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  • doublepepperoni [none/use name]
    ·
    edit-2
    4 years ago

    Uh oh, people are calling our game horribly racist, let's throw a couple of Arab, Hispanic and white looking guys into the crowds you're endlessly mowing down, problem solved!

    -Capcom, 2009

    No discussion of Resident Evil 5's depiction of Africa and Africans is complete without mention of this particular unlockable outfit for Sheva

    Edit: Did Sheva even exist in the initial gameplay reveal or was she added in response to the criticism?

      • doublepepperoni [none/use name]
        ·
        4 years ago

        Not that it absolves them in any way, but I believe RE5 was Capcom just being incredibly ignorant of the implications of the imagery and tropes they were employing, and that the backlash truly caught them off guard.

        Like they'd had the same approach with Resident Evil 4, where they decided to to set the game in Europe and then proceeded to fill it with all the European things they could think of "Castles! Villages! Cathedrals! Monks! Napoleon!"

        Unfortunately, most of the things you associate with Africa that have trickled down to you via news and pop culture tend to be... uhhh, not good (or true)