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Law and Order II: Double or Nothing
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Graphics & Sound:
I've been doing this for what, about three or four years already, and Lord help me -- I don't know if I ever thought I'd have a reason in evoke the name of Jerry Orbach in a review, much less have a legitimate reason for it. I could find a way to work him in like I do Gary Coleman, because let's face it -- Gary Coleman fits into nearly any joke as easily as he does most overhead storage compartments -- but that would be an insult to Jerry. So I'll just have to take this opportunity for what it is. Getting back on track, Law and Order II: Double or Nothing is based on the wildly successful TV show of the same name. The graphics are nothing short of incredible and really show off the look of the show. It's clear that the developers really did their homework. The character models look dead-on like their TV counterparts and feature details that would rival 'big budget' games. Backgrounds are pre-rendered, but are far from the static backgrounds found in similar point-and-click games. Although I'm not necessarily a fan of the show (although the few episodes I've seen were pretty good), I loved all the little details the developers threw in. Sure, when a game is based on a TV show, you expect the show's title song -- but to go as far as to rework the entire intro to include the rendered characters is really, really cool. This adds to the game's excellent presentation. My only wish is that more characters from the show were in the game (like a special Law and Order: Special Victims Unit crossover in the game with a guest appearance by Ice T) but it has Jerry, so I'm happy. The game's visual presentation is enhanced by its excellent vocal styling. The script, which was written by an actual Law and Order writer is excellent and comes across like a real show. All of the police jargon and legal talk you would expect is there, as are some great Briscoe (Orbach's character) one-liners. Voices for the game's three main characters -- Detective Lenny Briscoe, Lt. Anita Van Buren and Assistant District Attorney Serena Southerlyn -- are all voiced by the actors who portray the characters on TV (Jerry Orbach, S. Epatha Merkerson and Elisabeth Rohm respectively), all of whom do a great job. |
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Gameplay:
As with the show, Law and Order II: Double or Nothing is broken up into two segments; the investigation and the prosecution. The game opens when a doorman discovers the body of Victor Ramos slumped over the steering wheel of his car. After the intro, you are given the run down on what the crime scene investigators found out. This begins the first part of the game -- the Investigation. You team up with Detective Lenny Briscoe and investigate the scene of the crime, gathering clues and doing interviews with both witnesses and suspects. As you collect evidence, you can send it to the crime lab for investigation or to the research lab. Some objects will steer you towards the right path, while others may lead you astray or to a dead end. Unlocking more clues from interviews and lab work opens up new venues in your investigation. There are times when you may visit crime scenes or suspects two or three times before getting everything you need. In addition to the standard lab and research tests, you can also request psychological investigations on characters or place them under surveillance. Once you have enough evidence, you can then go to Lt. Van Buren and submit a search warrant. After submitting a warrant request, Lt. Van Buren will either give you one (based on solid evidence) or will tell you that there isn't enough evidence. Provided you get the warrant, you then get to see one of the best parts in the game -- Det. Briscoe barging into the area with the warrant. Cynical comments ensue. After going through another investigation, you'll finally narrow the list of suspects down to one person. Once you have your guy (or girl), you'll have to put in a request for an arrest warrant. Provided you get the warrant, you get to see possibly the second best part of the game, Detective Briscoe laying the judicial smack-down on the suspect. More cynical comments ensue. Once you have someone in custody, you then take on the role of prosecutor and team up with ADA Serena Southerlyn. If you collected enough solid evidence, the case goes to trial. If not, the case is thrown out. Playing the prosecutor's role isn't much different from running interviews as a detective, only now you have to keep certain judicial rules and regulations in mind. However, the system is really easy to follow and doesn't require a law degree to understand. Failure to follow these precedents results in the defense raising objections. Mistakes like these can spell disaster for your case. When the defense is questioning the witness, you can also object to their questions. During this aspect of the game you can issue subpoenas to witnesses, as well as call expert witnesses to the stand. You can also use rebuttal subpoenas after you rest your case in case you happen to come across something during the trial that's worth looking into. After this, the defendant is found either innocent or guilty based on how well you prosecuted the case. As I found out after my first case, it is possible to let the killer walk. |
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Difficulty:
Law and Order II: Double or Nothing is a straight-out thinking game. Aside from the obvious 'Who Done It?' case that the entire game is based around, there are also several puzzles that you'll have to solve along the way. These puzzles are carefully woven into the game's already solid story and never feel out of place. These puzzles provide a nice challenge, but are nothing that can't be solved. I think there was only one puzzle in the entire game that made me think for an extended period of time. One of the more interesting aspects of the game is that it tailors both the Investigation and Prosecution aspects around the player. Before you begin each section, you are first asked to pick one of four skills, such as Teamwork, Case Organization or Evidence Collecting. Each of these skills will present a different feel to the game. For example, after choosing Interview, useless questions will be omitted from the interview menu, while choosing Teamwork will give you hints for how to go about the case. As much as I liked this aspect, it does come with one flaw. Unless you're really good, there are times during the investigation where you can easily become stuck and not what to do next. Since hints are only offered when you're playing with the Teamwork aspect active, things can become frustrating.
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Game Mechanics:
Playing through Law and Order II: Double or Nothing is very easy and user friendly -- even to technophobes who wince every time their hard drive light blinks. The entire game uses a very easy to use point-and-click system as well as clearly labeled menus. During investigations, the pointer changes shape to indicate that there's something you should probably look at in that area. If you're using the Evidence Collecting aspect, you'll be able to further investigate crime scenes with your magnifying glass. Big, brightly colored icons dot the bottom of the screen, giving you access to every aspect of the game. A handy cell phone also keeps you in touch with people, although I did find that it was a little slow in getting me information. There were a few times where I was already talking to the crime lab guy when he would call to say he had new findings. Traveling around New York is as easy as clicking on areas of a map. One of the few flaws with the game is that there's only one case in the game -- thus limiting the game's replay value. There's always the option to play the game under each of the four 'Skill aspects', but since the case doesn't change much, you're basically walking down the same street in different shoes. Law and Order II is also an incredibly short game, clocking in at about 8 hours (depending on how good of a detective/ lawyer you are). This turns out to be one of the few drawbacks of the game. People who love the show, or who at least enjoy a good mystery would do well in checking this one out, just don't expect to play it over and over again. |
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-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker |
Minimum System Requirements:
Windows 98/ME/2000/XP; Pentium II 500 (Pentium 800 recommended); 64mb RAM (256MB RAM recommended); 3D Video Card w/6MB (3D Video Card w/32MB recommended) |
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Test System:
Windows XP; Pentium 4 1.7 GHz; Radeon 9100 128MB; 640MB RAM |
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