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:
Has a spectral horror has arisen from an archeological dig site? Uncover the truth in this haunting Hidden Object game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
The Secret Is Out
PostedMay 15, 2015
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Large File, Word, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Dr. Lynch has been out for quite some time, but as I revisited the game (which I played for the first time way before reviews were being posted), I thought I'd share my thoughts. I am a big fan of this genre, and it combines the look and play of the Agatha Christie series with one of my favorite developers, Jane Jensen. Anyone who has followed her career knows she is big into character and storyline, both of which are on display here.
You play a renowned "skeptic" who is called to investigate odd goings on involving a dig site and a haunting. Naturally, things are more than what they first appear, and you'll navigate through about 25 "chapters" collecting objects and gaining information from the large number of suspects. Gameplay is repetitive but fun, and the town and folks in it are very realistically done. It's clear a lot of work went into the creation of this environment, and it mostly pays off.
As with any game that's of a certain age, it suffers on the technical side. There are no voices, music is okay at best, and animation is reserved for cartoon strip cut scenes. The largest issue is the items themselves. While the areas you explore are realistic and look great, the things you're asked to find can be tiny and very well hidden. The use of hints should correct any major issue, but it's a problem at times. The minigames are a bit forced, but I did like the puzzles found within scenes where you repair things, etc. The game does not always make clear exactly what you need to do, which is a good call when your character is supposed to be smarter than everyone else anyway.
By the time you've wrapped up the mystery #doesn't matter if you reached the same conclusion yourself#, you're invested in the characters and the endgame is reasonable and true to form. It won't win any awards for looks, but it's a solid entry to the genre and a great opportunity to delve into a fun case.
I recommend this game!
Use your Hidden Object and Adventure game talent to solve a dreadful Murder in the Rue Morgue!
Overall rating
3
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Average Start to a Great Series
PostedMay 12, 2015
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Large File, Word, Card & Board
Poe's work has been the basis of many a casual game, but Rue Morgue was the first in this series and not a bad play overall. As another reviewer mentioned, the series improves as it goes along, so the first installment has a bit of a "warts and all" feel. If you're a fan of the genre, you'll appreciate the chance to play alongside Dupin, the fictional investigator who appears in several Poe stories and is considered to be the forefather of later intellectual detectives like Poirot and Holmes.
The game itself recreates the excellent "Rue Morgue" story, and there are plenty of HO scenes throughout. They are a bit thrown together and you'll collect similar objects very often, but they do the job. Minigames are very simplistic, so the biggest challenge you'll face is navigating some of the technical issues. The caption box at the bottom pops up way too often, and it can be difficult to find what you're looking for with the cursor. As the main story lacks a "hint" feature #the frequent HO scenes do not#, don't be surprised if you end up needing a bit of assistance.
The game itself is fairly brief, as you travel through Paris to find a murderer. The game itself is loosely attached to the original story, particularly as it relates to the ending, and suffice it to say the master author does it better #and scarier#. Animations and soundtrack are fine. No voice acting.
The extras on the CE are the usual array, plus a sneak peek at Black Cat. I appreciated how you uncover them in playing the bonus chapter, but overall it felt tacked on and more like a merchandising shill than a successful add-on.
At the end of the day, the game is a decent entry into the genre and would set the stage for bigger and better sequels to come. Should you decide to take the plunge, you're in for a reasonable HO. Skip the CE.
I don't recommend this game.
Charles Dexter Ward summons you to the island of Pawtuxet to stop a revenant from murdering the townspeople.
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Good Adaptation of Lovecraft's Work
PostedMay 11, 2015
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Large File, Word, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
H.P. Lovecraft has been inspiring game makers for quite a while, so using one of his tales as the basis for a hidden object game makes sense. You are summoned by CD Ward to rid an island of a murderer, and quickly meet them both. What follows is a fun tale of discovery as you work against the sinister reincarnated spirit until the final showdown. And it (mostly) works.
Dark Mysteries is a fairly basic HO game, and that's not a bad thing. You'll explore the island and buildings on it, collecting items to use in the surroundings and compiling things to defeat the evil spirit. Music is decent, voice acting as well, though nothing really stands out and the actor playing the malevolent opponent is a bit of a ham. Visually, the game looks fine. HO scenes aren't too cluttered but nothing to really write home about.
Where the game shines are the details. I liked little touches and in-game nods, such as where you remark that a bird in the background doesn't have something to trade you for once. I also liked the amount of HO scenes, as you will come back to them multiple times. Objects are easily collected, though you'll have to manipulate the scene to do so. I also could have used a little variety there. Six times collecting the same object in different scenes smacks of laziness.
The final showdown is suspenseful, and there is a cool feature of using clocks to turn back time and see events of the past that the game uses nicely. I think the game is the right level of challenging for most gamers. They also did a great job of putting locations together to allow for maximum exploration without having to backtrack too often, which I appreciated.
All in all, a well-done game based on a great author's work. Not too scary, not too challenging, but definitely fun. Worth a try at minimum.
I recommend this game!
Use your powers of observation and deduction to unlock glimpses of events from the past and solve an 80 year old mystery!
Overall rating
3
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Uneven Sequel
PostedMay 4, 2015
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Large File, Card & Board
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
3 Cards to Midnight was a darn good game that opened up new areas to us casual gamers. I can't say that it was for everyone, but I liked that it relied a lot more on drawing connections between objects versus straight searching. It also told an interesting and deep story that seemed more suited for a movie script than a hidden object game. So naturally the sequel would feature more of the same, right? Well, sort of.
3 Cards to Dead Time suffers from too many ideas for such a short little game. As before, you select items from different scenes and draw connections to other phrases rather than your standard finding items on a list. While that's a cool concept, it's not as hard as it seems and more than a little repetitive. The backstory is deep and involves plenty of twists and turns, but unfortunately won't mean much unless you played the first game. I did appreciate how much the developers tried to put you in control of crucial decisions you make throughout gameplay. While it's not as open-ended as it seems to be, it's different and that's a good thing.
The voice acting is prominent and well-done, and there's plenty of cutscenes, often three or four per chapter. As I mentioned before, there's lots of characters and grand plans and things you don't quite understand even after the game is over. That might be more effective if you wanted to play through again, but I don't know that you would except to improve your detecting score.
I admire the aim of this game more than its execution. Whether there's another follow-up remains to be seen, as there's plenty that could be done with these characters, but this was a misstep and a large one. Intriguing but ultimately flawed.
I don't recommend this game.
Agatha Christie: 4:50 from Paddington
Pack your bags . . . for murder. Join Agatha Christie’s famed sleuth, Miss Marple, in this classic whodunit Hidden Object game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
Excellent Hidden Object Game
PostedMay 3, 2015
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Large File, Word, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This game, based on one of Agatha Christie's iconic characters Miss Marple, is a throwback to a simpler time when people enjoyed hidden object games mainly because they liked to find hidden objects. While I am a fan of where this genre has gone, it's nice to play something that's more understated once in a while.
I enjoyed the Hercule Poirot games, and if you liked those, you'll like this one as well. The game is divided into chapters, and you'll work your way through various rooms as you find a large array of objects from your list. At the end of each chapter you'll perform a fairly simple minigame (rummage, a basic chemical elimination test, etc) and get some additional information to solve the crime. One nice twist is that you get a total of three opportunities to reveal the murderer as the facts reveal themselves. Unless you've read the book, prepare for your first guess to be wrong!
The graphics are decent, nothing special, and soundtrack is minimal with no voice acting. Story is great, naturally, and when you complete the game you have the chance to go back and find everything throughout each of the scenes you've visited. That adds a little bit of time to a game that can be completed fairly quickly. You also will be awarded a certificate based on how well you did.
Overall, the game moves along quickly, and if you like finding objects you'll enjoy the chance to interact with the story and characters. It's not the most sophisticated game you'll ever see, but it's enjoyable and fun. Nice job.
I recommend this game!
Welcome to Holy Mountain Hotel, where all criminals are punished.
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Strong Entry To A Great Series
PostedJanuary 6, 2015
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
I've generally had mixed feelings about the Haunted Hotel series, which somehow ends up less than the sum of its parts. This particular sequel was one of the more enjoyable ones, even if the plot borrows quite heavily from Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians. (And by borrows quite heavily, I mean changes the names.#
Your character goes to rescue your longtime partner from a seemingly abandoned hotel on an island that is haunted to say the least. The game plays in a traditional manner, as you explore different levels and areas of the hotel and uncover some of the other guests that were invited. Hidden object scenes are well designed but generally very easy, though I did like the variety with pairing objects sometimes.
Sound is good, including strong voice acting and a hauntingly good soundtrack with a bit of actual singing that adds to the creepiness factor. The storyline is the best part here, keeping things moving along and slowly revealing layers to the story prior to the climactic ending.
As far as the CE goes, it's pretty good. The bonus game gives you an opportunity to revisit the hotel but with a couple new locations, and closes up the story rather nicely. The villain is not presented sympathetically up to that point, so I enjoyed it. You'll also gather some collectibles #which have a cool description when you view them later# and character figurines #doesn't add much). One thing I really enjoyed was the opportunity to watch an alternate ending after completing the bonus game, which naturally I would have preferred to the actual ending. Still a neat feature.
All in all, this game does what it's supposed to do and allows you to spend a couple of hours tackling a mystery in a spooky and fun way. There's nothing incredibly new here, but it moves you along nicely and provides some solid bonus content in the CE. Good stuff.
I recommend this game!
You’re on a train in the middle of nowhere, and a band of dangerous thieves demand you tell them where to find the Hope Diamond’s shards. As the newest Hidden Expedition recruit, you’ve got to find the shards before they do…
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Fantastic Entry
PostedJanuary 3, 2015
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
5
/
5
My favorite type of hidden object game plays more like an adventure, with the search elements blended into the storyline. This game does that in spades, and creates a very fun environment that also gives you plenty to think about in terms of storyline.
Anyone familiar with the excellent "Hidden Expedition" series likely already knows how fun that series is, but in case you have not, you generally head to interesting parts of the world in search of artifacts. This installment ups the ante, starting you right off toward the end of the tale and working your way back up to that point. It gets the pace and excitement going and I really enjoyed that.
The Smithsonian signed off on its inclusion in this tale about one of the world's most mysterious artifacts, the Hope Diamond, and you can see why. In addition to giving you a solid scholarly version of the action hero, you will collect cards giving you facts about the museum that are truly interesting and add to the story. The tone was just right as it never hit you over the head or made it a book report.
In the CE, you'll also collect Smithsonian symbols and the standard morphing characters. Bonus chapter was one of the few letdowns for me, as it took what up until that point had been a science-based story and turned it into complete fantasy. You can also gather "souvenirs" from the various places you've been too, but it's just random stuff without much explanation. Given that this is based on a museum, that could have been done better as well.
But these are minor quibbles. The game itself moves along nicely, involves plenty of minigames that are just hard enough, and keeps the HO scenes interesting with different layered versions throughout. Graphics and sound are both well done. If this is what we have to look forward to from this series, count me very much in.
I recommend this game!
Find your sister and escape from a terrifying haunted house!
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Creepy, Campy Fun
PostedDecember 31, 2014
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This game is sort of a scaled-down version of the House on Haunted Hill movie. You play a character accompanying your sister on a guided tour of a haunted house that turns out to be exactly that. The beginning of the game starts out in a creepy and fun way, and the tone of the whole experience continues from there.
Actors are motion captured and lip synched, which for the most part looks great. I particularly enjoyed the action sequences and the visual effects that went into constructing some of the different rooms in the house. It's like a combination fun house and ghost story. The game is scary, but not in a super realistic way, which I think will cause it to appeal to more people.
Voice acting is fine, though one character in particular oversells it. Minigames are varied but not too challenging, and you'll complete each hidden object scene twice. They are very straightforward but you will need to manipulate some objects in order to access others. Nothing that should slow you down too much.
If I have one complaint, it's that the game suffers on the story side after establishing its initial tone. There's very little character development of the other members of the group, and your notebook will skip ahead to things you haven't even seen yet. The ending (at least in the standard edition that I played) is also a bit unfulfilling.
All of that said, I really liked the spirit of this and it was a blast to play. Looks good and is just long enough to be savored.
I recommend this game!
An imprisoned soul will never be free until you clear his name!
Overall rating
3
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
Less Filling, Looks Great
PostedDecember 29, 2014
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
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The Dana Knightstone series of games has always been a bit of a mixed bag to me. The series, which focuses on a romance/mystery writer with science fiction-like powers, ends up being a jack of all trades and a master of none. It's a fairly entertaining ride, but ends up being as inconsistent and fluffy as most of her novels likely are.
This sequel takes place at a fancy party thrown on a resort. Your host doesn't expect you'll see many ghosts but you, naturally, know different. Gameplay is divided into chapters and you'll meet a decent amount of characters in the town itself and its surroundings. I think this game gets that part right, as I found the voice acting exceptional and the scenery (particularly in the town itself) well done. You definitely get lost in the people as if they were characters in a novel.
Unfortunately, in a book, it all comes down to plot and this one is a bit of a yawner. Wordless ghosts lead you to revelation after revelation, and the big payoff is using newspaper clippings to reenact events from the past. While some of the minigames in that are creative, it's not explored enough to be more than a diversion. Hidden object scenes are frequent but very easy, and I doubt you'll find yourself immersed in this world for longer than a few hours.
All in all, this is a game you should get for looks alone. Gameplay is another matter entirely. It's fun, but way too short, and you'll forget about it shortly after you've played. These games have a ways to go to be on par with some of the other mystery series out there.
I don't recommend this game.
A peaceful island town erupts into a violent witch hunt and your friend’s daughter is the target! Can you protect her from the townspeople?
Overall rating
2
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Count Me Among The Uninitiated
PostedDecember 28, 2014
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Time Management
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I'm not sure which is worse, a promising game that turns out to be bad or a plain terrible one. I'd put this squarely in the category of the latter, a jumbled mess with a patched-together theme resembling twenty other games you've played that is effective only if you enjoy clicking your mouse frequently.
You are a character whose friend calls you to the aid of herself and her daughter in a strange town that's meant to call forth Salem and the witch trials. The only way for you to rescue the girl is to meet several of the odd townsfolk and secure their trust by carrying out basic errands. Some evil spirit keeps stealing their stuff and misplacing it. Not the level of evil you might expect.
You will gather those objects the usual way, completing hidden object scenes (some standard and some piecing the objects together) and minigames. Everything is basic and straightforward, causing you to play several scenes in a particular area and move on. It's easy to follow but very boring, particularly in a game which purports to have such dire consequences on the line.
The game looks okay, with bleak backgrounds and decently animated characters and cutscenes. The voice acting is okay, but the motion video of them gesturing randomly is jarring and works against the "old" feel of the game. The rest of the sound is heavy on the repetitive effects, so if you like thunderclaps you're in for a treat.
The main issue I have with this game are the controls. You must click precisely on the areas, and I found myself accidentally clicking skip on a marble shooting game just attempting to play it. I wish I'd clicked skip altogether.
I don't recommend this game.