biscuitsmama's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.3
- Helpful Votes:67,036
- Reviews Submitted:1148
- First Review:July 13, 2012
- Most Recent Review:December 16, 2020
- Featured reviews0
Status:
You’re called in to photograph a wedding, but what you really expose is murder.
Overall rating
4
/
5
31 of 37 found this review helpful
A GHOSTLY MURDER MYSTERY – WHAT COULD BE BETTER!
PostedOctober 25, 2015
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
What better way could there be to cool off a hot early fall day than to solve a wonderful, ghostly murder mystery set during a dark and stormy day. In Dark Canvas A Murder Exposed, you play a photographer who is hired to take photos at the wedding of Carol Whittle and Frank Gelson. Take a step back to the 1950s as you try to solve a murder and find out who is haunting the Whittle’s Hollow Oak Estate.
The game offers a choice of four modes of gameplay: Easy, Medium, Hard, and Custom. In custom mode you can set your hints and skips to recharge in a range of 15 to 95. The graphics are excellent and crisp being nice and colorful rather than the dark and grimy ones that we normally find in a ghostly game. The sound effects are excellent and truly set the tone for the game with the thunder that is frequently heard in the background. There are voiceovers that are quite good but sadly the game lacks the lip-sync component. Even though there is no lip-sync with the story being so excellent, after a while I didn’t really notice the lack of lip movement.
Tools include an interactive, transporter type map that is present at the beginning of the game so you don’t have to look for one. You have a camera that will be used to take photos that will show important information that you will use at some later point in the game. You will also use your camera to take hidden photos that can be snapped when you notice a certain symbol.
The HOPS in the game are quite different than normal and at least early in the game none were the standard list type. Some were to find pairs of related items, match items that are again related, a silhouette type and to search a room through a keyhole to find items that are highlighted in a sentence. The puzzles were very easy with the first one being the type where we move tokens to the appropriate space – no thinking required here. The next puzzle was a math type where we use equations to figure out a combination. It appears that the game is well balanced between HOPS and puzzles.
Dark Canvas A Murder Exposed is a wonderful game. There is so much to discover and so many things to find that at first the game seemed a bit more difficult than usual. Things are not easily found and that alone makes the game better. For instance, we don’t discover that we need a screwdriver and then find it lying on a chair right next to where we need to use it. I purchased the SE of the game and really enjoyed it as I tried to solve the mystery. The game took me a bit longer than usual as I found that items needed were not that easy to find. All it all it was a terrific game that took me almost two days to complete. Even though the game is one I liked, as always, I recommend that you try the demo to see if this is a game you will enjoy.
I recommend this game!
Toxic flowers have been claiming victims and withering plant life in the Netherlands. Can you cultivate the answers to this mystery?
Overall rating
5
/
5
89 of 117 found this review helpful
FLOWERS ON A RAMPAGE
PostedOctober 24, 2015
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
European Mystery Flowers of Death is the third game in the series. Mysterious flowers are out of control and have killed several citizens in the town. You have been asked to investigate but maybe this is a case where you don’t want to find the answers. You really don’t know who you should trust because someone is up to no good.
The game offers four modes of gameplay: Casual, Advanced Hardcore, and Custom. In the custom mode you can set both the hint and skip buttons to recharge in a range of 15 to 90 seconds. There is also an option to turn off the rapid search penalty. The graphics are excellent and at times beautiful. The lip-synced voiceovers are also quite good and, along with the sound package, add a lot to the game.
Our tools for the game include an interactive transporter type map and an Evidence Board. We also have a mini-lab as in the previous games where we can concoct various herbicides to counteract the poisonous pollens we encounter. Yes those out of control plants are deadly!
What I enjoyed most in this game are the HOPS that have quite a bit of variety. Some are silhouette while others are the list type but no matter which type, they are interactive and some are quite different. IMHO, the HOPS made the game a lot of fun. Even a few of the puzzles were different than those we normally see but it did seem that there were more HOPS than puzzles.
The CE version of the game has collectible flower cards to find in various scenes in the game. I don’t know if it is just me but I think they might morph as well. Either that or I need to have my eyes checked – lol. Of course there are those ever-present, meaningless achievements to be earned. I think we could sleep through the game and still earn many of them. The remainder of the extras includes the standards such as the Strategy Guide and the bonus gameplay.
The first game in the European Mystery series was quite good but I didn’t care as much for the second game. Fortunately, Flowers of Death seems quite improved and I found it quite enjoyable. As I mentioned above the HOPS were excellent and not just time fillers so that we could find an item that is needed. I purchased the game as soon as it was released since I know that it will be hours of fun. As always, I recommend that you try the demo to see if you will enjoy this game.
I recommend this game!
Redemption Cemetery: Clock of Fate
Can you undo the past and set the trapped souls free?
Overall rating
2
/
5
49 of 74 found this review helpful
THERE IS NO REDEMPTION IN THIS GAME
PostedOctober 23, 2015
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
All aboard for a subway ride back in time to the 1940s and into this wonderfully creepy and eerie new Redemption Cemetery Clock of Fate. The premise of Clock of Fate is the same as in other Redemption Cemetery games as we help tortured souls find peace and salvation.
The game offers four modes of gameplay: Casual, Advanced, Hard, and Custom. In custom mode you can set your hints and skips to recharge in a range of 10 to 50 seconds. If you decrease the hint time then the time to skip the puzzles increases. IMHO, this is feature that I don’t much care for since I like to set hint and skip times independent of each other. This developer is known for its wonderful hand drawn artwork and exceptional graphics but I find the scenes rather dreary in Clock of Fate. There are excellent lip-synced voiceovers and an appropriately eerie sound package to round out the game.
HOPS include searching for rungs of a broken ladder and rebuilding it and the storybook type where we find the highlighted words in the scene. The puzzles were easy and there was nothing exceptional about them in the demo. Unfortunately, due to the subject matter of the game, I went no further than the demo.
The game is certainly creepy and although there were several things I liked about the game, quite frankly, when I had to bargain with Death, that was the end of it for me. I think there is a line in gaming that should not be crossed and bargaining with Death for my soul is that line for me. I play games for entertainment and perhaps my reaction was not one that others will experience. I believe that each of us has to make our own determination on what does or does not work for us in a game. I didn’t care for the game at all and found it boring and redundant. I did give the game a high rating for the CE version of the game but after toughing it out and going back to replay the demo I can no longer justify the higher rating. I don’t recommend the game and would hope that in the future the devs come up with a far better storyline.
I don't recommend this game.
The eyes are watching... and they're everywhere.
Overall rating
5
/
5
121 of 179 found this review helpful
WHO KILLED EVELYN ROGERS?
PostedOctober 22, 2015
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
In this terrific new Fear for Sale game your expertise has once again been called upon to solve a paranormal mystery. Some very strange things are taking place in the town of Eastwood where statues are coming to life and harassing people. This strange phenomenon began when the sculptor Evelyn Rogers died in a fire that was blamed on her young friend and model – Amelia Jones. Evelyn’s husband is behind the theory that the fire was arson and that it was caused by Amelia after she was caught stealing jewelry from Evelyn. Could it possibly be that there is a different murderer and that the reason for Evelyn’s death was more sinister? You will have to play City of the Past to find all the answers.
The game offers four modes of gameplay including the Custom mode where you can fiddle with the settings to play the game the way you want. The graphics are a bit foggy in the opening scenes but improve considerably once Emma arrives in Eastwood to start her investigation. The voiceovers are excellent with the exception of Steve’s very slow voice as the game begins.
Your tools include an interactive map that you acquire early in the game. The thing I like about the maps in this devs games is that they show where we have found all of the collectibles or where some might be missing. I have always appreciated that nice touch and find it quite helpful when I am trying to find every collectible and morphing object.
The game comes to us from one of my very favorite devs who has created another series that I really love. One of the things that I enjoy most about their games is that their HOP scenes are excellent and have since been emulated by other devs. If you have played their other games you will know what to expect. The HOPS are not overly interactive but some items can be tricky to figure out. For the most part, the scenes are list type but there is certainly some variety as well. The puzzles are not difficult, even the first multi-tiered puzzle was doable. Being very familiar with this dev’s games, I do know that the puzzles vary in difficulty and some will be challenging.
Extras in the CE version of the game include several sets of collectibles and morphing objects to find. Of course there are achievements to earn as well. The remaining extras are fairly standard and include the Strategy guide, Bonus Chapter or Game, Wallpapers, Concept Art, Screensavers, and Music, Movies, Games, Puzzles, Artwork. IMHO this is a great CE package and worth the extra cost.
Although the Fear for Sale series started out to be excellent, I didn’t care for the last game nearly as much as I did the others. I am happy to say that City of the Past has restored my interest in the series and has proven to be an excellent game. I purchased the game as soon as it was available and I am very happy that I did. Even though the storyline might be a bit predictable in its outcome, getting there is half the fun. I love the gameplay and even though it is not overly challenging, it is entertaining and quite a bit of fun. I recommend that you at least try the demo to see if this is a game you will enjoy as well.
I recommend this game!
Alison Ester, insurance investigator, is responsible for leading the investigation in a dilapidated asylum with a grave and mysterious past.
Overall rating
1
/
5
56 of 73 found this review helpful
A COLOSSAL FAILURE
PostedOctober 21, 2015
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Good grief, this must be housecleaning week at BFG. Some of these old HOPA games must have been sitting on a shelf in a back closet for years. They were probably not good enough for release eons ago and certainly not now. Did someone think they would improve with age or magically morph into something better? Okay off my rant now.
The technology used in this game is very old school. There are no voiceovers just dialogue that must be read. Okay, I still read dialogue in the better games but at least the voiceovers make it interesting. The graphics certainly leave much to be desired and I am not sure who had the brilliant idea to include these huge circles in the game. I do know how to move from one room to another in a game without arrows, circles or other directional clues. I found the circles so distracting that it was difficult to play the game.
The storyline seems like it would be interesting. You play the game as Alison and investigator who has been called in to find out what might be lurking in the abandoned asylum. Seems that there was a fire in the asylum years ago and many of the residents were killed. Now the place seems haunted – at least that is what the terrified workers think. The new property owner is on a deadline to get the building cleaned up but he won’t meet that if he can’t keep workers so here you are ready to help figure out what is going on. Unfortunately the technical aspects of the game are so bad that I couldn’t continue playing. The game has possibilities but really needs a lot of work to make it playable. I might suggest that the dev goes back and removes all of those circles with eyes and feet as a start. That would be a huge improvement and maybe many of us would try to tough it out and play the game. Very poor execution and a waste of time. I generally recommend that you try the demo but in this case, I don’t want you to waste your time on this game.
I don't recommend this game.
The case of an unusual death in a zoo leads detective Ashley Clark into the mysterious world.
Overall rating
5
/
5
55 of 82 found this review helpful
ANOTHER GREAT ASHLEY CLARK MYSTERY
PostedOctober 20, 2015
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
You have been called in to investigate the death of a security guard at a zoo. Apparently this is not the first time something like this has happened as the zoo veterinarian was found frightened to death several months previously. It isn’t too long before the zoo administrator is also whisked away right before your eyes. Now you are embroiled in a case to save Jim and solve the recent murders. Are you up to the task?
There are four modes of difficulty Easy, Normal, Hard, and Nightmare. Even though there is no custom mode, if you select the easy mode the hints seem to recharge almost immediately. There are minimal instructions for the game so in many cases we are on our own to figure out some of the puzzles. There are lip-synced voiceovers that are fairly good. For the most part the graphics are good but they lack some of the polish and pizzazz that we expect from some of the major devs.
We have a notebook or a journal and that is something I love in a game. Sadly, the journal seems to be missing in more recent games. There is also an interactive transporter type map that can be found by clicking on the icon that is located right next to your hint icon.
The HOPs are mostly list or silhouette type and we do visit the scenes more than once. In the list type HOPs there is quite a bit of interaction required to find many items, while in the silhouette types no interaction is required. The puzzles have minimal instructions so in some instances we must figure out what to do without any additional help. If you play a lot of HOPA games, you won’t need the instructions since the puzzles are nothing new.
Secrets of the Ancient Temple is the second game in the Ashley Clark series and I remember thoroughly enjoying the first game. The storyline is interesting although making progress in the game seemed a bit slow at first. There was a lot of running around from one place to another in order to find what I needed to rescue the zoo administrator in the beginning of the game, and I kept thinking that poor Jim would be a goner before I ever managed to find him – lol. All in all the game is definitely one I want to add to my game collection. Because I love the gameplay and the puzzles, I am giving the game a high rating even though it lacks some of the polish of the games from our top devs. As always, please try the demo to see if this is a game you will enjoy.
I recommend this game!
After falling asleep in the cinema, you wake up in the movie. Solve the mystery of the missing film crew and finish the movie.
Overall rating
2
/
5
65 of 95 found this review helpful
HAPPY I DIDN'T BUY A TICKET FOR THIS SHOW
PostedOctober 19, 2015
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Showing Tonight Mindhunters Incident is just as bad as the “B” movie theme of the game. The graphics are rather flat and at times misty in appearance.
The game only offers three basic modes of gameplay and there are very few settings aside from the sound effects and the music volume sliders. The hint recharge in Casual mode takes approximately 30 seconds to recharge and the skip button for puzzles is the same.
Our tools are very basic with a transporter type map and an electronic journal. I did find the journal useful but have no idea how I managed to acquire the information stored there.
The Hop scenes are basic but I had a very difficult time spotting the items in in the cluttered mess. Some items were next to impossible to find since they appeared to be invisible. Fortunately there was a hint button that I could resort to using when the going got tough. As a general rule, I never use the hint button in HOPA games from some of our major game developers but found I had to use it three times in the first HOS in this game. Another thing I find very annoying is having to complete that silhouette puzzle each time I needed to use an inventory item.
Some of you might really like the game and find it very intriguing but for me it was just too boring and flat. Because there are some things about the game that were a bit different, I am hoping that this developer can find a way to improve their games and come up with better graphics and a bit more polish in the future. Unfortunately, this game just wasn’t the movie ticket I wanted. No wonder our hero fell asleep during the show. Even though I didn’t care for the game, I always recommend that you try the demo to see if this is a game you will like.
I don't recommend this game.
A criminal organization searching for an ancient treasure shot your partner!
Overall rating
4
/
5
51 of 66 found this review helpful
TEMPLAR KNIGHTS, SHADOWY ASSASSINS AND A GREAT MYSTERY
PostedOctober 18, 2015
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Ahh, a mystery game about Templar Knights and I am one happy girl. I love anything Templar and have devoured every mystery book that even hints at the renowned knights. In Mystery Crusaders Resurgence of the Templars there are secret assassins, the Shadows, to deal with as well as nasty hoteliers so you will definitely need to be on your toes as others try to prevent you from finding the truth. Our story begins as Jason is investigating stories of the Blue Veil, a legendary chest that has been buried under English soil for seven hundred years. The chest is said to contain a map to King Solomon’s mines, so right off the bat we know that everyone is going to want to get their hands on it and some will stop at nothing including murder and kidnapping to gain possession of the artifact. You will play the game as Jason’s friend Natalie who takes up the quest after Jason is shot when she arrives to meet him. Now you will need to step in and follow his leads in solving this mystery game. Even if you manage to obtain the chest, one mistake could be devastating and the map inside could be destroyed forever.
The game offers four modes of gameplay: Casual, Advanced, Hardcore and Custom. In the Custom mode you can set the hint and skip recharge times in a range between 15 – 100 seconds. The graphics are excellent, crisp and colorful. There are lip-synced voiceovers that are quite good and I love the British accent.
There is an interactive transporter type map and it is located on a tab in the journal. Yes, there is a wonderful journal that keeps track of the story as we move through the game. Call me old school, but I love having a diary or journal that gathers my information as I progress.
There did not seem to be much variety in the HOPS with most of them being slightly interactive list type scenes. I had some major issues with getting the interactive, windowed items to place once they were acquired because the programming is so touchy and we must hit the exact spot for an item to take. Maybe it is just me and this won't happen for you. Fortunately there is an alternate mahjong game if we don’t want to search for items and I did switch to that when I had difficulty with getting some items to take. Some of the puzzles are not those that we normally see but even those seem quite easy. I’m not sure they will get any better later in the game but hopefully there will be some challenge ahead.
I love the Templar related storyline and the mystery associated with the game, and even though the touchy HOPS put me off a bit because of a great sale this weekend I decided to buy the CE. Although the game is a buy for me, as always, I suggest you at least try the demo to see if this is a game you will enjoy.
I recommend this game!
Your wedding day goes dark... and your fiancée has no idea who's behind it all.
Overall rating
3
/
5
79 of 128 found this review helpful
MAYBE THIS SHOULD BE THE SWAN SONG FOR DARK ROMANCE
PostedOctober 17, 2015
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Dark Romance the Swan Sonata is a love story with a twist. It is the tale of Siegfried and Odette and of course there is an evil magician, Rothbart, in the mix. The magician with his attitude is hilarious even though he is an evil character. As in the previous Dark Romance game you switch roles playing the game sometimes as Odette and at others playing the game as Siegried. The path to true love is riddled with challenges along the way as Rothbart attempts to keep you away from your prince.
The game has four modes of gameplay to choose from: Casual, Advanced, Hardcore, and Custom. In the custom mode the hints and skips can be set to recharge in a range of 15 to 90 seconds. The graphics are beautiful consisting of excellent hand-drawn artwork and some computer generated graphics that uses a wonderful intense and rich color palette. Not only are the graphics colorful, they are very crisp and clear. I must admit that I really enjoyed clicking different items in each scene since they are not stagnant and many responded various ways when clicked. At times the game seems to use live characters and at others they are artist created. The sound package includes lip-synced voiceovers that are generally very good.
Our tools include an interactive map and a journal that keeps track of notes. At least during the demo I didn’t need to use any magical tools or other gimmicks.
The HOPs are varied and the first one is a FROG type scene where we find various parts of our broken carriage. If you don’t want to find the various items in the HOPs you do have the option of a match 3 game, but I found the HOPS interesting and entertaining so chose to find the items. The mini puzzles are not too difficult but I did struggle with the first lock puzzle.
The CE version of the game includes various collectibles to find, achievements to earn along with all of the other standard extras we usually expect to find The CE package is just so-so, but with a decent sale it might be worth it just to have the in game strategy guide.
Although the package is beautiful and the game does have some interesting features, we once again are dealing with an evil magician who is bent on wreaking havoc. As far as this type of game goes, Dark Romance the Swan Sonata is excellent but in many ways seems geared towards teen girls. I know that many of us like these types of games but I am not sure it will appeal to a broader crowd so, although I like the game I recommend that you try the demo to see if you will enjoy it as well.
I recommend this game!
Return to your hometown to save your father and uncover Midnight Castle's secrets!
Overall rating
5
/
5
48 of 67 found this review helpful
AN EXCELLENT SPIN-OFF OF THE POPULAR MIDNIGHT CASTLE GAME
PostedOctober 16, 2015
biscuitsmama
fromI had a feeling that my father was out there somewhere
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
In a spin-off of the popular Free-to-play game Midnight Castle, Midnight Calling Anabel is the tale of a young girl who is searching for her long missing father, a famous explorer and archeologist. Even though everyone keeps telling her that her father has died, Anabel doesn’t believe them and after ten years she still has hope that he is alive. When he pops up in her dreams she is even more convinced, so after a stealthy escape from her boarding school, Anabel heads off to find the fabled Midnight Castle and her missing father.
Midnight Calling Anabel is from one of the top game devs who always brings us wonderful games including the beautiful F2P game Midnight Castle. The graphics are wonderful and quite beautiful but I think they almost seem a bit cartoonish. There are lip-synced voiceovers that are good; in fact, the entire sound package, including the music sets the tone for the game. The game offers a choice of four modes of gameplay: Casual, Advanced, Hardcore, and Custom. In the Custom mode you can select various settings as well as set the hints and skips to recharge in a range of 15 to 90 seconds.
There is an interactive transporter type map that you find at the beginning of the game when you pack your bag to leave. When you click on the map icon you will find the tabs for your diary, achievements, collectibles and Leadlight. Okay, so there is a sort of animal helper in the game – an adorable bat that even I think is cute. Our little bat friend helps us out once in a while but he is not intrusive or obnoxious. It’s not like I have to constantly feed or dress him or her to get some help.
The interactive HOPs are varied in style and do not seem as plentiful as the puzzles. IMHO, Midnight Calling Anabel is a puzzle lover’s delight and one that I love. Puzzles are my main attraction in HOPA games and I am happy to see that there seem to be more puzzles than HOPS at least in the demo. Some of the puzzles are easy-peasy but some are a bit tough. I love the multi-step Rube-Goldberg type puzzles (often referred to as super puzzles) that the Mammoth team adds to their some games and Midnight Calling has at least one of those puzzles so I am eagerly looking forward to what lies ahead.
I bought the CE release of the game that was quite nice. The CE release of the game includes morphing objects, collectibles creatures, and stained glass pieces to find along with achievements to be earned. The remaining extras are standard such as the strategy guide, bonus game and a secret room.
Okay so here’s the scoop – I have always been intrigued by Midnight Castle but not being a fan of the F2P games and hating quests, I have always stayed away. Fantasy type games are generally ones that I love and because of the tie-in to Midnight Castle I knew that Midnight Calling Anabel would be an instant buy for me. Now I am one happy gamer because I can finally dip my toes into the whole Midnight Castle theme and who knows what this might lead to in the future. Even though the game was an instant buy for me, as always, I recommend that you try the demo to see if this is a game you will enjoy.
I recommend this game!