Earlier today the latest trailer for Twisted Metal hit GameTrailers.com and it has been receiving some varying reviews. Most of the fans are digging it, really enjoying how dark it is, and are super psyched for when the game releases. Others are not so receptive, saying that there is rape in it and that it’s almost too dark. So, what gives?
What brought this to my attention were some tweets from David Scott Jaffe, Co-Founder of Eat, Sleep, Play and Co-Director/Co-Lead Designer of Twisted Metal. I’ve been following him for months, and while I’ve sometimes disagreed with some of the things he has said in the past, I couldn’t agree with him more on this issue:
Wow- amazed/saddened/confused that people are getting ‘rape’ from the new TWISTED METAL trailer. Wha?!? Is it Tooth attacking a girl? Yep!
That statement was quickly followed up with:
That’s kind of what he does, he’s a slasher in the vein of Freddy and Jason. But raping her?!? Where the hell are some of ya’ll getting that?
What Jaffe and commenters are referring to is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it section of the trailer where Sweet Tooth is backing a girl (I couldn’t exactly tell who it was but if you did let me know in a comment below) up to a wall while wielding a machete. I love Sweet Tooth; I have ever since I first started playing Twisted Metal, and I will probably always love him. Jaffe hit the nail on the head when he compared Tooth to popular horror villains like Freddy and Jason – villains that have achieved iconic status and have never been accused of rape.
In those movies the big scary man chases the (almost always blonde and Caucasian) girl through woods in the dark or through a house where she is eventually trapped upstairs. It’s classic horror – nothing more, nothing less. Freddy doesn’t have some sexual ulterior motive when he corners a girl and her back is pressed up against a wall; we’ve never seen him try to get a piece (and thank goodness because that would’ve been rather sick). Same goes for Jason. I doubt that when he is chasing after his victim he is thinking to himself, “I’m going to force her against a wall and she’s going to LOVE it!” No, no and – on so many levels – no.
On the GameTrailers website there are comments like, “Whats (sic) with the little girl about to get raped and murdered?” and “That girl in the house was totally about to be raped lol.” Granted, the girl is rather submissive in that clip but if you had a creepy ass clown with a flaming head and a machete backing you up into a corner and you were unarmed…. wouldn’t you be a bit submissive too? Hell, I know I’d be pissing my pants!
Any person who is a fan of the series is familiar with the characters, so what Sweet Tooth is doing shouldn’t really surprise any of us. In fact, I got excited because I knew my psycho clown was back and in action! I guess that makes me strange, but I don’t care. Twisted Metal isn’t really a game for children, nor is it a game where ponies and glitter are in full effect. It’s about murderers, insane individuals and a really awesome driving experience. Jaffe and crew know what they’re doing, and I can honestly say, as a woman and a person who has experienced sexual abuse in the past, that I would’ve never thought Sweet Tooth was raping that girl had I not seen the Twitter comments. It is just mind-boggling that some people are coming to that conclusion after not even a few seconds of footage.
Twisted Metal, which now has a release date of October 4th, is definitely going to be a must-have game for 2011 and for the PS3 console in general. Want to see what all the fuss is about? Check out the trailer below and prepare to have your mind blown by awesomeness, not rape. Also, let us know what you think in a comment!
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