MSBAM100's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.7
- Helpful Votes:8,578
- Reviews Submitted:240
- First Review:January 11, 2013
- Most Recent Review:January 27, 2024
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Track down the truth about your grandfather's death!
Overall rating
3
/
5
12 of 15 found this review helpful
Who killed your grandfather and why?
PostedFebruary 21, 2015
MSBAM100
fromTrying to stay awake in Tampa, Fl
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This storyline goes from one crisis to the next, without a clear explanation as to why. Someone killed your grandfather Charles Crenshaw by a molotov cocktail - right - and then they try to freeze you in at the funeral, send you a flower bomb, and sink the ship you're visiting! A bit too much, I think.
Even with all that happening, I was a bit bored by the gameplay. You are the granddaughter Christine, with your boyfriend? husband? Viggo, attending the funeral and receiving a letter from Charles telling you he's being stalked. So like a good grandchild, you decide to investigate.
The lips do not move in the voice-overs, but the graphics are quite nice. The HOS are varied - a list, find all the cloth napkins, feed the hamster, find items based on a written clue. Can't remember any mini-games.
You have a map with objectives marked, as well as collectibles. You have 46 masks to find, some quite well-hidden. You also find audiotapes that advance the story - it seems Charles is quite angry with Birdie, his ex-wife, since she had a child that wasn't his. Not sure what that has to do with the story, or why someone keeps trying to kill you like they did your grandfather.
The story is OK, but not sure it is a CE.
I recommend this game!
Dark Tales™: Edgar Allan Poe's The Mystery of Marie Roget Collector's Edition
A newlywed is threatened, and supernatural forces are afoot!
Overall rating
5
/
5
26 of 35 found this review helpful
The Raven Returns!
PostedFebruary 19, 2015
MSBAM100
fromRereading my Poe Anthology in Tampa, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This Dark Tale is based upon a more obscure Poe tale, but that only makes it more interesting. Every tale in this series is well-done, and this is the sixth one, so if you haven't played the others, you will want to!
The opening scene of Poe writing the story is a keeper! You once again are an assistant detective - with your own badge - to Auguste Dupin, who is summoned by his handsome friend Jacque to determine who is haunting his house and what is the problem with his new bride Marie Roget. Turns out Marie Roget is the niece of Madame Roget, who owns the Boulangerie Bakery, but has left the bakery in her will to the actress Lola Saunie, who looks just like Marie, but is unfortunately dead.
You receive a Magic Mirror to help you decipher certain objects -- but it is not intuitive as to how it works. Good thing for the Strategy Guide! The map is also a bit vague -- one spot on the map represents the entire house of Jacque. The HOPS so far are only lists, and the mini-games are a bit familiar, but fun. My favorite was a mahjong puzzle.
There are 16 morphing aquarium items to collect, and you must be patient because you can only collect the object when it has morphed. There is also a mini-game puzzle that unlocks if you collect all the items. You can also replay the mini-games and HOPs. The game has four modes, including custom. The best part of the game is the storyline.
Try it and see!
Try it and see!
I recommend this game!
You've been asked to cover a highly anticipated competition in New York City when something goes terribly wrong. Can you escape the world of illusions?
Overall rating
5
/
5
60 of 73 found this review helpful
Do you want to be a magician?
PostedFebruary 14, 2015
MSBAM100
fromPracticing my magic tricks while eating Valentine's candy!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This game is a lot trickier than it first appears. The longer you play it, the more intricate it becomes. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but it took me a bit to get into it.
So you are a reporter set to cover the 2nd World Championship of Illusionists taking place at the Taylor Hotel. You covered the first one and exposed the winner as a fake, even though the winner died in a fire that gutted the hotel. So now the "dead" winner has returned to the competition, and made one of the contestants disappear. So, intrepid reporter that you are, you set out to explore the theater and uncover the latest "trick" of the Red Mask Illusionist!
This game has several nice touches. You get a beautiful map of the theater, with some rooms that don't let you jump backwards once you move on. There are Illusion Goggles that let you see behind the magic messages the Red Mask guy keeps taunting you with. One of my favorite parts is the morphing trick cards collection, that show you how all the magic tricks you've watched as a kid are performed.
But the best part of this game are the HOPs and mini-games. The HOPs are interactive. One of them has you finding 6 gems by creating a potion, filling in a story, sawing a box in half, loading a revolver to get a flag to find the order to press the gems to get the code to finally get the key to the door! Each piece of the puzzle kept to the theme of magic tricks and was very clever.
One of the unique mini-games deals with two birds in cages - after you solve a HOP to build the bird. You then have to match the bird life cycles to pictures that flash and step you through the life cycle. I was hooked!
I'm gonna use this weekend special to buy! Try it -- it is very cool!
I recommend this game!
For years, Barton Mansion sat abandoned, a haunting reminder of an obsession gone wrong. But something sinister still lurked there...and it's stirring.
Overall rating
4
/
5
18 of 28 found this review helpful
Red Vines, red vines, everywhere!
PostedFebruary 12, 2015
MSBAM100
fromEating red licorice while I fight the red vines!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This DD game seems a bit better than others in this series, but it still suffers from "too much of a good thing." Mini-games that require you to do the exact same thing multiple times get a bit boring and I hit the SKIP button too often.
Anyway, this DD takes you back to the beginning where your parents disappeared inside this ever-growing house and vines built by crazy Martha Barton with her husband Robert. You are still the DD investigator, but your cop sister Corinne is now being held prisoner by the red vines, which can be destroyed by fire. Destroying all these vines is also a bit boring -- I can see them when I close my eyes!
The game is pretty good, with several clever, interactive HOPs. There are also many HOPs relating to the house -- find symbols on a blueprint, place house parts correctly in a story, create a painted scene or two of the house. But once I've done it correctly, I really don't want to do it two or three times!
You have Corinne's canine partner Rocky to help with the high and low places, and an interactive map inside your phone. Part of the CE bling includes finding tokens to buy things for Rocky's Room -- unfortunately, I didn't find many so the only thing Rocky got was a set of speakers, and he danced when I clicked on him.
What I most enjoyed, was the Developer Diary video, which interspersed live action people with actual graphics from the game -- very clever, make sure you watch it during the demo!
You also can collect morphing items that are part of the house. The developers kept the house theme going throughout the mini-games and HOPs and collectibles.
If you like burning vines, this game is for you!
I recommend this game!
A famous painter finds herself in over her head!
Overall rating
5
/
5
38 of 53 found this review helpful
Looks like Art Fraud to me!
PostedFebruary 7, 2015
MSBAM100
fromSkiing in the Austrian Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is the 3rd in this series and seems like the best. There is so much going on - and the opening cut scene of an artist painting, ending with "Is it done?" leads you to believe there is something sinister going on in the art restoration world!
You are intrepid reporter Felicity Adams who has managed to secure an interview with Lisa Steiner, the reclusive artist who was chosen to restore a long lost painting found in the Austrian Alps. When you visit Lisa, you meet Felix, her boyfriend, who seems like a big bully. Turns out he IS a big bully, and isn't her boyfriend but a villain who pushes you off a cliff, kidnaps Lisa, and the demo ends!
The HOS and mini-games are so cool and unique. You have to find Lisa's house from a list of things she likes. You have to herd the sheep Lara, Clara, and Julia by giving them what they want. You have to find the code to her briefcase by first finding her early drawings, putting them in order, then selecting the correct item in each drawing. I can't remember when I so thoroughly enjoyed playing the HOS/mini-games within a game!
The CE bling goes on forever, with a Painter's Den, the Souvenir Room, a Behind the Scenes, and even a Photo Session. Plus there are 17 letters to find, 42 paint tubes, and 14 morphing objects within a HOS. The paint tubes and the HOS objects have an icon on the screen to tell you if you've found it or not.
This is a must buy for me, because the demo was so much fun. Try it and see!
I recommend this game!
Ice giants are attacking citizens as a deadly blizzard arrives.
Overall rating
5
/
5
65 of 75 found this review helpful
Snow and ice and blizzard, oh my!
PostedFebruary 5, 2015
MSBAM100
fromFlorida where we have no blizzards!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This is the fourth in the series and is pretty good. Your BFF Kira summons you to Baumholder and you arrive right when the mother of all winter storms hits -- in the middle of summer. Plus a huge ice castle grows out of the middle of town! Kira is married to super-hunk Victor, who is 7 feet tall and all muscles. Seems he also wrote a book called the Winter King, which makes it seem like Victor is the son of the King causing all the icy stress in town.
The graphics are great -- every so often a bolt of ice hits and spreads convincingly over the pond or land or whatever it aimed at. The HOS are all varied -- find silhouette items, collect snowflakes, find items in the story book. The mini-games are pretty easy, but fun enough to do.
There are 6 statues to collect, 25 hidden hares - all variable sizes and shapes - plus 20 puzzle pieces that you don't even know you are collecting -- what's with that?
This is a good game with a good storyline, even though we've had lots of freezes before. Can you save Kira and Victor and the town from the Winter King?
I recommend this game!
Can you uncover what’s causing the strange symptoms in Blackwill?
Overall rating
4
/
5
36 of 41 found this review helpful
What have they done to Shiver?
PostedJanuary 31, 2015
MSBAM100
fromBusy decorating my room and furnishing my aquarium!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
It doesn't seem like the same devleloper did this game as the three preceding ones in the series. There is nothing scary here. You are Dr. Robert Thompson, returned to Blackwill Hospital after 17 years -- even though the cursor is a woman's hand with long red fingernails and red bracelets! Your first patient is Beatrice Stanley, the daughter of your last patient Kat Stanley, whom you never did cure. Anyway, Beatrice is lured away by an unknown creature and some haunting music, to the town of Riverwell. The townspeople thought they had walled up the creature and abandoned the town, but I guess it is back.
The HOS are a bit cluttered. The mini-puzzles are not too hard -- my favorite was repairing the car, since I know nothing about cars it was good they gave me a manual to follow!
What makes this game a bit strange, is the CE Bling. Finding black pearls to fix up my room, and finding decorations for an aquarium do not exactly fit in a game that is called "Shiver". Plus, I keep winning achievements but I can't actually look at them! While the basic game story is OK, there are too many discrepancies to make this a 5-star game.
I recommend this game!
A mysterious plague is sweeping through towns along the coast, and you're the only one who knows the truth!
Overall rating
5
/
5
35 of 45 found this review helpful
Can you save the town from the Chemist's plague?
PostedJanuary 30, 2015
MSBAM100
fromTampa, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This game's opening video of the burning of the town by men in bird masks, together with the ship on the rolling ocean is enough to make me buy this game. But the incredible graphics are backed by a game with a very good premise.
The town of Port Talbot is about to be eradicated - and evacuated - because of a deadly disease seemingly caused by "The Chemist" who has a bone to pick with four towns along the coast. You are Nurse Bridget Tramell, sent by your mother Dr. Tramell to help Dr. Griffin research and fight the disease. Why the Chemist is destroying the towns is hinted at by an old sailor who claims another ship arrived 20 years ago with the same disease but no one was allowed to disembark and everyone died.
You can play HOPs or Match - 3. The mini-puzzles are unique to the game -- put healthy and sick people on the same ship to evacuate safely. The CE Bling includes 44 Glass Ball collectibles with their own ship icon on the toolbar, Souvenirs, the making of - clever cartoon about the developers. Also HOP and puzzle replay, plus the normal extras.
This is a good game -- try it and see!
I recommend this game!
A stay at a peaceful hotel turns into a nightmare when a witch from the Twilight World takes your daughter!
Overall rating
5
/
5
78 of 93 found this review helpful
Are you in the Twilight World or the Real World?
PostedJanuary 24, 2015
MSBAM100
fromTampa, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This game has a lot of moving parts and is quite interesting. You stop at the Silver Lake Inn with your daughter, which turns out to be problematic for you and she. Seems the inn is built on the site of a Victorian mansion that was formerly owned by a witch. And she's still around! You find the witch's magic box, and you open it, which allows the witch to escape, set the hotel on fire and put your daughter in a coma!
You also find a Crystal Ball, that lets you travel between the Real World and the Twilight World, once you find 3 gems to charge it with. Even the owner is a bit creepy, throwing you into the water while his eyes turn green!
Anyway, the HOS are each different -- silhouettes to find, or objects from a narration, or keys to match. The mini-puzzles are unique but a bit easy. The witch's magic box is filled with items you can use - once you find them. It seems they were given away during the grand opening ceremony, and now those people are enchanted like the owner.
There are several collectibles -- rabbits, 46 cats, and postcards -- in addition to the normal CE bling. Can you save your daughter before she becomes the final "body" the witch needs? Try it and see!
I recommend this game!
Underneath the big top, people aren’t always what they seem.
Overall rating
5
/
5
26 of 39 found this review helpful
Lion, bear, giraffe, sister, oh my!
PostedJanuary 17, 2015
MSBAM100
fromTampa, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
So you and your sister follow a family tradition and attend the Strauss circus in 1924, except your sister volunteers for a magician's trick and disappears! Of course you want to find her, so you go backstage and out into the grounds following your sister as she is dragged around by the magician/mad scientist Strauss.
The Twilight games seem to revel in strange animal hybrid experiments. This one starts with a humanitarian premise -- saving limbs of animals that would otherwise die. But Strauss has gone a bit too far, changing his daughter into a mermaid and various other folks into hybrids as well. Part of the fun of this game is seeing and saving the melded creatures. You can save the animals by spending money you win on the Wheel of Stars. Saving the people requires a bit more -- a potion or two. But can you save your sister as well?
This game doesn't have all the bells and whistles CE bling of previous games. Doesn't seem to have any collectibles. There are 20 achievements that replace a hat by some other item. No souvenir room or "making of" or puzzle pieces to find and assemble. Just the standard CE bling.
The HOS come mainly from videos you find that tell the story of Dr. Strauss and his fall from grace. The mini-games are unique and interesting, and fit the theme of the story quite well. Ther are four modes of play, including custom. The lips do not move on the voice-overs.
This is a very good game with a good story. I just wish it had a bit more CE bling. Try it and see.
I recommend this game!