Shadows of Doubt

Clue in.

When it hits its stride, Shadows of Doubt feels like it might be one of the greatest detective games of the 21st century, but it's hampered by outrageous bugginess and vestigial mechanics. The core is rock solid, but it still feels several major updates away from reaching its final form.

Shadows of Doubt is an intricate simulation of a grim corporate world that handles player freedom on a level you rarely see. The fascination wears thin as you delve deeper into the seedy underworld, but the initial intrigue alone is worth the price of entry.

Ingenious, unstable, and uncompromising in pursuit of its goals, Shadows of Doubt truly is the ultimate hard-boiled detective sim.

Being a hapless detective in this superior cyber-noir will see you battle with your own brain as well as the game's bugs. Just try not to break into the wrong apartment.

I would recommend playing those games first to get your detective fix if you haven't already. And if you’re done with both games and all of The Golden Idol’s DLC, then you’d be better off having a look somewhere else. Shadows of Doubt is too lost in its own procedurally generated sauce to provide a rewarding experience for gamers excited about its many lofty promises.

Shadows of Doubt should be great.  A lack of variety leads to repetition so quickly that I can’t recommend this 1.0 and console release.  If the devs continue supporting the game with new content, especially something more directed like the tutorial mission, then it could potentially become an indie classic.  For now, though the game is a mere shadow of its potential.