*This is an editorial and all words and opinions are those of the writer and not those of DPAD, Gotfrag or any other person or company related to or with.

I have to admit I was a little set back when I heard Sony slaughtered a live goat at their God of War II release event. I was even going to write a big news article, but then common sense set in. Why would Sony slaughter a goat in front of a bunch of media personnel? A statement from Daily Mail, who was invited to the event, but did not actually go:

“….Guests at the event were even invited to reach inside the goat’s still-warm carcass to eat offal from its stomach. Sickening images of the party have appeared in the company’s official PlayStation magazine – but after being contacted by The Mail on Sunday, Sony issued an apology for the gruesome stunt and promised to recall the entire print run. Critics condemned the entertainment giant, which produces scores of Hollywood blockbusters each year, for its "blood lust" and said the grotesque "sacrifice" highlighted increasing concerns over the content of video games and the lengths to which the industry will go to exploit youngsters. At the event, guests competed to see who could eat the most offal – procured elsewhere and intended to resemble the goat’s intestines – from its stomach. They also threw knives at targets and pulled live snakes from a pit with their bare hands. Topless girls added to the louche atmosphere by dipping grapes into guests’ mouths, while a male model portraying Kratos, the game’s warrior hero, handed out garlands….”

The Daily Mail is in a rush to be the first to bash the gaming giant, who caused a huge uproar with gamers and non-gamers alike. Just look at the local gaming forums to see. They even caused Sony to issue an apology letter to local media and game sites.

"The media event for the PS2 title God of War ll took place in Athens, Greece on 1st March. Approximately 20 journalists from European countries attended the event from a variety of gaming and lifestyle media - although none were from the UK. The event was a theatrical dramatization with a Greek mythological theme and, as part of the set dressing, a dead goat was provided by the production company from a qualified local butcher. Following the mainstream popularity of shows such as 'I'm a Celebrity, Get me out of here' a series of challenges were set for the journalists. The 'warm entrails' referred to in the invitation and in the Mail on Sunday article was actually a meat soup, made from a traditional Greek recipe and served to attendees in china bowls direct from the caterers. There was never any question of journalists being able to touch the goat or to eat the soup directly from the body, as one report has alleged. The goat was returned to the butcher at the end of the event. The article in UK Official PlayStation Magazine (OPSM), from which the Mail on Sunday article was sourced, was written by a journalist who did not attend. The "facts" the journalist gathered was done purely on the invitation for the event, which employed a degree of hyperbole in order to encourage attendance. Sadly, the journalist chose to take it as fact! The photograph was one of many supplied to the magazine to provide a balanced view of the event. Unfortunately, the article was sensationalized and focused on a picture that was unrepresentative of the wider event. When we saw the article for the first time on Thursday of last week we contacted the Publisher of OPSM who accepted that the article was not appropriate for their broad audience. On Friday, before we had received any contact from the media, they agreed to remove the center page article before the magazine went on general sale. We recognize that the use of a dead goat was in poor taste and fell below the high standards of conduct we set ourselves. We are conducting an enquiry to establish the circumstances behind the event in order to ensure this does not happen again. We also apologize to anyone offended by the article in the OPSM (subscription copies were sent out ahead of street date)."

So what do I think about it? I think Sony should never have apologized. They should have stepped up and said “Yea. We had a dead goat at our God of War II party. We also had half-naked men and women feeding our guests grapes and wine. This was a Grecian party celebrating one of our most successful and violent games we ever created. This was an adult sponsored function by invite only. We did not invite the local schools nor did we invite the local church choir. We did not have women dancing around flames and speaking in tongue. It was an event to advertise the era of the game. If you do not like how the function was held then don’t buy the game, otherwise shut up and play.” The people that should be issuing an apology are all the media that spouted falsehoods and rumors to sell magazines and web hits. Sony should hold all the people accountable that feel they are judge and jury of events they never attended. If you are going to judge then you should be willing to be judged. To everyone who has an issue with the event, I ask you this. Have you ever eaten meat? Have you ever worn a leather coat or a pair of tennis shoes? Do you think they waited for the animal to die of old age or some disease? No. They went out, found an animal, and shot it. Just because you don’t see it does not change this fact. If that fact bothers you then just sit back and think of all the pig roasts and state fairs you should be boycotting. They slaughter live animals to celebrate a good harvest and a successful sporting event. In closing, Sony has nothing to apologize for. This was simple media and for the most part anti-Sonyism at its best. I am not saying Sony is above reproach or scrutiny. I'm just saying: if you are going to make a judgment about something or someone, make sure you have all the facts first. So please remember... buy the game or not, I don’t care, just make sure you pass the BBQ sauce first.