JB4510's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.5
- Helpful Votes:134
- Reviews Submitted:6
- First Review:November 30, 2012
- Most Recent Review:July 10, 2015
- Featured reviews0
JB4510's Review History
Egyptian Settlement 2: New Worlds
Travel to the glory days of ancient Egypt when impressive and mysterious
buildings characterized the western shores of the Nile.
Overall rating
5
/
5
36 of 37 found this review helpful
A Perfect Example of the Genre BFG is so Desperately Lacking
PostedJuly 10, 2015
JB4510
fromFL
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Large File, Strategy
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I read all the reviews and it was those pointing out the game's difficulty that prompted me to try it. I barely finished level two when my demo time ran out, but unlike others who gave up, I eagerly used my credit to buy the game. I've only had it three days and I'm only on level five but I love (almost) every minute.
Does it have a learning curve? Yep, and a somewhat steep one at that for those unfamiliar with these types of games. Could the instructions be better? Certainly, but they are indeed understandable. For me, the issue has been forgetting key tips taught in the tutorial. If there is a way to bring those items back up, I would likely be farther along, but I happen to enjoy giving my brain a challenge.
The workers move a bit slowly for my tastes. I'm used to moving faster through a game once I understand it. However, there is so much going on at once, I'm not sure it would be playable if the workers did move faster.
I am sincerely NOT insulting players who enjoy more simple point & click games. Games are designed to let one's mind be distracted, so if that's your thing, by all means, go for it. I do agree with others though in the fact that the overwhelming majority of BFG offerings have very little complexity or challenge. For those of us who enjoy more complicated games, we greatly appreciate this addition.
I recommend this game!
The kingdom is under threat from pirates! Sail to the farthest islands to save your sister and become hero of the kingdom.
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
A Perfect Sequel!
PostedMarch 25, 2015
JB4510
fromFL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Large File, Strategy, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
If you haven’t yet tried the first of this series, I highly recommend you do so before going on to this edition. Both are wonderfully engaging, instantly addictive, non-linear, quest based games, and highly unique among the general Big Fish fare. They offer the perfect combination of text-based Role Playing Games (RPG), Interactive Hidden Object Games (IHOG), (sometimes referred to as Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure HOPA) and financial management games, (e.g. buying, selling, earning).
Those used to hand-holding IHOGs may find it difficult at first, but if you give it enough time, you will soon be in your element. The graphics in this game, (the second of its series), are indeed much larger and clearer than the first. This is the primary reason I highly recommend people play this game second, as the three pixel graphics of the first game stand a high chance of being somewhat off-putting, once one is used to these.
What is particularly unique and fun about this game is its simultaneous non-linear and quest-based nature; a difficult achievement when done correctly. Most games go one way or the other, and the few that have previously tried this method are muddied at best. Here you have the perfect combination of being urged to continue while also being allowed to take your time to look around, revisit areas in a non-repetitive manner, and move forward when you are ready.
I highly urge everyone to give this game, as well as its predecessor, a chance, if for no other reason than to encourage future editions.
I recommend this game!
Your home has been raided. Your father is missing. Set off on a dangerous journey to save him, and become the Hero of the Kingdom!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Instantly Addicting Hidden Gem - Try It!
PostedMarch 25, 2015
JB4510
fromFL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Strategy, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
12 Labours of Hercules III: Girl Power
(42)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Wonderfully engaging, instantly addictive, non-linear, quest based game which is highly unique among the general Big Fish fare. It's a perfect combination of a text-based Role Playing Game (RPG), an Interactive Hidden Object Game (IHOG), (sometimes referred to as Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure HOPA) and a financial management game, (e.g. buying, selling, earning).
Those used to hand-holding IHOGs may find it difficult at first, but if you give it enough time, you will soon be in your element. The graphics in this game, (the first of its series), are indeed much smaller than most people may be used to. It offers a much greater challenge than a typical IHOG or HOPA where things are just piled everywhere. Hidden items are literally just a few pixels, yet once you get the hang of it, they are surprisingly easy to spot. This is the primary reason I highly recommend people play this game first, before playing the subsequent edition(s). As the graphics become larger as the series progresses, it stands a high chance of being somewhat off-putting.
What is particularly unique and fun about this game is its simultaneous non-linear and quest-based nature; a difficult achievement when done correctly. Most games go one way or the other, and the few that have previously tried this method are muddied at best. Here you have the perfect combination of being urged to continue while also being allowed to take your time to look around, revisit areas in a non-repetitive manner, and move forward when you are ready.
I highly urge everyone to give this game a chance, as well as its successor(s), if for no other reason than to encourage editions.
I recommend this game!
12 Labours of Hercules
Accompany Hercules on a quest to save his kidnapped wife! Meet heroes from Ancient Greece as you vanquish beasts and build wonders.
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
The only game that comes close to Roads to Rome
PostedFebruary 1, 2014
JB4510
fromFL
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Large File, Time Management
Current Favorite:
12 Labours of Hercules
(84)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Really good, addictive strategy/time mgmt games are hard to find. I honestly can't explain why I instantly fell in love with Roads to Rome when others such as the Kingdom saga make me feel like I'm on a bad date. If you prefer RtR to other games lumped in the same category, then this is the game for you. I love the tasking, (but you have to be smart about it), bonuses, and achievements. I particularly love the fact that Expert Mode means Expert. I had to play almost every level more than once, some for days, to achieve gold in Expert Mode. The only thing I didn't enjoy were the mini-games between chapters, but they were minor annoyances. I really hope a sequel or similar game by the same developers comes out soon.
I recommend this game!
Antique Road Trip: American Dreamin'
You are an antiques expert placed in charge of a small town antique shop. Play colorful hidden object scenes and fun minigames to make your business a success!
Overall rating
5
/
5
49 of 59 found this review helpful
In Love with a Game I would normally hate!
PostedOctober 18, 2013
JB4510
fromFL
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Time Management, Large File
Current Favorite:
Antique Road Trip: American Dreamin'
(188)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
In general, I’m not very fond of HOGs and I detest games that require real money to advance. I never intended to get this game, I accidentally downloaded it. Given that, it’s insane how much I love this game!
The majority of poor reviews state the game is too confusing. I really don’t understand that. They only thing I can think is perhaps they are playing online whereas I have the game on my computer just like any other BF game. It walks you through every new event step by step, in fact, some of the help screens become a tad annoying when you’ve played the same event 20 times already but they are easy to ignore.
I think what some people do not understand is that this is not a straight HOG game, or a game with a defined end. It’s a combination of many types of games all rolled into one.
There are tasks that require waiting, earning supplies and monetary resources, similar to Farm Town or any of the other popular FB games. You have the option of spending gold bars to speed the progress of the game. You also have the option to buy gold bars for real money but there is no reason to do this. The game rewards you with everything you need to continue, and does so rather quickly.
It is also a strategy and time management game and I think that is also confusing some people. You have to use your resources strategically and some of those resources have time limits. For example there are many items (sort of like power-ups) that increase your Experience Points or coins for a limited time. You have to account for what you already have, what you need and which special item to use in order to make the most of the time allowed.
Several people don’t understand the concept of returning to the same HOG scene repeatedly. This is how you earn the most experience and resources. If you think of it as a Farming game, thinking of your energy level as waiting for your crops to grow. Once you have enough energy, you then play the HOGs (think of harvesting crops) in order to earn enough resources to complete other quests. The fun part about returning to HOGs, for people like me who don’t really enjoy them I guess, is that it becomes a race to get the items as quickly as possible to earn the most resources. By repeating the scenes you A: are able to increase your winning and B: are also earning points to that particular site. There are trophies for each site and the more you play a site, the more resources you earn. So again there is strategy involved. You can replay easy sites that you have memorized repeatedly to earn resources quickly, then advance to the new sites and take your time learning the scene.
As for me, the best part of this game is that it is absolutely free with no advertisements, constant pop-ups asking you if you want to share your results, etc. You can buy gold if you want, if you spend 6.99 on a credit, you can spent that same amount on gold, but you don’t have to. You just have to be patient.
One thing I did NOT understand at first that may be useful to know is that when you “fix” or “upgrade” a building as part of a quest, using the resources you have earned, you have the option of using Gold Bars to complete the upgrade immediately. At first, I thought the use of Gold was making a second upgrade, which is not the case. After upgrading a building you may or may not see construction work (I didn’t in the first two quests). If you click on that you will see a timer, with the option to use Gold. This is telling you how long it will take to upgrade the building. If you use the Gold, it will immediately complete that task, but you can just wait and it will complete without the use of Gold.
The majority of poor reviews state the game is too confusing. I really don’t understand that. They only thing I can think is perhaps they are playing online whereas I have the game on my computer just like any other BF game. It walks you through every new event step by step, in fact, some of the help screens become a tad annoying when you’ve played the same event 20 times already but they are easy to ignore.
I think what some people do not understand is that this is not a straight HOG game, or a game with a defined end. It’s a combination of many types of games all rolled into one.
There are tasks that require waiting, earning supplies and monetary resources, similar to Farm Town or any of the other popular FB games. You have the option of spending gold bars to speed the progress of the game. You also have the option to buy gold bars for real money but there is no reason to do this. The game rewards you with everything you need to continue, and does so rather quickly.
It is also a strategy and time management game and I think that is also confusing some people. You have to use your resources strategically and some of those resources have time limits. For example there are many items (sort of like power-ups) that increase your Experience Points or coins for a limited time. You have to account for what you already have, what you need and which special item to use in order to make the most of the time allowed.
Several people don’t understand the concept of returning to the same HOG scene repeatedly. This is how you earn the most experience and resources. If you think of it as a Farming game, thinking of your energy level as waiting for your crops to grow. Once you have enough energy, you then play the HOGs (think of harvesting crops) in order to earn enough resources to complete other quests. The fun part about returning to HOGs, for people like me who don’t really enjoy them I guess, is that it becomes a race to get the items as quickly as possible to earn the most resources. By repeating the scenes you A: are able to increase your winning and B: are also earning points to that particular site. There are trophies for each site and the more you play a site, the more resources you earn. So again there is strategy involved. You can replay easy sites that you have memorized repeatedly to earn resources quickly, then advance to the new sites and take your time learning the scene.
As for me, the best part of this game is that it is absolutely free with no advertisements, constant pop-ups asking you if you want to share your results, etc. You can buy gold if you want, if you spend 6.99 on a credit, you can spent that same amount on gold, but you don’t have to. You just have to be patient.
One thing I did NOT understand at first that may be useful to know is that when you “fix” or “upgrade” a building as part of a quest, using the resources you have earned, you have the option of using Gold Bars to complete the upgrade immediately. At first, I thought the use of Gold was making a second upgrade, which is not the case. After upgrading a building you may or may not see construction work (I didn’t in the first two quests). If you click on that you will see a timer, with the option to use Gold. This is telling you how long it will take to upgrade the building. If you use the Gold, it will immediately complete that task, but you can just wait and it will complete without the use of Gold.
I recommend this game!
Building the Great Wall of China
Embark on an epic journey across the Chinese Empire and build the greatest structure known to mankind - The Great Wall of China - in this exciting time management game.
Overall rating
2
/
5
43 of 45 found this review helpful
Slowest TM Game Ever!
PostedNovember 30, 2012
JB4510
fromFL
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This is Roads to Rome on Valium. My extreme disappointment stems in part from the fact RtR is my favorite game and I thought I was finally getting a new one.
The strategy is exactly the RtR formula, so after playing the demo, I purchased the game thinking it would eventually get faster as the levels progressed. It doesn't. The little guys do not move any faster on level 40 than they do on level one, no matter how much you curse at them.
There is virtually no strategy in terms of resource management - the only challenge is to not strangle your cat while watching the builders WALK slowly back and forth from site to site.
There is only one mode of play, no advanced option, at least none I could find. I got 3 stars on almost every level on the first try. The ones that I didn't, I simple could not bring myself to retry as the first go round was torture enough.
Play the demo before you buy. If you like the pace, great. If you are anxiously awaiting a chance to play a fast-paced TM game, look elsewhere.
I don't recommend this game.