In the computer game system, the fans are served by two separate but equal
groups: the developers (who latch on to big-name licenses regardless of the
viability), and the publishers (who distribute and market the resulting games
whatever the quality). Now on "X-Play," these are their stories. [scene]
Two Legacy Interactive developers are standing over the corpse of the original
"Law and Order" game. Cue intertitle music: Ba-dum Developer 1: "Do you think
it was the missing interactivity or the complete lack of replay value that did
it in?" Developer 2: "Beats me, but one thing I do know, we have a name brand
cash cow here and I'm not about to let it go. Let's sample some DNA and make
a clone."
Translating a narrative experience into an interactive game is no easy task,
especially when that narrative is as well known as the "Law & Order" franchise.
This is Legacy Interactive's second shot at the job, and this outing, while
much improved over the first, still suffers from many of the same problems.
"Law & Order II: Double or Nothing" puts players into the dual roles of detective
and prosecutor in a classic "Law & Order"-style story. It opens with the discovery
of a body and proceeds through the investigation, arrest, trial, and (if played
correctly) successful prosecution of the murderer. Like the show, the gameplay
is divided between police and the District Attorney's office.
Law
In the detective portion (partnered with Lenny Brisco, dutifully voiced by
Jerry Orbach), players must find a suspect and build a case by collecting evidence
and interviewing witnesses. Both tasks are accomplished by selecting locations
from a map screen. Evidence collection is a first-person perspective pixel hunt
in static, 3-D locations while interviews are conducted by selecting questions
in a best guess multiple-choice style. Detective skills can be enhanced at the
start of the game. They range from visual hints during evidence collection,
to providing helpful suggestions when the case is stalled. The hardest part
of the detective segment is creating search and arrest warrants. Although logic
may tell you that certain evidence should be enough for a warrant, the game
is very picky in requiring just the right combination. The case organization
skill can help out here by pointing you in the right direction.
Order
In the similar second half of the game, players build witness and evidence
lists for court instead arrest warrants. You do some additional investigation
here and can re-select your skill enhancements if you desire.
I'd rather be watching TV
Once you get the hang of the game's mechanics, things become fairly easy. When
a witness gives more than a yes or no answer to your question, that's a good
indication you are on the right track. This pattern can be used very effectively
in the courtroom where you can trust the open-ended questions to be the right
ones more often than not. The best part of the game is watching the narrative
unfold in a smooth manner, but the game fails when its mechanics interfere with
the story. There's a fair share of misdirection and red herrings during the
investigation. Some feel forced, but most make sense or at least form a coherent
narrative. The linear structure of the game can be frustrating, however, when
your own intuition points in a direction that is not accessible until you've
triggered the right plot events by chasing a few wild geese.
Bizarro-Brisco
The game's animation is good, but anyone familiar with the show will be hard
pressed not to notice the eerie animatronic quality of the performances. And
is it just us or is Detective Brisco doing a Dick Clark reverse-aging impersonation?
He must be 175 years old and doesn't look a day over 80. For a game with so
few locations and very little animation beyond the characters, load times can
be quite long, especially when interviewing witnesses. Most screens are static
with one or two animations running (a spinning fan or blinking co-worker). Sometimes
you can even see a box drawn around the animated portion of the background as
if it was not properly integrated into the scene.
I'll take double... oh wait, there's nothing
Once you've successfully solved and prosecuted the crime, there's little reason
to replay "Law & Order II." There's only one case and no alternate endings.
It's a shame since the game sets up so many blind alleys that could easily be
reworked into multiple endings with a little more time and effort. "Double or
Nothing" is a competent "Law & Order" script and the game hits all the show's
normal beats. Aside from the thrill of solving a few puzzles, though, there's
little difference between playing "L&O2" and watching NBC on Wednesday night.
