| 20 JUL 2008 at 7:35pm |
Terry PenrodGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 6694
Joined: 16 OCT 2004
Location: US, Texas
Status : Offline | .
In a world seething with meanness, violence, greed, jealousy and depravity - there's a place for a few squeaky-clean gumdrop fantasies where sugar and spice and all things nice prevail.
Perhaps not my cup of make-believe tea party brew, but Nancy Drew appeals to many people young and old. So do Barney, Sesame Street, Disney films and other family-oriented entertainment products rated for even the littlest kids.
Besides, we already have truckloads of games based on horror, crime, war and sex. So what's the big deal if a certain number of truly tame titles are also released each year?
Cheers, Terry
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| 20 JUL 2008 at 8:14pm |
Jenny100Guild Master
Posts : 3510
Joined: 12 OCT 2002
Status : Offline | Let's see, the target audience for the Nancy Drew games is adolescent and young teenaged girls -- and you want to bombard them with hopelessness, a sick atmosphere, sexual innuendos, swear words, horrible mutants, and sleazy guys?
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| 20 JUL 2008 at 10:50pm |
AndromusGuild Master
Posts : 5540
Joined: 6 NOV 2002
Status : Offline | Even though I've had other serious issues with the two Nancy Drew games I've played, I can't say their tameness was one of them. In fact, it would have been disturbing and out of place if adult themes had popped up there.
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| 20 JUL 2008 at 11:40pm |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16553
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | I grew up reading Nancy Drew books and I loved every one of them. The games are as Jenny100 says, intended for pre and adolescent girls and others to whom this genre appeals. The single ND game I played bored me silly so I didn't buy any others. I suggest you stop slagging them and play games that appeal to you. There's got to be room for the innocent in this world.
I don't think you'll be on Susan's Christmas card list now....
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| 21 JUL 2008 at 3:37pm |
SuperEdyPrivate Detective
Posts : 772
Joined: 30 MAR 2007
Status : Online | It's funny, most people didn't like the games, yet they feel the need to come at their rescue. All these knights in shining armour must defend the series just because it's a family product, is being a family product a quality in itself?
1. The mini-games are mostly random, boring and sometimes frustrating, any age you may be
2. All the games look as if they have been mass-produced. Unlike the Gabriel Knight and the Sherlock Holmes series they all seem to have come out of the same mould
3. They totally lack pathos (and the sense of humour is pretty missing too). Fables are for kids, yet they convey much more emotion (the death of the little match girl is heart-breaking), they are often written with darker hues (Hansel & Gretel is a story about cannibalism), you feel for their characters.
I think younger people deserve at least more involving stories.
Originally Posted By Snow Goddess (20 JUL 2008 11:40pm)
I suggest you stop slagging them and play games that appeal to you.
Of course I play other games, but the Hot Spot is meant for this kind of discussion, isn't it? We all know that, in the end, we won't change our mind on the games, I'll continue not liking the series and you will ... continue not liking the series
[b]Currently Playing[/b]: None of your business
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| 21 JUL 2008 at 7:02pm |
Steve VSorcerer Apprentice
Posts : 265
Joined: 16 MAR 2008
Status : Online | SuperEdy, its really very simple, the ND games with their quite formulaic structure and (fairly) innocent gameplay bring much gold to the coffers of Her Interactive. I can't think of another video game series that is about to bring out their 19th offering! Even though the games don't appeal to me I happen to be a 46 year old British male who wouldn't know Nancy Drew from Nancy Reagan so I accept that these games aren't targeted at me. I played Message In a Haunted Mansion for half an hour and realised this wasn't my cup of tea but I can see that for the demographic these games are aimed at they have some kind of value.
Many of the posts you find on message boards about the ND games suggest that a lot of mothers and daughters play these games together and it gives them 'quality time' with each other. It would be churlish to suggest that this is a negative thing and IMO is something quite refreshing in the otherwise cynical, selfish and cruel world we live in.
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| 22 JUL 2008 at 4:23pm |
DarleenIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 54
Joined: 19 SEP 2007
Status : Online | Years ago I use to love ND games....BUT here comes the new ones of Cooking & ChoresThats where I draw the line on purchase...
///*_*\\\
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| 22 JUL 2008 at 7:04pm |
IviniaGuild Master
Posts : 4459
Joined: 7 JUN 2003
Location: US
Status : Offline | I don't really look at them as serious AGs. They make a nice filler for an evening. I do think they can do so much more with the series, but unfortunately taking risks on changing things is something they aren't willing to do.
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| 23 JUL 2008 at 10:03pm |
Jenny100Guild Master
Posts : 3510
Joined: 12 OCT 2002
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By Darleen (22 JUL 2008 4:23pm)
Years ago I use to love ND games....BUT here comes the new ones of Cooking & ChoresThats where I draw the line on purchase...
If you're talking about White Wolf, I think they've decided to drop all that cooking and cleaning stuff. At least it wasn't like that in Legend of the Crystal Skull and from what I've read, not in Phantom of Venice either. I can see why someone would be turned off of the series after playing White Wolf though. The cooking and cleaning was about as much fun as growing carrots in Wanted/The Westerner.
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| 23 JUL 2008 at 10:54pm |
DarleenIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 54
Joined: 19 SEP 2007
Status : Online | Hi..Jenny
I hated the carrots too... [smiley=laughing.gif]
///*_*\\\
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| 25 JUL 2008 at 7:25am |
pollodiabloSorcerer Apprentice
Posts : 295
Joined: 4 NOV 2002
Status : Offline | I've only played half an ND game (being in Europe, I had searched for months to buy one and spent quite a bit of money on it - they're getting more common now in several webshops but not back then). It was Blackmoor Manor, which is apparently considered one of the better ones, but I did not like it at all. There were puzzles to open doors, and each and every time you opened that door, you had to solve the same puzzle again. There was a mini-game involving a unforgivingly fast timed ghosthunting sequence, a fast-typing game, an impossible dexterity game involving throwing a ball at something and some boardgames, none of which were fun. You could die without proper warning by examining stuff. Some events only occurred at certain times so you had to keep setting clocks to see if anything had changed anywhere in the mansion (which meant opening all those doors again and therefore solving all the puzzles again), then change the time a little, repeat, forward an hour, repeat, etc etc. I'll not start about Nancy's voice. This is the only time I've ever uninstalled an adventure game long before I had finished it and not regretted it afterwards.
Beta-tester of 'The Path', 'Rhiannon', 'Scratches', 'Hope Springs Eternal', 'Time Stand Still', 'Frasse and the Peas of Kejick', '1893: A World's Fair Mystery', 'Carte Blanche' and 'Oakhaven Plantation' a.o.&&
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| 25 JUL 2008 at 8:04pm |
Mr Innocent.Journeyman
Posts : 1317
Joined: 15 JAN 2008
Location: GR
Status : Offline |
Originally Posted By Terry Penrod (20 JUL 2008 7:35pm)
. Besides, we already have truckloads of games based on... sex.
We do? Links, please. Half a truckload will do.
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| 25 JUL 2008 at 8:43pm |
Terry PenrodGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 6694
Joined: 16 OCT 2004
Location: US, Texas
Status : Offline | .
Originally Posted By nik2008ofs (25 JUL 2008 8:04pm)
Originally Posted By Terry Penrod (20 JUL 2008 7:35pm)
.
Besides, we already have truckloads of games based on... sex.
We do? Links, please. Half a truckload will do.
Actually more based on violence in this part of the world. But many popular combat/action games feature a lot of sexy, young characters in skin-tight clothes. Many of them also swear like sailors and frequent some pretty sleazy places.
From street hookers, drug addicts, and predatory pimps in the GTA series to cathouses in Fallout 2 and strip joints in many, many titles (along with a lot of profanity and strong sexual innuendo), we really do get a great deal of mature material in games.
Of course, the super-realistic, ultra-violent content bothers me much more when it comes to kids. But then again, that's what the age ratings are for and in the end, parents need to take responsibility for what their own children play, watch, read, listen to, and emulate at home.
Cheers, Terry
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| 25 JUL 2008 at 9:12pm |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16553
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By Terry Penrod (25 JUL 2008 8:42pm)
.
Originally Posted By nik2008ofs (25 JUL 2008 8:04pm)
Originally Posted By Terry Penrod (20 JUL 2008 7:35pm)
.
Besides, we already have truckloads of games based on... sex.
We do? Links, please. Half a truckload will do.
Ahhh the ever ready libido of the youthful male.... Never mind the quality, it's the quantity that matters....
Originally Posted By Terry Penrod (25 JUL 2008 8:42pm)
.
[...]
From street hookers, drug addicts, and predatory pimps in the GTA series to cathouses in Fallout 2 and strip joints in many, many titles (along with a lot of profanity and strong sexual innuendo), we really do get a great deal of mature material in games.
Of course, the super-realistic, ultra-violent content bothers me much more when it comes to kids. But then again, that's what the age ratings are for and in the end, parents need to take responsibility for what their own children play, watch, read, listen to, and emulate at home.
Cheers, Terry
Precisely. Which is why I still won't let my 13 yr old have GTA and a couple of other titles despite him assuring me such and such a friend has it already. I refuse to let other parents set the bar for what goes in my house. I actually don't think he'd be influenced by such content so much as desensitised and for as long as possible I shall protect his innocence. Besides which, I think it's a good policy to let children see that their parents do have lines they won't cross. One day he'll feel pressured as a parent himself and this experience will empower him to say no to his own kids. At least I think that's how it works.
But you know, if I had daughters I'd probably have started them on Nancy Drew in the hope they'd graduate onto more challenging adventure games. As a means of introducing girls to the computer I think they're probably okay. Afterall, my boys started on mindless racing games.
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| 26 JUL 2008 at 1:49pm |
beaconIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 16
Joined: 4 MAR 2007
Status : Online | There are now two Nancy Drew games out for Nintendo DS. These games are a little different than the PC games by HER INTERACTIVE. I have played the first one, and while the game is short, it does make some improvements and advancements from the PC games. The second DS game that just came out looks to have addressed many of the shortcomings of the first DS game. A third is due in November. Also in the works are Hardy Boys games for PC. These too are not made by HER INTERACTIVE. Not much is known about them other than a few screen shots. The first is due in the Fall sometime. Hopefully these DS Nancy Drew games and PC Hardy Boys will drive HI to improve their product. One thing they have done is port White Wolf to Wii. This is due sometime around Christmas.
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| 29 JUL 2008 at 3:54pm |
KingRyanSorcerer Apprentice
Posts : 281
Joined: 25 JAN 2004
Status : Online | I think the games are in a league of their own, as they're mainly targeted toward younger players. Every game is a completely different experience. Some of the games have been great, others have been of lower quality. I like them because they're not too difficult, they're engaging, well-written, funny, creative, and they satisfy the mystery lover in me. You have to give them credit for being currently the #1 PC series in terms of units sold. That's no small feat. And the people at HER, aside from being some of the nicest, clearly show their dedication and commitment to providing family-friendly edutainment software. I've always had fun with their games.
[size=14][b]Currently Playing:[/b]&&Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis[/size]
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| 30 JUL 2008 at 3:33am |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16553
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | When you look at how the Nancy Drew series was created it's hardly surprising that the games are of varying quality. As a young reader I believed that Carolyne Keene was a real person so it was a jolt to discover later that 'she' was in fact a diverse number of paid ghost writers. Perhaps the games are created by different teams?
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| 1 AUG 2008 at 11:32pm |
karlaAdministrator
Posts : 2613
Joined: 27 JUL 2003
Location: US, Close to the Edge
Status : Online | Originally Posted By Terry Penrod (20 JUL 2008 7:35pm)
In a world seething with meanness, violence, greed, jealousy and depravity - there's a place for a few squeaky-clean gumdrop fantasies where sugar and spice and all things nice prevail.
Amen to that.
Jenny 100 wrote: Let's see, the target audience for the Nancy Drew games is adolescent and young teenaged girls -- and you want to bombard them with hopelessness, a sick atmosphere, sexual innuendos, swear words, horrible mutants, and sleazy guys?
Actually, they already get this stuff in school (in the US, at least).
Okay -- snide remarks aside, I like Nancy games. I've played and enjoyed the first 15, and I'm waaaay past being a young girl (old bag is more like it).
Before I played Blackmoor Manor (my first one), I had no interest in the series. I've never read any of the books, and I figured the games were probably dumb.
Then I received Blackmoor as a gift. It was nothing like I'd expected. I was quite impressed with it.
Some games in the series are better than others, but I think they all have merit. For me, they provide a most welcome respite from an increasingly out-of-control world. If I want to see violence, depravity and/or debauchery, all I need to do is look outside my front door.
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| 3 AUG 2008 at 7:12pm |
loobilooPrivate Detective
Posts : 598
Joined: 3 APR 2008
Location: UK
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By SuperEdy (20 JUL 2008 6:28pm)
I'm sorry if Susan will need a defibrillator after reading this thread, but I really can see no qualities in those games.
Hi SuperEdy, I just wondered - how many of the nancy Drew games have you actually played? If more than one, why do you keep playing them if they have no quality for you?
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| 2 FEB 2009 at 2:21pm |
InesrocksPrivate Detective
Posts : 682
Joined: 16 OCT 2008
Location: PT
Status : Offline | I tried a ND once and after 5 mins I was uninstalling it. I'm sure if I was 12 again I'd appreciate it, but I don't see how these kind of games can appeal to grown ups ....
Playing: Skyrim (ongoing)
Last Finished: can't recall, been too long.
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| 5 FEB 2009 at 8:27pm |
MaumPrivate Detective
Posts : 595
Joined: 2 JUN 2007
Location: UK
Status : Offline | Loved the books as a kid (didn't realise there weren't written by a real person) but I always found Nancy unsufferably smug and irritating, I kept reading the series hoping something bad would happen to her....
Pollodiablo thanks for your comments on Blackmoor Manor. I started playing it ages ago and found it really dull. After reading your post I won't bother picking it up again.
Currently playing: Dragon Age Origins, Dishonored, The Witcher, Fallout 3, Deponia
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| 6 FEB 2009 at 6:43pm |
TCPrivate Detective
Posts : 688
Joined: 14 NOV 2005
Status : Online | At least in racing games you have to use some reflexes and maneuvering skills.
As for those ND games for girls, well honestly I don't see much merit. Maybe if they didn't discriminate teenaged boys as a policy, their products wouldn't be so low-standard.
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| 7 FEB 2009 at 3:10pm |
MaumPrivate Detective
Posts : 595
Joined: 2 JUN 2007
Location: UK
Status : Offline | I think it's very insulting to make any AG 'for girls'.
It's implying that Adventure is for girls (read wimps) and that boys (read real men) want action and fighting- all very patronising.
Currently playing: Dragon Age Origins, Dishonored, The Witcher, Fallout 3, Deponia
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| 7 FEB 2009 at 5:37pm |
Terry PenrodGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 6694
Joined: 16 OCT 2004
Location: US, Texas
Status : Offline | .
Originally Posted By maum (7 FEB 2009 3:10pm)
I think it's very insulting to make any AG 'for girls'.
It's implying that Adventure is for girls (read wimps) and that boys (read real men) want action and fighting- all very patronising.
Insulting or not, there are lots of products aimed specifically at females and males. There are also lots products aimed at different age groups, income groups, social groups, interest groups, etc.
For instance, Barbie "dolls" were NOT made for boys (although some boys also like them) and G.I. Joe "action figures" were NOT made for girls (although some girls also like them).
The same can be said of romance novels or soap operas for women vs. violent books, shows, etc. for men.
Fashion is another area where tons of different products are designed for females and males.
Even cell phones and shaving razors come in feminine pink for girls / women and various shades of blue for boys / men. It's just the way society treats the whole gender role-assignment thing.
Cheers, Terry
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