Jacob's Ladder and Silent Hill

[risingson77]

I watched Jacob's Ladder for the first time the other night. All I have to say is that Konami needs to start sending out some royalty checks for using the entire movie as a template for their games.

The imagery was so similar it's not even funny. The semi-human figures, the twitching monsters, the decrepit hospital! Then there's the dubious realities and hallucinations.

What strikes me most is how much more human Jacob's Ladder is. Silent Hill just seems so...sophmoric by comparison. Not that Silent Hill didn't need work in the writing and acting department anyway; it's just that seeing far superior craftsmanship really puts it in perspective.

I suppose video games are still a very limited medium in regards to storytelling. If you want good story development you sacrifice user control and vice versa. Still, I'd like to see better written and produced games. I think it could happen, but it seems like most people who are producing video games currently stick to the "comic-booky" side of storytelling. I dunno; maybe I'm just disappointed that Silent Hill wasn't nearly as original as I had thought (even Adrian Lyne, the producer of Jacob's Ladder, admits that he was "inspired" by the paintings of Francis Bacon and others).

Then again, I may just be getting old...

 

[Solid Fro]

What about MGS2 with Escape from New York? How about GTA3 with Reservoir Dogs? Don't forget Medal of Honor with Saving Private Ryan.

Where else would you get storyline ideas from? Very few games actually have unique storylines. I don't think it's a bad thing. I just think it's very hard to come up with your own unique idea without inspiration.

 

[risingson77]

FYI, Steven Spielberg had input of Medal of Honor.

I'm just saying that I thought Silent Hill was a touch more original than I thought it was. Moreover, it was disappointing to see how far short it falls in the storytelling department.