Clive Barker's Jericho "This Evil F*ck That Lives in The Sahara..."

Oh, and so is Jericho

Posted by Staff
"Master of horror", Clive Barker, showed his latest piece of creative output, the Jericho videogame, at the second annual Hollywood & Games Summit in Hollywood this week, describing it thus:

" a gory horror piece set in a remote desert outpost"


We can just hear the ESRB and BBFC warming up their respective "Adults Only" and "Unrated" auto-stampers. 'Gory'? That's a word only allowed in films such as the Hostel series (or maybe 'classics' such as Saving Private Ryan) - certainly not in videogames, someone should tell Barker immediately.

"Maybe if games hadn't existed, I would have said, 'Make it a movie'. But I much prefer the idea of having 20 hours to play this world, to enter this labyrinth."

Barker pressed on with his defence of videogames, even calling up the great chimera of 'art' as he railed against movie critic Roger Ebert's assertion that games could never be more than 'craft'.

“That’s bullshit. This is a medium that’s barely 2 decades old, and he (Ebert) is saying oh, there’s no 'War And Peace' yet – of course there isn’t! We can debate what art is, we can debate it forever. But if the experience moves you, some way or another, even if it just moves your bowels, I think it’s worthy of some serious study... Games mean something to a lot of people. Games aren’t about reviewers, they’re about players."

This, apparently was merely Barker's warm-up, when running hot he appears to have forgotten the current order of the 'industry' - "If possible, say nothing. If pushed, keep it bland".

The concept of Jericho? is that there’s this evil f*ck that lives in the Sahara... [the plot involves] an assassination attempt upon a creature that gives the devil the shivers.”

“It would make a f*cking terrible novel. It really would, it doesn’t work! It screams out to be something other. Maybe if games hadn’t existed, I would’ve made it a movie. But I much prefer the idea of having twenty hours to play this world, to enter this labyrinth than the two hours or the way movies are going now. I don’t know what it is with people, my bum gets sore! I like pirates and all, but jeez!"

Barker - who is rapidly becoming SPOnG's 'Man of the Year' lashed out at the direction in which games are apparently going. We can only imagine that sound of PR and marketing people, project managers, CEOs and 'design consultants' fainting dead away as Clive launched the following into the crowd:
"We’ve lost our imaginations, and given them over to people who put plastic toys in with the hamburgers. Fuck them! Let’s take our imaginations away from the people who want the lowest common denominator..."


Now we really are looking forward to Electronic Arts' Jericho...


Source: Gamasutra


Comments

Joji 27 Jun 2007 11:39
1/9
Yeah, I'm up for this game too. Clive Barker sounds like my kind of novelist/developer. He understands that games are covering the kind of topics and stories only the domain of film boks etc now. I'd be happy to let him lead the way, we need someone like him to help defend games. I just wish more people would understand this and not bury their heads in the sand (BBFC,ESRB).

Is this coming to 360, if so when?
king skins 27 Jun 2007 12:06
2/9
According to spong's db (that you can search, click on the search spong tab) it's comin' on PC, PS3 and 360
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Zoot Alors 27 Jun 2007 12:23
3/9
Joji wrote:
I'd be happy to let him lead the way, we need someone like him to help defend games.


Sensei Joji! I am despondent. How can you let another lead the way?

Joji 27 Jun 2007 12:29
4/9
Well because he's a well known and respected writer (same could be said for me but in comparison I'm no one) and he understands what games are about having worked with them before. (I'm good at that too)

Perhaps the only people that can really get the horror genre going on consoles, beyond the japanese stuff, would be with people like Clive Barker. (rockstar you can learn here) Perhaps in a similar way to how Tom Clancy has done for the Splinter Cell and Rainbow Six series. Get a big name to help out.
Zoot Alors 27 Jun 2007 12:39
5/9
Joji wrote:
...he's a well known and respected writer (same could be said for me but in comparison I'm no one).


This will take me years to understand. Years of intense meditation.

Indeed, the Wisdom of Joji knows no start nor end.

Oommmm


Joji 27 Jun 2007 12:47
6/9
Do you really feel the need to follow me? I don't need any worshippers. Hey I'm just an average guy, no one special.

Stay on topic, people...
LUPOS 27 Jun 2007 20:57
7/9
Zoot Alors wrote:
Indeed, the Wisdom of Joji knows no start nor end.

Oommmm


I suppose it would have to start to end! *zing* Eh? Eh? ;)

On Topic: Clive is a crazy f**ker and I love em. Writes soem damn fine books. Makes some great movies and I absolutely love his art work. If you've never seen you should.

For example:

More

Can't wait for this game. His previous outings have been pretty worth while.
______
Joji 27 Jun 2007 22:47
8/9
I enjoyed his Night Breed, Hellraiser and Candyman flicks back in the day. All of them were very messed up but excellent stuff. Not bad for a Liverpool lad.

This beg the question, how was CB's Undying in comparison to Manhunt 2? Does anyone know?
Michael Bailey 28 Jun 2007 11:58
9/9
I would just like to say that this has maid me so happy the fact that the games industry is addressing the major problem that it now faces, that is the almost complete lake of plot in most games. I am really looking forward to this game. Also if the BBFC or ESRB try to ban it he will be able to counter argue with the fact that similar projects on the same theme has been passed in Books and film so why not in the medium of games. It will be interesting to see them try to get out of that point.
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