Mystery Case Files Million Heir

SCORE: 80

Mystery Case Files Million Heir is part puzzle game, part I Spy, and part mystery. Nintendo may be the only company to pull this combination off (at least to some small degree). The problem is I found myself spending so many hours on the puzzles that I forgot and no longer cared about the mystery I was assigned to solve. There are a few different puzzles incorporated in Mystery Case Files Million Heir, but the main one is the I Spy kind of a find these hidden items in this picture. Many of the items are hidden in clever places, and there are a lot of other items in the pictures that are not part of the search list. Children I had try Mystery Case Files Million Heir were not impressed. One told me that it felt too much like school work.

Mystery Case Files Million Heir has an artistic flair to it. The level of detail in many of the pictures is exceptional. Trying to find certain hidden items can lead to eye strain, so please be careful. There are certain female characters dressed in a way that is not healthy (at least in public).

I have to admit the music was not very impressive to me. Nintendo went for an eerie kind of a mood with Mystery Case Files Million Heir, but it never fit with the pictures for me. I did not find anything offensive about the music though. There are some characters in Mystery Case Files Million Heir that exhibit some bad attitudes, and some of that is attempts at humor.

Mystery Case Files Million Heir is one of those games that can be played through once, and it has enough content to keep gamers busy for a few weeks. Once it is completed I can see little reason to replay it. Unless you are a big I Spy fan, and eat up that kind of a game, then you will be content with this purchase.

The game play in Mystery Case Files Million Heir is generally good, but moving the screen around via the stylus felt a little bit loose and jumpy to me. This DS game does allow us to use the D-pad to move around the screen and that works much better. I also had some issues with not being able to move the screen with the hand (as opposed to the X-ray, or magnifying glass). This was obviously by design, but one I disagree with. Now that I have really ragged on Mystery Case Files Million Heir, let me tell you that I had a lot of fun playing it.

Nintendo does not always succeed with things they try. Mystery Case Files Million Heir is generally safe for the family (editor: with a few minor issues) as long as you fit into the target audience. Not everyone will be interested in this DS game, but those that are will eat it up. Variety in the puzzles is needed for any sequels.
- Paul

Graphics: 80%
Sound: 78%
Replay/Extras: 76%
Gameplay: 85%
Family Friendly Factor: 83%
System: Nintendo DS
Publisher: Nintendo
Rating: 'E' for Everyone
{Violent References}

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