Customer Reviews

Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses!

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I really enjoy Herinteractive's adventure pc series, but during semesters when I'm busy with assignments from college, I don't have time to play them. When Herinteractive came out with this new series that advertised "fast fun for busy detectives" I was very pleased.

Positive aspects-
Hidden object games do not appeal to me (I've played demos) but Herinteractive has a neat twist to it which was fun. The player looks for objects that need to be used together to solve various problems or obstacles. In between levels, you can play other puzzles to get you more points. If you get enough points, you will get a bonus ending. This makes the dossier game great for replaying.

I felt that each level was easy enough for me to figure out on my own, and because I did not have to worry about lengthy conversations, I could finish a level in time to get back to what I needed to do. It is fun to choose what you want to say in the adventure series, but I was not disappointed with the new quiz type of conversations. In fact, it is entertaining to read all the choices since Herinteractive adds humor to them.

The music in this game is a real bonus to me. I sometimes replayed the game just because I wanted to hear the various pieces again. Besides that, I really enjoyed the artwork that made the background for each level. It's not like the adventure series, but I like it for its original style.

Negative aspects-
I may be biased since I really enjoyed this game, but I can't remember having a problem with anything. It is short, but that was more of a positive for me since it meant that I could play Nancy Drew during my last semester. I highly recommend trying the demo; that's how I found out the game was going to be really fun.

This game is produced by HER Interactive, the makers of the well known Nancy Drew series. The same actress voices Nancy in all the games including this game. I played a download version of this game. There is a strong story throughout the game. The player is presented with a series of scenarios in which the objectives are well explained. It plays as a puzzle game, with easy to medium puzzles. There are mini games too, to add more action. There is replay value too. A score is awarded for each part of the game. The overall aim is to amass enough points to unlock the last part of the game. Here's a tip : pay attention to the conversations to get a high score.

I played on an older computer running XP and had no problems. Graphics and sound well well done.

All in all a very enjoyable game.

I got this game on a credit I had from BigFishGames.com. It is one of their most downloaded (new) games, which should give you an idea that this Nancy Drew game is different. Now, I like the hidden item games BigFish offers and apparently I'm not the only one considering the shift in style. Although it was put out by HerInteractive, I really think they put this out with the BigFish audience in mind. Normally BigFish offers a 1 hour demo but not with Nancy Drew games (they offer the past titles for download as well). There is a little video synopsis of the game there and you can see for yourself before purchasing. This is a very easy game and the player is spoon fed nearly every step of the way. The game is more cartoon-ish and is over fairly quickly. As a previous reviewer said, the game goes from one static scene to another. You're given items to look for and some tasks to perform. Once you're done at one location another will become available. Very typical point n'click hidden item play.

I knew exactly what I was getting when I downloaded this, but if you're a die hard Nancy Drew PC game player and want the same experience, save your money and wait for the Seven Ships release in July. I think that one will go back to the usual style.

I was quite surprised by the format of this Nancy Drew game, and as other reviewers have pointed out, this game is easy. The environments of "Dossier" are richly hand-painted but are very static and you get little feeling of being in danger, or of any urgency as you are projected bodily from one scene to another. You cannot wander around and discover things on your own.

It is obvious that HER Interactive was trying to come up with something different and novel from the other ND games, and this one is not immersive and the tone is quite casual. You are less an integral part of the scene than an observer, but you do have to perform operations such as chasing down an elusive black cat, finding various tools and combing them to perform a function.

Having said all that, I am giving "Dossier" 5 stars because this is the perfect game for young, aspiring ND sleuths or for people who simply want a pleasant game experience without too much challenge or the need for a walkthrough. More importantly, the game is fun. You cannot compare it to, say, "Curse of Blackmoor Manor," a difficult and challenging game aimed at the sophisticated player, but it has its own charm and its own place. The reviewer who called "Dossier" Nancy Drew "Lite" hit the nail right on the head!

Personally, I'd rather be freezing when caught outside in the snow in "Treasure in the Royal Tower" because I played the game badly or be bitten by killer wasps in "Legend of the Crystal Skull" because I was a bit slow with the mouse. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed playing "Dossier". Recommended for kids up to grandmas. The timed mini-games will get you hustling a bit but all in all this is a nice smooth ride.

I really liked this game and agree with the other reviewer who stated it was something they could play quickly between certain real life tasks. It is definitely different from the traditional ND games, there is no 360 degrees navigation within a scene but rather static backdrops with items scattered around that you need to interact with. The story was strong (though not immersive) and none of the puzzles are difficult but they did have mini-games betweens 'chapters' that were timed. Overall, given the limitations of 2-d I thought it was very cleverly done. The background music was great and the voice actors were good, especially Eda who for some reason I just liked a lot. I will definitely buy Her Interactive's next dossier title (something about a spa I think?). Anyway, this was a good few hours of fun; recommended!

The game takes a different twist for ND games. There is a story line combined with hidden objects & minor puzzles. All goes smoothly until near the end where you encounter a timed puzzle involving matching birds [crows] with colors. The time allowed for completion is definitely too short.

Note that the format of this game is different than the other Nancy Drew games put out by Her Interactive. This game is all about finding hidden objects in a still scene and then figuring out how to combine them to make things happen -- for example, you might have a lock and then have to locate a key to open it. You cannot change angles in the rooms, you cannot walk to different locations, and there is strictly linear game play. Once you've done everything you can, a diagram of footprints is shown on the screen and then the next room appears on the screen.

There is no phone to call anyone, and dialogues appear automatically. Instead of having conversation choices like previous games, you have a canned conversation with another character. The twist this time is that you are quizzed on facts from the game, and you earn points if you remember your facts during the conversations. This completely lost the feeling of being inside the story, which I got from all the other Nancy Drew games.

Really did not enjoy this one.

I have a lot of the games in the Nancy Drew series, and I often just pick them up when I see one I haven't played yet. Such was the case with this one, and I didn't notice until after I had installed it that it isn't one of the normal RPG style games that is typical of the series. It's a hidden object game. can't stand hidden object games, so I was a little pissed. But I figured whatever, I can't return it now, so I played it. And to my surprise, it was actually fun. It's not your typical hidden object game either...it's a really unusual mix of hidden object, puzzle, and RPG. It's got a good storyline, and the puzzles are challenging enough to make the game worthwhile to play, but not so difficult as to be overly frustrating. Over all, it was a fun, enjoyable game.

This game is part of the "Nancy Drew Dossier" series which is very different than the "Nancy Drew Adventure" series. This is a series in which you seek and find objects to put them together in order to complete tasks and solve a mystery.

Story-You have been called to Hollywood to investigate strange accidents that are happening on the filming of a movie called "Pharaoh!" This is a newer version of the film that was produced 75 years before. And on that previous production, the star actress had died because of a fatal accident involving a poisonous snake. Your goal is to find the culprit of the accidents before someone gets hurt. . .or worse.

Graphics-They are nice, but they aren't 3D. They are more like very well drawn cartoons, and I really liked them. The characters are really well-drawn cartoon characters.

Music-Usually the music has an Egyptian feel to it, which I liked. The voice acting was good and interesting to listen to.

Gameplay-You go from place to place finding objects and putting them together. For instance, suppose you have to use your flashlight to examine a scene for clues. So you find batteries for the flashlight only to find that you have to find new bulb. After you do, you find a piece of paper that needs to be translated, so you go to a minigame to translate it. You play a lot of minigames that make the game interesting and fun. There are four characters that you are always running into, and in order to talk to them, you have to select correct responses from a list. For instance, maybe you want to ask a guy why he had a certain picture in his room. The options for questions might be to ask why he had that picture, a goldfish, a tv, a gun, or a diary in his room, and you have to select the right question. They aren't always that easy, though. The back of the box boasts of an optional ending, but it is really just a continuation of the first ending, so in the game, there is only one true culprit.

Fun-This game is a blast. You don't really have to use your brain except for a few puzzles, and they aren't that hard. There are some timed puzzles which I found frustrating, but they weren't that bad.

Length-The reason I took off a star is because of the length. This game lasts about 3 hours, so it isn't that long at all. It really doesn't have much replay value, but I will probably still find myself playing it again someday.

All in all, this is a really fun game worthy of your time. Unfortunately, it doesn't take much of your time. I do recommend it but only for $10 or less. I mean, $15-$20 for three hours? That's not a good deal.

I don't know if I'm just getting good with computer games or if this game was really short or not as good as I think it is now. I love this game, BTW. I didn't, unfortunately, get enough points to see the alternate ending, but I'll play it again someday, after I finish the other Nancy Drew games I bought with it. If this is any indication of how the games are, and I think this is just a small taste compared to the "Adventure" Nancy Drew line of games, I will love all the others I bought in the series. I want to thank the creators and Amazon for providing the games. I'd recommend this game to anyone who is into hidden object games and adventure games because this is a bit of both.