ICOM Simulations reborn, Sherlock Holmes - Consulting Detective re-released

Arjak · 10/13/2012, 02:39 PM

So, I was on Wikipedia, looked up ICOM Simulations (The creators of Shadowgate, Deja Vu, Uninvited, Dracula Unleashed, and Sherlock Holmes - Consulting Detective), and was amazed to see that some of its original employees have formed a new company, Zojoi, which has acquired the rights to their old catalog. They are not only working on a remake of Shadowgate (with new locations and puzzles), but they have also re-released the first volume of their Sherlock Holmes series for iPad, Mac, and PC.

Since Infinite Ventures went under, I had been hoping for another chance to play some of these classic titles, and it looks like my prayers have been answered!

All three cases that made up the original first volume have been released as stand-alone games, for $3.99 each. Last night I bought the first case, having never played any of them. The video quality isn't high-grade HD, but it's still serviceable for what was originally an early CD game. I've only played around with the tutorials, but I think this is going to be interesting. My Dad was somewhat intrigued by Dracula Unleashed, so I was thinking of playing this with him.

I thought I'd let you guys know about this, seeing how some of these were released on the Turbo CD back in the day.

Here's a link to the new company's website: http://www.zojoi.com/

SuperPlay · 10/13/2012, 04:13 PM

Thanks for the info :-)

esteban · 10/13/2012, 04:40 PM

WORD UP, I want to play Shadowgate again... especially an UPDATED version with new content!

Bernie · 10/13/2012, 05:56 PM

Oh yeah! And they're based right here in VA. Bout an hour from me.

turboswimbz · 10/13/2012, 07:47 PM

I knew they re-released sherlock, but didn't know about shadowgate! awesome!

Arjak · 10/13/2012, 11:30 PM

Shadowgate is a favorite of mine, as well. It was the game that introduced me to the company, and I can still remember my first recollection of the game, seeing huge spreads in Nintendo Power for the Game Boy Color version and being both confused and awed. You guys should DEFINITELY check out the Shadowgate page on their website, it has some room concept art that will make any long-time fan squeal with joy!

ParanoiaDragon · 10/14/2012, 02:53 AM

I remember hearing BITD that there was a 3rd Shelock Holmes in the works. My old friend whose dad did the gfx for Ghost Manor told me at the time(around 92 or 93?) that they were in the middle of filming for it. I wonder if they'll be releasing that as well

esteban · 10/14/2012, 08:03 AM

Quote from: ParanoiaDragon on 10/14/2012, 02:53 AMI remember hearing BITD that there was a 3rd Shelock Holmes in the works. My old friend whose dad did the gfx for Ghost Manor told me at the time(around 92 or 93?) that they were in the middle of filming for it. I wonder if they'll be releasing that as well

PD, it was released in Japan as Sherlock Holmes: No Tantei Kouza Ebi 3 as a flip-book inside a tin of shrimp-flavored crisps. Apparently, customers complained that Watson had a "fishy" smell in the game.

Arjak · 10/14/2012, 05:26 PM

All jokes aside, there was a third volume, but it was only released for computers. I'm sure that if the release of the first volume does well enough, that the second and eventually the third will follow.

Bardoly · 10/14/2012, 06:50 PM

So, does this means that they could re-release Beyond Shadowgate for the TG-16? Like a 500-1000 copy online-purchasable release?

While this would be cool, I'm more curious than anything.

Arjak · 10/15/2012, 01:02 AM

While I am sure it is possible, I am highly doubtful that such a thing would ever occur, although I would definitely be one of the first in line for such a reprint.

ParanoiaDragon · 10/15/2012, 01:03 AM

Quote from: Bardoly on 10/14/2012, 06:50 PMSo, does this means that they could re-release Beyond Shadowgate for the TG-16? Like a 500-1000 copy online-purchasable release?

While this would be cool, I'm more curious than anything.

Or make a direct sequal to it!

Bardoly · 10/15/2012, 04:35 PM

Quote from: Arjak on 10/15/2012, 01:02 AMWhile I am sure it is possible, I am highly doubtful that such a thing would ever occur, although I would definitely be one of the first in line for such a reprint.

But wouldn't a situation like this - 2 guys splitting off with some licenses and starting a new company - lend itself to a possible re-release of older products?
Especially in a situation like the TG-16 release of Beyond Shadowgate, because the costs of making CDs would be so much cheaper? I mean, I would understand why re-releasing Shadowgate for the NES probably wouldn't make financial sense at all, but for Beyond Shadowgate, all they would have to do would be recreate the case design, manual, etc... if they don't still have it - maybe tweak the design to add "Fan Edition" or something like that. Assuming that they still have the original rom/iso/whatever you want to call it, I would think that a re-release would not be very difficult for them at all. Now ofcourse, if they don't hold all of the licenses, then I would definitely understand the unlikelihood of this ever being possible.

Just some thoughts. A small company like this might be looking for easy ways to make a small profit.

Bernie · 10/15/2012, 04:46 PM

I contacted the company, and directed them to this thread. We can only hope!

Nazi NecroPhile · 10/15/2012, 04:56 PM

I like the idea of updated / entirely new versions of old games to introduce new gamers to oldie-but-goodies, but I'd love to see 'em make reprints of Beyond Shadowgate (et al), even if they're only made available bundled as deluxe versions of the new stuff. Plus, I've dreamed (wet dreamed?) of seeing Sherlock Holmes III ported to the Turbob, preferably as HuVideo.

Bardoly · 10/15/2012, 05:12 PM

Quote from: Bernie on 10/15/2012, 04:46 PMI contacted the company, and directed them to this thread. We can only hope!

That's great! I was considering doing the same thing.
If this were in the realm of possibility, then I feel that we could come up with 100+ preorders/guaranteed sales or so.

Bernie · 10/15/2012, 05:25 PM

In all reality, we would most likely need more than 100 preorders. If there were a Beyond Shadowgate remake, a good selling point would be to add some extras.

Bardoly · 10/15/2012, 06:14 PM

Quote from: Bernie on 10/15/2012, 05:25 PMIn all reality, we would most likely need more than 100 preorders. If there were a Beyond Shadowgate remake, a good selling point would be to add some extras.

Exactly! I agree. A PC release with a pack-in of a re-release of the TG-16 release would work for me, even though I don't do much gaming on PC.

Bernie · 10/15/2012, 06:16 PM

What I mean by extras, is the actual TG16 release, with added stuff to it. More places to explore, more puzzles, ect..

If I remember correctly, the creators were sorta rushed on this, so I am sure there is room for more.

I already got a response!

QuoteHey Bernie!

Thanks for the email! I'll be sure to jump on later and give some info.

Did you sign up for the newsletter?

Dave

I literally just sent the email an hour ago. I'm stoked to hear what he has to say.

RuninRuder · 10/15/2012, 09:56 PM

Keep in mind that while Dave Marsh and Karl Roelofs came up with the original design for Beyond Shadowgate, they were not part of the team that ended up working on the game for the Duo.

I asked Dave about BS when I interviewed him for Duomazov a while back, and this is what he had to say about it:

"Well, I created Shadowgate with Karl Roelofs back in 1984 (and would you believe that I did the art for the Palm version no less than seven years ago???) and we had an unbelievably cool design for Beyond Shadowgate that revolved around this civil war and some high-level betrayals. (Karl and I always felt the original Shadowgate had awful puzzles, so we were anxious to create a much better adventure game.) The Mac/PC version was about halfway programmed when it got shelved (don't remember why) and we had this design sitting around. NEC showed interest in it and it went to another team who decided to make it more humorous and a side-scrolling thing as well. I really didn't have much to do with it, but I seem to remember that in its limited form, it was pretty good."

(The whole interview can be found at http://www.thebrothersduomazov.com/2010/03/lords-of-turbo-pantheon-icoms-dave.html .)

What I think would be really cool is if they did revisit Beyond Shadowgate, but this time designed it as they originally intended it to be.

Bernie · 10/16/2012, 05:28 AM

Quote from: runinruder on 10/15/2012, 09:56 PMKeep in mind that while Dave Marsh and Karl Roelofs came up with the original design for Beyond Shadowgate, they were not part of the team that ended up working on the game for the Duo.

I asked Dave about BS when I interviewed him for Duomazov a while back, and this is what he had to say about it:

"Well, I created Shadowgate with Karl Roelofs back in 1984 (and would you believe that I did the art for the Palm version no less than seven years ago???) and we had an unbelievably cool design for Beyond Shadowgate that revolved around this civil war and some high-level betrayals. (Karl and I always felt the original Shadowgate had awful puzzles, so we were anxious to create a much better adventure game.) The Mac/PC version was about halfway programmed when it got shelved (don't remember why) and we had this design sitting around. NEC showed interest in it and it went to another team who decided to make it more humorous and a side-scrolling thing as well. I really didn't have much to do with it, but I seem to remember that in its limited form, it was pretty good."

(The whole interview can be found at http://www.thebrothersduomazov.com/2010/03/lords-of-turbo-pantheon-icoms-dave.html .)

What I think would be really cool is if they did revisit Beyond Shadowgate, but this time designed it as they originally intended it to be.

I like this idea!

zojoi · 10/18/2012, 02:18 PM

Hi all (and thanks to Bernie for contacting me),

Glad to see those posts about Shadowgate and Zojoi. It's been a fun year so far (well, paying attorneys and such is no fun but...) and it was neat to re-release the Sherlock Games. We did some UI improvements and it was great to release them with full-screen video (I seem to remember that some of the earlier versions were 160x100 pixels!)

As far as Beyond Shadowgate goes, I don't have the rights to that NEC version but I do have the rights to the massive design documents that Karl Roelofs and I did for making the sequel to Shadowgate as a 1st person MacVenture. That is on my list of projects to get out there someday soon!

Shadowgate is in pre-production and next week we have a very cool announcement about it so please be sure to sign up for the newsletter on the Zojoi homepage. www.zojoi.com

I'm always around to talk so feel free to drop me an email at dmarsh@zojoi.com

Thanks!

Dave

esteban · 10/18/2012, 07:46 PM

Quote from: zojoi on 10/18/2012, 02:18 PMHi all (and thanks to Bernie for contacting me),

Glad to see those posts about Shadowgate and Zojoi. It's been a fun year so far (well, paying attorneys and such is no fun but...) and it was neat to re-release the Sherlock Games. We did some UI improvements and it was great to release them with full-screen video (I seem to remember that some of the earlier versions were 160x100 pixels!)

As far as Beyond Shadowgate goes, I don't have the rights to that NEC version but I do have the rights to the massive design documents that Karl Roelofs and I did for making the sequel to Shadowgate as a 1st person MacVenture. That is on my list of projects to get out there someday soon!

Shadowgate is in pre-production and next week we have a very cool announcement about it so please be sure to sign up for the newsletter on the Zojoi homepage. www.zojoi.com

I'm always around to talk so feel free to drop me an email at dmarsh@zojoi.com

Thanks!

Dave

Thanks for the scoop.

I'm looking forward to the Shadowgate update you are working on...I hope it generates enough interest to allow you to work on additional Shadowgate installments.

ParanoiaDragon · 10/19/2012, 01:41 AM

Hmm, this has got me thinking. If there was indeed a version of Sherlock 3 in the works for the Turbo, I wonder what the possiblities are of Dave having access to the source code. Furthermore, if he does, what are the chances that he could make an officlal release of it, or maybe make a deal with someone here, that would be willing to publish it

Heck, what if there are any other unreleased Turbo Icom games that may be within their reach? I can't think of any offhand that would exist. I do remember my friend commenting on a game called Arena 3000 IIRC. It might've been an Icom game since he seemed to know a little something about it.

TheClash603 · 10/19/2012, 07:47 AM

I have a feeling an official release of a new Sherlock Holmes game has to be unlikely. With the new movies that are out, I assume the cost to license the character has gone up?

Nazi NecroPhile · 10/19/2012, 12:08 PM

It wouldn't be an entirely new game, just a port of an existing game whose rights they presumably already own; kinda like what they've done with the first three cases being ported to iOS and PC.

ParanoiaDragon · 10/20/2012, 12:02 AM

Quote from: TheClash603 on 10/19/2012, 07:47 AMI have a feeling an official release of a new Sherlock Holmes game has to be unlikely. With the new movies that are out, I assume the cost to license the character has gone up?

I think the Sherlock Holmes character in general is old enough, that it probably predates any kind of legal stuff, but I could be wrong.

TR0N · 10/23/2012, 02:04 AM

Well the new sherlock holmes game has caught cgr attention.

Marll · 10/26/2012, 01:30 PM

Awesome! Shadowgate is one of my all time favorite games, and I'd love to play a new version. I may have to actually throw some funds at this Kickstarter.

I'd also love to see a remake of Beyond Shadowgate with their original ideas and design as well.

Arjak · 10/26/2012, 06:30 PM

The Shadowgate Remake Kickstarter is UP!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zojoi/shadowgate

Be sure to at least watch the video. It's hysterical!

I have already pledged. I hope some of you will consider doing the same. Shadowgate is one of my canon adventure games, and I hope to Lakmir that this gets funded.

esteban · 10/28/2012, 06:45 AM

Quote from: Arjak on 10/26/2012, 06:30 PMThe Shadowgate Remake Kickstarter is UP!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zojoi/shadowgate

Be sure to at least watch the video. It's hysterical!

I have already pledged. I hope some of you will consider doing the same. Shadowgate is one of my canon adventure games, and I hope to Lakmir that this gets funded.

That video was great

.

I gotta pledge. I haven't yet, but I gotta.

TR0N · 11/07/2012, 03:08 AM

Quote from: zojoi on 10/18/2012, 02:18 PMHi all (and thanks to Bernie for contacting me),

Glad to see those posts about Shadowgate and Zojoi. It's been a fun year so far (well, paying attorneys and such is no fun but...) and it was neat to re-release the Sherlock Games. We did some UI improvements and it was great to release them with full-screen video (I seem to remember that some of the earlier versions were 160x100 pixels!)

As far as Beyond Shadowgate goes, I don't have the rights to that NEC version but I do have the rights to the massive design documents that Karl Roelofs and I did for making the sequel to Shadowgate as a 1st person MacVenture. That is on my list of projects to get out there someday soon!

Shadowgate is in pre-production and next week we have a very cool announcement about it so please be sure to sign up for the newsletter on the Zojoi homepage. www.zojoi.com

I'm always around to talk so feel free to drop me an email at dmarsh@zojoi.com

Thanks!

Dave

You're kick starter,for the shadowgate remake has gotten mention at the epicbattlecry podcast.
http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/1qg5om/epicbattlecry-skirmish--170-you-got-banned-