New PC game features the Ripper

[Scotland Yard]

One for the gamers amongst you.

I'm just playing through the demo version of Frogware's 'Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper'. As everybody here will know, its far from the first time Holmes has been matched against the Whitechapel murderer and it will be interesting to see how far his wits take him this time.

There's no doubt making an adventure game based on a series of vile sex crimes seems exploitational even after more than a century and the top-hatted character on the game's advertising doesn't bode well. But as these things go, its not entirely without merit. Victorian London has been recreated with some nice atmosphere if not authenticity (and this goes for the details of the case too) and its fun to interact with the police as they go about hunting Jack.

Here's a link to the trailer:

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/58384

[raylynn88]

I just finished this game. I have to say, It was fun to play, as I love the mystery adventure games. But found the ending to be somewhat..disappointing. But I guess it would always be that way, wouldn't it?

[Esther Wilson]

I am enjoying playing the game.....can't wait to see how it turns out.

[A.R.Smith]

If either of you might kindly put up a review of the game at some time, I would greatly appreciate it as one gamer to another!

[Steelysama]

For game reviews, I generally find Game Rankings to be extremely useful:

http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/955116-sherlock-holmes-vs-jack-the-ripper/index.html

[A.R.Smith]

Thank you very much!

[Scotland Yard]

Just finished the game last night and I must say, despite some niggles here and there, I was quite impressed.
I felt before i started that it was a forgone conclusion that the developers would take huge artistic license with the facts of the case but they'd done a surprising amount of homework and stuck quite rigidly to the actual details. The recreations of some of the murder sites in particular were well done and of real interest to students of the case.

[John Bennett]

Somebody has put the game up on Youtube as it is played.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvwnkDKso8Q&feature=related

This is only part one and it runs to over 30 parts. the rest you can find easily enough on the side bar.

The Mitre Square bit is wonderful. Looks like a Jake L job you can walk about in!

[Hutchin]

Sherlock Versus Jack

Hi Folks,
no matter what the promises of Photo Realism etc for DirectX 10,
and computer games in general, it still aint happening.
That said, I found the ability to walk into Mitre Square at night, and stand in the dark on the actual murder spot, and see the view that Jack saw, quite chilling. Then to return in daylight and look at the scene from different parts of the square, I felt, enables one to better visualise Kate's murder in 3 dimensions. Ditto with Buck's Row and Dutfield's Yard. It may not be total realism, but it beats the hell out of just the faded black and white photo of Mitre Sq et al.
There is a little silliness in the game, as in the player having to slit the throats of 3 pig's heads, in order to select the likely murder weapon, and seeing dozens of drunks and prostitutes with the same 4 faces is a little lazy of the Game makers. But to sit there with, say, Philip Sugden's excellent book open in front of you and 3D Whitechapel on the screen is actually quite a usefull aid to the study of 'Saucy Jacky'. My own verdict on the game would be 8 out of 10 for an Adventure Game, perhaps 7 out of 10 for accuracy, but 9 out of 10 for helping my brain to enter into 19th Century Whitechapel ( all that was missing was the smell )

Just a few observations,
Regards,
Hutchin.

[Pamela]

I enjoyed this game enough. Without giving much away, I thought their Ripper at the end was an interesting choice and definitely plausible. Different then the norm that is used in the all the movies of the last two decades.

[John Bennett]

Here's a few screen shots from the game:

Buck's Row - not bad!


29 Hanbury Street - pretty good!


Mitre Square from Church Passage - bloody marvellous!


Wentworth Dwellings - bang on!


Somebody obviously did their homework for this one.

[Scotland Yard]

Yes, I agree that the Mitre Square reproduction is extemely good. Having been to the modern day square, there's no question that the scale and 'feel' of the location has been captured accurately. Its really quite spooky walking around the square as it must have looked in 1888. You also get an excellent idea of just how dark and underlit it was.

The Hanbury Street back yard murder site is also superb. I think some serious guess work and artistic license went into Dutfield's yard but then maybe my problem with that is that is that stepping through the gates I was met by details that didn't fit what I had in my head.

[Patrick Geiryd]

Hi! (Yes a newbie to the forum, although I've been a frequent visitor at the casebook for many years..)

I have too agree with previous posters, some of the enviroments of the game are very good and loved to "experience" these dark creepy areas.
As for the game as a whole, I can't say that I am dissapointed, many facts are reproduced well and I felt that the developers really went into doing this accuratelly.
Thumb's up!

/Patrick

[Christine1932]

from another Scandinavian newbie. Indeed quite atmospheric-looking game. Sounds interesting idea. Can anyone give me a spoiler: is the killer some historical person again?

Hi! (Yes a newbie to the forum, although I've been a frequent visitor at the casebook for many years..)

I have too agree with previous posters, some of the enviroments of the game are very good and loved to "experience" these dark creepy areas.
As for the game as a whole, I can't say that I am dissapointed, many facts are reproduced well and I felt that the developers really went into doing this accuratelly.
Thumb's up!

/Patrick

[Patrick Geiryd]

*** Spoiler-Warning ***

Don't continue reading if you're playing tha game or plan to!

*******************

Hi Christine!

There are many historical persons in the game, both actual suspects and witnesses, but the developers of the game have come up with their own theory which I think is as good any other.