megwoman25's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.7
- Helpful Votes:1,465
- Reviews Submitted:285
- First Review:December 20, 2011
- Most Recent Review:December 7, 2020
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Use your botany skills to survive the strange new planet of Botanica. Can you find your way back to Earth in this thrilling Hidden Object adventure?
Overall rating
3
/
5
Something is missing...
PostedJanuary 11, 2013
megwoman25
fromNevada City, Ca
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
First let me say this was an impulse buy. Its one of my fav developers, it was on sale when it came out and I didn't even try it because I was out of town. So I bought this without having trialled it or even knowing what it was about which is something i've never done and honestly next time I won't be so daring.
I love boom zap games. Their graphics are always incredible as are the story lines and I love the worlds they think of and the tasks to accomplish.
--For some reason this game just did not mesh well with me. I liked the collectibles although I did not find all of them and since you can't go back to old locations once you leave an area, you don't get to go back to try to find all the bugs. I found 25 out of 50. Even though the world of Botanica was quite nice, it was lacking the exciting adventure points that boom zap games usually have. I found it tedious to do the tasks. I like how boom zap usually has more puzzles than hidden object scenes but this time they had more hidden object scenes and they were "find this item, to find that item" type and just really didn't hold my interest as they were pretty easy and thoughtless to do.
IF I had just bought the SE of this game I would be very disappointed although the Bonus chapter was really disappointing in itself. It took me an hour maybe and it showed the perspective through the boy sam's eyes. He really wasn't that important of a character I felt so to see what happened was kind of boring. There was an abrupt ending to the actual game as well as an abrupt ending to the bonus chapter implying that something terrible will be happening to botanica in the next game. Usually boom zap games wrap things up rather nicely so this offering just didn't feel up to par with their other games.
My last complaint was the voiceovers. I personally liked how they sounded but there was wayyyy too much dialogue. Now don't get me wrong, I like a good story and I like a story being read to me like in Nutcracker but what the people were saying to each other didn't make me feel like the story was progressing very well. I don't feel satisfied after playing this game, more like annoyed that I didn't get what I was looking for. Overall this game took me 4 hours of the main game play and maybe 45 minutes of the bonus chapter. Usually boom zap puts puzzle collections in their CE's as well like in the recent awakening game, they included some nonograms but this offering didn't really have the extras I have come to enjoy from this developer.
I really love boom zap so when this sequel comes out, I will see if maybe it gets a little more interesting and lesson learned buying games randomly without test driving them first.
I don't recommend this game.
Dupin needs your help solving the mystery of the gold bug. Crack the codes and follow the clues to one man’s obsession with an old legend.
Overall rating
2
/
5
54 of 66 found this review helpful
Nothing Special...
PostedJanuary 10, 2013
megwoman25
fromNevada City, Ca
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I am completely disappointed with this offering! I LOVE this series and own all the rest but this one isn't even on the same level as the others AND compared to what Ive seen ERS do in their last couple games, this one is a HUGE step backward. Mac users get a full hour to play, not a sample version SO I made it into chapter 3 with the doctor house being on fire and some other things going on AND with the exception of the first couple puzzles which drew me in and then that awesome hidden object silhouette puzzle, it goes back to list hidden object scenes. In fact, it goes from back to back to back list hidden object scenes in the same scenes that you just did. Like for instance, I played a list hidden object scene which are total junkpiles btw. I don't know how anyone could say they aren't. The objects are small, hard to find and I had to squint and I don't even have bad vision not to mention its a junk fest of clutter. I had to find 4 bees in each hidden object scene even the same bee I had found previously.
Anyway, played a hidden object scene, then did a task in the same room for dupin and then the sparkles were back over the hidden object scene I had just done~! then I go to the next room and the sparkles are back on another one with the same list scene. I was playing the hardest mode too so why are sparkles even there? And I was almost halfway through on the hard mode! Some ERS games blow my mind like the reality show one. I couldn't believe it was from ERS, I loved it so much, I can't wait for the SE but this is garbage! Its so sad to see what this developer can do and then to see it go backwards constantly. I did have widescreen on my mac but it doesn't make up for the lack of imagination that went into this game.
I don't recommend this game.
Discover the Red Riding Hood Sisters and defeat the nefarious Wolf Queen!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
Love Blue Tea Games
PostedJanuary 7, 2013
megwoman25
fromNevada City, Ca
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Blue Tea Games are one of my favorite developers because they always have beautiful graphics, interesting and different plot lines, fragmented objects to bring a little spice to the game and morphing objects that you get in the standard editions as well. There is also widescreen in all their games, they release both to mac and pc at the same time and have unique mini games.
This game is really spectacular in the graphics. Everything is beautiful and magically laid out, easy on the eye in the hidden object scenes and the rest of the fantasy world dark parable games put you in really wow'ed me. I wasn't able to locate all the morphing objects, I only got 12 out of 20. No matter how many times I go back and forth to locations, I can never seem to find all of them.
Compared to their last offering, The snow queen, this game is an out of the park home run as the snow queen bored me to tears and made me question where this developer was going (they have made it up to me over the year) but compared to dark parables: the exiled prince, this game comes up a little short. The exiled prince was one of the most magical, special games i've ever played. This game is good and is long (10 chapters, I believe?) but is still not in my opinion as good as the previous offering. But blue tea games continues to grow and grow as a company so it gives me hope that in the next chapter and with their other games, more thought will go into each one and make me see them as a 5 star game...
I also enjoyed how the SE has an actual ending! No need to purchase the CE here for an ending like some games and it gave a hint to what the next dark parables game is about and I for one am thrilled!!
Let it be said that although their music repeats in all the dark parables games, its welcome to my ears. Its beautiful and crafted to fit these games and for some reason I never tire of it...maybe its because they only release one of these games a year and have other music in their other offering unlike some games but I love the relaxing feel of blue tea games. xx
I recommend this game!
Save your brother and try to solve the mystery behind the silver screen in Final Cut: Death on the Silver Screen, a thrilling game set in the 1950's!
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Enjoyable
PostedDecember 29, 2012
megwoman25
fromNevada City, Ca
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I really enjoyed this game and the animations/graphics within. I thought the plot was good, creepy sometimes and I liked exploring the house. There were lots of collectibles to find although I didn't find them all and wonder if there are more to find in the bonus chapter if I had bought the CE although Im glad I didn't. There was a sufficient ending in the SE and although I enjoyed the game I didn't need anymore.
This is the first game that I've finished in 2 days. It moved at a pace where I wanted to keep playing as I was engrossed with it. The live bits in the game were really well done although the voiceovers could have used some improvement.
The reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is because of technical things. In hardcore mode, there were sparkles to locate hidden objects and black bar tips. Also, the plot made me a little crazy because I felt it revealed what was going on and who did it a little too fast. It would have built more suspense for me to explore more and see more and wonder more of what happened then to be told and then be under ransom. It took away from the suspensefulness of the story but overall it was very enjoyable. xx
I recommend this game!
A classic Christmas tale tail, with a whole new twist! Help the Nutcracker rescue the princess from the evil Rat King!
Overall rating
5
/
5
Love the cats!!!
PostedDecember 28, 2012
megwoman25
fromNevada City, Ca
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I loveeee this game! wow!! Elephant games is wonderful in every way and keep putting out games that just surpass the other one each time. Most christmas games suck, lets be real but this one is magical and breathtaking and the bonus game was sooo great which is the main focus of my review.
It has an ending in the main game so no worries there BUT in the bonus chapter, you play as a cat! you even have the fur around the screen so its like you are the actual cat which is such a smart idea! And it changed up the storyline because it wasn't just a person anymore or a detective which makes me think.....Im sick of the detective, witch, dark themes...WHY don't developers...elephant games especially start making games about animals and we play as them! I never knew playing as a cat and having so many cats in my inventory could equal such a fun game!
I had been having some sad times this year as my car broke down among others but playing this game made me smile and just feel like a kid again. EVERYONE should at least demo this if not buy it! What a winner!!! KUDOS!!!
I recommend this game!
A new breed of virus has spread throughout the City of Oxford. You must search the city for a missing girl who holds the key to stopping the global epidemic!
Overall rating
4
/
5
Weird....
PostedDecember 15, 2012
megwoman25
fromNevada City, Ca
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I really like this theme as Im sick of the witches, haunted houses and such in most hidden object games and loved the news in the background following along with the story because it made it feel like it was a real virus attack like when swine flu or avian bird flu was all over the news a couple years ago.
I loved the hidden object layout where everything you picked up helped discover something else in the scene. I also liked the pace of the game and exploring this creepy quarantined virus ridden area.
HOWEVER...this game is extremely short. Im talking 3 hours max to play and the ending is there for a standard edition but in no way fulfilling in any way. I wonder if the Collectors edition had an ending that showed them making the cure or theresa being tested for the cure etc but instead it had a news reporter at the end talking as if a sequel will be coming up and there was no news on whether the virus was caught and contained. For a game where the whole thing is trying to find the girl who holds the cure and then finding her and having no resolution is really disappointing especially since we never learn what the virus was or where it stemmed from or what it did to people.
BUT the thing is, I REALLY like this game. Its weird how I can be so disappointed and still love this game at the same time. Gogii were going in the right direction with this game as it was an out of the box theme but the fact it was shortened with no resolution was very disappointing. I also am baffled at the fact it was almost 1gb and so short. I guess it was the amount of cut scenes and real people around and I did enjoy the game play but since I love forensic science stuff, I really wanted to know how it was cured, what were the symptoms and other things I feel they shouldn't have left out...its like they ran out of ideas so just cut it short...bummer
Unearth your forgotten childhood memories to reveal the secret of the ancient labyrinth.
Overall rating
3
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
A 3.5 on my scale...Review of Completed Game
PostedDecember 12, 2012
megwoman25
fromNevada City, Ca
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I rate this game 3.5 out of 5 stars but I won't round up to 4 stars and here is why....
When this game first started, I was intrigued...a run down summer camp a lot like my favorite horror movie...Friday the 13th...and it was just a creepy new setting we don't see in a lot of other games. It started out with a person (you) going back to the summer camp to figure out why you are having bad dreams that relate to the place and then realize you need to save some children whose souls are being held in a labyrinth by an evil tree dryad who has possessed all the trees in the area and they try to block your path among other things to keep you away from the labyrinth and her secrets....
As this game progresses however, the plot becomes more and more disjointed. I longed more for a creepy summer camp then learning about a possessed labyrinth and weird tree people especially when children's ghosts started talking to me. The plot kind of fell apart in the main game.
This game has an ending but its short and cuts off rather abruptly. You get to save the children BUT the bonus chapter goes more into detail about how it happened and how you save them completely. Since the whole main game mentioned this labyrinth special world, I felt cheated that I spent hardly anytime there whereas in the bonus chapter, you spend your whole time learning more about the labyrinth and the characters involved. I in turn liked the bonus chapter more than I liked the main game.
On a imac desktop 10.6.8, it had full screen, no black bars. I played on the hardest difficulty level which said had no hints or black bar tips and no skips on games. There were no skips on games BUT still had hints and black bar tips...The puzzles I could all easily solve either with guidance from the strategy guide or without BUT the bonus chapter is why I rated this game so high. Otherwise, I would have given it 2.5 stars and really focused on the fact the main game fizzled out but the bonus chapter saved it...
In this case, Id recommend the CE because of the bonus game but not the SE because it will leave out the best parts...
I recommend this game!
Expose a secret brotherhood called The Seekers and save the performers of the theatre who became the brotherhood’s victims.
Overall rating
4
/
5
0 of 1 found this review helpful
Great but hated bonus game puzzles...
PostedDecember 9, 2012
megwoman25
fromNevada City, Ca
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I loved everything about this game and had planned on a 5 star rating due to the originality of the puzzles and just the game in general, HOWEVER the bonus game was so terrible in my opinion that I never finished that aspect of the game. I had played with no skips or hints which I always do with a strategy guide because if you get stuck there's help and in the bonus game it stayed the same HOWEVER the bonus game puzzles were all the same like doing the same concept over and over and over. And the game it was, was impossible to do even with a strategy guide because it was so tedious that I decided to not finish it completely which is fine because there is an actual ending in the game itself. SOO long story short, 5 stars for the standard, 4 for the CE because of the bonus game.
I love the fact this developer has the items to put back in the scene, my only wish would be to add those kinds of scenes to the bonus game as well. Kudos.
I recommend this game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
Fun with an actual ending...
PostedDecember 4, 2012
megwoman25
fromNevada City, Ca
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I love this developers games as they have beautiful graphics and interesting game topics. The witch theme has been used a lot but these developers took a different spin on it resulting in a new game experience. The concept is simple enough, a witch who steals young people's looks to look younger and not her ugly witch self. The hidden object scenes are nicely done and this developers graphics are something special in my opinion because it has that hand drawn appeal.
The only downfall of this game is the fact there are no voiceovers. It could have really added something if they were done well and in the hidden object scenes, which you play multiple times, you end up finding a lot of the same objects from the previous time you were there which is unfortunate.
The length of this game is spot on. It HAS AN ENDING IN THE STANDARD EDITION which is a huge thing for me. I shouldn't be punished for not buying the CE and missing the ending like in a lot of other games. The end set it up for a sequel maybe...however I do not know if that was wrapped up in the bonus game but it made no difference to this game at all. There were special challenges at the end which gave you a complete and understandable ending. The music was great and fit the theme of the game especially at the end and you get 5 different powers that you can use throughout the game and then at the ending which gave it that extra special note. I had a great time playing this game. Kudos to the developers =)
I recommend this game!
Reunite the Dragon and Pheonix Kingdoms to stop the evil witch!
Overall rating
4
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
One of the few ERS games I like...
PostedOctober 25, 2012
megwoman25
fromNevada City, Ca
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Time Management, Marble Popper, Mahjong
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Im happy to report that this is one of the only ERS games recently that I like and it actually has an ending in the SE version. WHAT A CONCEPT!
Likes:
*Widescreen on my mac
*beautiful graphics/scenery (not that foggy stuff they have recently)
*music that fit the game and has not been way overdone like in their other games
*A change up of hidden object scenes. Some silhouette, some regular list and some new puzzles I've not previously seen ERS do.
*An engaging plot that actually was logical and made sense!
*An ending in the SE version
*magic wand that eliminated evil
*Widescreen on my mac
*beautiful graphics/scenery (not that foggy stuff they have recently)
*music that fit the game and has not been way overdone like in their other games
*A change up of hidden object scenes. Some silhouette, some regular list and some new puzzles I've not previously seen ERS do.
*An engaging plot that actually was logical and made sense!
*An ending in the SE version
*magic wand that eliminated evil
Dislikes:
*Even in Hardcore mode, there were blackbar tips, even though the game said there wouldn't be AND highlight hidden object scenes. I would assume Hardcore would turn those off. Apparently not.
*Skip button in mini games took ages to fill. So long that I could go in the other room, make tea, come back and it would still be filling. problem? I think so. I don't choose to skip many puzzles but its a nice option to have and that doesn't take 20 minutes.
*Even though I liked it, it did get sluggish in some parts...
*sticky cursor at times.
*Even in Hardcore mode, there were blackbar tips, even though the game said there wouldn't be AND highlight hidden object scenes. I would assume Hardcore would turn those off. Apparently not.
*Skip button in mini games took ages to fill. So long that I could go in the other room, make tea, come back and it would still be filling. problem? I think so. I don't choose to skip many puzzles but its a nice option to have and that doesn't take 20 minutes.
*Even though I liked it, it did get sluggish in some parts...
*sticky cursor at times.
All in all, this is an ERS game I really enjoyed which is quite rare for me. I haven't purchased a game from ERS since their FIRST curse of the werewolf game. Its been the same ol, same ol for me BUT this game shows what ERS can do if they want to...which is really sad in my opinion because if this is what ERS is capable of...what the heck is up with their other offerings that are subpar and churned out quickly? They are sooo not the same quality of this game and thats sad. Its like being an A student but you start only do mediocre work and end up a C or D student just because. IF you have the talent to be great, DO IT EVERY TIME.
More like this ERS, more like this!!!
I recommend this game!