My Rating: Regular Coffee (2)
Is it a Tomb Better Left Unexplored?
One of my favorite PC games growing up were the Nancy Drew games. I remember going to my childhood best friend's house, and watching him and his cousins all sit in front of the computer together, playing the game. It was fun solving puzzles, interrogating suspects, and experiencing the thrill of catching a culprit red-handed!
Over the years, Her Interactive, the company that produces the Nancy Drew games, still continues to make them to this day. The Nancy Drew games are a huge part of my childhood and even my adult life. If it weren't for them, I probably wouldn't be as open to adventure or puzzle solving games.
Another issue that I tend to see nowadays is that a lot of people don't like to read text in games. Tons of text that the developers purposely put into the game to help the player and immerse them into the experience is skipped entirely. Why? Because of laziness. That's why. Let's just get into the action, the killing, the fun!
Nancy Drew games proved that you could still have fun and not be killing something or constantly have your thumbs being stimulated. Why not stimulate your brain?
Below is my Amazon review for Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen. It's not my favorite Nancy Drew game, mostly because of the game's attempt to try and be something that it's not. I feel like HeR was having a good time with Nancy being in Egypt that it strayed away from the true mystery. The tomb was also not very fun to be in at all either.
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Tomb Worth Exploring?,
Note: This review may contain MINOR spoilers such as references to puzzles or characters. Reader discretion is advised.
From centuries old Egyptian curses, to a secret and lost tomb filled with mystery, Nancy Drew's latest adventure, Tomb of the Lost Queen, is most definitely worth a glance. HerInteractive is emphasizing this game as a new trademark to their series, mostly because it boasts a new user interface, and an improved screen resolution. So is the game worth a buy?
Storyline: 4 out of 5
The Good-
+The game's story was very exciting and much better than Trail of the Twister, (which has a similar story), in my opinion. One could most definitely tell that HeR improved as far as character development when playing through this game.
+Each of the characters in the game were very memorable and unique in their own way. Abdullah and Lilly were very interesting to talk to because they often had plenty to say about Egyptian factoids. Jimila and Dylan were also very humorous and interesting to interrogate, and I often couldn't wait to see what they had to say about various factors regarding the sabotaged accidents. It was also very interesting to see that Professor Hotchkiss is back, and it was very intriguing to give her periodic phone calls throughout the game. Professor Boyle was also a good phone a friend, but I found his voice to be somewhat monotone throughout each call which almost made it seem like he wasn't enthused about the tomb.
+Each of the characters in the game all really had secrets to hide, and I often found it very fun to interrogate them and see what they had to say. It made the game really fun to play, and I never felt bored.
+The characters in this game actually move around! Surprising, right!? Throughout the game, Nancy will have to manipulate and even lie to various characters to make them move to other locations while she does her snooping. Very clever, HeR!
+Usually, whenever cutscenes happen in a Nancy Drew game, it means that it's the end of the game and that the culprit is revealing themselves to Nancy. It is most DEFINITELY NOT THE CASE IN THIS GAME!! There are tons of moments in this game where there are cutscenes that make the player question if the game is finally over. (I had my doubts, of course!) I found the cutscenes to be really fun and very surprising. I'm really glad that HeR is also making the game more cinematic, since this game contained plenty of intriguing cutscenes to view. (Nancy's Prince of Persia moves, for example)
The Bad-
-Like most Nancy Drew games, this one doesn't really stray too far from the series as far as a plot line goes. Many of the usual plot points have been recycled here: a lost treasure, a mysterious curse, a string of sabotaged accidents, you name it. In my opinion, the so called CURSE, was added in as a last minute idea. I never really felt like a supernatural force was dooming everyone. And it didn't help that Nancy kept dismissing it as someone sabotaging the camp, since it took away from the idea that the curse may actually exist, which would spruce up the story's plot.
-The beginning of the game felt like something was missing. The opening introduction of Nancy's story regarding the missing team was cool, but then it suddenly jumps straight into the sandstorm and Professor Boyle getting attacked. What happened to getting introduced to the characters first?! Or at least getting settled into the camp for that matter. I really didn't feel bad (or any emotional tie) that Professor Boyle got attacked, and it really didn't make sense to just jump into the game that fast. The introduction wasn't bad, but it really could have been improved immensely. After all, the introduction is what makes the player WANT to know what happens next!
Gameplay: 4 out of 5
The Good-
+The new user interface in this game is FANTASTIC. HeR hit a home run with the new inventory screen and task list. It fits the game quite nicely and it just feels so natural to use.
+Nancy's cellphone was a great addition to the user interface, and I'm glad that HeR is emphasizing Nancy's move into this generation with the upgraded technology. I also like that although Nancy's camera didn't have any use in the game for tasks, it served as a great way to keep note of important murals as well as important books that we couldn't take with us. I just wish that her phone had a mini-game or something to pass the time when bored. (I purchased the game at retail and not pre order, and I really don't think it's fair to purchase a game with features that were taken out just for the people that "pre-ordered"!
+While there's only two major places to go in the game, they are extremely in depth, most notably the tomb. At the beginning of the game, the tomb comes across as a disappointment, mostly because it feels so small. But as the game gets in about the middle, the tomb opens up into this HUGE maze of places to explore and plenty of mysterious puzzles to solve.
+The puzzles in the game are challenging, brain teasing, and fun! Some of them were pretty difficult, but nothing too impossible. The only one that really annoyed me the most was the tomb of Nefetari's children. Thank God for the Hint Hotline!
+The Hint Hot line is honestly, a godsend. Once Nancy has toyed with a puzzle for too long, the Hint Hotline actually shows the solution to the puzzle, which really made the game more fun, since the player doesn't have to seek an outside source for help. (Note: I didn't use any outside sources to beat the game)
+This game was surprisingly longer than other titles in the series. I would estimate approx 6-8 hours of gameplay here, and that's just Junior detective.
+The game at some points, has a glyph translating puzzle that players have to solve. Thankfully, HeR added a "quick translate" button, which really made the game much more enjoyable. After all, if Nancy can instantly translate some glyphs, why not all of them? Note: There's a glitch in the translating puzzle where the "F" button doesn't allow you to solve the puzzle in junior detective. In order to fix this, HeR has released a patch to solve the problem that you can download from their site. It doesn't hinder the gameplay by any means, mostly because players can just click on the "Quick Translate" button to skip the puzzle. Some people say that they'd rather solve the puzzle, but in my opinion, there's far more challenging puzzles to worry about than the translating ones.
The Bad-
-The game features that Nancy has to choose her options carefully as far as dialogue goes, but there really isn't any parts in the game that make that a factor. I was kind of disappointed and was really hoping for those kind of puzzles. However, I did notice that the dialogue is drastically different if Nancy chooses different responses during conversations, which I thought was cool.
-The game is littered with pictures of random people, yet they really don't serve any purpose in the game. I understand that HeR wants to put cameos of real life people in their games, but at least incorporate them in ways that make sense. Randomly placing pictures in Nancy's chest or putting them in the site grid book was unnecessary. (Unless HeR photoshopped a suspect into the picture, perhaps?)
-This is probably not going to happen until 5 years from now, but in my opinion, the point and click game play is getting old. Nancy Drew games need to be more 3D like, Myst 3: Exile, for example. Even if the game was a panorama, that would be an amazing graphical update. The user interface is great, but imagine Nancy Drew games where Nancy can look at the ceiling or at the floor seamlessly with the drag of a mouse.
Soundtrack: 4 out of 5
The Good:
+The soundtrack in TMB was very memorable and fun to listen to. Each of the songs had a mysterious tone to them, and none of them sounded like I was on "vacation" to Egypt, like some of the other Nancy Drew games had. Although I never really felt "scared" in this game, the music was very chilling to listen to sometimes.
+The sound effects in the game were very realistic and interesting to listen to. Some of them sounded like rehashed sounds from past Nancy Drew games, but I didn't mind it too much. I really liked how random rocks would fall in the tomb when Nancy was trying to solve a puzzle.
'The Bad:'
Nancy's options for ringtones/call tones all sound terrible! I miss George's Jazzy one from Alibi in Ashes, or even the Italian dance music from Captive Curse. Nancy also doesn't get phone calls from other players in the game anyways, but I still think it would've been nice to have those.
The voice overs for the suspects was very cool to listen to, although I found it kind of awkward sometimes that suspects would randomly be friendly to Nancy when saying goodbye after yelling at her or clamming up to Nancy's questioning. In my opinion, this could easily be fixed if HeR made it so that the suspect dismissed Nancy without giving her the option to say goodbye. Then perhaps, it wouldn't be so awkward.
Conclusion: 4 out of 5
Tomb of the Lost Queen is mostly definitely a huge overhaul in the series as far as quality goes. The gameplay was spot on, the graphic updates and new user interface is beautiful, and the ending tied loose ends very nicely. Unfortunately, it was ultimately the beginning of the game as well as a few random gameplay quirks that rendered the game one point off my scale. Let's hope Nancy Drew's next game can fix the story introductory problems like this one! With that said, I can proudly say that new novice players will have a good time with this game as well as veterans alike.
From centuries old Egyptian curses, to a secret and lost tomb filled with mystery, Nancy Drew's latest adventure, Tomb of the Lost Queen, is most definitely worth a glance. HerInteractive is emphasizing this game as a new trademark to their series, mostly because it boasts a new user interface, and an improved screen resolution. So is the game worth a buy?
Storyline: 4 out of 5
The Good-
+The game's story was very exciting and much better than Trail of the Twister, (which has a similar story), in my opinion. One could most definitely tell that HeR improved as far as character development when playing through this game.
+Each of the characters in the game were very memorable and unique in their own way. Abdullah and Lilly were very interesting to talk to because they often had plenty to say about Egyptian factoids. Jimila and Dylan were also very humorous and interesting to interrogate, and I often couldn't wait to see what they had to say about various factors regarding the sabotaged accidents. It was also very interesting to see that Professor Hotchkiss is back, and it was very intriguing to give her periodic phone calls throughout the game. Professor Boyle was also a good phone a friend, but I found his voice to be somewhat monotone throughout each call which almost made it seem like he wasn't enthused about the tomb.
+Each of the characters in the game all really had secrets to hide, and I often found it very fun to interrogate them and see what they had to say. It made the game really fun to play, and I never felt bored.
+The characters in this game actually move around! Surprising, right!? Throughout the game, Nancy will have to manipulate and even lie to various characters to make them move to other locations while she does her snooping. Very clever, HeR!
+Usually, whenever cutscenes happen in a Nancy Drew game, it means that it's the end of the game and that the culprit is revealing themselves to Nancy. It is most DEFINITELY NOT THE CASE IN THIS GAME!! There are tons of moments in this game where there are cutscenes that make the player question if the game is finally over. (I had my doubts, of course!) I found the cutscenes to be really fun and very surprising. I'm really glad that HeR is also making the game more cinematic, since this game contained plenty of intriguing cutscenes to view. (Nancy's Prince of Persia moves, for example)
The Bad-
-Like most Nancy Drew games, this one doesn't really stray too far from the series as far as a plot line goes. Many of the usual plot points have been recycled here: a lost treasure, a mysterious curse, a string of sabotaged accidents, you name it. In my opinion, the so called CURSE, was added in as a last minute idea. I never really felt like a supernatural force was dooming everyone. And it didn't help that Nancy kept dismissing it as someone sabotaging the camp, since it took away from the idea that the curse may actually exist, which would spruce up the story's plot.
-The beginning of the game felt like something was missing. The opening introduction of Nancy's story regarding the missing team was cool, but then it suddenly jumps straight into the sandstorm and Professor Boyle getting attacked. What happened to getting introduced to the characters first?! Or at least getting settled into the camp for that matter. I really didn't feel bad (or any emotional tie) that Professor Boyle got attacked, and it really didn't make sense to just jump into the game that fast. The introduction wasn't bad, but it really could have been improved immensely. After all, the introduction is what makes the player WANT to know what happens next!
Gameplay: 4 out of 5
The Good-
+The new user interface in this game is FANTASTIC. HeR hit a home run with the new inventory screen and task list. It fits the game quite nicely and it just feels so natural to use.
+Nancy's cellphone was a great addition to the user interface, and I'm glad that HeR is emphasizing Nancy's move into this generation with the upgraded technology. I also like that although Nancy's camera didn't have any use in the game for tasks, it served as a great way to keep note of important murals as well as important books that we couldn't take with us. I just wish that her phone had a mini-game or something to pass the time when bored. (I purchased the game at retail and not pre order, and I really don't think it's fair to purchase a game with features that were taken out just for the people that "pre-ordered"!
+While there's only two major places to go in the game, they are extremely in depth, most notably the tomb. At the beginning of the game, the tomb comes across as a disappointment, mostly because it feels so small. But as the game gets in about the middle, the tomb opens up into this HUGE maze of places to explore and plenty of mysterious puzzles to solve.
+The puzzles in the game are challenging, brain teasing, and fun! Some of them were pretty difficult, but nothing too impossible. The only one that really annoyed me the most was the tomb of Nefetari's children. Thank God for the Hint Hotline!
+The Hint Hot line is honestly, a godsend. Once Nancy has toyed with a puzzle for too long, the Hint Hotline actually shows the solution to the puzzle, which really made the game more fun, since the player doesn't have to seek an outside source for help. (Note: I didn't use any outside sources to beat the game)
+This game was surprisingly longer than other titles in the series. I would estimate approx 6-8 hours of gameplay here, and that's just Junior detective.
+The game at some points, has a glyph translating puzzle that players have to solve. Thankfully, HeR added a "quick translate" button, which really made the game much more enjoyable. After all, if Nancy can instantly translate some glyphs, why not all of them? Note: There's a glitch in the translating puzzle where the "F" button doesn't allow you to solve the puzzle in junior detective. In order to fix this, HeR has released a patch to solve the problem that you can download from their site. It doesn't hinder the gameplay by any means, mostly because players can just click on the "Quick Translate" button to skip the puzzle. Some people say that they'd rather solve the puzzle, but in my opinion, there's far more challenging puzzles to worry about than the translating ones.
The Bad-
-The game features that Nancy has to choose her options carefully as far as dialogue goes, but there really isn't any parts in the game that make that a factor. I was kind of disappointed and was really hoping for those kind of puzzles. However, I did notice that the dialogue is drastically different if Nancy chooses different responses during conversations, which I thought was cool.
-The game is littered with pictures of random people, yet they really don't serve any purpose in the game. I understand that HeR wants to put cameos of real life people in their games, but at least incorporate them in ways that make sense. Randomly placing pictures in Nancy's chest or putting them in the site grid book was unnecessary. (Unless HeR photoshopped a suspect into the picture, perhaps?)
-This is probably not going to happen until 5 years from now, but in my opinion, the point and click game play is getting old. Nancy Drew games need to be more 3D like, Myst 3: Exile, for example. Even if the game was a panorama, that would be an amazing graphical update. The user interface is great, but imagine Nancy Drew games where Nancy can look at the ceiling or at the floor seamlessly with the drag of a mouse.
Soundtrack: 4 out of 5
The Good:
+The soundtrack in TMB was very memorable and fun to listen to. Each of the songs had a mysterious tone to them, and none of them sounded like I was on "vacation" to Egypt, like some of the other Nancy Drew games had. Although I never really felt "scared" in this game, the music was very chilling to listen to sometimes.
+The sound effects in the game were very realistic and interesting to listen to. Some of them sounded like rehashed sounds from past Nancy Drew games, but I didn't mind it too much. I really liked how random rocks would fall in the tomb when Nancy was trying to solve a puzzle.
'The Bad:'
Nancy's options for ringtones/call tones all sound terrible! I miss George's Jazzy one from Alibi in Ashes, or even the Italian dance music from Captive Curse. Nancy also doesn't get phone calls from other players in the game anyways, but I still think it would've been nice to have those.
The voice overs for the suspects was very cool to listen to, although I found it kind of awkward sometimes that suspects would randomly be friendly to Nancy when saying goodbye after yelling at her or clamming up to Nancy's questioning. In my opinion, this could easily be fixed if HeR made it so that the suspect dismissed Nancy without giving her the option to say goodbye. Then perhaps, it wouldn't be so awkward.
Conclusion: 4 out of 5
Tomb of the Lost Queen is mostly definitely a huge overhaul in the series as far as quality goes. The gameplay was spot on, the graphic updates and new user interface is beautiful, and the ending tied loose ends very nicely. Unfortunately, it was ultimately the beginning of the game as well as a few random gameplay quirks that rendered the game one point off my scale. Let's hope Nancy Drew's next game can fix the story introductory problems like this one! With that said, I can proudly say that new novice players will have a good time with this game as well as veterans alike.
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Sometimes I feel like if I were the one writing the mysteries for these Nancy Drew games, I could probably write a better mystery than what the game gave us. I know that HeR wants to base their games off the Nancy Drew books, but come on.
Also, the E rating that they want to preserve is ridiculous. If grade school children are being taught to read the Clue books, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Harry Potter, (each having death and murder as themes) then a mystery game like Nancy Drew should have a motive like that as well.
Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed my review. Stay tuned for more! :)
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