On August 20, publisher Pixel Games UK released the first CD-i game on Steam: Mystic Midway: Rest in Pieces. With this re-release Pixel Games UK already announced this would be the first of a series of CD-i games that would see a re-release on Steam. Today, they announced the second game which will be released soon: This title will be: Voyeur! Voyeur was another landmark title made by Philips POV, the same company who also produced Mystic Midway: Rest in Pieces. Pixel Games: "Coming soon to Steam! The iconic ground breaking #game Voyeur! In Voyeur, you take on the role of a private investigator hired to collect evidence of wealthy CEO Reed Hawke’s corruption by a member of his family. Originally released on the Phillips CD-i back in 1993, it was one of the first games to fully utilise Full-Motion-Video as an integral game mechanic."
Voyeur... don’t get caught! Richard Hawke has it all. Wealth, power, the adoration of millions, and… secrets to protect. This weekend he has gathered his family to discuss his running for presidency of the United States. Lust, revenge and betrayal are all at play in this political thriller. So do you just watch? Or… will you risk getting involved? Will the videotape you make save the country? Or might it cost you your life? As the voyeur, it’s all up to you.
Voyeur was first released on the Phillips CD-i back in 1993 and was one of the first big-budget games to take advantage of the console’s FMV – that’s full-motion-video – capabilities. Whereas today we are used to full-screen video in resolutions of 4K or more, the inclusion of ‘real-life’ filmed content within the context of the game was considered a huge step forward… and Voyeur was leading the way.
It wasn’t only the game’s technical capabilities that made headlines, however. The ostensibly “adult” content – in fact pretty tame in reality – led to Voyeur joining the Leisure Suit Larryseries and Digital Pictures’ Night Trap (among others) in an exclusive club of games which stirred up controversy to such a level that the media – acting as society’s moral guardians – called for them to be banned.
In Voyeur, you take on the role of a private investigator hired to collect evidence of wealthy CEO Reed Hawke’s corruption by a member of his family. To keep the game fresh over multiple plays (with multiple endings, again a mechanic well ahead of its time) the family member is chosen at random from those that Reed has gathered together in order to announce his bid for the country’s presidency. Taking control of a video camera located in a building opposite the family’s mansion, your goal is to collect enough video evidence to destroy the would-be-president’s career. You might want to include some danger money in your quote for the weekend though, as if you come to the wrong conclusion after compiling your evidence, you will end up victim of a ruthless assassin!
The price of this re-release is not known yet, but considering the price of 4 dollar that Pixel Games asks for Mystic Midway, we expect Voyeur will cost the same amount of money. The releasedate is also unknown, but it will be available soon (You will read it on Interactive Dreams of course)
The developers describe the content like this:
Voyeur is an interactive murder-mystery/interactive movie, with live action cut scenes originally released in the mid-90s. It is a ‘point and click’ political thriller with a mystery for you to solve, with mild, non-explicit sexual content, characters in skimpy clothing, adult language, and other mature themes. All performers are over the age of 18. The player (equipped with a video camera from the vantage point of their apartment) peers in on the lives of the Hawke family through the windows of Hawke Manor. Experiencing the thrill of the voyeur, the player sits in wait, watching and listening, as the family's twisted affairs unfold. Voyeur combines the suspense of Hitchcock's "Rear Window" with an elaborate cast of accomplished Hollywood actors, including Robert Culp, of "I Spy" fame in the lead role as Reed Hawke, and Grace Zabriskie, known for her role in "Twin Peaks".
[Thanks, Pixel Games, Kieren Hawken]