Customer Reviews

Clock Tower 3

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

The first two Clock Tower games (on PS1) didn't reach many gamers due to several reasons (the first was one of the very earliest games and its "point and click" gameplay style didn't capture the public imagination. The second one sank pretty quickly too (not even released in Europe, so I never played it). Lets hope the same does not happen to the 3rd, because it's by far the best. Playing as a young schoolgirl Alyssa, you return to your family home to find it deserted and before you know it you are being chased through time and supernatural dimensions by crazed killers! First let me say that the graphics and animations throughout the game are superb. Its also one of the grisliest survival horror games I have played, I certainly didn't expect to see a little girl bludgeoned to death by a sledgehammer, or a sweet old lady drowned in an acid bath, but nothing is left to the imagination here. The big feature of playing the game is that Alyssa cannot attack any of the foes that chase her around the various levels, instead she must merely run away, or utilise various one-off escape manouveres that can only be actioned in specific few and far between locations. It sounds frustrating, but it actually works pretty well, and the panic of solving a puzzle whilst a maniac with an acid spray or giant scissors is breaking down the door to your room always provided plenty of entertainment for me!
Gamers who like a fighting challenge are also catered for however, as at the end of each level, Alyssa has to fight each maniac (a different serial killer is after her in each level) to the death. And it's here that the games difficulty suddenly shoots up. Much to my approval, the boss battles take a fair amount of strategy and keen reflexes, as opposed to the constant running and hiding of the main levels. And just when you think you've got the boss system down, if you make it through to the last stage, be ready for a pretty serious challenge in the final battle. The voice acting is very good (Alyssa and her family actually sound genuinely British!), and the locations and mad maniacs are all suitably horrific.
Sadly the game seems very short, and the areas that Alyssa explores are all quite small, although there are several stages to keep the player amused including a cemetary, a hospital, and an ornate castle.
The spirit of the first game has been kept intact, especially the sudden surprises of the killer leaping out unexpectedly at you, but everything is improved, although sadly there are no multiple endings like in the first game (only one here). I would certainly recommend this game, but it's not really a game for children due to the graphic murders on display. But for the rest of us, its good gruesome fun!

Clock Tower 3 attempts to scare you with jumps and creepy settings, let me tell you , it does. The games' scare factor is way up there. I've played the Silent Hill games. Tower 3 is 10x scarier. The Silent Hill games tell you when the monsters are coming and they're slow. But Tower 3, you don't know when to expect something, and the monsters will chase you down like they're track-runners.

Some of the puzzles are quite hard, mind teasing, or just plain simple. Like helping the ghosts, the things they need are usually right in front of where they're standing. They could just go and pick it up themselves. But some require a little bit of thinking. Spoiler Alert~ On one of the puzzles you find a slip of paper that tells you "BAD". Then Babe "1014" and Dead "3403". B is 1. A is 0. D is 3. Which is the combination for a locked box.

The graphics surpast that of the PS2 capabilities. Some can look realistic. Only here and there are some glitches. No slow-downs though. It goes right up there with Silent Hill 2 graphics.

The difficulty level isn't to bad. Some boss battles can take a while to beat, but not forever. Not more than 5 tries mostly. It's still fun to fight the boss even if you die, unlike most games where you get bored.

This right now is my favorite game. I suggest, if you looking for action,suspense,survivor,and horror gaming. This is your game.

Clock Tower 3 has turned out to be everything that Silent Hill 3 was not. While Silent Hill 3 is certainly the scariest of the survival horror games around it lacked a cohesive story and did not seem to fit in with the series. CT3 for all intensive purposes is actually the game that SH3 was not. Why?

First of all CT3 boasts the best graphics seen on the PS2 to date. While Heather in SH3 had some great moves, your eyes will pop out of your head when you see Alyssa's PANIC mode in full swing. Basically the game is a reminder of what was on offer with the original SH series or Resident Evil when you first played it, and follows the story of a young girl, Alyssa, who learns that something is going to happen on her birthday. She returns home and discovers something supernatural about herself and her new objective is to find her lost mother by discovering murdered corpses and returning items to the bodies before the ghost of the corpse can kill her. Killing Alyssa is not easy. She must first be shocked into a state of panic and then into a state of petrifaction before the final blow can be inflicted. This means that you must try and keep Alyssa calm as much as you can... and this is not easy when you visit places out of 19th century London in the dead of night or 17th century English castles populated with ghosts. So like most survival games Alyssa transverses various maps, picking up pieces, solving puzzles and trying to keep herself from being shocked into a blind panic (the screen goes crazy and Alyssa starts falling about the place making her a very easy target). However there is one thing that takes this game to the next level and that is the quality of the psycho bosses.

On every level a serial killer appears to hamper you in your journey. They all look insane and you must avoid their attacks by running, hiding or finding trigger spots that do something to them. At the end of every level there is a "Boss Fight" mode where you wield a bow and must bind the boss with electrical lighting bolts. These fight sequences are tough and unreal because the quality of the graphics is up there with the likes of Devil May Cry and Metal Gear Solid... but what more could we expect from great Capcom?

The cut sequences set a new standard for PS2 games, being the best around at the moment. Also the story is good but has some very shocking sequences that will blow your mind from time to time (Don't be so surprised if you see a kid getting a mallet to the head). The reason why I give CT3 an extra star over SH3 is simply because Capcom got the story and game play right. Although CT3 is certainly not as scary as SH3 and the sound is not quite as good as SH3, the graphics surpass it, the characters animations are sublime, the puzzles well done and most importantly, the game play was a lot of fun! Just avoiding the serial killers and running about the place was a hoot before finally taking the bad guys on at the end of every level. It is a scream of a game and totally whacked out in parts. I loved it!

Is this a five star game? Absolutely and this is definitely your thing IF you like survival horror. CT3 is a must have for any collection. It surpasses nearly every other survival horror game out there.

Pros:
(1)Excellent gameplay.
(2)Longer than most survival horrors.
(3)Best cut sequences to date.
(4)PANIC MODE!
(5)Graphics quality is unreal.
(6)BOSS FIGHTS!

Cons:
(1)Maybe a little more attack moves from Alyssa would not have gone amiss.
(2)Could have pushed the boundaries a little more in terms of HORROR.
(3)Not really a rental game because these survival horrors take awhile to get into.
(4)Silent Hill 2 may still be just as good as this one bar the quality of the graphics.

So my preference at this point in time in terms of Survival Horror is SH2 and CT3.
Now to try that new Resident Evil Outbreak to see how that pans out...

Enjoy.

Clock Tower 3 is the only Clock Tower game I have played, but this was recommended to me by a co-worker so I thought I would give it a go. The game starts off really strong, with Alyssa battling Sledgehammer, and as you race around finding clues to a child prodigy's murder and solving puzzles, the Hammerman killer is genuinely creepy. The game will make your pulse pound, and your fingers ache. The next villain, Corroder, is almost as intense as Sledgehammer, chasing you through an abandonded water-works, with hiding places more sparing, again leads to great, exciting game play. But then you get to level 3 and Chopper...a very annoying, feminine slasher that just gets on the nerves and doesn't do much to keep you jumping. The same goes for the bizarro ballerina's turned slashers on level 4, Scissorman and Scissorwoman. Neither character produced chills, and the high pitched taunts issued by both would-be killers get more annoying than frightening as the game progresses. The final boss, Lord Borroughs, is also a disappointment. After making your way through four pretty tough levels, your left facing off against...an English Gentleman??? The gameplay is quite fun, and I enjoyed the concept of running and hiding from killer spirits, armed only with holy water, but the fright factor drops considerably after the first two levels. The graphics and sound are really good, and the eerie music rivals that of Silent Hill in setting the mood. I would recommend this game to fans of survival games, but be sure to get the Resident Evil series first.

I wasn't too fond of the Clock Tower series until I picked this game up. It definately caught my attention with impressive CG, the music is pretty moody for the situation.
Overall, for gameplay, expect the 3-d look your used to seeing in Resident Evil. Run around, find items, solve puzzles, avoid enemies, and the like. But this game does have moments that will give you a good jump. And since you can't just blow them away with a gun like other Survival Horror games, it brings a new kind of feel to it. Plus it puts a little more strategy into your movements.
This game isn't perfect though, some may find the puzzles too easy, the game is fairly short, and after time, being chased by the subordinates can get more annoying than scary. However, it is worth a look, if not a purchase, then at least rent it.

Survival Horror is taken another step in this game and this time it is really trying to survive.

Instead of using weapons like the resident evil series, clock tower throws you into the same type of situations, without guns and ammo.

You use holy water as a weapon but it won't kill, it just stuns them giving you a little time to run away.

This game scared me at certain points with it's eerie music, the sound of an enemy nearby, hiding in lockers. I hated it when an enemy jumped out of the corner and attacked.

The cinema scenes can also be creepy and at times disturbing. I really don't recommend this for those who hate watching horror flicks or suspense movies with killings.

It's storyline is another plus, it keeps you going, with it's suspense. That's what kept me playing anyway.

So why did i give it 4 stars?

Well the game is just too short, it's only 4 levels long and there are 5 bosses. Another feature is the camera, you can't control it, sometimes that's good (for enemies jumping out corners) and bad.

If you like being scared this is a great game for you. But only buy it if you really enjoy the genre, because some may be disappointed for the shortness of this game.

After the disappointing Clock Tower 2, Clock Tower 3 is a vast improvement. This one carries a completely new plot, starring a girl named Alyssa Hamilton (not to be confused with Alyssa Hale in Clock Tower 2). Alyssa discovers that she possesses the power to destroy the evil that plans to plunge the world into darkness. To do this, Alyssa must go into the past and help the souls of victims rest in peace by finding cherished items they possessed in life. This aspect is very fascinating and successfully frightening. When you get to the end of the levels, you will see a cut movie of what killed these poor souls and how it was done. These cut-scenes are amazingly executed, and very entertaining to watch. After the cut-scene, it will be up to you to take out whatever villain slayed the innocents, using a magical bow and arrow.

Don't think that the classic "run and hide" gameplay formula from the previous Clock Tower games are lost in this one. Throughout the levels, as you look for cherished items to save the restless souls, the boss for that level will show up randomly to give you a good scare. Be prepared, because Scissorman and Ghost Head look like kittens compared to the bosses they cooked up for this new installment! When these bad guys show up, be ready to run and hide in classic Clock Tower form, however it's a bit more difficult, because the enemies are faster and smarter, to a certain degree. Also, it seems that hiding places are fewer and farther between, so memorize them quick or else you're in for some frustrating gameplay. To make things even more difficult, Alyssa reacts a bit more realistically. If she is very panicked, she'll stumble about as she runs, making her hard to control. If she becomes to frightened, she'll stand very still and shake, until her panic meter reduces. This makes parts of the game quite difficult, but not unplayable.

There are a total of 6 bosses in this game. They include Sledgehammer, The Corroder, Chopper, Scissorwoman & Scissorman (somewhat amusing Cockney twins...a far cry from the original), and Lord Burrough (which the battle takes place on the clock tower by the way...very cool). A few of these are very challenging, especially the last boss. I lost count of how many times I had to replay Lord Burrough's fight. However, I'd rather bosses be a little challenging, rather than too easy, or else you end up finishing a game too quickly. In my opinion, I think this game could've used a couple more levels. I really enjoyed the time travelling aspect, and the graphics (especially for the WW2 era) were simply breath-taking! The atmospheres were downright perfect for a horror game, with fog, old buildings, deserted streets, etc. As with the first two Clock Towers, expect to get an adrenaline rush as you try to evade your enemies.

The sound and music in this game are near perfect. I found it very impressive. In the first level, you get to hear a hauntingly beautiful piece by Chopin called Fantasy Impromptu. This was a superb choice of music for the first story. It almost brought me to tears. The vocal acting is pretty good, especially the enemies, whom I found rather convincing (with maybe the exception of Chopper...his laugh could drive you to the nuthouse I think). I got a real kick out the Scissor twins...I thought they were a riot. All of the characters (that I can remember), have British accents, which keeps a realistic feel to the game, since it takes place in England after all. It was sort of a nice change of pace from the typical games.

On a final note, I think what really made this game something extraordinary was the plot and the cut-scenes. Seeing the murders of all the poor souls, really geared you up for the boss battles. The plot was exciting, horrifying, and even at times heart wrenching. Alyssa's pal, Dennis, serves as some sort of comic relief, in this rather serious game. The cut-scenes could get disturbing, so if you don't like a lot of horror and gore, you should probably pick up a different game. If you can tolerate the gore, then I think you'll appreciate the story behind it and get several hours of gameplay out of Clock Tower 3. There is only one ending, so no need to play the game several times over, which I think was a wise choice for this particular Clock Tower.

Capcom Survival Horror games are not scary. They are tense, they are action-packed and they are fun, but scary? No. If you're looking for chills as opposed to thrills, seek out any of the Fatal Frame or Silent Hill series.

But if you've played all of those and are looking for something to tide you over until the PS2 release of Resident Evil 4, then consider the often-overlooked 'Clock Tower 3'. Set in England, you play Alyssa (what is it about that name and the Survival Horror genre??), a fifteen year-old schoolgirl on the trail of her missing mother, travelling through time and reality and evading the unwanted attacks of a number of ghosts and serial killers.

GRAPHICS: 5
Beautiful big characters, gorgeous scenery and excellent design make this one a pleasure to watch. Some of the lowlier ghosts are a bit chintzy (but after all, they can be dispersed with a "Sentimental Item", so what was I expecting??) and the overall visual impression lacks a Horror-style punch, but what the game does, it does very well.

SOUND: 3
Average music and average sound effects provide the backdrop for some of the most outlandishly bad voice acting in a video game. Ever. Remember Resident Evil 1? "It's. A. Monster. Run. ". This is worse. Cheesy and OTT with no effort given to atmosphere, this really does drag the game atmosphere right down.

PLAYABILITY: 4
There are no weapons and no means of killing your pursuers until the actual boss battle, so running and hiding and using pre-set 'Evade' points is a very fun way of keeping Alyssa alive. Also this adds to the tension like nothing I've ever seen before. Simplistic controls and a really good camera system kae this one good fun to play, even if it does get a bit repetitive later on. Nothing to upgrade and plenty of special items means that there's no real challenge, though.

LASTING FACTOR: 2
This is a very short (4 hours and sixteen minutes first play, subsequent plays are less), very easy game. The final Boss is a b*stard to beat, and you need to keep every single special arrow you find in the game to even be in with a chance - he is unfairly tough, given the game's remedial difficulty levels. Replay value is low - though there is a replay mode, but it's not that different from the actual game.

OVERALL: 3
Fun, flashy, and tense, this is a great deal if you can get it cheap. What it does, it does very well, and even though it's a total one-trick pony, the fact that it's so short means it never becomes stale. Recommended as a last resort when you've played all other Survival Horror games available.

CLOCK TOWER 3 is one of the freakiest games I have ever played. I am a horror fan, and games don't scare me, but this one gave me nightmares. Compared to this, SILENT HILL looks like Blue's Clues. The gameplay is superb, story awesome, characters interesting, and areas highly interactive. This is a must-buy for any horror buff, like me.

Final grade: 10 out of 10
Rent or buy: BUY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You play as fifteen to be Alyssa. A teenager girl who unwillngly became one of the Rooders, a family swore to protect against entities who sole purpose to turn the world into a darkness. The graphics are very cool and the game play is similar to other Capcom adventure games (i.e. Resident Evil). It doesn't take lots of brain to solve the puzzles but the irretating part is you must avoid the monsters during the process. I say irretaing because you can not run away from the mosters every time you open a door you face the mosters and even with running away they would follow you. You can use hidden places or evading points to skip the monster grips but once you leave the room the moster will follow you leaving you no joy playing the game. The only thing you can do is to solve the puzzles while the monster sniffing around little Alyssa behind. Don't buy this game if you don't like running away and if you have a short tember.