Nice mystery game with a touch of the supernatural. Plenty of play and a few nice bonus treats. Bonus puzzles! Yay!
Pros: Lovely graphics as we have come to expect from this developer. Atmospheric music that adds rather than distracts. Excellent voice acting. Outstanding writing - the plot hangs together and closes very nicely.
Cons: a couple of insignificant translation errors, that's about it.
Overall: Great package with a few nice extras. I really enjoyed this one.
I recommend this game!
0points
2of4voted this as helpful.
Otherworld: Omens of Summer Collector's Edition
Dark magic threatens our world! Can you stop the Shade and his minions before it's too late?
A late review but a sincere one - this is a beautiful effort, the graphics and especially the music. Not much to add to what the others have already said, but I'll buy the third one just as soon as it hits.
I recommend this game!
-1point
0of1voted this as helpful.
Maestro: Music from the Void Collector's Edition
Eerie music fills the air in Vienna, where shadows terrorize people in the streets. Two musical prodigies have gone missing. Can you save them without striking a single false note?
The Maestro arc has, we are given to think, come to an end. This one is lovely, the colors vivid, the scenes nicely composed and the music up to the challenge.
Pros: The art, of course. Vivid colors in this one, Viennese locations that are more or less believable, a hint system that really gives hints instead of answers. A particularly generous bonus game that made the CE price worth spending.
Cons: The plot. The missing children are entirely ancillary to the story arc and the villain Void is all too well named. Francois is the only carryover from the previous games, older now and actually very well done but given too few lines.
Overall: A fitting and lovely conclusion.
I recommend this game!
+1point
1of1voted this as helpful.
Surface: The Soaring City Collector's Edition
Your brother is kidnapped during an air show. Search for him in a beautiful world where the sky is as wide as your imagination.
Stunning graphics and soaring music make this one pure candy from the start.
Pros: the atmosphere. Beautiful art, great in color saturation, really lovely music. Decent voice acting. Imaginative writing, good plot advancement. Puzzles easy to medium. Glorious cut scenes. Excellent, useful map.
Cons: not much. The dialogue is a little over-earnest at times, not the actors' faults.
Overall: simply outstanding, a visual and aural treat.
I recommend this game!
+1point
1of1voted this as helpful.
Death Pages: Ghost Library Collector's Edition
Rescue teenagers from the tragic fate of Romeo and Juliet!
Lovely as ever from this developer - great graphics, lots of color, atmospheric art. Music nice but not always appropriate to the scene.
Pros: The art. Good game play, useful map, puzzles fairly conventional and not overly difficult.
Cons: Plot all over the place. Voice acting fair at best. No character development on any of the principal characters, and the villain remains a complete mystery. What was actually going on here? And why did the Prince of Denmark suddenly pop up in Verona?
Overall: Straight, unimaginative rescue story with no real emotional connection to anyone involved - weak writing gave it a mechanical quality that the art couldn't redeem. Still, a fun world to roam around in.
0points
0of0voted this as helpful.
The Lake House: Children of Silence Collector's Edition
Long-forgotten memories bubble to the surface when the past invades the present in the Collector's Edition of Lake House: Children of Silence!
Pros: Wonderful atmosphere, beautiful graphics, smooth game play, gentle, moody music. Voice acting well done. Some fairly original puzzles.
Cons: A couple of pretty major plot holes due to a plot edit after Beta. Why would there be a ghost?
Extras: Great bonus play, worth the money. One particularly charming bit of "trivia" - the staff had no fewer than three marriages during development. Congratulations!
Overall: A winner despite a potentially disastrous change in POV from heroine to hero. Nice balance in the bonus.
I recommend this game!
+1point
1of1voted this as helpful.
Christmas Stories: Nutcracker Collector's Edition
A classic Christmas tale tail, with a whole new twist! Help the Nutcracker rescue the princess from the evil Rat King!
Best Christmas game ever! This one captures the splendor of Tchaikovsky's Russia and submerges the player in his unforgettable music with a clever, whimsical take on an old story.
Pros: you name it. Stunning colors, lovely art, superb voice acting that is not overdone, excellent script, tight plot. Great balance between puzzles and H0 scenes. Smooth game flow, no technical issues. Quite a bit of moving around but I didn't bother with the map because I wanted to soak up the atmosphere of the scenery. Perfect hint system. Very cute assistants. Outstanding animation. Magical to the very last scene.
Cons: None.
Summary: oh, man, this one was a treat! Thanks to the developers for a real Christmas present. This is how it ought to be done.
I recommend this game!
-1point
1of3voted this as helpful.
Haunted Legends: The Undertaker Collector's Edition
Find out who is behind the shocking zombie invasion.
Bang for the buck, this might be the best game I've played all year. Some odd runtime error crashes prevented a perfect score but only got in the way a little.
Pros: Spooky theme, great villain, gorgeous art, very atmospheric music, excellent story line. Outstanding variety in mini-games and H0 scenes. Excellent cut scenes. Long, satisfying play. Just about everything in the game was a Pro.
Cons: A number of C++ runtime crashes interrupted game flow but cost very little progress. Distracting but not fatal.
Bonus: Simply the best. You get wallpaper, music, concept art, extra game play, and best of all you get to replay the H0 scenes AND the puzzles! Fantastic!
Overall: Chock full of everything you pay for. Wonderful effort!
I recommend this game!
0points
1of2voted this as helpful.
Surface: The Noise She Couldn't Make
When a young woman is found comatose by the side of the road with a bloody knife beside her, it's up to you to unravel her story!
Every so often one game really stands out from the crowd, and this is one of those. Gorgeous graphics and a unique plot treatment that takes the player from "Who is Noise?" to "Why is Noise?" and ends in a thoroughly satisfying resolution. The atmosphere is surreal, which is to be expected since it's the interior of a young lady's mind. But it has an internal logic that is revealed as the player gets to know her. Wonderfully plotted!
More of this, please.
I recommend this game!
+1point
1of1voted this as helpful.
Mystery Trackers: Four Aces Collector's Edition
Save Brightfield from a shocking plot by a dastardly organization!
Wonderful game play in this one with enough innovation to stand out from the crowd.
Pros: Good acting, excellent cut scenes and plenty of them. You have an adorable canine assistant, Elf, who isn't just a tool but at one point has to be rescued. Music is appropriate and unobtrusive. Graphics, sharp and well laid out. Puzzles largely rotational and some quite challenging without being too frustrating. Plot consistent and well-constructed.
Cons: Not much. Quite a bit of back-and-forth that does get a bit wearisome at moments.
CE bonuses - extra points for the gameplay and especially for the outtakes! It's pretty obvious everybody was having a great time making this one. More of this, please.