lovemybook's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.4
- Helpful Votes:125
- Reviews Submitted:20
- First Review:March 14, 2012
- Most Recent Review:March 16, 2017
- Featured reviews0
Town and resource management adventure awaits in Settlers of the West!
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Well Planned Strategy Resources and Roads Game
PostedOctober 18, 2014
lovemybook
fromTampa, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I play every one of these type of games - My Kingdom for the Princess, Northern Tales, Royal Envoy, and even the more unusual ones like Outta this Kingdom and 12 Labours of Hercules. I love them all - it's my fave genre.
This one is a gem that didn't get a lot of attention. It's well planned and has a lot of careful thought that's gone into it. It's not excessively clicky, everything is planned just right. Things are properly highlighted and everything is clear and noted well - just the kind the stuff that says someone really put thought into putting the game together.
Every single level has something new and different. It's also one of the few games that when I finished, I went on and did every single level in the "platinum" timing. Now I always do all the games in the timed method, but I usually don't go on in the hardest or "expert" mode - normal is usually good enough for me. This is the first game that I went back and played the entire game in expert mode, and it was a good but not completely impossible challenge. I didn't count the levels, but I'm sure there were at least 45, so doubling that makes a LOT of gameplay.
The only negative for me was the story cartoon in-between could have used a little more work. The story itself was actually pretty cute - a girl getting taken advantage of by a rotten crook while she's townbuilding - but the rest of the game was very well put together. I REALLY enjoyed this game. It's a hidden gem. Loved it, , and I highly recommend if you like these games!
I recommend this game!
Play as a bungling detective Max Stone, who takes on Evergreen Heights' criminal underworld and hunt down Jimmy Menendez and his gang!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Excellent. Finally, Good writing and a cool story.
PostedSeptember 16, 2014
lovemybook
fromTampa, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Card & Board, Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I laughed all the way through this. The voice acting was great, the metaphors were straight out of a 1930's crime novel with a witty twist. I knew who did it - after all, I've read enough Phillip Marlow - but it was a fun ride. The shop interface was a little clumsy for me but I rate this 5 stars. I wish this amount of thought were put into all games. Proof that it isn't graphics alone that makes a good game - you have to have a coherent and fun story and involved characters, even if they aren't based in reality.
I gave it 5 stars for visual/sound quality even though it was cartoony, because I loved the voice acting. The milliner cracked me up. .
I recommend this game!
Go behind the scenes of Deco Fever, a new TV show that provides a glimpse into the world of TV!
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 6 found this review helpful
Give it a chance! If you liked "Timebuilders", you'll like this!
PostedMay 20, 2014
lovemybook
fromTampa, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
When I first tried this game, I thought the graphics pretty archaic and wasn't that entranced with it - it seemed a pretty simple "Roads and Running" type of game - and then I realized it was actually rather well thought out, strategy wise. In fact, the longer I played it, the more familiar it got, until I realized it is almost a duplicate of the "Timebuilders" series - the forklift is the elephant, the "decos" are the huts, the bazaars are the markets, the cleaners are the bandits, etc. As I loved the Timebuilders I really started to enjoy this. As you get farther into it, it gets more challenging.
I think people are put off by the simple graphics, thinking of it as a more childish game than it is. Give it a try! If you like Timebuilders, MKFTP, or any of the Roads and Running games, it stands up pretty well.
I recommend this game!
Puzzle your way through Fill-A-Pix or Pic-A-Pix on your quest to restore the Great Tapestries and save Mysteria from darkness!
Overall rating
5
/
5
7 of 7 found this review helpful
Best Example of This Genre!
PostedApril 26, 2014
lovemybook
fromTampa, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Strategy, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I love these games! This one has it all if you like this style of - I guess they call it Pict-o-gram - I've seen them called nonograms or world puzzles or griddlers and also Japanese number puzzles - but whatever they are this particular game is as good as they get.
What makes this one so good is the extra effort put into each puzzle. Each one has individually colored tiles (which really elevates the final result - you can actually SEE what you have been working towards# and is titled at the end #Something missing from a whole bunch of the current batch of griddler games but really, how hard can that be to put in?) The puzzles are nice and big which is great - makes it easy on the eyes of some of us older puzzlers.
One more thing - the music in this game is quite nice and varied. I enjoyed it more than most. The only criticism I had was there was no "skip" on the tutorial - really - by this time I don't need to be handheld through a bunch of tiny simple puzzles by force. Other than that, I highly recommend this game if this kind of puzzle is your cup of tea.
I recommend this game!
Dark Dimensions: Somber Song
Townspeople flee as the black smoke covers their town. Can you close the dark dimension, before it's too late?
Overall rating
5
/
5
16 of 18 found this review helpful
Lots of Interactive Hidden Object Scenes
PostedApril 16, 2014
lovemybook
fromTampa, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I really liked this game a lot. A lot of folks have not really liked the story, well, aren't all of these alike? They are all slightly occultish, some dark spirit trying to steal children, family, etc, a tragedy, and some sort of detective trying to solve the problem? It's nice when a game breaks that mold, but that's not the case here. So what did I like about it?
Nice clean gameplay, great graphics, and I love interactive hidden object scenes. There are a lot of these. You know, where you find one object, and then use that to find another, until you find the final object. Also, you could change the difficulty midgame which I often do to escape clicking penalties. The graphics were wonderfully clear and quite beautiful, and this game made you "jump" a little - not too much, I don't like being scared out of my skin - so it was just the right amount of fun. Puzzles were mostly easy difficulty, with just a few harder.
What I didn't like - there were three difficulties, and if you wanted to map to give you any info, you had to choose the easiest. Easiest left those game ruining sparkles all over everything. I don't mind the HOGs being marked by sparkles, but to have everything marked out ruins the game.
But all in all, I liked this better than many other games out lately, many of which people have raved about. It had a very good length also. I always appreciate a good length, gives a good value. It did have a somewhat abrupt ending - left me confused as to what actually was going on but if you are looking to these games for a good well written story you are looking in the wrong place anyway. They are mostly all repetitious, somewhat silly with over the top occult overtones but everyone here knows that. This one's about a mother whose child's been stolen by a demonic presence - and I probably could have put that in my last five reviews!
Really enjoyed playing this, though.
I recommend this game!
Be the detective: Catch the killer in the present and the past!
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
One of the best games I've ever played.
PostedOctober 15, 2012
lovemybook
fromTampa, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Strategy, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Interesting storyline, great puzzles, fantastic hint system (actually works). This one kept me really interested. I bought and played the SE, I am actually going to buy the CE because I loved it SO much. This game struck that great balance between being a challenge and at the same time it always seemed to move forward easily. Love it.
Feels a little different than all those other HOGs, even though it's still another murder mystery. The minipuzzles were fun and slightly different than the usual. It's just made well. I hear some folks have some technical issues - I did not experience any of them. In fact, it seemed very well made and thought out.
This gets 5 stars from me. In fact, I would rate this in the top 10 HOG games I've ever played - and I'm almost ashamed to admit I've played hundreds.... I know, I know, I have no life.. :)
I recommend this game!
Discover the fate of your exiled kingdom, save your people and end the ancient evil that started it all!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Can't quite put my finger on it...
PostedSeptember 3, 2012
lovemybook
fromTampa, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Strategy, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
But this one isn't quite as good as the first three, even if it is a little more sophisticated than the first in terms of graphics. I went back and played all three of the first Awakenings, and then this one, just to make sure. I'm not quite sure what the problem is. I think the originals were more densely packed with finds and puzzles. In fact, the first one has very few boards - there are so many puzzles loaded in them that by the end of the game you are amazed it has lasted as long as it has.
This one seems much more spaced out - many more boards, but there aren't as many puzzles in them, and frankly they aren't as clear to me and a little repetitive. You start wandering all over the story, and while this one has an instant map (which the first didn't) the travel seems to me harder - for me, the map was a little slow loading. The first awakening has less maps but travel seemed easier, somehow.
This is still a good game. It's just that the first few of this series was really special - while keeping with a rarer lighter theme - and I think they lost it a bit here. I would still recommend this game.
I recommend this game!
Help put together 5 different theaters and create your very own Megaplex! Keep your customers happy and succeed!
Overall rating
5
/
5
34 of 37 found this review helpful
Strangely addicting and totally different Time Management. Love this one!
PostedJune 6, 2012
lovemybook
fromTampa, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I just loved this game. I am a time management addict, and a good TM game is something I will play over and over, as opposed to a HOG, which gets one or two plays. This game I've played way too many times. Yes, most everyone can do the easy level, but can you do the INSANE one?
It has a different feel to it than any other TM game. You basically are building a movie theatre, by moving the customers from place to place - ticket booth, popcorn, soda, etc, and finally inside the theatre. Each character has their own personality, will talk and make noises, and be more or less patient. There are only four slots of color so getting your long line of excited moviegoers in on time can be quite a challenge! They will walk out if they have to wait too long on line.
One of the fun things about this game is each section has a different theme - sci-fi, westerns, action, etc. The decor and the music changes for each one. You have nerds, kids who want the candy counter, pizza addicts, impatient businessmen, old folk, and many others - each movie comes with their little story and their own fans. It elevates the game. Yes, the music is repetitive, but very appropriate - you really can feel the excitement of what would be a movie experience! So cute! I actually don't like romance movies, but that was my favorite movie theatre.
Now I will say, however, that when I first started playing this game I had a slower computer and that was a little bit of a problem. This game has a slightly different "engine" that most TM games and you can get a "lag", which seemed surprising to me with a game with such simple graphics - but I did get a better video card along the way and that really helped.
There is an extra here I'm sure some people like - the arcades play old videogames very reminiscent of the 70's. You can play them separately if you like. Not my cup of tea, but adds a bit extra. If you like TM, try this one. How I wish they would make another one!
I recommend this game!
Jane's wheat cultivation has been tampered with in the midst of a thunderstorm. Help her solve The Crop Circles Mystery!
Overall rating
4
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
I like this little game!
PostedMarch 24, 2012
lovemybook
fromTampa, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Strategy, Time Management, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
OK, it's a little cartoony in graphics, but for once, a "logical" adventure game. You clean up after a storm, the objects actually make sense for where they are (no umbrellas in the kitchen or bicycles in the bedroom) and disappear once you pick them up! Love it! You find wires, you fix the fusebox. You put together an article someone ripped up that you want to read. The conversations make sense, the objects looked for make sense - if only more games weren't just "junkpiles" and strange improbable locks on gates!
There seems to be a coherent story in the background, too -not just saving your sister from an evil witch or your child from an otherworldly force. There are some strange happenings on your farm, after a storm, and you try to figure out just what is going on, with the help of your neighbors.
It's not just a HOG, although it's heavy on that. There are nice little puzzles, a farmer's market that reminded me a little of ShopNSpree, etc. I can see ways it can be improved but it's got thought behind it and good construction. I'd like to see more games like this!
I recommend this game!
Guide Kate Reed as she solves four mind-bending mysteries that take her to worlds she's never imagined!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
This is definitely on my top ten Adventure HOG list
PostedMarch 14, 2012
lovemybook
fromTampa, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I have played probably hundreds of this genre, and all the way through this one I kept thinking- this game is so good! It is one of the best I've ever played! The story was clean, concise, and interesting, the Hidden Object scenes clear and fun, and the game kept you moving without the feeling of running all over the map. Nice graphics, good voice acting. The minigames weren't impossible or frustrating. It was a good length too. I wish more HOGs were as good as this one!
I recommend this game!