crimes-and-punishments
Latest
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]
Crimes And Punishments finds a gameplay trailer, my dear Watson
While it may lack the aloof, reptilian charm of Benedict Cumberbatch, this lengthy gameplay trailer for Sherlock Holmes: Crimes And Punishments seems to nail the crucial, super-sleuth aspects of Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous character, right down to the borderline-sociopathic methods he employs to solve crimes. [Image: Focus Home Interactive]
Sherlock Holmes and The Case for Trying New Games
Walking the show floor of the LA Convention Center, you see games that take you by surprise. Maybe these games didn't have the budget to promote as vivaciously as another company, or maybe they promised a slow-burn experience – something difficult to demonstrate when press meetings usually last 15 to 30 minutes – or maybe they were simply tucked into a corner, away from the hustle-bustle foot traffic that a crowd of 48,900 people brings. Whatever the reason, these E3 participants get passed on, skimmed over, or ignored in favor of the bigger flashier games with the recognizable names. I realized, on that show floor, if we want new experiences, we have to step outside the comfortable, the mass-marketed. Take a chance once in a while. I will, because Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments convinced me to take one.
Failure is a great option
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments is, in many ways, a typical detective game. You look for clues, you interrogate witnesses, investigate suspects, and ultimately decide whodunnit. One feature separates it from much of the mystery pack, however: You can get things wrong. The game will let you make incorrect deductions, draw wrong conclusions and even send the wrong person to prison. The ability to fail is probably the game's best feature, and it's one I wish more detective games would embrace. It's easy to see why mystery games would be reluctant to let the player completely blow a case. For starters, there isn't much replay value in that type of gameplay, and slogging through a case all over again, hearing the same testimony or performing the same experiments, would lack a certain vivacity. People also process information differently, so what might be a stonkingly obvious connection to one person would be utterly baffling to the next; add differences in cultural references or knowledge into the mix, and the problems inherent in crafting a tightly-constructed detective narrative become obvious. Plus, people just plain don't like feeling dumb, and getting a big fat "WRONG, BUCKO!" after noodling your way through a case would understandably be off-putting for some players. It should be there anyway, though, because otherwise there's no real incentive to put your brain through its paces.
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]
A modern Sherlock Holmes in 'Crimes and Punishments' trailer
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments is taking a modern turn this time around, mixing in the awkward, introspective quirks of Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal and the macho-ness of Robert Downey Jr.'s take. Crimes and Punishments is due out in Q2 2014 for PS4, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.
Listen to the clues in Sherlock Holmes: Crimes And Punishments trailer
Sherlock Holmes solves crimes. That's his thing. However, as this new trailer from Sherlock Holmes: Crimes And Punishments demonstrates, gathering clues is the easy part - it's what happens after you've found a culprit that makes the life of history's most famous Benedict Cumberbatch character so thrilling.
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments coming to PS4
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments will launch an investigation on the PS4 in addition to the ones previously announced for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, a press release from Focus Home revealed. Crimes & Punishments will follow "the most important stage in the Sherlock Holmes series" and play out over eight investigations. The details of each crime will be deduced by players using Sherlock's ability to "imagine and reconstruct a past event by studying the key features of a crime scene." Our time with its E3 demo provided a dark, promising glimpse at the game's world.
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments sets it up with a song
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments sets a darker vibe than its predecessors, with an emphasis on humanizing the world's greatest detective and placing players inside of his head. The music in the teaser echoes these themes, but if you want a lighter feel, mute it and play this behind it. Crimes and Punishments comes from series creator Frogwares, and we're already disturbed (in the best way) by its fresh perspective. It's due out in Q1 2014 for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 as a retail title.
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%
