Playing Detective At The Nintendo World Store
Wow. Sometimes Nintendo really knows how to throw a launch. After the surprisingly underwhelming event for Mario Super Sluggers, I wasn't anticipating much for the launch part for the DS game Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir. But they really pulled out all the stops for this one. It's just another casual puzzle game, and when I first tried it out there, it didn't make much of an impression, but after downloading the demo to take with me on the train ride home, I was able to play it without all the chaos around, and found it to be quite the addictive little game. All you're doing is looking for objects hidden in scenes, but some of them can be quite tricky to find, and I was determined to find them all within the time limit, and without using a single hint!
Anyway, Nintendo threw another launch party at the Nintendo World Store in Rockefeller Center this Saturday, September 6, and NYC locals (and lucky tourists) were able to enjoy quite the shindig as they got their hands on the game a couple days early. It was an elaborate affair that featured a contest with actors playing characters from the game who gave you clues to solve the mystery and win. And boy, if that police detective didn't give Gumshoe a run for his money in the hotness department! Full details and photo gallery after the jump!
See, millionaire Phil T. Rich has gone missing, and it was up to everyone at the event to figure out where he was. There were four characters from the game stationed around the store, and speaking to them would get you clues if you knew what you were listening for. Personally, the cowboy with the guitar downstairs creeped me out, so I stayed upstairs, where they had an elaborate living room set up as well as a little "study" with a desk and bookshelf. The kids (and some grownups!) were eying the sets as though they might hold clues, but it was what the characters were saying that would lead you to Phil T. Rich's location. I didn't really speak to any of them, but I listened in as they spoke to other people, and heard what I needed to. The geeky clock mechanic was rambling on and on about nonsense, but her mention of wanting to trade her basement workshop in for one way up high in the sky in a tall building combined with the narcoleptic actress' comments that she wanted to remake An Affair To Remember, King Kong and Sleepless In Seattle made it pretty obvious that Phil T. Rich was over at the Empire State Building.
So I filled in my guess and turned in my sheet in the hopes of winning one of those smexy new metallic silver DS's and a copy of the game. And while they checked everyone's answers, I availed myself of the surprisingly expansive buffet. It was like a cocktail party. They had soda and water as well as little appetizers and sandwiches with fruit and cookies for dessert. So I basically had lunch there! At 2:00, they brought Phil T. Rich in and led him up the stairs, saying that he had been found at the Empire State Building. (Duh — told you) You could feel the anticipation in the air as the kids crowded around knowing that they'd gotten it right and hoping they'd win. Unfortunately, with only five grand prizes to give away, a lot of people went home empty-handed, me included. Sigh.
Still, it was quite the launch party, and hopefully it'll bring some attention to Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir, which from what I sampled, seems like it could be pretty fun. Especially when it's only $20.
Wootini
Posted to Hot Stuff, Video Games on 8 September 2008
· Comments (3)
Other stuff like this: ds, launch party, millionheir, mystery case files, nintendo, nintendo world store
pic 4:
DAMN Flavor Flav still spittin hard rhymes even after all these years!
I Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya Man...
This looks so fun!
Apparently the game is called Mystery Case Files, not Murder Case Files. A little sleuthing on Google helped me figure that out when Googling Murder Case Files yielded nothing of use.