Based on the TV series, Law & Order: Legacies is an episodic
series of investigative adventures developed by Telltale Games. There
are seven episodes in total, with three having already been released at
the time of writing this review. All seven are included in your initial
purchase, to download as they become available.
The
definition of “Adventure” is perhaps stretched a little with Legacies,
although it does try valiantly to squeeze its round bottom into the
square hole. For there really is little more to do than be whisked away
to various locations to question suspects and witnesses, to listen
carefully to their responses, and then be tested in multiple choice
format on what you have learned in the case so far. Correct answers may
earn you “stars” which will increase your Detective ranking. Incorrect
answers impede your progress and may necessitate a replay of the scene.
A scene may be replayed at your choice, to improve your score. Two of
the first three cases deal with incidents of rape/violence against
women.
As for actual investigating --
searching the scene of the crime -- there is one, at the most two
opportunities to do so per case. You explore from one position via a
panning camera, using your mouse to draw a red circle around any point
of interest to examine in close-up. You are not given free rein;
likewise you cannot visit different locations at will, or question
suspects when you choose. The game makes the decisions for you, leads
you where it might and plonks you slap-bang in the middle of it. The
player has no inventory to play with, nor is there any forensic work
such as you would find in the comparable CSI game series.
Gameplay is relatively short at
approximately one hour per case, and as such gives the player little
opportunity to become fully immersed with the story or build up any
sense of involvement or excitement, the latter third of each case being
taken up with a sombre court procedure. Different case outcomes are
possible, depending on your gameplay. There is a helpful tutorial which
pops up at intervals to explain law terms and other technicalities.
The graphics are adequate, if
dated: the backgrounds are fuzzy and the 3D characters appear too
angular, with little facial expression. Right-clicking skips dialogue,
and the game autosaves as you play.
The voicework is well done and
believable. None of the cast are the actors from the TV version.
I downloaded and installed the
game without issue, and it played perfectly throughout.
Fans of the show might find a
deal to enjoy in Legacies, but those who seek a more involving
adventure experience would do best to look elsewhere. This one left me
cold.
Grade: C+
I played on:
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1
AMD A6-3650 APU @ 2.60GHz
4.00 GB of RAM
Radeon HD 6530D
Graphics
Law & Order:
Legacies is available via download from
Telltale Games.
GameBoomers Review Guidelines
February 2012
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