Her Interactive, publisher of the PC games, is putting out a "Twitter soap opera" in conjunction with the upcoming Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy. I'm not exactly sure how a soap opera works on Twitter – but the press release says that whatever it is will fill in sections of the story from the perspectives of different characters.

This use of Twitter as an augmentation to gameplay is interesting. Everyone knows the young'uns are into social networks these days. Could it be that publishers will turn to them more often for more than just advertising?

Hm… Fable III, the Twitter experience. How would that work?

Knowing I am probably the farthest from the target audience as possible, in order to give the Icicle Creek a fair shake I first had to get myself into the mindset of a teenage girl. After spending an hour drawing hearts with Crecente's name on them on the outside of a battered old spiral notebook, I felt I was ready to fully appreciate the life of a young female detective.

Our story begins, like all good detective stories, on my Windows desktop...

And thus was the stage set. As Nancy Drew, I am invited to work undercover at the Icicle Creek lodge. Dangerous accidents, sabotaged properties, and explosions are followed by a mysterious white wolf appearing at each incident.

The game is a relatively standard adventure in the old school vein. Arrows to move from area to area, an inventory to manage, clues to guide you along, etc. Nothing too fancy, but for Nancy the mystery is the star, not flashing scene transitions or awesome 3D animations. I did not some near little touches as I explored the inside of the lodge, such as a newspaper with side stories about a man attacked by a wolverine and a sasquatch sighting. Going to give the developers the benefit of the doubt and chalk that up as a Marvel comics reference. Clever!

Now I am ready to venture outside, to see what lay beyond the dead-animal draped walls of the stuffy lodge. What would I find there? Danger? Excitement? Dare I say...love? I grasp the doorknob, heart beating wildly with all the possibilities, and then my cell phone rings. It's the lodge owner, and she's pissed. Apparently my undercover guise as her maid and cook, like great power, comes with great responsibilities.

And that was it. I seriously couldn't bring myself to finish this mini-game, and I could see no other way to progress. Maybe I just didn't dig deep enough into my feminine side, but that would assume that women enjoy cooking and cleaning, and you know what? Just going to shut up about that. All I know is that after I was done I handed the game off to my mother, and she loved the damn thing. Go figure.

The White Wolf of Icicle Creek is just one of sixteen of this games, with another due out later this year. They are available in stores or direct download from Her Interactive, and despite some of my comments during that first video seem to be just the kind of wholesome fun that young girls need to keep them from turning into...average young girls these days. If you can catch them during that two week period between them wearing sundresses and calling you "Daddy" and getting their bodies pierced and calling their boyfriend "Daddy", you just might postpone the dreadful process for a week or two. Got to get your innocence where you can these days. Michael Fahey

For the three readers who actually care, the Dead or Alive move DOA is supposedly getting a theatrical release. Last we heard, the game was slated for a straight-to-DVD release. Over at movie site Ain't It Cool News, they're saying:

Seems the movie is headed for a June 15 release, despite persistent rumors that it's been banished straight-to-video. In an amusing example of fetishistic synchronicity, DOA will open opposite NANCY DREW.

If true, smart money's on Nancy Drew kicking ass and taking names. Brian Ashcraft

DOA In Theaters [Ain't It Cool News via The Last Boss]

Later this year, Nancy Drew will be hitting the Nintendo DS. Gorilla Systems will be bringing Nancy Drew: Secret of Olde World Park to the handheld. The plot centers around a missing theme park owner.

Nintendo's portable has been fueling a mystery game resistance of late, and it's nice to see Nancy Drew doing her bit. Those Hardy Boys can't be too far behind. Brian Ashcraft

Nancy Drew DS Coming [Gay Gamer]

Eons ago, we posted something on a Nancy Drew game. And of course made fun of it. The company that made it, HerInteractive, just dropped word that there's another game for us to make fun of as well! They write:

The last time I sent a Nancy Drew trailer, you lambasted us for trying to create some ooky romance between Nancy and the Hardy Boys. We're over that now, but I wanted to give you a heads up on our latest games.

Ha! That was an ooky romance between old ladies and the Hardy Boys we were lambasting you for! Regardless, they've got a new game out, called Nancy Drew: Danger by Design. It's for computers. A big seller. And girls like it apparently. Old ladies, too. Brian Ashcraft

It's Paris With Nancy And Mysteries [HerInteractive]