SynthpopAddict's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.8
- Helpful Votes:2,361
- Reviews Submitted:69
- First Review:November 20, 2011
- Most Recent Review:April 23, 2019
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Get ready for some hilarious ragdoll-smashing, ball-bouncing action in Tennis in the Face!
Overall rating
4
/
5
6 of 7 found this review helpful
Hilarious stress reliever
PostedMay 15, 2013
SynthpopAddict
fromHome on Derange
Skill Level:Beginner
Favorite Genre(s):Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Pros: Easy to learn, funny
Cons: Cartoon violence, not all that challenging, options screen hard to find
This isn't the type of game I'd normally play, nor do I usually like games with cartoon graphics. However, the demo video cracked me up at first glance, so I had to try it out. The object is simple: try to knock out as many of the opponents in as few serves as possible. The developers obviously had a twisted sense of humor with the characters they chose, and watching the slow motion action after winning a board (a chain reaction can continue on even after all the opponents have been knocked down, plus opponents carry assorted items which go flying# is often laugh out loud hilarious. Boards can be replayed if the player wants to improve their ranking for that screen, or to try to get one of the assorted trophies for game accomplishments. The storyline is marginal although still chuckle inducing.
I did not find the gameplay to be all that challenging--I consider myself a rank beginner at this genre, but it wasn't that difficult to win the gold crown on most of the boards until the final two city sections. It was trickier to figure out how to get to the options and player profile screens #hint: play around with the opening screen). Of course, there is a lot of cartoon violence due to the nature of the game objective, which may bother some players. As long as you don't take it too seriously, this is one funny chill out game that can be played over and over.
I recommend this game!
Overall rating
2
/
5
9 of 15 found this review helpful
Ultimately not for me
PostedMay 10, 2013
SynthpopAddict
fromHome on Derange
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Pros: Untimed, interesting concept
Cons: Clunky interface, graphics, gets crazy hard
This is an interesting fusion of match 3 and puzzle gaming. There is no real storyline to the game, just game boards to focus on. You have to clear out the pieces in the center of the board by placing like colored pieces from any of the four sides so that groups of 3 match up. All the pieces in the center, including those that the player places, must be cleared out to win. Pieces on the sides can only be placed in the center if they have somewhere to stop (you cannot fire a piece all the way across the middle section). Levels get more challenging by the addition of more colors, uneven color distribution on the four sides, and stone pots blocking off spaces. No timer, and it pays to take your time planning out moves. Cascades can help greatly or be a pain.
In the first 30 boards you are trying to rebuild a torn up map to find your way out of the museum. Don't worry, that's not the end of the game. Once the map is completed there is at least one more pathway on the back of the map you have to get through.
The graphics are simplistic and so is the soundtrack, which I decided to turn off after a few boards. The game interface could have been better designed. I noticed that switching to windowed mode caused an entirely new game/player profile to be created, and the music couldn't be turned off without turning off *all* the sound. There is a choice to restart the board should you wish to, but it will then ask you if you want to "quit", which is confusing. You cannot pause the game or save a board in progress for later...exiting out of a board just causes it to reset to the beginning layout. There appears to be a skip board button in the menu options, but I did not try that out.
M3s don't usually overwhelm me, but this one is an exception. This started out fun and challenging, but by the time I got to the back of the map, the levels were so difficult that it took 3-4 hours to solve just one board, and I'm going to move on to something else and chalk this one up to a "live and learn" thing. Would definitely caution players to try this before you buy.
I don't recommend this game.
Take a trip to the beautiful Caribbean and create your very own tropical hideaway!
Overall rating
4
/
5
5 of 6 found this review helpful
Unique, very challenging M3
PostedSeptember 5, 2012
SynthpopAddict
fromHome on Derange
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Pros: interesting play mechanic, soundtrack, high replayability factor, screamingly funny storyline
Cons: timed only, confusing playing tiles, screamingly difficult (particularly near end)
This is quite a different take on the M3 genre in that the play action is the token in hand style M3. Your cursor has an object attached to it and the goal is to find a matching pair to place that object next to for a match. Then the cursor will pick up the item that was on the board in exchange, and you repeat the process. There are different objectives for each game board which may or may not include clearing all the tiles on the screen, so the strategy varies as you go through the game.
The storyline is well written and laugh out loud hilarious; you will play all the different characters and see game tiles with storyline details while you work your way through the 100 levels (chapters). The game boards also have you collecting resources which you will use to build a pirate city on an island. The city building part not only allows you to get powerups for the M3 boards, but also requires strategic planning as your citizens will steal your gold if you're not paying attention, or you could work yourself into a delay on getting a powerup. The cleverness of the game boards' design as well as the relatively open-ended strategy for building the city make for lots of replayability.
I really liked the soundtrack--it's a mix of jaunty and slow tunes that completely fit the pirate theme, but the graphics at least in windowed mode are another matter. Several of the playing tiles look similar to each other and it's hard to tell where the holes in a game board are because the "holes" are just another kind of tile in the board that you can't place anything onto. I can't count the number of times where I thought there was an available move only to realize that it wasn't a real space in the board, or that wasn't the kind of tile on my cursor that I thought!
I gave 4 stars mostly because if any game ever needed an untimed mode, this is it. To date, this is the hardest M3 I've finished. After the first 20 or so levels, the timer becomes aggressive, and being successful requires liberal use of powerups and *very* quick thinking/clicking especially in the final boards. If you don't plan your strategy properly while going through the game, it's possible to get to a point where you can't go any further due to running out of certain powerups and the difficulty being such that you can't progress without said powerups. I recommend this game, however, you must really enjoy a challenge before it'll hook you.
I recommend this game!
Travel back in time to the late 19th century and get ready for spectacular adventures on land, sea and air.
Overall rating
4
/
5
31 of 32 found this review helpful
It only looks simple...
PostedApril 29, 2012
SynthpopAddict
fromHome on Derange
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Pros: "puzzle" concept, good storyline, soundtrack, and backgrounds, can be played forever
Cons: timed only, gets very difficult, slower play action
Around the World in 80 days isn't your run of the mill M3. Although the game at first glance appears to just be a swap M3, the goal of most of the boards is to obtain all the fragments of an object by making them reach the bottom of the board (by using swap M3 moves of the colored tiles). The 81 levels start out very easy, but by the halfway point players will really have to think it out in order to clear the obstacles and/or manipulate the fragments carefully to solve the boards. A hammer powerup charges up for M4s and can be upgraded to other types of powerups with increased matches. Using the powerups wisely is also an essential part of the strategy in the later portions of the game. At the end of each stage, there is one board which is played in the more traditional M3 vein of clearing all the spaces.
The storyline is very well done and is displayed in cutscenes and journal pages in between boards, with clicking to advance the text dialogues. There are interesting little tidbits thrown in, such as the clock in the main screen displaying the actual time, and fun facts about the objects being collected in the boards. The game backgrounds are visually appealing, and the soundtrack soothing with appropriate changes through different world regions. Only the colored tiles in the boards appear somewhat uninspired.
It's timed only, and gave me a run for my money on several of the later boards...not many M3s make me run out of time that often! Players must also wait for the tiles to stop falling before they can make another move, which I normally don't mind, but the refilling action is a bit on the slow side here.
Once the 81 boards are completed, the story ends, but the game starts over on another iteration of the journey and the whole thing can be repeated indefinitely. I've only gotten all the way through once as of this writing, but it's my understanding that the obstacles continue to get more cunning with higher repeats. I recommend this game, but only if you like challenging puzzle solving.
I recommend this game!
Align dazzling holidays jewels and break them out of their frozen boxes in this relaxing and mesmerizing matching game.
Overall rating
4
/
5
30 of 33 found this review helpful
Don't judge this game by its cover.
PostedApril 25, 2012
SynthpopAddict
fromHome on Derange
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Pros: fast action, challenging boards, timed/untimed options
Cons: dark, dreary graphics, nice but repetitive soundtrack, sound effects
At first glance, Jewel Match Winter Wonderland didn't grab me right away due to its dark backgrounds and ho-hum looking holiday ornaments in place of the brightly colored Jewel Match jewels. But I took a chance on it anyway and found that it's quite challenging, which I enjoy in M3s.
The game play is swap M3 and the object is to clear all the covered tiles from the board. Moves can be made all the time, and there is no storyline in between boards, so this is a fast playing M3. The common M3 obstacles of chains, double match tiles, and tight spots to reach on boards are here, and there are occasional bombs and snowballs to assist you. The real challenge? Some boards are designed with tricky spaces that either go empty or never fill up...and the player has to figure out how to clear these spaces in order to keep advancing. I really enjoyed solving those boards, but be forewarned, you'll have to plan ahead and think a bit outside of the box to get the solutions.
There are 150 levels and the choice to play either timed or untimed. I only played the timed mode, but it appears that untimed mode can be toggled on and off during the game from the main menu. The timer is fairly aggressive for most of the game and is even demanding on some of the "trick" boards. There is the option to buy time in exchange for a life, and fortunately extra lives did not seem to be hard to come by.
The soundtrack is soothing holiday music, which I liked, but because of the game length and limited song variety, got tiresome to listen to after 40-50 levels. Aside from the previously mentioned graphics that don't quite evoke a warm holiday spirit due to their lack of contrast, I also wish that the developer had not used the "crashing glass" effect for matches. Go fast enough with the moves and it sounds like the proverbial bull in a china shop.
It's not the prettiest game you'll ever look at or even listen to, but if you want a game that will make you think you'll enjoy this one.
I recommend this game!
Step into a time tunnel and experience Luxor like never before in Luxor Evolved!
Overall rating
4
/
5
6 of 7 found this review helpful
Pure adrenaline!
PostedMarch 3, 2012
SynthpopAddict
fromHome on Derange
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Pros: multiple difficulty levels, variety of game objectives, lots of powerups
Cons: interface is hard on the eyes, very challenging
At first, I couldn't figure out why they named the latest Luxor installment "Evolved" as it appears more "devolved" at first glance with the DOS-era graphics. Don't let that fool you though--although the main game details are simplistic, there's a lot going on in the background, and this doesn't play like just another Luxor game, either.
The game objectives include standard marble popping play as well as bonus rounds in which you must try to remove all the balls before the chains go off the screen, and boss battles. If you're good at collecting falling prizes, you'll be rewarded every so often with hidden levels. These hidden levels give a nod to 80s arcade games and brought a huge smile to this child of the eighties! One of the best improvements to me compared to other MPs was that losing a life doesn't force you to start the whole level over--the chains back up instead and you get to pick up from that point with the next life. (You will still get to see the typical MP "down the drain" action should you run completely out of lives.)
There are four difficulty levels to choose from with Elite locked until the game has been completed in Hard. The playing action has been stepped up greatly from previous Luxor games in that the chains are now shorter, move faster, and come out really fast. I was able to keep up in Casual, but Normal gave me a serious run for my money and required a restart halfway through to finish. Hard had me restarting the game over and over before I could get to the end...
Players will either love or hate the pulsating, swirling details in the backgrounds and large, flashy explosions, with an equally energetic techno soundtrack. I personally loved the soundtrack, but the flashing got so excessive at times that this isn't a game I would recommend playing for hours on end due to the eyestrain factor. I also noticed a slight lag in action when really large setups were exploding.
Recommended only for those who want a challenge and don't mind a high-intensity game. You will find yourself living or dying based on the powerups you get.
After crash-landing on a frozen mountain Raj makes an incredible discovery in Jewel Quest 6: The Sapphire Dragon!
Overall rating
3
/
5
10 of 10 found this review helpful
May have to grow on you
PostedJanuary 15, 2012
SynthpopAddict
fromHome on Derange
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Marble Popper, Match 3
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Pros: timed/untimed options, variety of jewel boards, choice of powerups
Cons: excessive storyline, evasion boards, confusing mechanics, graphics
This was the first Jewel Quest M3 that wasn't love at first play for me, but I'm glad I stuck it out as it did grow on me the longer I played. This game has more board types for playing swap M3 than you can shake a stick at. Besides the types seen in Sleepless Star, new boards include ones with randomly appearing obstacles, obstacles that must be cleared in a certain order, boards that expand and contract, and boards that auto-shuffle at intervals. Heads up to those who hated the evasion boards in the last game: They're back and there's lots of them, sorry! Players must choose a character from a group of five to play each jewel board. Each individual has different abilities (powerups) to vary the challenge level of a board at the player's discretion.
The game mechanics have been sped up from previous ones in that you can now make moves all the time. If you're really fast this means you can grab jewels for a match before they fall down in a cascade or move them before they make a match someplace you don't want. There are three modes to play the 193 levels, untimed, normal (standard timer), and advanced (1-2 minutes less on the timer per board) to keep players occupied for quite a while. A museum section under the game options has a collection of trophies to win and it will take more than one full run through the entire game to collect them all.
There is a distinct learning curve as the game progresses, with the final boards being above average in difficulty as compared to other M3s. When compared to other JQ games, this one's harder than Sleepless Star was, but not as fiendishly difficult as JQIII or Heritage got.
The storyline has gotten away from Rupert Pack's adventures and now follows those of his daughter Natalie and her four companions. Although I appreciate the effort the developers put into creating an extensive storyline, having to click through several pages of voiced-over cutscenes in between every jewel board got tedious quickly. The innuendos in the story aren't necessarily appropriate for small children either. Fortunately, there is a Skip button for the story. Each character also has a journal which gets added to as you go through the game. These, while interesting, also seem excessive and make all the adult characters appear adolescent in spots.
The graphics are the same as those in JQII or JQIII which makes me wonder why they didn't spend a bit more time updating the look of the game boards. I also noticed that the game soundtrack is turned down really low no matter how high the game music is set in the options. From what I could hear though, it seems that it repeats on a 30 second loop which may be why they set it so much in the background. Initially, I also had a hard time figuring out where to click to pick a character and get to the jewel board, and how to trigger the powerups (if you click in the wrong spots nothing happens which may lead you to think there's a glitch in your game).
Overall, I'm glad that I bought it, but would recommend playing the demo first.
Rupert and Emma’s daughter, Natalie, has been infected with mysterious spores! Help them find a cure in Jewel Quest III!
Overall rating
4
/
5
44 of 66 found this review helpful
The JQ M3 with the most variety
PostedDecember 5, 2011
SynthpopAddict
fromHome on Derange
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Marble Popper, Match 3
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Pros: variety of game play styles, unique obstacles, great storyline, Easter eggs
Cons: timed only, confusion/frustration factor, one way game
Rupert and Emma Pack's odyssey in Jewel Quest III is to find a cure for their daughter Natalie, who is suddenly struck blind when she accidentally opens a secret compartment on a jewel board. This quest will take them all over the world and have them discover many secrets. The storyline is excellent and is displayed on pages of a journal which flip each time you complete a board.
The gameplay is the swap M3 featured in all of this series, with one stage featuring M3 "battles" between you and the computer for the most points on a board. This was my least favorite part of the game, but I've also not played any other M3s with that concept. Many of the obstacles seen in later JQ games such as the white pearls, monkeys with traps, silver coins with locked spaces, delicate jewels, and aggressive timer with time adding clock pieces, make their first appearance here. The graphics and soundtrack are nice and the game ran smoothly for me.
The game is divided up into three types of "quests": Silver, Gold, and Hidden. The Silver and Hidden quests must be fully completed for a world region before the Gold quest in that region will unlock. Here's where it gets confusing: It's very easy to miss a board someplace (and then not be able to make progress) since the game allows you to skip around between several available world regions at any time. You also have to find the Easter eggs (secret tricks) in order to unlock the Hidden quest for each world region, which requires very careful reading and thinking about the clues given in the journal if you don't want to surf the internet for a walkthrough. The Gold quests are the expert mode version of the regions and must be completed to get the game ending. These have the infamous JQ difficulty level and will take a good strategy to beat. If you finish all the Gold quests, a bonus stage unlocks in which you play "super hard" boards, but these are actually not much more daunting than the Gold quests.
The Tournament mode from JQII is back but I did not try it out in this installment. One thing which I found to be a serious detraction is that JQIII is a one way path. Once the Gold quests are unlocked, there's no way to go back and play the easier Silver or Hidden boards. I've also seen it reported elsewhere that finishing the game completely may cause the game to freeze if the same player profile is used again, but did not experience this issue.
If you don't have a Mac, the PC version is available at other portals. Solving this one will definitely help you on the later JQ games.
I recommend this game!
Pirate Poppers
Climb aboard this swashbucklin' sea farin' saga for some pirate popping fun!
Overall rating
4
/
5
23 of 26 found this review helpful
Challenging MP
PostedDecember 5, 2011
SynthpopAddict
fromHome on Derange
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Marble Popper, Match 3
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Pros: smooth gameplay (adventure mode), multiple difficulty levels, different game modes
Cons: very challenging near end of game, puzzle mode semi-glitchy
If you enjoyed the challenge of more difficult marble poppers like Luxor 2 or Sparkle, Pirate Poppers might just hook you. The marble popping play is the same as in the aforementioned games and the powerups are pretty typical of MPs as well (although the bomb powerup is really effective here). The charm of Pirate Poppers lies mostly in its challenge level and seeing how many treasures you can collect to fill your treasure cave while you sail the seas playing the boards. You can also post your high scores globally to see how you match up to other players.
The graphics are pretty good for the time that the game was released and there are no lags in the play action. There's really not a storyline in the game, just a short intro screen at the beginning that explains why you're going to be a pirate. To play the regular game of 77 levels, you can choose between either adventure (unlimited lives, normal speed of marble movement) or arcade (start with 5 lives and earn more for points scored, faster marble speed). Even though having unlimited lives sounds like a cakewalk, rest assured it isn't, as the tracks get very convoluted and you'll see quite a few double track levels once you get past the first half of the game. I enjoy playing adventure to keep my MP skills sharp and once you learn the quirks of the harder levels, they *are* doable. As for arcade mode, the best I've done is come within 2 levels of finishing the game...ouch.
If you want to take a break from frenetically popping marbles, there's a puzzle mode in which you clear the board of stationary marble chains using limited moves. Unfortunately this mode isn't done quite as well as the regular game and I noticed that several boards required a very, very precise shot placement in order to position a marble correctly. After missing the same shot as many as 30 times on some boards while being able to see the solution, I gave this mode up about halfway through.
The developers were obviously huge Luxor fans...watch for boards that look remarkably familiar near the end of the game. Bon voyage!
I recommend this game!
Adventure and excitement await those who free butterflies from Dungeon of Darkness and return sunrise to Kingdom of Light!
Overall rating
4
/
5
138 of 159 found this review helpful
Cute and a little annoying all at the same time
PostedDecember 4, 2011
SynthpopAddict
fromHome on Derange
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Marble Popper, Match 3
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Pros: bonus powerups, multiple game modes, butterfly lore
Cons: frustration factor, occasional uncatchable powerups
Here's a Luxor-style marble popper with a high level of cuteness, a good challenge level, and a little entomology lesson. You are playing Boonka the beetle who is trying to rescue butterflies from the aphids. The game plays largely like Luxor, except that Boonka doesn't always just go back and forth along the bottom; he flies in a semicircular path or may be fixed into position on some boards where he can only pivot on an axis. At the end of every stage you play a round in which you clear a rotating circle of marbles to free a butterfly. Once you win this round you'll get a brief description of your latest rescued friend and the opportunity to view the butterfly up close with rotating views. The butterflies are all actual insects with realistic pictures, so even though this is just a game, it's a nice bonus.
Along with the powerups that fall from the marble chains, there is also a bonus row of powerups at the bottom of the screen. These bonuses gradually become enabled as you get farther through the game, and then each recharges at a rate ranging from fast to slow. Careful planning on the use of these bonus powerups is a must for later stages of the game, when the levels become really difficult in their length and twistiness of the tracks.
There are three different gaming modes, normal, legendary, and tournament. The first two are just different difficulty levels to play the game in, with legendary featuring a couple of upgraded powerups falling from the marble chains. In tournament you play on a single board for the best possible time. In my experience, the normal mode is completable by experienced marble poppers, but legendary doesn't appear to be (I've made it to stage 13 of 15 in legendary but it's nearly impossible at this point).
A couple of things stood out as particularly annoying. One is that powerups falling from the chains will occasionally come in at such an angle that they just sail over Boonka's head without being caught. The other is that the aphids pushing the marbles cannot be shot over. Trying to make shots from the back of a marble chain just hits the aphid pusher in the backside, which the aphid promptly shakes at you; this makes the strategy quite a bit more complex particularly late in the game. If you finish the game...well, I won't spoil that for you. It's still a worthwhile game to play while you're waiting for the next great marble popper to come out.
I recommend this game!