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haruki's Nancy Drew: Secret of the Old Clock (PC)
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| [February 9, 2008 02:33:20 AM]
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Game Log Entry #2
Gameplay: I was actually not paying attention to the time, and went three hours overboard for the game, but that shouldn't be too important. I noticed after taking my break that the second round of tackling the case really didn't have any actual detective work at all! A lot of the game is sequence based, where I just run around, doing odd tasks such as delivering mail and running errands by driving around the whole town. It isn't until after I finish such tasks that I actually do get somewhat of a continuation into the story or have a new event open up for me to do. Despite the major annoyance, it was hilariously fun listening to the different voices and personalities of the townsfolk who actually do depict a very good 1920s/30s impression.
Solving puzzles became tiring and I actually found one of the obstacles that I had to go through in order to receive a toy that gives me the word "pony" to be ridiculous. I had to go through a golf course and win with the least par. Personally, I found a lack of actual detective work and its actually quite irksome in comparison to the past Nancy Drew games that I have played before. Somehow, overtime, the games went from actual sleuthing, where Nancy waits till nighttime to look scavenge through her suspects belongings with the intimidating feature that they'd be back any moment, to just regular puzzle solving and sequence of story. The thrill is gone when the idea of the game just goes off track like this.
DESIGN: Overall, the graphics design of the game is beautiful. The art and 3D graphics is artistic in a sense that it is not active, but still. The game bases itself on moving by using screen to screen images, making it seem like you're psuedo-moving. You click either right or left and a new image shows up to show you what's on your right and what's on your left. It's not very complicated because there's not a lot of animation with exception of the characters and certain background props (clock, steam, etc.) The cut scenes during events were actually quite disappointing because of all the parts where you actually get to see some bit of animation in the game, it's short, stiff, and choppy. For example, a quick cut scene where you're actually not controlling the character is when Nancy runs up the stairs to address the scream she heard. You see the bottom of the stairs shift to the top of the stairs, to the bedroom, and that's it. It's back to game play.
The game runs on a simplistic click-based type of style where you just click around to navigate, and pick up stuff. There is a very limited amount of space where you can explore the world. You're only allowed to go where the arrows on your mouse allows you to go, which is usually right, left, forward, or back to a new screen. You're also very limited as to what you can pick up when facing a certain part of the room and it's actually quite frustrating to me because sometimes you see very cool things in the background such as an instrument or a bright orange bouncy ball that you'd just have the urge to pick up if it was real life. Unfortunately , the game would only allow your mouse to glow red when you're over a magazine or tool that will assist you. Sometimes it's fun to explore the random parts of a game and I think that'd be an awesome feature to include, where not every clue is helpful. It'd definitely make the game more challenging aside from the sequences and sequences or puzzles that have nothing to do with detective work in which they just love to throw at you.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Feb 9th, 2008 at 02:39:55.
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| [February 9, 2008 02:09:39 AM]
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Game Log entry #1
Summary: In Nancy Drew: Secret of the Old clock, you play as the spunky teen detective, Nancy Drew, to battle her first case in solving a new mystery that involves her friend's mysterious jewel disappearance and find a secret will left by an eccentric man of eccentric interests.
Gameplay #1: Having played the past Nancy Drew series games before, I was a little surprised as to how the Dream Capture company has improved their graphics so dramatically in comparison to the first game, Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill. The game setting takes place in roughly the early 1900s. I actually quite like how the atmosphere of the early 20th century was portrayed through the various character's way of speech. I wonder when was the last time I heard the word, "chip off the old block" and "don't take any wooden nickels!" Anyhow, a problem that I've encountered while playing the game was how subtly feminine the game is. Usually, playing as a female character is fine in a game is fine, but in Nancy Drew, you are literally playing through the eyes of Nancy. In other words, what you see is what she sees. You feel as if you are her, and when she picks up the phone to whine to her father, it is easy for girls to sympathize, but a little more difficult for males to due to the tone of her voice and the way she acts.
The game has a major lack of action and is based purely on how well you observe your background and gather useful information. I was a little annoyed at the puzzles I had to solve in the Lilac Inn waiting room in order to obtain a mirror clue. Interrogating people was actually enjoyable because I was given a choice as to how I should respond to people. The choices are pretty limited, and I noticed that it doesn't affect the story much, but at least I was given a choice as to how to approach the interrogation. Overall at the moment, the game is very intriguing and I have a bunch of notebook paper ready to jot down the puzzles, clues, and other oddities I find.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Feb 9th, 2008 at 02:36:13.
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haruki's Nancy Drew: Secret of the Old Clock (PC)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Saturday 9 February, 2008
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