Clock Tower (series)
Encyclopedia
Clock Tower is a stealth-based survival horror adventure video game
series, created by Human Entertainment
and continued by Sunsoft. The series plays like a horror film
and unlike some of the 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 twisting storyline
. The main character is usually quite helpless compared to the villains, so the main emotional connection to the game is the fear
of being captured or discovered.
and villain
s; the latter two titles do not share common characters. It should also be noted that Clock Tower Ghost Head, while sharing the gameplay mechanics of the first two, could be considered a spin-off from the main "numbered" series inasmuch that is set in Japan
rather than Europe
. Thus Clock Tower 3, while differing in gameplay style, reunites the original and western numbering.
. Clock Tower 3 was created by Sunsoft and published by Capcom. Not only was this part of the series created by a different company, it also offered 3D movement for the first time within the series. Capcom has not announced another game, although the game Haunting Ground
is considered a spiritual sequel and was initially developed as Clock Tower 4.
, but finally more information about the film was announced on G4
's Attack of the Show!
, the show featured a headline quoting: "The Weinstein Company
has announced their plans to make a feature adaption of Capcom's classic series Clock Tower, the film will offer gameplay elements from the series while the story will be loosely based on all of the games. Martin Weisz (The Hills Have Eyes 2
) has currently been signed to direct."
On September 9, 2008 it was reported that Brittany Snow would be playing the lead in Clock Tower. 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. However on October 14 a representative of Jovovich corrected Bloody Disgusting saying that Jovovich was not doing the movie. 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. 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".
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
series, created by Human Entertainment
Human Entertainment
Human Entertainment was a Japanese computer and video game developer and publisher. The company produced games for a number of platforms, including Dreamcast, Game Boy, Nintendo 64, TurboGrafx-16, PC , PlayStation, Saturn, Sega CD, Super NES, TurboGrafx-CD, and WonderSwan...
and continued by Sunsoft. The series plays like a horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
and unlike some of the other survival horror games, the Clock Tower series does not focus on shooting
Shooter game
Shooter games are a sub-genre of action game, which often test the player's speed and reaction time. It includes many subgenres that have the commonality of focusing "on the actions of the avatar using some sort of weapon. Usually this weapon is a gun, or some other long-range weapon". A common...
creatures or using violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
, but rather using the player's surroundings to hide and escape while solving puzzles and following the twisting storyline
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
. The main character is usually quite helpless compared to the villains, so the main emotional connection to the game is the fear
Fear
Fear is a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger...
of being captured or discovered.
Games
There are currently four games in the series. The first two games are directly connected by use of common main charactersProtagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
and villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
s; the latter two titles do not share common characters. It should also be noted that Clock Tower Ghost Head, while sharing the gameplay mechanics of the first two, could be considered a spin-off from the main "numbered" series inasmuch that is set in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
rather than Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Thus Clock Tower 3, while differing in gameplay style, reunites the original and western numbering.
- Clock TowerClock Tower (video game)is the first installment of the stealth-based survival horror adventure game series Clock Tower created by Human Entertainment for the Super Famicom. The game was published by Human Entertainment and was released in Japan in 1995. It was then re-released in Japan in 1997, when it was ported to the...
(19951995 in video gaming-Events:*May 11 – Introduction of trade magazine GameWeek *May 11-16 — The 1st annual Electronic Entertainment Expo is held in Los Angeles, California...
) - SNESSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, WonderSwanWonderSwanwas a line of handheld game consoles produced in Japan by Bandai between 1999 and 2003. It was developed by the late Gunpei Yokoi's company Koto and Bandai...
, PCPersonal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator... - Clock Tower 2Clock Tower 2Clock Tower 2, known in the US as Clock Tower, is a survival horror game for the PlayStation. It is a sequel to Clock Tower for the SNES ....
(19961996 in video gaming-Notable releases:*January 29 — Duke Nukem 3D, successor to the simple side-scrolling originals, and a genre-redefining title for first person shooters....
) - PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000... - Clock Tower Ghost HeadClock Tower Ghost HeadClock Tower Ghost Head, known in the US as Clock Tower II: The Struggle Within, is a survival horror created by Human Entertainment, published by Agetec, and released for the PlayStation in 1998...
(19981998 in video gaming-Events:*Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 1st Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo to the AIAS Hall of Fame*British Academy of Film and Television Arts hosts the 1st annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards...
) - PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000... - Clock Tower 3Clock Tower 3is a survival horror video game co-developed by Capcom Production Studio 3 and Sunsoft. The fourth installment in the Clock Tower series, it was released in Japan on December 12, 2002, in North America on March 18, 2003 and in Europe on June 25, 2003...
(20022002 in video gamingThe year 2002 in video gaming saw the release of many games to sixth-generation video game consoles, predominately, the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.-Events:...
) - PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
Ownership
After Human Entertainment folded in 1999, the Clock Tower series was sold to CapcomCapcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
. Clock Tower 3 was created by Sunsoft and published by Capcom. Not only was this part of the series created by a different company, it also offered 3D movement for the first time within the series. Capcom has not announced another game, although the game Haunting Ground
Haunting Ground
Haunting Ground, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 2 console in 2005. The game shares many similarities with Clock Tower 3.-Gameplay:...
is considered a spiritual sequel and was initially developed as Clock Tower 4.
Film adaptation
Until April 30, 2008, the film was stuck in development hellDevelopment hell
In the jargon of the media-industry, "development hell" is a period during which a film or other project is trapped in development...
, but finally more information about the film was announced on G4
G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
's Attack of the Show!
Attack of the Show!
Attack of the Show! is an American live television program shown weeknights on G4, G4 Canada and Fuel TV in Australia. The program is hosted by Kevin Pereira and Candace Bailey...
, the show featured a headline quoting: "The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company is an American film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 after the brothers left the then-Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979...
has announced their plans to make a feature adaption of Capcom's classic series Clock Tower, the film will offer gameplay elements from the series while the story will be loosely based on all of the games. Martin Weisz (The Hills Have Eyes 2
The Hills Have Eyes 2
The Hills Have Eyes 2 is the 2007 American horror film sequel to the 2006 film The Hills Have Eyes which was a remake of the 1977 horror film The Hills Have Eyes. The film follows several heroic, but troubled, U.S. National Guardsmen as they fight for survival against the mutant people living in a...
) has currently been signed to direct."
On September 9, 2008 it was reported that Brittany Snow would be playing the lead in Clock Tower. Filming is set to begin in November at Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. 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
Bloody Disgusting
Bloody Disgusting is a website that covers horror movies with reviews, interviews and news. It is currently run by Brad Miska, and Tom Owen. According to one source, the site has 1.5 million unique visitors and 20 million page views each month. It is widely considered to be the "world's most...
reported rumor that Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began...
, star of the Resident Evil movie franchise was to play a role in Clock Tower. However on October 14 a representative of Jovovich corrected Bloody Disgusting saying that Jovovich was not doing the movie. The only confirmed actor in the movie so far is Brittany Snow.
November 7 brought news that Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group
Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group
Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions is a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment. The company specializes in acquiring and producing films for a wide variety of distribution platforms, but the group's main focus is non-theatrical markets .SPWA was formerly a division of Sony Pictures Home...
had acquired domestic home entertainment and television distribution rights to Senator's release slate, which included Clock Tower. 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
Clock Tower 3
is a survival horror video game co-developed by Capcom Production Studio 3 and Sunsoft. The fourth installment in the Clock Tower series, it was released in Japan on December 12, 2002, in North America on March 18, 2003 and in Europe on June 25, 2003...
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".