It hurts my heart to see Crystal Skull ranked as “fine”, but it get it haha I just love the music and atmosphere! I also didn’t think Twister was sooo bad. For the most part, this aligns with how I would rank these! I loved this video 😄
OMG FELLOW DETECTIVES, how could you put Scarlet Hand and Legend of the Crystal Skull so LOW?!?!?! 😂😂 They're two of my favorites! I still love all of you but..... I am SHOCKED!! I love that MID has its own category😂😂 I was surprised that MED was 3rd worst, not WORST (right after MID)-- RAN at least has enjoyable beach vibes?!?!? I couldn't even FINISH MED!!! This was such a fascinating video, Caitlyn! SUCH a cool idea to crowdsource our opinions and combing through 100 responses must have been a lot to handle! And, as always, I SO appreciated your analysis about why each game would end up in each category. WEeeee!!!! Love your videos!
LOL, had so much fun reading this comment!! I'm so glad you enjoyed the video, including the solitary MID category XD This was a really fun video to make! Also totally agree about SSH and CRY being underrated!!
I agree that Secret of the Scarlet Hand is underrated. I've never understood why so many people hate it so much. I get that some people didn't like how educational it was. Well, maybe I don't "get it" because I love learning and I loved the educational aspect of it (lol), but I know that some people don't care for that. However, the game has a great plot, setting, mystery, etc. so I don't really see why people would hate the whole game and not just the educational part of it. But everyone has their own tastes and preferences and I've found SSH to be a "love it or hate it" game.
This was such a good video idea! I thoroughly enjoyed seeing where my personal preference differed and where others agree with me. I think my personal list of great/good games is a bit more similar to yours (mostly thinking of Ghost Dogs, Danger on Deception Island, Castle Malloy, and Crystal Skull). But I can understand why those would rank lower than some of the other ones based on preference. I was also glad to see Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon was one of the top ranking games. Every time I go back to play it I have such a great time. It’s hard for me to pick, but I think it’s my favorite game. It balances everything so well. It was so much fun being able to participate in this video by taking the survey! I’m excited for more videos like this in the future 🥰
I’m so glad that Deadly Device is considered good. I don’t hear that much love for it. It’s my second favourite. I mostly agree with the ranking except that I would put LIE higher. I love greek mythology and loved all the puzzles.
This is a great list! It's super interesting to see how the whole ND community might rank all the games, especially the mid-tier games that people could have mixed opinions about. Also, I'm in total agreement with all the comments defending SSH and CRY - seeing those games ranked below titles like CLK (even though I enjoy that game too) hurts a little bit. 😂
This was such a fun idea Caitlyn!!! I love seeing where my opinions differ from my fellow detectives. My mom and I both filled out the survey, and had some funny arguments over it. I love super educational and puzzle-heavy games like Scarlet Hand, but I can understand why others don't. But, I'm wondering if any of my fellow detectives have the same issue with Crystal Skull that I do: I literally cannot see the screen!! Even if I play in the dark! I'd like to love that game, but it's barely even playable for me!
OMG, it's so cool that you can debate the games with your mom!!! That's amazing! I can totally see what you're saying about CRY too! It is super dark a lot of the time. Do you try to play it at night? It does definitely work best then, but even at night I could see it still being tricky!
Hi Caitlyn! I LOVED this video and equally loved the comments! This community of fellow detectives is so diverse in opinion and preference and it is so nice to see us all respecting that and still enjoying a shared love for the ND series! It was so cool to see the rankings of all the fellow detectives! It would be interesting to do a nostalgia ranking or add age range. I’m sure the younger fellow detectives that started in the middle of the series have interesting thoughts on the classic era games! Thanks so much for compiling all the data and presenting it in such a professional manner!!! I’m so so happy to have joined this community in 2020 and I can’t wait to see where 2021 takes you!! ☺️
This was really interesting bc at the beginning of lockdown I got in a big Nancy Drew mood & did a bunch of research on the best/most popular games in the series (so I knew where to start on my unplayed list) and yet there are still some surprises here. I figured Phantom of Venice & Sea of Darkness were locks for top-tier & was surprised at how high deadly device and alibi in ashes placed, as those seem to be fairly disliked. On a personal level, 4/5 of my faves were in the great tier (train, royal tower, Blackmoor, waverly) the biggest upsets for me were Malloy, Spy and Curse. Spy is top 5 for me (unrelated to the mom story- I just loved playing it. & the characters). Curse has some of my favorite minigames and apart from the end, I really liked Malloy. Conversely, I would’ve dropped Shadow at Water’s Edge way low. Love the scare & atmosphere, but too much sudoku and nonograms, several frustrating puzzles, and some really questionable (read: terrible) voice acting.
So fun to read these thoughts! You bring up so many good points! I was also surprised more people didn't rank VEN higher. It's not one of my favorites, but I've heard of so many people who love it!
It's interesting to see what other people like because my favourites are usually the more puzzle heavy games, whereas most detectives prefer the more plot heavy ones.
Crystal Skull, Danger by Design and Deception Island I would definitely rank higher based on my own personal pleasure. Shadow at the Waters Edge and Blackmoor I would not say great just based on the difficultly of their puzzles. But they are definitely well built good games.
LOVE this idea! So fun getting to see what other ND players thought of each game! Personally, my greats would be: Danger on Deception Island, Secret of Shadow Ranch, Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon, and The Final Scene. I agree with all the bads, and in general, I feel my rankings are not too different from most.
Loved this video and hearing how we rank these games on average. I definitely had some differing opinions but mostly agreed. So glad to hear some of my favorites are shared with others (TRN, SHA, TRT, DED). Please don’t judge me but I actually enjoy CRE 😬 so I would have bumped it up a notch along with STD, HAU, and CRY. Lastly I would have taken VEN and SPY down one tier. Loved hearing everyone’s opinions and glad to have a community like this!! 💜
Haha, no judgment at all!! I also agree with taking VEN and SPY down a tier and am so glad to see lots of other detectives enjoying DED! It and SEA are my favorite modern games! :)
Warnings at Waverly Academy is one of my least favorite ND games, but I can’t tell if that’s just because I played it when I was in high school and dealing with teenage girls was still a bit of a sore subject at the time lol
Interesting!! I love it for its relatability, but that's exactly why I was curious to do this video, to see different perspectives! Thanks so much for sharing!
Surprised to see Captive Curse ranked as just “fine,” but I guess the fans have spoken. Just finished and really enjoyed it. Terrific atmosphere and some of the best music in the series. Would definitely rank as a good game and a possible top 10 spot!
I do love Captive Curse's characters and dialogue! The castle is gorgeous too! I think the story just ends up getting too convoluted for it to really stand out for others.
If you think about it there’s 3 Nancy Drew books in 1 game: Secret of the Old Clock, Nancy stays at the Lilac Inn (The Mystery of Lilac Inn) and one of the other areas Nancy can visit in the game is Twin Elms which is based on (The Hidden Staircase) 😊
Number one surprised me, I love the game but I know it can be quite divisive. I also find it interesting how the classics (especially in your personal ranking) sit at the top. Its not that surprising as I find characters and plot sadly went downhill as the series progressed with a few exceptions. Overall great video and I think it would be fun to run more surveys with things like characters.
I definitely agree with your personal 'Great' rankings a lot more. I was shocked that Haunted Mansion, Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake (dat atmosphere, doe), and Deception Island (very thoroughly built out setting, and that thrilling ending!!) didn't make it in the great category.
@@WizardKittenYT Oh and I forgot The Final Scene! Possibly the best voice acting from Lani in the entire series, high stakes, fun passageways, and just an excellent story & characters.
Great video! I actually agree with the majority of the rankings, except for the silent spy. I know a lot of people liked that game but I remember it being confusing and I felt like I didn't get to explore scotland like i was hoping I would get to. It's down at the bottom tier for me
Final Scene was my first game, too! I was in Best Buy and saw a picture of a theater and asked my mom if I could get it. I was only 8 years old and the game was rated E 10+ so she had to supervise me while I played it.
I just found this video and I love how you ranked these games! The only difference I have with you is that I love Trail of the Twister. Then again, I’ve been living in Tornado Alley all my life so I have personal experience! Other than that, I agree on almost all of them!
Watching this made me realize that I have a lot of... different opinions than most... for example, my least favorite game is Curse of Blackmoor Manor and I actually really liked Trail of the Twister. It's near the top five, despite the flaws.
Favourite plots Waverly academy ghost of thortons hall Alibi in ashes Stay tuned for danger Shadow at the waters edge deadly device White wolf of icicle creek Curse of blackmoor manor
I really hated Waverly when I first played it, and this list inspired me to install and replay it to see if I really was just THAT wrong. I'll keep y'all updated.
@@WizardKittenYT Well, I played it for an hour and a half last night. I wound up doing three snack bar shifts in a row rather than get back to the plot, because I would literally rather make fake sandwiches and hear gossip about the cute math teacher than continue interacting with the characters. So, not off to a great start.
Secret of Shadow Ranch is one of the tops for my sisters and I, having grown up in Arizona. Deception Island is my sister's favorite due to her love for the ocean (I do love the soundtrack so much). TRT definitely was top tier to my sisters and I due to the atmosphere and soundtrack. Final Scene/Haunted Mansion/Ghost Dogs were bought together by our mom and were our first games so for us, they're top tier as well. I love quoting the "you're asking the wrong amnesiac" from Scarlet Hand due to having brain fog. I don't agree with Blackmoor. That one was always just meh to my sisters and I. Old Clock was a favorite of ours due to old school style, soundtrack, and using Shakespeare.
I like mystery and plot heavy games, not puzzle heavy, so I haven't enjoyed many of the later games. There are zillions of puzzle games, that's not what I come to a detective game for. I generally agree with the ranking, except I think Ghost Dogs was the right amount of puzzle and Blackmoor, Last Train, and Shadow at the Water's Edge took it too far. "I won't tell you the word for 'wait' in Japanese unless you do a big Sudoku." Um, what? I think Captive Curse fixed Blackmoor's issue of there being a beast outside but not being able to go outside and the top down goofiness of Haunting of Castle Malloy when you are outside. Ghost of Thornton Hall handled that well too. I got claustrophobic in Blackmoor because there is literally only one room that is bright and has sunlight, Message in a Haunted Mansion was creepy but not gloomy. Gotta love Hotchkiss, she improves every game with how funny she is. "Okay Mandy. Hotchkiss out!"
I love that MID gets a category all its own because it's just that 👎🏼. I could hear you were trying hard to keep this ranking objective because there is so much you can say about all the ND games, good and bad. These ranking videos are great, Caitlyn; do you plan to do more in the future? I hope you are doing well 😊 and give my best to Queen Mel 😺👑
Personally I LOVE Lost Queen, but I'm pretty biased as an archaeologist, I think I just love the gorgeous tomb design. On the other hand, as an ancient Greek archaeologist, I can't stand Labyrinth of Lies.
Pretty neat! It's interesting to see what everyone thinks. It doesn't seem fair to put Kapu at 1.96 down in the 1 category and Wolf at 2.93 up to the 3 category though. .96 is higher than .93.
The reasoning for that was based on the breakdowns that I used at the beginning. The drop from the lowest fine game (TMB) to TOT (the highest bad game) was really big, and CRE was lower than TOT. So it was clear that more people were rating CRE as only 1s or 2s. I see your point though!
@@WizardKittenYT I guess I'm a bit biased too. The plot of the mystery is a mess but I did enjoy playing the game. I can see why it's not everyone's cup of tea though.
The background music starting at, i believe 26:46 does anyone know which game that is from? It sounds so familiar and I love the note drop at 27:03. Please and thank you. Ps love the video
In addition to ranking entire soundtracks, there should be a list of individual tracks. With almost every soundtrack, there are some tracks that are really good, and others that are quite forgettable. For example, I'd agree with your placing of Blue Moon Canyon here. But if we count ONLY the mine car chase theme, that's maybe one of the Top 10 tracks in the whole series. When I loaded up all the Nancy Drew Soundtracks onto an .mp3 player for listening to during a walk, I moved about 40% of them into a folder called "Discards" and put the rest into a "Keepers" folder. The Keepers are the ones that get listened to every time, the Discards only rarely. That's one thing I liked about Secrets Can Kill. It may not be the best one, but at least all the tracks went into the Keepers folder.
I totally know what you mean! It would be a lot of fun to do a ranking of individual tracks in the series...would be a LONG video, but fun to do! I also have a personal "keepers" folder :)
@@WizardKittenYT Another thing that might be interesting would be to try to arrange them by type rather than by game. For example, for Halloween I took the four Dark Shadows soundtrack albums, stripped out all the happy sappy music, and the Blue Whale jukebox music, and everything else that didn't fit, leaving only the suspenseful tracks, and would play them for when Trick or Treaters came by. Something similar could be done with Nancy Drew. Take all the suspense tracks from all the different games, and put them together. All the easy listenings together. All the country together (a lot of Shadow Ranch and Twister would go together), and so forth. Prowling around the Light Of Our Love set sounds a lot like prowling around a cave music.
The Haunted Carousel was my first Nancy Drew game, so I definitely am biased towards it. Worst game, in my opinion, is definitely Secret's Can Kill. I appreciate it , it was the game that started the series after all, but it's just the foundation on which the better games were built. Favorite, by far, is Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon. Good characters, good story, and the puzzles were mostly good. From what I can tell, the best Nancy Drew games really do seem to be the ones that really nail it on atmosphere and aesthetics. Puzzles and the story are obviously important, but having a solid setting and general 'feel' seem to really elevate them. As someone who didn't even know Midnight in Salem was a thing until it came out, part of me wants Her to keep it going, but another part of me wants another studio to take over the Nancy Drew games.
Ooh yes, CAR and TRN are definitely great, and I totally agree about the overall aesthetic being really important! It would be really interesting to see if another studio could revive Nancy!
Back in 2011, I did a little project where I averaged out the ratings of every review on Her's forums. It looks like time hasn't been kind to STFD or MHM, which were ranked very highly then, while Danger By Design and HAU are looking much better than they did a decade ago. And I'm still sad to see SCK rated as low as it always is.
I mostly agree with the list and am happy to see danger on deception island ranked so high since I loved it a lot but used to think I was alone in that feeling. Though the ones that are different for me personally is that I also like trailer of the Twister a lot. I don't mind the chores and liked the atmosphere and some of the characters. Probably my most controversial opinion is that I don't like Secret of Shadow Ranch that much. Though I did like it upon replay much more than I did in my initial playthrough. ***Spoilers*** The first time I played it, I just found all the on screen characters to be very dull and flat. Dave was cute and polite, but not much else. Tex was just grumpy. Shorty was friendly and not much else asides from the fact that he ends up being the culprit. Mary... just didn't stand out much. I found the Rawley's had much more personality than the rest of the cast despite being only phone characters. And the other thing that bugged me was how they have the big scenes with the phantom horse, but then the horse doesn't seem to be a big factor into the mystery. It's just a spectacle that everyone blames bad stuff on, but ends up not being all that central to the plot. Though upon replay I did realize that the historical characters where some of the best written ones in any of the games. They have so much depth shown only through their letters and journals. Meryl's journal in particular makes me want to cry. And the music, locations, and atmosphere outside of the ranch are really good too. So I see why others like the game so much, I just felt let down by how flat the cast was, and it feels amplified when you're constantly reminded of the phone characters who are supposed to be there, and the historical characters who are so much more interesting.
I totally see your point about SHA! I had a similar experience in that I really wasn't a fan at first, but came to really love it after replays. And yes, DDI is an amazing mystery!!
My understanding is that they fired the HER Interactive team to create Midnight in Salem. Unless they hire back the original designers, I’m assuming the existing games are all there will be :/
The worst thing about this video is that I didn’t get to add my input. 😂 Secret of the Old Clock is one of my favorites. I def would’ve put in in the great category. Same for Castle Malloy and SEA. I know there were problems with ToT, but it goes up a ranking just because of Pa. And LIE should have been up a category just because it was beautiful.
I was wondering why Ransom isn't in the we don't talk about category. Unless you spend obscene amount of money on it. You can't get a hold of it anywhere legally.
Lillian: “Rick is completely out of your league. He’ll flirt with any skirt.” Nancy: “Hmph, Well if you were good enough for him then why shouldn’t I be?” 😂 Then later Nancy: “Rick is the love and leave them type, what a loser!” Nancy was funny in the early games lol
I don't want to embarrass anyone by naming names or giving links. But I saw a similar video recently, in which after two or three games, the host admitted that she hadn't actually played all the games, and then just dropped all the ones she hadn't played in the second category from the top before considering that maybe she should have played them all before doing the video. You think?
Great video! I'm in the minority on some of these... I really can't stand Waverly Place. :/ the characters annoyed me, especially when they made me do all their homework/ play air hockey, etc . (There were a lot of things I did like about that game though, such as the library, plagiarism sub plot, and Poe references.) I also do not like Blackmore manor. That spinning room puzzle was horrific. I personally loved the Silent Spy. Yes, the culprit was lame, but I enjoyed all the cool spy stuff.
Thanks so much for the comment! I love hearing different perspectives! I can definitely understand your reasonings too based on the points that you brought up. I'm very thankful for the spinning room shortcut in CUR!!
It's a bit wack that you think that the original version of secrets can kill was bad it was not that bad it was basically a product of it's time seeing that it came from the late 90s and not to mention I thought that you and the other kids from the 2010s seeing that you were into the 90s nostalgia I kinda that you be more respectful to your nostalgic feelings to that time period
Ransom may not be a very good game, but calling it blackface is to confuse blackface (a form of exaggerated ridicule) with disguise (the exact opposite). And in these days when you can be anything you say you are, the criticism really means less than nothing. Dwayne identified with Jamaicans while he was in disguise, therefore he WAS Jamaican. Cultural Appropriation no longer exists in today's climate. Nitpick: "Objective" means "Independent of the Human Mind". (Like mathematics). Opinion doesn't become objective when you collect enough of it. 100 opinions are as subjective as a single opinion, but of course 100 are probably a more accurate reflection of overall opinion than a single opinion would be.
Interesting thought on cultural appropriation. I see your point, but we may have to disagree on that point as simply identifying with a minority culture (which we also can't say with certainty is true for Dwayne) does not give someone of the majority culture with a great deal of social capital the right to use that identity however they please. I do get your thoughts on using the word "objective," I just thought it was nice as a title.
@@WizardKittenYT Oh, you're right, it doesn't give you any perspective at all. Like I could say I was a Martian, but that wouldn't mean Martians actually existed, or give me any insights into how they live if they do. But under today's rules of sensitivity, you're not allowed to tell me I'm not a Martian. Dwayne is a fictional character. His motivations are whatever HerInteractive says they are. if they say he's identifying with Jamaicans, then he is, and that automatically makes the game acceptable in the eyes of this kind of critic, who would probably regard transphobia to be every bit as objectionable as blackface, and may not realize that he's opened himself up to that kind of charge. That's not what I think, though. My own opinion, again, is that disguise and blackface are almost polar opposites. You can't ridicule someone (exaggeration) and try to be indistinguishable from them at the same time. My "agenda", if you will, is wanting to be play all the Nancy Drew games, AND for others to be able to play them too, in order to have people to discuss them with. If I find one of them to be not worth my time, I'll make that decision for myself. I'd rather discuss the game on its actual merits, but if someone wants to make it about who's the most offended instead, then I'm sure I can get at least a draw out of it. It falls outside my comfort zone to argue that way, probably yours too, but sometimes you have to be able to do that. Only when people figure out that they can't get what they want that way will they ever try anything else.
I do also agree that Ransom of the Seven Ships should still be available to be played but with very clear context and discussion. We can't make any progress if we don't understand history and where we've been. It's like when I read the original Nancy Drew books which have a lot of racist ideas and racial stereotyping. While being entirely inappropriate today, it's important to know that that reality existed in popular media less than a century ago, within people's current lifetimes. We can learn from it and do better next time. Which is really the actual issue I have with HERs handling of this: they didn't discuss it. There wasn't a visible acknowledgment of why they removed it and how they intend to move forward. There wasn't any learning.
@@WizardKittenYT Well, HER hasn't been very transparent about ANYTHING in years, so it's no surprise they wouldn't be transparent about this. If they had explained their reasoning first, then pulled the game, that wouldn't be much better. But you talk about understanding history and where we've been. That might apply to a book written 90 years ago, where words and customs may have changed. But Ransom of the Seven Ships was released in 2009. If it's racist, then Her Interactive is racist now (or at least was under Megan Gaiser) and pulling the game is an admission of that fact. To me that completely explains why they'd rather not discuss it at all, but would prefer to do it quietly, and AVOID discussion. As for the 1930's books, I'd question whether Nancy is racist even in those, and if she is, whether we ought to be reading them. I don't think that's what you mean, though. I think you only mean that Nancy (a non-racist) does or says things that only someone who actually was a racist would say today, and so it might need to be explained that people who weren't racists might say those things then. Rules of propriety do change. In 1940, Jack Benny did a radio sketch in which he was looking for Rochester, and kept calling friends of his in Harlem, only to be told that he was there, but had just left. All the people he talks to are likable and quirky, just like the regulars, and in fact, had some of the same running gags. Anyway, he did this sketch in 1940, without a hitch. Then in 1950, when they were running short one week, they pulled this old routine out of the files, ran it again, virtually unchanged, and got a lot of complaints. It wasn't racist either in 1940 or 1950 (it's actually kind of funny), but it didn't fit in with the standards of 1950, and wouldn't fit today either.
This may be an unpopular opinion but I personally think that The Shattered Medallion is the worst Nancy Drew game, not Midnight in Salem. They are both bad but at least MID has a plot (maybe not a good one, but it exists) and some interesting characters and dialogue. MED went from being about Nancy trying to win a game show to trying to figure out who cut the bridge to trying to Nancy mostly ignoring both of those things in favor of finding comic strips that end up not explaining much anyway. No cohesive storyline at all. Plus the characters are weird and most of the things they say make no sense. And I will never forgive it for what it did to poor Bess. She's always been a bit boy crazy but this game turned her into a blithering idiot just because she gets a crush on guy (who isn't even her usual type). I agree that MED has much better graphics and puzzles than MID but plot/mystery and characters are more important to me personally than puzzles or the way the game looks. To be fair I have played both games multiple times and always get some enjoyment out of both, but of course they are both quite substandard when compared to the other Nancy Drew games. If I were to make a personal ranking I would put The Shattered Medallion last and Midnight in Salem as second to last. I completely get why many people would put it the other way around as MID certainly has many flaws, but I would personally have to rank MED below it.
I totally understand that viewpoint and absolutely agree with all your thoughts on MED! I think for me personally the disappointment factor for MID just made all of its flaws stand out even more, but I do think that they are both quite substandard when we compare them to the series as a whole!
I don't want to embarrass anyone by naming names or giving links. But I saw a similar video recently, in which after two or three games, the host admitted that she hadn't actually played all the games, and then just dropped all the ones she hadn't played in the second category from the top before considering that maybe she should have played them all before doing the video. You think?
It hurts my heart to see Crystal Skull ranked as “fine”, but it get it haha I just love the music and atmosphere! I also didn’t think Twister was sooo bad. For the most part, this aligns with how I would rank these! I loved this video 😄
Nice!! Yeah, lots of detectives seem most surprised by CRY and SSH, which I totally get!
Agree on that, Liz! That one is in my top 5 so far. The rain throughout the game and night setting is actually relaxing. Twister still have to play 🤞🏼
All I’m learning is that Charleena Purcell is the hallmark of a good Nancy Drew game
Ha! Truth!
OMG FELLOW DETECTIVES, how could you put Scarlet Hand and Legend of the Crystal Skull so LOW?!?!?! 😂😂 They're two of my favorites! I still love all of you but..... I am SHOCKED!!
I love that MID has its own category😂😂
I was surprised that MED was 3rd worst, not WORST (right after MID)-- RAN at least has enjoyable beach vibes?!?!? I couldn't even FINISH MED!!!
This was such a fascinating video, Caitlyn! SUCH a cool idea to crowdsource our opinions and combing through 100 responses must have been a lot to handle! And, as always, I SO appreciated your analysis about why each game would end up in each category. WEeeee!!!! Love your videos!
also tbh i would have created a separate category above them all just for WAC 😂
LOL, had so much fun reading this comment!! I'm so glad you enjoyed the video, including the solitary MID category XD This was a really fun video to make! Also totally agree about SSH and CRY being underrated!!
Secret of the Scarlet Hand is such an underrated game! I loved the music, the plot, and the ending. Glad to see RAN and TOT where they belong LOL.
Totally agree SSH being underrated and RAN and TOT being...not underrated XD
I agree that Secret of the Scarlet Hand is underrated. I've never understood why so many people hate it so much. I get that some people didn't like how educational it was. Well, maybe I don't "get it" because I love learning and I loved the educational aspect of it (lol), but I know that some people don't care for that. However, the game has a great plot, setting, mystery, etc. so I don't really see why people would hate the whole game and not just the educational part of it. But everyone has their own tastes and preferences and I've found SSH to be a "love it or hate it" game.
Oof, I didn’t care for Scarlet Hand. Especially the end game sequence-yikes! The best thing about the game is the phone contacts!
@Schuylerville who doesn’t love Prudence Rutherford?! 🤣
I love Scarlet Hand!
This was such a good video idea! I thoroughly enjoyed seeing where my personal preference differed and where others agree with me. I think my personal list of great/good games is a bit more similar to yours (mostly thinking of Ghost Dogs, Danger on Deception Island, Castle Malloy, and Crystal Skull). But I can understand why those would rank lower than some of the other ones based on preference.
I was also glad to see Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon was one of the top ranking games. Every time I go back to play it I have such a great time. It’s hard for me to pick, but I think it’s my favorite game. It balances everything so well.
It was so much fun being able to participate in this video by taking the survey! I’m excited for more videos like this in the future 🥰
Yay!! I'm so glad you were able to take the the survey and see where your rankings compared!! :D
I’m so glad that Deadly Device is considered good. I don’t hear that much love for it. It’s my second favourite.
I mostly agree with the ranking except that I would put LIE higher. I love greek mythology and loved all the puzzles.
I was happy to see DED higher too! I really do like it!
It’s a great game. And is has MURDER-which most of the games don’t.
LOL your profile pic and name is everything 😂😂😂. ILY
This is a great list! It's super interesting to see how the whole ND community might rank all the games, especially the mid-tier games that people could have mixed opinions about.
Also, I'm in total agreement with all the comments defending SSH and CRY - seeing those games ranked below titles like CLK (even though I enjoy that game too) hurts a little bit. 😂
LOL, I personally agree! I definitely would've swapped SSH and CRY with SPY and CLK!
This was such a fun idea Caitlyn!!! I love seeing where my opinions differ from my fellow detectives. My mom and I both filled out the survey, and had some funny arguments over it. I love super educational and puzzle-heavy games like Scarlet Hand, but I can understand why others don't. But, I'm wondering if any of my fellow detectives have the same issue with Crystal Skull that I do: I literally cannot see the screen!! Even if I play in the dark! I'd like to love that game, but it's barely even playable for me!
OMG, it's so cool that you can debate the games with your mom!!! That's amazing! I can totally see what you're saying about CRY too! It is super dark a lot of the time. Do you try to play it at night? It does definitely work best then, but even at night I could see it still being tricky!
Hi Caitlyn! I LOVED this video and equally loved the comments! This community of fellow detectives is so diverse in opinion and preference and it is so nice to see us all respecting that and still enjoying a shared love for the ND series! It was so cool to see the rankings of all the fellow detectives! It would be interesting to do a nostalgia ranking or add age range. I’m sure the younger fellow detectives that started in the middle of the series have interesting thoughts on the classic era games! Thanks so much for compiling all the data and presenting it in such a professional manner!!! I’m so so happy to have joined this community in 2020 and I can’t wait to see where 2021 takes you!! ☺️
Hello!! Thank you so much for your incredibly kind comment!!
This was really interesting bc at the beginning of lockdown I got in a big Nancy Drew mood & did a bunch of research on the best/most popular games in the series (so I knew where to start on my unplayed list) and yet there are still some surprises here. I figured Phantom of Venice & Sea of Darkness were locks for top-tier & was surprised at how high deadly device and alibi in ashes placed, as those seem to be fairly disliked.
On a personal level, 4/5 of my faves were in the great tier (train, royal tower, Blackmoor, waverly) the biggest upsets for me were Malloy, Spy and Curse. Spy is top 5 for me (unrelated to the mom story- I just loved playing it. & the characters). Curse has some of my favorite minigames and apart from the end, I really liked Malloy. Conversely, I would’ve dropped Shadow at Water’s Edge way low. Love the scare & atmosphere, but too much sudoku and nonograms, several frustrating puzzles, and some really questionable (read: terrible) voice acting.
So fun to read these thoughts! You bring up so many good points! I was also surprised more people didn't rank VEN higher. It's not one of my favorites, but I've heard of so many people who love it!
It's interesting to see what other people like because my favourites are usually the more puzzle heavy games, whereas most detectives prefer the more plot heavy ones.
i love the puzzle heavy games, i just suck at them 😭
Crystal Skull, Danger by Design and Deception Island I would definitely rank higher based on my own personal pleasure. Shadow at the Waters Edge and Blackmoor I would not say great just based on the difficultly of their puzzles. But they are definitely well built good games.
Yeah, I could definitely see arguments for moving all those around! Thanks for the comment!
LOVE this idea! So fun getting to see what other ND players thought of each game! Personally, my greats would be: Danger on Deception Island, Secret of Shadow Ranch, Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon, and The Final Scene. I agree with all the bads, and in general, I feel my rankings are not too different from most.
Love all those games!
Loved this video and hearing how we rank these games on average. I definitely had some differing opinions but mostly agreed. So glad to hear some of my favorites are shared with others (TRN, SHA, TRT, DED). Please don’t judge me but I actually enjoy CRE 😬 so I would have bumped it up a notch along with STD, HAU, and CRY. Lastly I would have taken VEN and SPY down one tier. Loved hearing everyone’s opinions and glad to have a community like this!! 💜
Haha, no judgment at all!! I also agree with taking VEN and SPY down a tier and am so glad to see lots of other detectives enjoying DED! It and SEA are my favorite modern games! :)
Cmon guys Final Scene deserves to be in the GREAT category 😩
I would have liked to see it there too!! It's one of my top five!
Warnings at Waverly Academy is one of my least favorite ND games, but I can’t tell if that’s just because I played it when I was in high school and dealing with teenage girls was still a bit of a sore subject at the time lol
Interesting!! I love it for its relatability, but that's exactly why I was curious to do this video, to see different perspectives! Thanks so much for sharing!
Surprised to see Captive Curse ranked as just “fine,” but I guess the fans have spoken. Just finished and really enjoyed it. Terrific atmosphere and some of the best music in the series. Would definitely rank as a good game and a possible top 10 spot!
I do love Captive Curse's characters and dialogue! The castle is gorgeous too! I think the story just ends up getting too convoluted for it to really stand out for others.
If you think about it there’s 3 Nancy Drew books in 1 game: Secret of the Old Clock, Nancy stays at the Lilac Inn (The Mystery of Lilac Inn) and one of the other areas Nancy can visit in the game is Twin Elms which is based on (The Hidden Staircase) 😊
For me, treasure in the royal tower goes from good to great becouse of Hotchkiss. I love that professor and how much she makes me laugh.
Yeah, honestly Hotchkiss and Dexter make that entire game!
Chicken wings!
@@karricompton 50 of them
Number one surprised me, I love the game but I know it can be quite divisive. I also find it interesting how the classics (especially in your personal ranking) sit at the top. Its not that surprising as I find characters and plot sadly went downhill as the series progressed with a few exceptions. Overall great video and I think it would be fun to run more surveys with things like characters.
Ooh yes!! A character one would be so fun too! I think maybe it's the chores for #1 that can get some slack, but the rest of it is deemed quite solid!
I definitely agree with your personal 'Great' rankings a lot more. I was shocked that Haunted Mansion, Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake (dat atmosphere, doe), and Deception Island (very thoroughly built out setting, and that thrilling ending!!) didn't make it in the great category.
Right?! Those three are such beautiful classics!!
@@WizardKittenYT Oh and I forgot The Final Scene! Possibly the best voice acting from Lani in the entire series, high stakes, fun passageways, and just an excellent story & characters.
Totally agree!!
Great video! I actually agree with the majority of the rankings, except for the silent spy. I know a lot of people liked that game but I remember it being confusing and I felt like I didn't get to explore scotland like i was hoping I would get to. It's down at the bottom tier for me
I actually totally agree with you! I was kind of surprised to see it so high as well!
Silent Spy is so high because of Kate’s story, I’m sure. I love that game.
Final Scene was my first game, too! I was in Best Buy and saw a picture of a theater and asked my mom if I could get it. I was only 8 years old and the game was rated E 10+ so she had to supervise me while I played it.
I just found this video and I love how you ranked these games! The only difference I have with you is that I love Trail of the Twister. Then again, I’ve been living in Tornado Alley all my life so I have personal experience! Other than that, I agree on almost all of them!
Can definitely see loving Trail of the Twister! I'm so glad you liked the video!
Love this list! So cool doing an objective rating, I’m doing my own list as I play through them!
Fun!! Ranking the games is such a blast!
i like your tier list in the end! but i would personally put crystal skull, haunted carousel, and venice higher.
Thank you! I think that makes sense!
Watching this made me realize that I have a lot of... different opinions than most... for example, my least favorite game is Curse of Blackmoor Manor and I actually really liked Trail of the Twister. It's near the top five, despite the flaws.
That's so interesting!! It's cool that you have lots of hot takes to discuss though!
Favourite plots
Waverly academy
ghost of thortons hall
Alibi in ashes
Stay tuned for danger
Shadow at the waters edge
deadly device
White wolf of icicle creek
Curse of blackmoor manor
I really hated Waverly when I first played it, and this list inspired me to install and replay it to see if I really was just THAT wrong. I'll keep y'all updated.
Ooh, I am really excited to hear your replay thoughts!
@@WizardKittenYT Well, I played it for an hour and a half last night. I wound up doing three snack bar shifts in a row rather than get back to the plot, because I would literally rather make fake sandwiches and hear gossip about the cute math teacher than continue interacting with the characters. So, not off to a great start.
Secret of Shadow Ranch is one of the tops for my sisters and I, having grown up in Arizona. Deception Island is my sister's favorite due to her love for the ocean (I do love the soundtrack so much). TRT definitely was top tier to my sisters and I due to the atmosphere and soundtrack. Final Scene/Haunted Mansion/Ghost Dogs were bought together by our mom and were our first games so for us, they're top tier as well. I love quoting the "you're asking the wrong amnesiac" from Scarlet Hand due to having brain fog. I don't agree with Blackmoor. That one was always just meh to my sisters and I. Old Clock was a favorite of ours due to old school style, soundtrack, and using Shakespeare.
I like mystery and plot heavy games, not puzzle heavy, so I haven't enjoyed many of the later games. There are zillions of puzzle games, that's not what I come to a detective game for. I generally agree with the ranking, except I think Ghost Dogs was the right amount of puzzle and Blackmoor, Last Train, and Shadow at the Water's Edge took it too far. "I won't tell you the word for 'wait' in Japanese unless you do a big Sudoku." Um, what?
I think Captive Curse fixed Blackmoor's issue of there being a beast outside but not being able to go outside and the top down goofiness of Haunting of Castle Malloy when you are outside. Ghost of Thornton Hall handled that well too. I got claustrophobic in Blackmoor because there is literally only one room that is bright and has sunlight, Message in a Haunted Mansion was creepy but not gloomy.
Gotta love Hotchkiss, she improves every game with how funny she is. "Okay Mandy. Hotchkiss out!"
I definitely agree on the plot heavy games being the stronger ones, for sure!
High Five Team Hotchkiss!
Go Team Hotchkiss!
This is so awesome I'm so glad I found your channel!!
Yay! Welcome! So glad you're enjoying the content!
My first game will always be Waverly.
Then Blackmoore Mannor, and Message in the haunted mason.
All three of those are so good!!
Caitlyn! You are amazing. This is the content I love!
Thank you! I'm so glad!!!
I love that MID gets a category all its own because it's just that 👎🏼. I could hear you were trying hard to keep this ranking objective because there is so much you can say about all the ND games, good and bad. These ranking videos are great, Caitlyn; do you plan to do more in the future? I hope you are doing well 😊 and give my best to Queen Mel 😺👑
I will give Queen Mel a big hug from you!! And yes, I love doing these analysis and ranking type videos so I definitely hope to do more!
Personally I LOVE Lost Queen, but I'm pretty biased as an archaeologist, I think I just love the gorgeous tomb design. On the other hand, as an ancient Greek archaeologist, I can't stand Labyrinth of Lies.
Pretty neat! It's interesting to see what everyone thinks. It doesn't seem fair to put Kapu at 1.96 down in the 1 category and Wolf at 2.93 up to the 3 category though. .96 is higher than .93.
The reasoning for that was based on the breakdowns that I used at the beginning. The drop from the lowest fine game (TMB) to TOT (the highest bad game) was really big, and CRE was lower than TOT. So it was clear that more people were rating CRE as only 1s or 2s. I see your point though!
@@WizardKittenYT I guess I'm a bit biased too. The plot of the mystery is a mess but I did enjoy playing the game. I can see why it's not everyone's cup of tea though.
The background music starting at, i believe 26:46 does anyone know which game that is from? It sounds so familiar and I love the note drop at 27:03. Please and thank you.
Ps love the video
That is Shanty from Sea of Darkness! It's basically The Word I Couldn't Keep but instrumental and with a sailor flair. I love that one too! 😊
In addition to ranking entire soundtracks, there should be a list of individual tracks. With almost every soundtrack, there are some tracks that are really good, and others that are quite forgettable. For example, I'd agree with your placing of Blue Moon Canyon here. But if we count ONLY the mine car chase theme, that's maybe one of the Top 10 tracks in the whole series. When I loaded up all the Nancy Drew Soundtracks onto an .mp3 player for listening to during a walk, I moved about 40% of them into a folder called "Discards" and put the rest into a "Keepers" folder. The Keepers are the ones that get listened to every time, the Discards only rarely. That's one thing I liked about Secrets Can Kill. It may not be the best one, but at least all the tracks went into the Keepers folder.
I totally know what you mean! It would be a lot of fun to do a ranking of individual tracks in the series...would be a LONG video, but fun to do! I also have a personal "keepers" folder :)
@@WizardKittenYT Another thing that might be interesting would be to try to arrange them by type rather than by game.
For example, for Halloween I took the four Dark Shadows soundtrack albums, stripped out all the happy sappy music, and the Blue Whale jukebox music, and everything else that didn't fit, leaving only the suspenseful tracks, and would play them for when Trick or Treaters came by.
Something similar could be done with Nancy Drew. Take all the suspense tracks from all the different games, and put them together. All the easy listenings together. All the country together (a lot of Shadow Ranch and Twister would go together), and so forth. Prowling around the Light Of Our Love set sounds a lot like prowling around a cave music.
The Haunted Carousel was my first Nancy Drew game, so I definitely am biased towards it. Worst game, in my opinion, is definitely Secret's Can Kill. I appreciate it , it was the game that started the series after all, but it's just the foundation on which the better games were built. Favorite, by far, is Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon. Good characters, good story, and the puzzles were mostly good. From what I can tell, the best Nancy Drew games really do seem to be the ones that really nail it on atmosphere and aesthetics. Puzzles and the story are obviously important, but having a solid setting and general 'feel' seem to really elevate them. As someone who didn't even know Midnight in Salem was a thing until it came out, part of me wants Her to keep it going, but another part of me wants another studio to take over the Nancy Drew games.
Ooh yes, CAR and TRN are definitely great, and I totally agree about the overall aesthetic being really important! It would be really interesting to see if another studio could revive Nancy!
Back in 2011, I did a little project where I averaged out the ratings of every review on Her's forums. It looks like time hasn't been kind to STFD or MHM, which were ranked very highly then, while Danger By Design and HAU are looking much better than they did a decade ago. And I'm still sad to see SCK rated as low as it always is.
That's so cool!! I suppose it makes sense, though I'll always consider MHM among the greats! :D
Interesting. I don’t thing Danger By Design should go up in rankings. LOL.
I mostly agree with the list and am happy to see danger on deception island ranked so high since I loved it a lot but used to think I was alone in that feeling. Though the ones that are different for me personally is that I also like trailer of the Twister a lot. I don't mind the chores and liked the atmosphere and some of the characters. Probably my most controversial opinion is that I don't like Secret of Shadow Ranch that much. Though I did like it upon replay much more than I did in my initial playthrough. ***Spoilers*** The first time I played it, I just found all the on screen characters to be very dull and flat. Dave was cute and polite, but not much else. Tex was just grumpy. Shorty was friendly and not much else asides from the fact that he ends up being the culprit. Mary... just didn't stand out much. I found the Rawley's had much more personality than the rest of the cast despite being only phone characters. And the other thing that bugged me was how they have the big scenes with the phantom horse, but then the horse doesn't seem to be a big factor into the mystery. It's just a spectacle that everyone blames bad stuff on, but ends up not being all that central to the plot.
Though upon replay I did realize that the historical characters where some of the best written ones in any of the games. They have so much depth shown only through their letters and journals. Meryl's journal in particular makes me want to cry. And the music, locations, and atmosphere outside of the ranch are really good too. So I see why others like the game so much, I just felt let down by how flat the cast was, and it feels amplified when you're constantly reminded of the phone characters who are supposed to be there, and the historical characters who are so much more interesting.
I totally see your point about SHA! I had a similar experience in that I really wasn't a fan at first, but came to really love it after replays. And yes, DDI is an amazing mystery!!
CRY is way under appreciated.
I agree! Probably the most underrated game after SSH in my mind 🤔
My understanding is that they fired the HER Interactive team to create Midnight in Salem. Unless they hire back the original designers, I’m assuming the existing games are all there will be :/
The worst thing about this video is that I didn’t get to add my input. 😂
Secret of the Old Clock is one of my favorites. I def would’ve put in in the great category. Same for Castle Malloy and SEA.
I know there were problems with ToT, but it goes up a ranking just because of Pa. And LIE should have been up a category just because it was beautiful.
Haha! So sorry you didn't get to add your input!! But I can totally see why you'd want to shift those five around!
I was wondering why Ransom isn't in the we don't talk about category. Unless you spend obscene amount of money on it. You can't get a hold of it anywhere legally.
Yeah, those of us who had it before got lucky in that sense!
@@WizardKittenYT fair enough.
I’m so surprised with Laberynth. I liked it better than town of the lost queen or Deadly Device
LIE definitely has its moments!
I didn’t know that there were so many Nancy drew games
Final Scene was my 1st one too!!❤️❤️❤️❤️
Such a good game!!
Petition to have you voice Nancy Drew lol
Lillian: “Rick is completely out of your league. He’ll flirt with any skirt.” Nancy: “Hmph, Well if you were good enough for him then why shouldn’t I be?” 😂 Then later Nancy: “Rick is the love and leave them type, what a loser!” Nancy was funny in the early games lol
LOL, she really was! Her sass in the classical era was pretty spectacular!
I don't want to embarrass anyone by naming names or giving links. But I saw a similar video recently, in which after two or three games, the host admitted that she hadn't actually played all the games, and then just dropped all the ones she hadn't played in the second category from the top before considering that maybe she should have played them all before doing the video. You think?
I swear I'm the only one who actually enjoyed MID... eh, I'm used to loving the underdogs mostly on my own. lol.
Lol! I am genuinely glad that people like MID and I can get why people would be drawn to it. I'm always so interested by our varied opinions!
This channel needs more subs
Why thank you! Growing slowly but surely!
The Final Scene was my first game too
Such a great game!
Oof some of these hurt. The fine category has some of my favorites!
Sure!! That's what I love about rankings is that we all have unique perspectives! Sorry some of your favs ended up there though!!
Great video!
I'm in the minority on some of these...
I really can't stand Waverly Place. :/ the characters annoyed me, especially when they made me do all their homework/ play air hockey, etc .
(There were a lot of things I did like about that game though, such as the library, plagiarism sub plot, and Poe references.)
I also do not like Blackmore manor. That spinning room puzzle was horrific.
I personally loved the Silent Spy. Yes, the culprit was lame, but I enjoyed all the cool spy stuff.
Thanks so much for the comment! I love hearing different perspectives! I can definitely understand your reasonings too based on the points that you brought up. I'm very thankful for the spinning room shortcut in CUR!!
OMG I LOVE THIS
Yay!! :D
It's a bit wack that you think that the original version of secrets can kill was bad it was not that bad it was basically a product of it's time seeing that it came from the late 90s and not to mention I thought that you and the other kids from the 2010s seeing that you were into the 90s nostalgia I kinda that you be more respectful to your nostalgic feelings to that time period
This list is a compilation of the rankings of 100 other detectives, not mine. Agreeing to disagree is perfectly acceptable.
NO!! No WAY Ransom is better than Salem!
No way MED was better than MID. MID at least had a plot.
Not a big fan of last train to blue Moon Canyon or ghost of Thorton Hall
Fair enough! There's definitely room for individual variations in an averaged list 😊
Ooh, I think you’re in the minority, lol.
Ransom may not be a very good game, but calling it blackface is to confuse blackface (a form of exaggerated ridicule) with disguise (the exact opposite). And in these days when you can be anything you say you are, the criticism really means less than nothing. Dwayne identified with Jamaicans while he was in disguise, therefore he WAS Jamaican. Cultural Appropriation no longer exists in today's climate.
Nitpick: "Objective" means "Independent of the Human Mind". (Like mathematics). Opinion doesn't become objective when you collect enough of it. 100 opinions are as subjective as a single opinion, but of course 100 are probably a more accurate reflection of overall opinion than a single opinion would be.
Interesting thought on cultural appropriation. I see your point, but we may have to disagree on that point as simply identifying with a minority culture (which we also can't say with certainty is true for Dwayne) does not give someone of the majority culture with a great deal of social capital the right to use that identity however they please. I do get your thoughts on using the word "objective," I just thought it was nice as a title.
@@WizardKittenYT Oh, you're right, it doesn't give you any perspective at all. Like I could say I was a Martian, but that wouldn't mean Martians actually existed, or give me any insights into how they live if they do. But under today's rules of sensitivity, you're not allowed to tell me I'm not a Martian.
Dwayne is a fictional character. His motivations are whatever HerInteractive says they are. if they say he's identifying with Jamaicans, then he is, and that automatically makes the game acceptable in the eyes of this kind of critic, who would probably regard transphobia to be every bit as objectionable as blackface, and may not realize that he's opened himself up to that kind of charge.
That's not what I think, though. My own opinion, again, is that disguise and blackface are almost polar opposites. You can't ridicule someone (exaggeration) and try to be indistinguishable from them at the same time. My "agenda", if you will, is wanting to be play all the Nancy Drew games, AND for others to be able to play them too, in order to have people to discuss them with. If I find one of them to be not worth my time, I'll make that decision for myself.
I'd rather discuss the game on its actual merits, but if someone wants to make it about who's the most offended instead, then I'm sure I can get at least a draw out of it. It falls outside my comfort zone to argue that way, probably yours too, but sometimes you have to be able to do that. Only when people figure out that they can't get what they want that way will they ever try anything else.
I do also agree that Ransom of the Seven Ships should still be available to be played but with very clear context and discussion. We can't make any progress if we don't understand history and where we've been. It's like when I read the original Nancy Drew books which have a lot of racist ideas and racial stereotyping. While being entirely inappropriate today, it's important to know that that reality existed in popular media less than a century ago, within people's current lifetimes. We can learn from it and do better next time. Which is really the actual issue I have with HERs handling of this: they didn't discuss it. There wasn't a visible acknowledgment of why they removed it and how they intend to move forward. There wasn't any learning.
@@WizardKittenYT Well, HER hasn't been very transparent about ANYTHING in years, so it's no surprise they wouldn't be transparent about this. If they had explained their reasoning first, then pulled the game, that wouldn't be much better.
But you talk about understanding history and where we've been. That might apply to a book written 90 years ago, where words and customs may have changed. But Ransom of the Seven Ships was released in 2009. If it's racist, then Her Interactive is racist now (or at least was under Megan Gaiser) and pulling the game is an admission of that fact. To me that completely explains why they'd rather not discuss it at all, but would prefer to do it quietly, and AVOID discussion.
As for the 1930's books, I'd question whether Nancy is racist even in those, and if she is, whether we ought to be reading them. I don't think that's what you mean, though. I think you only mean that Nancy (a non-racist) does or says things that only someone who actually was a racist would say today, and so it might need to be explained that people who weren't racists might say those things then.
Rules of propriety do change. In 1940, Jack Benny did a radio sketch in which he was looking for Rochester, and kept calling friends of his in Harlem, only to be told that he was there, but had just left. All the people he talks to are likable and quirky, just like the regulars, and in fact, had some of the same running gags. Anyway, he did this sketch in 1940, without a hitch. Then in 1950, when they were running short one week, they pulled this old routine out of the files, ran it again, virtually unchanged, and got a lot of complaints. It wasn't racist either in 1940 or 1950 (it's actually kind of funny), but it didn't fit in with the standards of 1950, and wouldn't fit today either.
This may be an unpopular opinion but I personally think that The Shattered Medallion is the worst Nancy Drew game, not Midnight in Salem. They are both bad but at least MID has a plot (maybe not a good one, but it exists) and some interesting characters and dialogue. MED went from being about Nancy trying to win a game show to trying to figure out who cut the bridge to trying to Nancy mostly ignoring both of those things in favor of finding comic strips that end up not explaining much anyway. No cohesive storyline at all. Plus the characters are weird and most of the things they say make no sense. And I will never forgive it for what it did to poor Bess. She's always been a bit boy crazy but this game turned her into a blithering idiot just because she gets a crush on guy (who isn't even her usual type). I agree that MED has much better graphics and puzzles than MID but plot/mystery and characters are more important to me personally than puzzles or the way the game looks.
To be fair I have played both games multiple times and always get some enjoyment out of both, but of course they are both quite substandard when compared to the other Nancy Drew games. If I were to make a personal ranking I would put The Shattered Medallion last and Midnight in Salem as second to last. I completely get why many people would put it the other way around as MID certainly has many flaws, but I would personally have to rank MED below it.
I totally understand that viewpoint and absolutely agree with all your thoughts on MED! I think for me personally the disappointment factor for MID just made all of its flaws stand out even more, but I do think that they are both quite substandard when we compare them to the series as a whole!
I don't want to embarrass anyone by naming names or giving links. But I saw a similar video recently, in which after two or three games, the host admitted that she hadn't actually played all the games, and then just dropped all the ones she hadn't played in the second category from the top before considering that maybe she should have played them all before doing the video. You think?
High Five Team Hotchkiss!
🙌