Clock Tower (series)
| Clock Tower | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genres | Point-and-click adventure, survival horror |
| Developers |
Human Entertainment Capcom Sunsoft |
| Publishers |
ASCII Entertainment Agetec Capcom |
| Creators | Hifumi Kono |
| Platforms | Super Famicom, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Windows, WonderSwan |
| Platform of origin | Super Famicom |
| First release |
Clock Tower September 14, 1995 |
| Latest release |
Clock Tower 3 December 12, 2002 |
Clock Tower[lower-alpha 1] is a survival horror point-and-click adventure video game series originally created by Human Entertainment and continued by Sunsoft and Capcom. Currently, Sunsoft is the sole owner of the intellectual property.[1] Unlike many other survival horror games, the Clock Tower series does not focus on shooting creatures or using violence, but rather using the player's surroundings to hide and escape while solving puzzles and following the narrative.
Installment overview
| 1995 | Clock Tower (1995) |
| 1996 | Clock Tower (1996) |
| 1997 | |
| 1998 | Clock Tower II: The Struggle Within |
| 1999 | |
| 2000 | |
| 2001 | |
| 2002 | Clock Tower 3 |
Clock Tower (1995)
Clock Tower[lower-alpha 2] is a survival horror point-and-click adventure game with 2D graphics, first released in 1995 for the Super Famicom exclusively in Japan. The story follows Jennifer Simpson as she explores a mansion while being stalked by the Scissorman. An enhanced port titled Clock Tower: The First Fear was later released for PlayStation, PC and WonderSwan. The game has never been released outside Japan, although fan translations exist. In retrospective reviews, Clock Tower is considered a landmark game in helping establish the survival horror genre.[2]
Clock Tower (1996)
Clock Tower, released in Japan as Clock Tower 2,[lower-alpha 3], was released in 1996 for the PlayStation. It is a survival horror point-and-click adventure game with 3D graphics. The story takes place in Norway and is a continuation of the previous game's narrative, following Jennifer Simpson among other characters as they escape the Scissorman. Clock Tower was one of the first games developed by Human Entertainment to utilize a 3D graphics engine. The atmosphere and storyline were well received by critics although most other aspects were found to be mediocre.
Clock Tower II: The Struggle Within
Clock Tower II: The Struggle Within, released in Japan as Clock Tower Ghost Head,[lower-alpha 4], was released in 1998 for the PlayStation. While sharing the gameplay mechanics of the first two, the game could be considered a spin-off from the main series. The story follows 17-year-old Alyssa Hale who suffers from multiple personality disorder with an alter ego named Mr. Bates. It received overwhelmingly poor reviews, with critics citing the disjointed story and trial-and-error gameplay.[3][4]
Clock Tower 3
Clock Tower 3[lower-alpha 5] was co-developed by Capcom and Sunsoft for the PlayStation 2 in 2002. The plot and characters have very little relation with the previous Clock Tower games. The story follows 14-year-old Alyssa Hamilton who is part of a family lineage of female warriors who travel through time to defeat evil spirits. As opposed to the point-and-click gameplay used in the previous games, Clock Tower 3 is the first game in the series to incorporate direct control over the protagonist. The game received mixed reviews and was a commercial failure, selling considerably less than anticipated.
Related games
Haunting Ground
Haunting Ground, known in Japan as Demento,[lower-alpha 6] is a survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 2 in 2005. The story follows Fiona Belli, a young girl exploring a large castle with the aid of Hewie, a White Shepherd. The game shares many similarities with Clock Tower 3, and has been described as a spiritual successor to the Clock Tower series.[5][6]
NightCry
A spiritual successor to the series, NightCry, was released on March 29, 2016. The game was developed by Nude Maker and directed by Hifumi Kono, who directed the first two Clock Tower titles.[7][8]
Film adaptation
The film was stuck in development hell until it was announced on G4's Attack of the Show! on April 30, 2008.
On September 9, 2008 it was reported that Brittany Snow would be playing the lead in Clock Tower.[9][10] Filming is set to begin in November at Los Angeles. It is known that Scissorman will be included in the film, but his identity and backstory will be completely different from any of the games.
On October 7, Bloody Disgusting reported rumor that Milla Jovovich, star of the Resident Evil movie franchise was to play a role in Clock Tower.[11] However, on October 14 a representative of Jovovich corrected Bloody Disgusting saying that Jovovich was not doing the movie.[12] The only confirmed actor in the movie so far is Brittany Snow.
November 7 brought news that Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group had acquired domestic home entertainment and television distribution rights to Senator's release slate, which included Clock Tower.[13] The long delayed movie has also been pushed back and is set to begin filming in December. It is unknown if the movie will, yet again, be pushed back further.
On December 16, eight promotional artwork and teaser posters were posted online, along with a synopsis and a TBA 2009 release date. The posters show the Scissorman extensively and it appears as though he will be wielding two knives that can join together into a makeshift pair of scissors (like the Scissorman/Scissorwoman in Clock Tower 3 appearance) rather than his trademark pair of shears.
In February 2009 it was revealed by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group that Clock Tower would have a 2010 release, but as of September 2010, it appears the film once again has no director and was described by Martin Weisz as "officially in limbo".
On November 29, 2011, it was announced that David R. Ellis, director of Snakes on a Plane, was attached to the project as the director, but he has since died, and the current movie status is unknown.[14]
Notes
- ↑ Clock Tower (Japanese: クロックタワー Hepburn: Kurokku Tawā)
- ↑ Clock Tower (Japanese: クロックタワー Hepburn: Kurokku Tawā)
- ↑ Clock Tower 2 (クロックタワー2 Kurokku Tawā Sekando)
- ↑ Clock Tower Ghost Head (Japanese: クロックタワーゴーストヘッド Hepburn: Kurokku Tawā Gōsuto Heddo)
- ↑ Clock Tower 3 (Japanese: クロックタワー3 Hepburn: Kurokku Tawā Surī)
- ↑ Demento (Japanese: デメント)
References
- ↑ Szczepaniak, John (November 2015). The Untold History of Japanese Video Game Developers Vol. 2. SMG Szczepaniak. p. 293.
- ↑ Pinsof, Allistair (October 20, 2011). "It Came from Japan! Clock Tower". Destructoid. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
- ↑ Nix, Marc (November 11, 1999). "Clock Tower 2: The Struggle Within". IGN. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
- ↑ Fielder, Joe (November 5, 1999). "Clock Tower II: The Struggle Within Review". GameSpot. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
- ↑ Spencer (April 21, 2015). "Haunting Ground Dug Up For PS2 Classics In Japan". Siliconera. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- ↑ Budgor, Zach (April 20, 2016). "Heart attacks and doggy treats: the PS2's most bizarre horror game". Kill Screen. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
- ↑ Rad, Chloi (January 2, 2015). "NightCry, the Spiritual Successor to Clock Tower, Gets a Live Action Teaser". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
- ↑ Szczepaniak, John (November 2015). The Untold History of Japanese Video Game Developers Vol. 2. SMG Szczepaniak.
- ↑ McNary, Dave (September 9, 2008). "Weisz's 'Clock' strikes Brittany Snow". Variety. Retrieved 2009-12-28.
- ↑ Linder, Brian (September 10, 2008). "Clock Tower Casting". IGN. Retrieved 2009-12-28.
- ↑ Miska, Brad (October 7, 2008). "RUMOR: Milla Jovovich to Topline 'Clock Tower'?". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2009-12-28.
- ↑ Miska, Brad (October 14, 2008). "UPDATE: Milla Jovovich to Topline 'Clock Tower' Adaptation". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2009-12-28.
- ↑ Kay, Jeremy (November 7, 2008). "SPWAG pacts with Senator US for US home entertainment, TV". Screen International. Retrieved 2009-12-28.
- ↑ http://movies.ign.com/articles/121/1213517p1.html