Anyone familiar with TV’s Las Vegas based Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) series will be pleased to know that they made a game based upon it. Where as an armchair detective you can set your mind a blaze at trying to figure out who the killer is and more importantly piece together all the evidence to make sure that you have a decent case against, said killer. For those of you unawares then let me enlighten you to what CSI is all about.

Whilst cop shows have been pretty much mainstay since the beginnings of television and even in books, human nature has a fascination with crime and how/why it is committed. Cop shows have often focused on the action aspects of taking down or capturing criminals however some like the classic Colombo have focused on the more mental detective side of things. CSI follows the same level as Colombo, however takes a much more technical stance, utilising a team of highly skilled officers who each bring their own brand of technical detection to the show.

Gameplay:

At heart CSI is simply a point and click game whereby players get to visit the crime scene to gather evidence and then back to headquarters to analyze the evidence and come up with other locations to visit in the process of tracking, then nailing the killer. In each chapter the player is accompanied by one of the officers from the TV show, who are there to offer some assistance or provide some clues if you get really stuck.

As a CSI agent you are given a wide range of technical equipment which will give you an edge when it comes to finding evidence and then collecting it for analysis back at the lab. Tools for lifting fingerprints from various surfaces are provided as well as things like luminal which makes blood traces appear bright even though it is seemingly not visible as blood to the naked eye. Casts can also be used for making moulds of things like foot prints and tyres; however these tools are useless without the investigative prowess of the player. In game terms this means that using an on screen cursor, the player must guide this over objects and items on the screen. The cursor will indicate if there is any thing interesting to look at, which is cue for the player to bring out the tools for detection. Once something interesting is found it is then up to the player to use the correct tools for the job. The interface used is pretty simple and will allow most if not all players get to grips with the detective work. It is here where the game is split into two play styles. Players can opt to figure out mentally what is required or they can adopt a trial and error approach to detective work. The trial and error approach seems to be prevalent throughout the game and no doubt many of you will hear your fellow officer tell you numerous times that “you can’t use that here” to the point of pulling your hair out. However those of you that try and think like a CSI agent will hear those words fewer times. This is perhaps one of my biggest complaints of the game as the developers should have penalized the player each time they got things wrong in this way. What the game does do is mark you on your performance at the end of each case, although this is based on how much evidence was gathered and how many clues from your fellow officer you used.

CSI allows the player to visit a wide number of locations throughout the game including the CSI headquarters where other officers from the TV show are present such as Brass (your boss). Here players can visit the morgue or see Brass to bring in suspects for interrogation. More importantly it is here where players can visit the CSI labs. The labs are crucial to every case as any gathered evidence can be analysed here. In fact in my opinion it seems that the Lab technician does pretty much most of the tough parts of the job for you. It is also here that the game shows some glaring errors, namely with the CSI super computer. As an example from the first case in the game you have two DNA samples, one from the victim’s fingernails and one from a suspect. When you try to match them on the computer your associate will tell you that they do not match when clearly they do. This then forces the whole detection process into the dreaded trial an error game play which is basically not fun at all. Luckily these instances aren’t too imposing but can annoy all the same especially if you are trying to play the game properly.

Graphics:

CSI is not going to be recognised for its killer graphics. Whilst most of the locations are pre-rendered the player has the option to pan around your surroundings at screens that frankly should look so much better on Xbox. The character models do vaguely look like the characters from the TV show and are perhaps a little uninspired looking to say the least.

CSI does have some FMV sequences which show certain scenes of death and such but even these are recorded with poor quality. That said the game isn’t really about graphics and if you get into the game play will not affect you too much, although I’m sure you might think to yourself that they could have perhaps added a little more polish here and there.

Sound:

Sound is much better overall than the look of the game with the TV show actors providing the voices for their respective characters. For fans this is great as the actors do a good job of being in character throughout. The music is of a high standard in most places although can begin to grate as you hear the same piece played over and over, especially if you get stuck for a while. Some ambient sounds are also featured which add that little bit of much needed atmosphere to the game.

Longevity:

This is quite a tough one as the cases play the same each time; I guess the only reason to warrant playing through again will be to improve your rank at the end of each case. However if you were thorough enough the first time round then there really is no need.

To improve longevity players will have to set the options before they first start playing to get the most out of the title. Things like turning off the cursor highlight will make the game a lot tougher and ultimately mean that you spend more time with the game. That said, with the default options the game does tend to hold your hand a lot. With a variety of cases on offer there is quite a lot to get stuck into here and will keep you occupied for quite some time especially as the game is quite slow paced in general.

Overall:

CSI offers something different for Xbox owners as this game is a major departure from the usual FPS on offer. However as mentioned earlier the game does have a few bugs and lacks on the presentation side of things. As a budget title I would say that perhaps it’s worth a purchase if you are looking for something to pass the time and you have money to burn. However due to lack of proper replay value I’m not sure whether a purchase would be worthwhile in the long run for those not made of money.

CSI is a decent insight into the TV show and how modern day crimes are solved; ultimately is quite entertaining if you like this sort of point and click adventuring or are a fan of the TV show. I suspect that you would be better off renting the game if you are unsure, as the evidence suggests that you might be a little disappointed with the game once you put your finger prints on it.