steve_san's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.3
- Helpful Votes:5,408
- Reviews Submitted:242
- First Review:November 28, 2011
- Most Recent Review:January 3, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Ghostly warnings in the water are terrifying a grieving family. What's causing them, and what really happened to Julia White?
Overall rating
3
/
5
17 of 24 found this review helpful
Phantom Tide Washes Little Ashore
PostedMay 2, 2014
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
You play a detective who is investigating the apparent death of a woman who saw something strange near a dam, but then seemed to die suspiciously before she could report it. Her husband and daughter have since been tormented by strangely-acting water, which spews out of all sorts of places like walls. They live in a house that is literally in the shadow of the dam.
Other than the water, which is well-animated and seems to truly have a life of its own, there is nothing else which stands out about this game. The voices are done well enough, but the drawing is only average at best. It is really not up to the highest standards of premium games. Everything appears almost flat - although colorful. It gives the game an older feel, despite the animated water effects.
Game play is also pretty standard with the exception that you get a special shell that is able to control the water's behavior at times. Other than that, there is the usual array of puzzles and hidden object scenes.
This is an average, at best, game. I cannot fathom (heh) the good reviews for this game unless there is something I am not "sea-ing" (groan).
I don't recommend this game.
Track down the wily Fox’ before he slips away into the beauty of Venice!
Overall rating
5
/
5
38 of 44 found this review helpful
The Italian Affair is Off The Hook
PostedApril 18, 2014
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
As an investigative reporter, you have been assigned to travel to Venice to follow up on the latest museum theft by La Volpe (the fox). After you arrive, you discover there is a twist to the story, as well as a mysterious woman who is stalking you.
The first Off The Record - Linden Shades was a good, fairly long game with a strange story line dealing with powerful artifacts, rituals and forces. This one begins with the theft of one of those artifacts.
As mentioned, this is set in Venice, and it is an extraordinarily clean, pristine and idealized version of the famous city. Oddly though, no one here has even a trace of an Italian accent. The heaviest accent detected during the trial was one that, if anything, sounded Swedish. There is lip synching of the dialog.
That aside, the play is fairly standard with a plus: the hidden object scenes are multidimensional, sometimes panning through three or four mini-scenes. The difficulty level is fairly low, but they are so pleasing to look at that it can be forgiven.
Puzzles and mini-games fit very well into the story, but were not as impressive as the hidden object scenes. There were some actions that required clicking in a precise spot as well. This being Italy, you also get to ride a motor scooter.
The story advances slowly as you collect clues left by La Volpe as to the mystery behind this latest theft.
The Collector's Edition is aptly named. There are four, that's right four, collectible items: foxes, scrolls, morphing objects, and letters of the alphabet. There are also achievements, pseudo-achievements and pseudo extras.
The combination of artwork, game play and collectibles make this Affair worthy of strong consideration. This one may belong On The (game manager) Record.
I recommend this game!
Can you and Detective Dupin uncover the dark secrets of this mysterious estate?
Overall rating
4
/
5
36 of 45 found this review helpful
House of Usher Is Definitely A Fixer-Upper
PostedApril 18, 2014
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
You and Detective Dupin have been summoned by a Dr. Morris to the House of Usher. Your task is to investigate the disappearance of a young girl, Madeleine. Madeleine and her brother Roderick are twins who share a special bond in which they experience each other's painful experiences. Dr. Morris had been treating them both until Madeleine disappeared.
I’ve played five previous Dark Tales games, all of them either good or very good. The strength of this series has always been the stories. So how does this one measure up?
As you would expect, the House is creepy looking and contains all sorts of weird objects, doors and locks. The exterior of the house bears an eerie resemblance to the house from the movie “Psycho.” The drawing style is consistent with the others in the Dark Tales series, with very saturated colors and a slightly grainy and flat look.
Game play is characterized by variety. The type of hidden object play varies from scene to scene, beginning with a riddle type, then find 12 of something, and so on. Objects are mostly correct for the period. There is a match-3 option not explored by this review. Mini games were not too challenging, but all were well animated.
Along the way, you also collect a spirit who can bring certain objects to life, and a pet mouse to get to those hard-to-reach places. There is a camera, too but it seemed like an afterthought.
Voices are not up to the usual high standards. The developers re-used the same person’s voice for at least three different characters. They tried to disguise it, but were not successful. I found the voice of Roderick the brother to be the weakest, and also the sound of his voice did not fit the look of the character.
Options are highly customizable for whichever level you choose to play, including a switch to simply turn off the sparkles.
The Collector’s Edition includes a lab that you can purchase equipment for. Coins are found by searching model buildings found throughout the game. You search them by using an x-ray lens. The pseudo-extras include wallpapers (6), concept art (15), screen savers (5), hidden object (17), mini games (17), and movies (14). There are also the usual achievements. Other extras are a strategy guide and bonus chapter. There are no collectible items (other than the coins).
Unless there is a sale, the SE would seem to be the better value. This will not “usher” in a new era in gaming, but is still worth a house call.
I recommend this game!
Dark Dimensions: Somber Song
Townspeople flee as the black smoke covers their town. Can you close the dark dimension, before it's too late?
Overall rating
4
/
5
29 of 35 found this review helpful
Somber Is Not The Same Old Song
PostedApril 11, 2014
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Setting: After a recent tragedy, a fire at a music school where several children were killed, a young girl who was the lone survivor comes running to you to help her escape the dark cloud pursuing her.
What stands out in this game is the hidden object scenes. They are cleverly done in a manner where you progressively find one object and perform an action in order to reveal another. While we have seen these before, the ones in this game are particularly well done - you actually must think to complete them. The same cannot be said for the puzzles which are far easier and require little thought.
The drawing is nicely done depicting a not-so-small town in the winter season. And it takes place in modern times (the fire is said to have occurred in 2011). Nevertheless, the artists could not resist drawing some ancient looking keys (sigh). However, the keys do turn without an extra click, so that is a plus. Another nice touch is (semi-spoiler alert):
a cat you find under your car early in the game, you later see on a bulletin board posted as a Lost Kitty, named "Mr. Snuggles". Cute.
I hate to nitpick (or do I?), but during the demo, the teacher's name is spelled both as "Mayer" and "Mayers" in various places. A little quality control please.
The CE version has collectible sheets of music, or rather fragments of sheets. These require several clicks to collect, which becomes a little annoying after the first few. They are not really hidden either so not much of a challenge to find.
I found the demo interesting to play all the way to the end, mostly due to the hidden object scenes, although I hope the rest of the game is not just following around after a black cloud of smoke. That was starting to get old.
Definitely a game that can get you "fired up."
I recommend this game!
A famous actor has literally stepped off the screen to kidnap your niece. Now you must find a way into the dangerous and exciting world of the film to save her!
Overall rating
2
/
5
10 of 12 found this review helpful
Surface is Showing Cracks
PostedApril 10, 2014
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Your friends are watching a replay of a classic movie which stars one of your friends' deceased husband. Suddenly the "deceased" husband leaps through the screen, grabs his stunned wife and jumps back into the screen. Meanwhile all sorts of jungle plants and creatures invade the theater as well. Your remaining friend calls you for help while being chased by a tiger - which she inexplicably fails to mention.
I played until the end of the demo, but I knew after the opening cut scene that this Reel belonged back in the closet. The story just doesn't cut it. On top of that, the cut scenes are of mediocre quality, as is the drawing. It is colorful, yes, but very flat and lacking in any texture.
Voices were not convincing, but the dialog and story are so contrived that its hard to blame the actors as there is not much to work with. There are many short notes to read as well, one in just about every scene, but they tell you very little.
Be prepared to use objects in illogical ways, not just once or twice but over and over. There were so many things that just made no sense that I lost count. One glaring error has a movie projector showing a movie though a glass window! Try that at home and see what happens.
The hidden object scenes were pretty ordinary, with some just needing an inventory item to complete. The mini-games were probably the best feature in the game. They were fairly creative and clever. Unfortunately, the rest of the game play was so boring I had no patience to play them.
Since it is a CE, there are some not-very-compelling collectible flowers. In fact, the whole game is not-very-compelling. However, if you love puzzles, and can put aside the inane play, I recommend waiting for the SE.
When I exited the game and was asked "Are you sure?" I was never more so. This Reel belongs on the cutting room floor.
I don't recommend this game.
The seven deadly sins have plunged peaceful Riddlestone into chaos! Rescue the royal family and save their people from destruction.
Overall rating
3
/
5
7 of 9 found this review helpful
This Will No Doubt Fade Into Oblivion
PostedApril 9, 2014
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I thought this game had a familiar feel, then I realized I had beta tested it. That was quite a while ago, so those who describe this game as somewhat older are correct, relatively speaking.
The town of Riddlestone, the Rockwood dynasty, the seven deadly sins, etc. Queen Olivia's daughter (or should I say "daw-tah" per the supposedly British accents) has been kidnapped.
Everything is well drawn and the game has it's own style, although I found the style hard to describe. The game is both very colorful and very dark at the same time. I thought the voices and sound effects were fairly good.
The game play and plot is on the simplistic side, suggesting this is aimed at younger (but not too young) schools of fish.
The collectables (crowns) are nearly impossible to miss without tripping over them, and yet there are not too many of them. They are not particularly compelling. There are also collectable members of the royal Rockwood family (six, I think).
This does not have either an especially interesting story or new features that would make it stand out. Neither does it have that immersive quality that pulls you in. My recommendation would be get the SE, or better yet leave this riddle unanswered.
I don't recommend this game.
Explore the Mystery Unicorn Castle and save Sophie from the Beastmaster in this exciting HOPA game!
Overall rating
2
/
5
28 of 34 found this review helpful
Still Searching For A Unicorn To Make Sense Of This
PostedApril 9, 2014
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
My hopes were raised in the opening scene that I might finally play game set in the present-day. There was actually a modern-ish cell phone and we were riding on a motor scooter.
However, it quickly went downhill (heh) and we ended up in an old cemetery, a dilapidated castle, an abandoned blacksmith's workshop and a broken down stagecoach.
Not sure what the developers were thinking here with the story, if they were at all. Maybe the discussion went something like this:
"Let's create a game called The Beastmaster, and let's include lots of over sized rats running around. Now, we also have to appeal to all the people who are put off by the rats, so we'll add a unicorn. People like unicorns. There, that does it."
No, it doesn't.
I could never get into this game because I was not sure what was going on. Maybe it gets better. I'll probably never find out unless I have a credit to use.
Anyone seen a unicorn?
I don't recommend this game.
Enter the enchanted realm of the Snow Kingdom!
Overall rating
5
/
5
58 of 84 found this review helpful
Snow Kingdom Come
PostedApril 5, 2014
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This game "packs" a lot of punch. You are Alan, a friend of the princess. Her father the king has ordered her to be taken out of the kingdom for her own protection from the "ice knights." However, through deception they manage to confine her to a crystal ball prison. You must rescue the princess, defeat the ice knights and their leader, and thereby save the kingdom. Airships and hot air balloons are also featured. I left out a little so as not to include any spoilers, so you'll have to trust me that it actually does make sense.
The drawing is very colorful, almost #not quite# fairy tale-ish in style. Voices are very well done, except for the princess' whose voice is slightly annoying #sorry, princess!#. The princess also pops up a lot with "back-seat driver" style comments like We've got to do #this#," or We've got to go #somewhere#." It seemed to be a way to keep her involved in the story while trapped in the ball. There is a lot to read also, in the form of scrolls, books and other dialog to fill in the back story.
Hidden object scenes were very well done, using different styles including logic and progression. This kept them very interesting. As for the puzzles and mini games #including a snowball game, of course#, it was evident that the developer put a lot of thought into them and, while not difficult, they fit perfectly into the story's setting and were a lot of fun to play.
Music is also soothing and dreamy, not too intrusive. Sound effects are well done as well. A pet lynx provides assistance in hard to reach places, and potions help with otherwise impossible tasks.
The Collector’s Edition includes 35 collectible snowflakes, achievements, strategy guide and a bonus chapter, as well as the usual array of pseudo-extras.
While princess & save the kingdom games are usually not my style, I found this to be a very well thought out and executed game. Even though it's been a long winter, I can stand a little more snow.
I recommend this game!
Ghostly warnings in the water are terrifying a grieving family. What's causing them, and what really happened to Julia White?
Overall rating
3
/
5
5 of 8 found this review helpful
Phantom Tide Washes Little Ashore
PostedApril 5, 2014
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
You play a detective investigating the apparent death of a woman who saw something strange near a dam, but seems to die suspiciously before she can report it. Her family (husband and daughter) have since been tormented by strangely-acting water, which spews out of all sorts of places, like walls. They live in a house that is literally in the shadow of the dam.
Other than the water, which is well-animated and seems to truly have a life of its own, there is really nothing else which stands out about this game. The voices are done well enough, but the drawing falls short. It is really not up to the highest standards. Everything appears almost flat, although colorful. It give the game an older feel, despite the cinematics of the water.
Game play is also pretty standard with the exception that you get a special shell that is able to control the water's behavior at times. Other than that, there is the usual array of puzzles and hidden object scenes.
This is an average, at best, game. I cannot fathom (heh# the good reviews for this game unless there is something I am not "sea-ing" #groan).
Can you defeat the mist and find your lost brother?
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 11 found this review helpful
Even Burnt Dreams Can Come True
PostedMarch 30, 2014
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I rarely comment on the developer, but this one seems new. Their style resembles that of another dev, but this is nevertheless a good effort.
For a change, you play a male character. Twenty years ago, your younger brother (est. 5 years old) was snatched from a bridge before your eyes by a strange mist. Somehow this is related to the drawings your brother was making, as creatures from them to life when in contact with the mist. You have been searching for your brother ever since, and finally you have the means, with the help of a strange Dr., to enter the mist and hopefully rescue him.
As stated earlier, the stylE is familiaR to thoSe of a three-letter developer. It is high quality, if not the highest. There is a lot of detail however, and the fairy tale style draws one into this strange world inside of the mist (the "Another World").
The voices are well done and well acted, although the Dr.'s voice sounded considerably younger than the look of the character. Game play is a good mix of hidden objects and puzzles, and the amount of difficulty is about right.
There is a little purple dragon helper who can start fires as well as get into small places. There are four difficulty levels, including one marked as Custom.
This CE version has many "pseudo-extras," as well as a small number of collectible creatures, extra game play and strategy guide.
Not to be "mist?" Not quite. But worth crossing the bridge to burn some time.
I recommend this game!