Written by: Alex

 

 

 

I have not really played many puzzle games, and certainly never reviewed one, so I do find myself at a bit of a loss. With only Hotel Dusk and Puzzle Agent to bolster my understanding of the genre "James Noir's Hollywood Crimes" was a little daunting.

 

But while I am limited for comparisons, I am sure that the genre itself is easy enough to grasp with only three metrics on which it can really be judged; story, presentation and puzzles, so that's what I’ve done. 

 

 

Story is a tricky addition to puzzle games. Making a frame work for abstract logic puzzles is a hard thing to do without self aware jokes, especially if you are trying to keep the puzzles to the kind you might get in a puzzle book. Hollywood Crime’s plot however goes beyond being a comic throw away addition and attempts to be serious, which unfortunately works to the titles detriment.

 

Set in the 1950s Hollywood Crimes begins by entering me into an old TV show, making me a contestant in a game show known as Puzzle Masters. This show saw me competing against a single opponent on alternate weeks to get the highest score by solving puzzles in the hope of winning a around the world trip.

 

The biggest problem with this idea is that Puzzle Masters is, without a doubt, the dullest concept for a game show in history, but the game paint America as being obsessed with it. Newspapers print stories, the producers want to syndicate it to Europe and as a contestant in this dull lets-watch-this-guy-take-as-long-as-he-needs-to-solve-a-puzzle show' you hundreds of fan letters. In fact the show is so popular that when the previous winners begin to turn up dead no one thinks the stop the show, feeling that some how the show is more important than people dyeing.

 

 

It is the deaths that form Hollywood Crimes real narrative, dragging me in as the contestant to help the police solve puzzles left at the crime scenes in a ridiculous premise that at least manages to add some drama. Taken through a variety of plot twists the murder mystery goes from odd to ridiculous with all of the shows wooden actors seeming like they could be the killer (mostly due to their performances making them all seem like sociopaths), but it at least adds some hook... even if it isn't that thrilling.

 

 

James Noir's Hollywood Crimes biggest issue is in its presentation. It starts off reasonably well with my entry to the puzzle quiz show. Quickly the show was explained and I filled out an application form, including a photo, and most of the games key players are introduced (all fully voiced - though this turns out to not be a good thing).

 

 

In these opening stages everything seems reasonable enough. Characters performances have not yet revealed themselves to be completely 2D stereotypes and the looping animations used for the characters have not yet begun to make them seem like deranged killers. It isn't long however before the gap between the novelty of what was being attempted, the reality of budget requirements and the final results become clear to see.