NCIS: The Game Review – PS3

I will be upfront with this review. I am not a fan of the series, in fact I have never watched it. If I had, my views on the game might have been different.

What I expected was a game with similar play mechanics to the CSI titles. The premise isn’t much different, and it’s released through the same publisher.

Needless to say, it’s not what I got. The game was a mess! Sure the graphics were standard(For the time of its release), but the animation and voice acting were very sub-par, which is a shame since apparently the game uses the voice talents of the actual shows actors(Which leads me to question the shows entertainment value).

The game consists of you walking around the screen taking pictures of whatever one of the other characters tell you to take photos of. Basically, it’s a “Hidden picture” game. I say that in quotes, because the items aren’t really hidden. They usually are just right there. You may have to walk around a counter to see it, but it’s sitting in the blue.

Occasionally you might be asked move something, or help move something. During these scenes you are expected to press a combo of buttons. Kind of like a Quick Time Event, minus the Quick Time.

You also play as the medical examiner and perform autopsies, which sounds interesting at first, until you discover that an autopsy consists of you taking pictures of red glowing marks on a wire frame body.

You are probably wondering by this point, if the game has any puzzles! Yes, it does. If you have the same idea of puzzles as this game. Puzzles tend to be matching up a piece of evidence with another. Sometimes the puzzle is a memory game. Other times, its keeping your crosshairs on top of a moving target.

The only redeeming aspect of this game is the “deduction board” where you connect all of the gathered clues to reach a final conclusion. It reminds me of the Sherlock Holmes deduction boards, however, it too is fairly simple.

Overall, the game is nothing like what I expected, and was a huge disappointment from start to finish. perhaps if I was familiar more with the series, it might have left a better taste in my mouth, but from a purely gaming point of view, this is an abomination to video games! Sure, it’s not the WORST game I have ever played, but that’s not really a redeeming factor.

In the end, unless you a truly hardcore NCIS fan, I would stay FAR away from this title.

Worst Places to die

Have any of you ever actually watched any of the CSI TV shows? I’m sure you have, there’s quite a few of them, so I would be surprised if you’ve never seen one. If however you haven’t you should watch an episode. They can be quite entertaining. They can also be NOT so entertaining. so be warned.

Anyway, after watching several episodes of CSI I have decided that I really don’t want to visit Las Vegas, New York or Miami. I mean, I never wanted to visit Miami to begin with, simply because it’s Florida, and Florida seems a bit scary to me. So, after watching CSI I really REALLY dont want to go to Florida, especially Miami.

Why? Well, after watching CSI, CSI: New York and CSI: Miami I’ve figured out that People don’t die normally in those two cities. Apparently, if you die in any of those cities you are going to end up dying in some weird, crazy way. Like, you will have been shot three times with an explosive potato from a potato gun. Either that or you will be found dead dressed up as santa in the middle of July and wearing female under garments. SOMETHING weird! How do I know this? I watch CSI. Nothing normal happens there!

If I have to die, I just want to die normally! Is that too much to ask for?

CSI: It’s not just a series.

You know that Series that’s all kinds of crazy popular and has all those spin-offs? No, not Law & Order! I am talking about CSI. Here’s a fun fact for you. I have never watched an episode of this series, and only a couple episodes of one of it’s spin-offs. CSI:NY, and only that because it featured an online game I play called Secondlife. The episode was pretty lame, and I hope to god they aren’t all that bad!

That being said, while I have not watched the series, I have played most of the games. I love the games as a matter of fact! Though I’m not sure what genre of game they would fit into, I am guesing either adventure or hidden object games?  Either way, the games are fun as hell, and puts you in the role of a rookie CSI. The only problem I have with the games, is that they are short. Incredibly short! Though, they are quite fun!

Now, the games I played weren’t the PC releases. I played the versions that were released on various consoles, PS2, Xbox and Xbox 360. So, I sat today thinking, I would like to try some of the other game versions that are out on the PC. Like CSI: NY – The Game, and CSI: Miami – The Game, however they are older titles, and I don’t know if they will run on a Vista O/S. Which is a shame because I *REALLY* want to try these games out! 😡