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Carmen Sandiego Returns

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Carmen Sandiego Returns
Game Logo
Developer(s)The Learning Company
Publisher(s)Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
SeriesCarmen Sandiego
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows,[1]
iOS[2]
Release
  • Microsoft Windows
  • May 14, 2015
  • iOS
  • November 18, 2015
Genre(s)Puzzle, adventure[3]
Mode(s)Single-player

Carmen Sandiego Returns is a 2015 social studies[4] puzzle adventure video game, part of the Carmen Sandiego franchise.[5][6][7][8] It is developed by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and uses Intel RealSense Technology in order to enhance the immersive nature of player interaction.[9][10][11] The educational game aims to teach players about world geography and culture to its 10–14 year old target market.[12]

A different game was released on the iOS platform under the same name. This game marks the franchise's debut onto the smartphone market,[13] and has a target market of people aged 9–11.[14][15]

Gameplay

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Players have to travel across the globe, uncovering clues to work out where crooks are hiding. In each location, the player hunts for clues using their naked eye, an x-ray, and ultraviolet light, similar to a hidden object game. Players undertake a street racing minigame when chasing down the crook. Each case has a time limit, with hours being used whenever the player goes to a new country. They can use coins to speed up this travel time. The game comes with an encyclopedia to help players who cannot decrypt a clue.

Intel RealSense Technology allows players to use gesture control to do things like pick up clues and fly a plane. The use of puns, which is a staple of the series, is continued here, with names of crooks including "Hal Apenyo" and "Bea Carefull".

The free version of the game contains Pack 1: Museum Heist! (5 missions), while Pack 1: Museum Heist! (5 missions) and Pack 2: Monumental Emergencies! (10 missions) can be purchased together.[11][16][17]

In the iOS version, each level sees the player start a case, travel the world, collect clues, fill out a warrant, and finally chase the crook.[18][19][20] Players can track their progress on the leaderboard via the Apple Game Centre.[21] In this version, players have two travel options: normal, and express, the latter of which takes up in-game currency. In each location players search for clues via their fingers' manipulation of the touch pad, and as witnesses offer them information, they can start to build up their warrant.[22][23]

Development

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The first hint of the new game was made in January 2015 via a teaser trailer released on Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's YouTube channel entitled ACME Alert: Carmen Sandiego™ is back with a new game!. It said the game would be "available soon for free download on Amazon.com".[9] A few months later in March, Edutainment Weekly quoted Houghton Mifflin Harcourt communications director Jennifer Berlin as saying that there would be future developments regarding an iOS app.[1][24] Further details were peppered throughout press releases leading up to the game's official launch date: Carmen Sandiego Returns was advertised as being a bilingual game in English/French,[11] and was noteworthy for offering the company "an opportunity to leverage legacy assets with a strong brand and fan base".[25] On May 14, the game became available on Amazon, while in November, the app version was released to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the original Carmen Sandiego game.[26][27] EdSurge noted that "her re-emergence coincides with a resurgence in the popularity of educational games", which had been in decline since the turn of the millennium.[28]

Reception

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Much of the discussion about Carmen Sandiego Returns was in a new release that hearkened back to the first games in the franchise's thirty-year history. The Telegraph praised the game's educational content and "stellar graphics", noting it "has all the things 90's kids loved about the original character".[26] According to GeekDad, the game "bring[s] the character back to life".[29] The Livingston Post wrote that the game "revives the story and play of the Carmen Sandiego brand".[30] MACNN said that "the voice acting is wonderful and the music and sounds have a cool edutainment circa '95 vibe".[31] AppAddict praised the game's ability to retain its old gameplay while using new technology to enhance the experience, writing "Carmen Sandiego Returns is an excellent, modern addition to this beloved franchise from my childhood".[32] AppleGazette had a very positive reaction to the game, after listing the game's nostalgic summary.[33] Slashgear noted that in an attempt to appeal to the next generation of gamers who may be unfamiliar with Carmen Sandiego, HMH decided to release the game onto the platform they prefer, iOS.[34]

There were some negative reactions to the gameplay. Apple N Apps gave it a 2 out of 5, writing that its nostalgia is ultimately outweighed by its simplicity, blandness, and shortness, concluding that despite a "promising pedigree" it had a "poor execution".[35] MakeUseOf disliked the price point for each set of three 15-minute cases, commenting that a more cost-effective way to experience the franchise would be to download the free DOS versions of the 80's games.[36] Meanwhile, TouchVision was generally ambivalent toward both the PC and iOS versions of the game.[37] TouchVision criticised the PC version for requiring the player to purchase Intel RealSense, and the app version for only having three short missions for free before the player has to pay for more.[38]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Ed-Tech-Industry Awards Set Participation Records - Market Brief". 2016-04-12. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  2. ^ Hayley Williams (21 December 2015). "App Deals: Carmen Sandiego Is Back, We're Just Not Sure Where".
  3. ^ "Free Apps Daily: Carmen Sandiego Returns, SharpScan Pro, And More". AppleNApps.
  4. ^ "Don't Miss Kids' Geography & ELA Game Carmen Sandiego Returns! | Balefire Labs". Archived from the original on 2016-01-18. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  5. ^ "Intel® RealSense™ App Showcase - Carmen Sandiego Returns". intel.com.
  6. ^ "Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Unveils Carmen Sandiego IOS App". 2015-11-24. Archived from the original on 2016-09-11. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ "Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Introduces Carmen Sandiego IOS App". 2015-11-28. Archived from the original on 2016-09-11. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. ^ "Where's Carmen Sandiego? on an App ; Boston Publisher Brings Classic Public TV Character to Phones". 2015-11-20. Archived from the original on 2016-09-11. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ^ a b "ACME Alert: Carmen Sandiego邃｢ is back with a new game!". YouTube.
  10. ^ "Carmen Sandiego". Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Archived from the original on 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2015-01-24.
  11. ^ a b c "Windows® 8 Game". Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  12. ^ "Amazon.com: Carmen Sandiego Returns: Video Games". amazon.com.
  13. ^ "Carmen Sandiego Returns hits iPhone and iPad today in the beloved series' mobile debut - GamesBeat - Games - by Dan Crawley". VentureBeat. 19 November 2015.
  14. ^ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (19 November 2015). "Carmen Sandiego Returns: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Launches Character's First-Ever IOS App" (Press release).
  15. ^ "Carmen Sandiego Returns: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Launches Character's First-Ever IOS App - Book Business". Book Business.
  16. ^ "Amazon.com: Carmen Sandiego Returns: Video Games". amazon.com.
  17. ^ "Amazon.com: Carmen Sandiego Returns: Video Games". amazon.com.
  18. ^ "Google Translate".
  19. ^ "Carmen Sandiego Returns beginner's guide iPhone / iPad".
  20. ^ Carmen Sandiego Returns iOS Gameplay 1080p HD 60fps. 22 December 2015 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ "'Carmen Sandiego' Returns with First-Ever iOS App". Animation World Network.
  22. ^ "There's a New Carmen Sandiego App". Boston Magazine.
  23. ^ "Carmen Sandiego turns up in the mobile world".
  24. ^ "Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's (HMHC) CEO Linda Zecher on Q1 2015 Results -- Earnings Call Transcript". nasdaq.com.
  25. ^ SA Transcripts (7 May 2015). "Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's (HMHC) CEO Linda Zecher on Q1 2015 Results -- Earnings Call Transcript". seekingalpha.com.
  26. ^ a b "Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego Now?". The Huffington Post. 23 November 2015.
  27. ^ "New iPhone Games Coming Tonight: 'Battle Copters', 'Chromatic Souls', 'Hop Hop Hop', 'Carmen Sandiego Returns' and More". TouchArcade.
  28. ^ "Is the Educational Games Industry Falling Into the Same Trap It Did 20 Years Ago? - EdSurge News". EdSurge. February 7, 2016.
  29. ^ Greene, Jamie (November 19, 2015). "The ACME Detective Agency Reopens for Business as Carmen Sandiego Returns".
  30. ^ Wayne Johnson. "Book Biz: Carmen Sandiego is An App, Amazon Builds a Bookstore, Ordering Scholastic Books at School". The Livingston Post.
  31. ^ "Hands On: Carmen Sandiego Returns 1.0 (iOS)". MacNN. Archived from the original on 2015-12-25.
  32. ^ "I've Found Carmen Sandiego and She's Up To Her Old V.I.L.E. Tricks On The App Store - AppAddict.net". AppAddict.net.
  33. ^ Noemi Tasarra-Twigg. "Paid iOS Apps Gone Free, December 21, 2015". Apple Gazette.
  34. ^ "'Carmen Sandiego Returns' launches on iOS". SlashGear.
  35. ^ "Carmen Sandiego Returns - A Triumphant Reappearance? - AppleNApps". AppleNApps.
  36. ^ Dave Parrack. "Facebook Hides Your Exes, Carmen Sandiego Returns on Mobile... [Digest]". MakeUseOf.
  37. ^ Carmen Sandiego is 30, flirty and thriving: Geek Bait. 24 November 2015 – via YouTube.
  38. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-01-24. Retrieved 2016-01-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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