GameGirl.com

I am a gamer. I like games. That is my declaration. Sometimes, I like games that really don't get a great deal of attention. But much like movies, I am willing to try anything at least once. I have found many special little gems I find quite entertaining that I may not have otherwise even known about. These little diamonds in the rough can be old or new but the one thing they have in common is I gave them a shot despite not being uber popular and ended up liking them, or in some cases falling in love.

I have a confession to make, some games I play and like are for purely selfish reasons, for example, oh maybe achievement points. So I have admitted I am an achievement hunter and there are games that help you to easily rack up the gamer score without cheating. One such game is CSI: Hard Evidence. Released late last year for the Xbox 360 and earlier this year for the Wii, the game can be relatively easy but requires attention to detail. The cases play out much like the television series where the tiniest piece of evidence can be the smoking gun.

There are five cases total in the game (each worth 200 points) that must be solved. Much like the show, often the first suspect is not the one guilty of the crime. If you get stuck however, the CSI, which is a different character from the series each time, you can get hints on where to look. These hints, however, affect your evaluation by Grissom at the end of the case.

The first case was frustrating to me because like a noob, I got stuck and like the stubborn person I am, I did not want to lose points on a hint. So I broke down and asked Nick Stokes for some advice. I went through the whole checklist and was still stuck. Turns out I had overlooked the tiniest piece of cloth on the fence. I realized right then how careful I would have to be when looking at things at the scene. One of the other things you can do is collect specimens, bugs, for Grissom for extra points. At the end of the first case, I went in for my evaluation. I didn't get a perfect score, because I asked for help, but I passed the level and received my 200 points. Yay!

The second case I did much better. I found evidence, bugs, the whole nine-yards. I think I even over interrogated the oil tycoon, just for thoroughness. The whole case was very Anna Nicole Smith only she doesn't die, she kills someone. Here's the bad part of the game - I may get extra points for finding the bugs or getting all the clues but it doesn't change the number of achievement points I get. Wait, that's really not that bad. I went through the next three cases in much the same fashion. I solved the case of the doctor

The bad thing was the lack of challenge in the points you get for the 360 version. [I have not played the Wii version.] But, as I stated in the beginning, I like different games for different reasons. This may not have been the most challenging way to earn 1000 points but I liked that, for once, I could play a game that was fun and I could beat in a day or two. I do not think every game has to be some blockbuster event or have this over the top storyline or have 80 achievements, most of which you will never get to be considered good.

The hidden gem in this game = 1,000 easy points.

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