Nancy Drew Games: Mind if I vent a little?

There's something about Nancy doing all the work and other people just sitting around either asking her to do more or demanding work before they talk with her. In Castle Malloy, after Nancy gathered all those flowers, took them to Kyler and was ordered by Kyler, who has not risen off her seat since the game began, to put them in the vase, that was the final straw for me. Maybe I'm just getting old but I think I would have been a little ticked even if I were just a teen. I wanted Nancy to slap those flowers down in front of her and demand she put 'em in her own darn vase!! I swear I'm dreaming of a new Nancy Drew game where Nancy gets a black belt, pays a visit to all who sat there and barked orders at her while she worked her bum off to help them and lay a Chuck Norris on all of them. HI YAH! Go Nancy! Atta girl!! Thanks for letting me vent. Here's hoping Nancy straps that jet pack to Kyler and off yer rear and TO THE MOON!!

I have to say that I have felt that way myself.

Ana

Nancy does seem to be everybody's gofer. I think the most annoying for me was "White Wolves of Icicle Creek", where she had to keep dashing back to the Inn to cook meals, interrupting her investigations.

On the other hand, she does get to travel to beautiful and exotic locales, where she gets to stay for free, even if she does have to risk her life and limbs once in a while..

Nancy's practicing for the day she marries Ned and becomes a mother, when she'll be working even harder at running errands for demanding people.

Isn't that the truth!

Poor, Nancy

But...She is so polite & very nice in everything she does

I could be wrong but wasn't Ned a girl in the original books?

Im not saying what I thought when I read down this colum about Ned being a girl although I think you may be right ....I would get put in the naughty corner for sure Yes it is very agravating some times how she does what every one says.Maybe in the next game they should think about making her more like a every day sort of teenager .Maybe some of you have thoughts on that ....I m sure Im going to the naughty corner

Hi, clatterNdin!

I feel your pain, but those pesky chores that Nancy is forced to perform before she can pry any information out of the characters extend the gameplay, and perhaps the game developers can't come up with another way to achieve this goal.

I only started HOCM, but already it seems as though Kyler is taking maid of honor duties to the limit !

Susan

Totally.
That's why I gave up on those games. All the "chores".
I think the last game I enjoyed was The Ghost Dog one......
caz

Apparently not.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Drew
Perhaps you're thinking of one of Nancy's other friends.

Looks like George is the female friend.

Interesting article Jenny!

Ana

I think Nancy told everyone secretly that she enjoys walking from place to place and taking care of other people. Who knows maybe she wants to open her own Bed and Breakfast one day and all these chores and different tasks are HerInteractive's way of training her for the job!!

Kem

I read all of the Nancy Drew books when I was a kid. Ned was definitely not a girl. Maybe you're thinking of George her friend who was a girl but a bit of a tomboy too. Bess and George were cousins and Nancy's friends.

Whenever I hear someone saying they're going to vent, I imagine them growing an air conditioner vent in their head and blowing steam out of it.
It looks very odd.

Yes, you're right, it was George I was thinking of. I knew one of her female friends had a boy's name. The Nancy Drews I read as a youngster didn't have a hint of romance in them! But I can remember wondering what on earth a "roadster" was.

I think George is going with Nancy and Bess on Nancy's next vacation. I think it is so George who says she sits at home and does nothing can have just as much fun playing detective like Bess did when she and Nancy went to New Orleans. Maybe George will even help Nancy out with some of her wacky chores she has to do!

Kem

could not agree more re: Nancy DrewI have tried and failed to finish curse of Blackmoor Mansion due to having to play stupid games with Jane just to get a glowstick, havent these people heard of torches(flashlights)? would seriously like to slap that kid!

Blackmoor Manor was one of the first ones that got to me too. Up until this point I was playing them without using walkthrouhs but when I got this one I got halfway though it and got stuck. Even the walkthrough didn't help. I finally wound up starting it over and doing it step by step with the walkthrough. I really don't enjoy games that have to be played this way. There was also a mini game in it where even if you did it right it would not work until you set the flag. I don't thing they should let a gamer work with any puzzle that is not solvable. If I remember right you also had to find a crank for it so you thought the flag was set.

I agree about the frustration of the puzzles. There should be a option where 3 times we fail we get option to by pass the puzzle and not be penalized.

Many Nancy Drews do not get finished because I cannot pass a certain puzzle. Therefore I feel I have wasted my money on a game that I could not solve.

Sherryah

I have to agree with all of you. There are too many stupid tasks and not enough excitment. I have played 18 Nancy Drew games and I can honestly say the earlier ones were the best. My favorite was Message in The Haunted Mansion. There were a few tasks but it was exciting and there were clues everywhere. I don't find that in the newer ND games. I did read all the Nancy Drew books growing up and the games are getting away from those mystery type stories. Too many tasks and the puzzles are difficult. It isn't about using your mind anymore. It is how fast can you click your mouse or games that are tedious. I would like to see the 10 year old that can play these games without a walk-though or the help of an adult. Hey adults have a hard enough time without the walk-through or hint board. I am playing more games on Big Fish these days because the games that are being created now are just not that good. It's all about graphics and I find there isn't much to the story line. I have at least ten games that I have played and have never finished. Give me the old games any day. I want excitment, a good story, and lots of places to explore. Has anyone played RHIANNON "Curse of the four Branches". I downloaded the Demo. It's hard to tell if it is a good game or not. I prefer first person... point and click. Not too many out there. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I'll add my two cents worth in that I have all of the ND games except the last one and I don't think I'll get it for the very same reasons. I have struggled with all but two or three of the games to finish them and it shouldn't be work, it should be fun.

The first two Nancy Drew games were Secrets Can Kill and Stay Tuned for Danger, and I don't remember them being much else than fetchquests. So I would not say the earlier ones were the best. I think it varies between games. Some of the side quests in games like Ghost Dogs, Danger on Deception Island, Treasure in the Royal Tower, Secret of the Scarlet Hand, and many others were meant to be educational. Don't forget these games are aimed at young girls and teens, not at adults, so that is the audience that is being catered to. A young person may not be as baffled by a puzzle as an adult (and I'm not talking merely about the arcade-type puzzles here).

The games should, however, take into account that there are young girls with physical disabilities who would appreciate a "puzzle skip" for those arcade type puzzles though.

I think White Wolf of Icicle Creek was an all-time low. Not since Stay Tuned For Danger have I disliked a Nancy Drew game more -- and I think White Wolf may actually be worse. It would have been a lot better without all the stupid housework and having to do things at a certain time. I liked the venue and the wolf, but there was too much scheduling of your time and busywork. I think White Wolf is the game that got people wondering if they really enjoyed Nancy Drew and whether the games were worth buying, despite the fact that the games since then have been a lot better.

I've enjoyed all of the Nancy Drew games & appreciated early on that they were made for a younger audience than myself & many others of us that play them.

The educational aspect seems to have mostly disappeared several games ago & I think the quality of the games sunk with The White Wolf of Icicle Creek, Creature of Kapu Cave & Danger by Design.

The Legend of the Crystal Skull is not one of my favourites but a good game I thought for anyone that likes to get stuck into a series of puzzles.

I ended up really liking the story of White Wolf & I loved the fox & geese game but I didn't think it was very 'educational' to encourage the hurling of snowballs specifically into a child's face.

After those 4, after a bad start I went on to really appreciate Phantom of Venice - the best game I thought for a few years - I haven't played Castle Malloy yet!

White Wolf was not that "educational," but Danger by Design had the information about the Enigma machine used in World War II. Kapu Cave had information about the different shells and marine wildlife. Maybe you could argue that White Wolf had information about the different fish you catch, but there wasn't a whole lot and I can't say I remember what any of them looked like. In Shadow Ranch you learned about tomatos and vegetables. I think Scarlet Hand had the most "educational" stuff with your having to put the museum in order. Lots of chores in that one. Ghost Dogs had a lot of educational stuff too, with the information in the Ranger's Office, but I don't think you had to read all of it.

I thought more people liked Kapu Cave, but I think I liked Danger by Design a little better. Phantom of Venice is the best recent Nancy Drew game I've played since Blackmoor Manor (which I enjoyed despite the annoying kid and the typing test). Castle Malloy is in the mail.

Jenney 100- I have to agree with you about the first two ND games Secrets Can Kill & Stay Tuned for Danger. They were not two of my favorites. However, I remember buying Message in a Haunted Mansion first. The others came later. I agree about many of the games being educational. I loved Scarlet Hand. I also agree that Blackmoor Manor was one of the best. I also agree that the kid was annoying. But that game had excitement and great puzzles. Haunted Carousel was a disapointment. I loved Last Train to Blue moon Canyon. My only complaint is... the arcade type puzzles and ... the stupid tasks. I played all 18 ND all the way through except for White Wolf of Icicle Creek. I have even gone back years later and played them a second time. I love the Nancy Drew games but sometimes they miss the boat. I am going out next week to purchase the new one. From what I have seen and hear so far it sounds like one of the better ones. I sure hope so. I guess everyone likes specific things in these games and it could be the makers are trying to please everyone. For the most part they are the better adventure games out there and I will continue to purchase and play them.

When I read a few Nancy Drew's as a girl, eons before her hard copy update, what put me off the series was how drearily good she was at everything compared to her chums. Now with the games, the chores are almost as bad but not quite. HER seems to have an agenda that includes Schlafly-esque concerns.

I don't remember thinking that. Did you read the newer "updated" books or the older editions? The older ones were a lot better.

Personally I would like to see in N.D. more inventory based puzzles and less logic puzzles or learn how to do something puzzles. I wouldn't mind if they would give us an option to skip the puzzle if we get stuck. Thats just my opinion.

Also I am playing danger by design right now and hate fixing machines and blowing myself up trying to develop pictures. In reality I would REFUSE and say do it yourself! Making the tea really got on my nerves and finally had to look at MaG's walkthru to get past it.

Sherryah
EDIT................
I just thought of another reason I love N.D. and now the hardy boys. They haven't lost the innocence of the characters. When my kids play the games with me I know that I don't have to worry about curse words for instance. Can you picture what Nancy would do if someone told her to draw a pentagram or cast a witchcraft spell? She and the Hardy boys would run away in 7 different directions. I also know there is still morality and teaching right from wrong also.

I like all of the ND games because of most of the logic puzzles and while I don't mind the chores, I can understand why others have negative opinions of them. For me, the ND games sort of an easy, relaxing break from most of the more difficult games I play. My biggest issue with the games, though, is that we don't get to guess who the culprit is of each game. Because I am playing Nancy and supposed to be a detective it would be nice to actually do some sleuthing during the game an determine the culprit as part of the game.

WOW I have to agree guessing who the culprit is would be more fun.


That is a great suggestion and hope you write gaming company and give them that suggestion. They can keep their chores and puzzles and just let me figure out who did the crime so they can do the time!

I've played most of the ND games but have only finished a few. I really don't mind the mini-games and chores. I loved diving for shells and making the necklaces in Kapu Cave. But I get hung up on the arcade type mini-games and also the endings. Running away from the culprit at the end I don't enjoy at all. I would much rather have access to more areas or rooms to explore. Haunted Mansion and Blackmoor Manor games could have been so much more interesting with more accessible areas. I didn't find the snowmobile race at the end of White Wolf enjoyable at all. Those timed races just tense me up. By the time they happen in the game I really don't want to be bothered, as I know the best of the game is done, so I rarely finish.