Worst Video Games PR Award 2012: Nominee #1

Asura's Wrath PR suggests beating Prime Minister with a bat

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Wow. We rated and reviewed Asura's Wrath recently (you can read that here) many other publications have too. The marketing for the Capcom title has been what you'd expect: professional and not even a bit patronising. Then this happens...

Basically - and this hasn't been generated by Capcom but by an independent marketing firm - we get an email containing photographs of "members of the public" beating up two very badly made dummies on which cut-out faces of two public figures have been stuck.

As we've pointed out in the review, the game in question is, "basically (a) SciFi-Asian-Demigod-Superheroes punching each other around. With red-paint-monkeys."

To market the game, we're told:

"A recent poll identified Prime Minister David Cameron as the individual who made the UK population most angry."

Erm?

"Cameron received 25% of the vote, with Labour leader Ed Miliband coming second with 16%, and third, RMT leader Bob Crow with 9%."

Erm? What?

"To help people release their anger, effigies of these individuals were created and positioned outside the Houses of Parliament for people to vent upon on their way to work.

"This activity was carried out for the launch of new video game, Asura's Wrath, which launches in the UK on 9th March."

Erm? What? How much coke?

We were also sent captions to go with the pictures... just in case.

"CAPTIONS:
"A member of the public vents their anger on Prime Minister David Cameron outside the Houses of Parliament, who was voted the UK's most anger inducing individual, for the launch of the video game, Asura’s Wrath, on 9th March”

“A member of the public vents their anger on RMT Leader Bob Crow outside the Houses of Parliament, who was voted the UK's third most anger inducing individual, for the launch of the video game, Asura’s Wrath, on 9th March”

Erm? Yes, it's useful to have a photo of a 'member of the public' beating up an effigy of someone from the right of politics if you're a left-leaning publication. But it's also to have... you get the idea.

So, readers, do these images make you want to buy Asura's Wrath?
Companies:
Games:

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