What’s fun about these is how each takes a different approach and theme. In one, you’re playing as Sherlock and Watson versus master thief Arsene Lupin, in another versus Jack the Ripper. In others, you’re solving the murder of a tycoon or mixing it up with mummies. In a particularly timely one, The Awakened, you’re actually racing to stop a murderous Cthlulu cult before they can awaken a hideous evil. That one will take you all the way from 221B Baker Street to the bayous of Louisiana, and all the coolest screen caps will only spoil your fun. Some titles are frankly fantastic and others are more grounded, but as they’re going along, they just look better and better.
Next year’s release, The Testament of Sherlock Holmes, will not only be for PC-based gaming as usual, but also for the XBox 360 and Playstation 3. (Destructoid got a preview of the new game and reports the environments are terrifically rich. ) The storyline’s darkness isn’t provided by preternaturally awful villains in this one, but by Holmes’ own secrets and behavior that gives even Watson pause. They’re taking a chance that console gamers don’t only want shoot-em-ups, and I hope they’re right. Because from way back in text-based Zorkdom, I’ve always loved a good adventure game, and a bigger market for them will mean more to love.
Yeah, these games are super fun. I wouldn’t say that there is much of a challenge to them, but the environments are great and they really have the whole Sherlock feeling.
The Jack the Ripper one is my personal favorite.
The only one I found impossible had a crazy-frustrating pixel hunt that bogged down the story, and I needed a walkthrough for that. Glad they’re adding the contextual Hint feature, because the fun of these is the interactive storytelling, for sure.