coffeyfan77's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.5
- Helpful Votes:672
- Reviews Submitted:141
- First Review:November 19, 2011
- Most Recent Review:March 27, 2018
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Explore Dr. Blackmore’s latest experiment in a Haunted Halls: Fears from Childhood, a terrifying Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Run of the Mill Hidden Object Game..But the Run IS Fun
PostedMay 24, 2012
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Time Management
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I enjoyed the previous Haunted Halls adventure, and looked forward to continuing the campaign against the evil Dr. Blackmore. I think the developers did a decent job of trying to be different here, with mixed results.
For starters, you will perform a lot of hidden object searches, and do most of them multiple times. The searches themselves are okay. Interestingly, little touches in the scene that have nothing to do with your search are more intriguing than the graphics of the search scene itself. You will collect the usual bric-a-brac (keeping one item to help you) and perform some interactive functions to obtain an item or two. I like changing it up from the basic hunt and peck, but this did end up feeling pretty tacked on. Cut the fruit with the knife sitting right next to it? More could have been done.
The story I enjoyed. The idea is that you have to help different children escape the mad doctor who has trapped them in their own nightmares. This allows you to explore four to five different areas without requiring too much backtracking. Bravo on that, as it doesn't feel forced but streamlines your experience. Unfortunately, as the game goes on the environments get worse. What starts strong ends up with not much challenge.
Graphics are okay, nothing special. Voice acting (there's not much# is decent also. Music is eerie enough, but it's the same string instrument looping so you're bound to get annoyed. Hint charges quickly even on the expert setting. Puzzles are variants of the tried and true standards, although different enough that they are enjoyable. I particularly liked the different from the norm jigsaw puzzles of the skeleton and the stalactites.
Unfortunately, the plot is predictable and anti-climactic. You get a hint of the depth of the villain #and his own reasons for this scheme) and a happy ending and that's about it. Perhaps the collector's edition offers more on that, but I was disappointed in what started strong. Ultimately, I found this slightly above average, but nothing worth crowing about. They may have done all they can with this series.
I recommend this game!
Help Christine explore the spooky Ashburg Asylum and find her missing grandfather in this dark Hidden Object game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Strong Follow-Up
PostedMay 19, 2012
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This sequel to Curse of the Opera explains much of the backstory for the first game, and continues the series with more solid hidden object fun. Several improvements were made, and the developers did a great job of keeping the pace fast.
The game looks great, with big improvements made in the artwork from the first game. Hidden object scenes in particular sparkle, with items really standing out but not obtrusively. Voice acting is solid once more, especially if you enjoy mad scientist chuckling (and who doesn't?#
What I liked most about this follow-up was the plot and energy level. You're constantly moving, and the game does a great job of making it evident what you need to do next without giving it away. #Unless you use the hint, of course, which charges quickly.# You also need to collect audio tapes #optional) to learn more about the characters. This was okay, but the bonus tape you earn from doing this was in my mind a bit of a let-down.
Challenges are okay, with nothing really proving too hard for your average gamer. Backtracking is present, but not ridiculously. Overall, I think the game surpasses the original technically, but lacks a bit of the challenge. Solid work.
I recommend this game!
Take on the role of a lowly stagehand in an opera company tasked with solving a deadly mystery in an isolated village!
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 8 found this review helpful
Dated Classic
PostedMay 17, 2012
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Even though I played this game quite a while ago, I recently played it again and was compelled to write a review. It's much harder to review older games, as graphics and sound have continued to improve in hidden object games, but it would be wrong to think this is one you shouldn't check out if you haven't already.
What I enjoy most about this game (which is the start of an ongoing series# is the plot. It's a murder mystery with several twists, and for once, when you finally discover what's going on at the end, it makes sense while simultaneously ending on a cliffhanger. Too often when playing these games, you're forced into purchasing a CE to get a satisfactory resolution. This game made me appreciate the time spent getting to the bottom of the mystery while also making me very excited for the next installment.
You will notice this is a product of earlier days. Cutscenes have a great animated look, and the voice acting is quite good, but the HO scenes themselves do suffer from a junkpile quality and aren't that great looking. You'll collect items and then find one additional item to interact with before picking up what you need. You will be using the hint button, as unfortunately some of the items are far too difficult to see, but it charges quickly. You'll be doing some backtracking, to be sure, but sparkles always indicate areas to explore. #Veteran gamers would appreciate difficulty levels, I'm sure, but alas, none to be had here.)
The puzzles are well-done variants of the usual suspects: Rube Goldberg contraptions, filling two jars with water, and memory tests. They are decently challenging. Where this game truly succeeds is establishing characters and setting the mood. Since 75% of HO games now use a spooky setting, we forget how innovative the early ones were. Do yourself a favor and check this one out. It's well worth your time.
I recommend this game!
Save your sister and uncover the secrets of an ancient organization in Silent Nights: The Pianist!
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Great Idea, Mixed Execution
PostedMay 15, 2012
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Time Management
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I'd rate this game higher if I had purchased the standard edition, but as a CE the bar needs to be raised in order for a great score. As it stands, the game experience itself is enjoyable enough and does have a few appreciated innovations, but the story falls apart and there's not enough to distinguish it from the rest.
The story starts out in a very interesting way. You're trying to rescue your sister from a sinister group, and the baddies keep setting up roadblocks to prevent it. I liked the art very much. Both HO and regular scenes look great, and I also appreciated using appropriate objects in a lot of those scenes (finding musical items, for example). Music is above average and voice acting is also quite good.
As to the music element, I wish it had been fleshed out more. Some of the puzzles have a musical theme, but there's not a whole lot of distinction from other games out there. I'd have expected more when you put "Pianist" in the title.
I liked the way the HO scenes were handled. There were just enough of them and the extra work you had to do to get some items made it more interesting to me. The rest of the game is decent. Not as much backtracking as other games and enough inventory to keep you moving.
I thought the game was paced well until the end, which felt forced and anti-climactic. I also didn't like the bonus game, which did give you an alternate viewpoint but kept you bottled up in previously explored areas and was far too short. If you're shelling out the cash for a collector's edition, you should be getting a better experience. I think the creators needed a bit more time to truly flesh out their ideas.
All in all, this game has an interesting plot and does a lot of things right. I'm sure the standard edition would score higher for me. While I appreciate the little touches and overall pace of the game, the devil is in the details and they weren't entirely successful here.
I don't recommend this game.
The town of Deadwood is being terrorized by the ghost of a murderous outlaw! Break his curse and save the day!
Overall rating
3
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
What Could Have Been...
PostedMay 10, 2012
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Time Management
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I really wanted to enjoy this game more than I ended up enjoying it. Combining the supernatural and a Western setting? Yeah, I'm on board. Unfortunately, this game leaves a lot to be desired and does nothing particularly well.
From a plot standpoint, it's pretty straightforward. You're searching for a missing child and you have to stop the bad guy. What makes it slightly different is that you have some additional supernatural powers in addition to just being your run-of-the-mill HOG detective. These powers are not as fleshed out as they could have been, and to be honest it's a bit underwhelming. We probably good have reasoned there would be something important in that bulging tied-up sack without ghostly ESP, but at least they tried.
Graphic style reminded me of the Hide And Secret series, closer to an old comic book than a current game. Voice acting is present throughout, which was a nice touch, especially whoever voiced the undertaker character. Scenes of course have a Western motif and you will be backtracking. Hidden object scenes are plentiful and average.
Puzzles are where this game fell off the rails for me. The developers take the easy way out when they repeat the same puzzles, and boy do they repeat. If you really enjoy jigsaws and concentric rings, you're in for a treat. Some depth and originality would have been most welcome here.
There were a few minor quibbles, such as getting rid of an inventory item (like a knife), then seconds later needing to cut something open. Just let me take the ladder already if I'm going to need it again later. I felt these lapses made the game longer than it had a right to be. All in all, I enjoyed the concept far more than the execution.
I don't recommend this game.
Stop the evil Vansig family before they point their vengeful wrath at your friend Christine in Nightfall Mysteries: Black Heart!
Overall rating
3
/
5
17 of 21 found this review helpful
Weak Entry In A Great Series
PostedMarch 26, 2012
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Time Management
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Consider this the Back to the Future II in the Nightfall Mysteries series. The first game was fantastic, the second very good, but it unfortunately seems that the developers are content to leave it there. The problem with setting a really high standard is that you have to continue to up the ante. I'd like to say that this does, but it ends up being very average.
The story will make sense if you've played the previous games, but is essentially a rather blatant ripoff of Frankenstein. I actually enjoyed it for the most part, but the ending is completely anticlimactic and way too simple for such a complex backstory. You can gather cassette tapes to fill in even more of the narrative, but they don't unlock any bonus features in the standard edition so there's little point.
Voice acting is plentiful (a welcome touch) and not bad at all with the exception of the evil countess who sounds like she's auditioning for Young Frankenstein. Music is inoffensive and largely not memorable. I found the graphics to be below par. The first two games were much better in that area and this looked thrown together. The estate is huge, but the poor visual quality doesn't make it stand out at all.
Challenge level can be set at the beginning. Even at the hardest level, it's nothing too challenging. Puzzles are a myriad of things you've seen before, though there were one or two that I found creative and enjoyable. Hints will point you in the right direction or tell you there's nothing to do in the room you're in at that time. Hidden object scenes will be repeated, and you'll do some minor "open the drawer" type things to find items, but there's far too much obvious deliberate backtracking.
At the end of the day, had this been a stand-alone HO game I wouldn't be so harsh on it. The game is lengthy enough, and you get your money's worth on hidden object scenes. But the earlier entries are far superior (particularly the first game, which is a must play) and I think they've exhausted this storyline by now. It unfortunately shows with the lack of attention to detail.
I don't recommend this game.
Guide Ethan Black as he attempts to rescue his bride-to-be from a terrifying menace known as the Faceless Ones!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Solid Adventure Leaves You Wanting More
PostedMarch 20, 2012
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Arcade & Action, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Dark Strokes is a fantastic hidden object game, so let's just get that out of the way first. The plot is excellent (very Faustian, indeed# and I'd highly recommend not accepting a ticket for ship 666 any time soon. I found the adventure compelling, and I thought the developers did a great job of keeping you moving through the various locations and giving you ideas on what to do next without making it all incredibly obvious.
The game does feature voice acting, though not enough of it for my tastes, and a couple of the actors are a bit flat. Visuals are a bit of a mixed bag. The cutscenes are really well done #and there are more than a few) and I liked the painted quality hinted at in the game's title. The hidden object scenes I found to be a bit of a hodgepodge with little difficulty collecting objects barring some lighting issues. I think overall I would describe the graphics as uneven; much better games out there in that regard. Sound was overall pretty good; the music was varied enough and fit in nicely with the game's theme.
Difficulty was just right for me. Couple interesting twists on some puzzles you're by now very familiar with, and some will force you to spend some time on them. Nothing impossible though. Hint button charges rather quickly even on expert level. Most of the time you'll have a decent idea what to do. Only once or twice was I longing for sparkles, which you can turn on in the easier setting.
On the negative side, this is a sparse collector's edition and I regret buying it that way. Extras are the usual batch of who cares and an extra chapter that, while advancing the story a bit, falls back on the same hidden object scenes AND the same puzzles from the main story. How about a little effort here, guys? There are also no collectibles in the game or anything of that kind, so replayability is low.
Small touches in the game are very well done and make this one stand out, however. Clicking on objects brings up comments even when they aren't integral to the game, and it's exciting. Overall, a few tweaks might have made this a perfect gaming experience, but you could do far worse.
I recommend this game!
You only have 10 Days to Save the World! Find the secrets of an ancient amulet to stop the disasters occurring all over the planet!
Overall rating
2
/
5
36 of 41 found this review helpful
Dudville, Thy Name is 10 Days...
PostedMarch 10, 2012
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Sometimes an excellent story, memorable characters and interesting puzzles team up to make a stellar hidden object game. This will NOT be one of those times. It's rather unfortunate, because what starts as an interesting premise about Atlantis devolves into muddling, confusing gameplay.
This is your standard HO game, and there is plenty of finding to do. Most of what you collect makes sense (wood for a campfire# and just as much of it doesn't. If your favorite pastime is finding 15 randomly placed jigsaw pieces and then assembling said jigsaw, generally with no piece rotation and the pieces being right next to where they go, this is your heaven on earth.
As to the story, it's fairly entertaining and developed with decent cutscenes only to end abruptly and with nothing resolved. It's as if you eavesdropped into an interesting conversation and then gave up halfway through. Translation is a problem, as you'll see from the sentence structure and word usage. I don't mind a game not giving you complete fulfillment at the end, but this is not even close.
Visually, the game is okay. The cutscenes have a hand-painted type of quality that I found different and pleasing. No voice acting to be had, and the music is insistent and not that interesting. Lots of special effects, like fire exploding and gates opening and closing. Nothing to writer home about, but I've seen worse.
Challenge level is minimal. The only difficulties you'll encounter are locating impossibly small objects in dimly lit caves #and the hint recharge is sloth-like), wondering how you suddenly had inventory like a fire extinguisher appear when it wasn't there before, and explaining where your money went when you bought this dud.
I don't recommend this game.
Fitzpatrick McGovern is long gone, but his mysterious lost legacy is still out there! Find it in Big City Adventure: London Story!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Jolly Good Adventuring
PostedFebruary 7, 2012
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
I've played the Big City games, and for the most part enjoyed them, but the series was losing its steam for me. That changed with this game, which may not be the most complicated thing you've ever played, but is truly enjoyable.
Unlike previous Big City games, this one is more of a hidden object/adventure affair, which was a refreshing change. The best part of these games is getting to explore the city in question, and you hit most of the big landmarks of London as you might expect. This dovetails with a simple but fun adventure as you search for a long-lost artifact. Fans of adventure gaming such as myself will recognize the all-too familiar "help everyone you meet" mantra, and performing those tasks gets you the items you need to find the next step on your journey and unlock new locations.
I was pleasantly surprised at the voice acting in the game, which is quite good. The background music is lacking, however. It's not that it's bad, it's just the same tune throughout and you tire of it quickly. Graphically, it's not up to snuff with some of the more "realistic" looking games, but I think it suits the tone and surroundings quite well. In addition, I liked the extra touches, like a bit of animation in each hidden object scene.
As to the puzzles, they are largely familiar but well done. Some are more difficult than others, but nothing will stump you completely. Skipping them is allowed, and the only detriment it brings you is adding time to your game clock. Hints are collected by finding coins in each scene, but the HO scenes were the easiest thing in the game. Other than the repetitive crossword puzzle to unlock each new scroll, I liked the variety.
I really appreciate when story and game come together to make a unique and enjoyable experience. I don't know that it will have much replay value (no trophies to unlock or anything of the kind), but it's a heck of a lot of fun. Kudos to the developers for stepping outside of their comfort zone and doing a great job.
I recommend this game!
Overall rating
3
/
5
29 of 30 found this review helpful
Short and Semi-Satisfying
PostedJanuary 28, 2012
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
I would best describe this game as an entry-level primer to more intricate hidden object/adventure hybrid games. It does everything adequately and just about nothing incredibly well.
You play a Nancy Drew-type character who is trying to solve the case your father, a detective in his own right, was working on when he disappears. The adventure itself is extremely lighthearted, with not a lot in the way of scares or suspense. Music is passable and forgettable, and there is no voice acting. Graphics are pretty good on the whole, and there are several animated cutscenes.
As to gameplay, it's very standard. Hidden object scenes are large junkpiles where you'll do things like find 10 combs or 8 coins. One thing I did like was the mix of elements, like picking things up from the surroundings and also during the HO searches and having to manipulate the environments around you. Minigames are nothing you haven't seen (and beaten) before, with only a couple of puzzlers at the end to possibly trip you up. Skipping them can be done rather quickly but will add time to your score. That doesn't hugely matter since it doesn't unlock anything, but even on the "challenge" mode you'll likely clock in well under three hours with no skips.
Plot is what you'd expect, but the whole thing wraps up tidily enough. These may be the most careless crooks ever in the history of video gaming, but you can't have everything. The only thing that rates this game above average at all for me is the fact that the villain uses "toots" to describe your character about 17 times during the dialogue. And you wonder that he's a bad guy. Forgettable fun.
I don't recommend this game.