Resistance fracas a blessing for Church

Last summer saw a top-drawer clash between The Church and Sony, thanks to Resistance: Fall of Man. One gun battle in the game took place in the hallowed surroundings of Manchester Cathedral, which prompted the Bishop of Manchester to bash Sony in the media-face for promoting gun crime. Fast forward to 2008, and the titanic face-off appears to have been a blessing in disguise for the iconic building, where visitor numbers have risen sharply.

"Since the story broke, Manchester Cathedral has seen a significant rise in visitor numbers," says David Marshall, director of communications for the Diocese of Manchester. "Teachers tell us that teenagers in particular are interested to see a building which they thought was fictional." Fictional? What are they teaching them nowadays, etc, and so on.

But the good news doesn't end there, as Marshall explains in this month's Official PlayStation Magazine: "We have also seen general tourist numbers rise following the broadcast of pictures taken inside the cathedral."

Right then, The Church. You owe us one. How about a Super Smash Bros. stage set in Westminster Cathedral?

Grab a copy of Official PlayStation Magazine issue #016, on sale now, for an exclusive first look at Resistance 2

Ben Richardson is a former Staff Writer for Official PlayStation 2 magazine and a former Content Editor of GamesRadar+. In the years since Ben left GR, he has worked as a columnist, communications officer, charity coach, and podcast host – but we still look back to his news stories from time to time, they are a window into a different era of video games.