I bought the Collector's Edition and I have to say for those who passed on it, please do get the SE version. This is an outstanding game with the highest of production value rarely seen in many games today. Our tale follows Edwina's final journey as she embarks on a mission to rescue her beloved and solve the mystery behind the deaths of her parents. This time she must venture into the Town of the Cyclops and has limited time before it dissapears for the next three hundred years. As our story slowly unfolds, we bare witness to a heartbreaking love story as well as discover the secret of Edwina's past. I loved the Margrave series and am amazed as to how they have evolved with each installment. What started off as a simple IHOG has now become a superb HOPA. This game offers truely breathtaking graphics, beautiful artwork and animation supported with authentic voice-overs and a haunting musical score. Game Features include two modes of difficulty, a map that is interactive: offering a bird-eye view of the town as well as an outline of tasks that need to be done. You also have your notebook and your 'tools' that you will need on your journey. This game is heavy on the puzzles and plays more like an adventure with few HO scenes. There are strawberries to collect and your divination cards that were pure fun to play. I loved everything about this game and it took me a while to complete as I took my time just taking in all the beatiful scenery. I found myself immersed in the story and revelled at the challenging gameplay offered. My compliments to the developers and while I am sad at seeing the series end, I do look forward to many more games from them. In my opinion, Margrave: The Blacksmiths Daughter is truely a masterpiece that I will enjoy re-playing again and again.
The Big Bad Wolf is back but this time he should have stayed in the dog house. This next installment from one of my favorite developers leaves me baffeled at how much this game does not meet the standards I expect from a CE game or from these developers. I own all the previous Shadow Wolf Mysteries and naturally my expectations were high. Unfortuately I felt very let down with the entire game, starting with a very weak plot. The story picks up where we left off; our little girl has grown up and is getting married. Unfortunately the wedding gets postponed due to the arrival of Mephistus, the Werewolf who is stalking our bride. Our mission as Detective is to stop him from harming our heroine and uncover his identity. My disappointment begins with the graphics which at times were hazy and dull looking. While some scenes were crisp and sharp, some resembled washed out painted canvases with no life in them. Although voice-overs were well done and in sync; the characters were without much animation. The music was on a loop and there were no environmental sounds to enhance the gameplay. There are three levels of difficulty to choose from and game features include a notebook and a hint/skip button; unfortunately no map so there is alot of back-tracking. Cursed Wedding is your basic HOPA without any of the extras to make it interesting. There are crowded HO scenes that were junk-piled and slightly interactive as well as graphics being a bit blurred. Game-play involved alot of clicking around, collecting inventory objects and solving the odd mini-games that were way too simple to play. After having completed the demo well within the hour, I felt extremely let down. Not only was I unable to emmerse myself into the characters or the story, I felt that the game was just too lacking in any form of challenge to even bother to continue. I expect begginers may enjoy this but to be honest, I think you would be better off to wait for the Standard Edition for this game. Soooo Disappointed with this wolf whose growl is far worse than his bite.
After having played the entire demo, I regretfully will decline from buying the CE and will opt to wait for the Standard Edition on this one. Web of Deceit does offer a unique story that may be a turn off to those who suffer from Arachnophobia. After a rather problematic opening scene, you find myself on a train where a very distressful woman enters your compartment. Before she can begin to tell you her story, a cluster of mechanical spiders swarm around her, trapping her inside their web and carrying her off. You then discover that she was on a rescue mission to save her brother from the clutches of his rather disgruntled and insane wife who is using his invention to destroy the world. I will give credit to the devlelopers for coming up with an interesting and at times compelling storyline. Sadly, due to some rather irritating features, the story began to lose its impact on me and I found myself feeling rather disconnected. I personally blame the slightly murkey graphics along with poor audio and lack of sound effects that I found rather dissapointing. Not to mention the extremely slow dialogue that just plain irritated me. Game features include three play modes, a journal and an interactive map that does allow you to jump to locations. The journal also offers you videos that can be replayed and real live actors are used. Another great annoyance was the constant message that ' you can use something here' everytime I clicked on an active area. I realise that advance and Hardcore mode generally offers no hand-holding, but this constant reminder just made the gameplay frustrating after a while. I did try to overlook all of this mainly because I found the the mini-games and puzzles somewhat challenging and fun to play. I also enjoyed the HO scenes which were interactive. Despite this, I am one who advocates the usage of extra when buying a CE: features that include morphing objects, collectables and achievements which does justify the extra cost. A good story, decent graphics and a variety of mini-games are just not enough to entice me into buying this game at this time. However I cannot 'not recommend' this game based on my own personal preference as I do think that many will enjoy this HOPA and ultimately will find this game fun and challenging to play. As for me, I am afraid that our insey winsey spiders and the 'Black Widow' Prima Donna will see me on another rainy day.
I recommend this game!
-4points
6of16voted this as helpful.
Hidden Mysteries®: Gates of Graceland®
Explore the home of the King of Rock and Roll while searching for clues about a lost song!
......And after 30 minutes of playing, I leave this game. I had expected more from the Hidden Mysteries Series. I think the King deserves a bit better than this basic IHOG. The graphics are good , there are no voice overs and at times there are snipets of real live film footages of Elvis that you can review from your journal. The storyline involves a search for a lost song and you explore Graceland for clues. The backgorund music was extremely annoying; I had expected soundtracks from Elvis but I suppose the copyrights infringments would have been a huge factor. There are two play modes and still alot of hand holding to be found. You have a journal and a map that is absolutely of no use. The game mechnics is your basic seek and find involving unlocking alot of doors, collecting inventory items and playing alot of HO scenes that are not interactive and junkpiled. I came across only two mini-games that were lame and I basically lost complete interest. I expect if you are a huge Elvis fan or a new-commer to the HO games, this may appeal to you. I on the other hand will not be visisting Graceland at this time. Elvis, may you Rest in Peace and thanks for the memories.
For those who opted not to buy the CE version of this game, in my opinion, you really did not miss much by waiting for the SE version. Although I am a fan of the series, I just found this latest installment rather disappointing compared to previous games. My lack of enthusiasm began with the storyline which was rather weak; a theatre where performers have turned into freaks. They seek your help and as Dectective, you must retore them to their human form and solve the mystery behind the secret brotherhood called The Seekers. Still, the game is a very good HOPA, heavy on the adventure and puzzles. As always you have very graphics, although slightly grainy in some scenes, good artwork and good voice-overs. There are three difficulty settings to choose from and option for wide screen. Gameplay is your basic HOPA with 7 chapters. In my opinion, the BC was rather a waste of time and added nothing to the main game. Game features include a journal but no map so expect alot of backtracking. HOG fans will enjoy the HO scenes which were well done and came in three modes; Finding items on the list, Finding objects according to the silhouettes, and reverse HO scenes where you place the items back to their proper place. A far cry from just your basic HO games. There were puzzles to solve, inventory items to pick up and best of all were the mini-games. Some I loved and some were challenging to play. The 'extras' in this game included the crystal ball that offered special powers that you had to collect from each victim and 31 vinyl records that are hidden throughout the game. There is also a list of achievements to be earned which does offer you replay value. In my original review of the CE version, I did not give this game 5 stars as I felt something was amiss. I got this distinctive feeling that this game was a rush job. Same game features as the others but just different setting. As I mentioned, the storyline was weak and lacked substance. However as a SE game, it will more than satisfy your need for a most enjoyable and entertaining game.
Once again Mystery Trackers thrills us with yet another gripping tale where you will find yourself up against the Four Aces and their evil plot against man-kind. As lead detective for the Mystery Trackers Organization, you are sent to the Town of Brightfield where unknown dangers lurk around every corners. A brilliant adventure awaits you in this spectacular HOPA game and the developers have not held back with game features and mechanics. As always brilliant graphics are supported by great sound effects, voice overs and animation cut scenes with real actors. There are four play modes to choose from where hardcore players can test their skills playing Detective mode: no sparkles, no hints, no cursor changing in active areas and no skip. You are not alone; again your cute little dog, Elf, is there to help you and there is a map where you can follow your progress and transport yourself to active areas. You have your hint system and your SG that keeps your place. Game mechanics include solving puzzles and mini-games, playing highly interactive HO scenes, looking for morphing objects and collecting tokens along the way that you can use to buy Elf some gifts at the Dog Shop. You bonus section offers an extra bonu chapter that will reveal the Four Aces' final plan; possibly a sneak preview to the next game. An excellent CE game well worth the extra pennies that once again delivers challenging gameplay.
What ever happened to Fishdom games where you had large boards with icons that you can actually distinguish from one another. I do think that with M3 games, size is important; especially for these tired eyes of mine. Lost in Night is a M3 game with three types of Matches to choose from: group, Swap and Chain. The graphics are sharp and music rather tedious. The icons are small and after a while, gameplay puts a strain on my vision. There are power ups and trophies to win. The best thing about this game is that you start building a village but you have no choice with regard to placing items. Each item has three up-grades so you are busy at earning coins. As for the storyline, I really did not come across one, you just have an empty field and its night-time, no dialogue, no story as far as I could make out. I really think that the devleopers have missed the mark here, a rather dismal attempt a M3 game with a playing field that just does not satisfy me. Sorry, Lost in the Night will LOST me after 40 minutes of gameplay.
Let's get farming in this unique Hidden Object farming simulator hybrid! Harvest the perfect crop, sell it at the market and search the farm for treasures!
An absolutely FUNtastic game with something for everyone. Our Farmer is in trouble with the Bank and faces foreclosure. The only way he can pay back his loan is to win Farmer of the Year and get the cash prize. However his farm is looking mighty run down and we need to help him get his hands on some cash real quick. The fun begins and off we go to plow fields, plant crops, harvest them and sell our produce at the market. We can also collect extra cash by playing HO scenes that have extra bonuses at play. There are mini quests for extra coins and our management skills are tested as we plow our land, plant our seeds, water them and harvest our crops. In addition there are mini-games and puzzles to solve as well meeting some quirky characters along the way. The graphics are sharp and clear, the music relaxing and non-obtrusive. There are no voice-overs or difficulty settings. HO scenes are plenty and packed with tiny objects, some are difficult to spot. Occasionally you will have auto-find where tiny sparkles will appear to help you out. There are bonus actions that you can also play during the HO scenes for extra coins. At first the game appeared out-dated and some of the instructions were somewhat confusing. The screen is crowded and there is alot to do. However once I began to play, I found myself totally immersed into the game. The hour went by quickly and I wanted more. This game is entertaining with some challenges along the way. At first I was slightly over-whelmed with so many tasks at hand and still have not quite figured out some of the game mechanics. Nevertheless I do look forward to going back, especially to earn all 47 trophies that are available as well as help our Farmer to win first prize. Happy Farmin Y'all!
I love Carnivals and I love games that take place in Carnivals and we have had a few. In Dark Arcana, I take on the role as a detective and my mission is to find and rescue a missing mother who has suddenly disappeared inside a Carnival. The owner, a once famous knife-thrower with a tragic past, is playing a cat and mouse game with me and there is something very strange going on with the mirrors. I soon discover that the mirrors are a gate way into a desolate and horrific world where our victim is trapped and it is now up to me to save her by any means possible. The graphics are stunning as are the animation cut scenes and voice-overs are in sync which is rare. There are three difficulty modes and a list of achievements as well. You have a journal with a list of objectives, a map and to make things interesting, a cute little monkey that acts as your side-kick and retrieves objects that are out of reach. As you start maneuvering inside the carnival, there are puzzles to solve and excellent mini-games that are uniquely designed to play. The HO scenes are interactive and you have the option to switch over to a card game called Monaco which I have never played before. During the demo, gameplay was fairly easy but there was a fun factor and I loved the mini-games. The developers have executed an relatively good game that does offer you great visuals, fun game play and a creepy story-line. I also noticed that there is a 'bonus' chapter that is locked and can be played at the end which I found intriguing. I have to say I enjoyed the demo very much and although it was a very short trial, I am thrilled that we have what appears to be a very entertaining SE game to start off the week. Thankyou BFG.
A widow living and young son have recently moved to a small town that has a checkered history of people who have gone missing. It is not long before her own son dissapears right in front of her and her only clue is a dream she had of a scientist who seems to be behind the mystery that palgues the town with wierd mechanical contraptions. Our young Mother is now off in search of her son equiped with only a notebook and a list of tasks that she must complete. This is really your average HOPA with graphics that are sharp with artwork that appears hand-drawn. There are voice-overs and frankly our Mother whose son has just dissapeared, recounts the event as if she were were a journalist in search of a story; cold, impartial and aloof. There are two play modes to choose from and your only tool is a journal. During her mission to find her son, she needs to collect 15 glowing stones and according to her son, they are important. The puzzles involve mainly seek and find, collect inventory items and use them. There is no map therefore, alot of back-tracking is required which gets annoying after a while. The HO scenes are junk-piled and not well lit but you do have a choice to play a simple Match 3 game instead. I opted for the M3 games as I really could not be bothered to find items. HO scenes get tedious after a while. There are mini-games to solve and in the first two chapters that are available in the demo, there was absolutely no challenge in them. This game is a relatively easy going and straight forward to play. Although you do have the option of not hanving any sparkles in Hard mode, there is a task list to help you out and the SG does follow your progress and maintain your place. I suppose we have been very spoiled this last week with some spectacular CE games and this one does pale in comparison. Beginners may enjoy this one however I found the entire gameplay predictable and at one point, incredible lame. A mother has lost her son and she is busy looking for glasses so that the Librarian can offer her a clue froma scap of newspaper? Why not just read it to him. Seriously, I really would like to see some realism in our stories that we encounter and this one is just too familair. I will recommend that you wait for the SE version as I think that in today's economy, our pennies are worth more than this game.