Are you a CSI fan?  How about CSI: Miami?  If you answered no to both of these questions, then feel free to skip to the rating; this game is not for you.  Personally, I'm not a big CSI fan, and seldom watch the Miami version, but I did play completely through this game.

Let me start by saying I am a big adventure game fan.  I have spent many, many hours playing them on my PC, especially during my formative gaming years.  So when I discovered CSI: Miami was of this genre, I was very excited.  I also figured the simply point and click of the directional pad/thumbstick built into most phones would be the perfect mobile mouse replacement.

And I was right.  Based on the difficulty a handsent can sometimes bring to gaming (particularly if you have large hands like I do), the slow pace of an adventure game is well suited to a phone. 

The graphics are reasonable for a mobile handset.  There are no real animations but an adventure game of this type doesn't need them.  Dialogue is a bit brief at times and long winded at others.  But the option to go back within a sentence is handy.  Now if the game had a reasonable storyline, I should be set.

Surprisingly, the storyline, although very linear, is intriguing enough to keep you playing, provided, again, that CSI is your thing.  If not, this game will most likely bore you, as it did me.  Then again, my girlfriend, an avid CSI viewer, seemed very interested in what I was doing.  She wanted to know what was going on in the story, and constantly was offering suggestions on what tool I should use, or what suspect I should re-question.

The gameplay is VERY simple and redundant, and I think this is what was most off-putting about this title.  Your colleagues tell you of an event, you go investigate the scene, and search for clues.  Clues lead to a suspect be added to your suspect list.  You question suspects, and then analyze evidence gathered from crime scenes or interrogations.

In the game's defense, the developers have come up with a unique way to add some gameplay elements to the evidence analysis portion of the game.  To analyze DNA, gamers must play through a timed game of Memory.  To compare tissue samples, fingerprints, or ballistics, you must quickly see if the two on-screen images match.  Usually, these incorporated mini-games are fairly simple, but on occasion they may prove difficult.  Collecting evidence at a crime scene also requires user interaction, as you must select the appropriate tool.  Its usually a rather obvious chose, and tools will be added to your kit as new types of samples appear.

Overall: Detective Work is Not as Glamorous as it Appears on TV

CSI: Miami is too short, too easy, and, as a result, a bit boring.

But it is not a bad game; I just think it has a very specific audience.  The problem for me, is that I'm not a member.  But if you like CSI and adventure games, this may be the title you've been hoping for, so give it a shot.

CSI: Miami is intended for all gamers; you can find the game at GameLoft.com.

Did you enjoy this article? Please bookmark it onto: