CSI: NY
Preview
CSI:NY seeks to break from the mould of its predecessors.
by Marcus Mulkins
previewed on PC
How different does something have to be to say "Breaks the mold!"?
With CSI: NY, Ubisoft (through their choice of developers) breaks the pattern of casting the player as an assistant to one of the show's regulars. Instead, the player will be cast as Detective Mac Taylor or Stella Bonasera. (Doesn't her name translate into "Good evening" in Italian? "Hi, I'm Stella Good Evening!" Makes me think of the actresses names in "adult" movies.) Additionally, the game is touted as a "graphic novel" which means, in this case, that the graphics have been scaled back to about comic book quality.
As with the earlier games, expect to do a LOT of pixel-hunting as you gather clues at the crime scenes. You'll have a bit more control during interrogations as you will be the detective in charge of that activity. Interrogations will have the usual choose-your-question dialogue trees, however your choices will vary according to the demeanour you choose for your character to employ. Bad Cop gets one set of choices while Good Cop gets another set. Your choice will determine the answers the subject will provide. Another enhancement to the game involves the introduction of a whole slew of mini-games covering things from code-breaking to facial reconstruction to operating the X-ray machine.
Supposedly the user-interface has been improved, which should alleviate some of the complaints concerning the earlier games. The aspect about setting the mood for the interrogations means that there will be a bump in replayability as players can go back and see what slapping the suspect around the room will reveal that differs from the earlier, more humane approach that had been employed.
Worrisome signs
There are some worrisome signs as far as the quality of the game goes. Just take a look at the screenshots of Sophia Moretti. The last line of her statement in the first one reads “...I really didn't need to that.” In the next one she says, “I just saw a dead body and you bothering me with trivial questions?” Looks like the editors left a word out here and there. That kind of oversight doesn't bode well for the rest of the game.
When all is said and done, I anticipate that the game will once again come across as "a game for fans of the TV show that sometimes play games." As opposed to "a game for seasoned gamers that sometimes watch the show." That's the difference between "Okay" and a "Good game!"
