Hi Boomers...

I want to Get This game...But before I jump on it...

I like to know a Boomers opinion ..Who has played it or Playing it...I do like all Nancy Games...I'm trying to decide if I should BAAG it now...Or get it on a Trade..

Thanks All..

If you want my opinion...an honest opinion keeping in mind that I have the entire collection of ND games and wouldn't dream of parting with them, here it is: No matter what game you trade for it, the other person has the better deal. Enough said...

Ana

You like less than half of it half as well as it deserves?

That hurt my head Becky.

Ana

Why thank you! I wish I'd thought of it myself, but of course I cribbed it.

It's only $20. If you like Nancy Drew, why not get it now and help out HerInteractive?

Thanks All for the replys....

I think I will purchase it..

Darleen, I thought it was the best game since Ghost Dogs and Deception Island. Loved evey minute of it except the ending.For me the ending was hard but I did it.

Thanks catsmom...
I really appreciate ..what people have to say about a game..

I now am very Leery of games because Of Scratches DC..So now I will post to ask for opinions first...

Hi Dar --- yI'm writing a review for it and hope for it to be a comprehensive one.

inferno

Yeah Jenny100. I was thinking the same thing, especially after recollecting these lines from Eric McConnell's JA article "We Have Met the Enemy..." (with to Becky for linking us to it): I guess I can forego a $2 discount at my usual online game store... & try to make a habit of buying games direct from the publisher.

I like the game a lot, Darleen. It's more difficult and also longer than Kapu Cave. It would seem that Her Interactive made an effort to respond to the people who were complaining that Kapu Cave was too easy and too short.

It recalls to mind the expression, "Be careful what you wish for, as you just might get it!"

It's not quite as good as other more recent ND games (in my opinion), but it's still enjoyable. Except that I am now nearing the end and attempting to beat the Fox & Geese game, and am HATING it. It's boring. (Translation: I'm rubbish at it.)

Haahaahaaaa! Rushes you are absolutely adorable -- This game is indeed far more difficult than any of the Nancy's I've played; if you take into the account of certain puzzles.
Fox and Geese was a particular nemisis of mine --- it took me 4 hours on that part alone. But then..........
I did wish for a longer and more challenging ND. ----

inferno

How would you compare the fox & geese game to the sewing task in "Old Clock", difficulty-wise?

The sewing puzzle needs agility, hand eye-coordination.
The fox-geese game is logic-strategy.

So the difficulty lies in physical agility or mental concentration and/or what the gamer is used to.

I got it the first time, as for the sewing puzzle I had to ask for a saved game.

The sewing puzzle in Old Clock only required that I get through it as fast as possible. Speed, not accuracy. I couldn't believe the game accepted the mess I made of that dress.

I'm glad to hear the fox/geese puzzle is logic-oriented though.

Fox and Geese is a very old puzzle (over 300 hundred years old)
it's also referred to as French Solitare...

inferno

I loved the fox and geese game (so call me crazy).

I am still working on the fox and geese puzzle. I had my son take a stab at it and he won it three times in a row in the first thirty or forty minutes or so.

I enjoyed this puzzle too.
There's a similar puzzle to this that is an educational game. For the life of me - can't remember.

Ah - the last riddle in Vikings.

The sewing in SOTOC was a piece of cake compared to the Fox & Geese in this one; it just about ruined the entire game for me! So frustrating. But - BUT! - after a few hours of table-thumping and lots of mournful wailing (from me, not Isis...), I finally beat it. And now I have a headache.

Rushes,

Doesn't it feel good that you solved it though.

Yes MaG, it sure does.

Outstanding, Rushes!!

I'll keep plugging away at it.

I don't mind logic games, because I assume there will finally be a solution, if I keep at it long enough. The sewing puzzle- I never did finish it. No matter how slow or fast I went, Nancy (I mean me) always made a mess of it. Finally had to get a saved game to proceed.

Did you play as Senior Detective? Maybe it was harder using that. (I used Junior Detective on Old Clock). I don't know whether HerInteractive separates mental challenges from physical ones when they decide what's Junior level and what's Senior level. I think the golf puzzle was supposed to be more difficult on Senior level though, and that was a physical challenge.

Yay Rushes! I finally finished the whole game last night. I had played the Fox & Geese game earlier in the game and won it after a few tries so I wasn't worried about it coming up again. But when it did - whew! It was easy for me to get the fox but it took almost an hour (maybe two) to get the rest.

The puzzle I found hardest to solve was

MaG - thank heavens for your walkthrough or I would still be sitting here thinking not nice things about the game designers.

One thing I am noticing about the ND games is that we are being led a little bit too much for my taste. In earlier games, I remember having more options about where to go instead of going into a mode where you are walking and have no control over your character. Is there a name for that? Anyways, I just feel like the games are getting easier. Or maybe I'm just getting more experienced? Anyone feel the same?

Glad you finished the game, Celtic Lark.

I've just started it. I don't like all this housework. I thought Nancy Drew was a modern girl. What's with all this cooking and cleaning she's having to do? Why can't she fix a tractor or brew beer or something?

Thanks all for your ratings on the Fox & Geese puzzle.

MaG, I'll take logic & strategy over speed any day.
Catsmom, Looks like you're the same (logic over speed). It took me several 'sittings' of about a couple hours each in front of that Singer. So frustrating I wanted to give up (translation: throw the PC out the window!!).
Jenny100 ... You mean you wouldn't have worn that dress?
Inferno, Neat... an historical puzzle. Think I'll go check it out on the Internet.
Melia & Marian, A logic-based puzzle sounds like a 'tasty' challenge. Eventually, Marian... eventually.
Sumac, That sewing puzzle was a real pain. At least logic puzzles give us time to try & solve them!

Jenny100... Don't recall what level I chose. Probably Senior... & I eventually completed the task. Never thought there'd be many noticable differences in gameplay. The only difference I saw (& liked) was at the Junior Level where you get the list of the 'to-do' things that you can check off, once completed. Lately, I've been opting for Junior Det. because of that feature.
Still deciding whether to buy now or to keep that giddy feeling of anticipation for a few more weeks. Probably won't wait too much longer.

It would have been like wearing a Moebius strip.



So have I. I like the to-do list.

I adore the snowfights. Jenny, I would rather make wine than brew beer...

I guess I'm one of the few who find White Wolf tedious. To my mind, there are far too many arcade-like puzzles and repetitious duties. I've loved and played all the other ND games, but I'm not sure if I'll even finish this one. Oh, well, I'm off to Hints to ask for a save for after the snowball fight.

I am also finding the game tedious. The endless, mindless, boring cooking is obnoxious. To me it is just fake filler to make the game seem longer. I didn't like the timed stuff very much--I know there is some in all the games, but this one was especially annoying. I thought the fox and geese game was pretty easy and fun--I played it several times.

I've played all the ND games, and I like the story in this one, but there is way too much filler.

I'm with you Cappy and Angela. I did not find it hard, I found it boring. There was not much to really do, I was doing my chores, resetting the clocks to move on, doing on my chores etc. By the time I got to the Fox and Hound Game, I begged for save so I could just end the game. I can't ever recall my feelin that way over any other ND.

The last few just don't have the same attraction to me. I remember sitting with pads of paper and taking notes to solve the puzzles in the older games and being made to cleverly solve them. Now they are just arcade sequences and tedious tasks. I'm very dissapointed and for the first time I actually wrote them my concerns. I want to think my way through the game...I know how to make beds.

Ana

I'm glad you voiced your concerns, Ana. Maybe putting out two games a year is too many. Perhaps it would be better if they just did one and used a bit more creativity in developing it. I, too, would welcome having to be clever to solve a puzzle.

They had an interesting pattern of one game would be harder than the other each year and IMHO the last "difficult" game that was released was Blackmoor manor. Till that point you could count on having one thinking game that you could scribble in your notepad and ponder the clues and another release that was easier, fun and more lighthearted. Key word there is "fun and easier, not dull.

I'm really quite upset about it because playing them was like visiting with an old friend. I always looked forward to it and quite frankly, I haven't decided about the next one yet.

Ana, I'm very glad you wrote to them, too. In fact, I applaud you for it. It's easy to sit around and gripe about what you didn't like in a game, but writing to them directly might actually accomplish something useful. Even if it's not particularly good news for them, it shows that you care.

I was liking the game well enough earlier but having gotten down to the last fourth of the game I am finding myself less than enthused. In fact, yesterday I spent all day playing an old game from the early 1990s called Eagle Eye Mysteries (an excellent game, by the way, and it, like the ND series, is geared at age 10 to adult), and feeling slightly guilty that I wasn't trying to finish White Wolf. But not guilty enough to go back to it. I probably will finish it but it certainly isn't calling to me to do so.

I'm still looking forward to the next ND game, though. As far as I know, there are a lot of different design teams working on the ND games, so I figure that at least it's gotta be different. Maybe not better, but....different.

Well....

I just made up my mind not to get this game at all..
I really can't handle a boring game..I think making Ice cream floats & Cooking...Really has nothing to do with a Mystery..

I really thought the writers would of changed alot after The Ice Cream float thing in Kapu Cave..

Hope they listen to the Players & Make a Better game next time..

My Opinion

Hi, Darleen. Well, at least you only had to make those ice cream floats I think once. In White Wolf you cook three times a day, EVERY day. Not fun.

Hi Cappy

Thanks For clarifying That

Hmm, some of the reviews on ND doesn't sound good. I don't care too much for arcade type puzzles in any game. I often wonder why adventure companies have to stray away from the norm so much. I love a good olde fashion detective game, like the olde Sherlock Holmes games, the Rose Tattoo etc. Oh well, I guess they have a new audience to impress.

I enjoyed the cooking at first. But after a while it became irritating due to having to keep track of what time it was. Offhand I can't think of any adventure game I've ever played where having to keep track of time on a regular basis didn't seem a nuisance and an interference. Perhaps there is one, but I can't think of any right now.

Making wine is good too. So are building a treehouse and fixing a radio. I'm surprised they don't have Nancy browse folders on a computer and install software, since those are things many gamers could learn useful skills from. If you don't know how to copy files to folders and install patches, Nancy could teach you.

Hahahahaha. Great idea, Jenny!

They could also have Nancy get DOSBox up and running and learn how to run older games. I believe a lot of folks here would appreciate that a great deal.

The sewing puzzle in the secret of the old clock was so easy and fun!!!!! SO EASY!!!!!

i hate brain puzzles soooooooooo much!

No kidding. That's a great idea.

I got sick of cooking too- so just didn't do it anymore unless it was necessary to do to complete the survey. I just took the "scolding" and moved on with the game. My problem with the games is the endings lately- the reasons why the culprit did what they did. Very unsatisfying and really not connected to the game. I also don't like how task oriented they have become- less sleuthing and much more work! (Kapu Cave and this one in particular- as well as Danger by Design- except that was shopping)

It never occurred to me to try to bail on my kitchen duties. I just assumed I'd be fired if I tried to do that. That's very good to know!

One other way is to sleep through it.

And to think I slept and set the alarm so I could hurry up and get the chores over with. I set it for maid breakfast Lunch dinner

Ana

LOL Me too, BET. I spent a whole day once just sleeping until each of my cooking times arrived. I was trying to trigger something. Can't remember what.

I agree that the games are getting tedious. The first one I was really disappointed with was the Old Clock. I spent half the game driving around, trying not to hit pot holes, to make money to pay whoever it was I was paying. I think for pictures? I have no brain for the details when I finish a game.

And I noticed this time that the spooky music was missing. It really adds to the game and the feeling of suspense and I missed it. There was some music at certain points but not the trademark music that I associate with ND.

I just didn't feel spooked this time. I think I will write to Her Interactive as well. Good idea whoever suggested that.

Tennistiger, you are joking, right? I could not do that sewing puzzle at all & a nice kind person had to send me a save. I cannot sew in real life either.

The voice of dissent here. I loved White Wolf except for the Fox/geese game which I couldn't master. One of my favourite things about the Nancy Drew games is the chores. I wonder if I like them because I do very little cooking at home. A nice lady does my ironing and another nice lady does my cleaning, not to mention my handyman/gardener.

So I choose not to do repetitive chores in reality but I love doing them in games! It seems I'm on my own here!

I love doing chores to but not in real life! JennyP i can sew really good in real life so the puzzle was easy for me!

can anyone give me a saved game after the fox and geese game?

Tennistiger, please post in Hints for this, they will be happy to assist you there.

Ana

Welcome to GameBoomers tennistiger! It's great to meet another Nancy Drew fan.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who is feeling let down by the ND games of late. While I thought White Wolf was a definite step in the right direction after Kapu Cave (which I found truly dreadful), it still relied way too much for my taste on repetitive tasks and arcade-style games--when I realized I'd have to have a snowball fight every time I wanted to pass Freddie, my language was definitely not safe for ages 10 to adult. ;-) Playing a ND game used to be like sinking into a nice cozy but confounding mystery novel--now it feels more like a too-linear, too-shallow story padded with chores and hand-eye coordination tests.

Maybe I should write to Her Interactive too and tell them how bereft I feel. Or seeing as how they are right up the road from me in Seattle, I could try for a personal audience. ;-)

KristiC, Ana and the gang,

I'm SO glad to hear that I'm not the only one who feels this way about recent ND games. What a relief! I used to be so excited about the newest ones coming out and playing them was a joy. Now though (at least for me in White Wolf, Danger by Design, etc.) it feels like there really is no "mystery" but more of a set of things to do so you can make it to the end---which is not satisfying at all.

Also, I really hate it when they change things in the games such as clocks (I loved the old clock face in Haunted Mansion), telephones, journals, etc. I think they're trying too hard to meet in the middle between high and low tech (maybe to make everyone happy?) and I wish they'd stuck with the old way of doing things. sigh...

The saddest part is that as I sit here today with my brand new ND White Wolf game, I am more excited about loading up my old ones and re-playing them than I am about playing this new one.

I think I'm with you guys....I am going to write to them as well and just let them know that while I appreciate their efforts and love their games, it might be time to "stop" making changes and go back to a formula that really worked. (and that some of us love and miss!)

Thanks for listening to my two cents!
Cat

Good idea Cat... to write to HerInteractive & voice these thoughts -- offer constructive criticism ... some guidance about game quality control.

Was thinking the very same thing about the recent games... more focus on repetitive tasks & less on story. Why change a successful formula? Maybe it's an easy way to crank out 2 games a year. Despite this, I still have a soft spot in my heart for this series, & will probably continue to buy the games... just to be in the world of ND for a little while (haven't gotten White Wolf yet, but I will).

I really liked White Wolf, thought it was cool to have an actual wolf in the game and I enjoyed the cooking! However, the end of the game starting with having to win Fox/Geese 3 times and then the very end chase got me frustrated, just cause it seemed to take forever to win! I like the games where you actually get to talk to people and call people for info, and I loved the settings! The outdoor scenes were so pretty!

You know what I miss? The old Nancy Drew silhouette. I don't like the new one so much. I like the old one with her and her magnifying glass.

I also would rather she spent her time solving a mystery than doing chores.

Up to and including Blackmoor, the team was the same. Haven't asked them if it changed after that, but it would be interesting to know.