nwgoodstuff's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.1
- Helpful Votes:250
- Reviews Submitted:34
- First Review:February 7, 2021
- Most Recent Review:February 6, 2025
- Featured reviews0
There’s a fine line between dreams and reality.
Overall rating
4
/
5
Why is this 2024 game suddenly an Exclusive?
PostedFebruary 6, 2025
nwgoodstuff
fromOlympic Peninsula, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Great graphics but somewhat childish. Most of the puzzles are good. Not sure why it's supposedly an Exclusive new release when I played it last year but was so unimpressed that I didn't buy it. I really wish Big Fish would be honest in their game releases and ratings. Overall, it's a cute game and I'll buy it when it's on sale. It's just a bit juvenile for me to pay full price.
I recommend this game!
Trust no one. Perhaps not even yourself!
Overall rating
2
/
5
What a disjointed mess
PostedJuly 11, 2024
nwgoodstuff
fromOlympic Peninsula, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I've played all of the Ms Holmes games and even bought The 5 Orange Pips and The Dancing Men. This game is just like the other Ms Holmes games that I skipped; somewhat disjointed with jerky graphics and sudden jumps between scenes. I feel like I'm walking into the middle of a movie; what the heck is going on? And don't get me started on the English translation of some words. Is it that BF can't find better translators, or they just don't care? Or perhaps they are no longer native English speakers and don't realize all the errors? Regardless, this game is a big NO THANKS for me. Maybe you'll love it; I'll pass.
I don't recommend this game.
Tread carefully in a city gripped by fear and mistrust.
Overall rating
2
/
5
Great graphics, horrid English translation
PostedJune 20, 2024
nwgoodstuff
fromOlympic Peninsula, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I've played most of the Criminal Archives games and found that they all seem to have horrid English translations, a person's name is pronounced differently by several others, and objects are misnamed repeatedly (eg. "table" is their word for the vertical base for a bust, etc.). Apparently the voice-over actors never have contact with one another, and no one bothers to edit anything before the game is released. In this game, the cop pronounces "Beckensale" as BAKE IN SALE. The barber pronounces it BECK IN SALE. The cop pulls a gun on suspect who is lunging at us with a knife and an unknown substance in a bottle. Instead of shooting or otherwise trying to stop him, she watches him release the chemical on me and then lets him run off. She did nothing. Where did she go to the police academy?? Maybe later on in the game, we learn that she's the killer.
The puzzles are all redundant and irritating. They all seem to be the 2-steps-forward-1-step back style. I prefer logic and linear progression. The good news is that the graphics and sound effects are stunning. Perhaps this is a perfect game for someone else. Not for me, I'll pass. I prefer games that make you think; such as Hidden Expedition-Smithsonian Castle and Curse at Twilight-Thief of Souls.
I don't recommend this game.
Embark on Mona’s quest to save goddess Harmony!
Overall rating
3
/
5
HOPs with irritating voice overs
PostedMay 10, 2024
nwgoodstuff
fromOlympic Peninsula, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
If you like irritating conversation and HOP after HOP, then you'll like this game. I tried to like it, but the idiotic talking book and the caustic female protagonist made me want to mute the sound. It got so bad I just kept hitting "skip" til the next HOP. There's no imagination here, but there are nice graphics and music. You may love this game; it's just not for me.
I recommend this game!
Immerse yourself in a tale of horror and suspense!
Overall rating
2
/
5
An hour I'll never get back
PostedMay 9, 2024
nwgoodstuff
fromOlympic Peninsula, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I'm not sure why, but I always have high hopes for Domini games, only to have them dashed once I start playing. Maybe it's because the game was translated into English by non-English speakers? They zoom in on the floor tile and say that there seems to be something beneath the ceiling. What???
And why do they have those very childish stars to reward you if you choose the "nice" answer? I haven't been in 1st grade in many, many years. Seriously, do I need/want yellow puffy stars to play the game?
Domini games have really been going downhill. I've tried all of them and used to buy a lot of them, but it's been a long time since I bought one. If they continue down this avenue, it'll be a long time before I buy another Do game. I guess the developers left Do during the pandemic and never came back. Too bad.
I don't recommend this game.
Resolve a family squabble before the gates to the realm of the dead swing open!
Overall rating
2
/
5
Leave this game in the past where it belongs.
PostedMarch 30, 2024
nwgoodstuff
fromOlympic Peninsula, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
BF comes up with some good "re-mastered" oldies that are really good. This isn't one of them. It's old, archaic, and irritating. You only have a choice of Easy or Hard play. There is no Custom, as this game was made years before Custom became an option. The cursor does not change in a scene, so you don't know what is active and what is just scenery. Maybe you like this kind of game, but I sure don't. Hey BF, how about coming out with some actual NEW games instead of re-hashes? You used to brag "A new game every day." What happened to you? You've fallen a long way from the Mystery Case Files, Dark Tales EAP, and Spirit of Revenge series (loved the cocktail recipes in Florry's Well). They're all games that truly involve you, with creative and fun puzzles, plus great graphics. Time to contract with better game designers, BF.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you escape an ancient ice spirit before it’s too late?
Overall rating
5
/
5
Great, imaginative puzzles!
PostedFebruary 22, 2024
nwgoodstuff
fromOlympic Peninsula, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I loved this game. It's about time a truly quality NEW game was released on BF. I've bought hundreds of HOPs & adventure games since joining BF in 2009. The last couple of years have been "iffy," with oldies being listed as Exclusive releases. And it seems that more and more games are being marketed to teens and pre-teens, and beginner gamers. So it was nice to try the demo of this game and find that the graphics are excellent, puzzles are very imaginative and different from the old grind, and they make you think. The scenes were a bit odd; one minute I'm in the cave with my friend, then suddenly I'm at home drinking coffee when I get word that he's dead. Wha???? Any who, I'm in it more for the puzzles than the storyline any way. I'll definitely buy this one.
I recommend this game!
A simple museum heist becomes a desperate rescue from the forces of darkness!
Overall rating
5
/
5
Finally! A game that's new AND FUN.
PostedNovember 21, 2023
nwgoodstuff
fromOlympic Peninsula, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I've been a Big Fish member since 2009 and the MCF games are some of my faves. The last couple of years have seen only re-hash of old games pawned off as "new exclusive" releases that I had bought 10+ years ago. I was giving up hope and thinking of canceling my membership. So glad I didn't. This game is fantastic. Great graphics & story line, and the puzzles are new and innovative. Level of challenge is good. I'll be buying this one and highly recommend it.
I recommend this game!
Dive into a cold case of murder and betrayal at a lighthouse!
Overall rating
4
/
5
Didn't like it when I first played it long ago, but I like it now.
PostedAugust 25, 2023
nwgoodstuff
fromOlympic Peninsula, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I played this game on Big Fish quite a while ago, so I don't understand why they are now requiring you to be a member just to demo it. I didn't buy it back then because it seemed too stupid at the time. I played it again today and I like it better. Decent story line & cute puzzles, but there's something about it that I don't like. Maybe the washed-out graphics? Any who, I'll buy it on sale.
I recommend this game!
What would someone do for a taste of unfathomable power?
Overall rating
3
/
5
12 of 14 found this review helpful
Save your money
PostedFebruary 14, 2023
nwgoodstuff
fromOlympic Peninsula, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I tried to like this game. It has great graphics, soothing colors. But the puzzles were bizarre, or at least the instructions were hard to understand. I stumbled along, then skipped most of them. The sound is HORRENDOUS. Music was blaring, so I turned it to absolute minimum. That somehow jacked up the effects, so a two-toned sound repeated over and over on an endless loop. The only way to avoid it was to mute everything, which really kills the enjoyment of the game for me. The storyline is so juvenile, it seems like the designers were on a deadline so they just threw it together in a rush; no thought at all. Domini games have really gone downhill in the last couple of years. I used to look forward to their new releases and have bought a lot of their games; not any more.
I don't recommend this game.