[The sleuth]

Hello people. Im looking for some good titles along the lines of investigation, evidence collecting and solid storyline. I've been searchin for sometime but fail to find anything which is truly decent. I've played through monkey island, loom maniac mansion (64 version) and other genres so I'm baptised I can assure you (yeah mmm).

Ok so I tried titles like Serrated scalpel, silver earrings, and they were fun to play although the story wasnt very original and there wasnt very much to do in terms of dialogue and working things out. CSI series takes you by the hand and walks you through it, very easy to solve and wont be wasting my money anymore (Crime investigation, Dark motives same thing really). Gonna have a go at Indigo coz I have yet to play that.

Recently tried Still life, but it looks like someone ran out of money there. It's a shame because that almost came close to what I wanted a game to be but it seems as if half the story is missing. Shame it was almost perfect, no such thing really.

Things like Post mortem also by microids doesnt really interest me, I'm looking for more of a crime related game. Not to menion things like Missing which are completely crap executions of a bad idea generally.

So can you reccommend something with as good a writing as Still Life, with equally skilled puzzles but with more hours gameplay? Maybe a few titles along those lines? Also no The ripper titles or things like that, something relatively recent.

Thanks in advance

[Havrepus]

If you are willing to go for something a bit old: How about some really classic sleuthing with good old Tex Murphy? Granted the games are a bit old now, but they are still very good! Great detective stories.. classics. 'Under A Killing Moon' and 'The Pandora Directive' are my favorites. There is also one that is worth mentioning is Ripper. Has an incredible cast of characters, including Christopher Walken (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117483/). Or how about 'The Moment of Silence'?

[The sleuth]

thanks will deffo look at moment of silence. Don't know about tex murphy as it seems to be based in space (unless i misunderstood).

[Havrepus]

Fortunately for you, they do not take place in space (rather in San Fransisco, if memory serves me right), except for a few sequences. The "Killing Moon" is a space station that you will visit, but that is about it.

[Fien]

You might also like Spycraft: The Great Game. Older game, but it runs on XP.

[Havrepus]

What is that game like? It sounds interesting from the reviews. Never tried it myself, I only remember seing the box in the store from way back in the previous century, and that I considered buying it back then. Is it worth it?

[Risingson]

It is. It is a classic modern spy story with every cliché you can think of, and conspiracies at every second. Good FMVs, nice progression, very nice touches in the shape of minigames where you use different gadgets (which reminds me the later In Memoriam) and above it all a very nice storyline which makes this adventure quite unique. People from the CIA were involved in its development IIRC.

[Havrepus]

Thanks! I'll give it a try!

[Fien]

Yeah, it's worth it. I liked it a lot. Just don't expect a 3rd-person world filled with run-of-the-mill inventory item puzzles. It's different. Gets more difficult after the introductory puzzles. Lots of info to digest for your little grey cells.

But don't take my word for it, if there's one thing I've learned from game forums it's that one man's treat is another man's poison. Spycraft is not rare, you can buy it on ebay or gametz for just a few bucks. If you want a brand new boxed copy, pay a bit more and go to CDaccess.com.

[Havrepus]

Thanks for the tip! I've seen the box in several stores, and I have a pretty good idea what to expect. State-of-the-art 3d graphics is certainly not required to make a good, thrilling game.

[Stain]

The 2nd and 3rd Law & Order games were good. Gather clues, makes the arrest, and take it to the courts. Cannot get more crime related than that.

[Havrepus]

There was also a game by Broderbund called 'In the 1st Degree'. A fun, but quite difficicult game. At least to get a 1st degree murder conviction, which was the 'best' ending of the game.

[The sleuth]

Thanks guys. Will have a look at Spycraft and Law and Order, I never thought I would like the Law and Order games but they might turn out good.

As I said if there ever is a game with the plot that 'Still Life' was erm BEGINNING to develop then that would be a drea.

BTW, just finished 'Indigo Prophecy' and hmm. A lot of money into the production, and a fun interface as far as arcade sequences are concerned, but not really an adventure game. Also the murder angle is of little pertinence. Basically the plot is a whole lot of rubbish, and there is virtually no puzzle solving in it, infact none at all.

Anyway, was fun to kick C3PO's ass at the end.

[Fien]

Originally Posted by Havrepus

There was also a game by Broderbund called 'In the 1st Degree'. A fun, but quite difficicult game. At least to get a 1st degree murder conviction, which was the 'best' ending of the game.

Yes, good game. More like an interactive movie than an adventure. But if you fail again and again, as I did, all the replaying gets boring after a while. In the end I went for a walkthrough. I think that goes for most interactive movies, like Psychic Detective or Tender, Loving Care... you do want to see all the different endings, but is it worth it...

[Idta]

thanx for the ideas people I am gonna go checkout spycraft lol

more ideas pleaseee

[HeinzHarald]

I'd recommend getting a DS and Phoenix Wright.

[Idta]

Heinz- I got a ds and phoenix wright ... I love it

[jimsta]

You should take a look at Black Dahlia, it seems to be right up your alley. The game really captures the feel of the 1930s/40s. Don't let the reviews scare you away, it's a difficult game but rewarding....very, very rewarding!
(besides, you can always get a walkthrough if it's too difficult).

You can also check out Blade Runner, that's one of my favorites.

[The sleuth]

I think im goin for moment of silence and black dahlia (dennis hopper hehe) in the end, thanks again

[fov]

Recently tried Still life, but it looks like someone ran out of money there. It's a shame because that almost came close to what I wanted a game to be but it seems as if half the story is missing. Shame it was almost perfect, no such thing really.

Actually, that's exactly what happened. The company went out of business right around the time Still Life came out. I'm glad they were able to release the game at all, but it seems it would have been a very different game if they'd had the funds to finish it as they intended.

For a whodunnit, I really liked And Then There Were None. A bit rough around the edges, but very suspenseful and of course the story is great.

If you haven't played the Gabriel Knight games, you should absolutely try those. The Beast Within is my favorite. It's easily as well written as Still Life, but doesn't leave you with that incomplete feeling.