Miami Law
Encyclopedia
Miami Law, known in Japan and Europe as , is an adventure video game
developed by Hudson Soft
for the Nintendo DS
handheld system. Though produced by a Japanese company, the title was initially released in North America
on June 9, 2009 and it will be released in Europe the following September, with the English localization being the first project by Gaijinworks
since its establishment in 2006. Hudson Soft worked closely with Gaijinworks founder and head translator Victor Ireland on the project, who sent a research team to Miami, Florida to aid in development of the title. The game features music by hip hop
group Miami Beat Wave, who were licensed by Ireland to give the game's location an authentic feel.
Inspired by prime-time crime drama
television series, Miami Law follows the exploits of Miami Police Department Officer Martin Law and FBI
agent Sara Starling as they attempt to bring down a domestic terrorist organization. Gameplay for the title varies depending on which character a player chooses, with largely action sequence for Martin and puzzle-based scenarios for Sara.
where players must gather clues, read text, and become involved in the story in order to solve mysteries and move the plot forward. The game uses a mixture of three-dimensional computer graphics for action sequences and two-dimensional character images for story scenes. Players are given the choice of assuming the role of either Martin Law, whose scenarios largely involve action scenes such as car chases and shoot-outs, or Sara Starling, who primarily uses puzzle-based gameplay such as analyzing clues and compiling evidence. A player is given the opportunity to switch between characters at certain points in the game's story, with the plot being affected by which character is used at different points in the narrative. In addition to normal gameplay elements, Miami Law also includes minigames such as Sudoku
and Texas hold 'em
that can be accessed after the player has fulfilled certain requirements during the main game.
outlining several games that were to be released for Nintendo consoles such as the Nintendo DS
. The game was developed by Hudson Soft
and was largely based on American
crime dramas, and would contain "all of the ingredients of a prime-time TV show". Despite being developed by a Japanese company, Victor Ireland, founder of Gaijinworks
, announced the following March that the title's first release would be in North America and that his company would be publishing it as their first project. During development, Hudson Soft sent a research team to Miami, Florida, where they were taken on a tour of the city by Ireland himself in order to give the developers a better idea of the game's setting. Ireland would also serve as the game's head writer, which he likened to his involvement as former head translator for his first company Working Designs
, stating that "the philosophy is very similar, but the tone of the game demanded a much harder edge." While his work at Working Designs was noted for its light-hearted and comical approach, Ireland remarked that Miami Law would require a more serious approach to storytelling, remarking that "there's definitely comedy and some fun wordplay, but it's a police drama so the localization reflects that... the tone of the game would be similar to something like what we did for Arc the Lad
." For the game's music, Ireland enlisted the help of Miami-based hip hop
duo Miami Beat Wave in order to give the game's setting a more authentic feel, who composed fifteen original songs for the title.
In April 2009, a European release of the game was officially announced by Hudson Soft to be published by Konami
under the title Miami Crisis, and will be released the following September.
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
developed by Hudson Soft
Hudson Soft
, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
handheld system. Though produced by a Japanese company, the title was initially released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on June 9, 2009 and it will be released in Europe the following September, with the English localization being the first project by Gaijinworks
Gaijinworks
Gaijinworks is a United States video game publishing company founded by Victor Ireland in July 2006. The company was established shortly after the dissolution of Working Designs in December 2005 of which Ireland was president...
since its establishment in 2006. Hudson Soft worked closely with Gaijinworks founder and head translator Victor Ireland on the project, who sent a research team to Miami, Florida to aid in development of the title. The game features music by hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
group Miami Beat Wave, who were licensed by Ireland to give the game's location an authentic feel.
Inspired by prime-time crime drama
Police procedural
The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
television series, Miami Law follows the exploits of Miami Police Department Officer Martin Law and FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
agent Sara Starling as they attempt to bring down a domestic terrorist organization. Gameplay for the title varies depending on which character a player chooses, with largely action sequence for Martin and puzzle-based scenarios for Sara.
Gameplay
Miami Law is a point-and-click adventure gameAdventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
where players must gather clues, read text, and become involved in the story in order to solve mysteries and move the plot forward. The game uses a mixture of three-dimensional computer graphics for action sequences and two-dimensional character images for story scenes. Players are given the choice of assuming the role of either Martin Law, whose scenarios largely involve action scenes such as car chases and shoot-outs, or Sara Starling, who primarily uses puzzle-based gameplay such as analyzing clues and compiling evidence. A player is given the opportunity to switch between characters at certain points in the game's story, with the plot being affected by which character is used at different points in the narrative. In addition to normal gameplay elements, Miami Law also includes minigames such as Sudoku
Sudoku
is a logic-based, combinatorial number-placement puzzle. The objective is to fill a 9×9 grid with digits so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 sub-grids that compose the grid contains all of the digits from 1 to 9...
and Texas hold 'em
Texas hold 'em
Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
that can be accessed after the player has fulfilled certain requirements during the main game.
Development
Miami Law was first announced in a February 2009 press release by Nintendo of AmericaNintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
outlining several games that were to be released for Nintendo consoles such as the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
. The game was developed by Hudson Soft
Hudson Soft
, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
and was largely based on American
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
crime dramas, and would contain "all of the ingredients of a prime-time TV show". Despite being developed by a Japanese company, Victor Ireland, founder of Gaijinworks
Gaijinworks
Gaijinworks is a United States video game publishing company founded by Victor Ireland in July 2006. The company was established shortly after the dissolution of Working Designs in December 2005 of which Ireland was president...
, announced the following March that the title's first release would be in North America and that his company would be publishing it as their first project. During development, Hudson Soft sent a research team to Miami, Florida, where they were taken on a tour of the city by Ireland himself in order to give the developers a better idea of the game's setting. Ireland would also serve as the game's head writer, which he likened to his involvement as former head translator for his first company Working Designs
Working Designs
Working Designs was an American video game publisher that specialized in the localization of Japanese console role-playing games, strategy video games and top-down shooters for various video game platforms. Though the company had published many 'cult hits', it was known best to fans as the...
, stating that "the philosophy is very similar, but the tone of the game demanded a much harder edge." While his work at Working Designs was noted for its light-hearted and comical approach, Ireland remarked that Miami Law would require a more serious approach to storytelling, remarking that "there's definitely comedy and some fun wordplay, but it's a police drama so the localization reflects that... the tone of the game would be similar to something like what we did for Arc the Lad
Arc the Lad Collection
Arc the Lad Collection is a compilation of the Arc the Lad RPG games for the PlayStation. The games were localized by Working Designs, which closed in December 2005. Plans to localize the games had been fostered by Working Designs since the late 1990s, however it wasn't till the new millennium that...
." For the game's music, Ireland enlisted the help of Miami-based hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
duo Miami Beat Wave in order to give the game's setting a more authentic feel, who composed fifteen original songs for the title.
In April 2009, a European release of the game was officially announced by Hudson Soft to be published by Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
under the title Miami Crisis, and will be released the following September.