At times, Trilogies can be disappointing; NOT SO IN THIS SERIES! This was one of the finest games I've played in several months. The story line is engaging: I never thought I'd be helping Death set things straight in the world! There are 3 levels of difficulty. The hint/skip charged quickly. There is a jump-map. YOU MUST USE THE MAP. It's essential because you go back to your house many times for items. The mini-games were rather simple, & didn't take too long to complete. If you like the complicated ones that take an hour to figure out, then don't get this. But for me, I loved the fact that I wasn't frustrated every 5 minutes by vague & sometimes impossible to understand puzzles. These were great, as it kept the flow of the game moving. The graphics could have been better. I didn't have trouble finding items, but they were not as crisp & clear as I would have liked. This part is really the only thing I would gripe about. It wouldn't have taken long to sharpen the images, but for whatever reason, they let the graphics slide. Too bad... I found the story line intriguing. I don't believe in writing spoilers. Play this one for yourself, & you'll see what I mean. This is an in-depth story, with several facets in each chapter. As in the other Riddles of Fate, I found this one to be a bit short. It certainly could have used another chapter. I'm sure that the CE runs longer. As far as re-play value: I'd say it's high, but not often. Since all of the RoF games are rather short, it would be easy to remember all the sequences if they are played often. I will certainly hang on to this game, but may not play it more than once a year [in order to keep it from being monotonous]. Kudos to Big Fish for another great one! But please, just ONE more chapter?
Not that this is a bad game! It's about as simple & basic as you could ask an HOS to be. It's a game that has you hopping around with Santa & finding things - That's it. The Hidden Object Scenes were more difficult than I expected them to be, mainly because some of the items are very small, & some hidden so well that I don't think even a pro could find it [i.e. the cat in the Christmas tree?!]. That became a bit aggravating at times. Nonetheless, it made for a challenging game. The mini games are rather simple; even the newest player could get through them in quick time. They are pretty much the same throughout the game. There are no voice-overs, but it's ok because this game is just about finding things & moving on. So if you're looking to kill some time & not worry about dark scenes, saving the world with only minutes to spare, or rescuing your loved one from Evil Forces, take this one on. It's a lot of fun, & will get you in the mood for a great time of year. As far as re-play value - I'll go out on a limb & suggest once a year.
I had high hopes for this one; but it was a bit of a let-down. The graphics were good, but not what this game needed. I would have liked them to be crisp & clear; instead they were on the lower side of average. The voice-overs are excellent & very believable from the characters portrayed. The music was fine at first, then it ended up being so irritating I finally had to go in & lower it. I wasn't pleased with the sound effects either. There's the possibility of customizing the hint/ skip time, but only as far as they will allow. There is a map; not good for much. IT IS NOT A JUMP MAP, which is too bad, because there's a lot of back & forth with this. The HOS were varied; you play each scene 3 times, but they try to mix it up with silhouette as well as giving clues. There's also the potential to find collector's items, although I'm not sure that they do anything in the game. As far as I could tell, they did not. I found the mini-games to be more irritating than challenging. I got really frustrated a time or two, & when I would 'skip', the game tries to guilt you into sticking with it. Don't fall for that! This game had so much potential! But the developers chose to not capitalize on that, & ended up with a mediocre game at best. As far as re-play value, I'd put this one at the bottom. I don't think there's enough challenge that would keep you wanting more. There is a hint that there may be a sequel. If there is, I hope they do a much better job than they did on this one. I really don't know if I should recommend this or not, because of how poorly this game is put together. Ultimately, I'd suggest you find something with better graphics, sound & challenge.
I don't recommend this game.
+3points
6of9voted this as helpful.
Strange Cases: The Faces of Vengeance
Agent Claire Ellery must rescue her young ward, but this masked kidnapper has set deadly traps in the abandoned mall!
Just so you know, all my reviews are on the COMPLETED GAME. Two levels of challenge. Graphics are good - tolerable. This seems to be an older game, judging by this alone. Very 'cartoonish'. The voice-overs are fine; you only hear them talk, [the cartoon factor]. There's an interactive map, & it's imperative that you use it. There's a lot of bouncing around in this game; from one floor to another, inside/ outside. So take advantage of it or you'll be forever walking around. The gameplay on this is average. I got tired of going to the same HO areas time after time! I think it's 3 times per site, so it gets a bit redundant. The mini-games are so-so. There's not much challenge to them, & they are pretty easy to figure out. The game only took about 2 1/2 hours to play. I couldn't believe how stupid the ending was! You get all geared up for a big show-down with the bad guy &.... pffft! It could have been so great, instead it was a huge disappointment. What were the developers thinking?! As far as re-play value, I'd say it's pretty low. With it being so simple to figure out, it would be way too easy if you played it more than once per year. I will recommend this game, but be aware of the simplicity of this game. It was enjoyable, & a bit fluffy at times. It could've/ should've been much better.
Wow! I'd be hard pressed to find anything about this game that I thought could be better! First, You can choose your level of difficulty - including choosing for yourself how long the hint/skip takes to re-charge. I love any game that gives that as an option. It helps personalize the game. There is a great deal of story-telling in this game. It will take quite a bit of time to play. It took me about 3 hours. Although there is a lot, it's also interactive in many places, so you can't just skip through it & pretend you know what happens next. The graphics are just amazing! I was thoroughly impressed with them all the way through. As you travel through the mirrors, you get a sense of a 3 dimensional shift [Just like you're supposed to]. There's an interactive map, which is very useful. There's not a whole lot of jumping, but it does help, especially when you're jumping between worlds. The hint will also direct you if you don't know what to do next. I did get lost one time, & after a frustrating couple of minutes, I was able to work myself out of the screen. I just didn't pay attention to one little detail - that made the difference. The voice-overs are excellent. They are clear & understandable. The music seemed to fit the game all the way though, although there was a time or two that it got a bit redundant. There are various HO scenes, none of which you visit more than once. Each of these scenes will give you an item for your inventory. The mini-games are varied, although many of them are along the same line. As I say, you can set the skip time on all of these for as long or as little time as you'd like. There are also a couple of points in the game when you have to decide the fate of the story. "Do I choose this, or this?" I'm not sure how it changes it, but it's fun to think you have a bit of decision making to do. You have a little companion along the way; although I really don't know why... Most of the time he sits at the bottom of the screen asleep. I did think that part was a bit silly. The re-play value of this game is high. I'd think one would be able to play this game several times before getting to know it too well. There's nothing like feeling like a hero at the end of a game, & this one will certainly leave you feeling like that. I would absolutely recommend this game! It's got everything you want in an HO/Adventure game: great graphics, characters, places & lots to do. So be sure & add this one to your collection!
A fire breaks out during a concert, and now your daughters are both missing. Hurry to track them down – their music may hold the key to life and death!
Pretty good little game! There are 3 modes of play. Music: for the most part, AWFUL! There's some really annoying music in this. There is violin music, but the worst is some bad opera singer doing vocalizations in the background. That drove me nuts! So you should probably turn it down in the Options menu. The Hint/Skip time is good, about 30 seconds for the hint, 45 seconds for the skip. Graphics are a bit on the grainy side. Some of the cut scenes are downright poor. However, it wasn't so bad that it interfered with the HO scenes. The voice overs are good. They are very clear. They don't move their lips. You stare at a picture of them while you hear what they have to stay. YOU MUST USE THE MAP on this game. There's a great deal of bouncing back & forth, so if you don't use the map, you'll spend a lot more hours travelling than you will playing the actual game. It's very helpful, & lets you know where you need to go. There's a good variety in the HO scenes; some of the regular, but also some silhouette & 'put back' ones as well. Normal game play time: a little over 2 hours to complete [in the casual mode]. The mini-games were varied, & not too challenging. An added factor to this game is that you're always on the lookout for music paper to write on when you hear music. The re-play value would be marginal. One would only want to play this a couple of times a year. But it's definitely a keeper! The little nit-picky things that I've said shouldn't hold you back from getting this one. It's really a lot of fun, & just enough of a challenge to keep your brain working!
I was a little disappointed with the second Amaranthine Voyage, so I was a bit hesitant about getting this one. I'm glad I did! This game is full of everything you could want in an HO & Adventure game. There are various ways to find the HO's, & a huge variety of mini-games. Most of this was not a challenge, but there were a few things that threw me off. But that just made me want to keep playing to see what was next. The game has a custom setting so that the re-charge time & skip mini-game can be as long [or short] as you want. The graphics are just amazing. The voice overs are excellent; however the characters were a little stiff. Trust me, it's not that big of a deal. The game is very long, so don't think you can just sit down & breeze right through this in a couple of hours. There is a very good map [that can also be changed in the Custom mode], & that's good because there is some jumping around. It's refreshing to have so many HOS in this game. Some are in places that you wouldn't expect. As for re-play value, I'd put it at the top of the list. Since the story line is quite deep, one would be able to play this several times before knowing it inside out. There is also an alternative ending! Definitely.Get.This.Game!!
I recommend this game!
+33points
33of33voted this as helpful.
Dracula: Love Kills
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!
I'm not really into the whole vampire/ zombie thing, but I made an exception on this game, & I'm glad I did! As I said in my title, I'd give this 5 stars except for one thing: The story line is long, drawn out & at times gets a bit tedious. Since it's my first play-through, I had to listen to all the dialogue so I knew what was going on. This about doubles the time to play the game. The voice overs are excellent, & the music was typically creepy. It seems strange to think that Van Helsing & Dracula would work together on something! The Hint/ Skip charge works rather well (in the casual mode#, I didn't need it much, but when I did, it was ready to go. The #casual) puzzles were good; some challenging, some incredibly simple. I've not tried the 'expert' settings as of yet. If you don't mind a bit of macabre in your day, then this is a good game for you. Be aware that you're always on the lookout for vials of blood to suck up! I would recommend this game, & the re-play value would be high. That is if you can wade through all the countless lines of dialogue!
I've loved the other "Myths of the World" games, but this one surpasses all of them! What's more, I felt that this could certainly be a CE, rather than just a SE. The hint/ skip control can be set to your personal liking #which I absolutely love#, as well as other controls from the options screen. The story line seems a bit weak at the beginning, but after a few minutes you're able to figure out what's coming at you next. There is a map - I didn't use it once, so I can't say how it works. There are lots & lots of HOS in here, & all of them have a little twist to them. You have lists, pictures & clues. Plus, you have to find things in order to get to the HO list! That probably doesn't make much sense as you read this, but as the gameplay continues, it will become clear to the player. The voice-overs are excellent, and the ambient sounds are amazing. Even the music was downright creepy at times, & led to the credibility of the story-line! Be sure to play this with the sound & ambient on. It really helps get you deeply involved in the game. I thoroughly enjoyed this game, & was sorry when it ended. It's average in length - took me about 3 hours to complete. I'm usually a bit hesitant about the whole vampire thing, but I had fun with this one. The only part that bugged me was the ending. It was sort of ambiguous as to what happens to some of the characters #yourself included#. During the game, you're turned into a vampire, but I'm not sure if the player gets his/ her mortality back at the end. Since the two partners were vampire hunters, it would stand to reason that the player is a mortal again, but that isn't made clear at the end of the game. But that's a very minor flaw in a wonderful game. Be sure & add this one to your collection. It'll be one of your favorites. Re-play value is extremely high with this game.
I really didn't think anything could top the first game in this series, but this one did! I absolutely loved this game! It has so many different facets, that it would take hours to describe them all. This game is one to judge all HOS games by. The House of 1000 Doors is back, & our Heroine Kate has shown up to find out what's coming next. There are some voice overs, but for the most part, it's just Kate. There are also "Morph" objects to find & collect. There are 4 major doors to explore, & with each door, a different challenge awaits. This game has great challenge, while being really enjoyable. The graphics are sharp, The sound/ music won't make you crazy, the HOS are well done & the mini-games are challenging. The Hint/ skip re-charges relatively fast. I can't think of a negative thing to say! So enjoy this one! You will most assuredly get your $$'s worth from this one!