Game: Clue VCR Mystery Game

Thread: Re: Can someone provide a DVD transfer of this?

Gamer805 — 2008-09-26T14:30:11+00:00

I would love to get a copy of Clue Vcr I & II on DVD please. I would appreciate if someone can send me a copy.

Image

Orph — 2007-10-24T01:13:37+00:00

High Res Image of Back of Box

Image

Andre_g54 — 2007-09-17T08:29:59+00:00

1985 CLUE VCR Mystery Game by Parker Brothers

Thread: Re: Can someone provide a DVD transfer of this?

CCWM — 2007-07-20T17:41:40+00:00

I received my copy. Very nice. Thank you, Steven, for doing this for us.

Thread: Re: Can someone provide a DVD transfer of this?

CCWM — 2007-06-23T16:02:32+00:00

Steven, I shot you a Geekmail. Let me know if you got it - thanks!

Debbie F.
Debbie@CustomCandyWrappersandMore.com
www.CustomCandyWrappersandMore.com

Thread: Re: Can someone provide a DVD transfer of this?

dimwitflathead — 2007-06-20T23:04:10+00:00

Thanks DrChek!

Dennis, I will send you a geekmail.

Thread: Re: Can someone provide a DVD transfer of this?

deaston — 2007-06-11T15:49:04+00:00

Could I get a copy of this as well? How would I do that?

Thread: Re: Can someone provide a DVD transfer of this?

DrChek — 2007-06-06T00:18:41+00:00

dimwitflathead wrote:
i would also like to get a dvd copy of this if possible at all...
Check your GeekMail...

Thread: Re: Can someone provide a DVD transfer of this?

carl67lp — 2007-06-05T22:32:20+00:00

I should point out that I've received a DVD, so I'm all set. Thanks!

Thread: Re: Can someone provide a DVD transfer of this?

dimwitflathead — 2007-06-05T22:17:47+00:00

i would also like to get a dvd copy of this if possible at all...

Thread: Re: Can someone provide a DVD transfer of this?

slyde — 2007-04-20T20:11:02+00:00

Carl,

if steven's offer doesnt pan out, let me know. I too (about a year ago) took my copies of CLUE 1 and CLUE 2, and made dvd's of them, broken up by chapters as you described...

Thread: Re: Can someone provide a DVD transfer of this?

DrChek — 2007-04-20T18:46:19+00:00

I can. In fact here is a screen grab of the menu.
]]>
My DVD contains the video for both editions of the game also. Geekmail me if you want to get a copy of this.

Steven

Thread: Can someone provide a DVD transfer of this?

carl67lp — 2007-04-20T16:00:22+00:00

I bought this game a couple of months back at a thrift shop, and while it's complete, the VHS tape has seen better days.

Does anyone have a DVD transfer they'd be willing to send me? I'd happily pay for a disc and for postage, if you like.

I'd prefer it if the DVD had chapter points, but this is far from necessary.

Thanks!

Image

wwwebb — 2007-01-16T02:38:22+00:00

Mail in rebate version of box. Actually printed on box, not a sticker

Image

fellonmyhead — 2006-12-30T07:14:05+00:00

British edition.

Image

DrChek — 2006-08-16T03:45:00+00:00

Character bios from the manual

Image

DrChek — 2006-08-16T03:08:23+00:00

Menu screen for my homemade DVD transfer

Image

DrChek — 2006-08-16T02:54:46+00:00

Case descriptions from manual

Image

DrChek — 2006-08-16T02:17:28+00:00

Suspect Cards for traditional Clue characters

Image

DrChek — 2006-08-16T02:17:19+00:00

Suspect Cards for non-traditional Clue characters

Image

DrChek — 2006-08-16T02:05:12+00:00

VCR Tape

Thread: VCR Clue...A Game Before Its Time

DrChek — 2006-08-14T16:36:22+00:00

In 1985 Parker Brothers took the classic Clue franchise into the 20th Century with the introduction of the Clue VCR Mystery Game. VCR Clue clearly has its roots in the classic version, but this time they added new game play elements to help breathe new life into this venerable board game.

Overview of Play
In each game there are 2 to 5 murders that must be solved correctly in order to claim victory. Just like in the board game there is a murderer, a victim, a weapon and a room location that must be deduced for each murder. In some of the trickier games murderers can commit more than one murder, or weapons and rooms can be used multiple times. In one case a murderer will also show up as a victim. This all adds an element of complexity that is not present in the original game as finding out that the library was the site of a murder still leaves you to discover which of the killings took place there.

Unlike the classic board game, just figuring out the murders is not enough to win the game. Before the game is started each player is dealt a random suspect card and you assume the identity of that suspect throughout that game. In order to claim victory you must be able to correctly identify which suspect each of the other players was during the game. The first person to correctly solve the murders and identify each other player’s secret identity is declared the winner.

The video for the game is structured into three chapters, each of which contains five scenes. A single game will use all five scenes from a single chapter. At the beginning of the game each player is given a Detective Factsheet to keep track of clues and record findings, a suspect card that will be their secret identity for that game, and a hand of cards which can consist of clue cards, suspect cards, and investigation cards. The game consists of watching each scene, in order, one at a time. After viewing the scene each player, in turn, gives a clue about their secret identity, i.e. “I smoke” or “I was in the Kitchen in Scene 4.” After personal identity facts are given the players, in turn, play an investigation card if one is available. If the player has no investigation cards available they pick a new clue or suspect card. After the five scenes have been viewed play continues in rounds of card playing until someone can correctly solve the murders and identify all the other players.

The clue cards in the game give information relating to the scenes that will reveal information to help you solve the murders. Each clue tells you which scene it pertains to and what you need to look out for in that scene. For example, “The weapon held by Mr. Green in the Library was used to murder the suspect who used the telephone – Scene 3.” When scene three is shown you would have to watch for which weapon Mr. Green held in the library and who used the phone. To me, this is the most interesting part of the game. You may get this card at the beginning of the game, so you will have to make a note of it (in case someone takes the card from you) and remember to look for the clues when scene three finally gets shown. Another situation is that you may get that card after all five scenes have been shown. Hopefully you remember seeing Mr. Green holding a weapon in the library way back when you watched scene three. In case you can’t remember what happened in a previously viewed scene you have the option of replaying a scene with some investigation cards.

Investigation cards are played from your hand to do various tasks. They let your replay scenes that have been previously viewed, steal or be given a clue card from another player’s hand, have clues read aloud (one of your own or an opponent’s), bury clues at the bottom of the draw pile (good for keeping informative clues away from other players for a while), and asking a player for another personal identity fact.

Suspect cards, when drawn into your hand during the game, allow you to eliminate that suspect from being any of the other player’s personal secret identity.

Comments
The video scenes for VCR Clue are nicely produced and have a campy humor that makes them fun to watch. The creators have managed to jam pack each scene with lots of little actions and background happenings that form the basis for the clues in the game. There is so much activity in each scene that it makes it imperative to have a keen eye so you don’t miss any of the clues you are looking for. On top of that you also want to try and remember as much of what happens as you can as later in the game you may get a particularly juicy clue that relates to that scene and having to replay the scene gives the other players a chance to pick-up any remaining clues that they may have for that scene.

While I find the game very enjoyable, there are a few things that can detract from the game’s fun factor. In the age of DVDs, the old school VCR format is a hindrance. Replaying scenes means lots of rewinding and fast forwarding to find the start of specific scenes. I would say that playing the game now would almost require a conversion of the old VCR tape to DVD with chapter stops at each scene. I have done this and can attest to how much more playable it makes the game by limiting downtime. I also find that for inexperienced players the additional element of having a personal secret identity tends to bog the game down. Newer players often have trouble coming up with good personal identity facts that don’t reveal too much about their character and frequently have to resort to clues like “My character is male/female” which gives away far to much information. I also feel that for new players the added burden of having to watch their character for potential clues on top of looking out for the clues in the scene pertaining to the murders can be overwhelming. Fortunately the game can be played without this element and we usually play by just figuring out the murders, leaving the suspect cards and personal identity clue rounds out. The game does also suffer a bit from downtime, as whenever anyone gets a new clue card they have to take the time to jot it down and before each scene is played players want to take the time to review the clues they have for the upcoming scene. New players also have a tendency to want to replay scenes many times. This can lead to scenes being replayed for which you have no new clues so you tend to sit there waiting for the scene to end with not much to do which can be frustrating. This can lead to periods of silence that make the game feel like it is dragging.

Conclusion
Despite these detractions, I feel that this is a good incarnation of the Clue formula that would have fared much better had it been release a decade later in the age of DVDs. If you are a Clue fan, or a fan of having to watch for little details and have the ability to transfer the video to DVD I give this game a recommendation.

Steven

Edits: typos fixed

Thread: Re: Quick Comments

slyde — 2005-05-04T15:01:59+00:00

thats not a bad idea.. i think i will take my copies of clue and clue 2 vcr that i have had since i was a kid, and convert them to dvd this weekend...

Thread: User Review

Reverend Pete — 2005-04-29T14:12:23+00:00

Ahhh, the mysterious genre of VCR games. Nothing says "1980s" quite like cuddling up next to your VCR remote for an evening of murder, mystery and quirky crime-solving.

This genre of games tends to blur the distinction between 'entertainment' and 'game.' While there is a game here, and a halfway decent one at that--it is easy to forget that you are actually playing it, rather than just watching a low-budget cable access murder mystery hour.

There are 18 different mysteries to be solved on this 60-minute video tape. There are three different sections-blue, green, and red. Each section of the tape has 6 different mysteries to be solved using the same scenes. In order to make this possible, the clue cards for each segment have 6 different sets of clues on them--which can be a major cause of confusion if you or your opponents realize mid-game that you have been reading the wrong clues.

Minor flaws aside, the tape itself is pretty entertaining. The butler, Diddit, explains how the game works and acts as host throughout the case. The tape is full of corny jokes (like naming the butler 'Diddit') and wacky 'Clue' characters (using the extra characters from Clue Master Dectective, like Miss Peach and my personal favorite, Sgt. Grey). As I said before, it is tempting just to watch the tape and ignore any semblance of gameplay...not that the acting is that great--but there are certain scenes that make me laugh no matter how many times I see them.

The gameplay is as follows: Each player gets a bunch of clue cards and action cards. Players watch scenes together, looking for the clues that their cards give them...things like "the woman in the green hat in scene two is not a suspect" or "the weapon Mr. Green scratches his head with in scene three was used in this murder." Players deduce the solutions based on their clues.

Action cards allow players to look at other players' clues, replay certain scenes, and other 'special' things.

The biggest beef I have about this game is the fact that it is on VHS. This makes it a pain when soemone wants to replay a scene. If we have just completed scene 5, and someone plays a card to replay scene 1...there is a lot of groaning from all of the players--and then a lot of rewinding back to scene 1 followed by a lot of fast forwarding back to scene 5. Then, inevitably, someone will want to look at scene 3. Then 6. Then 2. It drains all of the fun out of the experience. If the game were on DVD--these problems would not exist.

Again, despite its flaws, I have a lot of fun playing this game. It may not be a great 'game,' but it gives me an opportunity to laugh with my friends...and there's a lot of value in that.

Thread: Re:Quick Comments

Ploogak — 2004-01-20T04:28:03+00:00

theokester (#10517),

I just started converting the this to a DVD. It's much nicer to play using a DVD. As a test I just did the first chapter and it works great.

Thread: Quick Comments

theokester — 2003-07-15T22:33:55+00:00

This game is actually a lot of fun, but it's difficult to find a group of people to play with me.

Essentially, you are presented with a videotape outlining adventures in Boddy Mansion. Decks of cards give clues relating to deaths that happen during different scenes. There are numerous adventures for each "chapter" of the video so you can play quite a few times before you run out of mysteries.

There is also a mini game in which each player in the game takes on the identity of one of the game characters and the other players must determine the identity of all players in addition to solving the crimes.

All in all, this is a fun game, but the time involved sitting around a VCR often discourages my game group from wanting to play.