Law & Order: Double or Nothing

Law & Order: Double or Nothing (also known as Law & Order II: Double or Nothing) is the second in a series of video games based on the television series Law & Order. The game was developed by Legacy Interactive and was first published in September 2003, a year after the release of Law & Order: Dead on the Money.

Law & Order: Double or Nothing
Developer(s)Legacy Interactive
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: October 1, 2003[1]
  • EU: November 21, 2003
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Plot

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The game's plot revolves around the murder of a noted geneticist in his car on a city street. The player and Detective Briscoe investigate the crime and gather the evidence to make the arrest. Once accomplished, the player joins forces with ADA Serena Southerlyn and tries to crack a case that combines traditional desires with almost futuristic means. DA Douglas Wade, played by Victor Brandt, is a character created exclusively for the game who does not appear in the main show.[2]

Controversy

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A controversy erupted in the United Kingdom over the game after an in-game image (used to depict a fictional child abduction) was discovered to be an actual CCTV still of murdered toddler James Bulger being kidnapped by his killers. Because of this, the game's distributors withdrew it from the shelves for a short period of time. A spokesman for the game's developer, Legacy Interactive, said they were only made aware of the offending picture on June 17, 2007. The spokesman said: "Obviously the game was out almost five years ago and this is the first time we knew anything about it otherwise we would never have put it out." An update patch was later released, which removes the image of Bulger from the game for anyone with an offending copy.[3]

Critical reception

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Double or Nothing was met with average to mixed reception, as GameRankings gave it a score of 69.45%,[4] while Metacritic gave it 74 out of 100.[5] According to PC Data, the game's North American retail sales reached 37,714 units by the end of 2003.[11]

References

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  1. ^ McNamara, Tom (2003-10-02). "Law & Order II Ships to Stores". IGN. Archived from the original on 2023-03-08. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
  2. ^ "Law & Order II: Double or Nothing (2003)". IMDb.com. Archived from the original on 2017-02-18. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  3. ^ "Game pulled over Bulger complaint". BBC News. June 19, 2007. Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Law & Order II: Double or Nothing for PC". GameRankings. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Law & Order II: Double or Nothing for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  6. ^ King, Tom (October 7, 2003). "Law & Order II review". Adventure Gamers. Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  7. ^ Navarro, Alex (October 14, 2003). "Law & Order II: Double or Nothing Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 12, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  8. ^ Rgerbino (October 7, 2003). "Law & Order II: Double or Nothing - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 3, 2008. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  9. ^ "Law & Order II: Double or Nothing". PC Gamer UK. February 2004.
  10. ^ Jackson, Jonah (February 25, 2004). "'Law & Order II: Double or Nothing' (PC) Review". X-Play. Archived from the original on March 11, 2004. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  11. ^ Sluganski, Randy (March 2004). "Sales December 2003 - The State of Adventure Gaming". Just Adventure. Archived from the original on April 11, 2004. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
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