Heather_G's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.1
- Helpful Votes:663
- Reviews Submitted:127
- First Review:November 21, 2011
- Most Recent Review:June 6, 2021
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Shaolin Mystery: Tale of the Jade Dragon Staff
Travel across ancient China and help Yu as she searches for the mythical Jade Dragon Staff. Save your wrongly imprisoned friend!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
An Engaging Tale that is a Feast for the Eyes.
PostedJune 2, 2012
Heather_G
fromIndiana
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Marble Popper, Large File, Match 3
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This is the third game by Digital Quarter that I've played. The other two, Mystery Age: The Imperial Staff, and Mystery Age: The Dark Priests, were also beautiful, well-crafted games. In Shaolin Mystery, the graphics are equally beautiful, with little animated touches throughout, but it also has a more mature story than the other two which I quite liked, and it had a satisfying ending. All three ran flawlessly on my older PC, and were a good length.
I recommend this game!
An evil storm is threatening your village, and it`s up to you to find the pieces of the ancient Imperial Staff! Save your people!
Overall rating
4
/
5
24 of 27 found this review helpful
Very Pretty and Enjoyable Game
PostedJune 2, 2012
Heather_G
fromIndiana
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The story line is not terribly sophisticated, and I agree that the ended was less satisfying than I would have liked, but I've played plenty of games with worse endings. This game is by Digital Quarter and what sets them apart is the beauty of the illustrations and locations, little animated touches, and good sound and music. There is a story, and it holds together throughout. The game ran fine even though my PC is getting a little long in the tooth. Since I played this game, I've enjoyed two others by this developer: Mystery Age: The Dark Priests, and Shaolin Mystery: Tale of the Jade Dragon Staff, both of which were also enjoyable. Shaolin Mystery also had a little more mature story to it. Both of the other games are a little better than this one, but I'd still recommend Imperial Staff.
I recommend this game!
Mystery Age: The Dark Priests
Stop the Chaos God’s Dark Priests once and for all! Amber must head back to Westwind Village to put an end to the evil for good!
Overall rating
5
/
5
29 of 29 found this review helpful
Exceeded Expectations
PostedJune 2, 2012
Heather_G
fromIndiana
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Marble Popper, Large File, Match 3
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I bought this game hoping for an enjoyable hidden object game but not expecting anything special. The story didn't grab me especially, but aside from that it was much better than I expected. The locations are beautiful with clever animated bits--touch everything! The music was quite nice--this coming from someone who usually runs madly for the music mute soon into each game. A lot of care went into the production. It ran beautifully, even on my somewhat vintage PC, which is always a plus. I liked it well enough to look up who made it, and found two other titles by the same company that I've already played and liked very much: Mystery Age: The Imperial Staff, and Shaolin Mystery: Tale of the Jade Dragon Staff. Although the developer is in China, the text translation to English was flawless. Really a neat, solid, fun game. I'll be watching this team for more games in the future.
I recommend this game!
Avenue Flo: Special Delivery
The surprise baby shower of the year is in disarray, and Quinn needs a hand from Flo to pull it off perfectly!
Overall rating
5
/
5
Light and enjoyable.
PostedJune 1, 2012
Heather_G
fromIndiana
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Marble Popper, Large File, Match 3
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I expected this game to be light fare, and a nice change of pace from the usual dark and scary hidden object games. I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. There's a fair amount of story to it, a lot of areas to explore, very cute graphics, good game length and was just generally fun. The main character is very likeable. My kids are now playing the game!
I recommend this game!
When an asteroid hits the fragile world of Tiny Planet, it breaks into pieces! Save the population of Tiny Planet!
Overall rating
5
/
5
23 of 25 found this review helpful
What a gem this is!
PostedJune 1, 2012
Heather_G
fromIndiana
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Marble Popper, Large File, Match 3
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Wow! You can tell from the first minutes that this is a game that was lovingly crafted. The Illustrations are like something out of the prettiest storybook you ever read your child and there are cute little animated touches everywhere. The music is not only good, but extemely well-recorded. If you have headphones, use them with this game. I'm not an expert, but have had a lot of experience with adventure games over the years, and I was challenged enough by a couple of the puzzles that I had to seek a walkthrough, but most were solvable without help. The description refers to this as a hidden object adventure, which is not really accurate--it's got elements of a fractured object game, but the play is not just about searching for things, but figuring out what to do and how to do it. I'm sad that it's over! I'll be looking for more games by Colibri.
I recommend this game!
Can a mysterious tattoo cure a phobia or will it turn a patient into a victim and make him crave for death?
Overall rating
5
/
5
16 of 29 found this review helpful
Wow! Had to play all the way through in one sitting!
PostedMay 8, 2012
Heather_G
fromIndiana
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Brain Teaser, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is a great example of what you get when you combine a really good story with nice graphics and sound, in a game that runs just the way it should. I can't believe some reviewers criticized the writing, because this is one of the few hidden object games that had a story that just sucked me right in.
The locations were interesting and sometimes beautiful. The sound always suited the visuals and was never annoying. I would have loved a well-acted voice-over, but the dialog was never overly long and was easy to read. The journal added a few details that you wouldn't necessarily pick up from the action and dialog, so it fleshed out the story a bit, but I agree with some others that it wasn't overly helpful.
I played in the more challenging mode and there were no sparkles anywhere to give anything away. I didn't bother much with the alternate "nightvision goggles" mode in the HO scenes as it seemed too easy, but it was interesting as an alternate way to get a hint.
I'm only an intermediate adventure game player, which translates to nearly expert in hidden object games. (True adventure games really don't give you much guidance and almost never supply you with in-game hints.) I often need to peek at a walkthrough but never did with this one.
I loved this game and couldn't wait to see what would happen next. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes more of an adventure aspect to a game rather than just a string of junk piles ot sort through.
I recommend this game!
Help Jane Lucky solve the riddle of an ancient artifact! Travel the globe in this exciting Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!
Overall rating
2
/
5
9 of 9 found this review helpful
Nice change of pace but has problems...
PostedMay 3, 2012
Heather_G
fromIndiana
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Marble Popper, Large File, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The story had potential, but the dialog, actions and tasks are ridiculous and the text is very poorly translated to English. It isn't dark and horrifying, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it was fun.
There is almost nothing to interact with except the hidden object scenes, which act more like FROGs in that you have a circle of smaller items to retrieve in order to get the larger item (gather tools for the toolbox, then take the toolbox, etc.). Night time flashlights effects are quite good.
The absolute worst part is the VERY long load times every time you change scenes. I'm not talking whole different locations--but just to move around within one area requires repeated and lengthy pauses, staring at a "Loading" screen. I found the game to be frustrating for that reason, and kept muttering to myself about how stupid all the characters and tasks were.
Mind you, I like most of the games I've purchased here, and am honestly not that fussy, but had I known about the shortcomings of this game, I never would have bought it. There aren't many I would warn people away from, but this one warrants it.
How about more games without ghosts, demons and murderers? Maybe an alien abduction/invasion? Talking animals? Bigfoot, even?
And can somebody tell me why there's always a skull in HO scenes in EVERY game?
Sorry, I guess I'm done ranting now.
I don't recommend this game.
Help Sam rescue his love Anna in Brink of Consciousness: Dorian Gray Syndrome, an incredible Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!
Overall rating
5
/
5
Wonderful, big, long game will appeal to adventurers.
PostedApril 26, 2012
Heather_G
fromIndiana
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Marble Popper, Large File, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I won't repeat everything already covered in the other reviews, but... Although there are HOS here and there, this is an excellent adventure game. The area you can move around in is huge, and it took me three evenings to finish. I've played literally hundreds of adventure and HO games, and this one had several puzzles the like of which I've never encountered. They were sometimes challenging, but I didn't need to skip any of them.
The ONLY problem I had with it was at the very end. After playing perfectly throughout the whole game, the ending cinimatics froze. I could hear and read the dialog, but could not see what was happening. After investing so much time and effort into the game and story, it was disappointing to miss out on the finale. I did find part of it on youtube, but still, I'd love to see this addressed and fixed.
I recommend this game!
Save Mary’s father from the demon that possesses his body in Pirate Mysteries: A Tale of Monkeys, Masks, and Hidden Objects!
Overall rating
3
/
5
19 of 20 found this review helpful
Light Entertainment
PostedApril 7, 2012
Heather_G
fromIndiana
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This is a very tongue-in-cheek pirate story, intended to be funnier than it actually is. Some of the attemps fall flat, but it's at least amusing in places. It's not a well-developed story, but ties the game together well enough. The graphics are good and I had no technical issues. I was able to solve most HOS by simply slowly clicking on everything that looks hidden, but I agree that it steals your cursor after just a couple of too-fast clicks, which was irritating. It is pretty short, but I've played many that were shorter. Still, it was entertaining enough as a daily deal, although pretty light fare. Don't expect much of a challenge.
I recommend this game!
Sinister thrills await you in this gorgeously dark and unsettling real-life ghost story from New Orleans’ shadowy history!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
A pretty good game with two caveats...
PostedApril 7, 2012
Heather_G
fromIndiana
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Marble Popper, Large File, Match 3, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles
(97)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Deadtime stories has very nice, illustrated graphics, pretty good voice-overs, and a bit of a real story. There are adventure game elements, so you're not just jumping from one HOS to the next. It's an interesting and entertaining game, longer than many HOG's, and well-made. This game has a lot going for it, but I had two complaints. The first is that the "narrator" (whom you see but don't hear--all text) is obviously a woman dressed up like a man, and is given a man's name. It's like they didn't have a male character handy, so they used this one and tried to make her look a little more male. That was weird. The other is that I noticed in the ending credits that Jane Jensen had a hand in making this game. The story in this game is decent, but not a worthy example of her talent. This is the story-teller behind the very popular Gabriel Knight adventure game series, and a successful author to boot. I'm surprised the story in this game wasn't better, but it's still got a lot more story than most HOG's. Aside from those very minor complaints, Deadtime Stories is still a pretty good game and worth playing.
I recommend this game!