[AFGNCAAP]

Why doesn't this preview have its own thread yet? I, for one, am truly interested what will come of this new Law and Order installment - and that's even though I am unfamilar with any of the franchise shows or games! That surely says something about the game's potential. Or Emily's writing. Or both. Either way - jolly good job !

The features that, if well implemented, will turn out its main strengths I believe, are multifunctional PDA (special emphasis on a criminal profiler device) and setting the emotional approach during the interrogation:

The criminal profiler is an interface that helps you evaluate evidence, determine its role in the crime, and learn what it means about the suspect. As evidence is gathered during the investigation and submitted to the profiler, a criminal profile is developed. Then you can submit suspects and see how closely they match the profile. In this way, the game helps you arrive at the suspect, without requiring as much guesswork as in the previous games.

If it turns out as good as it sounds, the game may find the much desired golden middle between the real case development taking place only in the cutscenes on the one hand - and letting the player tinker with clues and evidence, but providing him too little guidance - on the other. I really liked how Blade Runner game threw away inventory altogether and replaced it with a giant database for any object, dialogue or file you encounter (too bad you actually couldn't do much with those tons of clues you gathered - I liked the idea, not the execution). Recently, Silver Earring tried something similar which really made me feel as close to actually solving a case in an Adventure Game as never - it's a pity some vital clues were revealed off-hand as late as in a final movie.

When Goren interviews a suspect, he can take various emotional approaches, such as confrontational, straightforward, or deceptive. The player decides which of these to use for each question. Green and red meters show how well an interview is going. Take the right emotional approach and the green meter fills up as the witness imparts information. But if you ask the wrong types of questions—for example, by being confrontational with an eye-witness who has given you no reason to play hardball—the red meter will advance as he becomes increasingly reluctant to help. When the red meter fills up completely, the witness will refuse to cooperate. This means you have to start the interrogation over with a different style of questioning.

Right now I can think of only two games that used this: Kyrandia III (which I never got too far into, so I can't say whether it was cool or a useless gimmick) and, again, Blade Runner (which was too confusingly nonlinear to evaluate how much chosen tone of conversation mattered). I just hope the game will really reward "emotional intelligence" in your choices rather than have totally strict, arbitrary solutions ("Be nice to Mr X. Be harsh to Mrs Y.").

I hope Legacy manages to live up to my expectations.

[fov]

Originally Posted by AFGNCAAP

I hope Legacy manages to live up to my expectations.

Me too!

Legacy has shown time and again that they really listen to player feedback and try to improve their games in ways we will like. I was sorry to hear during the meeting that they aren't going to be making more regular L&O games because with the interface improvements in the last one, they were really honing in on something good. But at the same time, what they're doing in Criminal Intent is exciting (especially the aspects you mentioned - the emotional differences in the questioning, and the criminal profiler)... and I'm not sure I'd want another L&O game without Jerry Orbach, anyway. (Btw - his death had nothing to do with the decision not to continue the series. We asked.)

The ability to take different emotional approaches with the questioning reminds me a bit of the X-Files, but in that game you only had choices at a few points. And the criminal profiler seems like a much more organic approach to finding a suspect than in the other games, which kind of left that step out - you had to identify a suspect based on the evidence, but it was all either very obvious or very obscure... there wasn't really any rationalization for why certain evidence pointed to a certain person, which I think is where a lot of people got stuck. You essentially had to guess what the developers had in mind, as to why a certain piece of evidence was important to implicate a suspect.

I'm also happy about the game's structure - four cases total, that turn out to be related. One of my gripes with the other L&O games (especially the last one) is that they were made longer by complicating the storyline in ways it didn't need to be complicated... revisiting witnesses a zillion times, etc. I am hoping that this structure will provide a decent length, without it feeling like the developers were trying to make the game longer.

Overall - yeah, I'm excited!

[AFGNCAAP]

Originally Posted by fov

And the criminal profiler seems like a much more organic approach to finding a suspect than in the other games, which kind of left that step out - you had to identify a suspect based on the evidence, but it was all either very obvious or very obscure... there wasn't really any rationalization for why certain evidence pointed to a certain person, which I think is where a lot of people got stuck. You essentially had to guess what the developers had in mind, as to why a certain piece of evidence was important to implicate a suspect.

Have you seen the criminal profiler in action? I'm curious how automated it will be. I'd love to see a kind of database where the player could actively connect clues to supects, simulate events based on known testimonies etc., all in a fashion merging working styles of GK3's Sydney and Mysterious Island's inventory screen. I know, it's perhaps not likely in this game, but maybe in some future investigative Adventure Game (maybe even another Law and Order?)...

Originally Posted by fov

I'm also happy about the game's structure - four cases total, that turn out to be related.

Oh yes. And with free shifting from one case to another, I should really feel like inside police drama TV show.

[fov]

Originally Posted by AFGNCAAP

Have you seen the criminal profiler in action? I'm curious how automated it will be. I'd love to see a kind of database where the player could actively connect clues to supects, simulate events based on known testimonies etc., all in a fashion merging working styles of GK3's Sydney and Mysterious Island's inventory screen.

We didn't get to see a whole lot of it, but I was left with the impression that it's sort of like RtMI's inventory, so it's funny that you mention that. It's not really like Sidney in that it's not something the player has to search through. It looked like you just drag a piece of evidence into the profiler and are given information about what that evidence means about the crime. I think you also store the evidence you think is relevant in there. When you drag a suspect into the profiler, it shows how good a match they are to the profile of the crime by displaying a percentage. I assume (but this is just a guess) that if you have the right suspect but not enough evidence, the percentage is lower, and as you add evidence the percentage becomes higher. I don't know how high the percentage has to be before you can get a warrant, but because of what Craig said during our meeting (that many players got stuck in the L&O games when they had to find all the evidence needed for a warrant), I think it's going to be more forgiving than in those games.

I think the conventions Legacy is developing here (the emotional approaches to questioning, and the criminal profile) could be great gameplay elements applied to original games, too. I don't know if they have any plans to try original games... the TV franchises seem to be doing well for them... but we can always cross our fingers.

[AFGNCAAP]

Originally Posted by Elizabeth Cosin

When we started this process, Craig told me about a game called Syberia. I played it so I could see what he was talking about and the approach for a third-person adventure game. It was a very beautiful game, but I was disappointed in the interactions not being as rich as the scenery. (...) I definitely tried to make our story a lot richer. I realized that at every turn we were making it more complicated than it had to be, but I think in the end, we never cut corners with our story. It is long and involved. I think we could have sold the story as a show.

For those who rarely check the main site, a superb interview appeared, revealing more details about conversations interface, working with criminal profiles, and designing a plot and challenges so it appeals to both a fan of the show and a seasoned adventurer. With what seems like a lot of fresh ideas, and a powerful franchise behind it, Criminal Intent may become a sleeper hit.

[Gknight]

I'm playing the game right now and find it different than the other Law and order games. There are three cases to choose from and there seems to be less locations to visit. I don't know if there will be a trial but after watching a few episodes of the series it seems unlikely.

[fov]

No, there won't be a trial. But after you finish those cases there will be another case that ties everything together.

[Gknight]

Originally Posted by fov

No, there won't be a trial. But after you finish those cases there will be another case that ties everything together.

It's more like the C.S.I. games where the last case sheds new light on one or more of the previous cases.

[artwking4]

I've always preferred the detective parts of Law & Order over the courtroom scenes anyway. Not that they aren't interesting, of course, but I prefer it from a scenery perspective. The courtroom is just that, a room. Unless they were to hold the trial outside.

[Leonard Shelby]

I agree with the last poster, i m far excited to a detective murder mystery game and looking for evidences and talking to witnesses than being in a court which is really boring to me (well until it s on the DS with touch screen and microphone fuctionnalities )