[AudioSoldier]

http://igo.ampednews.com/gamehub/1972/reviews/724/

"This is no game, this is real life, Penmore". So says a character in CSI 3: Dimensions of Murder, a further iteration in the TV-to-PC series. As it stands, this is far and away the best in the chain, and while it is never perfect, never beautiful and never totally believable, the game's ability to exert and addictive pull at certain intervals makes for compelling play. In reference to the quote, it’s ironic that CSI 3 rarely evokes feelings of other adventures. In short, there isn’t much like it out there (barring earlier incarnations, of course).

Many adventures attempt to create a truly deep story as a way of immersing you within the gameworld. CSI doesn’t attempt as much. You’re playing a game of five crimes, and what they lack in continuity, they make up for in sheer interest value. Certainly, there’s a certain disjointed nature to proceedings, but you’ll likely stow away any quibbles once faced with an enticing set of clues and a progressively thickening plot.

Things don’t start out well. An optional tutorial tries hard to dispel the hope that this will be worth anyone’s time. Perseverance leads to satisfactory results however, and once you’ve got to grips with the surprisingly easy interface, it’s plain sailing.

Initially the control scheme seems overly complicated; extended play reveals it’s anything but, with the game often verging on the easy side. The new 3D interface retains the first-person viewpoint, but you’re granted a certain free-roaming element now, with the ability to looks left and right in an almost-but-not-quite-360-degree-movement. It immerses you well.

Despite the new look, CSI 3: Dimensions retains the restrictive nature of its predecessors. Each new case has three or four locations directly related to the case, with suspects and clues present in each locale. The format is repeated throughout, with the initial area being the home of the crime, and a further set of places containing the potential suspects and clues. Thankfully, no trekking is required from one location to another, and the focused experience CSI delivers is both refreshing and satisfying. On the flip side however, each new location has to be loaded and while there is only ever a ten second or so delay, these pop up frequently. It is of particular annoyance if you’ve clicked on the wrong destination and simply want to reverse the decision without enduring a loading screen.

The areas themselves are small in size, which means finding and collecting evidence is a relatively easy task. A modicum of pixel-hunting is required, but items of interest are never unfairly concealed and stumbling upon an object of importance is accompanied by a definite sense of reward.

With a set of difficulty options available, you’re able to set the easiness at which you find and collect (and eventually decipher) clues. Being set to the most straightforward of settings means you’re given clues as to the tools you’ll need to use when stumbling upon an object, and making a mistake is never accompanied by failure. You’re simply told to try something different by one of the CSI crew you’re teamed with for each case.

These men and woman are also able to lend hints on the case at hand. A method employed in Telltale’s Bone: Out From Boneville, it’s imminently possible to find exactly what items you need from one locale. A comrade isn’t always able to provide a clue, but chances are, if you’re stuck, there’s a hint to be provided by your teammate.

The interface as a whole really doesn’t need explaining, with the mouse the sole gaming device. Provided you stick to the easiest of difficulty settings initially, you’ll encounter few obstacles. In fact, what with all the hints and pointers available, it’s unlikely you’ll ever be stuck during the first two cases. The third presents a few problems, but attaining a conviction is all the more satisfying. Again, this isn’t a difficult game, and veterans of the series would garner the most enjoyment from playing with all help deactivated. However, the forgiving nature of CSI: Dimensions of Murder certainly isn’t detrimental to its score. There are difficulty settings, and in this way it makes itself most accessible. After all, the genre is suffering from alienation, and at least CSI 3 makes a stab at rectifying this.

Sadly, Ubisoft have made little mention of this game. A measly “official” website proclaims a few of the new features, but Telltale really do deserve more recognition for their work. Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering the critical abattoir that was CSI: Miami and co. At the very least, Dimensions of Murder makes the biggest case for a purchase in the series thanks to some well-designed crimes and an aforementioned addictiveness rarely found in the genre.

For instance, the degree of enjoyment to be extracted from chatting to NPCs is virtually unparalleled. There has rarely been a game that makes verbal interaction so bearable. If anything, CSI: Dimensions Of Murder makes a conversation with a suspect something to look forward to. It hasn't got the charm of an Ankh to go for it, but in gameplay terms, CSI really is a superb sleuthing experience. It's hard to pinpoint why. Perhaps it's the sort of game the genre needs more of: A focused, easily accessible game that knows its limits and works within these confines. The virtue that you're not faced with a thousand places to visit and roam is an undoubted relief.

Each case can take as long as two hours to solve and your score is judged at the end, with much emphasis paid to the number of hints asked. Attempting to attain a higher rank might be sufficient reason to replay some of the cases, although, admittedly, it isn’t the most appealing of ideas.

CSI doesn’t get everything right though. You’re unable to skip dialogue at all; a feature that would be especially useful for repeated sentences (this commonly happens with your CSI teammate, who informs you for the hundredth time that you’re unable to use the fingerprint with the comparison microscope, for instance). Moreover, a few discrepancies appear if you approach a dialogue tree in a strange order. You may find, for example, that an NPC answers a question before he’s “supposed” to. You’ll see what we mean. A further frustration is the act of rotating objects in the ever-important close-up view. It’s annoyingly fiddly at times and a keyboard interface in this instance would have been preferable. The aforementioned loading times are also the cause of a few frustrations, and they’re a successful immersion breaker.

Music plays throughout, though the engrossing nature of DOM means you’ll rarely notice it. If anything however, the sound score is brought down by the sheer monotony inflicted by the mundane tones of Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox). If there was ever a case to vary your voice, she makes a case of it, blandly delivering her lines with the impassive in-game mug to back it up. It's as if the developers listened to her dialogue, surmised that she was bluntly stabbing herself in frustration and dully delivered the dull face to round off the package. Perhaps the impassive, stoned delivery is hip in Vegas. Nonetheless, it doesn't make for good listening.

Monotony eventually sets in too. It's difficult to maintain your vigor, your zest for the cases. Like good booze, novelistic devices and everything else in the world, you build up a certain familiarity to it all. Calling the final fifth a chore is incorrect, but rushing through the game will likely lessen the impact of the final proceedings. In essence, by the end, you’re too familiar with the setup. The morgue begins to feel laden with déjÃ* vu and you’re never quite as excited about comparing a fingerprint after the eightieth occasion of doing so.

But let’s digress. CSI: Dimensions of Murder is wholly better than expected. At the price of 30 crisp ones (that's $30) it's not an arm and a leg either and the eight hours of gameplay should satisfy any light-hearted gamer. It’s not a hardcore, taxing experience, but it was never intended as such. Give it a go.

7.9/10

[AFGNCAAP]

Originally Posted by AudioSoldier

Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox)

Fov should be able to confirm this, but neither of the leading actresses actually voice her character in the game.

[Udvarnoky]

The review is incorrect about dialog. It can be skipped with the space bar.

[AudioSoldier]

Yeah, I stumbled upon this afterward. The review has been edited accordingly and the missing text has been added. The review on the site (now) is correct.

[fov]

Originally Posted by AFGNCAAP

Fov should be able to confirm this, but neither of the leading actresses actually voice her character in the game.

That's correct, both women (Sara and Catherine) were voiced by "sound alikes". All of the male cast did lend their voices to the game, though.