Sony has found itself in the firing line over its PS3 title Resistance: Fall of Man over content which the Church of England says is a little too realistic.

The PS3 FPS uses a very realistic Manchester Cathedral in one of its battles as resistance fighters take on an alien swarm in 1951.

The Church says that Sony had never sought permission to use the Cathedral in the game which uses both exterior and interior detail.

Speaking on the ITV news, the Right Reverend Nigel McCulloch spoke of Manchester’s gun crime problem, saying, "It is well known that Manchester has a gun crime problem and for a global manufacturer to re-create one of our great cathedrals with a photo-realistic quality and then encourage people to have gun battles in the building is beyond belief and highly irresponsible”.

"Here in Manchester we do all we can to support communities through our parish clergy, we know the reality of gun crime and the devastating effects it can have on the lives – it is not a trivial matter."

For Sony’s part, it has stated that t did have the necessary permission and that the game does not included shooting humans, but aliens.

"Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is aware of the concerns expressed by the Bishop of Manchester and the Cathedral authorities about the use of Manchester Cathedral in the game Resistance: Fall of Man, and we naturally take their concerns very seriously", the statement says.

"Resistance: Fall of Man is a fantasy science fiction game and is not based on reality. The game is set in an alternate and mythical version of Europe in the 1950s, in which the enemy are strange looking alien invaders seeking to destroy humanity."

"Whilst we believe that we have sought and received all permissions necessary for the creation of the game, we will be contacting the Cathedral authorities in order to better understand their concerns in more detail."

>> Link - Official Site/Manchester Cathedral