Not Worth a Penny (Mystery Case Files: Millionheir (DS))

Member Name: MI9to5

Product:	Mystery Case Files: Millionheir (DS)
Date:	07/09/09 (51 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to play

Disadvantages: Boring, repetitive and quite simple rubbish

Mystery Case Files Millionheir was one of those games that I wanted to play from the moment I saw it in the shops. I'm not sure what it was about the game or more the TV advertisement that had me hooked but something certainly did, as when I knew I had a 26-hour coach journey ahead of me for me holiday I decided to purchase this game in an attempt to while away any boredom that may set in. Unfortunately however I found the game to be exceptionally disappointing and to be perfectly honest found myself more bored playing the game than I was simply staring out of the window.

I don't know what I'd expected this game to be but what it turned out to be just did make me want to play it one little bit. I did however finish the game and although it only took me around 5 hours I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

I had to be honest probably expected the game to be a lot more hands on than it actually tuned out to be, as the introduction to the game begins with explaining that Phil T. Rich is missing and that it is up to us to uncover his rightful heir. This idea made me think of other games such as Professor Layton and Sherlock Holmes but the game actually turned out to be nothing like them at all and offer little if any brain stimulation.

The game is for all intents and purposes extremely simple to complete and has a very, very simple premise. In short the game is an electronic version of hide and seek as you simply search the screens you are presented with for a list of items and then tap on them when you locate them. The game is made slightly more interesting, I suppose, by the fact that some items are only visible when you shine a torch, x-ray beam or water camera over them. Again though when you find them you simply click on them.

Interspersed between seeking hidden items you are faced with small dialogues between the investigator, yourself, and the suspects. This in turn leads you to new look and find locations and the whole process begins over again. After roughly three locations your computer friend will tell you that you have found enough items to gather either fingerprint, DNA or some other type of information and you will then be taken to a mini games.

These games are exceptionally mini and take usually a matter of seconds, possibly a few minutes to complete, as they are very simple. For example fingerprint collection is conducted by waving the stylus across the screen to cover it in fingerprint dust and then blowing into the microphone to clear any excess. Another of these mini games involves doing a jigsaw and another playing a colour-matching sort of game. Everything considered however they left me feeling a little flat.

Maybe it was me expecting too much and that's probably the case but when the games box said 'locate cleverly hidden objects in intricately detailed scenes' I did expect to have to use my brain a little and not simply have to do a rather childish in many respects spot the item puzzle.

The graphics for the game are relatively good and can't really be complained about but to be honest the game itself doesn't really call for fantastic graphics and therefore as long as the items are recognisable you aren't really going to complain about them. The music on the other hand was eternally irritating and grated on me so much that I had to turn the sound on my DS off.

All in all this game didn't impress me one little bit and had I not been stuck on a coach with very little else to do I think I would have given up on this game very quickly. I'm glad if I'm honest therefore that I was on a coach as otherwise the games £16.00 cost (can be anywhere up to £25) would have been utterly wasted.

Summary: Not worth the price. In fact not worth anything.