Well, looks like Vinny was right

Today 10:16

EA studio Visceral Games' interpretation of Jack the Ripper will cast the legendary British serial killer as a hero.

Instead of disembowelling prostitutes, Mr Ripper will save innocent people from demons and vampires, using an exaggerated array of weaponry and some kind of time-slow ability.

That's what "sources" told Destructoid after the Jack the Ripper game was leaked by the LA Times.

Visceral's approach to the material may infuriate "Ripperologists", but sounds similar to the hack-and-slash treatment the studio has given Dante's Divine Comedy in Dante's Inferno.

Do remember that a Jack the Ripper game is still unconfirmed by EA, however convincing the evidence may appear.

Hrmm, while I am intrigued by source material... I feel turning it into a hack and slash (via what they are doing with Dante, which feels right to me) seems lazy. Also, why make him a good guy? Why not make the main character a detective trying to stop him?
 
I will definitely have to keep an eye on this, as Visceral Games is one of my favorite developers of this generation.

This is like making a game about Charles Manson and you play as him trying to stop a deadly serial killer.

" Hrmm, while I am intrigued by source material... I feel turning it into a hack and slash (via what they are doing with Dante, which feels right to me) seems lazy. Also, why make him a good guy? Why not make the main character a detective trying to stop him?  I will definitely have to keep an eye on this, as Visceral Games is one of my favorite developers of this generation. "

Haha, indeed he did Lowbrow. However making him a good guy (I assume because people could not handle playing as such a violent evil person), is just a dumb work around. Not that I am advocating the want to play as a murderer... it is not a whole lot different then GTA. If done correctly (changing the story obviously to give there some merit to your horrible actions) this could be a possibility. (think Dexter maybe?)

" sounds stupid...would be awesome to move the right analog stick back and forth to thrust your body against a woman while raping her...god that would be a fucking great game. "

Actually, this sounds pretty interesting. Basically, it's a "what-if" saying that he may actually have been slaying vampires, and everyone thought he was a serial killer murdering and raping prostitutes.
 
Or, this is just what the game is telling you, but at the end there's a twist and you realize that you are insane and you've have been raping and killing prostitutes, and your deranged mind thought they were vampires/demons.
 
The final scene is of him killing himself, which is why he was never found.

I think the only way this could keep my interest is if these "demons" are in his head and he is in fact going on a killing rampage from these delusions. It's still a lazy idea, but at least then it isn't just "Oh hey, you know about this guy, right? Well this game is nothing like that."

Sounds like someone has seen too many episodes of Dexter.  What next?  Billy the Kid as a hero leading a band of young rebellious youth in a fight against evil cattle barons?

This has gone from the most intersesting game in the world to the blandest.

I am liking what you folks are saying. A twist on the story so it only appears that he is good. Now that is something I can get behind and again something I think this developer would be great at pulling off.

" sounds stupid...would be awesome to move the right analog stick back and forth to thrust your body against a woman while raping her...god that would be a fucking great game. "

I sure can't wait for the ad campaign for this where you have to rape and kill a booth babe while someone takes a picture of it!
 
Seriously, what the hell's wrong with EA's marketing these days?

" I sure can't wait for the ad campaign for this where you have to rape and kill a booth babe while someone takes a picture of it!  Seriously, what the hell's wrong with EA's marketing these days? "

Visceral Games - Fuck History

I find myself somewhat intrigued by that idea for a game!

" Visceral Games - Fuck History "

" Visceral Games - Fuck History "

" @thecleric said:

" Visceral Games - Fuck History "

It could be easily argued that the "history" of Jack the Ripper is completely uncertain. This would be yet another idea/theory among many.   Also as far as Dante's goes, that was not a "historical" document (meaning it is not stating events and times and places).   I personally have great respect for people who adapt things (be it books, films, poems, whatever). When looking at an adaptation one must ignore the "myth of fidelity". An adaptation should always differ from the source material, given that it has the vision of its direct/writer. "

Again you are stuck in that myth of fidelity. The reboot of Battlestar Galactica can be seen as an adaptation of the original series. It made some big changes both the the story and characters. I would not call that doing "violence" to the source material.

On a similar note, I hear that Ghandi will be portrayed as a cereal killer in his upcoming title, The Salt Massacre.

This has opened up all new gateways.  
 
If I'm not playing as Bin Laden in Modern Warfare 2 I will be pissed.

This is like when they used to make horrible games like Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde for NES.

That sounds terrible.  Why even call it Jack the Ripper if they ignore that history and make up some ghost hunter crap.  Not that I would play a Jack Ripper simulation.

Well now, this has got to be the most retarded idea I've ever heard. Making a serial killer out to be a hero? What's next, Osama Bin Laden getting the hero treatment?

This seems stupid, yet totally awesome.

Here is a lovely excerpt from Erik Larson's Devil in the White City. Because this game casts Jack as a hero, this won't happen. :(
 

That is a lazy and dumb idea. Some of the ideas in this thread are more creative.

" @thecleric said:

" Visceral Games - Fuck History "

It could be easily argued that the "history" of Jack the Ripper is completely uncertain. This would be yet another idea/theory among many.   Also as far as Dante's goes, that was not a "historical" document (meaning it is not stating events and times and places).   I personally have great respect for people who adapt things (be it books, films, poems, whatever). When looking at an adaptation one must ignore the "myth of fidelity". An adaptation should always differ from the source material, given that it has the vision of its direct/writer. "

" @JackiJinx said:  Does it have customisable robe support? "

Oh gosh, why do they keep doing this?  Turning interesting historical or fictional characters into hack-and-slash heroes does not an interesting premise make!  
I would have much rather seen a hack-and-slash game where Jack the Ripper is the endboss.  Sheesh.  I hope the title just happens to be "Jack the Ripper", but is relatively seperated from the historical figure... like maybe this is Jack the Ripper's illegitimate great great grandson who uses his ancestors butchering abilities for good and not evil. 
It'd be stupid, sure, but not as stupid as the concept is already.

Maybe Jack is delusional...
 
Maybe the surprise at the end is that all the demons and vampires are just regular people?
 
Of course I bet its a bit too much to ask from Visceral Games to do that I suppose.

Why does it have to be the Jack the Ripper from the 19th century? Why couldn't it just be some guy named after the Ripper because he shreds demons up like Jack the Ripper in the past? Like how Raiden's nickname was Jack the Ripper when he was in Solidus's child army in MGS2.

... goddammit. I'd rather have a serial killer sim.
  
why not take a crack at these titles, atleast they're somewhat based in reality.
- Cooking chocolate with Dahmer
- Ted Bundy: The dating sim
- Rockband: Charles Manson

" @klownboots said:

" @thecleric said:

" Visceral Games - Fuck History "

It could be easily argued that the "history" of Jack the Ripper is completely uncertain. This would be yet another idea/theory among many.   Also as far as Dante's goes, that was not a "historical" document (meaning it is not stating events and times and places).   I personally have great respect for people who adapt things (be it books, films, poems, whatever). When looking at an adaptation one must ignore the "myth of fidelity". An adaptation should always differ from the source material, given that it has the vision of its direct/writer. "

Not really. He kills prostitutes. Its like, his only thing. And this guy doesn't. So its stupid. Or, as you'd say, "stupid". "

Visceral Games is everything wrong with gaming that doesn't come from Activision.

Between this and what EA is doing to Dante's Inferno, all of the goodwill that I felt EA had earned recently is draining, and fast.

That seems like a terrible fit for this subject matter. Was kind of hoping for a bizarre, "From Hell" like detective game or something. Really though, this page of history seems like one that just doesn't fit with video games, except maybe that Sherlock Holmes game I never played.

" Well now, this has got to be the most retarded idea I've ever heard. Making a serial killer out to be a hero?  "
 

" @thecleric said:

" Visceral Games - Fuck History "

It could be easily argued that the "history" of Jack the Ripper is completely uncertain. This would be yet another idea/theory among many.   Also as far as Dante's goes, that was not a "historical" document (meaning it is not stating events and times and places).   I personally have great respect for people who adapt things (be it books, films, poems, whatever). When looking at an adaptation one must ignore the "myth of fidelity". An adaptation should always differ from the source material, given that it has the vision of its direct/writer. "

@kazona
Right, a point I agree with
 
@Hunkaburningluv
I was more discussing the "motives" issue. Basically defending the ability to adapt something so horrible into something... enjoyable? Really the more I think about this, the more terrible it sounds.

" @Kazona said:

" Well now, this has got to be the most retarded idea I've ever heard. Making a serial killer out to be a hero?  "
 

 The show Dexter would prove you wrong. Still I understand what you mean, as this would be simply ignoring what he was to make him something else. "