Nancy Drew: The Legend of the Crystal Skull
by Her Interactive
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List Price: Category: Video Games See more product details |
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Video Game Reviews of Nancy Drew: The Legend of the Crystal Skull
Customer Review: One of the Best ND's yet!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Legend of the Crystal Skull is one of the best Nancy Drew PC games yet!! The mystery is so enticing and the story is very creative. First of all, if you haven't played any ND games yet, let me just say that HER Interactive has mastered the art of realistic graphics and realistic characters. The graphics in ND games are some of the very best in adventure games and if Henry (one of the main characters in the game) got any more emo...I mean everything just seems so real! The puzzles in this game were by far some of the most entertaining and original in the ND series. The main thing you do (and this may seem boring but it ties in with other puzzles so it's fun) is collect glass eyeballs, which is reminiscent of ND 13: Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon, in which you collect dolls. Collecting the eyeballs really keeps you going as you collect more and get closer to solving the puzzle.
In this ND there is something really new and entertaining; you get to play as Bess, pretty much Nancy's best friend. What's fun about this is that Bess does some things Nancy can't. She is in a different location all together and stays there the whole time, just as Nancy remains in her one location, the house. Although the Hardy Boys have been playable, I preferred playing as Bess...she was more fun because she's so not into the whole detective thing, which is funny.
The greatest thing about this ND are probably the puzzles. At first it may seem like you'll never get it because it starts out ambiguously, but trust me, do NOT go to a cheat site immediately. Once you figure out what to do(and trust me, it is doable, though some things require help as in all ND games)you will be so happy you did because the puzzles are so original and well-though out that you'll be saying to yourself 'Man that's awesome!! I'm so glad i figured that out..woah..cool stuff!' Or at least that's what I thought...
One good thing about this is that it brought back some of the classic ND moves from earlier games. If you have played some of the newer games, you may have noticed that the endings (the part where you catch the bad guy)in ND 14 and 15 (and possibly 16, I haven't played it) were stupid puzzles that were way too easy to beat. In Crystal Skull the ending is just like in games 1-13; you use an inventory item/do something to activate whether or not you catch the bad guy and if you fail, you get second chance. That's all I'm gonna say about the end, I don't want to spoil it.
The final achievement in this game (and Her Interactive is good at this) is that I really had no clue who "did it," so to speak. I mean it wasn't obvious at all. So have fun guessing because you probably won't figure it out either, until the end of course, which is so cool!
This is definitely, hands-down, in the top five for best ND games. The puzzles are some of, if not the very best Her Interactive has come up with and the story is absolutely engaging. If you haven't played a ND game yet, yeah maybe this isn't the easiest to start with, but it is definitely fun!! ND to me is one of the best adventure game series around, and "Crystal Skull" is not to be missed. Don't be turned off by the difficulty of "White Wolf"- number 17 is doable! I played as Senior detective, and trust me, it's doable! So if you don't own this yet, heck, buy it now! This is really fun for everyone, especially if you play with friends, or by yourself. So enjoy this ND game as much as I did...it is a five star-er HANDS-DOWN!!
Customer Review: Delving into the dark side of New Orleans...
Summary: 5 Stars
On Nancy's seventeenth mystery, she's plunged deep into a world of illusions, secret societies, family secrets, and dark magic in New Orleans. Nancy had only planned to visit a friend of a friend while sightseeing the French Quarter, but as fans know, nothing ever goes as planned. Orphan Henry Bolet, a self-styled Goth with dyed black hair, eyeliner, and tattoos, is the sole heir of his only relative, great-uncle Bruno. Bruno was unconventional to say the least: an unmarried dentist, he had a large collection of glass eyes (which Nancy must find throughout the game), domesticated "pets" (some more tame than others) that he trained to perform tricks, and he was caretaker of the nearby cemetery, which explains the model cemetery and list of "residents." When Nancy goes to check up on Henry, she's knocked out by a skeleton, and her sleuthing skills kick into high gear as the late Bruno's secrets come to light. He was the last known owner of The Whisperer, a crystal skull from antiquity that is said to give its owner immortality.
Bruno's mansion is filled with odd collections of games and books, and the slanting, twisted halls are bathed only in candlelight as the fierce storm has knocked out the electricity. Nancy must solve the mystery of Bruno's death and the location of the Whisperer while battling wasps, poisonous spiders, cranky alligators and other hazards. On this trip, her friend Bess Marvin provides moral (and sleuthing) support in the French Quarter. Reluctant Bess plays an important role and is the key to solving several puzzles; she must dig up clues and interview suspects in order to help the investigation progress. Players switch between Nancy and Bess by calling each other via cell phone.
There are several potential suspects in Dr. Bolet's death: his nephew Henry, his housekeeper Renee, (who dabbles in voodoo), Dr. Gilbert Buford (Bruno's best friend and physician), and Lamont, owner of Zeke's curio shop. This may be one of the most complete Nancy Drew titles; there is ample backstory and character development, including appearances from characters in earlier ND games. The plot twists had me thinking I knew who the villain was until the very end, when it turned out I'd been wrong. Also, this ending was a vast improvement over the last three ND games, which featured lackluster endings and villains. Puzzles are varied, including several arcade-style games, musical puzzles (these are closed captioned), riddles, and matching games. I can't think of a single puzzle that qualified as filler. There is plenty to explore outside the mansion, including a mazelike cemetery and garden. My only gripes would be with the underdeveloped mansion (you can only explore five rooms, including Renee's bedroom, an empty spare room (where exactly does Henry sleep??), and the study) and limited exploration of the French Quarter (more variety would have been nice).
The graphics are at an all-time high. Lightning flashes and dynamic rain really create an atmosphere of dread. Candles flicker in the gloom. The game starts with a warning to play with the lights off...this isn't because of the scare factor, but rather because the game takes place at night, in the rain, by candlelight. If you try playing with the lights on, you literally won't be able to see. Character animations are fluid and natural. Cutscenes are cinematic. All of these create a feeling of realism unmatched in earlier games. The sound effects are equally impressive, from the different rain sounds (rain on windows, foliage, and rooftops) to the haunting snippets of jazz and foreboding music that fade in and out at random.
There is also a great deal of humor present, including nods to earlier games (there are three Easter eggs to discover). One of the puzzles involves finding graveyard denizens via a series of clues which lead to name puns. I was laughing out loud as I finally put two and two together.
Some parents may be hesitant to purchase this game because of its focus on death (cemeteries, skeletons) and dark magic (voodoo, spells, magic herbs, curses), but these elements are handled tastefully. There are some genuinely creepy moments (such as a meeting that Bess must infiltrate), but no worse than one would find in a PG halloween movie.
This was by far the most entertaining, well-put-together Nancy Drew game that I've had the pleasure to play (and I've played all seventeen numerous times). Let's hope that Her Interactive's return to its former greatness continues on the next title "The Phantom of Venice."
Customer Review: I loved it!
Summary: 5 Stars
"Legend" is, simply, fun. HER Interactive manages to interest an enormous age range of players from 10 years old and up. And I mean UP: I am 77. I was gratified that there were no tedious chores to do in this game, however.
The story takes place in New Orleans in a spooky mansion to which is attached a huge cemetery. You have to find the Crystal Skull and determine whether the owner of the mansion, Bruno Bolet, was murdered. As usual, there are four suspects. Plenty of atmosphere to titillate young and old player hearts. You collect, of all things, glass eyeballs. One of your tasks is to find the graves of various people via outrageous puns such as Myra Maines (my remains) and Constance Norring (constant snoring). OK, OK, that may seem a bit juvenile but I laughed my head off, and of course 10 year olds will be right in their element.
The puzzles are well-integrated into the plot and they are not all that easy.Several require good mouse technique and a good eye, and at least in my case, many tries before success. However, if an old lady can succeed, so can you!
The graphics are excellent as is the voice acting.The four human suspects are well done and their mouth movements match their speech. The huge cemetery is suitably creepy. It never stops raining and I really felt quite sodden sitting here.
You encounter a potpourri of stuff including hoodoo, a lesson in dentistry, a live iguana which you dress up in costumes after enticing him with a loquat, New Orleans gumbo, a Rube Goldberg device, skeletons...what more could you ask for?
5 stars.
Customer Review: Good but still not great compared to past games!!
Summary: 4 Stars
I enjoyed playing this game, but was hoping for more thrills and excitement! The beginning starts off with a bang. Nancy walks up to the house and knocks on the door as it opens on its own. She walks in and sees a figure in the next room dressed in a scary costume as the dark house is suddenly illuminated by a flash of lightening and roar of thunder from outside! I won't give much more away but this is the only suspenseful moment in the game. The rest is searching for clues, questioning suspects and solving puzzles which is great but there should be more excitement throughout the entire game, not just in the beginning. We should have seen the costumed culprit a few times in the game like in the spooky graveyard that you as Nancy get to investigate! I loved the New Orleans setting and the rainstorm was a perfect fit! The game takes place in and around the house and a few times in town as Bess questions a few other suspects. This is a new feature as you take on the character of Bess. Everytime Nancy and Bess call each other, you switch to the other character. Near the end, the game froze as the call switched over. I think other people had this problem so what worked for me is that you save the game right when it freezes and then load it again and it should continue on. A small glitch Her Interactive should have caught. I've noticed the size of these games get larger and larger. I usually delete them once I play them because they take up so much space. I could buy more memory but no sense in a game staying on my computer until I play it again, if I decide to. The character of Bess can be annoying. She is always complaining and is not as adventurous as Nancy. Maybe if they use George again, we can have two strong female characters. I just got tired of Bess playing the chicken and whining about helping. My favorite games to date are Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake, Danger on Deception Island and Secret of Shadow Ranch because they use several locations and it's suspenseful throughout with prolonged, exciting endings. I know other fans complain about the endings being dull, too short and not exciting. Her Interactive asks you to write game reviews on their website, and I truly believe they listen to what the fans say. I will be letting them know I want more suspense and scary moments through the entire game and better endings! I know these games are geared towards younger adults as well so they don't want to make it too scary, but they need to consider the older adults too who want more chills! Maybe they can offer a new feature that has a 'Mildly Scary' and 'Super Scary' option? All in all, the game is good but it could have been improved a bit. The ending was okay but not as fun as others. When you spend so much time solving the mystery, there should be a bigger payoff at the end! One last thing, there is a swamp in the bayou with a boat just off the graveyard. I was really hoping Nancy would get to take the boat out somewhere which would have been fun, but they didn't include that feature. Why go to New Orleans if you can't even ride down the bayou in a boat!? I wish we could have learned more about hoodoo as well. The subject is mentioned but they don't go into too much detail with it. It would have been more fun if there was a witch doctor character added and maybe Nancy could have conjured up some hoodoo spells. Sort of like the movie The Skeleton Key with Kate Hudson. 3.5 starsCustomer Review: ok
Summary: 4 Stars
The graphics continue to improve, however, I thought the nephew looked more like a woman. No clocks and no need for phone numbers is fine with me. The sound of rain is realistic but I couldn't help thinking no one would walk around outside that much when it pours. Got happily lost several times in the graveyard. The change over to Bess wasn't annoying as in the games involving the Hardy Boys. Try not to get too frustrated with the bowling puzzle, you CAN win. Longer would have been better but I did chuckle at the end. Recommended.