Playing My First Nancy Drew

Well, I had just finished Jack the Ripper (which I found kind of disappointing) and I needed a new game, so when I saw the jewel case release of Treasure of the Royal Tower I picked it up on impulse. I've always resisted the Nancy Drew games although they're so available...I guess I just thought "Nancy Drew?!? Yeesh!" But I'm REALLY enjoying it!!!! Her Interactive includes what I look for in an adventure game--a good story, easy navigation, interesting puzzles--and doesn't worry about things that, in my opinion, don't really add to the game. Sure, 3-D graphics and 360-degree panning are nice, but if the rest of the game stinks, who cares?

So I say to anyone who's listening: if you're looking for the next game and you haven't tried these, go ahead! There's a whole bunch of them, too!

WW

The Nancy Drew games are great! I wanted them for a long time, before I found them all at Amazone.co.uk. I was a bit worried that they was just for children, but found out that they was just great.

You should really try them all, but don't be to disseapointed with number one, it is a bit different.

Caroline

Hi.
That sounds great, Wysewomon!

I agree with Carolin, the first game is not a good introduction to the series! All of the others are well worth your time--and there is a new one coming out this summer...

Hi

That goes for me too....
If I had played the first Nancy Drew released first, I don't think I would have bought any more, but, I played Message in a Haunted Mansion first and THAT got me interested enough to buy another.

I think these games have come on in leaps and bounds since the earliest ones and certainly now "hold their own" pretty well in the adventure game world

Cheers.

Mad

Hi, all--

which one is the first one?

WW

Hi.

First=Secrets can Kill
Second=Stay tuned for Danger

But...I've just learned that those aren't the best ones. Check out the "Nancy Drew?"-thread if you need more advice on which one to choose next.

But most of the 9 Nancy Drew games are good..I agree the first one might not be the best to play first...How about starting with the 9th one
"Danger on Deception Island".

I am still waiting for #10, I miss playing Nancy Drew games, and I need a new one...

Liz

I'm a big fan of the Nancy Drew games and I even got my thirteen year old granddaughter hooked too.

I'm also playing my first ND, Message in a Haunted Mansion. I felt the same way as you, WyseWoman, and stayed away from them, but since all my fellow gameboomers enjoyed ND I decided to try some.

I set it on advanced player and it's challenging, not too much so (I haven't needed a walkthrough), but enough to make it interesting and certainly not too easy or overly young, like I thought it might be. I'm glad I picked a couple of them up on the trading post.

I'm enjoying this game.

Melanie

I started with Haunted Mansion ant it hooked me good and proper!! My fave is Ghost Dogs though

Treasure in a Royal Tower tops my ND list! It was the first one I played too, I can still remember trying to figure out the lay-out of the lodge!

I've played this one three times and have forced the game to show me all the triggers, it's a game I wear like an old comfy sweater!

Enjoy!

bluebonnet, if you live close to Seattle Washington (Her Interactive's office) you might consider contacting them. They were in the need for mother/daughter teams.. I'm sure they'd be honored to hear from a Grandmother/granddaughter team.

I love the Nancy Drew games! It just so happens "Treasure inn Royal Tower" is the one I am playing now (in between MJ2 sessions)

Susan

I started with the first two and probably wouldn't have played anymore if people here had not told me that the others were better. I tried a couple of the others and I liked them enough to work on getting them all. Besides there cheap. If they don't show up at Walmart for $9.99 plus tax then somebody offers them in trade.

I just started Secret of the Scarlet Hand. I have Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake and I've just agreed to a trade which includes The Haunted Carousel. Now I just need to find Danger on Deception Island.

I love playing the Nancy Drew games....I started backwards too, with the Haunted Mansion and then ended up collecting them all. I end up taking so many notes when I play those games though...my son laughs at me for drawing so many pictures and writing so much. I can't wait for Shadow Ranch to come out!

And when you get to Scarlet Hand, remember...
Semper ubi sub ubi !

From Tally Ho's Walkthrough: "The Latin translates into nonsense: 'Always where under where.' But if you read that sentence aloud, it sounds like 'Always wear underwear.' Good advice Joanna*..."

*Joanna Riggs, Nancy's boss at the Beech Hill Museum

I have all the Nancy Drew games and I agree with everyone who said that the first two weren't that good. I'm looking forward to the new one this summer. My favorite was the Royal Tower, followed by Deception Island. This is an excelent series!

Well, I finished it last night. Now I'm gameless!!!


WW

going to replay an old favourite??

Congrats on finishing. What did you think? Will you be trying another ND game?

Hmm...maybe. I've been hankering to replay the Gabriel Knight series for a while, tho' I'm wondering how hard it'll be to get the 1st two to run on my new, improved system. Or Beyond Atlantis. Or I could make an excuse to run down to the big city and find another !


Congrats on finishing. What did you think? Will you be trying another ND game?[/QB][/QUOTE]

Oh yeah! I really liked it a lot! It had a good variety of puzzles, lots of nifty locations, the music was haunting and quite well done. The voice acting was pretty good and the conversations didn't go on forever. I really liked the "second chance" feature--it made the possibility of dying so much less threatening. I think the only thing I could have wanted was more save-game slots.

I think I saw ...don't remember the name, but the one at the theatre...at the same time I bought royal tower. Maybe I'll go there next...

WW

WW glad to hear you enjoyed it so much for so many reasons. I never thought about the short conversations, but now that you mention it.. they we the perfect length. I'm now playing Post Mortem and I would love to see one feature added similar to PM, that is the feature where you can read past dialogue, sometime I missed things in the ND games because the phone rang.. or someone in the house needed something.

Playing with second chance actually has made me hunt for ways to get Nancy in trouble and make fatal mistakes. lol

The Final Scene also has some history about Harry Houdini entwined in the plot. I'd have to say the most difficult part of the game is finding your way around the theatre in the beginning.

If you do get Final Scene, you will probably need the slowdown patch for the end bit...

The Nancy Drew games have evolved as the series has progressed, and some of that I believe in response to player feedback.

Worth pushing for some means of reading old dialogue RydAStar, Her Interactive might well do something.

That's a really good idea, RydAStar. I'd like to see Nancy have a journal of some kind where important information gets recorded. There were a couple things that slipped right by me-- and not just in conversations-- that had me stumbling around thinking "what the heck do I do next?" Then when I found them I was all, "Oh, I had totally forgotten that!!"

Tigger--thanks for the heads up!

WW

I've played them all and am waiting for Shadow Ranch.

Nancy hasn't had a Halloween night adventure. Guess I'm just hung up on that time of year and would sure like an adventure about walking up and down neighborhood streets 'trick-or-treating', getting spooked, etc., ala the "Goosebumps" stories. I can see a Nancy Drew in that environment.

In several of the games Nancy does have some kind of journal that remembers important clues. Sometimes its on her laptop and sometimes its in a book (usually in her luggage). Very handy. I forget things too.

The new SHA (SHAdow Ranch) does have a different journal than the games before and a "to do" list, so if gamers miss the hint of what someone says they can use that list, I like that idea.

You've all encouraged the idea to read past dialogue, I'll put in a suggestion to HI and see what comes up. Thanks everyone.

I also read the next one is based on the best selling ND book of all time!