Genre: Adventure
Publisher: Vivendi
Developer: Legacy Interactive
Release Date: October 5, 2004
Pre-order 'LAW & ORDER: Justice is Served': PC
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What a difference a year makes. The last time I played a Law & Order game, Gray Davis was still governor of Caleefonia, and Florida was still attached to the continental United States. The changes are certainly apropos, as the latest title in the L&O game franchise is far from a simple rehash of last year's offering. Everything that was good about its predecessor has been vastly improved in Legacy Interactive's Law & Order: Justice is Served.
Players sleuth alongside detectives Leonard Briscoe and Ed Green in solving the murder of Elena Kusarova, tennis' next superstar who is found dead on the locker room floor just before the beginning of the U.S. Open. The game plays out like an episode of the show: after scrutinizing crime scenes, following clues, developing leads, and arresting the correct suspect, players then adjourn to the courtroom, where they will work with the Assistant D.A. Serena Southerlyn in procuring a guilty verdict. Buckle your seatbelts because this plot - penned by one of the series' writers - has more twists and turns than Roller Coaster Tycoon 3.
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In previous titles, players selected two out of four detective skills - interview, evidence, case organization, and teamwork - to aid in solving the mystery. That isn't required in this go-round, which I mistakenly thought would make this a cakewalk. Having a magnifying glass to examine crime scenes is now a given, and the ability to select relevant questions during questioning isn't crucial because it doesn't affect the outcome of the case. However, don't expect to get hints for assembling warrants and subpoenas or find clues on the precinct chalkboard when struggling with the case. There were two major points in the game where the next move was not apparent to me, but this was an early preview build, and the beta test proved that a few clues were too difficult to unearth. The developers have since adjusted the gameplay by providing additional clues.
This is a completely mouse-driven adventure, and the space bar serves the purpose of activating the game interface at the bottom of the screen, which includes a map, cell phone, case log, and the redesigned case file. While it is still imperfect, the case file is more organized than before, with the collected evidence divided up into side-scrolling sections: witness testimonies, evidence, documents, and processed evidence. I'm still having trouble with this organizational scheme because, depending on when the requests were submitted, a witness' background check and surveillance report can be at the beginning and end of the "processed evidence" section, which can contain up to 50 items. It would be great if the developers could find a way to make these sections more compact in order to keep scrolling to a minimum, while still providing ample room for evidence storage.
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Via request forms at the precinct, all collected evidence can be sent to the crime lab for forensic analysis or the records office for research, and surveillance reports can be requested for any suspicious characters. In this title, not too many "deadweight" items are collectable, which means fewer wasted trips to the precinct and crime lab, only to be told that the evidence yielded nothing significant (the absolute worst part of prior L&O game experiences was the process of removing items from the case file because it was full). Additionally, the cell phone is now capable of dialing out to a few pre-programmed contacts for phone interviews.
There is more of almost everything in this installment: gaming environments, speaking characters, and puzzles … mmm, puzzles. This game boasts a more complex script, and players can also interview witnesses about other people and evidence by dragging icons from the case file. The resulting comments are usually pretty terse, and groundbreaking revelations are few and far in between.
Without a doubt, the characters' facial expressions were the highlight of L&O2, although the overall effect was hampered by the stiff torsos and helmet hair. The character models are now composed of 40,000 polygons, almost quadruple the amount used in the previous offering, which means the superb facial expressions have remained, but they are now complemented by improved graphical details and fluid character motion. Characters are not simply "recognizable" anymore but overwhelmingly resemble their counterparts, with the exception of Briscoe, whose graphical self went a little heavy on the blush on this particular morning.
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The L&O gaming franchise has relied very little on sound, aside from the Law & Order theme song and signature jingle. All of the actors lent their voicing talents to this game and did a great job, helping to reinforce the feeling that players are helping out in an actual episode. The voice acting by the "extras" is also wonderful, and the dialog is smart, with snappy innuendos that are suitable for the entire family. There's even a cameo appearance by Patrick McEnroe to lend this title an authentic tennis air. The accents are as impressive as they are varied: Russian, French and Puerto Rican accents are executed well, as are those from a slick American sports agent, bored housewife from "Lawn Guyland," and snooty American tennis player. The ambient sound has also improved, with appropriate background music playing in each location. Also present and accounted for are basic office white noise at the precinct and appropriate outdoor noises when conducting interviews on the tennis court.
If you enjoyed the L&O games, Ubisoft's CSI franchise, or are simply a fan of the L&O television series, you would do well to pick up this title. With improved gameplay, graphics, and sound, all indicators point to this being the best title yet in the franchise. Since the focus is usually on the storyline, puzzles, and gameplay, very few adventure titles - with the exception of Syberia and Post Mortem - offer high-quality graphics, but if this title is any indication, adventure games are catching up with the rest of the industry. The difference between the first two L&O games was negligible, but the change from the second to third title is significant enough that an adventure lover's curiosity must be appeased.
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