kateblue222's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.5
- Helpful Votes:3,417
- Reviews Submitted:179
- First Review:May 6, 2014
- Most Recent Review:July 28, 2024
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Off the Record: The Final Interview Collector's Edition
A man is dying, and you’re the prime suspect!
Overall rating
2
/
5
18 of 21 found this review helpful
The story makes so little sense I had to stop.
PostedOctober 10, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Current Favorite:
Grim Tales: Threads of Destiny Collector's Edition
(61)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
OK, so it's well drawn, and the sound and music is good, and the puzzles are interesting, but this game is really annoying because it makes NO sense.
I am suspected of something by the police and told to not leave town. I am asked where I will be staying, so I give a hotel flyer.
But then after the police detective interview is over, I can't leave the police dept because it might interrupt someone's conversation. So I am directed by the arrows of the game to go back into the police detective's office where I am allowed to poke around on my own, fiddling, for example, with a cassette player found on the detective's desk. Not sensible.
Then, after I finally make it out of the police dept, I am trapped in the police department courtyard. (Even the game character comments on how strange that is.) And THEN I am directed to go back inside to the detective's office again to get something else.
Maybe I am just too tired tonight, but, even though I can usually ignore logical incongruities, my brain cannot take a story this stupid. I cannot recommend it even though others whose opinions I'm usually semi- in line with have written glowing reviews. I don't get it!
And from this dev, too. Too bad!
I don't recommend this game.
Grim Tales: Threads of Destiny Collector's Edition
Can you free Jackie’s parents from their deadly fates?
Overall rating
5
/
5
45 of 53 found this review helpful
Threads of story confusing, but gameplay is destined to be fun.
PostedOctober 9, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Sunnyglow has written a great review that gives all the details, so I will just discuss the pros and cons.
I understand why people have graded this game low after reading their reviews, but I am loving it. I was getting totally sucked in to the world, immersed in it, because the game plays without too many stubborn passages, but I can see how some might think it too simple.
The game has:
—Really great, clear art, (except for one room that is dim around the edges, but then it turns out you don’t need to see around the edges to complete the HOP in that room anyway, so yay!)
—OK sound, I would have said great, but then all of a sudden there was music. I was actually noticing and liking the lack of music, but then the music appeared. Still, not bad.
—Fun HOPs (but I am not a HOP lover, so take that into consideration)
—Varied mini puzzles that are sometimes tedious and sometimes really fun
—Really great, clear art, (except for one room that is dim around the edges, but then it turns out you don’t need to see around the edges to complete the HOP in that room anyway, so yay!)
—OK sound, I would have said great, but then all of a sudden there was music. I was actually noticing and liking the lack of music, but then the music appeared. Still, not bad.
—Fun HOPs (but I am not a HOP lover, so take that into consideration)
—Varied mini puzzles that are sometimes tedious and sometimes really fun
However:
—I have been using the hint rather a lot, probably because of logic errors as noted by other reviewers and
—there is too much back and forth, annoyance mitigated by the good map function that allows you to jump to a scene. Without that, it would be really annoying
—I have been using the hint rather a lot, probably because of logic errors as noted by other reviewers and
—there is too much back and forth, annoyance mitigated by the good map function that allows you to jump to a scene. Without that, it would be really annoying
The CE has all the bells and whistles according to BFG, though this is not apparent from the Extras Menu. Apparently, you can "Unlock the Secret Room to replay your favorite hidden-object puzzles and mini-games!” according to BFG’s description. Replaying great puzzles is one of my favorite thing, and there are some good ones here. For me, that and the other special features makes this CE worth the money.
Four and a half stars, rated down a half star for confusing story and jumping around from place to place too much.
Try it. You will probably like it.
I recommend this game!
Solve the mysteries of Stoneville and escape with your life!
Overall rating
4
/
5
43 of 50 found this review helpful
CE or SE? Hard to advise you because information about the Extra Features is not sufficient to make a decision.
PostedOctober 9, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This review is based upon playing the first chapter of the CE twice because I found I had forgotten it since I bought it, life having intervened. To me, this game is not the immersive experience that a truly great (hence 5 star) game should be, but it is right up there . . .
There's a bunch of CE reviews out there that give you great information about the game. I just try to tell you whether you should buy the CE or the SE, that being the information I want to know if I have bought neither and both versions are out.
This game has:
Clear Artwork that is, maybe not the most beautiful, but fun to look at
Sound and Music that lends to the ambience instead of being there for their own sakes.
Progressive HOPs that are logical and fun
Logic! thus giving a good challenge without stumping you.
Sound and Music that lends to the ambience instead of being there for their own sakes.
Progressive HOPs that are logical and fun
Logic! thus giving a good challenge without stumping you.
This game also has some talkiness and occasional short movies that you can’t skip, but no game is perfect . . .
The reason I suggest that you might buy the SE instead of dropping the big bucks for the CE is that you don’t know what you are getting. The Extras menu has a button for “Extra Gameplay,” but it doesn’t say what that extra gameplay is, and it is chained up until you finish the main game. So, is it just a bonus chapter, or do I get to play these great puzzles over??? I WANT to play them over!!
Silly developers! Tell us what we get when we buy the CE! Don’t make us guess!
So, anyway, that’s another reason why only 4 stars. If you want to gamble on what the “Extra Gameplay” is, go for the CE. Otherwise, buy the SE because it is a great game. You will certainly have fun.
I recommend this game!
Join Elly Cooper as she is unexpectedly thrown into an adventure that takes her around the world.
Overall rating
1
/
5
26 of 44 found this review helpful
Old school HOP, but such eyestrain! Bored now!
PostedOctober 6, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
You are a young woman waking up in a basement, and you have no idea why.
This does seem to be an old game pulled out of the vault and dusted off. The colors are drab and the initial animation was pretty underwhelming. It just looks old. The HOPs are words with nothing special about them (at least as far as I got). I found no minigames.
Thank being said, the audio and the drawing of the drab pictures both seem pretty good. Also, later, there was some pretty good lip-synching. The full screen is wide and looks as if it were designed for modern monitors. But that’s about it for the clues about the game being modern. Otherwise, it looks like something from 2009.
The first thing you hit is a room of hidden objects with an old fashioned word list. It takes up the entire scene instead of just in a close up. The items are mostly really easy to find. But not all of them. There are a whole bunch of these practically invisible hearts that I had to wait for the hint to recharge to find.
The hint recharges not as slowly as I was led to believe by the only other review at the time I write this, but still too long when things are, basically, invisible. It’s a good thing there’s not a click penalty (at least on the casual setting, there are two harder ones) because, yes, I was clicking all over the room looking for those hearts while waiting for the recharge. And I found NONE that way. It’s not that the hint is too slow in recharging (though it is), it is that hunting for many little tiny invisible hearts caught in cobwebs or etched into shadows is impossible, causes eyestrain, and is no fun. And you can’t leave the room until you have found them all.
There are extras even though this is an SE game. I found this out when I finally got into the next room by finding the last of the invisible hearts. Boy, was THAT an ugly room. I guess when you are kidnapped and locked in a basement, it might be really gross, but that doesn’t mean I want to see it in a game.
But I found out nothing about the extras because BAM, look in the mirror and it’s a flashback to 12 hours before. Now, I hate previews of coming attractions, and I don’t like books that give you a scene out of the middle of the story and then go back in time and start somewhere else, so you can imagine I didn’t like this flashback, either.
On top of which, immediately, there's another old fashioned hidden object scene on the wharf where the flashback is occurring. This time you have to find invisible BONES. And the skull etched on the side of the barrel did not count. I quit! I want my 22 minutes back!
Perhaps hidden object puzzle lovers will love this game, but I am pretty much for the adventure, minigames, and beauty of the art. This game has none of what I want. It seems to function properly, but the only way I will buy it is if I have a free game coupon that is ready to expire and there is nothing else to buy.
Maybe I should give this two stars for being functional and perhaps appealing to HOP lovers. But no, that is not the rating in my heart, which is a lot bigger than the hearts the devs were making me find in that first scene. My heart is just not big enough to recommend this game.
I don't recommend this game.
The twinkling lights in the marsh look pretty, but they hold a mysterious power. Whatever you do... do not follow them!
Overall rating
4
/
5
20 of 21 found this review helpful
CE or SE? If you like the game, the CE might be a better buy
PostedOctober 4, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I have played further in this game since I reviewed the CE and bought it. When I am reading reviews after both the CE and the SE are out, I am trying to decide which one to buy.
I do not regret buying the CE because it has all the bells and whistles. Plus it has something called "Lorebook." I'm intrigued by "Lorebook."
This game has beautiful artwork, so-so music, and some interesting, multi-step HOPs. Progressing through the game is fun. I have had trouble with a couple of the minigames, but the ones that I had to skip were mostly because of what I consider to be incomplete instructions.
Like the gear puzzle--I did not realize you could move the gears, I thought you just had to put the chains on them where they were. The directions did not say you could the gears AND attach the chains, they just said attach the chains. But that's OK because I will get another chance to play it from the CE's "Extras" menu later.
The game, also, is not the immersive experience that truly great games are . . . those games where you look up and suddenly it is three in the morning. This is why I say 4 stars and not 5.
Nonetheless, I recommend the CE if you like the game. I did buy the CE and am still glad that I did. But if you don't want to pay for the CE, buy this game, the SE. It's worth it.
I recommend this game!
Mystery Tales: Alaskan Wild
Call on the animal spirits to help find your sister.
Overall rating
4
/
5
19 of 23 found this review helpful
CE or SE? I say CE, but buy one or the other, depending on how much you like this game.
PostedSeptember 27, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This review is based upon playing the first two chapters of the CE version, which I bought.
The main reason I like this game is, it is beautiful, absolutely gorgeous.
In my CE review, I said that the story does not make much sense. Well, it still doesn’t, really. I am wandering around finding things and placing them, but I am not really sure how any for that is helping me find my sister. Nonetheless, I’m having fun. Briefly, the story is that, immediately upon your arrival in Alaska to take photographs and visit your sister, her boyfriend's mother goes all magical-evil and kidnaps her. When you pursue, everyone seems to know who you are and think you are the magical answer to problems. It's unclear why.
When I am reading reviews after the CE and the SE are both out, it is usually because I want to know which to buy. I bought the CE, and I am not sorry. All the CE bells and whistles are there, including the ability to play HOS and minigames over. However, I still am not sure I care to play them over. The minigames are way too easy so far. and the HOPs are just average, though they are pretty and include an option for match 3. I know I will want to play the bonus game.
There were a couple of petty annoyances, like the picture of the mouse in the maze minigame did not line up well with the gaps he had to pass through, which required a lot of jockeying with the computer mouse.
Nonetheless, I recommend the CE, or, if you don’t want to spring for it, I recommend this, the SE.
I recommend this game!
You’re called in to photograph a wedding, but what you really expose is murder.
Overall rating
2
/
5
19 of 22 found this review helpful
I really wanted to like this game, but it’s just too ornery.
PostedSeptember 27, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I started the game and immediately liked the art and music. Both excellent. The CE features are all there, too, with achievements and playable puzzles, in addition to the bonus game.
But the game was just ornery, or, in a couple of places, boring or illogical. Some examples (Warning!!! SPOILERS)
ornery
=On some closeups, it didn’t even tell you to leave if there was nothing to do. It just sat there.
=You have to put paper and developer on the table before you can put the film in the machine. Why? And it was not logical how to do all the actions in the darkroom, like moving the picture and hanging it up.
=The hint is a circle of stars. When it leads you to a closeup or a new scene, it continues and lingers at the same spot on the screen in the new place. So you think you need to click there, but you don’t.
=On some closeups, it didn’t even tell you to leave if there was nothing to do. It just sat there.
=You have to put paper and developer on the table before you can put the film in the machine. Why? And it was not logical how to do all the actions in the darkroom, like moving the picture and hanging it up.
=The hint is a circle of stars. When it leads you to a closeup or a new scene, it continues and lingers at the same spot on the screen in the new place. So you think you need to click there, but you don’t.
boring
=The bride’s sister talks too much. Show me through the game play instead of telling me. I don’t need a tour of the kitchen. Or just say “Follow me."
=The first (only) mini game was not a game at all because there was nothing to puzzle out. To win, just move colored circular objects to the proper, obvious spots.
=The 2 HOPs were just OK, words or outlines, but on the one in the storeroom, the hint didn’t work right. I needed a knife (I thought), and the hint kept indicating the upper left hand corner of the screen. That’s not where the cleaver (it turns out it was not a knife) was. It was in the middle of the screen. Weird.
=The bride’s sister talks too much. Show me through the game play instead of telling me. I don’t need a tour of the kitchen. Or just say “Follow me."
=The first (only) mini game was not a game at all because there was nothing to puzzle out. To win, just move colored circular objects to the proper, obvious spots.
=The 2 HOPs were just OK, words or outlines, but on the one in the storeroom, the hint didn’t work right. I needed a knife (I thought), and the hint kept indicating the upper left hand corner of the screen. That’s not where the cleaver (it turns out it was not a knife) was. It was in the middle of the screen. Weird.
illogical
=It tells you not to go out to the back door because it’s raining so hard, but it lets you go out in front of the house.
=And why did the photographer drive to the house anyway? The wedding’s over, and there does not appear to be a reception going on.
=It tells you not to go out to the back door because it’s raining so hard, but it lets you go out in front of the house.
=And why did the photographer drive to the house anyway? The wedding’s over, and there does not appear to be a reception going on.
I am very undecided about how to recommend this game or even whether to buy it at all. It would be fun if it weren’t so ornery. It just takes away from the fun when it is such a struggle and also illogical. Maybe on a two-for-one sale.
A mountain observatory is hiding a big secret!
Overall rating
1
/
5
13 of 22 found this review helpful
This game is SO illogical—so SE or CE? Or maybe neither.
PostedSeptember 25, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I went back to play this game when I saw the SE was out so I could recommend whether to buy the SE or the CE. I gave the CE one star for being illogical and slow, so I haven't played much more than the demo.
So this morning I had played for, like, a minute, then hit a little game that made no sense at all. I mean, I beat the game easily, but . . . there was no reason for the game to be there, and it was unconnected to trying to go forward. It was a ball bouncing on a track that magically appeared in front of you, blocking your way. And this is not a game with magic in it! Nonsensical.
Yes, as I said in the CE review I wrote:
It's a beautifully drawn game
The music is great
It has a custom setting
The mini games are fun
It has all the bonus bells and whistles in the "extras" menu.
The music is great
It has a custom setting
The mini games are fun
It has all the bonus bells and whistles in the "extras" menu.
But it subtracts from the game when you can’t logic your way through it. I’m kind of sorry I bought the CE.
So my usual advice about CE versus SE . . . If you like this game, I say buy the CE because it has all the bells and whistles. Otherwise, see if you like the SE.
I have many, many other BFG games I like better.
I don't recommend this game.
A criminal organization searching for an ancient treasure shot your partner!
Overall rating
3
/
5
13 of 19 found this review helpful
Pretty game for a detective story without too much obvious magical stuff, but lacks some usual CE features.
PostedSeptember 19, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I've played the demo, and this is a pretty good game. You are meeting your date, a detective. He is shot right in front of you by a shadowy figure. As they load him into an ambulance, he asks you to continue his mysterious investigation. So you do.
The music is nice—it fits and accentuates the action of the game and is not overly ominous. The art is detailed and bright, very pretty, usually. Unfortunately, items that are always on the screen in these games, like the hint, the map and the journal, are too big and stick out too much into the scenes--so much that they are annoying. But 5 stars for music and art, even with the junk at the bottom of the screen.
The play is good, but it’s more the progression through the game that is fun rather than the actual stand-alone minigames or HOPs. I only recall one stand-alone minigame, and it was just ok. The game seems heavy on HOPs.
First HOP was mostly just words, though part, but only part, was progressive. This was difficult because there were not clues as to the intermediate steps.
Second HOP I tried the mahjong option but I believe it was just words, as well.
Third HOP’s scene was so cluttered, I just said "No way," and simply played mahjong again.
Fourth HOP, words again, looked cute but I was out of time.
So HOPs not too great. Though there is something for everyone.
First HOP was mostly just words, though part, but only part, was progressive. This was difficult because there were not clues as to the intermediate steps.
Second HOP I tried the mahjong option but I believe it was just words, as well.
Third HOP’s scene was so cluttered, I just said "No way," and simply played mahjong again.
Fourth HOP, words again, looked cute but I was out of time.
So HOPs not too great. Though there is something for everyone.
The story seemed good and was not too overtly fantasy-like. No fairy helpers and so forth. However, people just used smoke bombs instead of magic to disappear in a cloud.
The custom cursor seems a little sticky. I’m playing on a Mac with Yosemite.
The CE features that we have come to expect are absent. There is a bonus chapter, but no ability to play puzzles over, or making of, or collectibles/achievements. So that’s a downgrade for me. That's why my overall rating is so low. It plays like a four star game, but does not give CE value.
All in all, this is a solid effort that I will be buying, probably as an SE, because of the fun of progressing through the game without too many hints, and because of the pretty art and decent music. I might even buy the CE if I need it for a 2-for-1 sale.
I recommend this game!
A magic bear summons you to help save the neighboring kingdom of Nypha.
Overall rating
4
/
5
29 of 32 found this review helpful
CE or SE? This game is great, so certainly buy one or the other.
PostedSeptember 18, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Music, great.
Art, great.
HOPs, OK
Minigames, really good
Art, great.
HOPs, OK
Minigames, really good
There seem to be interesting and unique kinds of puzzles to enjoy in this game. I think I am about halfway through.
As I have continued through this game I am liking it more and more, but I am still finding myself having to use the guide because I get confused about the puzzles. The maze, for example, was great, but first, I had to go to the guide to figure it out. I still don’t want to quit, but I cannot give it 5 stars when I have to go to the guide. Maybe it is just me.
You should buy this SE version if you don’t want to drop the money for a CE because the game is really good. When I write these reviews, I try to advise whether or not you should buy the CE because that’s what I want to know if I have bought neither and the SE is out.
I did buy the CE and I do not regret it. I am sure that when I get to the end I will want to play the bonus game. And there are replayable HOPs, though there are not replayable minigames (too bad). There’s a jigsaw puzzle, good art, a making of video and all the bells and whistles.
So I say buy the CE, but if not, certainly buy the SE.
I recommend this game!