Sep 11 - Review: 'The Conversation' 'CSI: NY' star Hill Harper delves into relationships between Black men and women and takes a good, hard look at his own relationships in this groundbreaking new book.
Sep 8 - Review: 'Level 26: Dark Origins' CSI Files reviews Anthony E Zuiker's new Digi-Novel 'Level 26: Dark Origins', which centers on an elite unit tracking a one-of-a-kind serial killer called Sqweegel.
Sep 1 - Interview: Bill Haynes The 'CSI: NY' writer talks about his transition from being a real-life CSI to the writers' office, how cases from his career have inspired storylines and his upcoming sixth season episode. Very light spoilers inside!
Sep 2 - Zuiker 'Tiptoes' Away From 'CSI' The 'CSI' creator gives new projects his attention but keeps an eye on the franchise. Contains minor spoilers.
Do you know a CSI fan who would love a forensics-themed holiday gift, or are you looking for a treat to spend your Christmas bonus on? If so, several online reviewers over the past week published their recommendations of what to get and what to avoid.
Definitely falling into the latter category, according to gaming review site IGN, is the reissue of the first two CSI computer games for the Xbox console. In article with the ominous tagline "If you love the show, this game may change your mind," Hilary Goldstein writes:
I wanted to like CSI, but I found myself often bored by the cases. Still, I played through to the end, because I could at least imagine these 10 missions as lost cases never aired on TV. CSI fans will enjoy some aspects and there are some nice touches that really bring the show to life on Xbox. However, these moments are overshadowed by a weak and simplistic design that hardly challenges gamers. The suspects often feel interchangeable and the science of CSI becomes a bit redundant in video game form. A nice effort, but one that fails on Xbox.
In the full review, which also includes 16 screenshots and 3 gameplay videos, the game is awarded a rating of 5.8 out of 10. Should you still be interested in getting it, the game is available from Amazon.com.
While the Xbox CSI port consists of both the original CSI PC game and CSI 2: Dark Motives, the new Mac port only includes the first game. So it stands to reason that the people at Inside Mac Games wouldn't be much more enthusiastic than their IGN counterparts. "My main complaint is that replay ability is a serious factor," reviewer Jonathan Lowrie wrote. "You cruise through the scenarios in minutes without much fun on the second try. [...] It's tough to recommend CSI to anyone other than fans of the show." If you want to read the full review, click here, while if you want to order the game, you can do so here.
Moving away from the computer, the Winston-Salem Journal's Tim Clodfelter took a brief look at the official CSI Companion, written by Mike Flaherty and Corinne Marrinan: "[It] is a lavish companion to the hit police procedural drama. The book covers the first three seasons of the show, which is now almost halfway through its fifth season, with plot summaries, behind-the-scenes information, and extensive bios of the show's fictional characters as well as the cast and crew." Mini-reviews of many other TV-inspired gifts (including the CSI: Miami computer game) can be found in the full article; the Companion can be ordered here.
Evelyn Teo at the Malaysian-based The Star has also posted a review of the CSI Companion. Teo was especially interested by the juicy behind-the-scenes information provided by the Companion:
What makes the companion a must-have for loyal fans is the great behind-the-scenes look into each and every episode of Season One to Season Three as detailed by the cast and crew of the show. [...] One juicy piece of information readers will learn is a scene that never made the cut for the pilot had CSIs Catherine and Nick as secret lovers. The scene was dropped because it didn't feel right. “We’re one scene away from not being the show we are today,” series creator Anthony Zuiker says in the book.
Over at Entertainment Weekly, Marc Vera tried out the CSI board game, in which you play as one of eight characters such as Gil Grissom or Catherine Willows, and use Clue-style evidence cards to crack a case. But Vera wasn't impressed:
The Lowdown The confusing minithesis of instructions (seriously, who wants to read for an hour before beginning play?) and mess of clue cards kind of suck the fun out of it.
In the full review, the game is awarded a C. The board game, too, is available from Amazon.com, as is a booster pack for the game, which we hadn't heard of before. Thanks go out to Al Forno for this!
Somewhat more positive about the board game was Lauren Bishop at the Cincinnati Enquirer, who gave it a 5/5 rating for its intricate design and colourful pictures, but only a 2/5 for fun. "The game had fun aspects, such as being able to solve a mystery. However, having to rush to read clues while people are waiting for you to take your turn puts a damper on the experience. Also, there is a lot of silence because people are trying to read - it's not very interactive." Read on here.
Possibly the most successful CSI-style product is one that doesn't even carry the CSI brand, as as Myrtle Beach Online posted a recommendation of the Whodunit? Forensics Lab, based on the Discovery Channel show of the same name. This game is available from Amazon, but so is a cheaper, and CSI-branded DNA Laboratory.
Going back to computer games again, Adventure Gamers' Laura MacDonald has posted a review of the CSI: Miami computer game. Although MacDonald praised the plot and the well-designed sounds, she didn't like the uneven graphics and the "pixel hunting nightmares" the game provided for her. Here's a quote:
I would have liked it if this game lived up to even a moderate amount of all the hype. When the final case was wrapped up, all I really felt was unimpressed overall. The lackluster character animations, inconsistent graphics and mildly improved gameplay added up to a rather mediocre outing with the crime scene crew. Though I did enjoy the mysteries at the heart of the five cases, the narrative aspects of the game weren’t enough to overcome the shortcomings of CSI: Miami.
In the full review, the Miami game was awarded a 2.5/5. Of course, this game can also be ordered from Amazon.
No rating is included in the MegaStar review of the Miami game, but it seems like the (unnamed) reviewer enjoyed it. "Ubisoft have done a great job of enhancing the previous CSI games and moved the action to Miami," he or she wrote. "CSI is a glorified interactive story book but good entertainment for anyone who loves a good murder mystery."
Finally, if you want to wish someone a CSI-style Christmas, but don't have too much money to spare, you should head over to the official CBS site, which enables you to send a greeting card featuring holiday wishes from Claymation versions of the CSI actors, along with stars from other CBS shows. Our thanks go out to Elyse's for pointing us to this!
