Comments on: A Winner Is…Me!

By: Guise Dugal

Guise Dugal — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:59:28 +0000

I have…a PC. That’s sadly it at the moment. A next gen console is on my “when I’m back in work” list of purchases.
I know what you mean about the controls, primarily from a series of very good articles on camera direction and controls from here. That’s the thing, just reading those controls scare me.

By: Dio

Dio — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:42:44 +0000

I used to suck, but the Sonic/Mario gamer in me helps me let my fingers do the talking instead of over thinking the controls. The only series I have problems with is RE, specifically the old ones, cuz I’m better w/ the 2D control scheme rather than 3D (2D=up is relative to your screen, 3D=up is relative to your contrller and is always constant, unless I have reversed that explaination).
I can direct you to a few. Which systems do you have?

By: Guise Dugal

Guise Dugal — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:07:13 +0000

I love survival horror games, but I suck at actually playing any game ever invented, so I prefer to watch others and enjoy the stories (unless I cheat as my only means of survival. T.T;;). There are actually very few games I’ve ever seen through to the end on my own – Resident Evil, I don’t think I even got an eight of the way through.
I’m also a wuss at gaming, Jurassic Park on the SNES used to scare me, even though I could map where everything spawned.
The best thing about Survival Horror games is that they are so engrossing stories, you can read a walkthrough and picture the scary shit in your head.
If I had any of the recent systems, survival horrors would be on my list of must-haves. If I’m going to suck at a game, I’d much rather suck and be able to blame ‘atmosphere’. ^^

By: Dio

Dio — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:10:50 +0000

I agree. Neither German nor American directors/producers/whathaveyou have really demonstrated any respect for established series (well, precious few). But if at the very least they use Akira Yamaoka’s music, then I guess they can do what they please. Its not SH w/o his music, or indeed Mary Elizabeth McGlynn. I love her voice.

Er…well, Madhouse did kinda screw up the Count of Monte Cristo, so even anime studios can disregard source material….^^;; The animation was neat, tho.

You’re not a survival horror gamer, are you, Guise? ^^ Its fun! Besides established series like NiGHTS and Legacy of Kain, I love a good horror game. My current fav is Eternal Darkness; any game that fucks with the gamer is grade A fun to me!

By: Guise Dugal

Guise Dugal — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:07:47 +0000

The thing is, I can quite see an anime studio being true to the intention and background of a series more than I can see a German or American film. But, yes, it would have to be made in English language first.
Hmm…Dio+giddy+schoolgirl+gaming+survival horror=…mmmmmm
Sorry, what were you saying? ^^;;;

By: Dio

Dio — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 02:03:29 +0000

As a zombie flick, I concede that RE was pretty fucking awesome. XD Kicking a zombie dog int he head was pure genius, and brother, did I cringe when that first zombie was walkign around on that broken ankle. O_O The death rays, however, were a little cooler in RE4. ^^;;; But then, I’m hot for Leon.

Actually the problem of a SH anime is the fact that its meant to be American. And personally, I’ve seen other takes on them, and frankly the art made me want to stab my eyes out with a rusty spoon. O_O If Studio Madhouse did it, I would give it a try, but only if its in English w/ Japanese subtitles, like the games (where the acctors mo-cap their own characters). (Madhouse did the Devil May Cry anime, and they have a good handle of the horror aspects of DMC, only they really need to make it dirty and gritty)

I cannot tell you the amazing twists in SH2 and 3, so anything else (like SH4 ^^::) really never stood up. I love Harry, and Rose was a wonderful alternate take on the story, and yet, there is something much more painful and honest about a father, a normal, unarmed, civillian (Harry was a writer) facing HELL to find his little girl, who btw, wasn’t even his biological child. I love the movie, but I kinda wished to see the father’s perspective of looking for a child; its not an angle you see very often. Esp. in horror, where its usually a woman/mother. I have nothing against a mother/child angle, its just that Harry’s story would be that much more palpable.

I cannot recommend the Thai version of Shutter more before it comes out here. W/o special effects like American movies, the make up and camera angles make that movie so much more real to me. And I doubt the remake’ll do a better car scene. The Korean movie Phone is also a deliciously scary movie, with one of the scariest little girls in the Asian horror business (the other being the little girl from Spirits/Oan Hon, which is a hard to find Vietnamese horror movie).

Am I the only one who’s positively giddy like a school girl over SH5? Alex…..*droolllll Yet another reason to get a 360 (that and RE5….good god, Chris. XD). And OMGOMGOMG Fatal Frame 4!!! On the Wii!!! Its a good year to be a survival horror fan.

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:51:25 +0000

I can see your point and I agree, the whole “Super Alice” thing was a little much and she’s not exactly the most “fleshed out” character of the series but they make money and the fan boys like to look at her in next to nothing so they’ll contiue to make the movies.
I can definitley see SH as an anime and would definitely be worth watching. And the mini-season idea would make it even better, that would open up a lot more story ideas and give you new characters to identify with.
One of these days I’ll get around to watching the orignals, it’s just the remakes left such a bad taste in my mouth that I’m in no rush to see the same story again any time soon.

By: Guise Dugal

Guise Dugal — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:41:39 +0000

Dan, I loved the zombie elements of the RE films, and I really enjoyed RE1. I also liked a fair amount of RE2: Zombie children, near-nekkid Zombie prostitutes. My main problem was that as a character, Alice in RE2 was too overpowered and two-dimensional to make me think they were in too much danger, whereas in RE1 she was growing more independent. RE3 was a good idea, in theory, but in practice having a Zombie apocalypse is usually a death knoll for a saga.
SH allows you to basically get a feel for the video game series that even a non-gamer can enjoy, which I think is why it’s had general appeal. I would have liked to have seen some anime done for it, small mini-seasons of individual personal hells.
I’d definately suggest trying to catch the originals, if only for comparrison.

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:26:01 +0000

I guess I’m in the minority here, I liked the RE movies. Not because they have anything to do with the game but because they’re zombie flicks. As for Silent Hill, LOVED IT, I’ve never played any of the games but I didn’t feel that I needed to have seen them to enjoy the movie. I mean I knew the basic premise but that’s about it.

As for the Japanese horror remakes, honestly they haven’t done much for me so far. I watched both the remakes of The RIng and The Grudge and they left me feeling kind of blase, I haven’t watched the originals but given how I feel about the remakes I just don’t feel inclined to see the originals.

By: Guise Dugal

Guise Dugal — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:04:58 +0000

I’m not too keen on SH2, just because SH was about as much as I could hope for and I fear they will try to ‘push the envelope’ with it.