Fans
of the Law & Order games will have every reason
to want to play the CSI series - and vice versa. They
are both similar in many respects but vary in the
details. And if forensics has taught us anything is
that it's all in the details.
CSI
Miami does not break any real new ground with these
new mysteries. What's more of a mystery is why this
game is just an updated version of CSI: Dark Motives.
It's virtually the same game with different characters.
In
real life, the interesting aspect of such a line of
work is the unexpected. You never know what your next
case may be, although you can be pretty sure it involves
a victim, a perpetrator, clues and possibly a witness
or two. CSI Miami is totally predictable if you've
played Dark Motives. I don't recommend that you play
this game if you've played Dark Motives but if you
haven't this is the one to play.
I
can't say that this game is more fun than watching
the show. The level of interaction is limited. Overall
the game is much too easy and linear. You have to
follow strict procedures which don't seem to apply
to the AI. For the most part your sense of freedom
is limited to that of an onlooker. Although you can
screw up, you can't take the bull by the horns and
play a hunch. You will be told when you can progress.
To experience any kind of a challenge in CSI Miami
I urge you to play the game on the highest difficulty
setting.
As
a rookie, you'll be introduced to the members of CSI
Miami. You will investigate five murders, each with
a different member of the Miami team who will help
you along. You'll play the Joe-boy in each investigation
as you collect the evidence for processing. If you
don't collect the evidence that the CPU declares relevant,
you will have to go back and find it. Why some evidence
is deemed important seems arbitrary. It's never properly
explained so regardless of how intellectual and analytical
you try to get you can never properly excel in your
craft.
Once
you have collected the proper amount of evidence you
can move on to the next phase which is processing.
This involves matching fingerprints and analyzing
DNA. You will even have to interrogate suspects although
you are limited to specific questions.
At
times the CPU gets confused. Things will be mentioned
before they happen and things that have already happened
will be repeated. Since you're always looking at the
CPU for advice and direction, it's hard to place any
faith in it when it's so inconsistent.
David
Caruso is the only memorable cast member. To say the
others are boring would be to give "boring"
a bad name. The voiceacting is flat. Stephen Hawking
has more inflection and emotion with his digitized
voice. Graphically the characters look similar to
their real-life counterparts but it's like visiting
a wax museum. They don't move around much and when
they do the framerate is choppy is uneven. The music
is culled from the show and sets a nice tone. 
For
an evening of near mindless entertainment, CSI Miami
may fit the bill. It doesn't require much thinking
but since CSI has been doing the thinking for viewers
for so many years maybe the majority of the game players
will require this level of babysitting.
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