Bates is voiced by Roger Jackson. Who as also played Mojo Jojo on the Powerpuff Girls, the Cheshire cat in the American Mcgee Alice games, and Ghostface in the Scream movies.
It gets better if you imagine this in a conversation. "So, a samurai appeared and killed you?" "Yep" "And how did he killed you?" "He just... fell on me... and I died" "Ohh..."
How DID the armor get there all the way from the house anyway? Maxwell was in it so did he get offended from you not looking at him that he carried it to the 3rd stage just to kill you with it?
I just love the animation where bates takes over, like, he puts his hands on his hips and looks around, like, he just wakes up and first thing starts scheming.
Also it's kinda funny how Jennifer, 15 y.o. looks like a grown woman, wearing high heeled boots and provocative red dresses flattering her figure, but Alyssa is 17 and she looks just like a really tall child
This game probably could've been better if there was a mini map that showed were the objective is in a color corresponding to Bates or Alyssa or just by having an audio queue play then the character goes: "Oh that sound came from (blank). I should check it out." Oh well.
The worst part is that (sometimes) it's not the gameplay itself that's the problem! The idea of "Go here, check this, now the other door is unlocked" is basically every other point-and-click in existence... but for some reason, this game just decided to ignore the whole "also, let the player know what to do next" aspect. It's such a simple fix for so much of the game!
Not to mention, the death is a random-ass suit of samurai armor falling on you and crushing you to death. That level of shit is how Old Man Henderson came to exist, how Rad managed to finish is a miracle beyond me.
The whole thing with Bates being more willing to fight back and beat up the slasher villain actually intrigues me. I'd love to see a movie use this concept where the main character is either possessed or has a split personality and the split personality doesn't take any shit. It'd be like Jason where he is about to murder some poor teenage girl, then suddenly her eyes go red and she kicks him in the nuts and decapitates him with his own machete. It'd be a good method of subverting expectations if you did it well. I think for a movie, you'd have to be more subtle about it instead of just showing that the character is possessed. Like, establish the main characters personality and how they act, then have some moments that break that character in a way to make it clear that something is wrong without spelling it out so when it comes time for them to face the slasher, and they are suddenly not afraid and can actually fight back its shocking but then your mind would go back to all those out of character moments and this makes sense. I dunno, I just like how you described Bates and would love to see that implemented in a better game.
IME things like that are more common in Japanese media than Western stuff. I'm guessing it's because many Eastern cultures value order and conformity so it's more common for people to "put on a mask". The concept of an "inner monster" is also a prominent part of Eastern religions and philosophies.
I remember a movie like that can’t remember the name but I’ll describe the plot so maybe someone else knows. The movie is about this guy that has a second personality that is really aggressive and one day a bank he is in gets robbed so he lets his more aggressive personality take over and basically solos all the bank thieves. Unfortunately he was so aggressive he accidentally gets an innocent killed in the process and that kind of ruins his life. He goes to jail, his wife leaves him, and everyone hates him. Eventually he gets caught by this family of cannibals and is locked in their basement. Stuff happens and eventually the guy has a chance to escape but instead of running, which is a definite option for him not the usual “the killer is just going to catch up” kind of deal, he is convinced to kill most of the family himself by his more aggressive personality. So he kills most of the family and their evil mutant son.
@MysteriousTomJenkins - I know your comment is super old now, but if you or anyone else really want to try to make it happen, you could look around for forums belonging to computer game/programming courses & offer your idea as a brief storyboard or jumping-off point for someone else who's looking for ideas to create from?
One of big issue it's plot. It has so many plot holes that doesn't explained; and it's not like "Oh, we want you to figure out by yourself", no, it's more like "Eh... We didn't have much time to explain things. Sorry.". Plus, english ver. has difference in story. Maxwell is actually Saido Fushihito, so it's not Maxwell curse, but Saido curse. Fushihito was a brilliant and wealthy science, that has a great fame. But he also knows about curse and when he found out about two twins that were born, he was shocked, scared, filled with anger. And decided to get rid of them. Alyssa and Bates are Rin (Yu) Saido (Midoshima) and Sho Saido. They're not sister and brother, but two twin sisters. Saido's curse is actually about two twins, who can be "together" even after death. Which is exactly we see in game, Sho died, but her personality with Rin. I'm not so sure, why legends in Saido family says that twins should be buried alive, and what for golden statue, but that's what Fushihito did. After that, he was driving insane and started to make virus that will destroy humanity. Why? ...I don't know! But accidently he became a victim of his own virus and turned into a walking dead man who wanted to kill everyone. Allen Hale (Midoshima Takashi) also was involved in it. He was Saido's rival, always jealous to him, and wanted to somehow make him suffer; not to mention, he also has a daughter (woman with white face), who he abandoned all alone and forgot about her. Which is why, Fujika (Shannon) ties to kill Rin, she thinks that will bring back her father's love. As for Takashi, he came to Saido's graveyard and found there two twins, one of them was dead, but another lived. With Takashi, also was his brother-in-law (???) Takano Hajime (Philip Tate), he saw golden statue and was shocked, explaining about curse. Takashi didn't believe in it and took child with him, named her - Yu. Originally, he wanted to use Yu as a tool to destroy Saido's reputation, but soon he started like her as his own daughter. After many years, Yu has started have change her personality with her death sister. In opening cutscene we see one of moments, where Yu with Sho personality killed three students and teacher. People thought that Yu had psychological problems, but Takashi quickly realized what's going on. So, he bought to her amulet from Mikoshi shrine (which is why it's magic???) to control her personality. Meanwhile, Mdioshima afraid that Takano can tell people about Yu, so he found Saido's virus, infected golden statue, and sent it to Takano. Takano as a very believer person, who knows a lot about of Saido's curse, hid statue in closet in his room. Genius! Of course, kids found statue, they were infected by virus and started massacre. Rest of story is known. I explained it to people, who didn't get what's going on in this game. And even I can't say as I'm right or wrong!
Clock Tower: Ghost Head needs a remake! Holy crap this game could’ve been so good! They just need to release all of the games, remade and improved, and then make a sequel! Anything with Bates in is awesome though, so he better come back too.
Yeah I agree! I really like Ghost Head for its story. Just sad that it never got translated well into the game itself but after reading all the details up on the wiki it actually sounds promising!
10:40 Something that would have saved that (and almost all other puzzles) is if the cursor changed based on who you were. If you were Bates, but the item only has significance with Allysa, then change the icon to have maybe a different outline. Purple for Bates, Gold for Allysa, with none meaning any of them can interact with it evenly. This could mean hiding places as Allysa would still be visible to you, but with the understanding that only Allysa can do it, and same vice versa. 15:43 Going back with something you mentioned about extra dialog... yeah, that would have been an interesting point for Allysa to point that out. In fact... while it WOULD be still user-hostile, make it so Allysa (and only Allysa) points out if you run into Stephanie after that point (aka messed up) that maybe she should have locked the door. It would then be a hint towards the right thing to do. Granted, due to how the save system works, that would still lead to the same issue, but at least the user is hinted at the right method in game. 18:00 Something like that would have been an interesting easter egg ending. Like if making the armor attack you become an extra hazard. If you complete the area with it still active, it unlocks the easter egg ending. Having it be mandatory? Yeah, that's user-hostile.
That first point is a really good idea, that would make a lot of things so much clearer. This game needs to better communicate to the player, and that'd be a solid start!
Regarding that last point, even if it only locked you out of the very best ending or a joke ending, that would’ve been better than locking you into the worst possible ending. It should not have been mandatory to get any sort of resolution to the game.
Not to mention, there could also be the fact that having Bates only use guns probably wouldn't make much sense, so basically have both him and Elisa use improvised weapons, but have Bates use guns at the cost of hiding, and vice-versa with Elisa. Also, maybe have Bates also come out on his own, without the amulet, only in comparison to encountering something scary without it, it takes a while before he'll come out, making the encounter method be a way to just speed up the process.
one thing i'd like to add to this, i'd like an explanation in game for some of the crazy things that are going on. the game does a decent job at the end explaining some of the big plot points, such as the yellow blood, the maxwell curse, the strange woman, and the zombies too. you know what it doesn't explain? the samurai armor. yeah, unless you read the extras menu, you'll never know ANYTHING about the armor, or what's possessing it. Which turns out to be none other than Alyssa's cousin, who hid inside of the statue to stay safe from his crazed sister. yeah, the game doesn't tell you this until after the ending, and it doesn't explain at ALL why he drops in on you in chapter 3.
@@JamesCPotter13 You mean the Game Boy that survived a barracks bombing during Desert Storm? Nintendo has it in their flagship store in NYC--it still works, even!
Nintendo might not be as competitive graphically but damn do they make their stuff to last. We still have our original Super Nintendo and our first GC.
I laughed even harder when he immediately encountered a second zombie and the whole thing just starts over! 25:32 DOINK! Shit nearly had me in tears. God, that looks _so_ aggravating.
*+Amuro Ray* First one's Mr. Patch's theme: ua-cam.com/video/jZOsNNlDI1Y/v-deo.html Second... I'm not sure. Must be something else from Banjo-Kazooie or Banjo-Tooie, though!
Oh god, how the hell did a friend of mine beat this game in japanese. This was mid 90s and place we lived in didnt have internet(easy access to pirated games tho lol). Great review, you captured everything i felt during those times i had to watch my friend play this and try to make sense of everything.
16:36 I know how much pain this caused you, but the girl getting crushed by the samurai caused me to laugh out loud and replay this a few times. This is the best example of how arbitrary this game can be, a point and click with such insanely bullshit solutions, old Sierra games like kings quest shake their heads in disappointment
Wait, Roger L. Jackson. The voice of Mojo Jojo, the guy who ALSO did the voice for the Cheshire Cat for American Mcgee's Alice and Alice: Madness Returns, also did Telltale Games, and even did the Jojo's Bizzare Adventure OVA series with Charles Martinet (voice of Mario) did the voice of what I thought was the "David Hayter" wannabe? Hang on let me check IMDB.
Personally, I like this clock tower and play it, along with the others, every Halloween. I get why it turns a lot of people off though. I memorized ever ending and playthroughs of all the clock tower games from watching my dad play them as a kid. It was how we bonded. I'm glad to see someone reviewing the franchise as a whole. It's interesting to see the different experiences and difficulties everyone faces when they first play. But yeah, the endings are funny and infuriating at the same time. 😂 And, embarrassing to say, I always come back because of my childhood crush on Bates. . .😅
When he said a samurai fell from a ceiling and kills him, who actually thought he meant a ghost samurai falling from the ceiling and stabbing Alyssa with a sword?
Why stab Alyssa when you could hit her with a flying crossbody press from the top rope...er...skylight, as the samurai of feudal Japan were known to do?
Played this game when i was a young little boy. I picked up a bootleg copy of it here in Brazil and remember really liking it, but never being able to finish it. At the time, i tough that the problem was that i just wasn't smart enough to play it, but now i know the real reason.
OMG I can't stop laughing, I was expecting the samurai falling through the ceilling to stab you with a katana or stomping your face on the ground, but I didn't expect the entire suit of armor and the game giving you an ending, that was the cherry on the top
@@Urpuss No. The D series is a trilogy of three games: D (D's Diner), Enemy Zero and D2 (in that order). The games take place in different timelines/universes, but reuse characters.
D is the name of the game. Just google D game and you'll find the wikipedia page and other relevant things (such as the first game being sold on Steam for a fiver, etc.)
Hate to break it to anyone interested in the manga shown at the end but they just made that one as a little prologue and visual concept for what to expect with the game, it's a not a complete manga series or anything (same goes with the first fear manga) Other than that good video
@Alastorsblade Oh okay cool i raised my expectation for as second there also i find it strange that it's called first fear in japan while everywhere else it's clock tower??
Actually there were manga in Monthly GFantasy for Ghost Head in 1998, so Nitro is correct in saying there is manga for this particular entry. I only know this because I'm trying to help a friend and CT collector track down the last two issues she's missing to finish the comic herself (in both scans and accurate translations.)
*SPOILERS* The zombie virus was created by George Maxwell, not Allen Hale. Maxwell wanted revenge against humanity for... reasons. Bates is not confirmed to be spirit of Alyssa's twin. It's just a piece of misinformation that's been passed around a lot. Officially, the reason behind his existence is stated to be unknown. Additionally, it's stated that the twins were both girls.
In the Japanese version of the game, "Bates" (it's another name, but I can't remember it) is not voiced by a man. It's still her own voice, but much colder and totally mean. That COULD contribute to the theory that the twins were both girls. But I guess it could be wrong too...
16:42 I remember watching a Japanese playthrough of the game in which the samurai falls from the ceiling but Alyssa dodged it. I don't know if the gameplayer examined the statue or not...
oof you know a game is bad when NitroRad, mister positive, goes on an angry rant on it. bless you for going through this one. I played about 15 minutes of this one and dropped it.
23:29 makes a lot more sense when you think of zombies as just Skeletons with meat. They don't really have to worry about bleeding or tissue and organ damage, so their biggest threat is heavy blunt objects that can break their bones.
Just a thing to note: 6:50 "This is the first game in the series to include guns" Goes to Clock Tower 2 review 17:41 "You also get a gun" The gun was also a key item to the final chapter of the second one.
I might be wrong on this, but wasn't that gun sequence a scripted thing at the end of the game? Because if so, then Ghost Head is the game to incorporate the gun mechanics into the gameplay.
Haunting grounds I would love to see, but dude, that game can cost over 100 dollars, I only have a copy cause years back my sister got it for $20.....SIS YOU GOT LUCKY AS HELL! I rarely played it as a kid too so it's in great condition with its manual...it's beautiful.
you're the best video game reviewer because even in the worst of games you find things you like among all the things that suck. i get the same way about niche and forgotten or easily dismissed anime stuff. it's nice to see someone who can sit down and, even in the most miserable games, see the silver lining around the big, terrible storm clouds, even if in the end it's not exactly worth playing. people talking about these little good things give other people a better appreciation for them, and you're the best at that (rascal really comes to mind.) keep up the good work, dude!
My friend brought this game over for a birthday sleepover and it gave me nightmares afterwards. I'd never watched a slasher movie before so the whole concept of being chased around a house by a knife-wielding murderer was completely fresh to me. Much later, I looked the game up and remembered the dual personality part and thought that was an amazing element which could function both mechanically and from a narrative standpoint. It's a shame the developers had no idea how to implement it in a way less frustrating than your stereotypical railroading GM horror story. Totally agree with wanting a remake for this, thanks you for your sacrifice in covering this.
I would love the bates personality sketch to become a recurring character for the show or atleast during the Halloween special, but rebranding him a little bit would probably be best. *NitroRad and his mysteriously deceased co host/twin brother NapalmRob*
This review covers my exact thoughts and feelings while playing this game, luckily I dropped it without even trying to beat 1st chapter! What also frustrated me really comparing to previous title is that this game actually punishes you for curiosity and exploration - in CT2 you simply can't progress if you don't examine every shelf, every cupboard, every small thing you see, cause anything might hide a key or smth, sometimes you get traps like evil hand attacking you or possessed mask starts to fly around with the chair, but you can deal with these things and continue. It Ghost Head 80% of the stuff around you triggers a trap, usually a deadly and completely random one, like you examine a clock and BAM a saber from the wall comes to life and kills you. Why? Just whyyy... Anyway thanks for the hilarious review, keep doing the great job! :D
This is still my favorite review of yours. Seeing you get frustrated with a bad game is always fun and especially those 2 scene of you timelapsing the entire escape with wacky banjo music in the background is hilarious.
Ah, just a thing. For the zombies in the end of chapter 2, I realized after doing the sequence 4 or 5 times that you have to shoot the zombies in the order they come into the room AND after they finish their first "walk into the room" animation. So technically if you find the shoot spot quick enough, you can get all of them down without letting them get too close. The sequence is still too long and sucks though I'll admit that XD And yeah, of course, it's frustrating to have to hover to the weak spot to kill the zombie, but... They all function like that, even the ones outside this sequence, so that makes sense I'd say? Plus the whole in-universe explanation with the parasitic brain blah blah blah. For the whole samurai armor thing, yeah, it suck... That's terrible design. But there's a hint that tells you that something will go differently whether or not the armor moves in Chapter 1. Still terrible design but it's there. Same goes for locking Chinatsu/Stephanie in the bedroom too. One thing I like better about GH's hints (except for the trollish Hint 8) is that you can actually read them as soon as you find them instead of having to reset your game and search through menus. "The only weapon that can remove the zombies permanently is the shotgun" Really? I remember removing them out of existence with the basic pistol. Then again I pretty much perma-switched to the bonus talisman once I found out how to unlock it as I didn't want to constantly look for ammo and shooting magic lasers at the enemies was just too glorious. Tbh I don't know where the "Ghosthead" appellation for Maxwell/Saidô came from... Except maybe the US version box. He's never called that not in the US game, not in the japanese game, and the original title is pretty much as linked to him as "Resident Evil" is linked to the events in that game. 23:32 "Why is the fire extinguisher more effective than a firearm?" Because of how the weak points of the zombies work. With the pistol, you can target only one weak point at the time: I think each zombie has one on the head, one on the shoulders, one on the stomach and one on the feet. For EACH zombie, ONE of those weak points will show a symbol with red text instead of green text. Shooting THAT point will kill it instantly. Again, linked to how the parasitic brains created by the HU599 bacteria/Cerebral Toxin work, although it's pretty badly explained in-game, I'll admit. The Shotgun and Machine gun target all weak points at once, so they'll kill them in one hit for sure. Aaaah once again, the f-ing US version mixup with the zombie stuff. What created the *zombies* seen in chapters 2 & 3 and what caused Stephanie and Maxwell (and the armor if you activate it) to go berserk are clearly differenciated in the original version: HU599 bacteria developed by MAXWELL (as revenge) for the zombs, and a hallucinogen substance hidden in the golden statue by HALE for the two others. The whole story is actually very interesting, because everything, EVERYTHING revolves around revenge and jealousy. The whole plot was started by Hale being jealous of Maxwell, and from there everything spiraled out of control. The game's story is pretty sad when you think about it -- and the protagonist really can't change anything that's happening, no matter her choices. I laughed way too hard at the accelerated sequences of you backtracking to bop the zombies with the fire extinguisher, I'm so sorry X'D I am currently studying game design, and this particular game was a huge influence for this. It has something -- I don't know what -- that suddenly rocketed my appreciation for this game to a point that put this one third on the list of my favourite games I've played. It has glaring design flaws but still remains fascinating to me. Could consider it as a guilty pleasure of mine I guess. I'm trying to track down the man that was the director, scenario writer and game designer for the game. Looking at some other games he worked as a designer on, they're all a bit "different", although some were better recieved than others. I want to interview him and ask about all kind of stuff, but Ghost Head is my main reason for this.The game really has some great ideas, unfortunately they're not executed well. Okay, I'll stop typing now, sweet Arceus I think it's the longest comment I've typed on UA-cam as of yet. Keep up the reviews, they're great! EDIT: Oh yeah, I'm kinda sad you didn't talk about the vibration feature that mimicks the rythm of Yuu/Alyssa's heartbeat when you're playing with a controller. Not having a PS1 myself, I never could experience it on emulator, but I've seen people sing it so much praise...
When the zombies have their "Weakpoint" revealed its weird. Before that, every "Hitbox" on the zombie (When the shoot icon shows up) shows up as red, but if it's not the (Re-randomized every room) parasite location, it just knocks the zombie out like with Stephanie and you run out the room. After, most hitboxes will be green and they will do nothing if shot, with one the specific spot being Red, this is the parasite spot and it kills them. Enemies DO randomly appear after time like scissorman, but I swear it takes over an hour of game time for it, it's only really noticable in chapter 2 where you WILL have to wait for one to spawn if you kill them all before you're done with Bates, though since they can only spawn when you stop blocking the door (don't move when entering a room) you could leave the game on while you browse the internet or something, Stephanie in Chapter 1, the exact same Female zombie model in chapter 2 and Maxwell in Chapter 3. The shotgun/SMG just targets EVERY HITBOX AT ONCE making it superior. Maxwell has "Traditional" Health, 2 shotgun blasts, 3 pistol shots or 1 shotgun blast and 2 pistol shots if you run out and run to grab a new gun from a room and I think 1-2 SMG attacks kill him. You CAN search objects while being chased, but only if they're already unlocked, you can't use inventory items while being chased, medkits and pistols also respawn. (So you don't get stuck I guess) Not sure if Nitro covered this as I haven't watched it yet. But yeah, having every normal enemy be a regnerator from RE4 and a split-personality mechanic are intresting ideas and it's really sad that no one tried similar concepts that much. Heck, imagine if getting your aunt dead, instead of instantly killing you later, actually gave the ending a sadder tone, I guess like whenever or not you find the other survivors alive in two. As it is, I think this game funny as a "so-bad-it's-good" horror game, but I also feel a bit sad for the drastic amount of missed potential.
When you said this was a starting point to the horror genre I jumped out of my chair and was like "YES SOMEONE ELSE GETS IT!" This game is what finally broke my initial fear as a teenager towards the genre and began my obsession with it. You sir have finally got a sub from me. You're amazing.
The only thing that indicated that "endtable area" being of any significance was the nearby bed being the only bed with spread sheets. And that's absolutely god damn crazy when you consider you have to check it as Bates AND Alyssa lmao. Props to you for somehow finishing this game relatively sane.
Told ya gonna love it and hate it with passion. BTW Clock Tower 3 is one of the best horror comedy I ever experienced. Scary, disturbing, and extremely hilarious.
One of the ways they could have made the switching between Alyssa and Bates more convenient without just relying on a "click to switch" is actually alluded to at 20:16 . Make it to where interacting with a mirror without the Amulet would allow you to switch between them.
So I remember owning this game as a kid, and being absolutely terrified of it to the point where just the first 5 min used to scare me. I remember actually throwing it in the garbage bin because that's how much it scared me. Until a few months ago when I randomly remembered it existed, and wanted to try it again on emulator. Except for the life of me, I couldn't remember what it was called. All I could remember from it was that the girl had a school outfit, and that I remember a leg or something sticking out of a toilet. I got two of my friends to help me search the internet for a good 40 minutes (two separate times), and we finally found it. I played the entire game right after that. It was alright lol. Still a ton of other games I used to own that I can't remember, but I'm glad I knocked one off the list
I’m sorry, because it looks like this game was a nightmare to play. But this video is entertaining as hell. I’ve watched it more than a few times over the years. Thank you for your sacrifice. ;P
I like your videos, but this one is special in a way I can't explain. It's one of the few videos on UA-cam that I watch over and over and over again and still wanna watch it again. It's relaxing in a way that I can sleep to it. That's supposed to be a compliment. Videos capable of relaxing me like that are my favorites.
Damn, that artwork for the comics was beautiful so I looked up the comics, thinking they were full adaptations. Sadly they're just 8-page mini issues included with the Japanese strategy guides. I'm kinda surprised nobody has done a full manga adaption of the series.
Yeah, I loved Cry's playthrough. One of the first I ever saw from him. But I always thought the game seemed pretty goofy and I couldn't really take it that seriously, with the villains all seeming like a crappy knockoff of other characters like Kratos and Sailor Moon villains. And some of the cutscenes. Remember the one where the couple was put to rest peacefully and then Alyssa just randomly fell unconscious for no reason?
@@CeHee123 oh that was amazing. Personal favorite was the introduction of the girl's friend when he broke into her bedroom. That motion capture was beautiful.
Man oh man, what a colossal pain! I felt so bad when you were narrating what you got to do and then would run a zombie at the end, as hilarious as those moments turned out. Thanks for suffering through this. Your stuff is always top-notch and we all know you go above and beyond to complete these things so... just, props man. Damn. * salutes * Since _Clock Tower's_ getting wrapped up for this Halloween, it would be neat if for next year you looked at the "Clock Tower Adjacent" games - games that either began as _CT_ titles or were inspired by them or spiritual successors by some of the same talent. Specifically, _Haunting Ground (PS2), NightCry (PC)_ and _Remothered: Tormented Fathers (PC)._ I think they all take after the "Scissor Man" entries, but who knows? Maybe one of them does exactly what you want from _Ghost Head_ here and actually executes the split personality mechanic well?
I adore this overview so much and I'm so glad you introduced me to this game without me having to play it. It's honestly such funny game design to hear about, and would just be agonizing to personally play through. Fantastic review/video essay. Keep on unearthing the interesting videogames Nitrorad!
Clock Tower 3 next? Haunting Ground should count too since it was originally intended to be one. And then there's the "spiritual successors" like Nightcry and Remothered, which..yeah, they should be looked at too, for..reasons.
I can't even imagine the amount of fiddling with the editing you had to do to get the fire extinguisher "clang" to match up to the rhythm of the montage tune.
I played and got a good ending in Clock Tower (SNES) in a few hours. Beautiful, entrancing game. Clock Tower II took something like 2-4 days and I had to have people look things up to give me hints to get out of the bad ending loop after the first chapter. I played "Ghost Head" for a few hours and was done with it. Writing was on the wall with the second one only being made because Resident Evil, and then Ghost Head took all the wrong lessons from the second one and ran into the sun. Tried 4 and best the first boss, what a wild experience.
The ideas presented are like Bates, super likeable with a lot of potential, but the vessel or gameplay is keeping it from reaching that full potential to be a cult classic. Love the video, didn’t expect me to get a real good laugh. Now are the bonks when you hit enemies edited or actually from the game?
Fun fact: the zombie-shooting sequence is easier with the D-Pad on the controller. It's still a joke of a sequence but it does work better when the D-Pad seems to lock onto them. Fun fact #2: Doesn't matter though because this game fucking blows regardless of the control method.
Omg Nitro, I have watched Retsupurae's commentary on this for years and I was so enthusiastic to see you not only doing a review for this one, but the whole Clock Tower series! Always love listening to ya! (Also the zombie montages were amazing and SO PAINFULLY TRUE)
Bates is voiced by Roger Jackson. Who as also played Mojo Jojo on the Powerpuff Girls, the Cheshire cat in the American Mcgee Alice games, and Ghostface in the Scream movies.
Wow, the dude did a killer job!
I got flashbacks to rude removal because of you talking about Cartoon Network
I had a feeling that he sounded familiar.
HOLY FUCK
TIL Mojo Jojo's voice actor can play very serious roles
Johnathan Mahones now all I can imagine is Ghostface calling in the scream series with Mojo's speech patterns.
“I observe the blood puddle, and a samurai falls through the ceiling and kills me.”
Not exactly something you’d ever imagine saying, huh?
It gets better if you imagine this in a conversation.
"So, a samurai appeared and killed you?"
"Yep"
"And how did he killed you?"
"He just... fell on me... and I died"
"Ohh..."
Reminds me of the bullshit random deaths in games like Witch's House, like one of the very first ones. XD
@@indigowendigo8165 T E D D Y B E A R
How DID the armor get there all the way from the house anyway?
Maxwell was in it so did he get offended from you not looking at him that he carried it to the 3rd stage just to kill you with it?
Dungeons and Dragons in a nutshell.
"OK Stephanie, that's enough playtime today." *throws box at head* "Naptime!"
The babysitter's go-to solution for naughty kids since 1998 hahahahha
Might be my favorite part of this whole video.
@@mayamellissa mine too
TurnBased Combat same
nitro rad - *inspects blood*
some samurai armour - you fool. You fell victim to one of the classic blunders
ZoeTbh 69 likes
i hope this is not alyssa's blood
@@dmas7749 It is shortly afterwards.
I just love the animation where bates takes over, like, he puts his hands on his hips and looks around, like, he just wakes up and first thing starts scheming.
Bates is fruity as hell. I love it. Something about the feminine posturing contrasted with the literal voice of Ghostface is joyous.
Bates' a very sassy boy.
Clock Tower: I have no Walkthrough and must scream
Good one
@@johnstrange1109 Bad one
@@trubberdox Average One
@@danielalorbi Decent One
@@user-un6ok4cs8l A one
That “fucking” was so powerful it sounded like he was threatening to kill the game’s entire family
I've watched Nitro Rad for about 3 years and I don't think I've once heard him curse that badly
Also it's kinda funny how Jennifer, 15 y.o. looks like a grown woman, wearing high heeled boots and provocative red dresses flattering her figure, but Alyssa is 17 and she looks just like a really tall child
Basically, new generation
subrussian “GET SOME REST, TALL CHILD! You can’t keep burning the candle at both ends!”
Yeah I tought she was 8 years old and got suprised he said she was 17..
Pretty sure she was based on Jennifer Connelly who was... well she was definitely my childhood crush
@@Articulatedcopy Yeah, the original game was heavily inspired by Dario Argento's _Phenomena,_ which starred the ever so lovely Jennifer Connelly.
This game probably could've been better if there was a mini map that showed were the objective is in a color corresponding to Bates or Alyssa or just by having an audio queue play then the character goes: "Oh that sound came from (blank). I should check it out." Oh well.
The worst part is that (sometimes) it's not the gameplay itself that's the problem! The idea of "Go here, check this, now the other door is unlocked" is basically every other point-and-click in existence... but for some reason, this game just decided to ignore the whole "also, let the player know what to do next" aspect.
It's such a simple fix for so much of the game!
Nah it should have stayed as a spin-off
This game seems more like you're just waiting for stuff to happen.
"The struggle within" is just a forshadowing title for your actual sanity trying to play it.
Clock Tower: Ever Drop A Nintendo Wii On Your Foot
Clock Tower: So My Save File Got Dicked Over Again
Clock tower: Bates kicks a 7 year old in the face again
Clock Tower: Nintendo Consoles Are A Force To Be Reckoned With
Clock Tower: ITS YA BOI GUZMA!
Clock Tower: Now You're Ready To Smack Some Bitches
You lost THREE DAYS of progress?!? Jeez man, you’re way more strong willed than I. I would’ve dropped it at the first dead end.
P__Geni I would have put it away in my game cabinet to prevent myself from YEET-ing it out the window. “This bitch arbitrary! YEET!”
Wait you can't save in this game???
orenges Did you watch the video homie?
Not to mention, the death is a random-ass suit of samurai armor falling on you and crushing you to death. That level of shit is how Old Man Henderson came to exist, how Rad managed to finish is a miracle beyond me.
@@JacklynBurn He finished Bubsy 3D. His resilience to shitty games is truly admirable.
Honestly kicking a little girl trying to kill you in the face is the funniest way to deal with an enemy npc in a horror game ive ever seen.
The whole thing with Bates being more willing to fight back and beat up the slasher villain actually intrigues me. I'd love to see a movie use this concept where the main character is either possessed or has a split personality and the split personality doesn't take any shit. It'd be like Jason where he is about to murder some poor teenage girl, then suddenly her eyes go red and she kicks him in the nuts and decapitates him with his own machete. It'd be a good method of subverting expectations if you did it well. I think for a movie, you'd have to be more subtle about it instead of just showing that the character is possessed. Like, establish the main characters personality and how they act, then have some moments that break that character in a way to make it clear that something is wrong without spelling it out so when it comes time for them to face the slasher, and they are suddenly not afraid and can actually fight back its shocking but then your mind would go back to all those out of character moments and this makes sense. I dunno, I just like how you described Bates and would love to see that implemented in a better game.
Part 7 kinda did that with the psychic girl who legit kicks Jason's ass, but your idea deserves its own movie.
You'll want to check out You're Next. It's a good initial horror movie that turns into a kind of "we have Die Hard at home".
IME things like that are more common in Japanese media than Western stuff. I'm guessing it's because many Eastern cultures value order and conformity so it's more common for people to "put on a mask". The concept of an "inner monster" is also a prominent part of Eastern religions and philosophies.
I remember a movie like that can’t remember the name but I’ll describe the plot so maybe someone else knows. The movie is about this guy that has a second personality that is really aggressive and one day a bank he is in gets robbed so he lets his more aggressive personality take over and basically solos all the bank thieves. Unfortunately he was so aggressive he accidentally gets an innocent killed in the process and that kind of ruins his life. He goes to jail, his wife leaves him, and everyone hates him. Eventually he gets caught by this family of cannibals and is locked in their basement. Stuff happens and eventually the guy has a chance to escape but instead of running, which is a definite option for him not the usual “the killer is just going to catch up” kind of deal, he is convinced to kill most of the family himself by his more aggressive personality. So he kills most of the family and their evil mutant son.
@MysteriousTomJenkins - I know your comment is super old now, but if you or anyone else really want to try to make it happen, you could look around for forums belonging to computer game/programming courses & offer your idea as a brief storyboard or jumping-off point for someone else who's looking for ideas to create from?
Dude 24:40... that is some masterful editing. I laughed so hard at the unceremonious and completely isolated ting of the fire extinguisher. Bravo.
*BONK*
I constantly come back to this video to watch that one edit :P
*CLANG*
YESSS the clunk gets me so fucking bad
Now I'll associate those Rareware songs with these funny edits.
Now watch as this game series goes from a survival horror to a magical girl simulator.
…..I'd watch that survival horror magical girl anime.
LAZYNeku Google Search: Do you mean: Puella Magi Madoka Magica?
Clock Tower 3 is still better than Ghost Head. Except for the final boss.
YES! Hahaha! Can someone warn him about what he is getting himself into? Hahaha
do you mean: magical girl raising project?
Clock Tower :- The Struggle to Finish.
Wait... What?
Genius title🤣!
Love that you used Killer7 music while talking about violent split personalities. Very appropriate!
One of big issue it's plot. It has so many plot holes that doesn't explained; and it's not like "Oh, we want you to figure out by yourself", no, it's more like "Eh... We didn't have much time to explain things. Sorry.". Plus, english ver. has difference in story.
Maxwell is actually Saido Fushihito, so it's not Maxwell curse, but Saido curse. Fushihito was a brilliant and wealthy science, that has a great fame. But he also knows about curse and when he found out about two twins that were born, he was shocked, scared, filled with anger. And decided to get rid of them.
Alyssa and Bates are Rin (Yu) Saido (Midoshima) and Sho Saido. They're not sister and brother, but two twin sisters. Saido's curse is actually about two twins, who can be "together" even after death. Which is exactly we see in game, Sho died, but her personality with Rin. I'm not so sure, why legends in Saido family says that twins should be buried alive, and what for golden statue, but that's what Fushihito did.
After that, he was driving insane and started to make virus that will destroy humanity. Why? ...I don't know! But accidently he became a victim of his own virus and turned into a walking dead man who wanted to kill everyone.
Allen Hale (Midoshima Takashi) also was involved in it. He was Saido's rival, always jealous to him, and wanted to somehow make him suffer; not to mention, he also has a daughter (woman with white face), who he abandoned all alone and forgot about her. Which is why, Fujika (Shannon) ties to kill Rin, she thinks that will bring back her father's love. As for Takashi, he came to Saido's graveyard and found there two twins, one of them was dead, but another lived. With Takashi, also was his brother-in-law (???) Takano Hajime (Philip Tate), he saw golden statue and was shocked, explaining about curse. Takashi didn't believe in it and took child with him, named her - Yu. Originally, he wanted to use Yu as a tool to destroy Saido's reputation, but soon he started like her as his own daughter.
After many years, Yu has started have change her personality with her death sister. In opening cutscene we see one of moments, where Yu with Sho personality killed three students and teacher. People thought that Yu had psychological problems, but Takashi quickly realized what's going on. So, he bought to her amulet from Mikoshi shrine (which is why it's magic???) to control her personality.
Meanwhile, Mdioshima afraid that Takano can tell people about Yu, so he found Saido's virus, infected golden statue, and sent it to Takano. Takano as a very believer person, who knows a lot about of Saido's curse, hid statue in closet in his room. Genius! Of course, kids found statue, they were infected by virus and started massacre. Rest of story is known.
I explained it to people, who didn't get what's going on in this game. And even I can't say as I'm right or wrong!
24:41
You could have just edited out the killing-zombies sequences, but instead you made them hilarious! Great work!
Holy shit, I'm loving these beginning skits, look real professional
Well, he does studied cinematography. Also I love his Bates impression. "Now you're ready to smack some bitches."
I loudly said: "YES" when I saw this pop up in my notification feed. Im so exicted to watch this.
Ghost Head, more like Ghost Headache
what ever but this really sucks and this is not the sequel this is a spin off.
Is that Trinity Fate art? Either way, nice pic.
:3
@@hammylove821 yea, it was sort of the only image I could find to fit my vibe ^ .^;
@@MenxiGoblinQueen 👌 No worries. Keep rockin' the lewds! Good taste, Mako.
Clock Tower: Ghost Head needs a remake! Holy crap this game could’ve been so good! They just need to release all of the games, remade and improved, and then make a sequel!
Anything with Bates in is awesome though, so he better come back too.
hope the old guy still got the badass voice acting
Or Stefan Weyte. The voice actor for Caleb from Blood.
Yeah I agree! I really like Ghost Head for its story. Just sad that it never got translated well into the game itself but after reading all the details up on the wiki it actually sounds promising!
@@micahlindley7515 I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought they sounded a bit alike
Stefan might need a few cough drops though
We're getting a proper Western release of the OG Clock Tower coming to Modern Consoles via WayForward and Limited Run called Clock Tower+.
10:40 Something that would have saved that (and almost all other puzzles) is if the cursor changed based on who you were. If you were Bates, but the item only has significance with Allysa, then change the icon to have maybe a different outline. Purple for Bates, Gold for Allysa, with none meaning any of them can interact with it evenly. This could mean hiding places as Allysa would still be visible to you, but with the understanding that only Allysa can do it, and same vice versa.
15:43 Going back with something you mentioned about extra dialog... yeah, that would have been an interesting point for Allysa to point that out. In fact... while it WOULD be still user-hostile, make it so Allysa (and only Allysa) points out if you run into Stephanie after that point (aka messed up) that maybe she should have locked the door. It would then be a hint towards the right thing to do. Granted, due to how the save system works, that would still lead to the same issue, but at least the user is hinted at the right method in game.
18:00 Something like that would have been an interesting easter egg ending. Like if making the armor attack you become an extra hazard. If you complete the area with it still active, it unlocks the easter egg ending. Having it be mandatory? Yeah, that's user-hostile.
That first point is a really good idea, that would make a lot of things so much clearer. This game needs to better communicate to the player, and that'd be a solid start!
Regarding that last point, even if it only locked you out of the very best ending or a joke ending, that would’ve been better than locking you into the worst possible ending. It should not have been mandatory to get any sort of resolution to the game.
Not to mention, there could also be the fact that having Bates only use guns probably wouldn't make much sense, so basically have both him and Elisa use improvised weapons, but have Bates use guns at the cost of hiding, and vice-versa with Elisa.
Also, maybe have Bates also come out on his own, without the amulet, only in comparison to encountering something scary without it, it takes a while before he'll come out, making the encounter method be a way to just speed up the process.
one thing i'd like to add to this, i'd like an explanation in game for some of the crazy things that are going on.
the game does a decent job at the end explaining some of the big plot points, such as the yellow blood, the maxwell curse, the strange woman, and the zombies too.
you know what it doesn't explain? the samurai armor. yeah, unless you read the extras menu, you'll never know ANYTHING about the armor, or what's possessing it. Which turns out to be none other than Alyssa's cousin, who hid inside of the statue to stay safe from his crazed sister. yeah, the game doesn't tell you this until after the ending, and it doesn't explain at ALL why he drops in on you in chapter 3.
4:30
Don't forget, the original DS survived mt. everest...
W3Rn1ckz And a GameBoy Survived a mine explosion.
@@JamesCPotter13 You mean the Game Boy that survived a barracks bombing during Desert Storm? Nintendo has it in their flagship store in NYC--it still works, even!
And the switch survived a thousand foot drop.
Mecklenburg Falldini say what you will about Nintendo, but they make a *damn* good portable console.
Nintendo might not be as competitive graphically but damn do they make their stuff to last. We still have our original Super Nintendo and our first GC.
24:54 lmaoo that took me off guard
I can’t stop replaying that part.
It's even perfectly timed to the music, pfff
I laughed even harder when he immediately encountered a second zombie and the whole thing just starts over! 25:32 DOINK!
Shit nearly had me in tears. God, that looks _so_ aggravating.
May I know what soundtrack did they use on that part?
*+Amuro Ray* First one's Mr. Patch's theme: ua-cam.com/video/jZOsNNlDI1Y/v-deo.html
Second... I'm not sure. Must be something else from Banjo-Kazooie or Banjo-Tooie, though!
I hate it when a game is very strict but simultaneously vague, which is why I don't play games like this.
But many games in this genre aren't LIKE this, only the minority of poorly made ones.
I think I use a GameShark to make the weapons never broke
Don't let this game detract you from the genre. This is just plain terribly-made game.
Oh god, how the hell did a friend of mine beat this game in japanese. This was mid 90s and place we lived in didnt have internet(easy access to pirated games tho lol). Great review, you captured everything i felt during those times i had to watch my friend play this and try to make sense of everything.
I think Bates is a pretty cool guy. eh kicks face and doesn't afraid of anything.
Doesn't afraid of anything indeed
He like is Batman! He doesn’t afraid the bad guy
Setab
English is fun.
@@micahlindley7515 it's a meme you uncultured swine
16:36 I know how much pain this caused you, but the girl getting crushed by the samurai caused me to laugh out loud and replay this a few times. This is the best example of how arbitrary this game can be, a point and click with such insanely bullshit solutions, old Sierra games like kings quest shake their heads in disappointment
I knew I wasn’t the only one.
@@fuziontonygaming It was really funny
Fun Fact Bates is voiced by the same guy who plays Mojo Jojo in powerpuff girls
Bates is even more bad ass than I thought he was
I think he was also the voice of Ghost Face from the Scream movies.
So she's posessed by Mojojojo? XD
Okay, Ghostface makes a bit more sense, huh. :p
huh weird
Wait, Roger L. Jackson. The voice of Mojo Jojo, the guy who ALSO did the voice for the Cheshire Cat for American Mcgee's Alice and Alice: Madness Returns, also did Telltale Games, and even did the Jojo's Bizzare Adventure OVA series with Charles Martinet (voice of Mario) did the voice of what I thought was the "David Hayter" wannabe? Hang on let me check IMDB.
23:43 and I'm almost suffocating of laughter, that scream and that music hahahahahaaa I love how you sync up the BONG! With the extinguisher.
Personally, I like this clock tower and play it, along with the others, every Halloween. I get why it turns a lot of people off though. I memorized ever ending and playthroughs of all the clock tower games from watching my dad play them as a kid. It was how we bonded. I'm glad to see someone reviewing the franchise as a whole. It's interesting to see the different experiences and difficulties everyone faces when they first play. But yeah, the endings are funny and infuriating at the same time. 😂 And, embarrassing to say, I always come back because of my childhood crush on Bates. . .😅
When he said a samurai fell from a ceiling and kills him, who actually thought he meant a ghost samurai falling from the ceiling and stabbing Alyssa with a sword?
Why stab Alyssa when you could hit her with a flying crossbody press from the top rope...er...skylight, as the samurai of feudal Japan were known to do?
Played this game when i was a young little boy. I picked up a bootleg copy of it here in Brazil and remember really liking it, but never being able to finish it. At the time, i tough that the problem was that i just wasn't smart enough to play it, but now i know the real reason.
i really really like the concepts they were working with! it's a shame the mechanics were so clunky.
Woke up this morning and already it's a good day.
Dude, same exact feeling. Haha
OMG I can't stop laughing, I was expecting the samurai falling through the ceilling to stab you with a katana or stomping your face on the ground, but I didn't expect the entire suit of armor and the game giving you an ending, that was the cherry on the top
Ending G for Gravity.
Why does bates being the host of a self-defence class just make so much sense?
I'm really hoping you'll cover the equally obscure but perhaps more intense D series
Ooooh yeah! That'd be freaking dope man!
Also the Obscure games: 1 and Aftermath.
"D series"? Is that the name of the game series? Found nothing when I googled for it.
@@Urpuss No. The D series is a trilogy of three games: D (D's Diner), Enemy Zero and D2 (in that order). The games take place in different timelines/universes, but reuse characters.
D is the name of the game. Just google D game and you'll find the wikipedia page and other relevant things (such as the first game being sold on Steam for a fiver, etc.)
Hate to break it to anyone interested in the manga shown at the end but they just made that one as a little prologue and visual concept for what to expect with the game, it's a not a complete manga series or anything (same goes with the first fear manga)
Other than that good video
@Alastorsblade wait fear the manga as an F.E.A.R first encounter the game or am i mistaken ??
@@jopdancing7320 no first fear is the name of the name of the first clock tower
@Alastorsblade Oh okay cool i raised my expectation for as second there
also i find it strange that it's called first fear in japan while everywhere else it's clock tower??
@@jopdancing7320 First Fear never came out here. Clock Tower is actually Clock Tower 2
Actually there were manga in Monthly GFantasy for Ghost Head in 1998, so Nitro is correct in saying there is manga for this particular entry. I only know this because I'm trying to help a friend and CT collector track down the last two issues she's missing to finish the comic herself (in both scans and accurate translations.)
*SPOILERS*
The zombie virus was created by George Maxwell, not Allen Hale. Maxwell wanted revenge against humanity for... reasons. Bates is not confirmed to be spirit of Alyssa's twin. It's just a piece of misinformation that's been passed around a lot. Officially, the reason behind his existence is stated to be unknown. Additionally, it's stated that the twins were both girls.
It makes sense to me! I was over here wondering why Alyssa sounded like a normal kid and Bates like a 30 year-old who came out smoking out the womb.
The game does say the twins were both girls, but then also says it's unknown if Bates is her twin, so... idk?
the japanese voice is clearly the same just with a darker tone to it
In the Japanese version of the game, "Bates" (it's another name, but I can't remember it) is not voiced by a man. It's still her own voice, but much colder and totally mean. That COULD contribute to the theory that the twins were both girls.
But I guess it could be wrong too...
@@bonissoni1989 Bates transitioned in the afterlife
16:42
I remember watching a Japanese playthrough of the game in which the samurai falls from the ceiling but Alyssa dodged it. I don't know if the gameplayer examined the statue or not...
Her name isn't Alyssa in the Japanese version.
Her name is Yu.
I'm disappointed he's only a Mr. Bates and not a Master Bates.
HAHAHA also his voice is amazing
Maybe a shout out to Norman Bates?
I love Austin Powers jokes. Groovy Baby Yeah 😎
I get it
Damn dude, How do you upload these high quality reviews so consistently?
he gave up his soul to the quality content gods
Guignard's Corner I wouldn’t be surprised if he builds up a buffer of footage, with a schedule on when he wants to upload
Probably does the big parts of the videos in advance and then polishes them all up with intros and such and release them later.
@Mac Mcskullface It's telling that that's almost unheard of in the modern youtube scene.
Guignard's Corner it’s his full time job
oof you know a game is bad when NitroRad, mister positive, goes on an angry rant on it. bless you for going through this one. I played about 15 minutes of this one and dropped it.
The suit of armor out the window always reminded me of dying in Corpse Party when my character ate a pair of scissors
No matter how bad of a game it is, it will always hold a special spot in my heart. This is the game that introduced me to the world of video games
23:29 makes a lot more sense when you think of zombies as just Skeletons with meat. They don't really have to worry about bleeding or tissue and organ damage, so their biggest threat is heavy blunt objects that can break their bones.
Just a thing to note:
6:50 "This is the first game in the series to include guns"
Goes to Clock Tower 2 review
17:41 "You also get a gun"
The gun was also a key item to the final chapter of the second one.
THANK you I thought I was crazy lol
As soon as he said it, I scrolled down to see if anyone else noticed. Thank you! He even included a clip of Helen using the gun in THIS video!
I might be wrong on this, but wasn't that gun sequence a scripted thing at the end of the game? Because if so, then Ghost Head is the game to incorporate the gun mechanics into the gameplay.
@@ItetsuShikurasa This.
thank you for shouting out retsupurae my guy, they need more love
16:40
"And A SAMURAI FALLS THROUGH THE CEILING AND KILLS ME."
So poetic and beautiful that this game is
Fixed this 2 weeks later
Out 19 instead of 16 for the time
Thanks for whoever liked this to make me check it out and notice my mistake
I want to know in what world chucking a TV at a 7 year old's head is not lethal.
"Nap time!"
*Boom!"
I laughed so damn hard, lol
24:53 It's timed so perfectly with the music, it CAN'T be coincidental.
I just looked this back and your right lmao
What is the song that played
@@basekinkajou5103 Mr. Patches from Banjo-Tooie
@@blaz9474 cool thanks
YES! I've been waiting for this all week!
Clock tower 3
Haunting grounds
Nightcry
Remothered: tormented fathers
Please...
Clock tower 3 should be reviewed on April 1st. That game trolled us.
What? "Trolled us"?
If don't come to Clock Tower for the Magical Girls, you're not a real fan. :^)
same reason why you would play silent hill 3............ i wonder what is it with horror games 3rd titles and magical girls lol
Amen! Please! I really want to hear his thoughts on these, especially Remothered.
Haunting grounds I would love to see, but dude, that game can cost over 100 dollars, I only have a copy cause years back my sister got it for $20.....SIS YOU GOT LUCKY AS HELL! I rarely played it as a kid too so it's in great condition with its manual...it's beautiful.
you're the best video game reviewer because even in the worst of games you find things you like among all the things that suck. i get the same way about niche and forgotten or easily dismissed anime stuff. it's nice to see someone who can sit down and, even in the most miserable games, see the silver lining around the big, terrible storm clouds, even if in the end it's not exactly worth playing. people talking about these little good things give other people a better appreciation for them, and you're the best at that (rascal really comes to mind.) keep up the good work, dude!
24:54 Such a well timed bonk.
My friend brought this game over for a birthday sleepover and it gave me nightmares afterwards. I'd never watched a slasher movie before so the whole concept of being chased around a house by a knife-wielding murderer was completely fresh to me. Much later, I looked the game up and remembered the dual personality part and thought that was an amazing element which could function both mechanically and from a narrative standpoint. It's a shame the developers had no idea how to implement it in a way less frustrating than your stereotypical railroading GM horror story. Totally agree with wanting a remake for this, thanks you for your sacrifice in covering this.
I would love the bates personality sketch to become a recurring character for the show or atleast during the Halloween special, but rebranding him a little bit would probably be best. *NitroRad and his mysteriously deceased co host/twin brother NapalmRob*
Ok this NEED TO HAPPEN
Haha haha oh my god those two zombies in the lab right before the climax. That’s extremely tedious. Props for that hilarious editing.
I know, that thud got me so hard both times.
You got to love Roger L. Jackson! (He’s the voice of Bates) and he also is popular for voicing Mojo Jojo and Ghostface from Scream.
This review covers my exact thoughts and feelings while playing this game, luckily I dropped it without even trying to beat 1st chapter!
What also frustrated me really comparing to previous title is that this game actually punishes you for curiosity and exploration - in CT2 you simply can't progress if you don't examine every shelf, every cupboard, every small thing you see, cause anything might hide a key or smth, sometimes you get traps like evil hand attacking you or possessed mask starts to fly around with the chair, but you can deal with these things and continue. It Ghost Head 80% of the stuff around you triggers a trap, usually a deadly and completely random one, like you examine a clock and BAM a saber from the wall comes to life and kills you. Why? Just whyyy...
Anyway thanks for the hilarious review, keep doing the great job! :D
This is still my favorite review of yours. Seeing you get frustrated with a bad game is always fun and especially those 2 scene of you timelapsing the entire escape with wacky banjo music in the background is hilarious.
been waiting all week for this bro
What kind of title is “Ghost Head”?
It's a ghost but it's a head.
Isn't that what they named that one scene from Ghostbusters?
It’s your head
its the PAL region name for ghostface killah, the video game where you play as a serial murderer who has a ghost for a face
Toxic Pyro12 a porn title
Ah, just a thing. For the zombies in the end of chapter 2, I realized after doing the sequence 4 or 5 times that you have to shoot the zombies in the order they come into the room AND after they finish their first "walk into the room" animation. So technically if you find the shoot spot quick enough, you can get all of them down without letting them get too close. The sequence is still too long and sucks though I'll admit that XD And yeah, of course, it's frustrating to have to hover to the weak spot to kill the zombie, but... They all function like that, even the ones outside this sequence, so that makes sense I'd say? Plus the whole in-universe explanation with the parasitic brain blah blah blah.
For the whole samurai armor thing, yeah, it suck... That's terrible design. But there's a hint that tells you that something will go differently whether or not the armor moves in Chapter 1. Still terrible design but it's there. Same goes for locking Chinatsu/Stephanie in the bedroom too. One thing I like better about GH's hints (except for the trollish Hint 8) is that you can actually read them as soon as you find them instead of having to reset your game and search through menus.
"The only weapon that can remove the zombies permanently is the shotgun"
Really? I remember removing them out of existence with the basic pistol. Then again I pretty much perma-switched to the bonus talisman once I found out how to unlock it as I didn't want to constantly look for ammo and shooting magic lasers at the enemies was just too glorious.
Tbh I don't know where the "Ghosthead" appellation for Maxwell/Saidô came from... Except maybe the US version box. He's never called that not in the US game, not in the japanese game, and the original title is pretty much as linked to him as "Resident Evil" is linked to the events in that game.
23:32 "Why is the fire extinguisher more effective than a firearm?" Because of how the weak points of the zombies work. With the pistol, you can target only one weak point at the time: I think each zombie has one on the head, one on the shoulders, one on the stomach and one on the feet. For EACH zombie, ONE of those weak points will show a symbol with red text instead of green text. Shooting THAT point will kill it instantly. Again, linked to how the parasitic brains created by the HU599 bacteria/Cerebral Toxin work, although it's pretty badly explained in-game, I'll admit. The Shotgun and Machine gun target all weak points at once, so they'll kill them in one hit for sure.
Aaaah once again, the f-ing US version mixup with the zombie stuff. What created the *zombies* seen in chapters 2 & 3 and what caused Stephanie and Maxwell (and the armor if you activate it) to go berserk are clearly differenciated in the original version: HU599 bacteria developed by MAXWELL (as revenge) for the zombs, and a hallucinogen substance hidden in the golden statue by HALE for the two others.
The whole story is actually very interesting, because everything, EVERYTHING revolves around revenge and jealousy. The whole plot was started by Hale being jealous of Maxwell, and from there everything spiraled out of control. The game's story is pretty sad when you think about it -- and the protagonist really can't change anything that's happening, no matter her choices.
I laughed way too hard at the accelerated sequences of you backtracking to bop the zombies with the fire extinguisher, I'm so sorry X'D
I am currently studying game design, and this particular game was a huge influence for this. It has something -- I don't know what -- that suddenly rocketed my appreciation for this game to a point that put this one third on the list of my favourite games I've played. It has glaring design flaws but still remains fascinating to me. Could consider it as a guilty pleasure of mine I guess.
I'm trying to track down the man that was the director, scenario writer and game designer for the game. Looking at some other games he worked as a designer on, they're all a bit "different", although some were better recieved than others. I want to interview him and ask about all kind of stuff, but Ghost Head is my main reason for this.The game really has some great ideas, unfortunately they're not executed well.
Okay, I'll stop typing now, sweet Arceus I think it's the longest comment I've typed on UA-cam as of yet.
Keep up the reviews, they're great!
EDIT: Oh yeah, I'm kinda sad you didn't talk about the vibration feature that mimicks the rythm of Yuu/Alyssa's heartbeat when you're playing with a controller. Not having a PS1 myself, I never could experience it on emulator, but I've seen people sing it so much praise...
Informative comment!
When the zombies have their "Weakpoint" revealed its weird.
Before that, every "Hitbox" on the zombie (When the shoot icon shows up) shows up as red, but if it's not the (Re-randomized every room) parasite location, it just knocks the zombie out like with Stephanie and you run out the room.
After, most hitboxes will be green and they will do nothing if shot, with one the specific spot being Red, this is the parasite spot and it kills them.
Enemies DO randomly appear after time like scissorman, but I swear it takes over an hour of game time for it, it's only really noticable in chapter 2 where you WILL have to wait for one to spawn if you kill them all before you're done with Bates, though since they can only spawn when you stop blocking the door (don't move when entering a room) you could leave the game on while you browse the internet or something, Stephanie in Chapter 1, the exact same Female zombie model in chapter 2 and Maxwell in Chapter 3.
The shotgun/SMG just targets EVERY HITBOX AT ONCE making it superior.
Maxwell has "Traditional" Health, 2 shotgun blasts, 3 pistol shots or 1 shotgun blast and 2 pistol shots if you run out and run to grab a new gun from a room and I think 1-2 SMG attacks kill him.
You CAN search objects while being chased, but only if they're already unlocked, you can't use inventory items while being chased, medkits and pistols also respawn. (So you don't get stuck I guess)
Not sure if Nitro covered this as I haven't watched it yet.
But yeah, having every normal enemy be a regnerator from RE4 and a split-personality mechanic are intresting ideas and it's really sad that no one tried similar concepts that much.
Heck, imagine if getting your aunt dead, instead of instantly killing you later, actually gave the ending a sadder tone, I guess like whenever or not you find the other survivors alive in two.
As it is, I think this game funny as a "so-bad-it's-good" horror game, but I also feel a bit sad for the drastic amount of missed potential.
Thanks for all this info! I love all these concepts in theory but in execution most suuuuuuuck.
I wish I saw this comment earlier. I wouldn't have to explain the zombie weak spot if I had.
Do you expect me to read all that shit?
My respect for getting through that mess of a game.
Nice job on the whole editing.
When you said this was a starting point to the horror genre I jumped out of my chair and was like "YES SOMEONE ELSE GETS IT!" This game is what finally broke my initial fear as a teenager towards the genre and began my obsession with it. You sir have finally got a sub from me. You're amazing.
"Nintendo consoles are a force to be reckoned with"
best sentence ever
Except for the Wii u..... sadly
He meant physically. Seriously, a number of Nintendo consoles are famous for their absurd durability.
The virtual boy is hefty af too
I know! You know how many times I dropped my Game Cube and N64?, and they are still fully functioning today! Crazy!
Unrelated, but I love your profile pic
The only thing that indicated that "endtable area" being of any significance was the nearby bed being the only bed with spread sheets. And that's absolutely god damn crazy when you consider you have to check it as Bates AND Alyssa lmao. Props to you for somehow finishing this game relatively sane.
Told ya gonna love it and hate it with passion.
BTW Clock Tower 3 is one of the best horror comedy I ever experienced. Scary, disturbing, and extremely hilarious.
Cute profile pic. What is it?
Cj Newman Thank you. It's Nitta Emi when she's in μ's, from Love Live.
One of the ways they could have made the switching between Alyssa and Bates more convenient without just relying on a "click to switch" is actually alluded to at 20:16 . Make it to where interacting with a mirror without the Amulet would allow you to switch between them.
24:54 & 25:34
I'm not sure why, but you smacking them bogeys right on the head with fire extinguishers is strangely cathartic.
So I remember owning this game as a kid, and being absolutely terrified of it to the point where just the first 5 min used to scare me. I remember actually throwing it in the garbage bin because that's how much it scared me. Until a few months ago when I randomly remembered it existed, and wanted to try it again on emulator. Except for the life of me, I couldn't remember what it was called. All I could remember from it was that the girl had a school outfit, and that I remember a leg or something sticking out of a toilet. I got two of my friends to help me search the internet for a good 40 minutes (two separate times), and we finally found it. I played the entire game right after that. It was alright lol. Still a ton of other games I used to own that I can't remember, but I'm glad I knocked one off the list
In this game you have to get good at playing as possessed Alyssa...
So what I'm saying is if you do play the game *everyone master Bates*
I’m sorry, because it looks like this game was a nightmare to play. But this video is entertaining as hell. I’ve watched it more than a few times over the years. Thank you for your sacrifice. ;P
I like your videos, but this one is special in a way I can't explain. It's one of the few videos on UA-cam that I watch over and over and over again and still wanna watch it again. It's relaxing in a way that I can sleep to it. That's supposed to be a compliment. Videos capable of relaxing me like that are my favorites.
Damn, that artwork for the comics was beautiful so I looked up the comics, thinking they were full adaptations. Sadly they're just 8-page mini issues included with the Japanese strategy guides. I'm kinda surprised nobody has done a full manga adaption of the series.
What, really? I expected an at least a one shot manga of the story.
Yeah I was really disappointed to see that
23:32 Best part of this video by far!
Yay! Clock tower 3 next, the one I found very memorable thanks to cryaotic’s playthrough.
Oh god, that game. The magical girl game.
Wonder if Nitro will ever cover the two spiritual successors with Haunting Ground and Nightcry
Yeah, I loved Cry's playthrough. One of the first I ever saw from him. But I always thought the game seemed pretty goofy and I couldn't really take it that seriously, with the villains all seeming like a crappy knockoff of other characters like Kratos and Sailor Moon villains. And some of the cutscenes. Remember the one where the couple was put to rest peacefully and then Alyssa just randomly fell unconscious for no reason?
@@CeHee123 oh that was amazing. Personal favorite was the introduction of the girl's friend when he broke into her bedroom. That motion capture was beautiful.
Christopher Healy, silent hill 2 was the first cryaotic series I watched.
I died every time he played actual magical girl music during boss finishers.
Man oh man, what a colossal pain! I felt so bad when you were narrating what you got to do and then would run a zombie at the end, as hilarious as those moments turned out. Thanks for suffering through this. Your stuff is always top-notch and we all know you go above and beyond to complete these things so... just, props man. Damn. * salutes *
Since _Clock Tower's_ getting wrapped up for this Halloween, it would be neat if for next year you looked at the "Clock Tower Adjacent" games - games that either began as _CT_ titles or were inspired by them or spiritual successors by some of the same talent. Specifically, _Haunting Ground (PS2), NightCry (PC)_ and _Remothered: Tormented Fathers (PC)._ I think they all take after the "Scissor Man" entries, but who knows? Maybe one of them does exactly what you want from _Ghost Head_ here and actually executes the split personality mechanic well?
I adore this overview so much and I'm so glad you introduced me to this game without me having to play it. It's honestly such funny game design to hear about, and would just be agonizing to personally play through. Fantastic review/video essay. Keep on unearthing the interesting videogames Nitrorad!
Can't wait for next year to see your Kuon review.
Clock Tower 3 next? Haunting Ground should count too since it was originally intended to be one. And then there's the "spiritual successors" like Nightcry and Remothered, which..yeah, they should be looked at too, for..reasons.
Nightcry is quite a glorious trainwreck.
I hope we get Silence of Th-I mean...Remotherd at some point.
5:41 "Awww, okay Stephanie, that's enough playtime for now."
**DONK**
"Nap time!"
LMAO
I can't even imagine the amount of fiddling with the editing you had to do to get the fire extinguisher "clang" to match up to the rhythm of the montage tune.
I played and got a good ending in Clock Tower (SNES) in a few hours. Beautiful, entrancing game.
Clock Tower II took something like 2-4 days and I had to have people look things up to give me hints to get out of the bad ending loop after the first chapter.
I played "Ghost Head" for a few hours and was done with it.
Writing was on the wall with the second one only being made because Resident Evil, and then Ghost Head took all the wrong lessons from the second one and ran into the sun.
Tried 4 and best the first boss, what a wild experience.
Okay, this is epic.
Pepsi Ant 👏🏻👏🏻
YOU FELL FOR IT FOOL! SAMURAI FALLING FROM THE CEILING ATTACK!
The ideas presented are like Bates, super likeable with a lot of potential, but the vessel or gameplay is keeping it from reaching that full potential to be a cult classic.
Love the video, didn’t expect me to get a real good laugh. Now are the bonks when you hit enemies edited or actually from the game?
This is one of my favorite videos of yours. The fire extinguisher clunks are hilarious.
24:38 LMAOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! I love the choice of music, I love the sped-up editing, I love everything. This is all beautiful.
Ghost Tower: Clock Head
Yes. That is the title of the game.
@Fozzy W Clock Clock: Ghost Ghost
Fun fact: the zombie-shooting sequence is easier with the D-Pad on the controller. It's still a joke of a sequence but it does work better when the D-Pad seems to lock onto them.
Fun fact #2: Doesn't matter though because this game fucking blows regardless of the control method.
If you aren’t my favorite UA-camr, then you gotta at least be in my top 3.
Omg Nitro, I have watched Retsupurae's commentary on this for years and I was so enthusiastic to see you not only doing a review for this one, but the whole Clock Tower series! Always love listening to ya! (Also the zombie montages were amazing and SO PAINFULLY TRUE)
I was about to say watch the retsuprae playthrough, and than you mention it in the end. :) I'm very happy
Oh it's this time of the year again. A Brady being scared intro, a spooky game to review. It's Nitro Rad Halloween special