Rescue_helo's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.2
- Helpful Votes:10,878
- Reviews Submitted:226
- First Review:December 8, 2011
- Most Recent Review:June 25, 2019
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Macabre Mysteries: Curse of the Nightingale
Explore the Nightingale Theater, which was ravaged by a devastating fire 40 years ago, and uncover a dark mystery!
Overall rating
2
/
5
5 of 16 found this review helpful
Boring and Uninteresting
PostedDecember 24, 2011
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Adventure, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy
Current Favorite:
Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion
(29)Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
I didn't like this game at all and I explained why in my review that can be found in the CE section. So please refer to it if you wish to know the reasons for the low rating I have awarded this game, as posting the same review twice seems unecessary to me
But to sum up: the only one thing I really liked were the graphics. There are too many Fragmented Object Scenes, no exciting or novel task to perform and the puzzles I saw in the demo, although not devoid of originality, were far too simple for me. The rest doesn't justify a higher rating either. Well, at least in my opinion.
But to sum up: the only one thing I really liked were the graphics. There are too many Fragmented Object Scenes, no exciting or novel task to perform and the puzzles I saw in the demo, although not devoid of originality, were far too simple for me. The rest doesn't justify a higher rating either. Well, at least in my opinion.
I don't recommend this game.
Macabre Mysteries: Curse of the Nightingale Collector's Edition
Explore the Nightingale Theater, which was ravaged by a devastating fire 40 years ago, and uncover a dark mystery!
Overall rating
2
/
5
6 of 20 found this review helpful
Boring and Uninteresting
PostedDecember 24, 2011
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Adventure, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy
Current Favorite:
Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion
(29)Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
I am not too sure how this game managed to get such high ratings. To me it's only worth 2.2 stars [on my scale] and recommendable to only fans of HOGs.
In fact, here, we should say HFOG in which FO stands for Fragmented Objects. Snag is... many of these FOs are in fact UFOs.
The HO Scenes are sharp, well drawn and richly colored but much too cluttered for my taste. Too many fragments are hardly recognizable and/or so well buried that I couldn't find them. The generous Hint System helped a lot but that didn't make me happier.
I may have lost a few brain cells overnight for there were a few things that I didn't quite grasp, for instance:
- the theater burned down completely, totally devastated, so you expect to have to navigate in a heap of ashes, among charred beams, holes in floors, collapsing black remnants of walls and all sorts of debris falling on your head. Well, no, not at all. Each location is clean, neat, colorful and nearly brand new !
Or maybe I wasn't in the right place.....
- a novelty [though not that novel because you find it in other games]: special powers like "vision" [!!??]; I haven't yet figured out what they were for since I never got a chance to use them. Apparently they are automatic.
Puzzles ? Few and far between, with some originality, but childishly simple -at least in the demo.
Simple too, the tasks you have to accomplish. And they are not different from those of many other games.
30 morphing objects [more objects to find... !! ] which replenish your hints faster... if you can find them, that is..
I didn't see a choice of modes, and I found the challenge level very low.
As for the music, I turned it off, it hurt my eardrums and got irritating very rapidly. I would have preferred the sweet twittering of... a nightingale
So what's left ?
The artwork: splendid. The voice-over at the start: good. Navigation: straighforward and you have a map. 6 long chapters [7 in the CE]. A ghost that's not friendly at all. A corpse in perfect condition (after a fire ???). And some sort of madman going beserk.
Don't ask me how the storyline is like, I doubt it's of any interest and I will never complete the game to let you know.
I am sorry not to follow the other reviewers on this one, but, no thanks, this game is definitely not for me and I cannot recommend it.
In fact, here, we should say HFOG in which FO stands for Fragmented Objects. Snag is... many of these FOs are in fact UFOs.
The HO Scenes are sharp, well drawn and richly colored but much too cluttered for my taste. Too many fragments are hardly recognizable and/or so well buried that I couldn't find them. The generous Hint System helped a lot but that didn't make me happier.
I may have lost a few brain cells overnight for there were a few things that I didn't quite grasp, for instance:
- the theater burned down completely, totally devastated, so you expect to have to navigate in a heap of ashes, among charred beams, holes in floors, collapsing black remnants of walls and all sorts of debris falling on your head. Well, no, not at all. Each location is clean, neat, colorful and nearly brand new !
Or maybe I wasn't in the right place.....
- a novelty [though not that novel because you find it in other games]: special powers like "vision" [!!??]; I haven't yet figured out what they were for since I never got a chance to use them. Apparently they are automatic.
Puzzles ? Few and far between, with some originality, but childishly simple -at least in the demo.
Simple too, the tasks you have to accomplish. And they are not different from those of many other games.
30 morphing objects [more objects to find... !! ] which replenish your hints faster... if you can find them, that is..
I didn't see a choice of modes, and I found the challenge level very low.
As for the music, I turned it off, it hurt my eardrums and got irritating very rapidly. I would have preferred the sweet twittering of... a nightingale
So what's left ?
The artwork: splendid. The voice-over at the start: good. Navigation: straighforward and you have a map. 6 long chapters [7 in the CE]. A ghost that's not friendly at all. A corpse in perfect condition (after a fire ???). And some sort of madman going beserk.
Don't ask me how the storyline is like, I doubt it's of any interest and I will never complete the game to let you know.
I am sorry not to follow the other reviewers on this one, but, no thanks, this game is definitely not for me and I cannot recommend it.
I don't recommend this game.
Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice
Tour the Sunken City while interrogating suspects to nail the masked thief in this authentic Adventure game.
Overall rating
5
/
5
76 of 86 found this review helpful
One of Nancy's best investigations
PostedDecember 24, 2011
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Adventure, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy
Current Favorite:
Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion
(29)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
If you have never played one of her adventures, or a Large File, you will find yourself engulfed in a world where you need to rely essentially on your wits, logic and skills. This is why this type of game is never easy, can sometimes make you feel frustrated, and as trial versions are usually not available, pre-assesment is impossible.
All this should not act as a deterrent: reviews are there to help, you can purchase the Strategy Guide and get tips from BFG forums. But the best still is to just try one of them. The Phantom of Venice would be a very good first step.
Now back to Italy.
Nancy, a young sleuth [ie: you], has been enlisted by the italian equivalent of the FBI to catch a thief called "the Phantom".
The storyline is very solid, outstandingly written, gripping: a compelling narrative.
Like in all her other investigations, she meets characters she needs to talk to and interact with to gather data and clues.
There is no HO Scene; it's an adventure game, not a HOG. Still, Nancy has to get items and use them appropriately in order to conduct her investigation.
Likewise, she is confronted with a good number of puzzles whose solution is essential to progress and get to the end.
Very much like any other game is what you may think, right ? Well, not at all.
Several features make a Nancy Drew investigation very special:
- in "The Phantom", the settings, the plot, the dialogs, the tasks and actions are highly realistic, and some very challenging;
- you have to think outside the box, but everything you need do is perfectly logical. At times, you need to learn how to do something before you can actually do it.
- all the puzzles are extremely challenging, too, and so perfectly logical that they require common sense and proper thinking to solve them. Yes, most are difficult, some require patience, and all will make you think and think hard. The good news is that none are random and all of them make perfect sense withing the storyline;
- the minigames will give your mind some respite; in The Phantom, for instance, you will play Scopa, a very interesting and uncommon italian card game, easy to learn though not that easy to win.
- the dialogues are well-worded and not only do they give you lots of data necessary to the investigation, but they also provide interesting information concerning the history of Venice and the italian culture.
- there is no linearity; you are free to visit the locations in any order.
The top-notch graphics, the professional voice acting, the photo-based locales, everything in this game is stimulating and great fun.
All this should not act as a deterrent: reviews are there to help, you can purchase the Strategy Guide and get tips from BFG forums. But the best still is to just try one of them. The Phantom of Venice would be a very good first step.
Now back to Italy.
Nancy, a young sleuth [ie: you], has been enlisted by the italian equivalent of the FBI to catch a thief called "the Phantom".
The storyline is very solid, outstandingly written, gripping: a compelling narrative.
Like in all her other investigations, she meets characters she needs to talk to and interact with to gather data and clues.
There is no HO Scene; it's an adventure game, not a HOG. Still, Nancy has to get items and use them appropriately in order to conduct her investigation.
Likewise, she is confronted with a good number of puzzles whose solution is essential to progress and get to the end.
Very much like any other game is what you may think, right ? Well, not at all.
Several features make a Nancy Drew investigation very special:
- in "The Phantom", the settings, the plot, the dialogs, the tasks and actions are highly realistic, and some very challenging;
- you have to think outside the box, but everything you need do is perfectly logical. At times, you need to learn how to do something before you can actually do it.
- all the puzzles are extremely challenging, too, and so perfectly logical that they require common sense and proper thinking to solve them. Yes, most are difficult, some require patience, and all will make you think and think hard. The good news is that none are random and all of them make perfect sense withing the storyline;
- the minigames will give your mind some respite; in The Phantom, for instance, you will play Scopa, a very interesting and uncommon italian card game, easy to learn though not that easy to win.
- the dialogues are well-worded and not only do they give you lots of data necessary to the investigation, but they also provide interesting information concerning the history of Venice and the italian culture.
- there is no linearity; you are free to visit the locations in any order.
The top-notch graphics, the professional voice acting, the photo-based locales, everything in this game is stimulating and great fun.
I recommend this game!
Shaolin Mystery: Revenge of the Terracotta Warriors
Save your people from an invading force of supernatural Terractotta Warriors in this incredible Hidden Object game!
Overall rating
3
/
5
53 of 67 found this review helpful
Not exactly a masterpiece..... !
PostedDecember 24, 2011
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Adventure, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy
Current Favorite:
Dracula: Love Kills
(45)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Nothing original or outstanding in this new game which is a classic HOG with a bit of "adventure", except the puzzles.
Here is what the demo enabled me to assess:
- Intro and cutscenes: simple, unsophisticated
- Music: not bad, but not chinese at all thus not contributing to setting an atmosphere; tends to be repetitive
- Atmosphere: none
- Graphics: okay but nothing outstanding here either. Some locations are a little bit better crafted than others.
- HO Scenes: a bit cluttered though not overcrowded; most items are fairly easy to find, but a few are hardly distinguishable. As usual, 99% of them serve no purpose at all. In certain HO Scenes the items are given as a list with two requiring simple interactivity; in others you get their drawings in grey, in sets of circular boxes
- Useful objects: easy to find and put to use; no originality here either.
- Actions: not very many as the emphasis is placed on HO Scenes. All simple and totally lacking innovation. The first one already appeared in an other game !!! LOL
- Hints: don't recharge very fast, but show HOs as well as what to do next.
- Puzzles: the only strong point of this game. #1 is pretty original. But, beware, the three I played in the demo were tricky. That might frustrate some players. However I found them quite interesting, probably because I love and am used to puzzles of all kinds. Good news: they all have a Reset button and can be skipped after a while.
- Minigames: haven't seen any
- Tasks: given in the journal and clearly stated
- Navigation: straightforward as the game is rather linear and backtracking reduced to the strict minimum
There is no voice-over, the journal includes a map, so you cannot get lost, the storyline is average, and the overall difficulty is medium high due to the puzzles, else it is quite low.
With a total of 30 locations -if my memory serves me right, and completing 8 of them in 1 hour, playtime is bound to be fairly short.
As it is that "mystery" will be okay for a rainy day if you have depleted your stock of better games.
It is a pity the developers didn't polish it up, nor seized the opportunity to provide us with extensive information about Qing Shi Huang Di, the story of the Terracotta Army -the representation of his army- discovered by archeologists near Beijing, or the achievements of this Emperor, as that period of Ancient China's history is quite fascinating.
Here is what the demo enabled me to assess:
- Intro and cutscenes: simple, unsophisticated
- Music: not bad, but not chinese at all thus not contributing to setting an atmosphere; tends to be repetitive
- Atmosphere: none
- Graphics: okay but nothing outstanding here either. Some locations are a little bit better crafted than others.
- HO Scenes: a bit cluttered though not overcrowded; most items are fairly easy to find, but a few are hardly distinguishable. As usual, 99% of them serve no purpose at all. In certain HO Scenes the items are given as a list with two requiring simple interactivity; in others you get their drawings in grey, in sets of circular boxes
- Useful objects: easy to find and put to use; no originality here either.
- Actions: not very many as the emphasis is placed on HO Scenes. All simple and totally lacking innovation. The first one already appeared in an other game !!! LOL
- Hints: don't recharge very fast, but show HOs as well as what to do next.
- Puzzles: the only strong point of this game. #1 is pretty original. But, beware, the three I played in the demo were tricky. That might frustrate some players. However I found them quite interesting, probably because I love and am used to puzzles of all kinds. Good news: they all have a Reset button and can be skipped after a while.
- Minigames: haven't seen any
- Tasks: given in the journal and clearly stated
- Navigation: straightforward as the game is rather linear and backtracking reduced to the strict minimum
There is no voice-over, the journal includes a map, so you cannot get lost, the storyline is average, and the overall difficulty is medium high due to the puzzles, else it is quite low.
With a total of 30 locations -if my memory serves me right, and completing 8 of them in 1 hour, playtime is bound to be fairly short.
As it is that "mystery" will be okay for a rainy day if you have depleted your stock of better games.
It is a pity the developers didn't polish it up, nor seized the opportunity to provide us with extensive information about Qing Shi Huang Di, the story of the Terracotta Army -the representation of his army- discovered by archeologists near Beijing, or the achievements of this Emperor, as that period of Ancient China's history is quite fascinating.
I don't recommend this game.
Paranormal Crime Investigations: Brotherhood of the Crescent Snake
Use your Paranormal Crime Investigation skills to solve a string of bizarre murders plaguing the city of New Orleans!
Overall rating
4
/
5
8 of 14 found this review helpful
Mysterious and compelling
PostedDecember 24, 2011
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Adventure, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy
Current Favorite:
Dracula: Love Kills
(45)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Having already reviewed the game in the Collector's Edition section, there is no point in re-posting it here in its entirety.
Please refer to the section above mentioned if you wish more details.
But to sum it all up: very well crafted graphics, artistic locations, good puzzles, fair challenge, plenty of things to do, friendly hints, mildly creepy atmosphere that grows on you. One main snag: HO Scenes are cluttered with certain items hardly identifiable.
I recommended the game after playing the demo, with the intent of adding it to my collection. For lack of a complete overview of the CE, since it only offers the first Chapter, I am hesitating between that CE and the SE.
If the CE has a bonus chapter that is a good follow-up and/or a better conclusion to the story, then I would say it is worth getting. Else the SE will be sufficient.
Please refer to the section above mentioned if you wish more details.
But to sum it all up: very well crafted graphics, artistic locations, good puzzles, fair challenge, plenty of things to do, friendly hints, mildly creepy atmosphere that grows on you. One main snag: HO Scenes are cluttered with certain items hardly identifiable.
I recommended the game after playing the demo, with the intent of adding it to my collection. For lack of a complete overview of the CE, since it only offers the first Chapter, I am hesitating between that CE and the SE.
If the CE has a bonus chapter that is a good follow-up and/or a better conclusion to the story, then I would say it is worth getting. Else the SE will be sufficient.
I recommend this game!
Jane Croft: The Baker Street Murder
Help Detective Croft solve the case of the Baker Street Murder and uncover the conspiracy about the murder of her partner!
Overall rating
1
/
5
10 of 11 found this review helpful
A sheer waste of time and money
PostedDecember 23, 2011
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Adventure, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy
Current Favorite:
Art of Murder: Cards of Destiny
(17)Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
What is supposed to be a crime investigation is in fact nothing but a pure HOG in which one HOS follows another, ad infinitum.
The graphics are outdated and not even pleasant to the eye
The intro is a comic book on screen. No voive-over, no dialog, just bubbles.
Several items in each HOS are invisible, pure and simple.
Help from the Hint System is stingy as it takes ages to recharge.
No task whatsoever to accomplish
No way to exit a HOS until completed, no location to visit freely.
Puzzles and minigames are lame and perfectly boring, and no instruction is given as to what to do.
No novelty, no originality, no imagination.
No challenge
Playtime is ludicrously short.
The storyline is the only positive feature the game has to offer.
Forget about Jane Croft and the Baker Street Murder.
The graphics are outdated and not even pleasant to the eye
The intro is a comic book on screen. No voive-over, no dialog, just bubbles.
Several items in each HOS are invisible, pure and simple.
Help from the Hint System is stingy as it takes ages to recharge.
No task whatsoever to accomplish
No way to exit a HOS until completed, no location to visit freely.
Puzzles and minigames are lame and perfectly boring, and no instruction is given as to what to do.
No novelty, no originality, no imagination.
No challenge
Playtime is ludicrously short.
The storyline is the only positive feature the game has to offer.
Forget about Jane Croft and the Baker Street Murder.
I don't recommend this game.
Dracula: Love Kills Collector's Edition
The Queen of Vampires is back and is determined to destroy the world! Help Van Helsing and Dracula as they team up to stop her!
Overall rating
5
/
5
66 of 72 found this review helpful
Superb and Packed with puzzles and minigames
PostedDecember 23, 2011
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Nancy Drew: Legend of the Crystal Skull
(15)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
First let me tell you that I made the mistake of buying the SE, mistake not because the game is bad but because, precisely, it is OUTSTANDING.
Which led me to having a slight feeling of frustration when I reached Chapter 3. I knew then I wanted to go to the very end, to the extra chapter eager as I was to know what happens after the predictable ending of the SE.
The snag is that the SG gives you access to only Chapters 1 and 2, so you have no way of telling whether the CE is worth buying. Now I know it is.
I understand that some developers do not want to unveil too much of their CE, but I wish they gave at least some information about what is not included in the trial version. After all when you buy, say, a PC, you want to know everything regarding its specs. A detailed list of what a CE has to offer, as a minimum, would be more than welcome.
That said "Love Kills" is a must-have.
Right from the start the game immerses you into a perfectly well rendered eerie atmosphere of the world of vampires.
The artwork is simply stunning, with a cascade of colors dosed with subtlety and great talent.
The soundtrack is one of the best I've heard.
Although the HO Scenes are at times a little cluttered, they are not truly eye-straining if you don't goggle at them for too long at a time. This makes certain items difficult to find, considering also that some of them are sneakily concealed and/or blend in with the background. But they are not all that difficult after all.
Help is available from the generous Hint System, both in and out of the HO Scenes. It points at what you need to find and where you have to go.
Further help is given on screen and in the custcenes. These, although pretty standard, contribute to the smooth unfolding of the story as well as providing you with essential clues.
Tasks and actions present no particular difficulty.
The voive-overs are excellent; each character has a strong transylvannian accent and are good fun to listen to, except for Igor's voice rightly described as "hammy" by another reviewer. The dialogues are well written, and not devoid of humor.
The map is quite convenient as it allows you to hop from one location to another, and indicates which one has been completed and which one has still tasks remaining
Locations are not in excessive number, so getting lost is impossible. They are all so well crafted that it is a good idea to stop for a couple of minutes just to admire the details.
Dracula has special powers, but in order to use them he needs to drink blood; looking for the vials of blood is part of the fun and a necessity. The shape of the cursor when hovering over a vial is just too funny. The other alternative for him to re-energize himself is to bite the girls, but the game gives a choice between doing it or not doing it; each choice having different consequences. Also part of the fun !
These powers enable him to do a number of things that would be impossible without them.
You can earn 33 awards during the course of the game.
But the strong point of this game lies in the huge number of puzzles and minigames of all kinds, some easy, others tricky, but none impossible.
With 6 long chapters for the SE, 7 for the CE, the game ensures hours of fun, entertainement, challenge, and maybe a few thrills for some players.
Although it is a vampire story with a lot of red -normal, blood is red- it never gets gory, unhealthy or scary, just a bit creepy at times with the odd skeleton and the inevitable graves and caskets.
A game that will keep you glued to your comp and deserves 4.8 stars (5 is perfection)
Which led me to having a slight feeling of frustration when I reached Chapter 3. I knew then I wanted to go to the very end, to the extra chapter eager as I was to know what happens after the predictable ending of the SE.
The snag is that the SG gives you access to only Chapters 1 and 2, so you have no way of telling whether the CE is worth buying. Now I know it is.
I understand that some developers do not want to unveil too much of their CE, but I wish they gave at least some information about what is not included in the trial version. After all when you buy, say, a PC, you want to know everything regarding its specs. A detailed list of what a CE has to offer, as a minimum, would be more than welcome.
That said "Love Kills" is a must-have.
Right from the start the game immerses you into a perfectly well rendered eerie atmosphere of the world of vampires.
The artwork is simply stunning, with a cascade of colors dosed with subtlety and great talent.
The soundtrack is one of the best I've heard.
Although the HO Scenes are at times a little cluttered, they are not truly eye-straining if you don't goggle at them for too long at a time. This makes certain items difficult to find, considering also that some of them are sneakily concealed and/or blend in with the background. But they are not all that difficult after all.
Help is available from the generous Hint System, both in and out of the HO Scenes. It points at what you need to find and where you have to go.
Further help is given on screen and in the custcenes. These, although pretty standard, contribute to the smooth unfolding of the story as well as providing you with essential clues.
Tasks and actions present no particular difficulty.
The voive-overs are excellent; each character has a strong transylvannian accent and are good fun to listen to, except for Igor's voice rightly described as "hammy" by another reviewer. The dialogues are well written, and not devoid of humor.
The map is quite convenient as it allows you to hop from one location to another, and indicates which one has been completed and which one has still tasks remaining
Locations are not in excessive number, so getting lost is impossible. They are all so well crafted that it is a good idea to stop for a couple of minutes just to admire the details.
Dracula has special powers, but in order to use them he needs to drink blood; looking for the vials of blood is part of the fun and a necessity. The shape of the cursor when hovering over a vial is just too funny. The other alternative for him to re-energize himself is to bite the girls, but the game gives a choice between doing it or not doing it; each choice having different consequences. Also part of the fun !
These powers enable him to do a number of things that would be impossible without them.
You can earn 33 awards during the course of the game.
But the strong point of this game lies in the huge number of puzzles and minigames of all kinds, some easy, others tricky, but none impossible.
With 6 long chapters for the SE, 7 for the CE, the game ensures hours of fun, entertainement, challenge, and maybe a few thrills for some players.
Although it is a vampire story with a lot of red -normal, blood is red- it never gets gory, unhealthy or scary, just a bit creepy at times with the odd skeleton and the inevitable graves and caskets.
A game that will keep you glued to your comp and deserves 4.8 stars (5 is perfection)
I recommend this game!
Haunted Manor: Queen of Death
Overall rating
5
/
5
363 of 425 found this review helpful
A bit morbid but high level of fun guaranteed
PostedDecember 23, 2011
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Adventure, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy
Current Favorite:
Dracula: Love Kills
(45)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
I had the privilege and pleasure of beta testing this second installment and was, right from the start, struck by its beauty.
Mozart's Requiem acted as an indication my initial feeling wasn't wrong and what was to follow should be good.
Well, it IS good, very good !
So good that I purchased the CE, although I don't usually buy Collector's Editions. I made an exception this time and I am glad I did as I found that the bonus chapter provided a much better ending, not to say the logical conclusion to that quest.
Nonetheless, the ending in the SE is very satisfactory.
Either way you can't go wrong.
Here is what to expect from the game:
- a very good intro and good cutscenes
- stunningly gorgeous graphics, richly detailed and worth interrupting your search simply to enjoy looking at them,
- an eerie, atmospheric music, which, for once, I didn't have to turn off, as it is never disturbing and fits in the overall climax quite well
- lots of puzzles and minigames, some fairly easy, others more tricky but not to the point of driving you nuts, and all can be skipped; .
- plenty of HO Scenes that are not mere junkpiles requiring a microscope to find the items,
- many splendid locales to explore and re-explore
- lots of tasks to perform, all of which are good fun, not far-fetched, challenging enough to require some thinking without playing with your nerves
- a friendly hint system with a decent recharge rate, helping you to find items and decide what to do next
- hence a well-balanced challenge level,
- clear objectives and clues given on screen and in the journal
- and a coherent storyline, which unfolds well and is quite interesting to follow
However, there is no voice-over; personally I prefer none to amateurism that doesn't sound natural.
There's no map and quite a bit of bouncing to do from scene to scene; but that's no real problem: it's easy to draw your own map as you go along, and backtracking cuts off the linerarity anyway; the game doesn't babysit you thereby ensuring a better challenge.
Add to that a few ghosts, a deliciously macabre climax, creepy but not excessive, hidden passageways and a more than decent gamelength, around 8 to 8.5 hours for the SE, even a bit longer if you don't rush through the game and linger as I did to admire the artwork.
The SE deserve 4.5 stars which I round up to 5.
Mozart's Requiem acted as an indication my initial feeling wasn't wrong and what was to follow should be good.
Well, it IS good, very good !
So good that I purchased the CE, although I don't usually buy Collector's Editions. I made an exception this time and I am glad I did as I found that the bonus chapter provided a much better ending, not to say the logical conclusion to that quest.
Nonetheless, the ending in the SE is very satisfactory.
Either way you can't go wrong.
Here is what to expect from the game:
- a very good intro and good cutscenes
- stunningly gorgeous graphics, richly detailed and worth interrupting your search simply to enjoy looking at them,
- an eerie, atmospheric music, which, for once, I didn't have to turn off, as it is never disturbing and fits in the overall climax quite well
- lots of puzzles and minigames, some fairly easy, others more tricky but not to the point of driving you nuts, and all can be skipped; .
- plenty of HO Scenes that are not mere junkpiles requiring a microscope to find the items,
- many splendid locales to explore and re-explore
- lots of tasks to perform, all of which are good fun, not far-fetched, challenging enough to require some thinking without playing with your nerves
- a friendly hint system with a decent recharge rate, helping you to find items and decide what to do next
- hence a well-balanced challenge level,
- clear objectives and clues given on screen and in the journal
- and a coherent storyline, which unfolds well and is quite interesting to follow
However, there is no voice-over; personally I prefer none to amateurism that doesn't sound natural.
There's no map and quite a bit of bouncing to do from scene to scene; but that's no real problem: it's easy to draw your own map as you go along, and backtracking cuts off the linerarity anyway; the game doesn't babysit you thereby ensuring a better challenge.
Add to that a few ghosts, a deliciously macabre climax, creepy but not excessive, hidden passageways and a more than decent gamelength, around 8 to 8.5 hours for the SE, even a bit longer if you don't rush through the game and linger as I did to admire the artwork.
The SE deserve 4.5 stars which I round up to 5.
I recommend this game!
Shiver: Vanishing Hitchhiker
After leaving something in your car, a hitchhiker vanishes! Track her down and return her things in Shiver: Vanishing Hitchhiker!
Overall rating
4
/
5
33 of 46 found this review helpful
Short but worth the expense
PostedDecember 22, 2011
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Adventure, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy
Current Favorite:
Art of Murder: Cards of Destiny
(17)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Nothing bad to say about this game which offers only good features: intro, voice-over, narrative, graphics, a slightly creepy atmosphere, neat HO Scenes and plenty of things to do. Plus a very good musical soundtrack.
However, the game doesn't have many puzzles, just a few minigames, and everything is easy. With 5 chapters the SE only offers a short playtime, hardly more than 4 to 5 hours, so it might be a good idea to consider the CE if your budget allows.
However, the game doesn't have many puzzles, just a few minigames, and everything is easy. With 5 chapters the SE only offers a short playtime, hardly more than 4 to 5 hours, so it might be a good idea to consider the CE if your budget allows.
I recommend this game!
Shiver: Vanishing Hitchhiker Collector's Edition
After leaving something in your car, a hitchhiker vanishes! Track her down and return her things in Shiver: Vanishing Hitchhiker!
Overall rating
4
/
5
10 of 14 found this review helpful
Creepy, but not that much
PostedDecember 22, 2011
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Adventure, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy
Current Favorite:
Art of Murder: Cards of Destiny
(17)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
A very interesting somber adventure into a ghostly world that is well designed and crafted with talent.
Very good intro, very good music, a very good voice-over with an equally good narrative and an excellent artwork.
The storyline is interesting enough to make you want to complete the investigation.
There is no special difficulty, each HOS being neat in spite of the overall surrounding darkness, and every action pretty straightforward.
Looking for items with a flashlight is good fun.
Minigames don't come up often and all are simple, but there is a lot of things to do.
Due to its simplicity my estimation of the gamelength turns around 6 to 7 hours for the CE, which is a bit short in respect to the extra expense. Obviously the SE will be shorter since it comprises only 5 chapters instead of 6.
Very good intro, very good music, a very good voice-over with an equally good narrative and an excellent artwork.
The storyline is interesting enough to make you want to complete the investigation.
There is no special difficulty, each HOS being neat in spite of the overall surrounding darkness, and every action pretty straightforward.
Looking for items with a flashlight is good fun.
Minigames don't come up often and all are simple, but there is a lot of things to do.
Due to its simplicity my estimation of the gamelength turns around 6 to 7 hours for the CE, which is a bit short in respect to the extra expense. Obviously the SE will be shorter since it comprises only 5 chapters instead of 6.
I recommend this game!