sherlock-holmes
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Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson in The Great Ace Attorney
The Great Ace Attorney features the greatest sleuth of all time, Sherlock Holmes, and his companion, Dr. Watson – though this time around the good doctor is an 8-year-old girl genius named Iris Watson, Famitsu reveals (via Kotaku). The site has the first images of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Iris Watson in The Great Ace Attorney, a prequel series that stars Ryuichi Naruhodo, an ancestor of the franchise's hero, Phoenix Wright. Watson lives with Holmes and she is the author of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, a role that aligns with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's own canon. Holmes and Watson will be part of the game's "collaborative deduction" system, the site reports. Alongside Naruhodo, Holmes and Watson, The Great Ace Attorney stars a new heroine, Susato Mikotoba. The Great Ace Attorney is due out in spring 2015 for 3DS in Japan. [Image: Famitsu]
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]
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.
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.
Chaos Theory: Throwing TSW's next themed party
I spy with my little eye... a trend! With last month's announcement of The Secret World's next update, I noticed a certain motif. It appears that beyond just adding new content, the conspiracy game is getting in on the party planning business, throwing themed bashes for players to enjoy. And the players themselves get to arrive as iconic guests of honor! While not making you the exact person, the two most recent DLCs effectively give you the chance to participate in adventures with the persona of a beloved and/or well-known character: Indiana Jones headlined Issue #6, and James Bond will be the star of Issue #7. That leads me to wonder: What -- or who -- will we meet next? We've already offered some suggestions for new locales for future TSW updates, so why not toss out a few ideas on the next major icons to represent? I know you all have some favorite role you'd love to slip into, so come add your suggestions to these possibilities.
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%
Screen Grabs: Elementary pilot has Sherlock Holmes using murder victim's Lumia 800
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com. Whether you're a fan of CBS's Elementary spin on Sherlock Holmes or not, it sure gave a nice amount screen-time to cellphones in its pilot. While there was prominent use of iPhones in the episode, we're highlighting a seemingly forced Nokia Lumia 800 cameo -- you'd think it would at least be the 900 being an American series. The camera takes a tight shot of Sherlock swiping through photos on a murder victim's black Lumia twice, highlighting the Nokia logo and Windows Phone 7.5 gallery interface. Here's your clue to see it for yourself: check around the 8-minute mark at the source link below.
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.
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%
Blu-ray releases for March 30th 2010
The thirty day delay for Netflix and Redbox owners continues with Sherlock Holmes from Warner being the latest victim. There are also a number of mentionable documentaries this week that are of interest like What Darwin Never Knew, Under the Sea and Big Sur - Wild California. Of course none are as big of a deal as next week's Lord of The Rings trilogy, even if it isn't the extended cut versions. Sherlock Holmes (Warner) Under the Sea (Warner) Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (Fox) The Baader Meinhof Complex (MPI) Collateral (DreamWorks) The Diary of Anne Frank (2009) (Well Go USA) An Education (Sony) Housebroken (Image) I Sell the Dead (MPI) The Killer (Dragon Dynasty) Big Sur - Wild California (National Geographic) Vampyres (Blue Underground) What Darwin Never Knew (PBS)
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 vs Jack the Ripper vs 360 in NA this March
Adventure game Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper will take a stab at North American retail this March. Released last year in Europe, the console port of the PC game has the fictional detective on the trail of the real-world 19th-century serial killer. Hey, while we're messing with fiction, reality, history and time, why not have Holmes team up with Doctor Who and Sam Beckett? He can change history for the better, putting right what once went wrong and bringing Beckett one step closer to his leap home. Actually ... that's not bad. Hands off, video game industry! We're saving that idea for Joystiq Publishing's still-looking-for- 2011 release list.
Buy Xbox goods at Best Buy, get a Sherlock movie ticket
The following is an excerpt from the Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of the Free Movie Pass," which many scholars believe to be apocryphal. Joystiq makes no claims regarding its authenticity and presents it purely for the sake of the information contained within. "The case of the free movie pass is quite simple," said Sherlock Holmes. "In order to procure a free ticket to see the film Sherlock Holmes -- a film from the future based on my past exploits -- one must do the following. First, select one of a myriad of Xbox 360 products listed on this Best Buy offer site. Following this, simply select the 'Sherlock Holmes Movie Pack' and it will be added to one's cart, gratis. "Said pack will grant the purchaser one free pass to see the aforementioned film, so long as the ticket price does not exceed $12. In addition to said ticket, one will also receive a Sherlock Holmes outfit for his Xbox 360 Avatar," concluded Holmes. "Brilliant!" said Watson. "Not at all," said, Holmes, "It was logic, nothing more." [Via Slickdeals]
Fight: Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper Nov. 26 in Europe
Thanks to the elementary practice of the "press release," we've deduced that adventure game Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper will be available November 26 in Europe on Xbox 360. The console port of the PC title will allow players to catch the action in third-person for a "cinematic perspective," or first-person ... for that classic Sherlock Holmes shooter feel?We're currently following up to find out when (if) this will get a release across the pond in the colonies.
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.
All the World's a Stage: Inspiration
All the World's a Stage is a source for roleplaying ideas, suggestions, and discussions. It is published every Sunday evening.You've probably heard that no story is completely original, that everything is copied from somewhere, and nothing anyone ever thinks or says is really unique. It's an awfully pessimistic way of looking at the creative endeavor, but there's a degree of truth in it.Any time you make up a new character, you are sure to be inspired by something you observed somewhere else. Perhaps you wondered, "What if there were a dwarven rogue, whose personality was a mix between Sherlock Holmes and Jack Sparrow?" or "My undead warrior is a lot like Frankenstein's monster, not evil so much as tragically neglected and rejected. He also likes to play with dolls." All this is fine and good for roleplaying, as long as you recognize the essential differences between your character and his or her inspirational anscestors. After all, every creative endeavor basically consists of mix-and-matching pre-existing knowledge in new and useful ways. In the same way a painter doesn't need to invent new colors, color palettes, or even new color matching techniques to make an beautiful, a storyteller doesn't need to create entirely new characteristics for each character in his or her story, only mix-and-match qualities real people already have in order to create someone compelling and interesting for other characters to interact with. Jump on in to find some great inspirations for WoW characters.
