Disney wants you to solve the case while having fun with your friends. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/previewArt.cfm?artid=23031 
First revealed at Nintendo's Q1 2010 Media Summit, Guilty Party is an original family game from Disney Interactive. Developed by Wideload Games, the object of Guilty Party is to solve crimes in a family-friendly setting. But unlike other mystery games, you won't be going solo; other players can join in and try to solve the mystery as partners, hence the "party" portion of the game's title.
When you start the game you will be able to play as one of seven detectives from the Dickens Detective Agency: Max the classic gumshoe; Phoebe the tough girl; Kid Riddle the superhero; Charlotte the elegant senior citizen; Ling-Ling the spunky teenager, and Butch the tough detective. These characters are clearly based on famous mystery novel archetypes, and are presented in a fitting cartoony manner. Once you choose your character, you will be able to play one of seven cases (prologue included), all of them with one thing in common: all of them have been conducted by the evil Mr. Valentine. Once the case starts you will be able to explore the settings in manner resembling classic point-and-click games as well as classic board games such as Clue. When a clue is spotted, you can click on it to reveal more info. These can be collected in your case notebook and used later to solve puzzles.
Interaction with these elements is presented in the form of mini-games. For example, if you found a clue that is dirty, you engage in a mini-game in which you point the Wii Remote at the screen and shake it to remove the pieces of dirt.
Witness interrogation is also vital in solving a case. You can click on the characters present at the scene of the crime, and then you will be given the person's basic information before you engage in the interrogation process. Like the clue search, the interrogations are conducted via mini-games. You can hypnotize the suspect by swinging the Wii Remote as a pendulum, and even stare right into the character's eyes by pointing at the screen with your controller. You can even bribe certain characters into talking in these mini-games. When these games are won, you will be able to get their testimonies and include them in your notebook.
One of the most interesting aspects of Guilty Party is that the suspects, clues, and witnesses will change with each gameplay session, making the cases different every time it's played. Lastly, the cases will have different endings according to the decisions made during the game.
Guilty Party allows up to four players in its multiplayer mode. Each player takes turns solving one part of the case and they cooperate in other aspects of the investigation, such as the mini-games. Competitive play is also offered. When Guilty Party is played as a competitive title, it employs an interesting game mechanic. When a clue is uncovered, only one player is allowed to know the truth behind it, leaving the other players to try and guess how it fits into the mystery. Players can also choose their difficulty level when selecting a character so every player can play at their pace and desired difficulty setting without affecting the rest of the players.
The accessible multiplayer along with the Disney-inspired story and characters could make Guilty Party a hit for families when it's released July 27, 2010.
Topic: PREVIEWS: Disney Guilty Party (Read 3767 times)
