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'The Sinking City' developer says its game was illegally uploaded to Steam
On Monday, the studio shared a lengthy blog post and video detailing its allegations against Nacon.
Sherlock Holmes dishes out Crimes and Punishments on September 30
Hm, yes. Judging by the press release and the new trailer, we do believe we've cracked the case of the Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments release date! September 30, our dear readers. September 30 is when you'll be able to use your powerful skills of detection and deduction to solve a multitude of cases as the legendary sleuth, Sherlock Holmes. Or fail at solving them - you can do that, too. Crimes and Punishments will launch simultaneously across Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and PC platforms. [Image: Focus Home Interactive]
My dear Xbox One, you're also getting Sherlock in September
The clues all point to Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments coming to PS4, PS3, PC, Xbox 360 and Xbox One in "early September." A Focus Home Interactive press release announcing the game's release window and new platform was the biggest giveaway, but our sleuthing intuition added up the rest. So, Frogwares' game is afoot, and this time it's drawing from the detective's depictions on TV. As designer Olga Chalovskaya told us last year, the new "Character Portrait" ability is inspired by BBC show Sherlock. The gentleman hero examines suspects with his keen eye and elucidates clues by scanning over particular features such as injuries, fancy clothing, and maybe the odd conspicuous blotch of ketchup. Always suspect the messy eaters. [Image: Focus Home Interactive]
Sherlock Holmes adventures dev bringing Call of Cthulhu to PC, next-gen
Frogwares announced the development of a Call of Cthulhu game today for PC and next-gen systems, presumably Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Published by Focus Home Interactive, Call of Cthulhu is based on the tabletop RPGs that are themselves rooted in the 1928 novel by H.P. Lovecraft. The developer is known for its series of Sherlock Holmes adventure games, its most recent being Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments. Whether Call of Cthulhu is also in the adventure genre remains to be seen, but the developer did offer four pieces of concept art, which can be found in the gallery below. This isn't the first time a developer adapted the Lovecraft story to video game form. Bethesda published Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth on Xbox in 2005, bringing the game to PC one year later before re-launching it on Steam in 2009. Red Wasp Design also brought forth its own interpretation of the book in Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land on iOS in January 2012.
Sherlock Holmes Crimes and Punishments' new mechanic inspired by BBC show
Sherlock Holmes Crimes and Punishments is a departure from Frogwares' previous investigation game, The Testament of Sherlock Holmes, in a number of ways. Crimes and Punishments aims to put players inside the mind of the world's greatest detective, to see the world as he sees it and deliberate the moral choices within Holmes' logistics of justice. It's emotional and dark, and in a demo showing off the story as told in Unreal Engine 3, it already appears insanely effective. One of the most obvious changes is the new "Character Portrait" ability, which allows Holmes to take a moment and examine a suspect or witness with his keen, investigative eye. As he scans the person, words in white appear over certain features, noting how expensive or worn down certain articles of clothing are, noting scrapes or signs of labor on limbs, and deducing relevant, personal information. This ability in particular is inspired by the BBC show Sherlock, designer Olga Chalovskaya told me. Sherlock is, itself, a dramatic interpretation of Holmesian detective stories, and Crimes and Punishments draws on many of the same, human-driven tones.%Gallery-190679%
New Sherlock Holmes game announced, uses Unreal Engine 3
Focus Home Interactive recently announced a new game in the Sherlock Holmes series called Crimes & Punishments. In development by Frogwares, the adventure game will feature eight cases in which players will guide Holmes through "important moral choices instead of simply enforcing justice by the book."Frogwares ditched its previous Sherlock Holmes engine in favor of Unreal Engine 3 for this game, and opted for a more modern-looking Holmes, seen above. Crimes & Punishments will launch on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 sometime in 2013. Yes, even the release date is a mystery. %Gallery-177885%
The Testament of Sherlock Holmes review: Trust your instincts
The Sherlock Holmes franchise has seen a modern reclamation of pop culture fame, in the blockbuster movies starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law; the British television series gaining Dr. Who levels of popularity overseas, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman; and the latest re-imagining by CBS, with a female Watson played by Lucy Liu, and Jonny Lee Miller as Holmes.Any Sherlock Holmes rendering now has, we can assume, at least one point of reference for any audience member – and if asked to equate one person with the series, most would likely say, "That guy who plays Iron Man" before "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle." Frogwares' The Testament of Sherlock Holmes now has to live up to this robust world of preconceptions, tell an old story in a unique way, and throw in engaging gameplay, beautiful graphics, smooth dialogue and spot-on voice acting.If that sounds like too much to ask for, it is.%Gallery-163225%
The Testament of Sherlock Holmes gets price cut and box art
To add to the recent September 25 release date announcement for The Testament of Sherlock Holmes, Atlus noted a price reduction for the upcoming detective game. The game will now hit retail shelves for $39.99 in order to "better compete amid a crowded holiday slate," according to Atlus' news release.Atlus also sent along box art for the game, which you will find after the break.
The Testament of Sherlock Holmes uncovers a Sept. 25 release date
"But that's amazing Holmes, how on Earth did you know?" The look on Watson's face was a blend of astonishment and admiration; a look he wore with frequency after meeting Sherlock."Elementary, my dear Watson." Sherlock opened his violin case and tucked the instrument under his chin as he spoke. "A press release from Frogwares and Focus Home Interactive arrived via courier – The Testament of Sherlock Holmes' September 25 release date was contained within.""And these new screenshots," said Watson, "they were delivered this morning?""Last night." Holmes began to play a haunting, precise melody."So, you didn't so much solve the 'Case of the Unknown Launch...'" Watson said, "insomuch as you waited around for it to be solved for you."Holmes played louder.%Gallery-163225%
Gamesplanet Lab: Kickstarter's 'crowd-creating' competitor
As Kickstarter has taken off like – well, a popular Kickstarter project – over the past year, especially in the gaming sector, backers have noticed a few inconsistencies with the platform. For one, projects aren't vetted for plausibility or quality outside of a standard registration form; your grandmother could accidentally promise the world 500 pounds of brownies if she raises $5, and there's nothing holding her to following through or using that money for brownie-related purposes.For another, Kickstarter is US only. Creative ventures outside of the US can't begin a crowd-funded project, though anyone with a major credit card can donate to a project and watch its success with yearning in his heart. Also, Kickstarter caters to a wide range of products and ideas, making its reach broad but its expertise in handling any one industry dim.Gamesplanet Lab is a new crowd-funding platform that handles only gaming projects, has a strict vetting and follow-through contract, and is based in Europe but is able to host projects from around the world. Yes, that does sound like everything you ever wanted in Kickstarter. The only thing Gamesplanet Lab needs now is proof that it can work – it needs a breakout crowd-funding success.
The Testament of Sherlock Holmes launch month confirmed, suspiciously
The Testament of Sherlock Holmes is officially dropping in September for console and PC, Focus Home Interactive has announced. We can't be sure, but such a brazen release window announcement seems a little odd to us. Obviously a publisher wants its consumers to know when its game launches, but to just come out and say it like that... we think Focus Home is hiding something. Something sinister. Something only a genius detective could figure out.Too bad we don't know any genius detectives, by name, ficticious or otherwise. Oh, well. We'll take our chances on Sherlock Holmes in September, seeing as the game is taking its own chances by launching in the midst of holiday-season AAAA madness.%Gallery-154596%
Test your detective skills with The Testament of Sherlock Holmes screens
One of these statements isn't true: The Testament of Sherlock Holmes features a new graphic engine Holmes dies in the game Watson questions Holmes' sanity, adding an extra layer of chummy drama The Testament of Sherlock Holmes was developed specifically for consoles, but is also a PC title We aren't wearing any underwear The Testament of Sherlock Holmes will be released in early 2012 Did you find the lie? Yes? Go ahead and pat yourself on the back, buddy, because you've been duped. There was no lie -- your first mistake was blindly believing what we told you. And we sprayed an oil-activated chemical on your back, right where your greasy little hand just patted it. You should begin to feel an intense burning in three, two, one, now. Study the screenshots below and maybe you'll have a better chance of not suffering third-degree burns next time:
The Testament of Sherlock Holmes made with consoles in mind
We'd gotten in the habit of letting the ongoing Sherlock Holmes game series fall into our proverbial blindspots, perhaps because of the lackluster production values or PC-centric game design. That said, we got a sneak peek at the sixth game in the series, The Testament of Sherlock Holmes, and we may have to revise our policy of ignoring any and all residents of 221B Baker Street. Developer Frogwares have seriously upped the budget for this 360, PS3 and PC release, providing a big bump in graphical fidelity, as you can see for yourself after the break. With a new hint system and a more controller-friendly interface, it's also the first Sherlock game made specifically with console gamers in mind. Also, Sherlock Holmes dies in it. It's right in the trailer. Go figure.
DS Sherlock Holmes trailer entirely devoid of murder
If you've ever dreamed of being Sherlock Holmes and solving a dastardly murder, you won't be fulfilling that fantasy on DS. No, Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Osborne House has you solving puzzles and investigating a more mundane case. But hey, there's enough murder in video games already, right?
Investigate these new Sherlock Holmes screens
Focus Home Interactive has released a new batch of screens from the upcoming Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Osborne House for the DS. Specifically, the screens show off some of the game's puzzles. Without any context to go with the screens, we're definitely feeling a Professor Layton vibe, which is by no means a bad thing. The press release promises that players will have to use their "logic and observation senses through dozens of riddles, puzzles and brain teasers of all sorts," which also sounds about right for the Professor Layton crowd. We can only hope that Holmes manages to compete with the professor's English sensibilities and gentlemanly charms. It's clear that both of them share the same fondness for distinctive hats, so maybe there's hope. Check out the new images in the gallery below. %Gallery-90853%
Sherlock Holmes conducting an investigation on DS
There are plenty of adventure games on DS about solving crimes -- but none of them star the world's greatest detective. Sherlock Holmes, that is. There are already plenty of Batman games. But developer Frogwares and publisher Focus Home Interactive are taking care of the deficiency of Holmes games, with a new original story starring the detective (from an established adventure game series). In Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Osborne House, Holmes and Dr. Watson are tasked by the British Royal Family with recovering the Queen's stolen genealogical records. To find out who stole the records (seriously? That's the case? It's not an impossible prison escape or seemingly supernatural murder or something?) "you will have to use your senses of logic and observation through dozens of riddles, puzzles and brain teasers of all sorts." No date has been announced by Focus, and we deduce from the company's status as a European publisher that there is no information about a North American release yet. %Gallery-86930%
Sherlock Holmes & Jack the Ripper bring the fight to Xbox
Sherlock Holmes is bringing the fight to legendary slasher Jack the Ripper on the Xbox 360. According to Shacknews, the upcoming adventure game is currently in development for the console by Spiders Games and will pit the world-famous detective against the heinous serial-killer.A PC version of Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper (developed by Frogwares Studio) has already seen a release in Europe and should ship Stateside sometime in the summer. What will happen when Holmes squares off against Jack? We're hoping for the camera to pullout to reveal the entire adventure was a setup for a Mortal Kombat style fighter. Or maybe that's a bad idea.
