Bpup's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.5
- Helpful Votes:977
- Reviews Submitted:22
- First Review:December 2, 2011
- Most Recent Review:November 19, 2021
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Something is terribly wrong in the toy world, and only you can help!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
This Is A Well-Designed Game
PostedNovember 19, 2021
Bpup
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I really enjoyed this game because all aspects of it were well-done. The storyline was actually interesting, the voice acting was good, the hidden object and puzzle games were varied and interesting, the artwork was pretty and Christmas-y, and it was a good length. I liked that we are given the ability to customize the options; that is the mark of a good games developer. There was a helper creature, but its use wasn't overdone, and it served to drive the narrative, instead of merely being an overly-cute inclusion for the pet-lovers. As I was playing it, I was regretting that I hadn't sprung for the Collector's Edition, which is an indicator of my enjoyment of the game. I'll have to check out the other games by Friendly Fox now, because they did a great job with this one.
I recommend this game!
Follow our intrepid investigators as they explore this unique Paris setting that combines fantasy and the Crazy Years.
Overall rating
4
/
5
26 of 31 found this review helpful
A Different Kind of Game
PostedSeptember 16, 2014
Bpup
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Time Management, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This review is based upon the demo, which I played to completion of the time.
Seeing the extreme range of opinions regarding this game, I decided to give the demo a try.
I actually like the game. It's not one that's the usual BF type. It is definitely not a HO/HOPA game so don't judge it on that criteria.
It is more of an adventure game with a lot of conversation between the characters. So if you don't like reading, this isn't the game for you. It reminded me a little of the old text-based adventure games. I enjoyed the snarky tone of some of the comments.
The basic story is that a girl's inventor-father has disappeared in Paris and she's trying to find him. She meets up with his assistant and he can put together some devices to help with the search, but she must find the gears for them. In order to find the gears she travels around to various parts of Paris and interacts with the various characters she meets there. In order to gain the gears, she has to successfully solve problems. So far the problems I've come across are historical sequencing, math/logic, tangram-type, mastermind and string. If she solves the problem correctly, she gets some gears. If she fails, she can't re-try the puzzle until she has collected at least 3 "time-films" which pop up randomly at the various locations, seemingly at pre-timed intervals. A way to get them to show up more frequently (at least it seemed to me) was to exit to the main menu and then go back into the game; that seemed to cause them to become available again at various locations. I did find it hard to click on the film rolls when they did pop up, though.
I liked the music and the cartoonish graphics (and I'm not usually a fan of cartoon games). You accessed various locations by clicking on them on a map and different areas opened up if you were successful in solving the puzzle/problems.
This won't be a game to everyone's taste but if you are looking for something different that isn't a HO game and you don't mind reading conversations between characters, then at least try the demo on this one.
I recommend this game!
Solve a variety of multi-color mosaics puzzles in the latest installment of Fantasy Mosaics!
Overall rating
2
/
5
13 of 19 found this review helpful
Annoying
PostedSeptember 2, 2014
Bpup
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Family, Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Brain Teaser, Time Management, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Demo played on Win 8.1 64bit.
I haven't written a review in a while, but this game disappointed me so much that I just had to give my reasons why.
I love nonogram/griddler puzzles, so I set the option on this one for Advanced (the other choice is Casual). The game played smoothly. There is a tutorial page, but then you go right into the game. There is some silly background story about the penguin trying to find its soulmate. You can make three mistakes in the opening levels before you have to redo it. The grid was good-sized with everything easy-to-see. The game is divided into levels with a set number of games per level.
As opposed to most nonograms, when you complete what you think is the individual game, the completed blocks change to a solid color and a new puzzle layer opens on top of it, where the blocks are to be completed in a different color. To the point where I got in the demo, this puzzle/color switch happened three times on the same puzzle. I found this game twist annoying because the subsequent layers were much simpler to solve since fewer and fewer blocks were of the new color. Perhaps this is done to create more elaborate, multi-colored images, but I didn't like having to go over and over on the same puzzle, and there was very little challenge involved in solving the later color levels since they involved fewer and fewer blocks.
Another thing I disliked was that when I filled in the appropriate block in the row/column, the blocks that were to be left blank crossed themselves out automatically. It made the game rather mindless, because one of the tricky things about nonograms is when you forget to cross out an empty box and you think it is still available to be filled.
I think this game is aimed more at the casual nonogram player, rather than the hard-core ones who aren't concerned with storyline fluff or gimmicks. I was really excited when I saw this offered today because I have a coupon code that I need to use quickly, but I won't be using it on this game, unfortunately.
I don't recommend this game.
An organ grinder seeks revenge, marking his victims with cards. Can you stop him before he destroys the entire city?
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 6 found this review helpful
If You're Going To Get A Collector's Edition, Get This One!
PostedFebruary 16, 2013
Bpup
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Family, Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Time Management, Puzzle, Mahjong
Current Favorite:
Galactic Express
(10)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Finished playing the game and I can say that this is one CE that is definitely worth the price!
Beautiful crisp artwork, suitable and non-annoying music. The voice-overs were extremely well-done, especially Nigel's which was very memorable both for his accent and the gruff tone - such a change of pace from the generic voices of other games. The pacing of the game was very good; it wasn't top heavy with either HO's or puzzles, they were well-spread throughout the game so that they didn't happen one on top of the other. The HO's seemed to occur just when I was in the mood to play one, and they were well-drawn, clear, interactive and interesting to look at.
One of the things that I pay attention to in games are the secondary sound effects - the little sounds that occur when you click on an item in a hidden object game, for example. Whoever designed the sound scheme for this game put some thought into the sound effects and did a very good job with them, from the hissing disappearance of items to the clinking sounds when bottles were placed on a surface. These sounds might seem inconsequential, but they add to the completeness of a scene.
I enjoyed the storyline and the bonus game fleshed out the ending and made it more complete (and was of a nice length, too).
The bonus content gave you a lot: bonus game, wallpapers, concept art, downloadable music, an organ grinder music game, access to the cards, a puzzle game involving the bestiary, a reveal of the morphing animals in the game (I managed to find 7 of the 10 while playing the game), etc. There was enough there that I got a sense of value for my money.
Between this game and its earlier Christmas Stories: Nutcracker game, Elephant Games has really raised the HOPA bar regarding what these games can (and should) be like. I would definitely recommend this game.
I recommend this game!
Galactic Express
Take command of Galactic Express, the busiest shipping station in the galaxy!
Overall rating
5
/
5
9 of 12 found this review helpful
Casual Mode Is Fun For Young Children
PostedFebruary 6, 2013
Bpup
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Family, Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Time Management, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I've only played the Casual mode of this game so far. I picked it up because my four year old nephew has shown a liking for jigsaw and tangram-style puzzles and I thought he might like it. He absolutely loves it! Playing it in the Casual mode means we're not playing against a timer. We have a goal-meter that advances for each package we place (and decreases for each one we throw away) but not reaching the "goal" doesn't seem to cause any ultimate penalty. As we complete each group of ships, our company expands its shipping range from the Moon outward into the solar system and a journey line is provided to show our progress. Each new planet reached results in new background screen when playing. My little guy liked the fact that there were special packages that gradually appeared as the game progressed - packages of medical supplies, packages of tools, packages that we're calling electric motors (it had a lighting bolt on it). We've had chats about the importance of such packages and what they would be used for.
Bonus points are earned by placing the same colored pieces next to each other, by filling a shipping container with all the same color pieces, by placing those special packages, and by achieving 100% filling of the containers. Pieces can be rotated and they can also be tossed away in order to bring new package shapes down the conveyor belt; once the pieces are placed in a container shape, though, they cannot be removed. The number of containers within the ships, the complexity of their shapes, and the number of ships in each level increases as the game progresses. Positive reinforcement is given for high completion rates, and a launch sequence counts down and the ship zooms off-screen as each ship is filled; the kidlet loved that.
It is a gentle game - no scary bits for the little guy. The actual gameplay is not complex - left clicking to drag-and-drop, right-clicking to rotate the pieces. It's fun to watch him figure out what to place where (and for myself, it's fun to do that too). We are both enjoying playing the game, so if you enjoy the tangram-style puzzles or have a kidlet who likes to assemble things or do puzzles, give this game a try.
I recommend this game!
A disastrous avalanche... an evacuation... did anyone survive? The ski trip you've dreamed of for so long turns into a nightmare.
Overall rating
5
/
5
32 of 35 found this review helpful
The SE Version Is Definitely Worth Getting
PostedJanuary 8, 2013
Bpup
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Family, Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I played the SE version through to completion and really enjoyed it. There was a strong storyline to this one, so even if you figured out what was going on, it was still interesting to see how it was all going to be resolved. The cut scenes were well done and added to the story, and this game had some of the best voice acting I've heard in a game. Some of the scenes were a little creepy but not in a bloody or that grimy-filthy-bugs-all-over-place way, so folks with bug/rat phobias shouldn't be bothered by it. I played it on Vista HP and had no problems with it. I also played the game at its hardest mode - and darn if there weren't sparkles on the HO locations!
This is one of those games where there is no map, so you have to do a lot of walking from place to place, though activities are clustered in area segments so it's not really too bad. Hidden object scenes had some interactive items. There was no notebook but various combinations/codes weren't hard to locate. The puzzles themselves weren't especially hard, but they were pretty/interesting to look at. You have a choice of playing HO games or M3 games; I preferred to play HO games so I don't know what the M3 ones looked like. The main title page does provide links to the HO scenes and to the Puzzles, so you can replay them later if you like.
This was a very good game and I would recommend it.
I recommend this game!
Little Things Forever
Search colorful patchworks built from hundreds of little things. Over a hundred puzzle pieces to collect and solve.
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Great For When You're In The Mood For A Hidden Object Scene
PostedAugust 14, 2012
Bpup
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Family, Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
I played a half-hour and decided to get it. I disagree with the people who are writing it off as a kid's game.
It's a straight hidden object game more in line with the staging of items in Pure Hidden than in the regular junkpile HO games where you get a street scene with a cupcake sitting on top of a streetlight. The objects are numerous and cleverly hidden by means of color and overlapping.
Items are small, true, but there's a zoom button to increase the size of the items so that they become large; the same zooming function occurs with the scroll wheel on your mouse, so don't let the complaints about "items being too small" dissuade you from this game. The initial size is really immaterial.
This isn't one of those games that you're going play to completion at one sitting; there's not enough variety in the gameplay to engage your attention for hours like a HOPA or TM game. It's more a game that you're going to play when you're either in the mood for a hidden object scene without starting up a whole new game, or you what a change of pace from whatever other game you've been playing. There's no ongoing story, so you don't have to remember where you left off.
I actually found it rather relaxing to play
I recommend this game!
Jig Words
Jig Words is a word game/puzzle hybrid that'll leave you jiggin' with glee. Spell words, and reveal hundreds of great photos!
Overall rating
5
/
5
29 of 32 found this review helpful
I Like This Word Game!
PostedJuly 30, 2012
Bpup
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Family, Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
This is a fun word game, sort of a combination of Boggle and a jigsaw puzzle.
You are given a sequence of seven letters and to the right of the screen there is a listing of empty boxes that have to be filled with words. The boxes are the clues to the word size and the number of 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-letter words you have to find. As you spell a word on the list, a jigsaw piece is added to the image on the screen. Guessing all the correct words earns you enough pieces to complete the image. Each level consists of two word games plus a bonus round. In the bonus round, you have to guess the words to earn jigsaw pieces before blocker pieces black out the image. The higher the level in the game you are, the faster the blocker pieces are added to the image.
Note that while the word games will tell you how long it took you to complete the game when it is done, there is no timer pressure to complete the word game. The bonus level is the speed round, but even if you don't manage to fill in the image before the blockers cover it, you can still advance to the next round.
I don't know how many levels there are, but I am currently at level 103.
When you start the word games, you are given 3 hints to use. That gradually decreases to 2 then 1 then at level 90, 0.
The game gives you the opportunity to use your own images for the jigsaw puzzle.
The game screen allows you to minimize it, so when you get stuck, just minimize the screen and google "free scrabble dictionary" to get some extra help in thinking up words that you can use.
I recommend this game!
Journey into the world of imagination and recreate sumptuous Japanese woodblock prints by moving the shadows in this innovative puzzle game for players all ages!
Overall rating
4
/
5
11 of 13 found this review helpful
Good For Folks Who LIke To Assemble Puzzles
PostedMay 17, 2012
Bpup
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Family, Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Time Management, Puzzle, Mahjong
Current Favorite:
Legends of Atlantis: Exodus
(68)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
I actually liked this game. I think it's one of those games that either appeals to you or it doesn't. I would suggest giving it a try.
I have 7 minutes left on the demo and I'm probably more than a third of the way through the game, so I don't think it is a long one.
I happen to like Japanese prints and koto music so for me this was a relaxing game. As others have said, to the right of the work area on the screen are various tiles with silhouettes of segments of an image. You have to add them to the work area, rotating them as you wish, until they form a shadowed image. If you align the pieces correctly, the image transforms into a full color one and you move on to the next puzzle. You have to complete the Easy level before you can play the Medium one, ditto before you can complete the Hard one. Each level seems to have more pieces and some are less clear-cut as to what they are than others.
A nice little bonus is that the demo version allows you to download the images of the puzzles you completed, which could be used for wallpapers, I guess. They go into the C>User Name>Documents>3dduo>Shadomania location. I don't know if that folder deletes if the game is uninstalled, so for those interested, I would advise copying them over to a file in your Pictures folder.
I don't think this is a game that you would sit and play to completion but it's nice, IMO, for when you want to just work on a puzzle game. I didn't notice any timer, but there is a star rating for each level - perhaps that has to do with the number of hints used. The available hints seem to carry over from one level to another, so even though I used some of them, I still have 18 available at the point where I stopped the game.
I recommend this game!
An endearing 1930s love story set around a traveling circus.
Overall rating
5
/
5
52 of 54 found this review helpful
What A Nice Change-of-Pace Hidden Object Game!
PostedApril 23, 2012
Bpup
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Family, Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
What a fun game! I got it as soon as the demo expired.
You can choose one of 3 characters to be in this game; the avatars are a male, a female, or a circus tent. I chose a female and my story was that I was a girl who left home because it was time of depression and my whole family was quarantined due to a plague of scarlet fever that had swept the land. I fell asleep in a field and when I woke up the next morning, the circus had come to town and was setting up in the field. I managed to get hired to do the lowest job in the circus, and I begin to work my way up the job ladder there.
I enjoy old Busby Berkeley movie musicals from the 1930's so the background music was right up my alley, and there are plenty of musical tracks so you don't notice any looping. One of those tracks sounded like Edith Piaf singing "La Vie en Rose", a favorite of mine (which is actually from the 1940's).
The game is basically a HOG with puzzles between each hidden object scene. The puzzles are simple - match game, spot the difference, scrambled pictures, hidden words, etc. - but they act as a nice break between finding the hidden objects. The objects are cleverly hidden and sometimes quite small. After an area is completed and your character advances to a new job within the circus, a journal opens up and you can watch a short movie clip from the 1930's, another nice change of pace for the eyes.
This is probably going to be a long game. There were more than 20 locations shown on the game map, and I only completed about four of them in the demo time. I played in the timed mode, but nothing happened when the timer ran out; I guess that I just didn't earn a time bonus for that round, but the game gives you the option of playing in an untimed mode anyway. There are two hidden hearts in each scene and you have to collect 60 of them to unlock some bonus features of the game (music and videos).
I liked the graphics. They are all scenes of the circus. Edges of the images are slightly softened, making things blend in more, but might make finding items more difficult for those who prefer crisper images. Some of the H0 scenes ask for you to find 10-20 of a particular item, and looking at the scene you might be baffled because you can't spot them but a hint would be to click on any movie poster in the scene.
In recent months I've gotten away from playing straight hidden object games, preferring the HOPA (hidden object puzzle adventure) games, but I'm really enjoying this game and its whole ambiance.
I recommend this game!