shorenuf's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.8
- Helpful Votes:2,543
- Reviews Submitted:89
- First Review:November 19, 2011
- Most Recent Review:October 25, 2021
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Go on board the infamous Titanic! Explore the ship as it begins its doomed descent in Hidden Mysteries: The Fateful Voyage – Titanic.
Overall rating
3
/
5
25 of 28 found this review helpful
The game sank somewhat before the ship…
PostedJanuary 19, 2012
shorenuf
fromScottsdale, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
If you must, buy this game to watch the animated cut scenes -- they are pretty good.
There is voice over that is acceptable. There are H0G scenes, puzzles and inventory items to use where you are, or elsewhere. The artwork is ordinary.
The game virtually plays itself, and where it doesn't you can just skip anything you don't want to do. You can even skip the H0G scenes and receive the inventory item you need.
The story is a bit senseless given the ultimate ending, but there are actually two different solutions to the plot -- you get to play it twice. The second go round shouldn't take but a few minutes.
I recommend this game!
After a group of young students go missing, the Mystery Trackers are called in to search the city of Raincliff!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Involving game play, absorbing story -- immerse yourself in Raincliff
PostedJanuary 19, 2012
shorenuf
fromScottsdale, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
The core game is very long, very good, and can certainly stand on its own.
Still debating, but only interested in the CE bonus play time? Compared to the core game, the bonus chapter seemed quite short -- I suppose it took around an hour. The puzzles were very straightforward. There were several tasks and a lot of back and forth. If you were intrigued by the core story, the bonus chapter gave some more insight into the Brown family.
So, really, the SE is well worth the purchase and you can be satisfied with it for certain. If you play in Advanced (no sparkles except for H0G scenes) or Hard Mode (no sparkles except for H0G scenes, no skips) take lots of notes. There is a lot of adventure ahead for you!
Enjoy!
Put together the beautiful jigsaws included, or make your own new puzzles from photos or screen captures in Jigsaws Galore!
Overall rating
5
/
5
66 of 87 found this review helpful
You will love this to pieces!
PostedJanuary 19, 2012
shorenuf
fromScottsdale, AZ
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Very cool! Perhaps the best feature is being able to use your own pictures, but this comes loaded with 200 pictures as well. They aren't the most visually stunning, many just make for tough puzzling. Perhaps the worst feature is, if you really want to choose from the preloaded ones, you must reload them into the game each time you open it.
There are many ways to customize a puzzle -- # of pieces, shapes, thickness, rotation and more. You can even choose to have a ghost image behind the puzzle. You can also customize the playing surface. You can have trays to sort pieces. Honestly, all the choices and preferences are a puzzle in themselves!!
There is extensive help available as well.
The interface has some quirks -- for one, it saves a list of every picture of your own you load in the game to look at. I chose one, deleted it from the game, and it stayed in the list even after restarting the game. Also, he playing surface can get a bit crowded.
But those niggles aside, for all jigsaw fans, this is the jigsaw game you will want! You really can use your own pictures -- it finds most of the typical formats, and it works!!
I recommend this game!
Help Kiera Vale discover her ancestor’s history as she explores Blackwater Asylum in Nightmare Adventures: The Witch’s Prison!
Overall rating
5
/
5
5 of 8 found this review helpful
Nightmare Adventures -- A Dream Game!
PostedJanuary 19, 2012
shorenuf
fromScottsdale, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
I put this game in my top 5 for 2010. I didn't write a long review when I played it, just these brief comments…
The game style is quite unique in tone. There is a puzzle at every turn. The story is curious to say the least and held my interest. The atmosphere is gloomy and creepy, but the game's author has a sense of humor as well.
The other reviews here have filled in the details I have since forgotten, but I do remember how much I enjoyed this game, and just wanted to add another positive voice.
Enjoy!
Travel around the UK with Julia and solve the mystery of her grandfather’s old diary in Julia’s Quest: United Kingdom!
Overall rating
2
/
5
5 of 8 found this review helpful
Happy Birthday Julia!
PostedJanuary 19, 2012
shorenuf
fromScottsdale, AZ
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
As a birthday gift, Julia gets to fly across the pond and travel around picking up clues to a code.
Collect the clues through Match 3 play.
You can learn some things about the UK, see some pretty pictures, and if you make it to the end, collect the rest of Julia's birthday gift.
Interspersed with the Match 3 boards are some jigsaw puzzles that award parts of the code.
The match 3 mechanic is semi timed swapping. You win points, awards and trophies, some for being fast. But when the timer runs out you can continue solving the board. The faster you are, the more time bonus points you earn towards buying power ups; too slow and you will get zero time bonus points for the level. Earning time bonus points is challenging. You can use all your points to buy power ups. Other bonuses and power ups appear on the boards.
There is one very strange / annoying / insane "feature" -- you can catch falling tiles by hitting option left click (Mac), and then use that caught tile to change the color of any other one. Since the object is to get certain pieces to the bottom and off the board, the catch feature can come in handy, but actually accomplishing a catch can make you crazy.
I did not like this game, primarily for the Match 3 component. There is, however, a story to be had, so give it a try. You might "catch" on better than I could.
I recommend this game!
After crashing his ship, Columbus sees a beautiful apparition. Now, he must explore a mysterious island and battle for survival!
Overall rating
4
/
5
19 of 26 found this review helpful
History rewritten but what the heck…
PostedJanuary 19, 2012
shorenuf
fromScottsdale, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
This is a nice game. This is a H0G based story -- linear, some decent puzzles, and quite delightful to look at. The H0G scene tasks vary -- find objects, find groups of items, find parts to make a whole. The objects are deftly hidden in beautifully drawn locations. Quite enjoyable even with the lack of a true Adventure component.
I recommend this game!
Help Annabel and Harold organize their pet shop by diving and collecting colorful sea creatures in Tropical Fish Shop 2!
Overall rating
3
/
5
9 of 11 found this review helpful
Fishing for something to like about this game…
PostedJanuary 18, 2012
shorenuf
fromScottsdale, AZ
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
A hybrid Match 3 game that can be played in timed or un-timed mode, and your profile can change modes between levels. The game play includes match 3 play, H0G searches, trophy contests against another character, puzzles, and decorating your Tropical Fish Shop using money earned during Match 3 play.
I am afraid it sounds more exciting than I found it to be. The Shop decor is not very exciting, rather 2 dimensional. The Match 3 boards have some power ups and some variety of play, but they seem repetitive, even boring, after a while, as do the other aspects of the game.
I love Match 3's, and I replay many over and over again. This will not be one of them.
If you are looking for a fish theme, I suggest trying Lost in Reefs or Fishdom.
Play Venice Slots and win a fortune in this fun and exciting Card and Board game! Take on fun bonus rounds and rack up cash!
Overall rating
1
/
5
32 of 37 found this review helpful
Bet your money on something else!
PostedJanuary 18, 2012
shorenuf
fromScottsdale, AZ
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
If real casino slot machines were as complicated as this game, no one would play them!
3 ways to play:
(1) Casino, just like a regular slot machine -- NOT!
(2) Magic -- after your spin you can rearrange any of the spots on the reels for 10 seconds.
(3)Bank -- plays like Magic, but you get a higher rank the worse you score. Play to lose -- yes, sometimes it feels like that in Vegas.
(1) Casino, just like a regular slot machine -- NOT!
(2) Magic -- after your spin you can rearrange any of the spots on the reels for 10 seconds.
(3)Bank -- plays like Magic, but you get a higher rank the worse you score. Play to lose -- yes, sometimes it feels like that in Vegas.
For all games, you start with being able to play only 5 lines and bet only 3. You have to accrue score to buy more lines and higher bets. Your score is calculated every fifteen spins.
There is a bonus round if you get 3 ladies. To determine the number of free games you get you throw clay pots at a gondolier. Poor guy.
Bottom line -- this may be the most boring, worst video slot game I have ever played despite all the variations. If it were real it wouldn't get a penny from me!
If these slot games are your thing -- they are great for totally mindless leisure activity -- try Pyramid Pays Slots II.
Now if only they paid real money…
I don't recommend this game.
Welcome to a tropical paradise! Design your very own villa and garden on the seashore in this engaging Match 3 game!
Overall rating
2
/
5
9 of 9 found this review helpful
This game drove me bananas!
PostedJanuary 18, 2012
shorenuf
fromScottsdale, AZ
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
The game is totally weird. I do not like the mechanic at all. Rather than swapping icons -- in this case fruits, you can only move into empty spaces. You can make matches horizontally, vertically and diagonally. As you play, more fruits pop up on the board.
At level 30, you unlock the "Challenge" play. Well, my senses were challenged at level one, by level 3 I had had enough.
Earn gold to improve your island hut -- I grew a lawn, built a stone wall and entrance, and put my hut up for sale.
I don't recommend this game.
Solve whimsical puzzles, explore worlds of exquisite detail, and keep your eyes peeled for hundreds of cleverly Hidden Objects!
Overall rating
4
/
5
15 of 16 found this review helpful
Will you bust the Snark?
PostedJanuary 18, 2012
shorenuf
fromScottsdale, AZ
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Well, this occupied several hours of my day -- I just had to keep playing! The game play is the same as in Snark Busters Welcome to the Club, so of course the novelty is gone. But that said, it's hard not to appreciate the delightful artwork, clever animations, and the sheer fantasy of it all.
And the story is different from the first, you needn't have played it to enjoy this one. You should though -- it was excellent!
It is a FROG (Fragmented Hidden Objects), but most all the parts are quite easy to spot even without looking at the inventory. The real interest comes from finding the hidden items so that you can finally accomplish other tasks. The puzzles are also clever.
So much of the pleasure in this game is the wacky environments you walk into. It takes "through the looking glass" to a whole other dimension.
I recommend this game!