arnold1049's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.8
- Helpful Votes:4,545
- Reviews Submitted:555
- First Review:February 24, 2012
- Most Recent Review:December 24, 2024
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Mary Kay Andrews: The Fixer Upper
Small town living isn’t what Dempsey Killebrew, a DC girl, is used to but this chore may just become a labor of love!
Overall rating
3
/
5
TOO MANY SIDE PLOTS LEFT UNEXPLORED
PostedOctober 12, 2015
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This game was pretty short and had some annoying mini games that only required you to be able to move the cursor around an area. For instance, you needed to clean and polish a sink. This task required only that you could move the cursor over the sink twice without missing any spots. There were several of these kinds of puzzles that were time wasters. But without them, the game would have been even shorter. None of the mini games or puzzles were the least bit challenging or unique.
The HOS were ok. Not having that many locations, the locations were revisited several times. Even though different items were used, it still became boring to return to the same scene over and over.
The HO weren't too hard to find; I did not use a hint more than once or twice. The available hints were not based on time passage but on finding little houses hidden in the scenes. A maximum of 5 hints were allowed at a time, so finding more houses was worthless.
Again, the game was short but could have been a lot longer if various sub-plots had been explored. Which boyfriend would Mary Kay select? What happens to Ella Kate? What happens to the house?
This game might be worth a coupon but only if you have to use one quickly before it expires or you have so many you don't really care what you use them on.
Help Autumn find her grandfather’s treasures in this Hidden Object Adventure game! Follow his clues across the globe!
Overall rating
4
/
5
5 of 7 found this review helpful
WHERE IS THE SEQUEL?
PostedOctober 9, 2015
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This is a nice solid HOG with nothing in particular to make it stand out but a very enjoyable game. There are lots of HOS and some of the items are a little hard to see. I found myself using the hint button several times.
The hint button recharges fairly slowly and using it adds additional time to the record of how long you have played the game. Correctly completely the puzzles reduces the total time played. Five minutes are added for hint use while only 2 minutes are deducted for solving puzzles.
There are no time limits within the game so I'm not sure if this game can be played online with other players. I'm thinking not. However, I can't see any other purpose in keeping track of total game play time.
This is a SE so there are not a lot of bells and whistles. It is a long game and locations are scattered all over the world.
Autumn is being directed by her deceased Grandfather to find a jade coin that is the key to keeping her safe from the Syndicate. The storyline leaves a lot of questions unanswered, such as how Autumn's grandfather fell into the clutches of the syndicate and why the jade coin serves as a protection.
When Autumn finds the jade coin ahead of the syndicate members who are also looking for it, I expected the game to end. But she is sent to another location by her Grandfather to find a way to eliminate the syndicate all together. This sets up the sequel, which I don't think was ever made. Too bad, because it is an engaging storyline that made me want to see the end.
Within any given map location, there are 2 to 3 rooms where objects need to be found. This is strictly a "find the pieces that make up the object" type of HOG, not one of my favorites. Finding on object often opens up a search for 2 or more other objects. There is a lot of back and forth among the rooms which is always a little annoying to me, as new item pieces are added to the rooms that weren't there at the beginning. However, once a map location has been completed, you do not return there again.The puzzles are pretty basic and not too hard. The ratio of HOS to puzzles is about 5 to 1.
I did not finish the game in one time frame and found myself looking forward to going back to it to play some more.
I recommend this game!
When entering another's dreams, you'll have to play by a different set of rules.
Overall rating
2
/
5
LET ME OFF THE MERRY-GO-ROUND
PostedOctober 4, 2015
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I haven't run into my pet peeve in a game for awhile, but it still ruins a game for me. I actually stopped playing the game before I finished it. This game seriously needs a map; there is way too much going and coming, back and forth among the same locations over and over again. Too time-consuming and frustrating for me to waste my time moving from place to place. I can spend that time with a game that I can play instead of just move from place to place and back again.
I need to be more careful about buying before trying games that don't have 4 or more stars.
I don't recommend this game.
A spot-the-difference investigation of professional counterfeiters who steal fine art and leave near-perfect fakes behind.
Overall rating
4
/
5
9 of 9 found this review helpful
HEAVY ON "FIND THE DIFFERENCES"
PostedOctober 3, 2015
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This game includes all kinds of puzzles, but the main game play was "find the differences" on pictures of real art. Be prepared for dark, finely detailed pictures and some extremely tiny differences. I'm talking about something the size of a dust mote. This is a hard game and if your strength is not in "find the differences" this game has the potential to frustrate you.
The points earned by completing the pictures can be used to purchase tools to help find the differences. There is a magnifying glass, a telescope, an infra red lamp, dust that can be used to show differences, and other items. The only really helpful tool that I found was the infrared lamp, which cost 5500 points every time you used it on one picture. By the end of the game, I was down to a little over 15,000 points because I had to use this tool so often.
There is a hint button, but it recharges very, very slowly.. There are no difficulty levels to choose, so there is no way to change this. The more hints you use, the more wrong clicks you make, and the more time you take to find all the differences, all reduce your score. I had a zero score on several pictures. The harder the puzzle, the more tools you need, but the fewer points you earn make it hard to buy the tools you need. A real catch-22 game.
Other puzzles include regular jigsaws, moving jigsaw pieces around to get them in the right place to finish the picture, making matches of cards by turning them over two at a time, finding two of the same mug shots, finding the only mug shot that hasn't got a pair and others.
There is not a bonus section per se, but there are places where you can replay all the kinds of puzzles found in the game, as well as more. One area allows you to replay all the "find the differences" pictures. In this same area, you can make a regular jigsaw puzzle out of the pictures found in the game. Another area has 8 jigsaw puzzles, 7 of which you have no point of reference to use to combine the pieces. In other words, there is no picture to show you what the puzzle should look like when finished. The jigsaw puzzles where you have to move the pieces around to create the right picture has no hints and does not tell you when you have correctly placed a piece. You have to keep working at it until you get it right, at which time the game lets you know by removing all the lines around the pieces. To make this particular type of puzzle even harder, the pieces are all the same size and shape.
A puzzle game with lots of puzzles, but being good at and liking "find the differences" is a must.
Join the fearless Samantha Swift on her journey to unravel the mysteries of King Midas’ Golden Touch before it's too late!
Overall rating
5
/
5
13 of 16 found this review helpful
ANOTHER SERIES TO COLLECT
PostedOctober 2, 2015
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I found this game by checking every day on the website for games listed in the various areas that might catch my eye. I particuarly look for good SE games that don't have a CE available so I can use up my free game coupons. This is how I found this game and it has led me into the whole Samantha Swift series.
This game has a good storyline and lots of HOS to play. I ended up playing as Samantha because I didn't realize you had to change players in order to play under your own name.
Samantha's sidekicks are good and add a lot to the storyline. There are no voiceovers. Samantha goes all over the world looking for the Golden Torch while at the same time keeping it out of the hands of the bad girl. Along the way, as do all good archeologists, she collects various items and brings them back to exhibit in the museum. At the end of each chapter there is a summary of all the items collected for the museum and you can visit the museum to see them displayed.
The graphics are cartoonish but the HOS are, I think, pictures of various paintings, perhaps famous. I'm not into art so this is just a guess on my part. Some items are easy to find, others not so easy. The darker pictures seemed to be more difficult. Some scenes were repeated but with different objects to find. They were a good enough challenge to keep me from getting bored.
This is a nice, linear, hidden object game, heavy on the hidden object scenes.
I recommend this game!
Create matches to restore five beautiful gardens in this delightful puzzle game.
Overall rating
3
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
LOTS OF VARIETY
PostedSeptember 30, 2015
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
This game is a kind of hybrid match 3, only it is in multiples of 4 and is played by rotating sets of 4 tiles to make matches of 4 on any of the sides. There are 3 levels of play which provides a lot of variety not only in difficulty levels but in actual game play. I purchased the game on sale and I really wish I had used a coupon. This game just doesn't ring my bell.
Even within a level, there is a lot of variety because of scoring and time targets. In the first level, scoring involves matching tiles that are then turned into grass. Once all tiles have become grass, the game is over. Hence the similarity to Match 3 games.
It seemed that I had no trouble turning all the tiles into grass but I did it in a way that did not meet the scoring target. I couldn't figure out the right combination of speed and accuracy to earn gold stars at this level. Once I got past the first few, easier puzzles, I kept getting silver stars only.
There are a set of achievements to obtain. The size of the puzzle board can also be changed by increasing the number of tiles. The game starts out with an 8x8 board; increasing the number of tiles also increases the difficulty.
The difficulty of the puzzles within the same level also increases when things like stone tiles are added that appear at random to cover the regular tiles and can only be removed by matching tiles next to them. No set of tiles containing a stone can be rotated so removing them is a priority. Again, my naturally slow reaction time made it almost impossible to win this type because more rocks would appear before I could get all the stones removed let alone get all the tiles turned into grass. This is where I stopped playing the first level, particularly because reading the help content showed that rocks were only the beginning of the obstacles that would be added in coming puzzles. I am just not a good timed-game player and these types of games create more stress than I need. I want to enjoy games, not be wound up by them. Of course, both of these issues can probably be put down to my age; 65. I have had enough stress already. LOL.
I played the second level but found it as frustrating as the first, so I didn't spend much time there.
The third level was the easiest level to play. There were no time constraints, no score targets, and game play was very different. Here the object was to move tiles to replicate the pattern shown next to the puzzle. Upon completion, information was provided on how many moves I used and how long it took me to recreate the pattern. There were targets for these actions just to measure yourself against, but there were no stars to win and no penalties for below par performance. I like this part better than the other two, but found myself thinking that the time I spent on this could be better spent on other games with more entertainment value for me.
Using the scored points, the gardens can be upgraded with decorations, benches, flowers, etc. I didn't play well enough or long enough to get a good idea of how this works. Perhaps after you have completely upgraded one garden, you can go to the next one. Just guessing, though.
If you like to test yourself against the clock and recognizing patterns, moves to create patterns and eliminating obstacles, then this should be a good game for you. Always good advice: play before you pay.
I recommend this game!
Explore the Wild West and help Ted and his friends in their adventures.
Overall rating
4
/
5
6 of 11 found this review helpful
IT PAYS TO WAIT
PostedSeptember 29, 2015
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I demoed this game on the developer's site but didn't purchase it because my loyalty belongs to Big Fish. And my wait has been rewarded.
I really like games with a Western theme (and there aren't enough of them out there) but I'm not really good at or like to play time management games. So this game left me in a quandary; give in to my Western preference or ignore it because of the type of game. I found out this game is good at both.
The best part of this game are the characters. I love the white hat/black hat theme and the beautiful damsel in distress. Time management games are fairly similar but this one's storyline sets it apart. And now I can buy it and enjoy playing it to the end. Thanks Big Fish.
I recommend this game!
The Big Secret of a Small Town
Find out what is hidden behind the mysterious disappearance of the Mayor.
Overall rating
2
/
5
CITY OF FOOLS MEETS NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
PostedSeptember 25, 2015
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This game reminds me of the game City of Fools where as there seems to be no rhyme or reason for the actions you need to take combined with graphics that remind me of the movie Nightmare Before Christmas. Not being a fan of either of these entertainment items, you can understand why I have rated this game low.
You are a detective called to a town whose mayor has disappeared in front of a room fool of people, leaving a dummy in his wake. You immediately discover a hidden entrance under the speakers podium on state and you descend into the tunnel under the town to begin your search.
This is not a HOG. There are lots of items to be picked up to be used for actions and puzzles, but none of them are in a HOS. The items are just here and there in the scenes and often so small you have no idea what they are. I found myself exploring every tiny anomaly in the screen and about 1/2 the time I found something to be added to my inventory.
Basically I wasted an hour of my time on a game that tries to be different but fails. However, given the wide range of reviews, it is probably best that you play the demo before making a purchase decision based on any of the other players' opinions.
I don't recommend this game.
Redemption Cemetery: Clock of Fate Collector's Edition
Can you undo the past and set the trapped souls free?
Overall rating
5
/
5
37 of 62 found this review helpful
CHANGING THE PAST
PostedSeptember 24, 2015
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The storyline is about traveling back in time to change events. A railroad employee had to choose between his daughter and a train load of people and he picked the people over his daughter, killing her when he lowered the rail bed on the bridge. Against his directions to stay away from the bridge, Ivy used a maintenance cart to travel on the rails to the bridge. She crashed and ended up getting her leg caught. Her father did not have enough time to free her and if he didn't lower the train bed on the bridge, the train would have derailed, killing people onboard. His decision drove him crazy and he ended up in an asylum.
You are hurrying to get on a train in the mid 1940's when you are suddenly sent back in time to the underground rail system that runs under the old asylum. Here you meet the father's ghost who asks for your help to change the events and save his daughter. He indicates that there are other ghosts in the tunnel, associated with the asylum, who also need help.
This is an excellent game and when the demo finished, I was ready to purchase the game so I could get to the ending, happy, I hope. The graphics are a little dark for me but not as bad as some games. The game is a CE so it has all the extras; skulls to collect to build a cemetery, achievements earned during game play, a jump map, built in strategy guide, a bonus chapter, ability to replay the HOS, screensavers, etc., etc. I earned a couple of achievements during the demo and collected enough skulls to be able to add some objects to my cemetery.
There are 4 levels of difficulty, including a custom level. The tutorial can be full or just showing up when an unusual situation occurs. There is a help icon that can be accessed prior to starting the game that gives you much of the same information the tutorial contains.
The storyline flows smoothly and game play fits right into the storyline. The HOS are not that difficult. I'm not sure I actually played a puzzle/mini game during the demo, but there were times when you needed to find a code to open a door, collect x number of items to use to open an object, etc. This is not a hard game for me but still involved enough to keep me interested.
The only thing that was a little off for me was that the graphics were a little too realistic, showing blood splattering on two different occasions.
I recommend this game!
Explore the Pharaoh’s tomb in this puzzling pyramid adventure. Venture into the mummy’s lair and collect all the treasure!
Overall rating
4
/
5
ENGINEERS NEEDED
PostedSeptember 24, 2015
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
This game requires a very good knowledge of how leverage, weight distribution, trajectories, magnetism, and all kinds of other forces can be used to move objects. And if that isn't enough, you need to be a fast-as-a-speeding-bullet clicker. I'm not too bad at the former, but cannot match the needed clicking speed. To compensate for people like me, the game allows you to skip levels easily.
Each level of the game contains a screen full of an assortment of blocks and beams. The golden blocks must stay on the board while you eliminate all the mummies and ghosts. Other blocks can be used in combination moves and can either stay or leave the board. And while you are moving all these objects, you have to catch flying gems before they go off the board. As do most games, the levels start out fairly easy, but that doesn't last long. Moving bars are added, swinging blocks, and boards that are wider or longer than fits on your screen, requiring you to scroll right/left or up/down to make your plays.
You earn scores for each level based on several actions. One is a par system, like golf, where there is a standard number of moves set for each level and you are scored as under, equal or over par. Points are also earned by catching the flying gems and how fast you finish the level. If you make a mistake and the level closes, you can replay it or skip it. If you finish the level and don't like your score, you can also replay it.
The levels are shown on a screen that shows an underground mine. The levels are "signs" going down the path further into the mine. The path zig zags to accommodate about 20 levels for each screen. You cannot go to the next level without finishing or skipping the previous level. In reading the achievements, I think the game has lots of, maybe hundreds, of levels to play. I got through about 25 in the hour I played.
The signs on the mine path start out white and turn gold if you meet or are below par and show a bunch of rubble around the bottom of the sign if you get the gems.
Lots of achievements are available to meet, some of them very creative. And, of course, many are based on time of completion. For me, any game that is timed is very difficult, and reduces my enjoyment of the game.
With all the things going on at any given level, you must be able to think and act fast. Some levels are static to begin with and allow you time to look and strategize. Others are in motion as soon as they open, giving you no time to plan your moves.
This game is definitely a brain teaser and the added time, par and gem requirements complicates the play. However, because of the clicking speed required, it is not a game for me.
I recommend this game!