so . . . .does this mean i won?


:)

Not so soon, redhead. :)



Congratulations on making it this far...



and now...



for the Quest which will crown one of you -


HDC BATTLE ROYALE KING!




Both Finalists - Despare and Zero - are hereby led into The Judgement Chamber, where both of them are stripped off all their arsenal (both winning and hidden) and all of their Health Packs!!

All FIVE Judges - NeverEnding, Doc Faustus, Hammerfan, Alkytrio666 & Austin316426808 - take out their LawUpholder guns and set it to Executor!!


I address both Despare and Zero -

"Finalists, your final Quest stands to be evaluated by all 5 Judges independently. In case of either one of you diverting off-topic or losing points, any/all of the Judges are free to shoot you Executor style, and since you have no HPs with you...I need not say what will happen should you get shot.

This is your common query :-

'I've heard a few people say that they should remake some of the old Hammer films. I think it's a horrible idea. Tell me what you think.'


Take your time, do plenty of research on it, before knitting together an answer which is clever, witty and good enough to impress the Judges suitably enough to out-score the other Finalist."


You have until Monday, NOON EST, to submit your answers.


All Judges are hereby requested NOT to share opinions with each other, and to evaluate, analyse, criticise and give your OWN independent verdicts on the answers submitted by each Finalist.


The higher-scoring Finalist wins the crown, obviously!

All the best, guys!

I think this one is gonna get messy.

Congrats to the Chainsaws who made it!

Wooooo!

Zero has got this one in the bag. No offense Despare, but the way he has been answering the last challenges, I think you are screwed.

Thanks Psycom, I was deeply concerned about how you felt. As always I'll treat your opinion as pure fact and take it to heart.

As you should. :)

this should be a fun battle

its not over yet, but even though i dropped out early, i'd like to thank _V_ again for putting this together. there are so many moving pieces, it must have taken sweat and blood to put this together, and 400 pages? jesus christ!

agreed.....many kudo's to ________V__________ for an outstanding game.

Its stuff like this that keeps me coming back

Agreed, Thanks V. And also, thank you to all the other contestants in the Battle Royale. Seriously, if it wasn't for you guys it wouldn't have been as fun. All the comradery, and the rivalries, all the smack talk, along with all of V's hard work, made this an addictively awesome game. So Thanks everybody.

go despare

Update


I have received answers from BOTH Finalists, and have duly sent them to all FIVE Judges. They will read each of the answers, independent of the other, and award their points accordingly.

Also, they have been instructed not to communicate with each other, and to form their own independent analyses, criticisms and verdicts.

I expect them to send in their verdicts by Tuesday - since some of them might be gone for the weekend - so expect an Update then.

For now, I suggest one thing - fingers crossed! :cool:

I would too like to say how much I enjoyed this. Though I died early on (after lending away my health packs. Yep. I'm a hero.) I have still loved this. __V__, after this you deserve a break. The amount of hard work you've put into this I simply can't describe in words and everyone on this forum is so grateful that you're here. All I can really say is thanks!

Update


3 Judges have sent in their verdicts on both Finalist's answers.

1 Judge has sent in their verdict on one Finalist's answer...


...I await the rest of the verdicts.

Update


FOUR Judges have turned in both of their verdicts.

As it stands, its a very close neck-and-neck race right now for the crown.


...It all comes down to the Final Judge's verdicts.



Fingers crossed, praying...and everything else. ;)

the votes are in !!


Zoidberg wins !!!

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g2...57583913td.gif

I was just about to do that... weird.

FINAL UPDATE OF HDC BATTLE ROYALE


The Final Judge has turned in their verdict on both Finalists' answers!

Who won the crown?

Who lost the Big Final?



In the end, it was a mere difference of ONE AND HALF POINTS!!




AND SO, WE CROWN THE KING OF HDC BATTLE ROYALE TODAY!!





The RESULTS are coming up...


...NEXT!

*sigh* You love tormenting us, don't you?

RESULTS OF THE FINAL QUEST OF HDC BATTLE ROYALE


This was the common query put forth to both Finalists :-

"I've heard a few people say that they should remake some of the old Hammer films. I think it's a horrible idea. Tell me what you think."



This was Despare's answer :

"This is a tough question because to be honest I’m not sure where I stand on the issue. Original thought be damned but I don’t hate remakes, especially if they’re taken with a sense of responsibility to the source material and delivered with a creative edge that adds something to the film. To really make a decision I guess I would have to take a look at some of the things that made Hammer Horror great.

The first thing that comes to mind for me is the actors, and Hammer had one hell of a stable. Who would we have stepping in for the incomparable Lee and Cushing duo? The film industry simply doesn’t have the “horror actors” that existed in the past. Sure, we have icons like Sid Haig and Tony Todd but it seems like they’re just tacked onto a film’s credits to attract horror fans. It works, but for me actors like that would not only be a poor substitute for Hammer’s headlining duo but they even seem incapable of replacing Hammer stars like Andrew Keir and Michael Ripper. If I were to wander into a theater and see a remake of a Hammer Horror starring some group of Mtv rejects I think I’d be pretty upset.

Atmosphere is probably what comes to my mind next and here’s where things get a bit clouded. While I think any studio would have trouble finding actors to suit the roles for a remake I believe a director would be fairly easy to find. Nobody stands out more in my mind when talking about atmosphere than Guillermo Del Toro. I could see a director like Guillermo taking the reigns of a Hammer remake and recreating the sense of wonder that those movie held me captive with. One thing Del Torro would have to change up a bit is his palette which is typically dark and not fitting in with the aesthetics of a true Hammer Horror. We need to see those rich, vibrant colors that helped the Hammer studio stand out. Other than this one man I can’t really think of somebody who is able to inject such perfect atmosphere into a horror film and maybe if we could get him to team up with Argento we would get some colors that suit the piece.

Looking at all the remakes today I really have a difficult time thinking that anybody can rewrite a good Hammer remake. One of the beautiful things about a Hammer film was that you could expect it to contain intelligent and adult oriented material. Can you really imagine somebody penning a remake to “The Curse of Frankenstein” and actually being able to make it as transgressive and entertaining as the original? Is there a writer out there who could re-script Baron Victor Frankenstein without transforming the character into a parody? It seems like remakes generally attract the scripts of the intellectually lazy and while it’s not a guarantee this would happen, my money says that it would. I believe we would see a gorgeous film turned into another PG-13 disaster with all the primitive violence and sexual content stripped from it unceremoniously.

I don’t have to go any further. After thinking about it I agree that remaking some of the old Hammer Horror films would be disastrous. I would hate to see a remake of a magnificent movie be released to a young audience that didn’t care and an older group of horror enthusiasts that were insulted by the replica. A remake couldn’t add to the genre or be as truly groundbreaking as the originals were and when I really think about it, I doubt they could be even half as entertaining. I submit that there’s only one thing that a Hammer Horror remake would be good for; a special edition re-release of the original film."



And this was Zero's answer :

"Now – on to the question: 'I've heard a few people say that they should remake some of the old Hammer films. I think it's a horrible idea. Tell me what you think.'

I’d respond to this question on two levels: the general question of remakes and, second, the specific question of Hammer Films.

Generally speaking, I don’t like remakes. There are some remakes that are quite good and, indeed, some that may be equal to or even superior to the original – Carpenter’s The Thing or the 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. But, by and large, remakes have diminished rather than equaled the luster of the original. The long line of lackluster remakes – and I’ll be up front and say I’m thinking of films like the newTexas Chainsaw or Dawn of the Dead – seem produced mainly to make money and cash-in on the notoriety of the original.

The other obvious problem with remakes is that they seem to be crowding out originality. What made the original Texas Chainsaw or Dawn of the Dead so amazing and wonderful was that they were original – and, indeed, it was this originality that helped shock and horrify audiences who had nothing to prepare them for what they were about to see.

My final comment related to remakes in general is a sense that remakes are diminishing our appreciation for the history of film. Here’s an example of what I mean. A few months back I had a couple of friends over and they said they’d never seen the original Dracula – so I popped it in. Not 10 minutes into the film, they were moaning and groaning that it was slow. This got me thinking – in a way they were right – Dracula is slow and stagey and grinds along. But what they were missing was all the cool innovations of the time – and the reason they were missing this is that they expected the film to be made like it would be made now. In other words, they were totally incapable of appreciating Dracula as a historical artifact. I think remakes play into this erosion because we learn to expect films to always be contemporary. Personally, I love older films for the same reason I love foreign films – because they are difficult to view – they require work and attention and patience, but for me the payoff is worth it.

Now, in terms of Hammer Films, I’ll confess to not being the biggest fan of Hammer Films. I do, however, appreciate many of them and recognize their place in the history of global horror and so the prospect of remaking Hammer Horror Films saddens me. I do recall hearing a rumor several years back that they were going to remake The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires with Tim Allen as the star – I think I threw up in my mouth a little. And, I can’t help but imagine that people wanting to remake Hammer Films would go either with a hammy/cheesy/comedic angle – or with a hyped-up, gored-up version. Of course the sad part is that what makes Hammer Films classic is that delicate balance between the two. Great sets, great actors, bizarre plots and bright red blood!

The fear that Hammer Films might get the remake treatment is, however, real. In 2007, Dutch TV producer and really exceptionally rich guy, John De Mol led a group who purchased the rights to Hammer’s 300 strong catalog. Now for those who don’t know de Mol, he made a fortune creating and producing the original versions of shows like Big Brother, 1 vs 100, and Deal or No Deal. Now I’ll be honest I’m no fan of these shows but the one thing that is clear about them all –they have virtually no budget and pander to popular tastes. This is a great formula for making money, but not a great formula for making classic TV or Film. So, given the real condition of the new Hammer Films – I also find the prospect of Hammer remakes horrific (and not in the good way).

It is of course possible that the new Hammer, which is being helmed by a couple of reasonably successful Hollywood types – Guy East and Nigel Sinclair, will take up the challenge of pushing the Hammer tradition in new directions while also finding ways to bring the Hammer classics to a new generation. I have seen the trailer for their first production, Beyond the Rave, which looked promising (in a ‘opening sequence of Blade’ sort of way). But, in final answer to the question, it is my hope that the new Hammer follows along the paths of crafting new tales and promoting the classics and not along the too-often treaded path of the remake."



And this is how the esteemed Judges turned in their verdicts for both very impressive and thoughtful answers on a scale of 0-10...


(Contd.)

JUDGE #1 -



JUDGE #2 -



JUDGE #3 -






That's THREE JUDGES' verdicts in,




and the Scoreboard says :





DESPARE - 25 POINTS

ZERO - 25 POINTS





And...




The FOURTH JUDGE's verdict was...

JUDGE #4 -



That's the FOURTH JUDGE's verdict in,




and the Scoreboard says :





DESPARE - 34.5 POINTS

ZERO - 34 POINTS





And...




Now...




The FIFTH & FINAL JUDGE's verdict...




which was...

JUDGE #5 -






And the Final Scores are :





DESPARE - 40.5 POINTS!

ZERO - 42 POINTS!!!





LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ALL RISE AND APPLAUD!


http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/l...8/applause.gif


THE WINNER AND CROWNED KING OF HDC BATTLE ROYALE 2008


ZERO!!!



http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g1...avi/Winner.jpg



http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g1...i/trophy-1.gif




http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/d...s/applause.gif




http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...applause_2.jpg




MANY CONGRATULATIONS TO ZERO FOR WINNING HDC BATTLE ROYALE 2008 AND BEING CROWNED AS


THE KING OF HDC BATTLE ROYALE!!!

edit..............

congrats to both ... close game ..

i'm sure as hell glad i was killed when i was :)

Great show and great job, Despare. You stuck out till the end and did an awesome job in challenging Zero for the crown.

MANY KUDOS TO DESPARE!!




I would like to thank all five esteemed Judges - NeverEnding, HammerFan, Alkytrio666, Doc Faustus and Austin316426808 for their valuable time in judging the FIVE Finalists and for their most invaluable opinions and verdicts.

I would also like to thank each and every HDC Battle Royale contestant for fighting till the end and not giving up easily, until they were wiped out.

Big thanks to all the people who had constant inputs throughout Battle Royale - Despare, Newb, NeverEnding, Urgeok, Alkytrio, Austin, Rayne, Dude & Return - who made this such a great and memorable experience.

Thanks to bwind22 for the original idea of "Sole Survivor" which shaped the initial rounds of HDC Battle Royale. Thank you, bw.



Last but not the least, And a big thank you to my mentor, Flayed One, who still inspires me (even with his sporadic appearances nowadays) and keeps me going!



This is your host, ___V___, signing off! Ciao, folks!




******************************** HDC BATTLE ROYALE 2008 IS CLOSED ********************************

so am I

I never would have been able to put that much thought into my answers.....mainly because I'm stupid.

Great job guys and congrats to zero.

Great job again _________V_________

NOW GO HAVE A REST

i second that ...

oh sure,

now that the contest is over and all the work is done - look who comes crawling back out of the woodwork ..

feckin' slacker.

Wait, did anyone put the Predator back? *looks over shoulders nervously*

Congrats to both the finalists- you were both worthy contestants who bested many formidable opponents. You're both winners in my eyes.

Thanks so much to V for this awesome endeavor. It was a wonderful experience.

Ands thanks to everyone who played.

HERE! HERE!

Congrat Zero on game well played and of course congrats to V on a great game.I enjoyed every minute of it.

Congratz Both of you, those were both great answers. I knew Zero was going to win this ever since we started with the special questions and I saw his first answer.

And once again thanks everybody for making this such a fun game.

ANd thank you again V for all your hard work.

V, I also want to thank you for an awesome game and for asking me to be a judge. It was fun!

@ V, you did an excellent job, this was a wicked kickass game...Thanks :)



Thanks for what you said, Zero, but shitty luck killed me (better than the assholes that were TRYING to kill me :p :p :p)


It turned out for the best tho...It would have been hell for me to contemplate and answer the essay parts at the end...The baby is very distracting, and sometimes it's difficult for me to even form a complete thought these days, much less have the time to type it all out :)

Zero and Despare did an excellent job...As did everyone who REALLY put effort into it...Extra kudos to Urge and Neverending on that note

hey, if that helps you sleep at night, keep on believing :D

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/m...07045632sm.gif

thanks guys - i'm totally shocked (see my acceptance speech thread)

and also congrats to V!

Well... now I am kind of sad, because the BR is over. Man that was so much fun.