Comments for Small Finds from the Spoilheap

Comment on Hellgate: London by London Archaeologist and the Windowless Consultant

London Archaeologist and the Windowless Consultant — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 19:15:05 +0000

I know Naked City as the map alone – that’s all you ever see, and I believe that’s all there is. I’m sure it would be hard to get copies nowadays without paying enormous prices, although you occasionally see it reproduced – e.g. in books on maps of Paris through the ages. However, you’ll find copies by Google images searches, e.g. on this page: http://www.hprtxttmln.co.cc/
Debord did write something that might almost be considered a manual for that text available here: http://www.bopsecrets.org/SI/urbgeog.htm

Comment on Hellgate: London by David Platt

David Platt — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:14:18 +0000

Thanks for the link, Ray! I'd forgotten all about Hobb's End. I briefly wondered about Doctor Who as a contender for first "London Underground Horror", but all the relevant stories were late 1960s/ early 1970s and therefore waaaaay too late. As you'll both be aware, the Quatermass and the Pit serial was broadcast in the late 1950s. (For some reason, I nearly always initially think of Quatermass as a 1960s phenomenon -- no doubt, a result of the fact that I've only ever seen the Hammer film versions all the way through.) I can think of two other Nigel Kneale scripts which feature weird archaeology prominently: The Stone Tape (a personal favourite) and ... ummm ... Halloween III (less so). Yes, I see the Reign of Fire resemblance. Oddly, when I saw the second trailer I include, the costumes worn by those standing around the underground stations reminded me every so slightly of BBC TV's production of Neverwhere. On the subject of the British Museum in science fiction/ scientific romance, I obviously need to read News from Nowhere or, at the very least, the chapter featuring the BM. But this gives me the opportunity to mention good article by Robert Crossley, “In the Palace of Green Porcelain: Artifacts from the Museums of Science Fiction,” in Tom Shippey, ed., Fictional Space: Essays on Contemporary Science Fiction (Oxford: Blackwell, 1991). Been a while since I read it, but I dimly remember a couple of nice points about the way in which Victorian museums jumbled up space and time. I need to go away and think about Guy Debord. I've just checked a couple of online library databases. It looks as though Naked City is now spectacularly difficult to get hold of ...

Comment on Ruins in Video Games – Introduction by Fragile Dreams | Small Finds from the Spoilheap

Fragile Dreams | Small Finds from the Spoilheap — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:00:23 +0000

[...] eyes. After the Fallout 3 example game play trailer, I find this slightly disappointing. In my first post on games and ruins, I suggested that video games could create a sense of immersion — of being in a virtual [...]

Comment on Hellgate: London by Ray Girvan

Ray Girvan — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:59:31 +0000

Do you know how much editing of the original video was required to make it work with the soundtrack? Timewise, none that I can see (here's the original), which makes it a rather inspired (English understatement) juxtaposition. They have slightly brightened the video. Is Quatermass and the Pit the first to make use of the Underground for horror effects? As far as I can find (Death Line was 1972). The Hellgate London scenario also reminds me a lot of Reign of Fire, where London was ruined by the waking of a dragon.

Comment on Hellgate: London by London Archaeologist and the Windowless Consultant

London Archaeologist and the Windowless Consultant — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:28:03 +0000

Lot of food for thought here, and appetisingly garnished. I’m completely uncultured games-wise, but one thing that strikes me is how much reference to and coincidence with films of imaginary ruins there is in the two vids. Is Quatemass and the Pit the first to make use of the Underground for horror effects? Interestingly, in that film, imminent future ruin is linked to a strong archaeological vein, a plot laid millennia ago in Hobb’s End station. I can’t help thinking that’s present in the British Museum shot figuring in the Promo vid for Hellgate. This in turn suggests another genre: in Morris’ visit to the British Museum in News from Nowhere, the future ruin again repeats the past. As you suggest in another comment, David, this links the topos to the whole Empire question – our own artefacts – who knows, perhaps our tube trains – exhibits of the future. A last point with ref. to film: Richard Loncraine’s fantastic version of Richard III uses various settings(some the same as those in the mash up) and similarly rearranges them to produce counter-factual contiguities. I can’t help wondering if this geographical mash up – a cinematic version of Debord’s Naked City – isn’t inherently linked to the ruin topos: first take tectonic scissors to the cityscape, then realign and simply paste together.

Comment on Hellgate: London by David Platt

David Platt — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:01:10 +0000

Also, I clearly need to listen to more work by Apocalyptica.

Comment on Hellgate: London by David Platt

David Platt — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:50:30 +0000

About to write you an email, this weekend! This would have been, in part, to draw your attention to the series of posts. It would also have been to apologize for the shocking delay in replying. (For others: Ray sent me the video in November. Yes, November. The whole post has been a dog to write, as my original decision to include two other games meant that it rapidly grew out of control. More on this in a meta-post, a few days from now.)

A number of points that I’m not sure how to string together eloquently in a comment box:

Thanks for the clarification on the source. Do you know how much editing of the original video was required to make it work with the soundtrack? As I’m sure you’re aware, the use of high quality “cut scenes” rather than actual game play footage to promote video games has been a source of some heated debate for years now.

Thanks also for working out that it’s set near Lambeth Palace. Certainly an interesting venue for a dramatic fight against demonic forces.

I hope it’s clear that I did actually enjoy it very much (I nearly said “rather” but I realize that the internet might not be the best place for English understatement). Any archness of tone stems from my familiarity with and fondness for the genres represented, believe it or not.

Comment on Hellgate: London by Ray Girvan

Ray Girvan — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:07:42 +0000

It is a mashup as you say: one of the promotional videos for the game (considerably superior in visual quality to the game itself) with the fan-added Apocalyptica soundtrack. Despite the fetishy armour and the monster-slaying, I find this video very much in tune with the ruined London tradition (in part down to the rather reflective quality of the Apocalyptica cover of Bowie’s Heroes), especially the section with the gutted Tube trains and the final scene when they reach the surface. I was sad enough to try to work out the surface location with Google Earth; it vaguely matches the front of Lambeth Palace, but this is clearly one of those movie Londons where St Paul’s figures prominently in every vista.

Comment on Ruins in Video Games – Introduction by Hellgate: London | Small Finds from the Spoilheap

Hellgate: London | Small Finds from the Spoilheap — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 02:06:20 +0000

[...] on from my previous post, the first game up is Hellgate: [...]

Comment on Studies in the Reception of Archaeology by Ruins in Video Games – Introduction | Small Finds from the Spoilheap

Ruins in Video Games – Introduction | Small Finds from the Spoilheap — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 01:05:06 +0000

[...] and wondering why an archaeologist would be interested in video games, I’ll direct you to Studies in the Reception of Archaeology from September 2009. If you’ve read that and are still at a loss as to why I’d be [...]