CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – Unsolved!

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – Unsolved! understands the basic pleasure of the show: arriving at a strange death, picking over a scene for the detail everyone else missed, then slowly turning lab results into a theory. Its five cases give you a clean detective-game rhythm of searching, testing evidence, and using contradictions to crack interviews.

The Nintendo DS format makes this a compact, puzzle-led take on CSI rather than a deep simulation. It can be methodical, especially when progress depends on choosing the proper forensic tool or finding the one piece of evidence that undermines a suspect, but the cases have enough variety to make a solid fit for mystery fans who enjoy following clues to their conclusion.

Follow the game trail: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – Deadly Intent: The Hidden Cases CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – Dark Motives

Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The first case gets right to the point: you are a new recruit on the Las Vegas night shift, examining a dead pop star and trying to work out whether an apparent scorpion sting tells the whole story. That immediate move from crime scene to evidence collection is the hook. You inspect locations in first person, select the right forensic tool, and gather the bits that will eventually turn a hunch into a case.

What starts to click is the loop between field work and the lab. A scene alone does not solve anything; you take your finds back to headquarters, process them through puzzles and minigames, inspect bodies in the morgue, and gradually build enough proof to identify a suspect. It has a satisfyingly procedural pace when each result points you toward a fresh witness or location. The cases also avoid repeating exactly the same setup, moving from a desert mummy to a murder at a CSI role-playing event and a fatal collapse on a live reality show.

Interviews are the strongest expression of the detective fantasy. Jim Brass handles the questioning, while you watch for a statement that clashes with the evidence in hand and present the contradiction. That makes your collected proof feel useful rather than like a checklist. Frustration can set in when you are still hunting for the correct tool or the missing fact needed to advance, since the structure asks you to work through several rounds of collecting, analysis, and interviews before a case closes. Still, if you enjoy careful clue-chasing more than action, that deliberate rhythm is largely the point.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - Unsolved! — screenshot 1 — CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – Unsolved! — screenshot 1

Graphics

The game uses first-person crime-scene views suited to close inspection, then shifts its attention to the people and evidence tied to each investigation. The DS format keeps the focus on identifying objects and following forensic leads rather than on elaborate spectacle.

Story

Unsolved! works as a collection of five TV-style cases, each built around a death with an obvious explanation that deserves suspicion. A singer apparently killed by a scorpion, a drowned man found in dry desert, and a nurse with a newly wealthy admirer are strong, instantly understandable setups. You know why each scene matters before the evidence starts complicating it.

The licensed cast gives the investigations a familiar CSI framework. Sara Sidle, Ray Langston, Nick Stokes, Greg Sanders, and Catherine Willows each accompany a case, while Hodges, Wendy Simms, Archie Johnson, Dr. Robbins, and Brass fill out the lab, morgue, technical, and interview sides of the job. That ensemble makes the game feel connected to the show’s workplace routine rather than like a generic murder-puzzle collection.

Do not come in expecting a single sprawling mystery; the value is in five contained whodunits and the steady revelation of new leads. Catherine’s end-of-case evaluation adds a little pressure to see each investigation through cleanly. The role-playing murder and reality-show death bring a welcome bit of mischief to a set of cases that otherwise lean into classic forensic twists.

Overall Experience

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – Unsolved! is a straightforward, enjoyable fit for anyone who has watched the show and wished they could handle the evidence themselves. Its best moments come when a lab result changes your understanding of a scene, or when a suspect’s claim falls apart against one well-chosen piece of proof.

The game asks for patience. You will spend much of your time moving through its investigation cycle rather than making dramatic choices, and its puzzles are the engine of progress. That can feel rigid when you want the answer to emerge faster, but it also gives each solved case a proper sense of process.

For a handheld mystery game, five cases is a worthwhile package, especially because their premises cover a good range of CSI-style oddities. Give it a chance if you want a methodical detective puzzler with familiar faces and structured casework. Skip it if you mainly want a fast-paced crime drama; this one wants you to stop, inspect, test, and prove your answer.