[plswdth]

I think perhaps y'all are missing the point a bit--it's not just about one action or movement--you wouldn't say the Mona Lisa is "just sitting there smiling". It's about how the picture makes you feel, what it conjures in your mind.

So here's what I think--
At first glance, it seems that she is in duress, perhaps bound. I think most cultures would tend to automatically see this as typically females are seen as weaker (not saying it's right, just saying that's how it is.) It almost reminds me of a pose in "A Clockwork Orange" where a female is about to be violently raped. This is interesting because the game is supposedly about violence, and what is more violent than rape?

But, the clever part about it is--upon further examination--she has a gun in her hand, in the shadows. Thus, she is far from bound--she is in control of the situation, and almost seems to be in an erotic pose--maybe she gets off on the violence, and killing?

Looking at her face more closely, you can read either pain or pleasure.

For me, it's a very emotional image with an interesting visual paradox. Since it's going to be an adventure game about violence, it will hopefully be somewhat intellectual (if not, why not just make a boring action/shooter...which are normally always about violence). The dichotomy of making a game about violence in a genre, adventure, which is usaully not concerned with violence has the potential of being quite interesting, indeed--especially if the game follows with the subtle commentary that I see in this picture!