Sleazy but surprisingly decent mystery
This is definitely a game for adults only, so if you have younger gamers in the house, make sure they have gone to bed before you fire it up. In many ways, it's a fairly traditional interactive movie-style adventure, like Under a Killing Moon or Blade Runner, but the difference here is the subject matter. As Holly Jacobson, a detective with the LAPD, it's your job to investigate a series of brutal murders, with the killer preying on cover girl models. Your investigation takes you into a seedy underworld of gangsters, exotic dancers and religious crazies, all of which are represented by movie-quality visuals and with a cast that, while not exactly A-list, might feature a few names or faces familiar from B-movies or old TV shows. Blue Heat uses a point-and-click interface and requires you to explore LA, talking with the various shady characters you encounter, questioning them and gathering enough evidence to get a conviction. Although the game's main selling point is its adult nature and content, which might be enough to put many players off, it's actually not as sleazy as you might expect and there is a decent adventure to be enjoyed here. If you enjoy cop shows, this should be right up your alley and the case itself is quite engaging, with enough plot twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end. The visuals are of course, movie-quality and while the acting isn't top grade, it's certainly better than the likes of Who Shot Johnny Rock?, and it's backed up by a decent script. Be warned, there is a lot of adult material here so if that's the sort of thing that puts you off a game, then don't bother with Blue Heat. If however, you can look past this aspect, you might find this to be an enjoyable little mystery.
