|
|
|| Adventure Links || Archives || Articles || Independent Developers || Interviews || JA Forum ||
|| JA Staff/Contacts || The JAVE || Letters || Reviews || Search || Upcoming Releases || Walkthroughs ||
|| What's New / Home || Play Games! ||
| Over 1 Million Visitors a Month! |   |
|
What this means is that Legacy Games is taking each of the four episodes within the original CD-Rom version and offering them one at a time as stand-alone games, with the final episode tying them all together. The first episode up for offer is The Vengeful Heart, and this is the one I’ll be reviewing today. This episode has the lovably eccentric Detective Robert Goren investigating the brutal murder of a bank executive. You’ll play Goren third-person, beginning in the victim’s home and following the trail of family, co-workers, friends, and other suspects just as in the television series. Now, one aspect that separates Criminal Intent from the other Law and Order series’ is Goren’s penetrating insight into the human psyche. It follows that a game revolving around Goren would be driven more by dialogue and observation than inventory, and this plays true in the game. Yes, you’ll collect evidence and send it to the crime lab and research center, but you’ll use it to build your profile of the suspect in order to make an arrest. The profiler is a handy tool you’ll receive just as you’re handed your assignment by Captain Deakins, believably voiced by Jamie Sheridan himself. It looks like an ordinary laptop, and you use it by dropping key pieces of evidence or suspect reports into a designated slot. If the evidence advances the case, it appears under one of three columns: Criminal Characteristics, Criminal Personality, and Criminal Motive. Once you have all slots filled and your profile is strong, it’s time to bring the suspect in.
With the exception of the profiler, everything you need is in Goren’s PDA. You’ll receive messages from team members letting you know your reports are ready, you’ll be able to store files, witness reports and inventory, and you’ll have access to a map. This is also where you save games, change your options, and exit the program. Dialogue can sometimes be difficult, but this is inherent to the game. Goren is known for being able to play his suspects, which is why you won’t have the traditional dialogue tree to work with. Instead, face icons indicate five different approaches you can take to each subject: confrontational, deceptive, straightforward, empathetic, or flattering. Choose the wrong tactic enough times during a dialogue, and your witness may shut down. That simply means you’ll have to come back later. Thank goodness computer game characters have short memories! As I mentioned before, Captain Deakins is voiced by Jamie Sheridan, just as in the television series. The only other star voice is that of Vincent D’Onofrio playing Detective Goren. Unfortunately his performance leaves much to be desired. Perhaps D'Onofrio isn’t comfortable performing in a sound booth or interacting with people he can’t see. For whatever reason, it sounds like he just phoned it in. His voice is flat, with little or no inflection, and at times it’s little more than a mumble. This is a shame, because D’Onofrio’s rushed, almost Shatner-esque delivery is what really makes Goren’s character come alive in the series. Other performances within the game are very well done, except maybe for the too-perky voice of Jennifer in Research who forgot to leave her commercial voice at home. Lay off the coffee already, Jennifer! The graphics in The Vengeful Heart won’t take your breath away, but the backgrounds are very realistic. There’s a somber grittiness about the game that’s very appropriate. You can almost see the flickering of fluorescent lights at Major Case Squad. The characters are pretty realistic overall, but the hunched figure of Goren was a little flat. Kind of like his voice!
As adventure games go, this one isn’t extremely puzzle-intensive. If memory serves me correctly, there were only two traditional puzzles, and neither was extremely difficult. There’s even a built-in help system that pretty much eliminates the need for a walkthrough. Of course, to some extent the game’s difficulty is determined by settings you choose in options. I played in “normal” mode and was only stumped a few times. With the ease of downloading this game, its placement with more casual games, and the accessibility of Criminal Intent characters, The Vengeful Heart is likely to have more mass appeal than traditional adventure games. The real question is, will there be enough here for seasoned gamers? If you like the series and you enjoy a realistic who-dunnit, I think so. But if you’re in the mood to strain your brain with difficult puzzles, you’ll want to choose something else. As for the price point, Legacy Games is offering this download for $19.99. Not as expensive as many games out there, but not exactly bargain-bin material for the length of the game. A moderate gamer might complete this in two or three short evening sessions. I guess the bottom line is: if you find yourself game-less on a Sunday night and need something to fill the void, Law and Order Criminal Intent: The Vengeful Heart is just a click and a credit card number away. It’s absorbing enough to keep your interest, but not frustrating enough to rob you of a night’s sleep. Final Grade: C+ System Requirements:
|
|
|