CSI Deadly Intent is the latest CSI title to be released and is part of CBS’s new push to have their most popular shows become games. CSI Deadly Intent is set in Las Vegas and you join the cast of characters from the show to help solve five different cases. As you progress through each case you will come across the cast of characters and get a chance to help them out when they are having trouble. You even get some achievements for solving a problem that has them stumped. There are a wide variety of cases that you will have to solve from a crime of passion to someone getting killed to protect a business to someone trying to get revenge for their life being ruined and more. As you progress through each individual case your skills as an investigator will be challenged as you will be presented with a lot of evidence and you will need to figure out how to best use it.

In this game you assume the role of an up and comer at CSI. Ubisoft was able to get the actors from the show to do the voice work for the game which gives it a more authentic feel. The presentation of the game is fantastic and CSI fans should enjoy it. The game is presented as if you were watching an episode of CSI on television. There are periodic breaks in the action where a commercial would be if this was an episode on television and we are showed different parts of Las Vegas as we “leave” for commercial and then when we “return” back to the action. It’s a nice touch that fans will appreciate. One thing that console gamers won’t appreciate though is how clunky the control scheme is on the controller. This game would be great on the PC with a keyboard and mouse, however, it doesn’t work well with the controller. The developers obviously didn’t spend much time or give much thought to how this point and click adventure would run on a controller. It’s really a shame too because this is a pretty good game,yet, it is marred with these control issues.

Going through the cases you will have the entire CSI department at your disposal. You will have the labs, the interrogation room, the morgue and more. The lab is where you will be spending quite a bit of time as you try to solve your case. You have audio/video equipment so you can try and match up recordings, a computer where you can analyze fingerprints and look up a suspect’s medical history, a computer where you can compare DNA samples, a microscope where you can get up close and personal with items, a table to reconstruct broken items and more. When you are out on the field you have to search potential crime scenes and pick up on things that seem out of place. As you find things of interest you will take a picture of it and then try to get as much info as you can. If it is something that looks like it might have a fingerprint then you dust it to see if you can find one. If there is some strange liquid then you can collect some of it to analyze back at the lab. If you find a piece of clothing you can examine it, rotate it and do whatever to see if there is anything there. In one instance there is a piece of glass stuck in a shirt which you would only see if you are closely examining the evidence.

Overall CSI Deadly Intent doesn’t do anything groundbreaking, however, it is a fun title. If you are a big fan of the show(s) you should get a kick out of working alonside the cast to solve all of the cases. It would have been nice if the development team would have paid more attention to the controls. The variety of things that you can do in the lab can be pretty fun to do and if you get stuck on something it doesn’t take too long until the game will offer you a hint. There are some that will probably think this game is too easy while others will get a kick out of some of the puzzles. If you are a fan of the series or you simply enjoy point and click adventures be sure to check this title out.

Score 7/10

Originally posted on Totally Gaming Network