thebubba's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.3
- Helpful Votes:99
- Reviews Submitted:35
- First Review:September 6, 2015
- Most Recent Review:January 6, 2021
- Featured reviews0
After crashing your car in the middle of nowhere, you stumble upon a mysterious town with a shady background. Solve a dark mystery!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Some flaws but still a one of a kind winner!
PostedJanuary 6, 2021
thebubba
fromBay Shore, NY
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Some flaws but still a one of a kind winner!
After recently playing all my old League of Light games, the wonderful beauty and detail in the graphics was beginning to tire. After pooling through my 200 games I came upon a classic I hadn’t played in a decade or so. So what better choice as a follow up than the old skool Phantasmat.
After recently playing all my old League of Light games, the wonderful beauty and detail in the graphics was beginning to tire. After pooling through my 200 games I came upon a classic I hadn’t played in a decade or so. So what better choice as a follow up than the old skool Phantasmat.
For starters, flawed as it is, this game is a winner. The wonderfully grungy, creepy art work here sets the mood. You can’t find it in todays Disneyland looking games. This is a very dark game all the way through. Even the hidden objects (sometimes too dark and too small or located too close to the games perimeter) are kind of gross and certainly challenging. And the hint button by todays standards is very slow. All the better. The story line isn’t bad and the navigation isn’t terrible, though I would have preferred a map. You can get lost here. Puzzles are few and not exceptional but the HOs are where this game rules. And they are everywhere.
Though a little crude by today’s standards, Phantasmat is an absorbing highly recommend game for a change of pace. The HOPA genre of games is literally flooded with sameness and often boring. Phantasmat will be a pleasant surprise.
Can you rescue her from a mysterious monster in time?
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Tiresome same old...
PostedJuly 27, 2020
thebubba
fromBay Shore, NY
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
The good: This was one of the free games offered by Big Fish during the covid virus months. A very nice gesture, indeed,
The bad: Oh where to begin. Here’s another same old same old mix a potion, use a charm to open something where you’ll receive another item to open something else, and so on, game. Convoluted story line (I had to read some of the 5 star overly descriptive reviews to figure out what was going on and who’s who).
Frankly I played this game by constantly using the hint button (which is on the lower left of screen , ugh…sore mouse hand), just to get to the end and see the collected screen savers. I’m not quite there yet, but I suspect they will be as disappointing as the game. There's much better out there.
Frankly I played this game by constantly using the hint button (which is on the lower left of screen , ugh…sore mouse hand), just to get to the end and see the collected screen savers. I’m not quite there yet, but I suspect they will be as disappointing as the game. There's much better out there.
I don't recommend this game.
Uncover Poseidon's ancient secrets hidden under the town of Black Water!
Overall rating
3
/
5
Tedious but visually stunning
PostedFebruary 25, 2019
thebubba
fromBay Shore, NY
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
In two words, beautiful but tedious. I purchased this game during one of those special sales…”ends tonight”. So I went through my “possibility games list” (you all have one of those, right?). I had to make a quick decision to take advantage of the deal. I chose this game because it was visually stunning. Great places to roam about and with a nice scenic variety. Sadly the game proved to have every cliche in HOG land, including puzzles we’ve all seen before in slightly different iterations. And the ending? Bang and it’s over. Don’t blink. All in all a big let down. I give it 3 stars for it’s wonderful look. Don’t expect more.
I don't recommend this game.
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Nice tour of London
PostedJanuary 27, 2019
thebubba
fromBay Shore, NY
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
If you'd like to take a carriage ride around old London and enjoy some nice scenery courtesy of the developers above average art, then this game is for you. It's what hooked me but sad to say as the game progressed I was ready to hop out.
Overly simple puzzles that sometimes solve themselves just by clicking, hidden objects that become repetitious, all the expected items you'll need (mucho keys, fishing pole, cork screw, animal food and on and on). Match 3 to fight an adversary and so on. And the ending was a real quicky.
Overly simple puzzles that sometimes solve themselves just by clicking, hidden objects that become repetitious, all the expected items you'll need (mucho keys, fishing pole, cork screw, animal food and on and on). Match 3 to fight an adversary and so on. And the ending was a real quicky.
From the first 10 minutes I had higher expectations. Sadly they weren't met. But as I said earlier, a nice tour of London courtesy of some terrific graphics.
I recommend this game!
Save your cousin and his new bride from a horrible beast!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Greatness fades slowly but surely
PostedDecember 22, 2018
thebubba
fromBay Shore, NY
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
10 minutes into the demo, I HAD to have this game. The visuals were in a word stunning. Unlike many of my other 100 plus games. When I finish, this baby is gonna get a 5 star rating from the Bubba. So we played and played and when the same old began to appear (create a potion…not once but twice, feed the animals, oil the rusty metal part, a slide projector in a fantasy game?, heat something in the fireplace, well you get my drift. And the puzzles? Two match 3’s for filler and a lot of either easy or convoluted ones. Also the storyline became a little disjointed as the game progressed.
Not to mention the sudden and predictable ending.
Not to mention the sudden and predictable ending.
Now here’s the thing. Since sooo many games have run out of game play ideas and have become cookie cutter, I tend to roam around and enjoy the scenery because the actions are so predictable. And this is a GREAT place to roam through. Splendid graphics, good voice acting and plenty of atmosphere. So with that in mind I give this a positive rating. Take the journey and enjoy the scenery. And you may like the story too.
I recommend this game!
Search for clues, solve puzzles, and unlock new areas as you visit spooky locations, master mini-games and locate Hidden Objects!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
After 8 years...still a classic
PostedNovember 8, 2018
thebubba
fromBay Shore, NY
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
It's very hard to find a real creepy game these days. Why? The technology available to developers has created this urge to take game graphics to a new level of reality, except it doesn't work. The new games all look the same. Over saturated colors, detail overkill and so on. Forget mood. And that's where Dollhouse Story delivers. Moody, "crusty" art, a good story line and great game play. Today's developers could take a lesson from Stray Souls: Dollhouse Story.
I recommend this game!
He can’t be stopped. And he’s digging your grave!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
In a word...Nice.
PostedNovember 7, 2018
thebubba
fromBay Shore, NY
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This review will be short and sweet, since some of the reviews here can fit in a loose leaf binder. ;-)
Gravedigger was a fun game with terrific "set the mood" graphics, a unique story line and some interesting puzzles that were big fun (the maze and shooting out the canyon wall were two of my favorites). And besides the "same old" tasks that are kind of inherent in HOPA games, Gravedigger offered a few new twists. A 4 1/2 rating from the Bubba.
Gravedigger was a fun game with terrific "set the mood" graphics, a unique story line and some interesting puzzles that were big fun (the maze and shooting out the canyon wall were two of my favorites). And besides the "same old" tasks that are kind of inherent in HOPA games, Gravedigger offered a few new twists. A 4 1/2 rating from the Bubba.
Can you recover an ancient underwater artifact in time?
Overall rating
3
/
5
9 of 9 found this review helpful
Amazing setting turns to stone.
PostedOctober 23, 2018
thebubba
fromBay Shore, NY
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Played the demo and in 10 minutes I was hooked. The most amazing under water settings left me in a fantastic state of mind. Bought the game expecting more of the same. Once we left the deep and returned to land the magic ended. It became same old...same old. Insert access card (twice), use the tongs to acquire the hot object in the fire you just put out with the leaky bucket you patched to obtain the water in the spring, and so on. And why am I now repairing American Indian totem poles? Huh? What happened to the fish?
Also we get a pretty crummy looking map and a collection of puzzles that defy solving if you follow the cryptic instructions. Don't let the amazing first 15 minutes suck you in unless you're okay with "same old".
Also we get a pretty crummy looking map and a collection of puzzles that defy solving if you follow the cryptic instructions. Don't let the amazing first 15 minutes suck you in unless you're okay with "same old".
Nobody comes back from the Dark Side unchanged, but it’s the only way to re-light the fading flame.
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Nothing really new game wise, but still a winner.
PostedSeptember 1, 2018
thebubba
fromBay Shore, NY
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
What to say? Well for starters this is one helluva good looking game with very high production values across the board. From the wonderfully rendered scenics to the exceptionally well done animated segments, everything is top notch. But how about the game?
Mostly same old same old. I’ve played this game dozens of times under different titles.And I think this entry into HOPA land wins for the most keys needed to open whatever. I didn’t count the shovels, knives, screw driver, sickles, 6 of this charm, 3 of this token, finding and using the ingredients for the magic potion, collecting the fireflies…. Been there, done that, a hundred times. When will these talented developers find some new ideas? Everything looks great but that’s not quite enough these days. The technology is there. Where are the story tellers?
Anyhow taken in small daily doses this is an exceptional game. Enjoy the visuals while you have a bit of fun. When you start to snooze, save and get back tomorrow. I rate this a 4 because I’m a tough marker (I’ve yet to give a 5 to any game, 5’s are sacred). A bit of originality would def make it a five for me. Everything else is there. I recommend this game.
I recommend this game!
PuppetShow: The Price of Immortality
Your friend vanishes after investigating the mysterious Theater of Emotions.
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Thoroughly enjoyable…but
PostedJuly 9, 2018
thebubba
fromBay Shore, NY
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Played this game in small doses over 2 weeks. Always wanted to come back. It was a ritual 4:00 high point of my day. I won’t get into the story since there are many reviews that cover it. However I have to say the game play was fun, the map was charming (and helpful) eye candy with a practical use, and the graphics were way up there. Nothing earth shattering but state of the art for the games time. Some of the puzzles were time consuming ( i.e. clearing the field) and more frustrating than fun. That’s why there’s a skip button. But for you puzzle diehards it’s right up your alley.The HO’s were mostly fun and well done but for a few symbols carved in dark shadowy wood backgrounds. If you’re a masochist go for it. But that’s why there’s a hint button. And the ending was as is common with games of this genre quick and a bit disappointing. But the final chapter to get to the ending was long and well done. A top entry in the Puppet Show franchise. A 4 1/2. I have yet to give a game a 5. I’m a tough marker waiting for something uniquely new. :-)