Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion for the Nintendo DS introduces some strange murders, and some stranger ways of solving them. The gameplay, which features the cast from James Patterson's Women's Murder Club novels, may remind mystery game fans of similar titles, such as Hotel Dusk: Room 215. However, Women's Murder Club isn't nearly as involved as other games in the mystery genre. The story's compelling enough, if not a bit cheesy, but the gameplay is overly simple.
Publisher: THQ
ESRB Rating: T (“Teen”) for Alcohol Reference, Blood, and Mild Violence
Genre: Mystery/Adventure
Publisher: THQ
ESRB Rating: T (“Teen”) for Alcohol Reference, Blood, and Mild Violence
Genre: Mystery/Adventure
The Basics: A Game For Women?
I believe males and females shouldn't feel restricted by video game genres. There's no reason a girl can't enjoy a first-person shooter like Call of Duty or Halo, and there's no reason a boy should feel ashamed of playing Cooking Mama or a game that involves pony husbandry.
At the same time, I can't deny feeling good over THQ's decision to publish Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion. The game is clearly targeted at a mature female audience, the same demographic that might be interested in James Patterson's Women's Murder Club novels. That's not to say males can't or won't enjoy Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion. It's just nice to see a game made specifically for an oft-neglected target audience.
But Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion is pretty easy to get through. That's not to say it's just the kind of game that quickly clicks with the player regardless of their experience with games; rather, the challenges it throws out are simple, sometimes insultingly so. Did THQ purposefully tone down the challenge (way down) because Women's Murder Club is for people who don't tend to pick up games? Or because—heaven forbid—it's a game designed with women in mind?
At the same time, I can't deny feeling good over THQ's decision to publish Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion. The game is clearly targeted at a mature female audience, the same demographic that might be interested in James Patterson's Women's Murder Club novels. That's not to say males can't or won't enjoy Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion. It's just nice to see a game made specifically for an oft-neglected target audience.
But Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion is pretty easy to get through. That's not to say it's just the kind of game that quickly clicks with the player regardless of their experience with games; rather, the challenges it throws out are simple, sometimes insultingly so. Did THQ purposefully tone down the challenge (way down) because Women's Murder Club is for people who don't tend to pick up games? Or because—heaven forbid—it's a game designed with women in mind?
Gameplay: Not Much “Game” or “Play”
I'll give THQ the benefit of the doubt and assume it wanted to make Women's Murder Club as accessible as possible. The game's concept is clear enough: female detective Lindsay Boxer is called on to investigate a series of strange murders throughout San Francisco. She combs crime scenes, interrogates suspects, and connects with her BFF club, which consists of reporter Cindy Thomas, Dr. Claire Washburn, and District Attorney Yuki Castellano.
The gameplay is almost entirely stylus-driven, and a lot of hunt-and-peck is involved. This is where the “ridiculously easy” complaints factor in. Lindsay often starts off a crime scene investigation by “clearing up clutter.” First, I'm not a detective by any means, but is it a good idea to do housecleaning on a crime scene? Second, why does said “clean up” involve removing ornamental symbols like an “Eye” or “Iron Cross” from concrete fixtures?
After tidy-up is done, Lindsay looks for items that are relevant to the case, such as a victim's keys, purse, clothing, etc.. The biggest challenge the detective faces usually involves finding items without going blind. In one examination, I had to check a murder suspect's alibi by matching up her ticket stub with the theater owner's record of sales. For some reason, this check involved me looking for fifteen tickets scattered around the theater's exterior, even though I had the suspect's ticket stub in hand already. Some of the tickets were also extremely hard to spot.
A few other minigames appear as investigative tools, including shape-matching, Memory, and sliding block puzzles.
The gameplay is almost entirely stylus-driven, and a lot of hunt-and-peck is involved. This is where the “ridiculously easy” complaints factor in. Lindsay often starts off a crime scene investigation by “clearing up clutter.” First, I'm not a detective by any means, but is it a good idea to do housecleaning on a crime scene? Second, why does said “clean up” involve removing ornamental symbols like an “Eye” or “Iron Cross” from concrete fixtures?
After tidy-up is done, Lindsay looks for items that are relevant to the case, such as a victim's keys, purse, clothing, etc.. The biggest challenge the detective faces usually involves finding items without going blind. In one examination, I had to check a murder suspect's alibi by matching up her ticket stub with the theater owner's record of sales. For some reason, this check involved me looking for fifteen tickets scattered around the theater's exterior, even though I had the suspect's ticket stub in hand already. Some of the tickets were also extremely hard to spot.
A few other minigames appear as investigative tools, including shape-matching, Memory, and sliding block puzzles.
Conclusion: Patterson Fans Will Enjoy the Read
If you've already worked your way through the likes of Phoenix Wright, Trace Memory and Hotel Dusk, Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion will sate your appetite for a text-heavy adventure. Just don't expect it to deliver the depth of its DS brethren. Fans of James Patterson will appreciate this new “novel,” which is accompanied by some very fine (if lifeless) artwork, and even non-fans will get a chuckle out of the game's dry sense of humor. Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion is a pretty undemanding title, which isn't a bad thing to have around if you're feeling stressed out.
