BROKEN Sword, one of the world’s most popular computer adventure games series, which was made in York, is being launched today in Nintendo Wii and DS formats.

The launch has left the creator Charles Cecil cock-a-hoop, especially as test reviewers have scored 90 per cent for the DS version and 86 per cent for the Wii format of Broken Sword – Shadow Of The Templars: The Director’s Cut.

Mr Cecil, founder of York-based Revolution Software, created George Stottard, the ageless Broken Sword hero (and his alter ego) – whose Knights Templars-style dramas are linked to thought-provoking puzzles.

The first four in the series sold more than £100 million-worth – close to a million copies each, emphasising to the world that York Means Business.

Now Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, has signed a publishing agreement to release the special edition of The Director’s Cut for Nintendo. Mr Cecil will be signing copies at Gamestation in York tomorrow.

The Director’s Cut, which could sell up to £10 million-worth, builds on the original “boasting a new and explosive narrative interwoven with the first story,” according to the publicity material.

New puzzles have been added, which will utilise the hand-held Nintendo controls. The game also features stunning animated facial expressions drawn by Dave Gibbons, the artistic genius behind the comic book and just-released film Watchmen.

Mr Cecil said: “These new playforms and their innovative controls enable us to translate and enrich the point-and-click gaming experience in a way no other console allowed before.

“And through Dave’s animated faces, the game’s characters are portrayed as empathetic and emotional – driving the narrative in a way that has never been done before in an adventure game. The Director’s Cut has allowed me to deliver my true vision for the series.”


Name of the game

Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars – The Director’s Cut starts with the player in control of charming Parisian photo-journalist Nicole Collard, who witnesses the brutal and horrifying murder of one of the richest and most influential statesmen in Paris. During her investigations, she meets amiable American Broken Sword superhero George Stobbart, who has been unwittingly caught up in the sinister and bloody theft of an ancient manuscript. Together, they are drawn into a terrifying conspiracy rooted in a long-forgotten medieval legend.