came out and they were spaniards who cares seriously its a fucking game. a zombie is a zombie oh well get over it and just shoot the damn thing. who cares about the color, maybe they should just go back to making them gray and green.



"I just saved a bunch of money on my wifi service by switching to Nintendo!"
-King of Nintendo

Just be glad PETA isn't jumping in for the ruthless killing of innocent zombie animals. Cause the games promote that too. I see this whole bull shit as yet another persons try at 15 minutes of fame. Hooray for people trying to exploit racism for fame again. /shakes head at humans


"Those who say they don't fear Death are either Lying or Insane. Which am I?"
-Hades
God of the UnderWorld as well as the Erratics