AverageSizeFish's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:2.8
- Helpful Votes:2,910
- Reviews Submitted:173
- First Review:June 2, 2014
- Most Recent Review:May 1, 2017
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Your neighbor, Monty, has been murdered! It`s up to you to solve the case by exploring solving puzzles and finding clues.
Overall rating
5
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
Unique & packed with fun factor
PostedJuly 13, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Although this game is an older one the graphics have held up well and it looked fine on my newer machine. The music matches the detective theme and is unobtrusive.
The story is an ordinary "amateur sleuth investigates murder in a small town" one but it's so well done it feels fresh and interesting. Your character interviews multiple colorful inhabitants of the town and the HOS represent each person scouring their memory to provide her with clues. Each HOS has a theme to it based on the witness your character is interviewing.
The HOS range in challenge from fairly easy to somewhat difficult and they go well with the story. Mini-games are also cleverly integrated into the story line and, although they aren't difficult, they're varied and fun to do.
Between HOS and puzzles the story unfolds and this part is what makes this game so great. It's told with tongue in cheek humor and the graphics are hilarious. They perfectly suit this delightfully zany game and change it from something that could have been humdrum into something special. I laughed so much during the trial that I had to buy the game. It stays that amusing all the way through to the end and I just had a lot of fun playing it.
This isn't a game that takes itself seriously and it doesn't try to break new ground with an innovative story. Nevertheless it's one of the most fun-filled games of its kind I've ever played. It is truly unique and well worth the cost.
I recommend this game!
Discover the city of Apothecarium, where inhabitants are caught in a perilous struggle against a powerful alchemist who is taking the lives of innocent!
Overall rating
2
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
Mislabeled HOS and unreliable hint button
PostedJuly 13, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Graphics are grey and grainy. The music has annoying crescendos and sounded overly hectic. There is a constant howling wolf noise in the background that rapidly became annoying. It wasn't clear what the wolf sound had to do with the story but, given the terribly low fun factor of this game, I couldn't be bothered to play long enough to know if the howling eventually becomes relevant.
In the first HOS one item on the list was "chest key". I searched for it until I just started randomly clicking things. Lo and behold a round disk came hurtling out claiming to be the chest key. Had I previously run into a chest that obviously needed a medallion to unlock it this would have made sense. However, you get this HOS right at the beginning of the game before your character has done anything that would bring you into contact with a lock requiring a medallion shaped key. This made me feel this was a cheap gimmick designed to make me pull my hair out. Keys are, you know, key shaped. They aren't round disks!
Another item on the list was "dice". I searched for quite awhile and couldn't find it so eventually I resorted to the Hint button. The Hint button wouldn't work. I then exited the game. Later, I felt determined to find the dice so I tried again. Still couldn't find it so again I tried the Hint button. This time it did work but it pointed to a snail. I had to click the snail almost 10 times to make the game accept that I had found the "dice" or...the snail...or whatever it was. It wasn't that this thing was a morphing object or anything...it was just a snail mislabeled as dice.
Add to this the fact that you don't need to find all the morphers in a HOS so the ones you don't need sit there blinking back and forth as you find the rest of the items on your list. In the short time I played this game that feature gave me a headache and made me hope no one prone to seizures buys it.
Overall, this is a really poorly made game that was so annoying I couldn't play past the opening 10 minutes of the trial.
I don't recommend this game.
Dreampath: The Two Kingdoms
Your sister, the Queen, has fallen deathly ill. Now you must travel to a faraway kingdom to find the cure.
Overall rating
2
/
5
41 of 104 found this review helpful
Awful anthropomorphized cat "helper"
PostedJuly 13, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
The graphics and sound are up to par for a new game. The UI was occasionally frustratingly difficult. The journal was helpful.
The story is a typical "girl needs to save her sister by obtaining a magical cure in a magical place" story. It started off well and I was settling in to enjoy the game when all the sudden this anthropomorphized cat showed up and hung out in my hint button area. When I first saw him he was a cute cat. Then he started to talk and, once I saved him, he started walking around like a human. The vest he wore should have clued me in, this wasn't going to be Isis from Fate's Carnival, but instead was going to be an annoying gnome disguised as a cat.
I'm fine with magic creatures but I don't like cats acting like little talking monkeys wearing human clothes. This creature is a pervasive component of the game that you not only have to use for many tasks but have to listen to as he narrates cut scenes relaying back story to you. I love cats and am pretty tolerant of animal helpers in a HOPA but even I found this device childish and annoying.
The HOS I saw were very easy. There were very few. Puzzles were also few and easy. One was the kind where you basically prove you can follow instructions rather than being the kind where you need to think.
Overall this is a game that looked like it was going to be good but ended up being disappointing. The greatest challenge I found was trying to not uninstall it every time there was another cut scene with the cat. As it was I couldn't make it to the end of the demo.
I don't recommend this game.
Was Veronica West’s death an accident… or a cold-blooded murder?
Overall rating
3
/
5
34 of 77 found this review helpful
Solidly average
PostedJuly 12, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The graphics and sound quality were good.
The story line is a typical murder mystery set, as is frequently the case, in a somewhat isolated location with a limited number of suspects. You, of course, play the detective sent in to figure out who done it.
Game play flows smoothly with all the typical obstacles familiar from other HOPA games. They are employed here in a generally logical fashion so you have a good idea of what your overall objectives are and what tasks you need to accomplish to achieve the objective. There isn't any frustrating running around wondering what to do.
As a detective you have the ability to make deductions about a suspect based on your assessment of their appearance. Opportunities to do this arise as you meet a new suspect. You also have the ability to assess a location apparently using a camera-like device that works by telling you about areas of interest as you scroll your mouse over them while holding it. At least I think that's what was going on...it wasn't entirely clear.
There are few HOS and they are very, very easy. There are a few mini-HOS for lack of a better term. These consisted of small scenes where you had to find 4 or 5 items that were very obvious at first glance.
There are several puzzles and all of them are very easy...some to the point where it's difficult to dignify them with the term puzzle.
There are achievements and upon receiving one a box pops up to tell you. This is fine but it lingers there on your screen for awhile which was a little annoying at times. There are also collectibles.
Overall, this is a well made game with a decent, if unexciting, storyline that flows easily along because no element of it has much challenge to it. For people looking for something to while away some time without exercising their brain this game will fit the bill. For those looking for a game with more meat to it this game might feel a little lacking. It is a solidly average game that I can't say is worth buying as a CE.
I don't recommend this game.
Travel the world, meet crazy characters and solve amazing mysteries as a Private Eye.
Overall rating
4
/
5
23 of 28 found this review helpful
A good old HOP game
PostedJuly 11, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This is an older HOP game and the graphics have held up well enough for it to be enjoyable to play although there is some graininess on my newer machine.
Game play consists of HOS and puzzles. There are several unusual features about the HOS. The first is that you take a snapshot of the item once you've found it rather than clicking on it. The game also offers points for collecting the items on the list in order. The lists contain a few special items, which are printed in blue, and you get extra points for collecting these in order too. It seemed that items listed in blue were partially concealed ones where the others were completely visible. Last there are HOS within HOS. The scenes are cluttered and you are timed. Both of these features add some difficulty making the HOS challenging but not frustratingly so.
The puzzles are straightforward and generally easy. There's nothing really innovative in them, especially by current standards, but they are fun to do.
There's a sort of comic-like theme that I found a little corny but the music that comes along with it is cute and doesn't grow annoying.
Overall, this is an older game that is still fun to play. I like doing HOS and that's what I liked about this game...plenty of HOS. People who don't like HOS or timed games will not like this game. People who demand perfect graphics also may not like this game. Someone looking for a temporary reprieve from the running back and forth "adventure" component of today's newer HOPA style games might really enjoy this game as I did.
I recommend this game!
Beyond the Unknown: A Matter of Time Collector's Edition
It’s time to solve the secret of this mysterious island!
Overall rating
3
/
5
51 of 78 found this review helpful
Not dismal but not very interesting
PostedJuly 10, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The graphics and sound are good but nothing special.
The storyline is based on a theme common to the HOPA genre and never rises above complete predictability. The little dog you get is cute, in my opinion, but his cuteness isn't enough to make me feel immersed in the story or even want to feel immersed in it.
Game play has quite a bit of back and forth running around built into it. Basically you find something at point A, run to point C, trade that item for a different one, take the new item back to point A, trade it for another, rinse and repeat. At least most of what you're collecting makes some amount of sense but all the backtracking feels like a waste of time more than an interesting journey through the game.
In between the running back and forth you do a few fairly easy puzzles and even fewer and easier HOS. This is a game heavily dependent on its adventure component for fun factor and the adventure component just isn't that fun.
While this game isn't completely dismal it really isn't very interesting either. Overall it's just okay and I can't see spending CE quantities of money on it. As an SE it might be good for someone new to playing games of this kind if they weren't too picky about story line.
I don't recommend this game.
As a new investigator for G.H.O.S.T. Hunters you have been called to Majesty Manor to investigate a possible haunting or to uncover a clever hoax.
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Classic HO game - graphics not too bad
PostedJuly 9, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The graphics are somewhat grainy and the game doesn't adjust to wide screen very well so it stretches somewhat.
Game play involves doing mostly HOS. The storyline isn't as creative as classics such as Huntsville or Ravenhearst but it's a cute game more along the lines of Hidden Expeditions: Titanic.
Overall, this is an older HO game which still manages to maintain enough graphic quality to be fun if you can tolerate some graininess and stretching in the scenes. I recommend it for true HO fans that don't require super sharp graphics to play a game.
It's sort of too bad that games like this aren't being made anymore. They're different from the current HOPA games and it's fun to have both kinds to play. I like them which is why I dredged the old games here to find one like this.
I recommend this game!
Crack codes, pick locks, comb crime scenes for clues and solve clever puzzles in this thrilling retro detective drama!
Overall rating
2
/
5
11 of 13 found this review helpful
A random clicking around game with a poor UI
PostedJuly 9, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Graphics and sound are acceptably competent. Unfortunately the story and game play aren't.
The user interface issues are formidable and are not the result of bugs but of plain old not understanding how a game should work. The game features drop downs that won't go away, custom cursor that won't go away...this thing is defective by design. Very annoying to play even though the game isn't bugged.
This is supposed to be a HOPA but what you get is really bad HOS that aren't "find-its"...instead they're "click around until something shows ups." You build the list of what you're supposed to find by randomly clicking around until you click the things on some invisible list. As you click the right thing the list forms. I simply don't get how this is anything but completely random clicking. Calling this a guessing game would dignify it with more thought than what is required to accomplish this mindless clicking. The developer tries to justify the randomness after the fact with a voice over explaining how the things you've found all make sense. Unfortunately, it just feels random while you do it and annoying to have them try to justify it afterwards. Didn't work for me at all.
You also get simple puzzles that you can click click click through until they work...this takes about 5 seconds.
All of the above would be tolerable if it were associated with some kind of story but the story is lost in the confusion of trying to figure out what to do next. The "adventure" portion of the game is not well thought out and leaves you wondering what to do next every step of the way. When you're playing a game you're dependent on the developer to create a scenario that makes sense so you can play through it. In this game that doesn't happen.
The game just got very boring very quickly. The developer failed to make me care about the characters and failed to create some logical sequence of actions that would allow progression through the game without constant random clicking. The random clicking infected even the HOS. I wanted to like the game and just have fun with it but I couldn't make it through the trial.
I don't recommend this game.
A crime spree baffles Huntsville™ police! Can you help solve the crime?
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Very amusing HOP
PostedJuly 8, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Wikipedia credits this game as being the first HOG ever made and anyone purchasing it should be aware that the graphics are not up to today's standards. That said, I just finished playing the full game and it looked fine on my newer machine.
It is more accurate to label MCF: Huntsville a HOP because game play consists entirely of HOS and puzzles. You play a new detective charged with solving a series of crimes and you carry out your duties by "investigating" criminals in order to gain clues to feed to the crime computer. Your investigation involves performing a series of timed HOS that are in different locations around the town of Huntsville. Once you've found the requisite number of items you are then given a puzzle consisting of swappable squares that need to be put in order to reveal a picture of the criminal.
If all the game consisted of were the HOS and puzzles it would be fun enough but in between these you are given amusing descriptions of the criminals and the crimes they've committed. It's all light-hearted, clever, and humorous in a way many newer games are not. It's sort of a shame that many games being produced now are cursed with taking themselves too seriously. This one never forgets it's only a game and, as a result, never plods along burdened by melodrama and an overwrought soundtrack.
The HOS themselves are moderate to difficult especially given that the graphics are a little grainy in parts. The timer ups the ante on the challenge. I was able to complete the game without having to repeat a level but it was close at times.
The puzzles are not that tough but they must be completed within the amount of time you have for that level so usually by the time you get to the puzzle you're a little under the gun time wise which increases the challenge quite a bit.
Overall, this is a really fun game for people who like HOS and won't mind a little graininess on the screen. I would not recommend it for people who crave the adventure portion of the newer HOPA style games or for people who don't like timed games. For those looking for a humorous way to while away some hours this game might fit the bill. I had a great time playing it.
I recommend this game!
Solve the mystery of an abandoned enchanted castle! Search for clues within its ancient underground and seek portals to different worlds.
Overall rating
2
/
5
53 of 83 found this review helpful
No mystery just a nightmare
PostedJuly 7, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
The graphics are grainy, grey, and uninteresting. The visual appearance is reminiscent of games years older than this one. I wouldn't have minded this if the rest of the game's features were compelling in some way but they weren't.
The storyline is one of those "heroine kidnapped by evil jealous sister struggling to find her magic power and get home" ones. Following a rather poorly done cut-scene our character wakens in an apparently abandoned castle where she is befriended by a talking mouse that she carries in her inventory for the rest of the game. She then wanders around performing seemingly random tasks that get her inventory items she uses to perform other seemingly random tasks. If she wasn't constantly talking to herself about what she was doing I would have had no idea what I was supposed to do next.
During her wanderings you're treated to dramatic cut scenes of her doing things like walking slowly across the room. It wasn't clear why such mundane activities warranted a cut-scene and the frequent interruption of game play made it impossible to become immersed in the story.
The HOS are confusing in that the list has items of different colors but the colors don't seem to mean anything. They aren't well integrated into the game and while you perform them you are interrupted by things like diary entries popping up as you're trying to find things. They are also very easy.
The puzzles are worse than typical in that things like match three games are included where a puzzle normally is. It's unclear what a match three game has to do with the theme and equally unclear why the developer chose to foist one on me when I was looking for a HOPA game and not a match three game. It's great when people who don't like HOS can choose match three instead but not so great when people looking for a HOPA are forced to play a style of game they weren't looking for.
Overall, this game features a boring plot which unfolds very slowly in a pretty dreary looking setting. Game play involves repetitious back and forth clicking to perform largely random feeling tasks. The fun factor was so poor I could barely make it to the end of the demo.
I don't recommend this game.