Let me start off by saying that by "Murdered: Soul Suspect" is by no means a bad game. It's not a great game, but it's not bad and probably doesn't deserve some of the bad press it's garnered. The game follows Ronan O'Connor, a detective in Salem, Massachusetts who is murdered by the notorious Bell Killer. You play as the ghost of Ronan who must discover the identity of his killer in order to move on from the purgatorial world that you inhabit to heaven, where he can be reunited with his recently deceased wife. To find your killer's identity, you must gain the help of a young medium, who is also searching for her mother, an assistant to the police in the Bell Killer case. Firstly, this game should not be an "adventure, stealth" game (as Wikipedia describes it). In a game that centres around demons and ghosts, and takes place in numerous "creepy" locations (i.e. a graveyard and an insane asylum) should be a horror. The game has the potential to be one of the most thrilling horror video games in recent memory, with it's supernatural storyline and characters. It has all the promise of being the new "Last of Us" but its failure to live up to that just makes it all the more disappointing. Moving into the actual game, you're thrown into the game just after Ronan has been killed and discovers he's a ghost. Being thrown into the main plot instantly makes it harder to get into. "The Last of Us," "Mafia II" and "Assassin's Creed 2" are some of the best games I've played in the past 5 years, and they all share a common theme. Each of those games starts off with a slow, not particularly exciting level. It's in this level that you meet the characters, get to know the controls and area that you'll be exploring, learn some of the cool features and most importantly, gives you a (hopefully) good back story. Sure in this game, there is a short video that shows us the events of Ronan's life (his earlier years as a criminal, his marriage, his wife's death etc) but you don't really get the same interest in the game as you'd get in other games. Perhaps the most frustrating element is the graphics. They're not awful, but in 2014, you'd expect so much better. Think late PS2/early PS3. Considering I played it on a next-gen PS4, it was pretty disappointing to see. Yet another issue is the game-play. It's so easy, it's unbelievable. For example, in the game, there are demons who attempt to steal your soul, you'd expect to have a tough fight, right? Nope. To kill the demons (or get rid of them, is it possible to kill a demon?) you simply have to sneak behind them, and press the buttons it tells you to... pretty underwhelming! It's not even as if you have to creep behind them or they'll see you, you can run behind them and they wouldn't look! This isn't even the easiest aspect of the game, but there are so many, I'd be here forever if I wrote them all down! Despite it's flaws, there are some pretty cool, redeeming features that make this game... okay! Firstly, you're a ghost and that comes with all the perks. You're able to possess people and see what they're thinking (though they're not particularly interesting thoughts, and it's amazing how many of them think the same thing!). You can also walk through walls (though you can't actually walk into buildings through the walls, you have to get someone to open a door for you... I know right?!). You learn to teleport in the game, which is pretty fun! If ever there's a tight space (and you're not allowed to walk through the wall), there's always a cat conveniently nearby that you can possess, and control, so that you can fit through the gap. You can also make him meow! There are also several side missions that you can complete. These normally involve helping ghosts to find out how they died, which can be pretty fun. In certain areas you are also tasked with finding a number of hidden objects which, if you collect all of them, reveal rather gruesome stories! Plus, the ending is good and satisfying (I won't give away any spoilers!). Overall, this isn't bad, but not good. It's average, middle of the road, mediocre (if you want to be harsh!). If you've heard of this and you're hoping for the next "L.A. Noire," you're going to be disappointed! Maybe I'm overly harsh because I spent £40 on it! If you can get a pre-owned, fairly cheap version, I'd definitely recommend you get it, if you want to get an expensive, brand new version, well... learn from my mistakes! You don't want to spend that much on an average game!
Review of Murdered: Soul Suspect
