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CSI: NY: The Game

Game: CSI: NY: The Game
Platform: PC
Publisher: Ubisoft

The CSI series of TV shows might not still encourage the kind of enthusiastic wittering that the likes of Lost and The Wire foster around office kettles and café tables, but that doesn’t mean the crime scene investigation drama hasn’t had a huge affect on the way we enjoy television.

From the rapid pace of the action to the quick fire editing, the thrilling, sometimes gruesome American program has had an influence still visible in all kinds of TV productions, and finally, CSI: NY is getting its long-deserved video game makeover.

As you can likely guess if you’ve ever watched a single episode of the show, this Ubisoft release sees you faced with several cases to solve, which you must pick apart and turn upside-down. The real hook in the game is not actually the CSI branding itself, or even the inclusion of characters from the show, even though those will go a long way to pleasing long-serving fans.

In fact what is really special about CSI: NY: The Game’s outing on PC is that the television show’s infamously skilled writers have created the tangled plot. That's this game’s greatest asset. From the off it is hugely engrossing, and its finest achievement is in pulling you to the edge of your seat in the very same way the TV series does, making this perfect for devotees to the on-screen adventures of detectives Mac Taylor and Stella Bonasera.

Taylor and Bonasera are the game’s leads, and it is in their company that you must deconstruct crime scenes and uncover hidden evidence in a grimy realisation of one of the world’s most iconic cities.

Just like the action on the small screen, the gameplay here is focused on the minute details that go together to bring a crime scene to life. Much of the investigating is tackled through a series of new mini-games, which offer virtual detectives the chance to try their hand at code breaking, facial reconstruction, poison analysis and photographic scrutiny.

Of course there’s also a chance to play with the wonderfully high-tech gadgetry that is the original show’s trademark. If you’ve a liking for CSI: NY’s televised output, you’ll no doubt be delighted to toy with triangulating shooter locations, manoeuvring the X-ray scanner and running physics simulations.

If all of that sounds a little complex, fear not, as the designers of the game have taken into account that this is a product for those with a love for CSI. That’s not to say it isn’t of a quality to satisfy experienced gamers, but it’s accessible and easy enough to use to ensure that newcomers more acquainted with watching the action won’t be at any disadvantage.

The real surprise, though, comes with the visual style on offer. It would be easy to assume that a game based on a popular TV show would have a rather generic feel, but glance at a screenshot of CSI: NY: The Game and you’re greeted with a superb style influenced by graphic novels and moody hand-drawn illustration.

Leading interrogations and losing yourself to the drama of crime is a grim business indeed, but if a well-crafted mystery with a touch of tech-noir gets your heart racing, Ubisoft’s atmospheric PC thriller may be a perfect place to turn your looking glass to.

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