What Makes a Good Detective Game?
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Detective video games promise to turn us into Sherlock Holmes - but why do so many of them bungle the execution? In this video I mine ancient DOS games, forgotten mobile apps, quirky indie titles, and games that aren’t even about solving crimes, for good murder mystery mechanics.
=== Before you watch ===
This video contains puzzle spoilers for Life is Strange, The Shivah, and Discworld Noir.
=== Chapters ===
00:00 - Intro
01:28 - Gathering Information
02:22 - Working the Case
03:47 - Prompted by the Answers
05:02 - Fixing the Problem
07:28 - Prompted by the Question
07:58 - Fixing the Problem
10:01 - No Answers, No Questions
12:29 - Case Study: Her Story
13:34 - Following Leads
15:28 - Making an Accusation
17:55 - Conclusion
18:43 - Patreon Credits
=== Games Shown ===
LA Noire (Team Bondi, 2011)
KGB (Cryo Interactive, 1992)
Assassin's Creed Syndicate (Ubisoft Quebec, 2015)
Murdered: Soul Suspect (Airtight Games, 2014)
Kona (Parabole, 2016)
The Raven: Legacy of a Master Thief (King Art Games, 2013)
Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter (Frogwares, 2016)
Heavy Rain (Quantic Dream, 2010)
Police Quest: Open Season (Sierra Entertainment, 1993)
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments (Frogwares, 2014)
Batman: Arkham Knight (Rocksteady Studios, 2015)
Condemned: Criminal Origins (Monolith Productions, 2005)
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (Eidos Montreal, 2016)
The Wolf Among Us (Telltale Games, 2013)
Layton Brothers: Mystery Room (Level-5, 2012)
Detective Grimoire (SFB Games, 2014)
The Trace (Relentless Software, 2015)
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations (Capcom, 2004)
Life is Strange (Dontnod Entertainment, 2015)
Agatha Christie - The ABC Murders (Artefacts Studio, 2016)
Contradiction: Spot the Liar! (Tim Follin, 2015)
Papers, Please (Lucas Pope, 2013)
Discworld Noir (Perfect Entertainment, 1999)
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth (Capcom, 2009)
The Shivah (Wadjet Eye Games, 2006)
Her Story (Sam Barlow, 2015)
Blackwell Convergence (Wadjet Eye Games, 2009)
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective (ICOM Simulations, 1991)
Eagle Eye Mysteries (Stormfront Studios, 1993)
Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope, 2018)
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (The Astronauts, 2014)
Splatoon 2 (Nintendo, 2017)
Ori and the Blind Forest (Moon Studios, 2015)
Sonic Mania (Sega, 2017)
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (Naughty Dog, 2017)
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (Starbreeze Studios, 2013)
=== Credits ===
Music used in this episode
Love Theme (LA Noire, Andrew Hale)
Resolution (Hotel Dusk)
Love Theme (LA Noire, Andrew Hale)
Resolution (Hotel Dusk)
Bigby’s Apartment (The Wolf Among Us)
Investigation (Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies)
Trial (Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney)
Golden Hour (Life is Strange)
Deceptive Proof (Last Window - The Secret of Cape West)
Suspense (Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies)
Glass in One Hand (Last Window - The Secret of Cape West)
Ankh Bar (Discworld Noir)
Rabbi Stone’s Office (The Shivah)
CGI Snake (Her Story, Chris Zabriskie)
Stare Into The Heart (Last Window - The Secret of Cape West)
Trial (Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney)
Love Theme (LA Noire, Andrew Hale)
Streets Have Memory (Last Window - The Secret of Cape West)
Other Credits
Mystic River © Warner Bros
Sherlock © BBC
Homicide: Life on the Street and The Wire © HBO
Dragnet © Various
=== Subtitles ===
Contribute translated subtitles - https://amara.org/v/C3BEu/
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