Sony is the only console manufacturer crazy enough to allow PS1-inspired alt-horror Christmas Massacre to release on its systems, according to infamous developer Puppet Combo. The oddball outing – which appears to allow you to play as a murderous Santa Claus – has been dubbed “too crazy” for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox.
This is surprising, because PlayStation has earned itself a reputation for being heavy on censorship and far too safe. Some hardcore fans have taken issue with the Japanese giant’s certification process, which has seen some overly sexual scenes altered. The company doesn’t appear to take too much of an issue with violence, however, as evidenced by first-party titles like The Last of Us: Part 2.
However, Puppet Combo has released titles on all systems before, such as Nun Massacre, so it’s unclear why Christmas Massacre has only been given the greenlight on PS5 and PS4. We can’t help but wonder whether the increased exposure will prompt PlayStation to give the game a closer look, but for now, it’s scheduled to release on 17th November for Sony’s systems.
[source twitter.com, via twitter.com, videogameschronicle.com]
Comments 65
Good. Censorship is the dumbest thing in gaming. I don't need some mega corporation telling me what I should and shouldn't play.
Maybe this is the start of a new era for Sony now that ol' Jim is gone?.. Probably not, but that would be cool.
Would love to see something like Fear and Hunger 2: Termina on Playstation, but ain't no way will Fear and Hunger 1 EVER be on a console of any kind!
@Ken_Kaniff Agreed. Unless it's pedo stuff.
Looks like a fun Christmas game. I might have to pick this up. Would love if it has the classic PS1 startup screen.
@Constable_What Ol' Jim is technically not gone just yet ...
are this studios games actually fun to play? the retro style looks interesting
Im sure if the developers added the ability to grope school girl elf’s at the last minute Sony would refuse certification to.
The key to endorsement by Sony, no strings attached, is being shovelware.
Removed - flaming/arguing; user is banned
@BeenGamingSince_83 He's got a foot out of the door for sure though.
@LordAinsley I only discovered puppet combo yesterday after reading this article on pure xbox and picked up nun massacre last night. Really good and the ps1/vhs aesthetic works really well with the 80s horror theme. Gonna grab murder house next before this one comes out
I find it incredible what Sony censor. This seems to be one of the few common sense reactions. In my opinion a platform holder should not even be allowed to censor material, as long as it’s legal.
The game actually looks pretty crazy. The christmas tree telling him to kill everybody was so darkly hilarious
Well done to Xbox and Nintendo.
(Haters gonna hate, but glorifying mass murder never helped anyone).
@Kienda isn't that what what you do in most games? Also, if you don't like them, don't play them. Simples. At least that's the way I see it. Unless there's a legitimate peer reviewed study that shows a direct link between video games and violence or mass murder.
@thefourfoldroot1 For me its not the content that needs blocking, but the "low effort" titles, but I think there is often crossover with low effort and sexual content so I think it creates some confusion
Titilating thumbnails, the sort of shovelware garbage that exists purely to pry open horny curious teenagers wallets.
I hate opening to store and seeing "Hentai or Die: Kawaii Sexy Warriors" on the front page
Removed - inappropriate
I watched a trailer for the game and it just looks like a mass murder simulator and one of the levels looks like a school massacre. As a father of 2 I find it disgusting, what is wrong with people that it is entertainment for them. Troubled indeed
@LordAinsley
Honestly, what people like is subjective, and there are bad games that are titillating and then the majority that aren’t. These are two separate issues for me therefore. And, I mean, I love me some peach beach splash or Criminal Girls. In part because there is something pretty to look at but largely because they are just good examples of their genres. Don’t discount a game from a splash screen in the store just because it shows more cleavage than you might consider “appropriate”.
@thefourfoldroot1 a platform can do what they want it their platform lol
I love my PS5, and enjoy games like GTA. I just watched a gameplay video, and this game crosses the line. It encourages mass murder of people. I live in US, where we have mass shootings all the time. Very disturbing game, I am with Nintendo and Microsoft on this one.
@C25CLOUD
Currently yes, but just like I don’t think a telecoms company should be able to restrict what is said down phone lines, or a government should be allowed to dictate what can be said at protests (public safety permitting) I similarly do not think a platform holder, whether a games platform, social media platform etc, should be able to limit what is expressed on those platforms. In essence, they shouldn’t be political, but merely a channel for the views and opinions of others.
I’m sure the platform holders would secretly love to be divested of the responsibility too. But then our governments and courts would actually need to do their jobs, and that will never happen.
While the game doesn't look very good, it still is attention-grabbing, lol. To quote Robocop; I'd buy that for a dollar. 😋
@thefourfoldroot1 It's literally the platform holders platform, rofl. They have the final say.
Imagine if random people could come into your house any time they wanted, stay as long as they wanted and did whatever they wished, etc.. It's the same idea. Ridiculous.
Thankfully I can tell the difference between video game and real life violence so this looks fun
@thefourfoldroot1 I can't really ask this without sounding lewd but...instead of looking for games with pointless titalation, cant you just go and look at Corn online? There's so much of it.
None of these games are good apart from this titalation.
I skimmed through a Youtube video of the game and it sure is a strange one.
I'm kinda surprised Nintendo didn't allow it on the eshop, since the eshop has a few 18+ risque games, but hey, I don't run the digital front lol.
What Sony allows and doesn't allow seems to change every month.
Sony loves Shovelware and violence in video games.. the perfect match.
Game doesn't look to be my cup o' tea (definitely a little too much for me, lol), but good on Sony for allowing it.
@LordAinsley, sorry for stepping in here, but "Corn" (as you put it) isn't a substitute for fanservice, ecchi, or whatever you want to call them games, as they aren't really trying to be "Corn" adjacent in the first place.
While there are many low effort projects (just like with any genre/theme), there are also many titles that are perfectly fine (Samurai Maiden, most Senran Kagura titles, Sakura Wars, DOA, etc.) or even a few that break out and are considered great (the Bayonetta games) examples of their respective gameplay genres. Why have "sexy" women in the first place? Probably just because they figure their target audience (or maybe even the dev staff themselves) will enjoy that aspect of the experience (and it's just that, one aspect out of many that makes the game what it is), and is something straight up "Corn" won't substitute for.
Saying that someone should just watch "Corn" instead of playing one of these games is like saying someone should do the same instead of watching Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Stripes, Ghost in the Shell, Spartacus, or any other film/series that features gratuitous nudity. Or saying that someone should just watch a bunch of War Documentaries/the news instead of playing Call of Duty if they're so interested in war (after all, there's plenty of it out there, and a lot you can get for free).
So this is allowed, but Trish's butt had to be censored in DMC5? Got it.
@Sakai a game designed by sick minds for people with sick minds intended 🤢🤢😡
Plenty of good games out ther to ignore this drivel
@LordAinsley
Erm, sure. I could read a book instead of wanting a good narrative in a game, go to a concert instead of looking for good music in a game and, yes, watch corn (or be with my wife) instead of wanting attractive characters in games. But, sometimes, I actually do want to play games, and would usually rather they have good examples of those things too…
@EVIL-C
It’s not the same thing at all. It’s more like running a country and not allowing people to have free speech. The difference is in choice, or the lack thereof.
But then I’m just an old lefty in this respect, I’d rather energy companies and landlords have price caps, and things like water and basic food staples too; I believe in not giving huge corporations overarching power. The idea they can control free expression by dominating the channels for the dissemination of that expression is just horrendous to me. If the government make something illegal by the will of the people then the companies would have a duty, beyond that they should have no power to dictate what it is acceptable to show and say. We only really have 3 games consoles, and if a big one like Sony restricts access for devs then we have seen that certain types of games are simply not viable to make any longer. Far too much control to allow platform owners to have.
@RR529 I love Bayonetta also but i think it's a different kettle of fish to some of the other games you've mentioned. There's definitely more to it then the little girl water gun game.
Last of Us P2 has a pretty gratuitous sex scene id hate to see censored. It's not the lewdness, it's how it's done and the reason why
@thefourfoldroot1 on politics, I'd actually argue a lot of these games are pure capitalist exploitation! Minimal effort games with TnA in place of any artistic merit, existing purely to extract money from your wallet!
I'm not really arguing for censorship here, more for elevating the games medium
@thefourfoldroot1 It's like having a store and deciding what to sell in your store. I'm all for price caps on rent, energy, medicine, etc.., but I am also fine with stores deciding to not sell certain items if they feel they don't want to be associated with it. I wouldn't walk into Toys R Us and expect to find sex toys for sale, just like I wouldn't walk into a bakery and expect to find guns for sale, nor should those stores be forced to sell those items if they don't want to.
Just like I don't want certain people in my home that I don't wish to enter. And I think my positions are perfectly reasonable.
But now we're getting into apples vs. oranges.
How about we censor Mario? Because he's clearly a psychopath.
@EVIL-C
Sure, but if you are one of only a few stores available, and you spend billions maintaining that dominance and restricting others from the market, you have an inordinate amount of power to not only restrict what is accessible, but even what people bother to make when they see a huge part of the market is being restricted. This is what happened with Sony and Japanese titillating content. They closed a huge portion of the market so many devs stopped making those type of experiences, even though they were perfectly legal. I just don’t want companies having that type of societal control is all
@Sakai Don't think too much about it. There just 1's and 0's. As long as no one is actually getting hurt, it's alright.
@naruball Totally agree with you on that sexualisation of minors is quite dispicable. If you a picture of 13 old girl and say but she is 18 also quite lazy.
@theSpectre Capcom choose to it themselves and they patched it in the US but were to lazy to do so in Europe.
@Sakai Yeah it's horrible 😆
I have watched it are you really serious? It looks so silly and hilarious i can't take it serious. There are horror games and movies are way worse then this. Not for me it looks to stupid to take serious.
@Flaming_Kaiser my thoughts exactly. Even worse. A 7-year-old looking girl who is supposed to be 5,000 years old. Yeah, right... Looking at you, "7 deadly sins" anime (I'm sure there are other ones, but that's one and I found all sorts of wrong).
Seems to be a generation gap with this one. As a Gen X I find this stuff hilarious and fun to play. Of course we grew up with C64, so games pushing the PC envelope are refreshing.
@LordAinsley What’s your problem with Corn?? I’m a product of Corn! Both of my parents were in the Corn industry. I consume Corn almost daily and it’s quite healthy to do so. I’m a regular Corn addict and some may even call me a ‘CornDog’. My wife hates Corn though and gets mad every time she sees Corn all over my phone (I tend to get messy when Corn is involved). I say Corn is for everyone. This Thanksgiving, get grandma and your loved ones and just sit around and enjoy some sweet sweet Corn. 🌽 🍑
Dad jokes = Complete
The entire basis of this article is two responses to fan questions on Twitter. Did anyone at Push Square bother to ask Xbox or Nintendo if they really did decline to permit this game on their platforms?
I think the more likely explanation is the developer didn't want to port it to those systems for whatever reason, and just called it "too crazy" for them on Twitter. Looks like he got some free publicity out of his offhanded remarks!
Do better, Push Square!
@LightningLeader I don’t think glorifying any murder/mass murder is right.
Killing is different to murder.
@Rioichi GTA is an open world sandbox which includes mechanics for a lot of things. It’s not a game designed specifically around mass murdering civilians.
There is a difference.
Removed - inappropriate
@WolfyTn you're a pretty corny guy, but I like ya
It is pretty silly how Sony is totally cool with hyper violent content but are strict with sexual content. Just a strange stance to take.
@LordAinsley I doubt sony has that kind of stuff on the store, last time i checked they censored the likes of senran kagura, steam is the marketplace that is seemingly full of stuff like that.
@theSpectre won't somebody think of the children 😱
Watching sexy young fictional women on a beach is bad but murdering innocent fictional people is ok. Looks like misogyny to me.
I've always found what companies choose to censor and not censor to be pretty arbitrary. I don't see why DOA xtreme is bad but this is okay. Oh well, I'm sure the game will be more shock than substance but that's no reason to ban it.
@Rioichi there is a difference between nonsensical barbaric violence and simple violence in a game that is played by a big audience big difference, if you want to be big and bold about this look at the current wars and humans, this game maybe small or "indie" but the fact remains that they are making a game on pure onset of just intentional nonsensical violence, there is nothing else to this and I don't see any reason why most people would want to play or interact with this game, you do you and keep your dark fantasies to yourself but majority of sane people wouldn't even think of playing something like this, I'm wasting my time trying to get a reasonable debate regarding this matter smh
@Kienda yeah, you brought it down to what I was trying to say, good team 👌👌😎
@Deityjester Only when it's politically convenient, obviously.
@naruball Yeah and it just feels cringe. But I don't like adult character censorship being nude is nothing special.
@Dadou Getting horny over kids that look like they are 14 years old is quite nasty you can say they are 18 but lets be real thats not what they are depicting. 😆
I played this on PC and will gladly get it again on PS5. Nothing to do about murdering, it's just the authentic 80s horror film experience, that makes it hilarious.
@Dange it really is. Can't go much without spoilers, but it is. If you're into horror classics like Friday the 13th you're going to have a ball.
@Flaming_Kaiser I'm not questioning the looks of Dead or Alive female protagonists rather the hypocrisy of Sony's censorship policy.
@Dadou And im not even talking about Dead or Alive. Anime games have some questionable content sometimes that what I mean. Feeling up these girls that clearly are made to look like teenagers.
Nobody is complaining that adults where you can see the bum are a issue. The biggest issue I have with Sony is that they can say something clear like no children or look alike children in sexually questionable situations.
Violence has always been more excepted then sexual stuff. Full nudity has not been in thing in consolegames but thats nothing new.
But you talk about this being questionable but with Friday the 13th nobody has a complaint. And when a Saw games get released it's also fine. But you draw the line at something like a pixelated game with a Santa?
@Flaming_Kaiser My questions are for the actual fact of banning a whole game about sexualized young women lookalike, with the implied message: "We at Sony want to protect our users, even adults, from inappropriate contents"; and in that case the content that crosses the line is too many sexy women chilling at the beach and pole dancing.
I'm personally ok with Christmas Massacre; I just notice that for Sony it is way worse to watch women bodies than brutally murder innocents.
@Dadou It's all stupid but thats the world sex bad violence is good. You seen stuff like Saw and Hostel I won't watch it but there seems to be a market for it.
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...