Get a Clue - Part 2

Alright, in my last entry I gave you a little history/trivia about the Clue franchise, as well as a listing of all the Clue games I have yet to track down. In this continuation I shall talk about my love of the game and give a mini-review of all the ones I own.
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I fell in love with the game the moment my family introduced me to it. My family had the original game as well as the first in the Clue Jr. spinoffs series. I loved the game so much that my parents bought me another Clue spinoff game: The Great Museum Caper. Great game, though COMPLETELY different from the Clue I was used to. I'll go more in depth in this later. I watched the Clue movie that came out in 1985, and loved the idea of multiple endings to tie in the concept of the changing game outcome. I also had two or three out of the 18 childrens books published between '92 and '97. The older I got the more I loved the series - and murder/mystery games (such as Crack the Case). While in college, I received Clue FX and then I discovered the Sega Genesis game. That's when the obsession truly took hold. I started COLLECTING Clue games! I'm currently up to 14 games, and that's only about 1/3 of them! If you don't count the same game being released for multiple consoles (I have both the Sega Genesis and GBA versions), or the unlicenced variants (which I'll discuss later), there are currently 36 versions of Clue... and I only have 14. Yes, including the original game, and also excluding all the updates to said original game, there have been 35 incarnations of Clue since it's release in 1949.
My family used to own the original, the classic, Clue. However, throughout many a basement flooding, that beloved game has been destroyed. The closest I still have is the Bookshelf Clue. It is the classic game, however the box is in the shape of a book so that you can keep it on a bookshelf, and instead of the normal pawns, this version of Clue actually has little miniature figures of the characters - very cool. I had spotted another variant of this bookshelf game in Target a few years back in which the box was actually a crafted wooden book. Very classy, but I had no money at the time and haven't found it since. I cannot recall if my mother or Remy was the one to purchase this version for me, but it was from Barnes&Noble and was a Christmas gift a few years back. Going chronologically, the first spin-off was actually a VCR interactive game. Clue VCR Mystery Game was published in 1985 and my parents actually owned a copy! Well either that or the game's sequel Clue VCR II: Murder in Disguise which was released in '87. Either way, it was destroyed in flooding much like the original board game. T_T I never even got to play it because by the time I was old enough to appreciate it the tape was already fuzzy with mold. TT_TT
Anyway, moving back to games that I actually DO have still... The next one up, chronologically speaking, is Clue Jr.: Case of the Missing Pet. This was the Clue Jr. I mentioned playing as a kid earlier. Released in '89, the premise is that an animal was stolen from the pet store and hidden in one of the local businesses. The playable characters were the normal six suspects, only as children. You had to figure out the same basic stuff as original Clue: who did it and where, except instead of the non-child-friendly search for a murder weapon, the third component was figuring out what animal was taken from the pet store. Although the game is technically the only "surviving" Clue game of the family's, my sister and mother relinquished the game to me once my passion for the franchise blossomed. ^_^
As mentioned, the first game I got was Clue: The Great Museum Caper, which was released in '91. This one was probably the most different from the actual Clue game. In this game one player plays an art thief and the rest of the players must track down and stop the thief before he clears out the museum. It was so unique, I loved it! My one cousin did too, he ALWAYS wanted to play whenever he was visiting. ^_^
The next game chronologically is actually the last one I came to own. Anyway, it's Clue Jr. The Case of the Hidden Toys, released in '98. Another of the children-aimed Clues, this time the kid-versions of the normal suspects are trying to find a missing toy, where it's hidden, and which pet hid it. In this game the kids have different first names than in the "Case of the Missing Pet" game, there are only four playable characters - Green, Plum, Peacock, and Scarlet, and the clues are presented differently. In the first "Junior" game, the clues were in each local store floor, and a special magnifying glass allowed you to read the clue. Well, apparently reading is too over-rated for the '98 kids, because now everything is in picture form. Also, pictures are placed on the bottom of stands that are randomly placed on characters, furniture, and animals. Kids just look at the stand bottoms to get their clue. Kinda lame, but helps bring kids into the Clue series a LOT younger. Oooo, yeah!... I found out while searching for a link to the '98 release that there was actually a "Case of the Hidden Toys" also released in '95. Basically same exact game, but the '95 version has Mustard, Scarlet, Plum, and Green, and the board is different because the toys could be hidden anywhere throughout the neighborhood, as opposed to just inside the house.
We now skip ahead a few years to 2002. Clue Card Game. This is a different card game from the one released in '92 (mentioned in the previous post). This time the user has to deduct who killed Dr. Black, their escape vehicle, and their destination. I was first introduced to this game while visiting Remy. This was the first time I found out Clue was more than just a board game. I later learned about the video/computer games - and also discovered the mold-covered VHS game.
The next Clue game release that I own was one of the games that I received in college and therefore jumpstarted my obsessive urge to own EVERY version of Clue. In 2004 Hasbro released Clue FX which is another departure from the original rules. Players actually play as one of the four new characters - Lord Grey, Lady Lavender, Miss Peach and Prince Azure. This time, instead of playing one of the suspects, the four playable characters are completely innocent guests who help Inspector Brown figure out the killer. Another change is that Mr. Boddy isn't the victim this time; his attorney Mr. Miles Meadow-Brook is. The usual suspects are still there, as well as the addition of Mr. Meadow-Brook's now widow and Mr. Boddy's gardener Rusty. The actual movements are also different. The game announces in a random selection who moves, you can move to any connecting room, sound effects tells you when the suspects move, and when you're ready to make your accusation you have to figure out where Inspector Brown moved to. All in all, it's still an entertaining game - even if it tends to take longer than the usual Clue game - mainly because it takes so friggen long to find Brown!!!
My last children's version of the game was given to me by Remy. I think it was a birthday gift, to sort of go along with the latest "crime". Released in '03, Clue Junior: The Case of the Missing Cake REALLY kiddies-up the Clue franchise. The first one has an animal theft, the second (well, third if you count the one I know nothing about - see previous post) is a toy burglar, and now the latest one has someone swiping a piece of cake before dinner. The game play is virtually the same as the "Case of the Hidden Toys" game in which the clues are pictures pasted on the bottom of stands that are randomly placed on characters and furniture. The player must figure out which character ate the cake, what they had to drink with the cake, and at what time they ate it. Still a cute game regardless. It does sort of tie into actual Clue a little better than the rest of the Jrs however. The crime is committed in what appears to be the Tudor Mansion. Also it returns all 6 characters in their adult renderings - but in a very kiddy-cartoony way. Whatever, there really isn't a Clue game I don't like, so I just eat this one up too ^_^.
Pretty much the only Clue games I remember seeing advertisements for were the ones released in 2005. One of those was Clue DVD. This edition of the game has different rules based around DVD interaction. Instead of a murder, Dr. Black has had an item stolen and, in addition to guessing the criminal, room and stolen object, the time of day when the crime took place must also be discovered. In each turn players guess three of these four unknowns; and from time to time Inspector Brown and the butler, Ashe, show up via the DVD with helpful information. I have yet to actually COMPLETE a game. I think I've only tried playing with Remy, and the first few times his DVD player goofed up during the middle of our games. I think I gave up after that, and I don't really have much of a "gaming" family to actually play while at home. But now that I remember that I haven't finished it, perhaps I'll con my fam into joining me in a game. ^_^
I discovered Clue Suspects (2007) at Barnes&Noble on the discount pile for like $4 or something! Total win! Almost as good as the Clue Jr. at the thrift store... Anyway, this is an actual SOLO Clue game. Good old Mr. Boddy has been killed, and your job is to figure out what room everyone was in so you know who was alone with the poor sap when he was killed. This game comes with cards, each one a different game, and these cards give you a small assortment of clues - such as "Miss Scarlet was in the kitchen with a man", and "Prof. Plum was in the room above Mrs. Meadow-Brook". Using these small number of clues you must deduce - mostly through process of elimination - who was where. If you watched the above links to clips from the VHS games than the gameplay is fairly similar. The normal cast of characters are available, along with the introduction of "the butler", as well as Mrs. Meadow-Brook, Rusty, Prince Azure, and Lady Lavender - totalling now at 11 suspects. This game is SUPER simple since I've been doing these types of puzzles since I was about 10, but it is still enjoyable.
Another '07 Clue game - that I also bought at Barnes&Noble - is Clue Express. As the name suggests, it's designed to be a fast variant of the game - capable of play in about twenty minutes. In this game you use dice to make your suggestion, but you still mark things off on a detective pad, and other players still prove you wrong with cards. This time you're trying to figure out who was the brains, who was the brawn, and who was the get-away driver. It was indeed fun and an interesting twist. Also, due to it being compact, it's a great Clue game to take on the go.
The final spin-off in the series came out last year. This is Clue Discover the Secrets - another gift from Remy. Hasbro actually created this addition to REPLACE the original Clue! That's right! Almost 60 years and it gets replaced! TT_TT The game is still ridiculously fun however. It's been completely updated for the new era, including new weapons - keeping the poison that was introduced during the Limited Gift and 50th Anniversary editions, as well as introducing an axe, dumbbell, and trophy, and replacing the revolver with a pistol with a silencer, and the lead pipe with a baseball bat. The pawns are completely redone. Instead of "making a suggestion" players now "start rumors". Players now don't start with an "advantage" by having more cards than other players; if there are cards left over after an even split those cards are put in a pile in the center for all players to look at. The character backstories are completely redone, and each character is also given different "powers" - such as "once per game you may look at a clue being given to another player". Another character "change" is the victim isn't Mr. Boddy, or Dr. Black, or even Mr. Meadow-Brooke, he is just some unnamed millionaire and he has "gone missing" and just "suspected" of being killed. *shrugs* The biggest change, and the best spin in my opinion, is the introduction of Intrigue cards. There are two types. One set gives you different advantages that you can play throughout the game - such as allowing you to not show a player the card that would disprove his/her "rumor". The second set is the most interesting: clock cards. There are eight. Basically, there is a time limit on finding the killer in this game. The first seven cards do nothing, but if some unfortunate player pulls the last clock card it means that too much time has passed and the killer has just killed you! Once drawn, the eight card is shuffled back in the deck and the next player to pull it also "dies". Your cards become general information for everyone, but it is possible that all players pull the eighth clock card, die, and the murderer gets away with it. Interesting twist, and when we all played at Remy's 25th birthday party we did end up losing at least 1/2 the players ^_^.
And now for the one licenced variant that I own. I'm not a fan of the books, and I only "enjoy" the movies, but it was a Clue game, and it turned out to be a greatly enjoyable twist. The Hasbro-approved Harry Potter Clue takes place at Hogwarts. A student has gone missing and players have to determine what spell was used, who cast it, and where the student was attacked. There are three added twists in this game to make it truly Harry Potter. The first is the idea of Hogwarts' moving staircases. There is a die that has each of the four house crests, as well as the Dark Mark on each side. When the die is rolled you then turn a dial on the board that shifts the "staircases" - opening and closing doors to rooms and changing where secret passage ways lead. Another twist is the idea of House Points. You lose House Points whenever the Dark Mark shows up, and so - much like in Discover the Secrets - the game could win. Cards are introduced as the third twist in the game, and they directly effect the House Points componant. There are two sets; Dark cards are used when the Dark Mark appears and takes away House Points. The second set are the Help cards which can be played to protect your House Points when a Dark card is played. So it's Clue, but advanced with just enough of that Harry Potter flavor. Enjoyable, but - much like Clue FX - it tends to take longer than traditional Clue due to the new features and the difficulty navigating the board.
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I just LOOOOVE this game! I love the skill I have at winning it! I love how it changes each time. I love the strategy (and some luck) needed to win. I love pulling "a little poker" into it by reading the other player's tell-tale to know who has what. I love the different variants of the game. I just LOOOOOOOOOVE Clue! I'm obsessed about it, and so concludes my "Get a Clue" obsession post. ^_^