megwoman25's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.7
- Helpful Votes:1,465
- Reviews Submitted:285
- First Review:December 20, 2011
- Most Recent Review:December 7, 2020
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Change the course of history by helping your relatives during key moments of their lives in Bedtime Stories: The Lost Dreams!
Overall rating
2
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Boring, Predictable & Lackluster...
PostedNovember 16, 2013
megwoman25
fromNorthern California
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I learned a valuable lesson with this game. Just because a game is a daily deal and only $2.99, does not make it a good game. I remember demoing this and thinking it wasn't that good and after playing the entire thing, I concur with my first thought, that this game is not very good. Its boring, lackluster and very predictable. Predictable isn't necessarily a bad thing but the story lines could have been a bit more intriguing.
You are helping your family get the lives they have always wanted because everyone is sad that they let their passions slip away and a little boy helps fix them. No one passions are all that interesting though. A mother wanted to succeed at a play, the daughter wanted to do adventures with some guy she likes, the dad wanted to be a baker, not a dentist and someone else wants to help solve crime but always lets the bad guy get away.
The game ran great at first and I might have liked it more if it ran smoothly but by the 2nd chapter, and there are only 4 chapters mind you, it started to lag in some places. It was hard to move the cursor around, it felt sticky and sometimes it got better and other times it just made the game lag. I see this is a problem in the technical forum of this game and since its been awhile since this game was released, I can see that no patch was ever made so thats not real great in my opinion.
Had the game mechanics worked properly, I might have given this 3 stars but the way it is, is sloppy and clumsily made and with only 4 chapters, there really isn't much game.
Now what I will give props to is the difficulty level. There are 2 modes, casual and expert. Expert mode is pretty hard because you don't get the skip button out of hidden object scenes and there is no going back to change your decision after the fact. What makes it even more difficult is that it doesn't show you a "hand" if something needs to get picked up so there were times I thought I had all the inventory but was missing something and it took me forever to find what it was. I should also mention though that its not consistent, the difficultly level, because there are times you will see the hand over items but it seemed like when I couldn't move on, it was always because I had missed an item that the hand did not tell me was there.
Overall, this is a filler game, which I usually enjoy but due to the technical issues, predictable story line and completely unoriginal stories, I have to give this game a pass and no I don't recommend you waste money or a credit on this one. Play the demo, be happy with it because its the only part that doesn't work slow and be done with it. Be happy not having to skip through a bunch of non voice over dialogue, snail slowwwww cut scenes and an overall boring game.
I don't recommend this game.
Your brother is kidnapped during an air show. Search for him in a beautiful world where the sky is as wide as your imagination.
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Excellent Game!!
PostedNovember 14, 2013
megwoman25
fromNorthern California
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Review based on finished game & bonus chapter.
Very rarely do I give 5 stars but when I do, its usually Elephant Games that just bowl me over with excitement and this game is magnificent. In fact, words can't describe how much I LOVED this game. Let's start with the fact that up until now, I never much cared for this series. I couldn't stand the first one and then never bought the second one but this one is magical and everything about it makes sense even though it stretches the imagination to a world you would not believe yourself.
If it makes the sense, the characters in this game, the live actors who I usually can't stand in most games, did a wonderful job. So lifelike in fact that while playing the game I believed in Jeremy and thought he was a real person and that I had to save these people and his world. I haven't played a game in years that made me feel that immersed in the world I was in. However, I wanted to fight to make this right for Jeremy as if I was his own brother fighting for him and Im a woman...so the fact I felt like his brother says how well done the visuals/sounds and live performances were. Kudos to the team for such a stunning presentation!!!
I like how in this series, items you find along the way are used in the hidden object scenes. Sometimes if you reach a scene and can't complete it, its because you don't have the object yet but I found that I almost always had the right object. I played on the hardest mode since there is a great strategy guide that tells you how to solve puzzles you are stuck on or where to go if you are lost. I never used a hint, skipped a puzzle or bypassed any part of the game. If a puzzle was challenging, I would look it up and then figure it out myself to how they got that answer.
However, in the achievements section, it didn't register everything I had done when I completed the game. I never used a hint for a hidden object scene nor skipped a mini game but I never got credit for that. I also met a key person and never got credit for that either. So either their list has a few flaws or I forgot to do something which would be hard considering some of the achievements are get as you play and if I've played the whole game, how come I don't have them?
Part of the game was collecting flowers to rebuild key areas of Jeremy's life like his house, the soaring city and the air show I believe? I guess I didn't see a few flowers because I wasn't able to complete this part completely which saddened me. Not only that but nowhere does it tell how many flowers there actually are. It would have been nice to know how many I needed total. I thought I got them all.
But despite my issues with the achievements and the flowers since those are all extras, the main game and the bonus game were fabulous. The main game has a complete and satisfying ending so there is no need for the bonus. The bonus takes place on the soaring city but in places we weren't before and Hope summons you because the soaring city is having some issues internally so you go back to save the day. Flowers do go into the bonus level.
Elephant Games have me wrapped around their little fingers with the games they offer. They are so well done. Music put in places that really enhance the scene, visual quality that surpasses most other developers and when I am playing a game, I always forget its just a game and am totally immersed in the environment before me. I definitely recommend this game. Kudos to this developer who just keeps outdoing themselves and shows quality is a whole lot better than quantity.
I recommend this game!
Uncover dark forces emanating from the heart of Old Town and be spellbound by this adorably ghoulish horror-themed puzzle game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Relaxing Halloween Match 3
PostedNovember 13, 2013
megwoman25
fromNorthern California
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Themed games for the holidays seem to always be awful but this is a rare gem among them! Spooky bonus brings match 3 players a delightful scary realm of witches, ghosts, bats and other things that go bump in the night and each level offers something different.
Boards range anywhere from finding 50-160 cats, bats, ghosts etc to having to get all the gold tiles to having to get rid of spider webs and blocks to having to get skulls to the bottom of the screen.
There is a relaxed mode as well as a timed. I played timed and until level 99 I did not need to replay a level but since 100 is the last level, 99 and 100 were pretty tricky to try to get 200 bats while trying to get the skulls, spider webs and concrete to move. So the relaxing version is relaxing and the timed version was really relaxing too until the last few levels. I always had enough time. Sometimes it gives 12 minutes a level! The powerups come in very handy at that point. Watch out for the glimmering items on the board, when connected in a match 3, they will refill your powerups which you get throughout the game.
You are trying to find the evil in the city and make your house look pretty at the same time by decorating with items you find or items the witch has you buy for trick or treaters.
I really had a great time playing this game. Its quite addictive with its sound effects. Great scare fest for halloween or any other time if you like this time of year and want it around more often. Kid friendly but also for adults. I gave it 4 stars because the boards do get kind of repetitive after awhile but then take a break and come back a few days later and keep having fun!
I recommend! and thank you developer who thanked me at the end of the game~!
I recommend this game!
Save a loving couple from the clutches of a powerful alchemist in Break the Curse: The Crimson Gems!
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Terrific PUZZLE game!!!!
PostedNovember 9, 2013
megwoman25
fromNorthern California
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
If you are not a fan of puzzles then this is NOT the game for you but it IS the game for ME!!! The only hidden object lists were ones you find multiples of like find 6 valves or find 5 wrenches and the rest of the time instead of list hidden object scenes, you were solving puzzles!! I absolutely adore the concept of this game. So refreshing to have a pure puzzle game instead of lists!! The puzzles were some of the same ones we know but with a twist and also some newbies. The puzzles do repeat because you have to go back to the same places to do tasks sometimes. I only skipped a few puzzles as I cannot stand the ones where you have a board with one tile missing and you must slide the tiles around until they are in the proper spaces. There was also a few tricky math ones I just could not work out but the skip button refills and on expert, it took about 2 minutes but that was enough for me to try a puzzle and either do it in that time or give up and just in the right amount of time before Id get frustrated!
The story of this game is a lost loved one but an evil witch turned the hero into a phoenix parrot like bird that talks to you and leads you. The hint button is helpful because when pushed, it gives you a synopsis above the inventory of where to go. Only thing about this game is that there is no map but I never felt like I really needed one as there isn't a lot of backtracking.
The crimson gems did break the curse but there really that many of them. I thought Id be collecting them for awhile but that part is quite short lived and the rest of the game is doing puzzles either to open doors, do spells, make things, take things apart, help out others. I just love that this is a PURE puzzle game and so well done!!! It is so refreshing to play a game that gives you puzzles to open things instead of finding keys, bas reliefs, animals, helpers to do it. If you want in, you have to use your brains!
The developers are GI. I think I have heard of them before but can't think of another game they do and can't find a website that would tell me. Anyways, this is a job well done! The story was interesting and the puzzles were unique and I felt so accomplished solving them. On expert there are no sparkles even on puzzle scenes! So nice when developers actually make it hard for people who want it hard. I really enjoyed playing this game and I can only hope other developers realize that although a lot of people love hidden object games (me me!!) that its nice to have an adventure game too especially a pure puzzle game for us puzzle fanatics! Kudos. It ends satisfactory and I definitely recommend this to puzzle fans!!!
I recommend this game!
Can you solve the mystery of the ghostly violinist?
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Review of Completed Game...
PostedNovember 8, 2013
megwoman25
fromNorthern California
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Gardenscapes: Mansion Makeover™
(277)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I really like this series as I do most Boomzap games. They are very talented developers and always outweigh my expectations for a great game. They just keep getting better and better. This game has more puzzles than hidden object scenes which I like however they were all very, very easy. None of them took me more than 5 minutes to solve and I was playing on the hardest mode. I would have liked more of a challenge like the other games in this series which is why I gave it 2 stars in that department but overall I did enjoy it playing it. Hidden object scenes are done quite well and are all interactive. The voiceovers are great just like usual with this developer.
The inventory box locked. thank you! such a little thing but it makes a big difference! There was no map but since each chapter is a new location, it doesn't require one. I did really like this aspect but had it been a collectors edition and you were collecting things, it would have been a drag not to be able to go back.
The story line was kind of weird in this one. I felt like it got rushed near the end. However, it did end satisfactory for me and I did not feel as though I missed crucial parts without a bonus chapter.
Overall, this is a very enjoyable game but shorter than previous ones in this series. I clocked in at about 3 hours. Also, the level of challenge is lacking therefore I am taking off 1 star. Very good game though and I think I will probably replay it someday! Kudos!
I recommend this game!
To save her father, Bella vowed to stay with the beast, but is he truly evil? Help Bella follow her heart!
Overall rating
4
/
5
7 of 8 found this review helpful
Review of Completed Game...
PostedNovember 7, 2013
megwoman25
fromNorthern California
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This is a very well done game and I liked it a lot. This is a very heavy hidden object scene game with much more lists than puzzles. It does spice it up a bit and throw in fragmented objects which is a nice change of pace and they are very well camouflaged in with the environment making them quite tricky. In fact the hidden object scenes were a lot harder than most games. At first they were interactive but as time went on they were not and I did not like that as I love interactivity in my scenes. I found that the hint button was needed in some of the scenes and although the first hidden object scene you come to is very ugly, I can assure you that after that, they get better. This game needs about 30-45 minutes of gameplay to really get you absorbed with the story.
The story is the beauty and the beast fairy tale we all know but has a twist to it and I really liked it. Wasn't the typical run of the mill story that gets remade over and over. There were stunning voiceovers in this game, very well done and very life like. Bella and the Beast were very likable characters and the rest of the cast was up to no good. It really had me fooled with who the culprit was which kept my attention.
There are casual and expert modes. They cannot be changed within the game once they are chosen. I found this to be slightly annoying. The expert level gives you access to the jumpable map BUT does not tell you where something needs to be done. In MOST games, I am totally ok with that but not in this game because there were sooooo many locations. If you hovered over a location, it would show you a picture of it which I really liked but with so many locations and having to play some of the hidden object scenes more than once, I found it quite tedious not having any direction of where to go.
That being said, there is A LOT of back tracking. Yes, you can use the map IF you can figure out where to go. A lot of times you would get items you didn't need til later and there are 3 main areas with locations amidst them. It wasn't always logical where to go and don't ever assume you are completely done in a location. I found that I had to keep going back to a lot of them. The hint button is very helpful both inside and outside the hidden object scenes. Outside of the scenes, it directs you where to go. However, with so many locations, I would figure out where it was leading me then jump to where I thought it might be taking me, then hit the hint again and have it steer me. Way faster that way.
I really enjoyed the gameplay and the story line but the fact there was no lock on the inventory, where to go at times was shady at best and the hidden object scenes were a little hard on the eyes made me knock a star off. Otherwise this is a great game from a new developer, at least one I have never heard of before and deserves to at least be tried and then bought. This game is long and took me approximately 5.5 hours to play. Had I not used the hint button to direct me at times and for the hidden object scenes, it would have taken me much longer. Kudos.
I recommend this game!
Gardenscapes: Mansion Makeover™
Welcome back to Gardenscapes! Turn the hall into a masterpiece!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Fantastic Follow-up
PostedNovember 6, 2013
megwoman25
fromNorthern California
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Playrix games has done it again with a super fun and engrossing game that once started is very very hard to stop even for a break. This is the same concept as the first game but instead of fixing up the garden, you are fixing the interior for your friends to come over. There are all the usual characters and even more ways to decorate your house.
There are timed and relaxed modes. You get bonus points aka more money when you play timed. I played timed and I never had to redo a level, you get plenty of time in my opinion. Some of the decorating stages had over 5 ways you could do it! That was a new thing since last game only had 3 different ways. I found there were matching sets too based on what you chose which I like in a house.
The rooms were very unique where you sell items. Watch out for pieces of gold to get more money faster. My only issue would be that I felt like I visited the "nursery" more than any other room and it got to a point where i almost could do that room with my eyes closed. A little more diversity would have been nice. A couple rooms, I only did twice.
Overall, this is a very engaging and fun game. The graphics/sound are done very nicely. There is a tab called Extras and you get an extra room to explore plus wallpapers, a screensaver like the other game and concept art. This game is definitely worth the price and is very long and engrossing. I definitely recommend this!!! Playrix are so awesome, please keep cranking out more great games!!
I recommend this game!
The family saga continues when your nephew Brandon encounters the mysterious Stone Queen in a lonely mountain town.
Overall rating
3
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Sloppy Story/Mechanics
PostedNovember 5, 2013
megwoman25
fromNorthern California
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Gardenscapes: Mansion Makeover™
(277)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I really like this series but this one fell kind of short for me. The other Grim Tales games all have a pattern to them. You go to a bunch of different places (like through daydream type images) and once you are done there, you don't have to backtrack and you get whatever you need to advance the story and then you go back to a main "base" so to speak and then it creates another mini world and off you go again. This one differed from the previous setup which is not always a bad thing but I felt it was done quite sloppily for an Elephant offering.
The story line was all over the place. I like a good twist but this one made very little sense. Your nephew is back in it again but your sister and husband in law aren't and its really confusing to why your nephew is there at all. At first I thought maybe this game had nothing to do with Luisa and her family for once but halfway through it was made clear your nephew required your help like always. It just was not done well. It had a satisfying conclusion for a standard edition. I am guessing the bonus chapter would be about rescuing the bad guy because my character states at some point "I should go get him because even though he did horrible stuff, he doesn't deserve to be left that way". I thought the game was over at a certain point and then it twisted on again with you having to defeat creatures and since that was nowhere else in the game, it just felt like pasted together. Someone had an idea and took it way too far and some guy doing a project completely unrelated pasted his into this one is what it felt like. It was not coherent what was going on and why for that matter.
Elephant usually has great game mechanics and gadgets. A lot of the mini games didn't have clear instructions and/or a reset button. Also there is no lock to hold up your inventory which is a big sad face for me. I hate it bobbing up and down especially when you have so many items to discover. This was probably the first elephant game I played that didn't have that many locations. The map was somewhat helpful but each location said "To waterfall, To Cave" instead of saying "Cave, Waterfall" so sometimes it was kind of hard figuring out which area to be in. Also areas would say there was something to do but you weren't able to do it right now which made it even more confusing.
I liked the overall game and had a good time playing it as I really liked a lot of the puzzles in this game but the plot is definitely lacking, the changes they did were not for the better and The Legacy and The Wishes are far superior games in the series than this one. I feel like this game was hastily put together instead of putting their best work into it and thats a shame. I recommend this game but only because it is a series about the same family. The graphics are beautiful as always and if you haven't liked the previous style of the series, it does change in this one so it might be more to your liking.
I recommend this game!
Set a course for fast-paced fun in Shop-n-Spree: Shopping Paradise! Build and run a series of amazing internationally-themed malls in this exciting time-management game!
Overall rating
5
/
5
Fast Paced & Fun
PostedOctober 31, 2013
megwoman25
fromNorthern California
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Yes, this game is a HUGE clickfest. Yes, my fingers hurt from clicking so hard on the mouse. Yes, it can get frantic at times. I LOVE it. You are building malls on an island so it can thrive and you don't have to move. You wait on customers who show you with a picture what they are looking for within each department. You must click on the item and give it to them. Right click is a dream in this game. No need to give it to them directly because right click does it for you. As with most time management games, it gets more involved as it goes on. I felt like the same difficulty stayed throughout except instead of seeing the pictures, sometimes you would see holograms or silhouettes. Each department in the mall is different so it takes a few tries to get the master on each one. I did get all 18 stars to complete the game as well as master all the levels. Its a mindless game and doesn't take much strategy but I found it to be really fun nonetheless and I definitely recommend it!
I recommend this game!
Enter Ravenwood Park and discover the secrets hidden in the mists...
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Excellent Game!!
PostedOctober 31, 2013
megwoman25
fromNorthern California
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Although I do like this game, I absolutely LOVED the first edition in this series. It was so unique and refreshing. That being said, this edition is still unique and quite well done. It really keeps you on your toes. It has lots of locations to discover, 3 kinds of hidden object scenes that you can do matching with if you don't want to do them and many many puzzles that are unique but also doable. I was able to complete this game in about 7+ hours which is a whole lot of play time.
The Collector's Edition does wrap everything up rather nicely although it does make way for another chapter and you'll see why. I felt that if bought as a standard edition, I would have been satisfied but the bonuses this game gives are very, very worthy of buying the CE. There are 30 morphing Illusion type items to find and also 30 ethereal butterflies which are pretty hard to find considering they all are small and white. However, since they do move their wings, thats how I spotted most of them. There were achievements for all the usual things like not using hints the whole game and for getting to key parts in the story etc. I was able to get all the achievements and find all the collectibles. It gave this game some extra punch for sure.
I really enjoyed the hidden object scenes as they were silhouette (pick something up and use it to get another item), fragmented (all fragments make an item but also interactive to get certain parts) and list (very interactive, find the object). The puzzles were quite entertaining and I believe there were 18 of them. Most hidden object scenes that were list, I hit twice. I do not remember doing the other types of them more than once.
Lots of locations. In the extras, you get a book about the different types of redwood trees. Since I live in Northern California, I wasn't thrown off my chair with excitement as I see redwoods everyday but my friends from other states/countries say its one of the most awesome things about northern california. The trees are super big and I will say that if I didn't live here, I would probably be really impressed as when I was a kid, they did amaze me at the sheer beauty, tallness and the camp like, canopy area they create.
Also, if you are NOT into demonic story lines then this is NOT the game for you. I remember the first one being somewhat demonic but this one takes it to a whole new level. The only thing I really felt was lacking in this game was the bonus chapter. It was short, had nothing really to do with the game except tell what memories they had from what happened. I didn't really care though and it didn't have any new scenes unless you count what the place looked like 30 years ago in the 70s which didn't seem to be much different except for the flower power and the 70s outfits.
The best part of this game is the story telling and the person you are talking to. It was a huge twist for me and I really liked it in that sense. If you play a mode where you have misclicks in the hidden object scenes, beware! as the first time I made it do it, it scared the bejesus out of me! haha I don't scare easily either. Maybe I just wasn't expecting it.
Overall, a great game, worthy of game of the year. There is just something about that evidence board concept that I LOVE dearly. I can't wait for the next one! Clearly, I recommend! Collectors or Standard, you won't be disappointed!
I recommend this game!