Psychic Detective

Wow, get a load of this thing; a three-disc game that only takes 15 minutes to play! Psychic Detective may not offer up a deep, complex story, or interesting characters, or an overall enjoyable experience, but it is usually a cheap game to purchase, and it does offer a heaping helping of endings to unlock. But, is that really enough?

Psychic Detective is an "interactive movie", or "boring-ass game"; pretty much one in the same. In it, you follow along as your psychic guide reads the minds of the weird, B-movie cast that roams around in a mansion, and later on the streets of Anytown, USA. The story involves several murders, some sort of bizarre mind-board game, and some statues that a Anton LaVey look-alike needs to...end depression? Yeah, this game makes little to no sense.

The game does boast five hours of footage to sluice through, if you're so inclined. There are a variety of endings to un-earth by viewing the action "psychically" through the eyes of the many minor characters you meet along the way. Essentially, when you collect a sufficient amount of dirt on a specific character, their icon will appear on the board of the "Black Diamond" board game that only psychics can play. Choose your pieces wisely, as you will usually be reduced to mental mush when you play against LaVey, which results in your character becoming a docile idiot who wears pajamas and licks the evil girl's feet. A fitting end for a stupid, un-likable character, I know, but not fitting enough for sifting through the horrible dialogue, weak gameplay, and listening to the insipid story unfold in all its grainy glory.

There is a reason they don't make 'em like this anymore. Not being able to really interact in any real sense of the word, rather watching a horrid movie from the perspective of your choice, is not enough to engage a gamer's interest these days. Granted, not much is needed to appeal to some of the more "lowest common denominator" gamers, but this game doesn't even pander to that demographic. If you absolutely have to have a FMV game for your 3DO, you could give this a try. Don't say I didn't warn you!