coffeyfan77's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.5
- Helpful Votes:672
- Reviews Submitted:141
- First Review:November 19, 2011
- Most Recent Review:March 27, 2018
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Find out who framed your fiancé for murder and clear his name
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Another Strong Installment
PostedDecember 22, 2014
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The Final Cut series has been one of my favorites, and it continues to set the bar pretty high in terms of what you can expect from hidden object/adventure games. It's not perfect, but it's a very enjoyable ride.
Fans of the series will recognize the usual signature characteristics, from the full motion video actors to the very good voice acting. You play as a woman tasked with solving your fiancé's abduction, and there are plenty of twists and turns along the way. Keeping with the cinematic theme, you'll visit plenty of Hollywood-esque sets as you gather items and use them to solve puzzles. The CE also allows you to collect the usual assortment of morphing items, film reels, and other stuff to unlock various content.
I really liked how the game kept moving. It felt action packed and never kept off the throttle, which doesn't happen enough in these high stakes kind of games. The background and settings were great, evoking a kind of Art Deco Hollywood I really enjoyed. I also liked the addition of a ViewMaster kind of device that allowed you to see differences between rooms now and in the past. HO scenes were just the right amount, and had varying degrees of interaction and problem solving.
I also liked the bonus game, which went off into a different and welcome direction.
I also liked the bonus game, which went off into a different and welcome direction.
The only real negatives I have are the difficulty level of the game. Most of the minigames are a breeze, even on the harder settings, and there's a bit too much "find the insignia and put it on some random item in the next room" for my tastes. Some differentiation would have been welcome. The action-esque minigames along the way were a good idea, but struggle with execution and unfortunately don't end up working as well as they could.
That said, these are minor issues and don't infringe on your enjoyment of a solid CE. The story is great, there's a decent amount of characters, and you get the classic movie twist ending. What more could you want?
I recommend this game!
Escape from the clutch of the spiteful innkeepers! Can you help Cosette have a better future?
Overall rating
2
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
It's Miserable, All Right
PostedDecember 16, 2014
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Time Management
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I am a huge fan of the book and was excited to see an adaptation of it as a hidden object game. Unfortunately, I should have listened to the other reviewers before purchasing it, because it's not very good at all.
If you're familiar with the story and/or play, you'll recognize playing the role of Cosette, the girl raised by Jean Valjean after being rescued from the innkeepers. You will follow her from that time through her teenage years, and the game does a nice job of giving you plenty of Victor Hugo's back story and the inspiration for the novel during various times in the game.
That's about the only high point, however. The only sound in the game comes from some looped sound effects, with no voice acting at all. The characters that are introduced (too few) simply move their mouths like puppets. You will do plenty of HO scenes, but the objects are difficult to find unintentionally as they blend in with the background. You'll also get the double whammy of oddly named items and searching for the same thing five or six times.
Minigames are either ring puzzles or matching and sorting games, without much there to really challenge you. The manipulation of the controls is the real challenge, as the game's developers did not make it user-friendly. The tutorial instructions continue until the ending! It's far too short and unfortunately does not leave you wanting for the sequel. Read the book instead.
I don't recommend this game.
Save your friends and escape from a deadly game!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Much More Than What Lies on the Surface
PostedDecember 15, 2014
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The Surface series of games has been one of my favorites, and this might be their best entry yet. The goal of the game is to rescue your friends from a game of their own, created for nefarious purpose by extraterrestrial beings who call themselves gods. The way your character will do this is, naturally, to play the game itself. It's kind of like Jumanji with epic consequences. And it's very cool.
The game starts in an exciting way, setting you up for what's to come and having you piece together how you got to that point with a police detective asking you questions. It's not overly hard, but it's very well done from a story perspective. Once that's done, you'll move into the game and encounter different worlds and baddies throughout, piecing together ways to defeat them using your environment and the items you collect. It's a smart way to make the humdrum more interesting.
The game allows you to make choices that have the appearance of being random and yet aren't (I admit I'd like it more if it truly was, but it would require a LOT more game), and overall there are plenty of collectibles to acquire and flowers to find to make your apartment look spiffy. It's no better or worse than you'd find in any other CE, but works within the confines of the game presented.
The game is fast-paced and fun, with never a dull moment. It looks and sounds very good, as all games in the series do, and if there is a weakness it's with the bonus chapter. It covers ground already mined in the main game and feels way too forced for my taste. I also felt many of the puzzles in game were fairly simple, but they were plentiful and mixed and so I'm willing to overlook it.
All in all, this is a CE that gives you plenty of extras to work with and adds another dimension to a great game. It's like a mini-movie, and different enough that it doesn't play like something you've done fifty times before. Well worth a look.
I recommend this game!
You're a top reporter in search of a missing toymaker – but this isn't child's play. Is something otherworldly responsible?
Overall rating
3
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
Great Ideas, But Far Too Short
PostedDecember 10, 2014
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Time Management
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This is a little game you might otherwise overlook that has a really interesting story going for it. You play a reporter who heads into a small town to search for a missing toy manufacturer but gets roped into a story much bigger (and stranger) than that. While aliens in themselves aren't new to the hidden object genre, the direction this game chooses to take them in is interesting to say the least.
The game itself is both relatively easy and pretty short, so experienced gamers will probably blow through it in an hour or two even at the highest difficulty. There are plenty of hidden object scenes, and they are very easy, with the small adjustment being some items that you have to scroll through some options before you can find one. Minigames are also very simple, and there are some repetitions, especially with the tile flipping kind. I would have appreciated a bit more variety in such a short game.
There are plenty of characters you'll encounter, which is a bit of a rarity in games such as these, and the voice acting and graphics are not bad. I felt like this game had one of the best introductions I've seen in a while, but the protagonist is not taken aback even in the slightest when things get weird early on. The end of the game is puzzling but hints at something grander, sort of like the developers wanted to make a grand point and used an HO game to do it.
Ultimately, it makes you think, which is good, and does have some unique looks going for it. If you're looking for a quick diversion that's distinctly different than what you've seen before (at least in terms of ideas), this will suit you just fine.
I don't recommend this game.
Discover what connects the ship’s disappearance with Devil’s Island and a family’s unsolved murder!
Overall rating
2
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
The Ship Has Sunk
PostedDecember 8, 2014
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Time Management
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Plenty of pirate-themed hidden object games out there, and many of them are better, unfortunately. The story starts strongly enough, with you playing "Madam Detective" as you investigate the case of a deserted ship that turns into a bit of a combination ghost story/horror movie. While that sounds pretty good in theory, it's flaws in execution that drag this clunker to the bottom of the sea.
The couple of characters you meet are animated well, but the same can't be said for the rest of the game. There are a couple of cool visuals, but everything else varies from hand-painted to bland. Hidden object scenes are plentiful but very easy, with many of them able to be completed in a minute or two. Objects are large and obvious. Ditto the challenges in the game, which follow the standard "move something, something else moves too" trope but simplifies it to a ridiculous degree. Even a lockpicking game is reduced to a simple button mash. Unfortunate.
While I applaud the use of voice actors, the woman voicing the main character has the same tone whether she is encountering spirits, being chased by a murderous guy in a raincoat, or falling to her near death. One can only assume she's medicated. The pace of the game is fast and keeps it moving, but the backstory feels a bit unfinished and the ending isn't as much of a payoff as it could have been.
Overall, it's a weak entry into a crowded genre. No buried treasure to be found here, mateys.
I don't recommend this game.
Castle: Never Judge a Book by Its Cover
Solving murder has never been so much fun!
Overall rating
5
/
5
Spot-On Hidden Object Mystery
PostedDecember 6, 2014
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Time Management
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Games based on real intellectual properties have been a bit of a mixed bag in my experience. One thing I use to measure these type of games is whether you have to be a fan of the medium itself in order to enjoy it. I'm pleased to report that it's not a requirement in this game. I'm sure it adds to some of the background of the characters, but this plays like a standard mystery and that's a good thing if you're worried about not being able to follow or enjoy it if, like me, you're not an avid watcher of the show on which the game is based.
The game looks good, with realistic backgrounds and a variety of locations. Sound is fine, though it's rather disappointing that they didn't include any voices, let alone those of the actors and actresses that portray the characters. The HO search scenes are actually the easiest part of the game, which is divided into chapters. You'll show up, do some investigating, go to some various scenes, collect a bunch of stuff, and then confront a suspect with it. Actual deductions aren't really needed, as the interrogation minigame is one of the weaker ones used.
It was the minigames that made me a big fan of this game, actually, as they are varied and quite difficult on the whole. You'll almost certainly figure them out, but it takes a while, and not in a frustrating way. That's really tough to do in a casual game and impressed me a lot. The story plays like a standard episode of any mystery ever, and while the logical leaps and "big reveal" might not be the stuff of legend, it wraps things up nicely while staying true to what a good mystery story should be.
There's also a literary component #makes sense since Castle himself is an author# that tied things together which I quite liked. Overall, this is a straightforward yet challenging game which manages to take its subject matter and streamline it into another form excellently. Well done.
I recommend this game!
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!
Overall rating
3
/
5
5 of 6 found this review helpful
Lacks The Punch of The Original
PostedDecember 1, 2014
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Time Management
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The second game of the "Silent Nights" series is out, and that's no surprise considering where the first one left off. If you're unfamiliar with the story, you play a music virtuoso who has run afoul of some villainous types looking to harness your talents for their own purposes. It's essentially the same plot line as you'll see here, but with the added dimension of extending both families into the fray.
The game features a decent amount of HO scenes, with many of them the placing objects from your list into the scene variety that breaks up the monotony. Everything about this sequel was pretty average to me. I liked the musical touches #though it's far inferior to what they did with the theme in a game like Cadenza#, and the pace of the game is frenetic, as you'd expect in a rescue mission.
Once you get past those, however, everything else is a concerto of mediocrity. The graphics and sound are fine, but unspectacular #and there's an extreme zoom used every time a character comes into the room that's just odd#. The showdown with the villains is forced and a reproduction of what went down the first time, and all bad guys follow the standard "plenty of opportunity to do harm without actually doing it" trope of all James Bond baddies.
The only big difference is that your character can write down melodies to help solve puzzles throughout the game, which is unique, but it's used so blandly that it's almost an afterthought. Wow, I opened yet another lock with a three note combination. The backstory you unlock by collecting items as you go is equally generic, with generally shady goings-on centuries ago that signify very little.
I won't say this follow-up is without its charms, but it won't leave you anxious for the series to continue.
I don't recommend this game.
Special Enquiry Detail: Engaged to Kill
Help detectives Turino and Lamote investigate the case of the brutal bride murderer.
Overall rating
4
/
5
Solid Follow-Up
PostedNovember 30, 2014
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Time Management
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This game has plenty of things going for it. The storyline of the mismatched partners (see the first game in the series, which was even better) is one we've seen many times before, but still enjoyable in this hidden object chase for a serial killer. While the last act is rushed and illogical, getting there is pretty entertaining.
What's best about this game are the extra touches, from the solid voice acting throughout to the very good graphics, particularly evident during the realistic-looking HO scenes. I also found the attention to detail to be impressive, from the humorous comments the main characters make while sorting through various junkpiles to the updating of how many times one of the cops has visited the Statue of Liberty when you go back to the scene for new clues. It makes routine fun, and you don't get that enough in games like this.
Minigames are fairly frequent and for the most part pleasant enough variations of things you've likely seen before (though a repeat of the "chasing the suspect" game was a miss for me) and the moving from location to location with cartoon strip style cutscenes is solid if unspectacular.
All in all, if you enjoyed the first game, you'll find this improves upon it technically but steps a couple feet back on the story side. A twist involving a familiar character never gets intense enough to feel truly dangerous, but it's an action-packed way to spend a few hours. Case closed.
I recommend this game!
Tragedy strikes a popular Parisian cabaret when their star dancer is murdered! Gather the suspects and unmask the killer.
Overall rating
3
/
5
6 of 7 found this review helpful
Suspect Simplicity
PostedNovember 16, 2014
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Time Management
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This short and sweet little game takes you to the legendary Moulin Rouge in a much different way than we're used to, that being the scene of a murder. You play the part of a Parisian detective who arrives at the scene of the foul deed on the behest of a friend. While the game initially plays up an interesting angle of you vs. the police to solve the crime, it quickly moves into a cat-and-mouse type game of you pursuing the criminal all over town with them generally staying one step ahead until the eventual climax.
The game features two "unique" inventory tools, one being a forensics kit that you utilize several times and the other being a board that you use to access character profiles which are updated throughout your journey that helps you to solve the case. While these are both fun ideas, they aren't fleshed out well enough and just seem sort of tacked on. You don't make any actual deductions, you just get information from various places and toss it into the stew.
I actually enjoyed the pace of this game very much. It establishes who you are and what you need to do, and you head from location to location with the expected twists and turns of a decent mystery. The issue is the challenge level, which is minimal even for a novice player. This is particularly evident in the minigames area, where the majority of them can be overcome in moments rather than minutes. While I'm not a fan of making games hard just for the sake of it, there's such a thing as too simplistic and this game is just that.
There is voice acting in the game, and overall it's decent, although there are one or two characters trying way too hard with the accents. The animation scenes are pretty good, and the rest of the graphics and sound are acceptable. A couple of minor quibbles concern the game's tendency to do extreme zooms when a door opens or closes for no apparent reason and your character's consistent surprise at events that have already occurred and been remarked upon previously, but we can chalk that all up to lost in translation.
All in all, the game is fast-paced and fun. The ending is not really explained, which is a bit of a downer in a murder mystery game, but the journey is interesting enough. Still, I can't recommend it except for the most basic gamer. There are far superior games out there with similar themes.
I don't recommend this game.
Overall rating
2
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
The Developers Got Lost
PostedNovember 12, 2014
coffeyfan77
fromPhiladelphia, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Card & Board, Time Management
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
My biggest issue with this game is that it's called The Fog, and short of a tossed-together back story that reads like a B-level science fiction script, it's nonexistent. I was hoping for a creepy horror game, but it's essentially the standard "parent chasing after their child" fare. There are some freaky elements, no doubt, but it's sort of like the creators picked and chose things from various other games and tossed them together in a blender.
The game is not without its merits. There is a good amount of hidden object hunting, and I liked that you collect multiple items from each screen. That's something not done enough that seems logical when you're trying to get through location after location. There's also a puzzle box that you will add items to throughout the game which releases other items you need at critical moments. It's not challenging or complicated, but it's different, and I appreciated that.
The HO scenes require some minor manipulations, but it's nothing that interesting. The challenges throughout the game are the usual twists on the standard pipe building, matching, and maze fare. Graphics are underwhelming #though the intro is nice# and the sound is so background you don't notice it. No voices or anything.
At the end of the day, I don't need bells and whistles to enjoy a game, but I do need some semblance of a coherent plot. The antagonist's motives are eventually semi-explained, but the showdown is underwhelming to say the least and then the game just ends. Nothing worth investigating this fog.
I don't recommend this game.