"Short & fun but with some more problems"

Obviously, this game is based on the T.V. show, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." While most video games that are created from a movie turn out begin decent but nothing special, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is a bit more than decent. It's a really good game, but there are some problems that make it unworthy to play.

Our main characters are all back from the regular TV show, and they're the same people that they were there. So don't expect much new here. If you've watched the show, then you know that this is about crime investigation, solving mysteries, and capturing the bad guys. :)

GAMEPLAY- 9/10

A summary of the game in one word: addictive. Basically, you go around to different sites, whether it's the actual crime scene or the CSI labs, and search for clues and evidence. It's not that hard to figure out what to do, but more of who to get clues from and where to look. If you read my section on graphics, you'll find out why the gameplay can be so tough, though. You'll get to join in on 5 different cases in the game (I know, it's short) and be a partner with the 5 main CSI characters- Grissom, Catherine, Warrick, Nick, and Sarah. They've all got different personalities and each one is nice to work with. Of course, though, you can't expect your partner to do all the work for you, right? So you'll have to figure it out yourself, whether you need to strap on rubber gloves, make molds in the soil, or collect crucial items at a crimescene. You'll do quite a bit of different things, and don't expect to have cases go by in a breeze. Unless you're an actual CSI, you should have some trouble figuring out what to do with all of your evidence and such. You'll also be exploring several different environments, ranging from a hotel to the back alley of the Monaco casino. Each one is different and fun to be in.

STORYLINE- 10/10

Absolutely nothing is wrong here. You've just been applying for a CSI job, and Grissom has called you to his office. He wants you to help him on his first case right away. After you solve his first case, then you move on to a case with Sarah, and then Nick, and Warrick, and the last case is with Catherine, which turns out to be rather interesting. What is Brass doing this whole time? Sitting in his office, waiting for you to come up to him during cases with questions to ask. Greg is also in the DNA lab, and he'll help you analyze different items and DNA.

GRAPHICS- 3/10

It's not the actual graphics that have made me want to scream: it's how good the graphics actually show up. I think it was the first case of the game, I'm inside of a room in a hotel and there's pure DARKNESS, aside from the larger things around the room that I can click on. I had no idea what to do. I then noticed that my cursor changed green whenever I was pointing at a place/peice of evidence that I could inspect, and that's pretty much how I got through the game on the times when the graphics wouldn't show up. What was even more annoying was that in later cases, the graphics from some of the other scenes would all mix together on the scene that I was in, and it would look like a colorful mess of faces, colors, and objects. Talk about annoying. Sometimes, though, the scene would be totally fine and everything worked nicely. And that's the most annoying of all. So the graphics really bring the score down a bit, as they are very annoying and make the game less nicer to play.

LENGTH- 4/10

It's just not long enough. That's another thing that they could have improved on greatly. I mean, it took me a while to find something that I had to get in the first case, but after that, it was simply a breeze by the rest of them (aside from the 5th case). And then the game is over. That's it? That's all I played for? And it took 3 DISCS? It just doesn't make sense.

MUSIC/SOUND- 10/10

I really thought the music was appealing. Nice, fun to listen to, not annoying... the list could go on of good things. Voice acting was also really good. In fact, each character actually had the same voice as the show. THANK YOU! I've been so annoyed whenever I play a game based on a movie/show and the people don't sound like themselves. Well, this game nailed that one.

CHALLENGE- 6/10

It's fairly challenging. The most challenging part (which isn't fun) is definitely sweeping your cursor around in colorful messes and darkness to click whenever it turns green. That's what I call challenging for this game. Aside from that, though, there is a good amount of stuff that you have to think about and ultimately solve.

REPLAY VALUE- 4/10

I don't find a lot of reason to replay it nowadays. I've actually completed most cases 100% except for one. You do get unlockable content for getting through whole levels, but I still found these quite boring.

OVERALL- 7/10

The score has been dropped quite a bit due to some major flaws. What are the positives and negatives of this game?

Positives:
- Nice voice acting
- Good music and tunes
- Fun, addictive gameplay
- Good storyline
- Unlockables
- Challenging

Negatives:
- Screen can turn into a mess
- Not suitable to replay
- Needs about 5 more cases
- The most challenging part is the graphics

So there you have it. My complete review. I hope it has helped you make a decision. Let's see. Buy or rent? Probably rent. There isn't a lot of reason to buy it because there is little replay value, and the game isn't very long at all.

Thanks for reading and also check out all of my other reviews!

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/15/07

Game Release: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (US, 03/26/03)