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To: Lost1 who wrote (2832)	10/17/2002 3:32:24 PM
From: Original Mad Dog	Respond to of 7689

story.news.yahoo.com Acclaim: Critics Unfair in Blasting 'XXX' Game Thu Oct 17, 1:20 PM ET By Ben Berkowitz LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Shunned by retailers for a video game featuring prostitutes and pimps, Acclaim Entertainment Inc. on Thursday said the controversial game was being unfairly held to a different standard than mainstream media. "BMX XXX," which will carry a "Mature" rating as assigned by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, features scantily-clad prostitutes, pimps in outrageous clothing and copulating dogs, and carries the tagline "Keep It Dirty." Glen Cove, New York-based Acclaim is scheduled to release the game on Nov. 19 for Sony Corp (news - web sites).'s PlayStation 2 (news - web sites), Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox (news - web sites) and Nintendo (news - web sites) Co. Ltd.'s GameCube game consoles. Retailers Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Toys R Us Inc., KB Toys, Best Buy Co. Inc. and Circuit City Stores Inc. all said this week they would not carry the game. The Parents Television Council, a group that usually condemns what it sees as inappropriate TV programming, issued a statement Thursday praising retailers for refusing to stock the game. But Acclaim countered with an unusual statement arguing that its game had been misunderstood. "We believe that there is a general, unfair characterization of the interactive (news - external web site) entertainment industry and as a result, our product is being held to an entirely different standard than other entertainment media with comparable content, including movies, television and radio," Acclaim Chief Executive Greg Fischbach said in a statement. In its statement, Acclaim cited statistics from research firm NPD Group showing that 60 percent of people who own advanced game consoles are men over 18, which it said demonstrates the potential audience for the title. In its statement Acclaim compared the game with edgy but popular TV shows like "The Sopranos (news - Y! TV)" and "Sex and the City (news - Y! TV)" and teen comedy "American Pie." "While we acknowledge that we are setting new benchmarks with BMX XXX, we are disappointed that there are groups who fail to see how this humorous product is truly on par with such widely accepted mainstream entertainment experiences," Fischbach said. Earlier this week, Fischbach told Reuters he believed most retailers would change their position on stocking the game once they had actually seen it. In early-afternoon composite trade on Nasdaq, Acclaim shares rose 9 cents, or 7.69 percent, to $1.26. The company, which warned last month it would post a loss for the August-ended quarter instead of the profit analysts had earlier expected, reports results for the quarter after the close of trading Thursday.