Clock Tower / Human Entertainment
(1997)
| The Atari 2600's Verdict: |
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| Hey, they ripped off my very own Hide and Seek!
Bastich! |
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Science has yet to
design the heart that can withstand this game.
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| A hell of a lot of fun -- once you get past the
freaking beginning. |
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Game Information
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| Uh... well, they are from Japan. www.humanentertainment.com is still
available, cyber squatters, so do be kind. Looks like they also did Clock Tower
II, AirBoardin' USA, F1 Pole Position, Fire ProWrestling S: 6 Men Scramble (the
hell if I know....) Human Grand Prix |
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I bought a Playstation this weekend so that I could play
this game. Well, this, Silent Hill and Parappa the Rapper,
really. I was worried that Clock Tower would be out of print soon so I
put an order in with EB World a couple months back. The Playstation has really taken it to
that higher level as of late -- one thing I loved about the Saturn was all the
"niche" games it had. Nights, Virtua Cop, Sonic-R...
great games that you couldn't really play elsewhere. Or even their close approximations.
Of course, the assholes at UPS did quite a number on my Saturn when I tried to have it
shipped out to Colorado. While searching for porn, they ripped open the box, attached a
rope to the poor thing and had a couple of Cambodian fire dragons play tetherball with it.
Considering the sheer number of crazy no-life whackjobs on the net who are no doubt just
about to snap, they'll eventually get theirs.
Back to the point, though, The Playstation, now having a tremendous installed base, offers
a chance for a developer like Japan's Human Entertainment to put out the type of game that
doesn't have mass market appeal... but does have solid appeal nonetheless.
Clock Tower is a game about a sadistic
murderer called the "Scissorman." He lops people's heads off and spears them
with this giant pair of hedge clippers. Human Entertainment know their targeted audience
-- you play through most of the game as one of two girls trying to escape that sick
bastard.
The problem with the game stems from the "learning
curve" which actually fails to prepare you, in the prologue, for anything you'll see
later. I don't mean to come off as a greasy fanboy (well, not right now, anyway)
but when I realized that the very first scene in the game had me playing the part of
some old man, well, I was less than pumped, you see. I didn't see this balded geezer in
any of the ads!
The prologue is probably one of the bigger pieces of crap
I've had to deal with in all my years of playing video games. The voice acting is awful,
the dialogue something that would cause rolled eyes and disbelieving coughs at the retard
wing of the Three Mile Island preschool, and the general gameplay quite broken. I feel as
though I am spoiling nothing for you by mentioning the following below-average scene:
The old guy enters the computer room. He clicks on a bunch
of hot-spots. But!! He can not leave the computer room until he has clicked on these hot
spots in the right order! Hahahahah!
The hell?
I wasn't going to cry into my beer or anything, but I was
really pissed off that the game's "prologue" was so goddamn unplayable. And
believe me. It is.
Things do get better, however.
Once getting to the first "episode" or
"scenario" (whatever the hell they call it) things pick up. You're rightfully
playing one of the proper, advertised characters and all hell breaks loose as the
Scissorman chases you. The thing is, there were plenty of times where I jumped out of my
seat while playing the game. Moments of pure shock and surprise. This isn't me hyping the
ware up -- it's all painfully, embarrassingly true. The gameplay in the scenarios is, at
times, pretty slow-paced... mixed with moments of button-mashing terror as you try to
escape the Scissorman. Clock Tower is one of the too-few games out there
capable of starting in its player a wild adrenaline rush.
Essentially, in Clock Tower you spend a
lot of time skulking about the different buildings the Scissorman has you trapped in. He
moves about like a caged animal, always hunting, always menacing. His character is
extremely convincing. The game also appears to have a consistent internal logic -- if he
surprises you and you manage to get your heart beating again you can, upon recollection,
say "yes -- I quite buy that he was at this room at this time."
I can forgive a game that starts off so poorly if it's
immersive and fulfilling thereafter. Clock Tower is a solid game because
of its ability to suck in its player and thrash him or her about. Tremendous fun that is
over far too quickly. But -- where are the nude codes?
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| Someone really needs to tell the Japanese -- as a nation -- to get
someone to look over their English text. really. Seriously. It's not funny any longer. |
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| Er... again, once you get past the first bit |
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Reader Comments:
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| I realy love this game, it is the best |
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Demonic On Your Back
April 27th, 2003 |
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| ooohh...Clock Tower is my favorite...okay, there is NOTHING in this
goddamn world which will express my love for the game and the series...yes, there was one
original Clock Tower made in Japan that didn't come out here (bashes head against the
wall!) i wanna play it so badly...i literally play Clock Tower one and two to death...all
night, every night...even though i've beaten it so many times...heh, no one probably comes
to this site anymore, so i'm probably just talking out my ass to a wall, but...*sighs* i
long to meet someone who loves this game as much as i (although i hate companionship and
love solitude)...anyway...i have a bad feeling about the new Clock Tower III, but of
course, i'm still buying it ASAP. well, that's all for now...except answer this: how the
fuck do i get Tim to stay alive in Jennifer's last scenario?! i can't get that...but so
long *disappears* |
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Pashmina-Chan
April 18th, 2003 |
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| Mom hasn't play the first two!But she played the 3rd one and it is
cool!!!!!!!!!!!!1 |
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| FUCK SILENT HILL CLOCK TOWER ROCKS!!!!! |
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Passakorn T.
March 12th, 2003 |
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| I serouusly need help here. Anybody know how to get through the fuggin
hospital? |
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| Clock Tower Is A great game. It Scared The S**T out ouf me it has got
some wicked graphics on it. It Scares me when it play that eire tone i give the game a
good 8 / 10 |
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ScissorWoman
January 26th, 2003 |
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| Clock Tower is too cool for words! I love to wait until nightime, turn
off all the lights, and pop the disk into my PlayStation (actually, I gave my PS1 to my
sisters after I got the PS2 for Christmas)! Anyway, ScissorMan is one of my favorite video
game villains of all time! I had played scary video games before but Clock Tower is what
really dragged me into the world of survival horror! On a scale of one to ten, Clock Tower
is a 12! ^_^ |
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Sarah
November 14th, 2002 |
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| I think Clock Tower was one of the best games I've ever played! (although
my mom won't let me talk about it very much. It depends on who I'm talking TO)Anyway, I
love it! now if only I could beat it... The ScissorMan is one of the best video game
villains I've ever seen! It is nice to have a truly frightening enemy! One that can always
keep me watching out and looking around! I agree that the prologue sucks, but the awesome
stuff that happens afterwards is worth the wait! The only problem is, when you save a
game, it won't let you see the cinema so if I want the good stuff, I have to remove my
memory card for a little while! By the way, have you ever noticed the connection with the
sequel, Clock Tower II: The Struggle Within? If not, think Maxwell... |
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Britany
November 11th, 2002 |
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| I love clock tower game's! my favorite charater is Jennifer! and in clock
tower 2 is of course Alyssa oh and Stephanie lol! |
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Roody Yogurt
August 13th, 2000 |
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| Not that it really is important or anything, but I think I'll also
mention that I believe the US version is actually a sequel to a strictly Japanese version;
that somewhat esplains the convoluted plot. What I liked and dislike most about this game
was the aforementioned learning curve. Since I didn't really read the
instructions, when I finally got to see the Scissorman, I had my ass handed to me
repeatedly and I admit, it was quite scary (er, suspenseful). Once I learned
what one is supposed to do when confronted, the difficulty of the game dropped
dramatically and the suspense waned. By the time I got to the last act or
whatever, it was like, 'okay, let's get this over with.' Unfortunately, I never
beat it, though, since the last act is pretty bitch-ass, IMO. In any case, yeah, overall,
it's a good game. As far as Playstation games go, I'd also recommned the first
Oddworld. |
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