thebubba's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.3
- Helpful Votes:99
- Reviews Submitted:35
- First Review:September 6, 2015
- Most Recent Review:January 6, 2021
- Featured reviews0
Can you bring peace to the kingdoms in time?
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Hooked from the opening.
PostedJune 20, 2018
thebubba
fromBay Shore, NY
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Loved the steam punk aspect. An air ship with a wonderfully rendered Captain to take you off to a huge adventure. And quite an adventure it is. The puzzles are often very clever and sometimes a bit difficult and the HO's vary so you never lose interest. My favorite HO/puzzle involved tiny ancient symbols on a ships wheel that when clicked on properly would guide the air ship to its destination. Very original. This is one of the few games I never tired of. Big fun. A four and a half for sure.
Can you uncover what's causing the strange symptoms in Blackwill?
Overall rating
2
/
5
5 of 6 found this review helpful
Shiver...really?
PostedFebruary 27, 2018
thebubba
fromBay Shore, NY
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This review will be short and to the point. You've heard the storyline many times from previous reviews so here's my take on the game. SHIVER? What's to shiver about? Hansel and Gretel storybook art with all sorts of pretty colors. These developers, from my point of view need to stop being AWSOME with their art and more cognisant of the nature of the game. If it says shiver, I want to shiver, not look at the pretty scenery. Doll House Story, as old as it is still gives me the creeps with its "crusty, moody art. Take the current technology and SCARE us! Or stick to fantasy stuff without mis leading titles. Maybe "Lily goes to a place where even scarey is pretty".
I don't recommend this game.
Snow, Ice and the deadly wind blowing from the Frozen Mountains! The Lost Lands have been overtaken by ice in the middle of summer!
Overall rating
3
/
5
7 of 8 found this review helpful
A romp through Gingerbread Land.
PostedDecember 3, 2017
thebubba
fromBay Shore, NY
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Seriously. The artwork in this game takes you straight into a child's book. I expected to see Hansel and Gretel along the way. And the main characters voice is annoying as...well, you get it. The game itself includes all the usual, like wrapping a rag around a stick to make a torch, broken runes, etc. And there's even a buy and sell thingy. "You don't have enough coins to buy this item". What the heck, why not throw it into the mix.
The cut scenes are done very well and the animated introduction is first rate but that alone does not make a great game. Sorry, I pass.
The cut scenes are done very well and the animated introduction is first rate but that alone does not make a great game. Sorry, I pass.
I don't recommend this game.
Save your kidnapped daughter Jessica by solving the secrets of the castle. Rescue the trapped souls from captivity and defeat Groth!
Overall rating
3
/
5
8 of 8 found this review helpful
So many shards...so little time. Maybe that's a good thing.
PostedMay 18, 2017
thebubba
fromBay Shore, NY
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This one left me with very mixed feelings which declined the longer I played. Yet there were some redeeming aspects to the game. I'd rather start with the bad news and conclude with the good.
The bad— Played it on my mac laptop and it froze after 48 minutes. Tried it on my iMac and it froze after 60 minutes. It played through after the 3rd installation. Normally after 2 freezes and a waste of almost 2 hours I would inform Big Fish but I had a problem with my last game and didn't want them to think I was a free game hunter.
But let's talk about the game play. In a word, repetitious. Find a shard, talk to a ghost, do the HO (which is too often in the same setting as the previous one) and a few puzzles, collect another shard and move on to meet another ghost. There are countless erase…clean…paint over… whatever…the picture by moving your mouse all over the place while you hold a rag…brush…whatever… puzzles. Very challenging, right? Also too many "recipe" puzzles. You know, find the ingredients then make a potion, prepare a meal, etc. One is enough. Also the mislabeling of HOs can take you to the hint button too often. Lady bugs referred to as worms! A feather duster being called a brush! And finally the mirror shards you've collected to take you through the game thus far suddenly appear in abundance as if the developers said "Okay, time to end this game". And the ending? Phooey.
But let's talk about the game play. In a word, repetitious. Find a shard, talk to a ghost, do the HO (which is too often in the same setting as the previous one) and a few puzzles, collect another shard and move on to meet another ghost. There are countless erase…clean…paint over… whatever…the picture by moving your mouse all over the place while you hold a rag…brush…whatever… puzzles. Very challenging, right? Also too many "recipe" puzzles. You know, find the ingredients then make a potion, prepare a meal, etc. One is enough. Also the mislabeling of HOs can take you to the hint button too often. Lady bugs referred to as worms! A feather duster being called a brush! And finally the mirror shards you've collected to take you through the game thus far suddenly appear in abundance as if the developers said "Okay, time to end this game". And the ending? Phooey.
The good— Despite the above, I played this game through. I kept coming back though I'm not sure why. I suppose the great thing is that you can play it in chapters and have a point at which you can quit without having to catch up a few days later. And each chapter is in one location. No map, no traveling back and forth. Kind of refreshing. Play as many "shards" as you like, then quit. When you return, even a week later, you are right back in the game. No back tracks needed. A nice game for very casual players. Or if a guest comes over and you want to introduce them to HOPAs this is a great way. Play a shard or two. Also the graphics are OK. Not great but not shabby. For all its faults and "same old", something made me finish The Mirrors Secret. I recommend this game for some.
I recommend this game!
You were just about to relax with a good book when a stranger leaves a baby on your doorstep.
Overall rating
2
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
Nevertales: The HodgePodge Within
PostedApril 13, 2017
thebubba
fromBay Shore, NY
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
4 1/2 stars? Really?
Where to begin? Totally disjointed story. As one reviewer commented—"Silly story; disjointed game flow and jumping from one unrelated thing to another unrelated thing made for a boring time." Captured baby's, player being shot to the moon, Jack and the Beanstalk....surprised they didn't add a gingerbread cottage, though there was of course a colorful fairy tale-like cottage at one point and the good old 57 Chevy. This game has it all. Take your collection of HOPAs...toss them in the air... then catch what you can and you've got Nevertales: The Beauty Within.
And you'll have every other cliche that comes with this type of game. Gardening shears that needed to be sharpened before they could cut through those nasty vines...or was it hedge pruners to trim those nasty hedges? Actually I think it was both. Then of course there was acid to get through nasty metal objects (gates, locks, chains?...I've already forgotten). The hidden object scenes varied from very good to very dumb as in finding 8 pieces of bark on a tree stump that was all bark. Also finding "shards" isn't the most exciting use of time. In addition, some of the puzzles were so complex that even the guy doing the video walk through on U Tube skipped it. Don't know why, but I hung in and finished this monstrosity and now I feel re-newed and ready for my next HOPA, which I will choose more carefully.
I don't recommend this game.
For 25 years, you thought you had no family. But one night, a man steps through a mirror from another world, claiming to be your uncle... changing your life forever.
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
Reflections of Zzzzzzzz.
PostedJanuary 3, 2017
thebubba
fromBay Shore, NY
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Sad to say this is one of very few of my 100 plus games that I could hardly wait to finish. As another reviewer said— monotony. This shape (key) whatever to open this thing, on and on. Portals that promise the same boredom. A torch to find and then oil up and ignite. Every cliche in this game genre you will find here, and the visuals are overly colored and repetitious. Every location looks the same in hue and saturation! The renderings of characters are very sub par by today's standards (Princess of Ice)...kind of like high school art class.
And in the hos, a French Horn is not a Trumpet. One of many "bads". Ehh! to this game. Life is short and there are too many better games out there.
And in the hos, a French Horn is not a Trumpet. One of many "bads". Ehh! to this game. Life is short and there are too many better games out there.
A magic bear summons you to help save the neighboring kingdom of Nypha.
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
Sets a standard for today's HOPA's.
PostedOctober 24, 2016
thebubba
fromBay Shore, NY
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
From the opening cut scene you suspect there is something special going on here. And as you play your suspicions prove to be reality. Great production values (I especially enjoyed the train interior), wonderful characters and voice acting, mostly interesting puzzles (though throwing in a Simon puzzle toward the end was a cheap shot) and other surprises. The hidden object segments were mostly good, though there were some exceptions. A shovel handle that looks like a feather, and a monkey and a chicken that I dare any of you players to find. And at one point the graphics take a nasty turn...harder edged and more brightly colored. And my 5 star rating became a 4 star. Happily the senior artist finished his lunch break and resumed command. And I'm back to a 5. Towards the end the cool combination of trading blows with the enemy morphing into a very nice take on Match 3 was big fun.
So all in all...a memorable game. One of the best.
I recommend this game!
Investigate strange goings-on in the eerie town of Fort Nightingale!
Overall rating
3
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
From Nice! to zzzz, in too short a time,
PostedOctober 6, 2016
thebubba
fromBay Shore, NY
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
First to the "lack of bright color people" and the "dark dreary lifeless" I say so what. A game should convey a mood, not somewhere over the rainbow. The graphics in this game are well done and not over the edge. They fit perfectly. If it's color you want, play Candy Land. Some of the cut scenes were very well done. Especially the opening and closing. And I went into this game with a lot enthusiasm which eventually led to…well, read on.
The hidden objects are well done with a few exceptions. Try finding a blue-black treble cleft (yep, the old treble cleft again) on an almost black background. Def time for the hint button. Try finding a butchers knife when you should be looking for a meat cleaver. And if I have to smash one more piggy bank to find a coin I might do something I'll regret later. And of course there's the old pearl in an oyster trick. To their credit the developers actually attempted to show an oyster shell unlike all those scallops of the past. There were many hidden object locations repeated throughout the game. And lots of back and forth, thank you map.
We get some fun carnival games like log splitting and a too easy dart throwing session. The puzzles varied from difficult to extremely easy. The game play sadly had us once again sweep away cobwebs and deal with a washed out bridge. What all of these games need is a new eye on tasks. How about something original? I for one am tired of boiling water and doing foundry work.
Finally, this is not a bad game, really. But DO NOT BUY the CE. You get one bonus game which is American Indian themed and has nothing to do with the main game, some art stills and wallpaper (which you can get from doing screenies of your own choice), and a promotion for the developer.
Next time it's on sale or if you have a credit, I would recommend it. The standard version of course.
I recommend this game!
Track down the wily Fox before he slips away into the beauty of Venice!
Overall rating
2
/
5
0 of 1 found this review helpful
The Italian Disappointment
PostedSeptember 7, 2016
thebubba
fromBay Shore, NY
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
After reading the reviews and discarding the 5 star reviews offered by the perpetual 5 star reviewers, I decided to give this game a try. Hey, it's also the buy of the week, why not?
Made it 40 minutes into the demo and then bye bye. First off, if ever a game needed user adjustable gamma, this is it. Bright hazy over blown colors one minute then over saturated garish colors in windows the next. We get the usual "fix the wires, find the key" stuff and the voice acting, as one reviewer pointed out, is terrible. An unconvincing Italian word followed by young would be actors reading in perfect English and with no real emotion or urgency. Mamma Mia!
Nice concept...terrible execution. Not for me.
I don't recommend this game.
Will you heed the director’s final casting call?
Overall rating
5
/
5
Steals the stage!
PostedAugust 15, 2016
thebubba
fromBay Shore, NY
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This terrific game froze midway in chapter 7, the final chapter, and forced me to the Walk through to find how it ended and I still have to give it the highest rating. Things happen and I suspect this will not be the case for 99% of players.
Where to start? The look is fantastic, as are the music, voice-overs and sound. The game has some neat tricks like using a Swiss Army Knife and selecting the proper blade for the task (instead of the old find the correct tool thing), and jumping to another dimension through a film projector. Yeah, I know the dimension thing has been done before but not in such a clever manner. I suggest reading some of the other positive reviews for more game specifics. Meanwhile, to the developer I say great job. I'll def be trying other editions in the Final Cut series.
I recommend this game!