Miami Law had one very notable thing going for it that got me intrigued in the title in the first place: Vic Ireland's (of Working Designs fame) Gaijinworks was attached to it.
While I was largely sitting out gaming during Working Designs' heyday, I learned of their impact upon my return; the opportunity to experience a brand-new title with that influence intrigued me, especially as it was in the interactive adventure genre I've been particularly enjoying. Gaijinworks did more than just translate Miami Law, too; they were involved in the project fairly heavily, getting team members field research in Miami itself as well as contributing to the atmosphere by bringing Miami Beat Wave on-board for music.
As for the game itself, it feels a bit more like an interactive novel than an adventure game. There's no inventory, and no real puzzling to speak of apart from trying to get the feel of what your next move should be at one of the few branch points. Moving forward in the game is usually a matter of finding and talking to the right people enough times. The few times that you do get a chance to make a decision, retribution for making the wrong choice is usually swift—though it can be entertaining, especially as there's sometimes story you might not get otherwise.
There is one interesting twist that Miami Law throws into this mix: at several key points during the storyline you can switch off and choose to be either undercover cop Law Martin or FBI agent Sara Starling. The former generally nets you more action, while the latter usually has slightly more cerebral moments. It's also interesting to keep tabs on the other character on the top screen, as you get tiny summaries of what they're up to while you're working with the character you've chosen. In more than a few situations, I couldn't wait to complete the case so I could go back and try following the other character to experience it for myself—even though I'd already learned the outcome through the story. It's a neat mechanic.
But, yes, any disappointment I might have felt over the limited gameplay are more than made up for by the entertaining story and writing. You'll of course catch up with some of the same old prime-time cop show clichés here, but unless you're one of those people, it's all in good fun and quite a ride. I don't think I'm spoiling much by saying that the rabbit hole goes quite a bit deeper than just a little undercover drug-busting.
Hudson has also put in one additional touch which I think really helps to make the game. Scattered throughout the story are short minigames, none of which my Ouendan-trained DS reflexes found particularly challenging, but I rather enjoyed anyway. I found they added a level of immersion that you wouldn't get from just paging through text boxes indicating (for example) a shootout was taking place. Like I said, none of them should trip an experienced gamer up, but I don't really think they needed to.
Miami Law turned out to be a pretty entertaining experience. I think Hudson made a great choice bringing Gaijinworks on board for this title; I hope we'll see more down the road.
While I was largely sitting out gaming during Working Designs' heyday, I learned of their impact upon my return; the opportunity to experience a brand-new title with that influence intrigued me, especially as it was in the interactive adventure genre I've been particularly enjoying. Gaijinworks did more than just translate Miami Law, too; they were involved in the project fairly heavily, getting team members field research in Miami itself as well as contributing to the atmosphere by bringing Miami Beat Wave on-board for music.
There is one interesting twist that Miami Law throws into this mix: at several key points during the storyline you can switch off and choose to be either undercover cop Law Martin or FBI agent Sara Starling. The former generally nets you more action, while the latter usually has slightly more cerebral moments. It's also interesting to keep tabs on the other character on the top screen, as you get tiny summaries of what they're up to while you're working with the character you've chosen. In more than a few situations, I couldn't wait to complete the case so I could go back and try following the other character to experience it for myself—even though I'd already learned the outcome through the story. It's a neat mechanic.
Hudson has also put in one additional touch which I think really helps to make the game. Scattered throughout the story are short minigames, none of which my Ouendan-trained DS reflexes found particularly challenging, but I rather enjoyed anyway. I found they added a level of immersion that you wouldn't get from just paging through text boxes indicating (for example) a shootout was taking place. Like I said, none of them should trip an experienced gamer up, but I don't really think they needed to.
Miami Law turned out to be a pretty entertaining experience. I think Hudson made a great choice bringing Gaijinworks on board for this title; I hope we'll see more down the road.