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Sherlock Holmes pointing and clicking his way onto the Xbox 360?

by: Randy -
More On: Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper
Time once again for PC gamers to party like it's 1888 -- in Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper.  You know the deal:  It's 19th century London, it's solid trails and red herrings, it's ... well, two of the most iconic characters to ever materialize out of the City of Fog.  The part that might catch you off guard?  You can switch between a third- and first-person view at will, which is unheard of for point and click adventure games.  But what's even stranger than that is that while Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper is coming to PC next month, publisher Focus Home Interactive is actually claiming that it'll come to the Xbox 360 by the end of the year.

I don't want to completely discourage the effort, but this sounds wildly unlikely.  Developer Frogwares, first of all, has zero experience developing for the 360.  They're strictly PC.  And ... well ... it doesn't look like it'll prove itself a worthy challenger to the massively-branching Heavy Rain, nor does it look like it will visually compete with even the six-year-old Syberia (that was on the original Xbox), nor does it seem to be trying to pull any oh-@#$% moments like, for example, finding yourself standing over a dead body in a diner restroom with the bloody knife in your hand (as Indigo Prophecy floored everyone with).  I don't imagine it capturing imaginations in the manner that The Longest Journey or Dreamfall did, and it won't be as devilishly clever or straight-up funny as Sam & Max.  So.

Here are some screenshots.  If I'm completely off my rocker, let me know.  I'm all for having more adventure games make their way to consoles, but I just don't see this kind of series stealing shelf space in the console market the way it does in the PC section.  But I'll try and ease up since (confession time) I haven't played any of Frogwares adventures.  I, uh, very well could be missing out on the time of my life.  Though ... I somehow doubt it.
Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper - New Images Hide Terrifying Clues
It is with great pleasure that Frogwares Studio and Focus Home Interactive are sharing with you new images from the upcoming adventure game - Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper. While the serial killer continues to taunt the authorities, Sherlock Holmes continues his investigation to uncover and stop the terrible murderer who has been dubbed - "Jack the Ripper."

Visit the website
http://www.sherlockholmes-thegame.com/en/sh/


Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper allows you to play as the greatest detective of all in the London of 1888. A series of particularly horrible murders creates a real psychosis throughout the country. Atrociously mutilated prostitutes' bodies are found by the police without them being able to find a serious lead. Sherlock Holmes starts looking for clues in the dark and sinister alleys of Whitechapel in order to follow the macabre trail of the one the press now calls Jack the Ripper. During an adventure full of twists, Sherlock Holmes will try to bring out the true identity and the motives of the one who hides behind this scary alias.

The Sherlock Holmes series is known as one of the best franchises in adventure games and is very popular with around 1.5 million copies sold worldwide. Now, Sherlock Holmes is back with a game that will give a new dimension to the series. Indeed, Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper will offer players two different views that are accessible at any time: a third person view in the purest style used in point & click adventure games, as well as a first person view. The player will be free to play in one or the other modes or even combine them for greater immersion into this terrifying adventure. Another novelty: the player will also find an original crime scene reconstitution system that will allow him to test his theories during his progress in the investigation to follow the bloody trail of the terrifying serial killer.

Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper will be released for DVD ROM PC in May of 2009 and at the end of the year on Xbox 360.


About Focus Home Interactive
Founded in 1996, Focus Home Interactive is a French publishing and distribution company based near Paris, France. Known for the diversity, quality and originality of its catalogue, Focus now publishes and distributes many of its titles throughout Europe and also world-wide in both boxed retail and digital distribution formats. The last five years have been very successful for Focus in France, with many of its PC licenses becoming top-sellers. Focus has also published several original titles, including the adventure game Runaway, the renowned Cycling Manager and the much-loved TrackMania. The coming months will be exciting and full of surprises with the release of high-quality games such as Blood Bowl, TrackMania DS, Runaway: A Twist of Fate, Sherlock Holmes and sport games dedicated to major events such as the America’s Cup or the Tour de France.
www.focus-home.com

About Frogwares
Created in 2000, Frogwares is an independent development studio specialized in adventure video games and located in Ukraine. Thanks to a talented team of 45 artists and programmers, Frogwares realizes quality games to please adventure fans and has alternated the production of games based upon inquiry and discovery, with high licenses such as the award-winning Sherlock Holmes, Jules Verne and now Dracula. The graphic quality, the technical innovation and the incredible ability to create environments and atmospheres are the spearheads their titles.
www.frogwares.com