mizmoose's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.5
- Helpful Votes:1,244
- Reviews Submitted:61
- First Review:November 14, 2011
- Most Recent Review:December 1, 2024
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Insaniquarium! Deluxe
Dive right into this crazy aquarium. The water's fine in this action puzzle!
Overall rating
5
/
5
313 of 379 found this review helpful
Timeless Classic
PostedAugust 10, 2012
mizmoose
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
It's old. It's an arcade game, it's a time management game, it's just a pile of fun. You can play for hours or for a little bit whenever you feel like it.
The bulk of all of the games is to feed your fish, keep them alive, and fight off aggressors. But there is so much more to it.
The game has 3 main modes:
- Adventure Mode: This is the main game. There are four sets of tanks, each with a different set of fish and aggressors ("aliens"). After each level, you gain a new special fish ("pets") that you can bring with you into the tank. You are limited to 3 pets, and each one has a different skill to help you. For example, one slows things that drop, some pick up things for you, some are aggressive towards aliens, and more. Each tank in the set is harder than the last, and at the end there is a mini-game to help you get more coins.
- Time Trial: Once you have you completed a set of tanks you can go back into the tank and try to get as many coins as possible in a set amount of time. There are extra upgrades available!
- Challenge: After completing the Adventure game, you can enter each of the tanks and, while trying to reach a goal, get thrown harder and harder aliens.
- Adventure Mode: This is the main game. There are four sets of tanks, each with a different set of fish and aggressors ("aliens"). After each level, you gain a new special fish ("pets") that you can bring with you into the tank. You are limited to 3 pets, and each one has a different skill to help you. For example, one slows things that drop, some pick up things for you, some are aggressive towards aliens, and more. Each tank in the set is harder than the last, and at the end there is a mini-game to help you get more coins.
- Time Trial: Once you have you completed a set of tanks you can go back into the tank and try to get as many coins as possible in a set amount of time. There are extra upgrades available!
- Challenge: After completing the Adventure game, you can enter each of the tanks and, while trying to reach a goal, get thrown harder and harder aliens.
There is also the Virtual Tank. You can buy various fish in a store (with all the coins you get from playing) and feed them, or just enjoy them. You get to take up to 3 pets with you there, too. You can buy other upgrades for your tank, as time and money goes along, including "aliens" (they don't kill your fish) and expensive specialty fish, some of which are rare. The fish in the store change daily, and after you buy them you get to name them yourself (except for the rare ones, they usually come with names).
There's some skill involved with the games, and some luck, and some strategy. It's always a little different, and it is something you just don't get tired of. That's how it's still selling after all these years. If you haven't yet, give it a try.
I recommend this game!
Help Melissa find her son, figure out who is behind his kidnapping, and stay off the police radar in Vault Cracker!
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Good But Not Great
PostedAugust 9, 2012
mizmoose
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Vault Cracker is a mix of standard Hidden Object Scenes with scenes where you find things to complete an objective, with a few mini-puzzles when you "crack" a vault.
The basic HO scenes aren't bad. There are a few items which may be harder to find, but nothing horrible. Overall, they're enjoyable. There's a few times when an object you're looking for is behind or under another item on your list, which can be momentarily frustrating.
The HO scenes to complete the objective are mostly too easy. You get a visual list of the objects you need to find, and when your mouse slides over them, your cursor turns to a grabby hand. Sometimes the items you need are already in your possession, and sometimes you need to complete a regular HO scene to find what you need.
The mini-games for the vault cracking are way too easy. I'm not the greatest at puzzles and I flew right through every one of them. At most, they took a moment of thought to figure out how to do the hardest parts.
Overall, the game kept me fairly entertained, but Vault Cracker has three big downsides:
- You cannot escape the voice-overs. Although they are captioned, you're stuck with listening to them.
- At the end of some chapters, it tells you to "click to continue", but it will not do so until you've listened to some dialogue.
- The game punishes you for over-clicking. What is this, 5 yrs ago? So few games do this anymore, and it's for the better.
The music is a bit repetitious but I did not find it annoying. The art is fine, crisp enough without being too overly drawn.
Please check the forums before purchasing this game. I would not recommend it unless you are getting it on deep sale or for free with a coupon.
I don't recommend this game.
A murder has been committed and the BeTrapped! puzzle features you as Inspector Parker. Solve the crime in this engaging whodunit!
Overall rating
3
/
5
11 of 12 found this review helpful
A Fancy Version of Minesweeper
PostedJuly 26, 2012
mizmoose
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Strategy, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This game is basically Minesweeper -- you move a character around a board to try to identify traps before they kill you. You get so many 'lives' before you lose the game.
The graphics are very basic, the movement simple. It's a fine way to waste some time, but nothing I'd run out get.
Along the way you discover clues to a mystery. As others have mentioned, the solution is always the same. But the basic part of the game is fine to replay.
Again, this is where I wished they'd let you have a "maybe" for recommending. Can't say I hated it, so I'll recommend it. But as I'd get it for free or from a dirt-cheap sale.
I recommend this game!
Help Leia keep and develop her farm by growing crops and caring for animals in this beautiful Time Management game.
Overall rating
3
/
5
6 of 15 found this review helpful
Standard Time Management Game
PostedJuly 16, 2012
mizmoose
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
There's nothing new or special here. Or maybe there is, if you keep playing. But I was so bored after 30 minutes that I'll never find out.
It's the usual: Animals produce product. Grow grass for the animals. Grow grains to make other products. Keep your grains and grass watered, keep your animals fed, pick up your product, deal with limited storage space. Money is always tight so sell what you don't but don't sell so much that you can't complete the level "on time."
Ho hum.
I don't 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
Excellent and Compelling HOG
PostedJuly 10, 2012
mizmoose
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The storyline is compelling and a bit heartbreaking, doubly so after playing the bonus chapter.
I really couldn't tear myself away from this game, and I'm one who usually has to take a break after about 30-40 minutes. The HOG scenes are very well done. The artwork for the whole game, and the music, are both amazing. The mini-games are mostly challenging without being too difficult.
Everyone has commented on the adjustable difficulty settings. You can change the speed that the hints reload or that you can skip a minigame, and control how much a special area sparkles. Wow. This as well as the usual settings for music, voice, and overall sound.
You get a map but it doesn't let you jump around, only shows you where you are and have been. Things you find are kept neatly organized. Cut scenes can be skipped easily. Some of the shorter ones use real video, which adds authenticity to the mix.
The extras include a "making of" video which I highly recommend. It's interesting (at least, to me) to see how they put various parts of the game together.
Overall an excellent game. My only complaint is that I'd like it to be a little longer.
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
5
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Nearly Perfect HOG
PostedJuly 9, 2012
mizmoose
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I just finished playing this and I want to play it again.
This is everything a hidden object game should be. The storyline is compelling and interesting. The cut scenes are so well done I didn't skip through them, and I usually skip through everything.
The HOG scenes are my only complaint. After the first few, I got the handle on how to look and they became almost too easy. (Almost, not quite.) The put-two-things-together pieces are often near to each other, too. Although return visits to the same HOG scene contains things you've already found, the scenes aren't so cluttered that it makes finding the next set of things too hard. (There is also no repeat of items.)
The inner mini-games range from easy to challenging, without being insane.
The game is rich with things to find, from items you need to complete puzzles to special things like cards and pictures. I didn't find them all, but that's only because once I knew to look I didn't go back for the ones I missed. And you can, that's a big win, in my book; too many games with special items hide them in places you can only visit once.
Be sure to go through the extras, and I don't just mean the bonus chapter! Make sure to watch the Making Of video, which explains all the important things and rules for making a cool video game (One rule is, "Eat cheese in the hallway".) It's clear the folks who made this had an awesomely good time, and it shows.
I'd give this two thumbs up if I could.
I recommend this game!
Worried that you are wasting your life, you finally decide to take action. Dump your dead-end job and find your true calling!
Overall rating
3
/
5
Clunky But Playable Life Sim
PostedJuly 5, 2012
mizmoose
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This is another life simulation game. Unlike some of the others, the game play is slow and clunky.
You get one shot to choose your career path, picked from one of the buildings. This isn't made completely clear, and once you've chosen, there's no going back (without restarting the game from the beginning).
There are only 8 places to visit total. One place has food (optional, but has benefits, and can only be done once per day), one is a wishing well (wishing is also a once per day thing), and one is a place where you can train skills, but you cannot access it at first. There is also your apartment, where you sleep at night and 'relax' during the day. Other than these are the 4 places where you can increase the points of four main areas which, in turn, can be used to gain skills and "talents". As you progress in the game, each of these 4 buildings gives you options to let you cross-train for points, so that you might, for example, go into the building for Creative points and raise Creative and Smart points at once.
The various buildings assign you various quests at different times. These can range in things that give you more options to raise points, give you outright cash, or move you further along your career path, giving you a raise at work. Wishing can potentially gain you points or cash, and most of the quests will require a skill or talent to solve.
You can replay the game, but it can be even more annoying the next time through. You cannot skip the tutorial and must follow a script for the first dozen or so turns. Conversations are hard to skip through and get repetitive. There is no help available, outside of the forced tutorial messages; however most of the game is so painfully obvious it's not really needed. And no matter how long you play, you cannot get through the day without having to go 'relax'. After a while the game gets repetitious and the quests towards the end of the game can feel drawn out.
It's not a bad game, but I wouldn't buy it full price. Get it when it's on a deep sale, or use a free credit.
I recommend this game!
Once upon a time in the small, undistinguished town of Silentville people started disappearing. Help uncover the mystery behind these disappearances and save the town from a curse!
Overall rating
2
/
5
6 of 7 found this review helpful
Way too frustrating!
PostedJune 28, 2012
mizmoose
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This HOG game does almost everything I hate in a HOG game. I played for 40 minutes and gave up in total frustration.
The HOG scenes require a lot of putting two (or more) things together, or figuring out which item is the right to fix an issue. That is kind of fun.
But there's no guidance at ALL. Static items get the rotating gears graphic and things you can move get a grabbing hand. But there's nothing to help you figure out what goes with what, and sometimes finding the items needed involves sweeping your mouse around looking for something -- anything -- that might help, especially since some of the items are very tiny. A waste of time.
It might be easier if the list of items to find were clearer. Many a time I thought I read one thing when it said another. The words are written in a font meant to be a fancy script, but with black letters on a dark background, it means that people without perfect eyesight are straining to read what's written. Horrible design choice.
I might be able to move back that if it weren't for the constant cut scenes. The longer ones are skippable (after a bit) but the shorter ones with dialogue drag out long after I've read the words and want to move on.
After a while I couldn't take this frustrating and slow game any longer.
I don't recommend this game.
A UFO is rumored to have landed in the small town of Tundel and the mayor is trying to conceal it. Run your own journalistic investigation and learn the truth behind the event!
Overall rating
4
/
5
14 of 15 found this review helpful
Grab a pen and paper -- you're gonna need it
PostedJune 27, 2012
mizmoose
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
City of Fools is a treasure hunt of a video game. You need This but to get it you have to find That and the person who has That needs The-Other-Thing and so on and so on.
Some of the things you get are from helping people, some are bought at various 'stores' or places where you simply find things. And you are charged with around 200 tasks, so grab a pen and paper and start making notes. You will be playing this game for hours and hours and hours.
You have an online guide to your tasks, but they don't always mention who its for or where they were. Said guide can also give you hints to complete a task. .The guide can be difficult to navigate once very full, since you really don't do things in order, and you cannot skip around, only move forwards and backwards in the book. You sometimes waste time trying to find the 'right' page in the book, so keep your own notes from the start.
The graphics are very cartoony. The music is pleasant enough. The humour tends toward body function/potty humour, which is occasionally a bit icky. The plot line is all about you needing a pass to go meet the Mayor. The ending is annoying, as it pretty much abruptly ends.
The worst part of the game is the navigation. You get a map to show you where things are but it cannot be used to directly jump from place to place. By using the pin in the upper left corner the onscreen arrows will guide you to a particular place, but it's not always very clear -- some places require steps that aren't highlighted well.
When you're going around the map be sure to take the 'subway' at least once, just for the hilarity of the 'cars' it uses.
I recommend this game!
After your son, Bobby, mysteriously disappears, it’s up to you to find him in Surface: The Mystery of Another World!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Excellent HOG game
PostedJune 23, 2012
mizmoose
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The storyline is a little annoying but it doesn't distract from an excellent game.
The idea is that while you were traveling your child has been kidnapped by someone from another world. As you hunt for him you unravel pieces of what's going on, which is meant to be science-fictiony but winds up being a little hokey.
There are a mess of cut scenes which cannot be skipped, but they are thankfully short. The mini-games are challenging without being absurdly difficult. The music is pleasant and the artwork is gorgeous. The mouth movements on the actors is a little weird, but I suspect that it was originally made in another language with an English dub. (Oh, and that the 'bad guy' is hot doesn't hurt things at all! (-: )
The HOG scenes are a delight. Not only are they clearly defined (ie. no depending on things hiding behind other things) yet still a challenge, but to complete them you often need things you've found in other places. This keeps control of the flow of the game without being overly restricted. You may be able to reach and start a HOG scene but you may not be able to complete it until you've been to another area you have not yet visited. It's a fun little twist that makes things a little different from your usual HOG game.
Overall, a very enjoyable game.
I recommend this game!