Ultimate Crime Thriller Collection Review

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(More customer reviews)Previously, these games were available separately for more, individually, than this whole trilogy set. If you have been waiting for a bargain, this is it. To make it even better, walkthroughs for all the games, in .pdf format, are included, accessible from the Windows Menu under the City Interactive entry. The Ultimate Crime Thriller Collection is on DVD, not CD.
I'm sure others will pick these games apart and complain about all their problems. I like the series, so anything you see below shouldn't detract from that. I will try to be brief.
The first one, "FBI Confidential", uses the Wintermute engine and is glacially slow on saves and restores. It's a pretty basic introduction to Nicole Bonnet, and the FBI offices in New York. It is translated from Polish, I think, and this results in some odd names and terms. Nicole's specialty is serial killers. You travel around the world following clues. A little twist at the end. It's a decent game.
Number two, "Hunt for the Puppeteer" is the prize of the series. Great soundtrack, exotic locations, beautiful graphics (moving clouds, swaying trees, birds, cats, the works). The puzzles are better (and harder), and, surprisingly, there is a fair amount of humor. Example: In the first scene, Nicole introduces herself to a French Police detective. He asks her "When did it happen that the 18th District became a part of New York City?" After a brief exchange she answers, "I see politeness toward women is no longer practiced in the city of Paris." There is a different engine in this game, and it does saves and restores in a flash. It also moves between game and cutscenes very quickly.
I haven't heard of anyone having technical problems with this game, but I had to turn off "Shadows and FX" in the game settings. With it on, I had strange boxes and artifacts all over the screen (FX6200 graphics). Also, depending on your setup, you may have the sound running far ahead of the action on cut scenes. I couldn't find a complete cure for that.
UPDATE: I changed to an ATI HD3450 video card, and the game is working with all the bells and whistles functioning properly. I find this unusual. I tried two different brands of nVidia FX6200 cards and two different versions of drivers on each one. The ATI handles it all effortlessly. Be warned.
Number three, "Cards of Destiny" Is beautifully rendered, but mostly seedy locations. Save and Restore is just like number two. It is a much more ambitious attempt at the "FBI experience". Lots of clue gathering, analysis, and lab work. Nicole gets interesting mail at the NY offices. It usually involves a shutdown and the bomb squad (called sappers in the game). The serial killer in this one is a very diabolical character, and the ending is ambiguous (another sequel is not out of the question). There is still travel to exotic places (if Louisiana counts), and interacting with local characters. The transitions from game to cutscenes and back is much slower than either of the other two games. I had stuttering sound in the cutscenes, but others haven't had this problem.
UPDATE: I have changed audio cards and will be trying this one again. I'll update my update if I have anything new to add.

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Three fantasic crime solving thrillers in one box! ART of MURDER FBI Confidential. A serial killer holds New York City in a grip of fear. The Police are trying to find any clues that would lead them to the murderer. Become Nicole Bonnet: A young female FBI agent and except the challenge! Who is the murderer? A psychopath or maybe a meticulous and intelligent man? To solve the mystery you have to start thinking like the felon. ART of MURDER. Hunt For The Puppeteer-The Puppeteer is waiting to pull your strings! A series of dark macabre murders is crisscrossing two continents and FBI agent Nicole Bonnet is called in again to investigate. The only clue, mysterious dolls dressed in 18th century costumes, are left next to the deceased. What connects the seemingly random victims? What are the motives behind the actions of an insane pitiless slayer? ART of MURDER – Cards Of Destiny-A lethal game of cards! A vicious serial killer leaves a trail of blood across America. He butchers his victims and leaves a card at the crime scene as his signature trademark. But he wants more! He triggers a psychotic face-off with the Federal Agent Nicole Bonnet, whose area of expertise is serial killers. After observing her for years, the time has come to challenge her. So far, he is always one step ahead of Nicole.