Hi all! Wow, unless my count is off, this is #12 in this series. I do have all the others, but not all are CE versions. As always, I review on the game play and seldom on the story line, as others do a much better job of that than I. Graphics are quite nice, very clear and clean. I didn't notice as much blurring in this one as in the last couple either. Colors are bright and true. Game play was excellent, with no problems during the demo. Voices are very nice, except Dad sounded very healthy when he was suppose to be dying. The God's sounded as I would expect them to sound and not the least bit wimpy. Music wasn't bad and was not intrusive. I usually just turn it way down anyway. Sound FX were nice and fit whatever scene or area you were in at the time. Be aware, there are snakes in this one. Not a lot, but occasionally, and they do move.
HOPs are a combination of interactive lists, riddles and silhouettes, so far. They are fairly clear and items are not difficult to find. I didn't not find any morphing items, but I wasn't really looking for them either. If you want something different, you can switch to a match stones game...it's the usual. Puzzles are well done and most have some level of challenge. I found a couple that took me longer than I'd expect. There is a lot of running back and forth in this one as well. Didn't seem to go to very many different areas during the demo, but I'm sure it will pick up as the game progresses. Yes, we have a jump map, but what a blank and boring map it is. The hint system is very helpful and it did transport to longer locations, which came in quite handy.
Collectibles are a major disappointment. All we have are 38 Omega signs, which are quite large. They try to hide some by only showing about half of it, but they really aren't hard to spot. Definitely needed more in this department.
I still like this series, and I do like this story line a lot. It is a little different...myths, you know. There was a bit more action that I figured and it seemed to have more character interaction than in the last few in this series. The game is not difficult and it is easy to follow. It seems that it was more interesting as a beta, but I did like it enough to want to play it out and see what happens. I think most levels of players will find this game worth getting. Even though the collectibles were a huge disappointment, I am going to add the CE to my collection.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews.
Hi all. Well, I believe this is #6 in this series. I do have most of them, but not all. As usual, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story line to others. Colors are quite nice and bright in this addition. Graphics seemed very clear, even in the cut scenes and closeups. Animation was fairly nice as well. Music was quite soothing and nice and didn't over power the game play, as some often do. It is a somewhat quiet game in that we do not have much in the way of character interaction. What we do have was done well and is age and character appropriate. The sound FX were nice, but very quiet.
HOPs were nothing new or exciting, mostly interactive silhouettes, then place the item in the scene and lists. They were fairly clear and items were not difficult to find. I did not see that you could switch to anything else if you got bored with the HOPs. Puzzles were extremely simple and took no time or brain power to complete. The hint system is very helpful and we do have a transport feature in this game. You can also use the jump map if you prefer. You don't do a lot of traveling around to different areas during the demo, but you do return to the same few areas multiple times.
Collectibles are hearts which are large and quite easy to spot. They can be solid or outlines. No challenge here, you just have to remember to pick them up. I didn't see anything else in the way of collectibles and this game certainly could have used more.
This game moved very slowly. We spend too much time in a very small area before moving on, so it got boring very quickly. There was nothing new or challenging in this game that grabbed my attention and wanted me to keep playing. I played out the demo, hoping it would pick up, but it did not. I think this game is geared more toward the beginner than anyone else, but there will be those who just want an easy no brainer game for a change...this is definitely it. I have a number of games like this, but this one just didn't do it for me. I will recommend this game only for beginners. So, no buy for me.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may find this one to be exactly what you are looking for today. Thanks for the reviews.
Hi all! Well, I've lost count in how many we have for this series, but many. As usual, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story to those who do a much better job than I. The graphics in this game are quite good, except for the blur you have when going in and out of a close up scene, seems to be a constant with this dev. At first, I was put off by the purple color in the beginning, but that quickly cleared up and the colors were nice and bright, without being over-powering. The voices were very well done, with emotion, excitement, fear, etc. In most cases, you can click through the dialog if you read faster than they speak, without missing any hidden clues. Game play was excellent, with no problems during the demo. Sound FX are very nice. Animation was quite nice and had fairly smooth movements. The music got very boring very quickly and sometimes seemed out of place for the action. Yes, this story has gone back to the creepy, scary type we used to have all the time, but the story is fairly well done anyway.
HOPs are very well done. You have a combination of interactive lists and interactive silhouettes. The scenes are fairly clear and items are not difficult to find. These are well done. Maybe I missed it, but I did not see that you could switch to something different if you didn't care for the HOPs. Puzzles are not all that difficult, but I did find one that took me a bit of time to complete. Yes, my favorite map! It is very clear and easy to follow, and it also shows you where you have missed a collectible. The hint system is very helpful and actually gives you a hint. You still do a lot of back tracking, just as in the other games in this series, so having the transport feature is a real time saver, which is used through the jump map. Hint system is quite useful and doesn't just tell you to move on.
Collectibles aren't bad. We need to find 44 butterflies, which are different colors and often blended well with background, some scenes have more than one; 15 morphing artifacts, some are quite small and easy to miss; and tarot cards, which are very small and hard to find in most cases. Collectibles are somewhat challenging to find, mostly because of their size.
You have glasses that allow you to see things from the past, and allow you to pull needed items from the past to use in the present and vice versa. It also gives you more of the story. I liked the story, even if it wasn't anything new, but it was interesting and moved at a steady pace. I do not give 5 stars easily, a game must be exceptional in all fields. This one would have been close, had it not been for the blurry graphics. That said, I think all levels of players will find this one interesting and fun. Yes, I am adding this to my every growing collection of CE games.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews.
Hi all! As always, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story to others to explain. The colors in this game are really pretty nice. Graphics are clear and nice as well. There didn't seem to be much in the way of animation during the demo, but some, and done well. Voices were nice, but our detective was a little boring in a monotone way. Music wasn't bad either and did get interesting now and then. Sound FX weren't too bad, but the game was fairly quiet, even with them. Game play was good, with no glitches or problems during the demo.
HOPs were silhouettes and interactive lists. Scenes were clear for the most part, but some were a little cluttered with background items. I accidentally found a morphing item in the HOP, which I believe was one of the listed items I was looking for. Didn't see that we could switch to a different game or puzzle. Puzzles were extremely simple, nothing new and nothing that took any time or thought to complete. Jump map was very bland, boring and cluttered. It seems this game is a bit older than we think. I couldn't get anything in the SG to open to see if I was getting all the collectibles or not. You have to buy the game to do much of anything, including see the extras. The hint system is quite helpful, but there is not a transport feature, which is something that would have been quite nice. You do a lot of back tracking to multiple areas to find one item or complete one objective.
Collectibles aren't bad at all. We need to find 21 tarot cards, Polaroid pictures of serial killers and various forensic evidence which could be anything. None of these jump off the page at you, so you really need to pay attention to what is in a scene.
I think we might be in for a surprise as to who the "real" bad guy is in this one. It is nowhere near challenging and I think is geared more toward a beginner than anyone else. If you just want a no brainer, rainy day kind of game, this is it. I do have a number of those, but this one just didn't excite me at all. It moved very slowly and was just too simple. I'm sure it will appeal to a lot of people and I will recommend it only for beginners. No, I will not be adding this one to my collection.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews.
Hi friends! Well, we have #6 in this series, and I do have the other five. As always, I mostly review on the game play and not the story line, as others do a far better job. The graphics in this game are excellent, very clear and very precise, right down to the creases in the jeans. Colors started out a bit faded, but once the game started, they cleared up and were very sharp and quite nice. So far, there didn't seem to be a lot of animation, but what we had was well done. I'm sure that will pick up as the game progresses. Game play was excellent, with no problems during the demo. For the most part, the music was quite nice, but now and then, it seemed inappropriate for the action or scene. Voice overs are well done, and there seemed to be a little more than what we had in previous games in this series. The sound FX are really nicely done and change with the scene or area we are in at the time. We have a handheld helper in this game. I guess you could call it a puzzle, but it is quite simple to use, match two lines to find clues. Again, we occasionally have bright lights, for those who don't care for them.
HOPs are a combination of interactive lists, straight lists and silhouettes. Items are not difficult to find and the HOPs are pretty clean and clear. Pay attention, because there are morphing items to find in the HOP scenes. Not as easy to spot as you may think. I spent 10 minutes trying to find one and never did. This demo did not include collectibles in the strategy guide like most do, so I'll have to find it later. Hopefully I can pick up what I missed in the extras. I did not see that you could switch to a match game or anything else. Some puzzles were challenging but not difficult. They did take some time and thought to complete. Hint system is helpful, but I did not see a transport to longer locations. Usually the jump maps are pretty much the same, but this one was a little different and quite creative.
For some reason, this dev does not do much in the way of collectibles. All I've found so far are outlines of open books, which does go along with what the story is all about. They are large enough to see, but can be difficult to find. Being an outline, you really have to look for them. Good thing we also have the morph items in the HOPs, or I'd really be disappointed.
One thing I found silly, was that we had to use a "freeze" gun to put out a fire, when there is a perfectly good fountain right outside the front door. Again, the gun does go along with the story line, but it seemed silly at the time. That said, I did like how they used different items to complete the objectives. I like the story, the outcome is nothing new, but the layout was fun and different. The game has enough action to keep you moving and interested, and because of the story line, the scenery changes throughout the game. No, it's not really challenging, but I think this game will appeal to all levels of players. Wish we had half stars, because this one deserves more than 4 stars...giving it a 4.5. Yes, I am adding it to my collection.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews.
Hello friends! As always, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story to others. Is this really #13 in this series? Naturally, I have all the others and after beta testing this one in March, I was looking forward to it's release. Graphics are exceptionally well done, clear and with nice colors, even though some areas are a little dark. Game play was very good, with no problems during the demo. Music was nice and soothing now and then, but still had a bit of a sinister sound to it, so you weren't quite sure what was about to happen. Our little helper, Elf, is back to get into the small or difficult areas we can't quite get to easily. He is quiet, except when used and then he will bark. He is very helpful and isn't really used much. Voices are very well done, with emotion, fear, etc., but still not a lot of character interaction. You can click through dialog if you read faster than they speak. Animation is extremely well done, and includes appropriate and realistic facial movements. Sound FX are very nice and very realistic.
HOPs are well done, with straight and interactive lists, interactive silhouettes and placing items in the scene. I didn't get bored with the same old thing all the time during a game. Didn't see that we could switch to something else if we didn't like the HOPs. Items are not difficult to find and the scenes are pretty clean and clear. Puzzles were not difficult either. There was some challenge to the puzzles, but mostly in the amount of time you spent on it. Hint system is very helpful and does transport you to longer locations. This is a nice feature in a game that sends you back long distances for items or objectives, and you do quite a lot of back tracking in this one. For some reason, this dev just doesn't want to clean up the map. It's just too generic and boring, but it is a jump map and areas of interest are clearly marked. Actually, you really don't need it because you have the transport feature. The strategy guide clearly shows you where all of the collectibles are, in case you just can't find one, and you know it's there.
I liked the variation of collectibles in this one, especially since you have to find more than one type. We need to find morphing objects, which aren't too difficult to find, but you do have to watch for them. We also have to find 40 cards that open a picture or scene on a screen. Not sure what it is for, but I'm sure we will find out. It is very easy to overlook these cards, as they are often in places that are a little dark and blend quite well. A hint...there is often more than one in a scene, but not always. Ah, challenge! There are also 12 zodiac signs to find. These are not easy either. They aren't large, or too small, but some are odd shapes and seem to remind me of a pile of cement. I know, weird.
This game is not all that challenging, but the story was different and I was drawn into it from the beginning. You are constantly on the move. I knew there was something fishy about that doctor. Would I drink something only because the doctor told me to? Not on your life! I really like this game, and I think it will appeal to all levels of players. Yes, I have the need to see how it plays out, so I am definitely adding it to my collection of CE games.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews.
Hi all! Well, I believe we have #6 in this series. Yes, I have the all of them, but not all are the CE version. The graphics are excellent, with very few exceptions of a slight blur in close up scenes. The animation is exceptional. Colors are very bright and clear. Voice overs are age and character appropriate, with some emotion thrown in for a little more realism. Not as much dialog and character interaction as there could be, but maybe it picks up as the game progresses. Music is very soothing with a few drums thrown in for affect. Sound FX are very well done, with wonderful jungle sounds. There is a helpful little monkey that comes along early in the game, but he is very quiet and doesn't jump around when not in use. He only helps with the higher out of reach areas. They did fix the size of the print in this version. Last game, the print was quite small.
HOPs are a very nice combination of interactive and straight lists, highlighted words, silhouettes and find this part and use it here to get something else. Very nice combination. HOPs are fairly clean and items are not difficult to find. I did not see that you could switch to something else if you didn't care for the HOPs. Puzzles were nothing new and not difficult to complete. It didn't seem like there were as many HOPs or puzzles in this game, as in the previous games in this series, but still enough action to keep you moving. You do a lot of back-tracking in this game as well, and I did not see a transport feature. For the most part, you don't back track too far at a time. The jump map is helpful and areas are marked with their name and if there is an objective. Hint system is quite helpful when you need it and actually gives you a hint, rather than "move on."
Not many collectibles, but you do need to find morphing objects, which are not as easy to spot as you may think, and seem to be in every scene. You also find "collectibles," which all seem to be something similar to a hand carved animal of various types. These can be any color and are not difficult to find. No, there isn't one in every scene, so don't forget to look for them. I see that we also need to find posters, which are not listed in the strategy guide...at least, not in the demo version. Quite large, quite easy to find, and very easy to forget to pick up. Nothing spectacular, but okay.
This story was a little different and I found it interesting. It sort of draws you in from the beginning. Even though this game is not really challenging, I did like the story and I find the need to play it out and see where it goes. I don't give 5 stars easily. A game has to be exceptional in every aspect, and this one fell a bit short, mostly because of the simple collectibles and the need for something a little extra. Even at that, I gave it a 4.0. I think all levels of players will like this one. Yes, I am going to add this CE to my collection.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews.
Hi all! Been off the grid for awhile, but now I'm back. As usual, I review on the game play and not usually the story, as others do a much better job than I. Is this really #7 in this series, or did I miscount? The graphics in this game aren't bad, mostly very clear and sharp, but a little blurry off and on. The colors are bright and and very nice on the eyes. Game play was excellent, no problems during the demo and it fit my large screen very nicely. The voice overs are very well done, age and character appropriate, and you can click through dialog if you read faster than they speak. Music is rather soothing and nice for background sound when the sfx are taking a break. Even so, the sound FX are very well done and are heard when needed to make a point.
If you don't care for HOPs, you can play a bubble game, again, definitely not my favorite game at all. The HOPs are varied and nicely done, with silhouettes, straight/interactive lists, riddles, etc. I like how they incorporate a HOP within a HOP, to break things up a bit. Scenes are fairly clear and Items are not difficult to find. Puzzles are somewhat challenging in this version, and a number of them took more time and thought than I figured they would. The straight jacket just about put me in one! Hint system is very helpful and it does transport to longer locations. This is very helpful, as you do backtrack quite a lot to the same locations. You are constantly on the go in this one. SG was the usual. Didn't even look at the map, since the transport feature worked better and is much faster and less clicking.
The only collectibles I found are 36 rabbits wearing a top hat...boring and disappointing. These rabbits are large enough to be seen without any problem and in some cases, quite large. Too simple. Definitely needed more.
I really like this series and have all of the others, but at first, I wasn't sure about this one. I like the magic and how it actually tells you how a trick is done, but I'm really put off by the lack of collectibles. I did note that you must read notes within a scene before you can actually accomplish something...weird. That said, I like magic and mystery and playing the part of a detective. We have so many Cops in our family, I guess it's just automatic. That said, even without good collectibles, the story and action are good enough to keep me interested and wanting more. I think this one will appeal to most all players of any level. Yes, I am going to add this one to my CE collection. This one could easily have been a 5 star game, but missed the mark. I gave it a 4.25.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews.
Hello friends! Wow, do we really have #11 in this series? As always, I mostly review on the game play and leave the story to others to review. Colors are very nice and bright, but not over powering. Not sure where the purple came from, as others in this series did not have it. Still not too bad. Graphics are very well done and quite clear. Game play is excellent, with no problems during the demo. Animation is very smooth and movements are quite realistic, e.g. eyes,mouth, etc. Music is the same as all the others in this series and is not obtrusive or annoying. Voices are age and character appropriate and very well done, with emotion. There is just enough character interaction to make it a bit more realistic. Sounds FX were very nice and quite realistic. Be aware that there are bright lights now and then, when traveling through the "land of the forgotten." Fortunately, it doesn't happen often. Occasionally, things jump out at you. I didn't find that scary, but some people might.
HOPs are a combination of silhouettes, interactive lists and straight lists. Areas are very clear and items are not difficult to find. I did not see that there was another game you could switch to if you did not care for the HOPs. Puzzles were interesting and I found most to be more than a little challenging as well. They took time and thought to complete. Very well done. Hint system is quite helpful and it does transport to longer locations. This is very helpful, as you do return to the same locations multiple times. Yes, you can use the jump map, but this way is much faster and less clicking.
As in all the games in this series, we have to collect flowers. Some scenes have more than one. They are not difficult to find, but easy to over look. We also have 12 figurines that all look like rag dolls. These dolls morph, so be on the lookout for these as well.
This story is very different from the others and is quite interesting for a change. The game progressed very smoothly and was quite easy to follow, and you were constantly on the move, so you don't get bored. This one has a lot of very nice features. I do not give 5 stars easily, as a game must be exceptional in all areas. The only thing keeping me from the 5 stars, is that I felt the collectibles could have been a bit more. Even at that, I gave it a 4.75. I think most all levels of players will find this one fun and entertaining. I love this series, and naturally, I have all of them. Yes, I am going to add this to my collection.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews.
Hello friends! Well, we have #6 in this series and I have them all. Bought this one with even trying out the demo. If you like straight HOPs, then you will like this series. The scenes are still a little cluttered, but not bad at all. Some items are way too small, so you can get a little eye strain if you aren't careful. You still have to find wildlife and garbage for extra points. The garbage can be a carton, pizza box, coffee cup, empty bottle, etc. This is where the challenge is in these games, as their placement can be pretty tricky. Yes, I still have the need to find them all. The best part is, if you don't find everything the first time, you can replay the scene and find it. You don't lose the money you already earned and you don't have to start all over finding all the collectibles, just the one (s) you missed.
The devs still seem to be working on the faces. The eyes finally look almost normal and not like they are sitting on a tack. The music is still quite annoying...I either turn it off or way down.
I like how you play a scene and then a puzzle each time. The puzzles haven't changed in all these games, but they do break up the monotony of straight HOPs, which have become quite interactive. You have quite a variation of puzzles to play. Each scene and each puzzle that is completed earns you money to purchase souvenir items from your vacation. The more stars you earn, the more money you earn, the more items you can buy.
A lot of people don't care for straight HOPs, but they are quite relaxing to me and a very nice change from the dark, dreary, bloody type games we seem to get a lot of lately. I think most players will find this one a nice game for a lazy quiet day. As I said, I already bought this one.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews.