I was not on VFK until i heard about Miss Clue from the Nancy Drew fandom. It was so similar that I HAD to play it to see what everyone was talking about! It started off as a "WOW! this is the biggest knockoff ever!!" It was totally obvious that the developers were "basing" Miss Clue off of the Nancy Drew games, to the point that to me, it was laughable, but still I found myself continuing to play every week, & even continuing on to the next games they released. Why? Because behind all of the similarities & "ripoffs," if you call them, I found the charm that all Nancy Drew fans have been missing from their newer releases.
So any true Nancy Drew fan knows the similarities (the cursors, menu, storylines, characters, etc), but is it totally "legal?" I guess none of us can totally say for sure. In my eyes, VFK hasn't stolen anything from the Nancy Drew games, and I'm sure that in the process of making these games, they made sure to be as careful as possible so that nothing illegal took place. Then again, even if something illegal did take place, is the Nancy Drew company going to waste time going after a game that's free to play for the most part? I DO know for a fact that the Nancy Drew company is aware of these games, and since, to the best of my knowledge, nothing's been done on their part, I'm guessing that no harm is really being done. But then again, none of us knows exactly what's happening behind the scenes & it's really none of our business. From a technical standpoint, I had heard that the engine the Nancy Drew games were developed under was made specifically by the company for the company. But the Nancy Drew games are "supposedly" in the process of switching to a different game engine (if it ever actually happens), which kind of makes the timing of Miss Clue's release kind of funny.
In my personal opinion, I think it's kind of interesting that VFK began releasing these games right around the time Nancy Drew games went on a hiatus to convert to a new game engine. Is it a coincidence? Just a really good way to grab some of the fans? Then again, I had never heard of VFK before Miss Clue, so how could the developers have known this series would reach the Nancy Drew fandom?
So many questions, but all I can say is that the whole situation is quite interesting to me. I'm glad, though, that these games have been released because in all honesty, despite the lower quality in graphics, voice acting & production - these games beat some of the newer Nancy Drew games for me. They began to become way too puzzle based & frustrating a LONG time ago.
So I guess I'm here now, having a great time both on VFK & on the boards, solving mysteries with Jane Darcy, & enjoying that charm that the Nancy Drew series lost a long time ago, and that the Miss Clue developers somehow found & pieced back together. There's something about a mystery game based solely on discovery & story, NOT just over-the-top locations, graphics & puzzles that's...charming & nostalgic.
So whatever the situation truly is between Miss Clue & Nancy Drew, I'm just glad that Miss Clue exists - especially now that the Nancy Drew games aren't currently being released.
Comments
I was not on VFK until i heard about Miss Clue from the Nancy Drew fandom. It was so similar that I HAD to play it to see what everyone was talking about! It started off as a "WOW! this is the biggest knockoff ever!!" It was totally obvious that the developers were "basing" Miss Clue off of the Nancy Drew games, to the point that to me, it was laughable, but still I found myself continuing to play every week, & even continuing on to the next games they released. Why? Because behind all of the similarities & "ripoffs," if you call them, I found the charm that all Nancy Drew fans have been missing from their newer releases.
So any true Nancy Drew fan knows the similarities (the cursors, menu, storylines, characters, etc), but is it totally "legal?" I guess none of us can totally say for sure. In my eyes, VFK hasn't stolen anything from the Nancy Drew games, and I'm sure that in the process of making these games, they made sure to be as careful as possible so that nothing illegal took place. Then again, even if something illegal did take place, is the Nancy Drew company going to waste time going after a game that's free to play for the most part? I DO know for a fact that the Nancy Drew company is aware of these games, and since, to the best of my knowledge, nothing's been done on their part, I'm guessing that no harm is really being done. But then again, none of us knows exactly what's happening behind the scenes & it's really none of our business. From a technical standpoint, I had heard that the engine the Nancy Drew games were developed under was made specifically by the company for the company. But the Nancy Drew games are "supposedly" in the process of switching to a different game engine (if it ever actually happens), which kind of makes the timing of Miss Clue's release kind of funny.
In my personal opinion, I think it's kind of interesting that VFK began releasing these games right around the time Nancy Drew games went on a hiatus to convert to a new game engine. Is it a coincidence? Just a really good way to grab some of the fans? Then again, I had never heard of VFK before Miss Clue, so how could the developers have known this series would reach the Nancy Drew fandom?
So many questions, but all I can say is that the whole situation is quite interesting to me. I'm glad, though, that these games have been released because in all honesty, despite the lower quality in graphics, voice acting & production - these games beat some of the newer Nancy Drew games for me. They began to become way too puzzle based & frustrating a LONG time ago.
So I guess I'm here now, having a great time both on VFK & on the boards, solving mysteries with Jane Darcy, & enjoying that charm that the Nancy Drew series lost a long time ago, and that the Miss Clue developers somehow found & pieced back together. There's something about a mystery game based solely on discovery & story, NOT just over-the-top locations, graphics & puzzles that's...charming & nostalgic.
So whatever the situation truly is between Miss Clue & Nancy Drew, I'm just glad that Miss Clue exists - especially now that the Nancy Drew games aren't currently being released.