MSBAM100's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.7
- Helpful Votes:8,578
- Reviews Submitted:240
- First Review:January 11, 2013
- Most Recent Review:January 27, 2024
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Is your husband-to-be guilty of betrayal – or even worse?
Overall rating
5
/
5
29 of 34 found this review helpful
Jazzy Soundtrack while you solve the murders!
PostedApril 4, 2015
MSBAM100
fromListening to jazz while looking for the Black Widow.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Like the first Cadenza, this game takes place in New Orleans and maintains the jazz music theme throughout. I normally turn the music down on my games, but this one's music was so enjoyable, and so much a part of the story, I had to turn it up!
You are Emma Johnson, engaged - after solving a fun puzzle - to jazz musician Anthony. The night before your wedding, Anthony agrees to a music gig at the Jazz Pepper Club, for a friend who has brought in a sexy singer who just might be a serial murderer! Someone is leaving black lipstick kisses on her victims. One of the victims, from Anthony's old band The Four Rascals, indicates "we never should have played that song!"
The music theme inundates the game -- instead of sparkles to identify a HOS, there is a ring of musical notes. When you select an item, a sprinkling of notes accompanies your selection. The five modes of play are Novice, Artist, Virtuoso, Maestro, and Improviser.
The HOPs are many and no two are the same. There is a list with puzzle pieces, an alternating find an item then interact with an item - all are mulit-tiered and musically based. The mini-puzzles are not hard, but fun. The puzzle to explain to the police about the dead man who hit your care includes matching identical items, then matching them thematically, then ordering the events.
There are 42 golden tickets to find, with a helpful icon on the menu. There are also 15 morphing items in the HOPs, also with a helpful icon. The Achievements are hint and time based. The CE bling includes a Match3 game, the Art, Wallpaper, the Soundtrack, Case Files, a Ticket Hunt, a Treasure Hunt, plus replaying the HOPs.
This is a high-quality game with great graphics, music and voice-overs. With the special this weekend, it is a must buy for me!
I recommend this game!
A mysterious Owl Man is terrorizing citizens!
Overall rating
5
/
5
65 of 84 found this review helpful
Whooooooooooo is the Owl Man?
PostedMarch 26, 2015
MSBAM100
fromIn the bayou swamp searching for the Owl Man
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is the 8th effort in this series and each one adds something new and different to pique your interest. I don't like the cartoon beginning, however. But it fits with the story.
You are once again a detective, called to Willowsville, Louisiana, to find Oliver Johnson, kidnapped from his home by the Owl Man of Nightswille - Willowsville's alter ego. It seems the "bad" people all moved to Nightsville, following the Owl Man leader. Oliver is a child, who likes to draw cartoons, which is why the story starts with a cartoon.
You still have your dog Elf, although he isn't very helpful in the demo. However, you meet a Blind Man, who gives you the gift of Foresight, that allows you to look at a scene, put items back in their original positions, and deduce what happened. An interesting twist that I don't recall seeing before! After each "foresight" scene, you come up with a deduction that requires you to find 3 items, then talk to a person relating to those items. This is how the game's rather complex story moves along, and helps you eliminate suspects one by one.
There are four modes of play to choose from, including custom. I also like being able to set my "lighting" via a Gamma option. My wide screen tends to get dark around the edges so this allows me to see those hidden objects better!
The HOPs were "place an object in a scene", and sometimes had a mini-game included. But the developers included those "Rube Goldberg-like" serial mini-games that go on forever but are so much fun. I just wish they allowed the Hint Button to be active during these games, so if you get stuck on one place you don't have to Skip the entire game to keep solving.
There are lots of collectibles.Of the 10 monster collectibles, I found the werewolf, the chupacabra ??, and the Braxton County monster -- all interesting graphic creatures. Plus you find coins that allow you to buy characters from a vending machine that kind of look like bobble-heads. There are also 22 morphing owls, and 20 achievements that are hint/time/skip based and give you more owl characters.
There are lots of red herrings along the way for you to investigate. And just as the Owl Man finally shows up...... the demo ends! I can't wait to buy!
I recommend this game!
Trapped in the past, Sarah must find a way home.
Overall rating
5
/
5
47 of 63 found this review helpful
Portals and time travel and even your eagle is back!
PostedMarch 21, 2015
MSBAM100
fromIn the present in Tampa, but in the past in Philly, and the future in ??
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is an excellent game in an excellent series. You are again Sarah Pennington, a member of the Secret Order who fights against the Dragon Clan. There is a short summary in the beginning, if you haven't played the previous games.
You are stuck in the past in Aeronhart with a broken time machine after your last adventure, and you just want to go home. Your flying eagle is also back. You find a chest your father discovered and decide to put it back in the tomb with a message to him to rescue you when he finds the chest. It seems to work.........except the bad guy "rescues" you instead of dad and sends you into an unknown dimension inhabited by a pirate in an airship, Phew! The demo was 80 minutes long and covered a LOT of ground!
So far, this is a nice calm story that really makes you think. The HOS are mainly "find an item, then use the item to find the next item." It requires a bit of thought to figure out which item is the starter item. You could also play mahjongg instead. I really enjoyed the mini-games as well. Normally, I don't have the patience, but I played every one without skipping! I really enjoyed threading the pulley, and putting the Eye back together.
You play a mini-game story book about Cleopatra, her pet anubis Nubi, and her friend Omar who has a portal that saves Nubi from the Romans and brings him to you as your helper. He starts out with the "fetch" help, then earns "lightning" plus two others. A bit different play on the helper idea.
There are 3 modes of play, 12 hint/skip achievements and 16 game-based activity achievements. There are also 10 eagle masks, 10 jaguar masks, and 10 crocodile masks to collect. You can see your collection and achievements by selecting a pull-down "Home" at the top of the screen.
This story is so interesting, with portals and time travel. I can't wait to see if Sarah gets home!
I recommend this game!
PuppetShow: The Price of Immortality Collector's Edition
Your friend vanishes after investigating the mysterious Theater of Emotions
Overall rating
5
/
5
16 of 31 found this review helpful
The robot spider puppet finally shows up!
PostedMarch 19, 2015
MSBAM100
fromTampa, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I LOVE this series. Each one is fresh -- how they keep coming up with new storylines for 6 games, yet staying true to the puppet motif is amazing. This game has a definite steampunk theme to the artwork, which is quite fascinating to take it all in! The voice overs are good -- the lips move convincingly.
You are a reporter - you get to decide male or female and select your picture - who arrives in the town of Immortale to rescue your friend Enrique from death or disappearance or whatever. You fix a doll who becomes your assistant with a steampunk hat with a light, so she can reach places you can't and light up dark areas. All of the poor puppets you meet are dismembered in some way, but you get to fix them and they go into your "Doll House." You find tokens to upgrade the dolls, for example, from a hanging doll to a beautiful winged butterfly doll.
You also earn achievement cards for activities like repairing dolls, plus a few hint/skip based. What is pretty cool is, each card has an historical fact on the back about dolls or puppets. I bet you don't know about the largest Barbie doll collection!
You have a map with activities marked, plus a hint button and the strategy guide, which I didn't need. There are four modes of play, including custom. My favorite recurring robot, the nasty mechanical spider, finally shows up near the end of the demo. The HOPs are interesting -- all puppet themed. The mini-games are fairly easy, but fun. The demo lasted 75 minutes and ends with a show stopper, which I won't spoil here.
Try it and see!
I recommend this game!
A meteorite devastates a town, yanking Emily from her normal life.
Overall rating
5
/
5
41 of 63 found this review helpful
Can you save the world? Your family? The House?
PostedMarch 14, 2015
MSBAM100
fromResting my hand after battling all the infections in this story!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is the fourth in the series and doesn't disappoint. You are Emily Lancaster and it is up to you to use your Inner Light - which you didn't know you had! - to save the world from the infection that arrived with a meteorite. You are taken by Kate Read through a portal to the House of Lancaster, where it seems you are the last in a line of gifted relatives. The infection gets the House, and three of your relatives become "evil" as a result. So it is up to you to fix everything!
You have the "Hand of Light" that lets you click on a diseased item, trace it, and cure it. You do that a lot in the first 10 minutes or so; not so much afterward. The storyline is a bit complicated. To rescue your kitty from the infection, you have to solve a mini-puzzle to get a cage, find a toy car and a key, then solve a complicated HOS to get a mouse so your kitty will follow the toy into the cage where he can be cured! Phew! Your kitty then becomes your helper for those high places you can't reach.
The HOS are very interactive, requiring actions in order to get each item to help you get the next item to eventually getting the final item. The mini-games, while not necesarily unique, require a bit of trial and error patience.
Each scene has a collectible evil face, with an on-screen icon to remind you to look for it. Finding the faces, or completing the bonus game lets you play Evil Hunt. There is also the Making Of, plus 20 achievements that are either game-based, or hint/skip related.
There is so much to do, the graphics are great, and the lips move in the voice-overs. Try it yourself and see!
I recommend this game!
A murder mystery party turns deadly in real life!
Overall rating
5
/
5
34 of 43 found this review helpful
Who done it?
PostedMarch 12, 2015
MSBAM100
fromPolishing up my detecting skills in Tampa, Fl
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Another great story in this series! Lots of twists and turns and suspects. You are again the detective investigating the real poisoning death of Reginald Greer, who was throwing a "murder party" where he was to be the pretend poisoning victim of his game!
You have your trusty Detective Kit that makes ink visible, detects poison and analyzes stuff for you. You get to query each suspect and decide if they are lying or telling the truth. You have Reginald's Mystery Box that gives you a game clue each time you find a special token. The hint button teleports you, and of course there is a map with activities marked as well. There are so many clues, my head is buzzing!
Each HOS has a morphing object, plus there is a Tarocchi - ??? - card hidden in each scene. The HOS are multi-faceted, plus you can play a bubble shooter instead. The mini-games are a bit hard -- I need much more patience to solve them!
The CE bling also includes a Making Of video, and a Souvenir Room - two of my favorites - plus something called a Mask Collector that all open after you play the Bonus Game.
This is a long demo, but really gives you a feel for the game and the game play. As you can tell, I am a fan, and off to buy!
I recommend this game!
Redemption Cemetery: The Island of the Lost Collector's Edition
You crash-land on an island populated by ghosts. Like them, are you trapped here forever?
Overall rating
5
/
5
15 of 17 found this review helpful
Get me off of this island!
PostedMarch 8, 2015
MSBAM100
fromTampa, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I love the Redemption Cemetary stories! In every one, you have to help people who are already dead but their souls are restless due to some issue that occcurred when they died. And this one is no different. The only drawback is the demo was quite short -- only about 40 minutes or so - which makes it hard to get a handle on the story if you are unfamiliar with the series.
The videos are always fantastic. The opening scene of your plane crashing along with the hulky monster shedding his chains is excellent. The voice-overs are great. The CE bling includes a 9 question Test, 17 achievement badges that look like pilot's wings, plus the Book with fill-in items to discover that let you listen to one of four stories that probably advance the history of the island.
You can play a HOP or a Skull marble shooter. You get a Raven as your friend to help with the high places. In the demo you help the dead fisherman Santiago, who just wants a picture of his family. Then you meet the teacher Emily, that sends you back in time through a portal to help her student Mattie Havald, the headmaster's son.
There are four modes of play, including custom. Your goal is to quiet the restless souls, and repair the lighthouse so you can be rescued. I thoroughly enjoyed this game!
I recommend this game!
You're cordially invited to attend the world's greatest magic show! Thurman the Magnificent will give a performance no one will forget!
Overall rating
4
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
Who is the best magician? And who is still alive?
PostedMarch 8, 2015
MSBAM100
fromPracticing my fire tricks to keep warm in Florida!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Unlike the last few magician stories released, this one doesn't have a lot of magic tricks. You are a detective summoned to Galder's Bluff, England's "most magical city", by Joseph Thurman to "guard" him while he attempts to amaze and astound with a famous fire trick. Unfortunately, what IS amazing - but not surprising - is that Thurman burns up and disappears during his trick, leaving his rival magician Robert Additngton as the greatest magician in the world. So the theater owner asks you to investigate, and of course you oblige.
You have a teleport map to help you, plus the hint button takes you step by step to the area you need to search next - you don't have to keep clicking on it.
The HOPs so far have been lists, or find the item and return it to where it belongs. You can also exchange the HOP for a pyramid solitaire game, which you can reshuffle until you win - kind of fun if you don't often play solitaire.
There ae 37 morphing crystal balls, but you can't see your collection. There are 15 achievements - also crystal balls - that you can see. And there are 6 different types of solitaire games.
The gamis is not hard, but I did use the hint button a bit when I was stuck. Not sure if this is a CE, but it is fun. Try it and see.
Was Marion Ashworth murdered? Uncover the victim's true identity!
Overall rating
5
/
5
58 of 77 found this review helpful
Who is the dead girl and where is Marion Ashworth?
PostedFebruary 28, 2015
MSBAM100
fromWorking on my Southern accent in South Tampa
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Current Favorite:
Dark Tales™: Edgar Allan Poe's The Mystery of Marie Roget Collector's Edition
(52)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is the third in the series and takes place in Charleston instead of Paris or Italy. You are Andrea White, a detective hired by the wealthy Ashworths to determine who murdered their daughter Marion Ashworth, a student at the prestigious Belfort Academy of Dance. Turns out the murdered girl is NOT Marion, so now you have two mysteries to solve - who is the murdered girl, and what happened to Marion?
This series is full of nice touches - but the Southern accents are not one of them, especially the headmistress! But the game play is excellent, moving from the Academy to the Club de Celeste to track the killer. The HOPs are fun, including the "investigate the body" type, silhouettes, and multi-tiered find the symbols to get the list to get the item you need. Each HOP also has a morphing item, with an icon to remind you to look for it -- but I can't seem to find them without the strategy guide!
There are four modes of play - Gumshoe, Detective, Inspector and Custom. The developers really follow the theme of the game throughout - when you win an achievement, a ballerina is colored in. The CE bling includes finding 41 collectible masks, a souvenir room that opens up after the bonus game, a Match 3 game, replaying the HOPs and Mini-games, plus Bonus HOPs. The only extra I didn't like was the Making Of video -- slo-motion nonesense instead of showing us the developers.
This is a first rate addition to the series. Try it and see!
I recommend this game!
The legacy of the witches continues when Lynn and her husband are lured into a trap by a mysterious sorcerer…
Overall rating
5
/
5
66 of 79 found this review helpful
Will Lynn and Edward EVER find happiness and peace?
PostedFebruary 26, 2015
MSBAM100
fromTrying to stay awake in Tampa, Fl
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is a great game in a great series. If you haven't played the previous ones, they are summed up in a story HOG early on. Everything about this game is first class. You can click anywhere and objects move -- it is so clever.
You are once again Lynn's adopted mom Carrie, who saved her from the witch Elisabeth and then the witch Morgana, and now the "super witch" Thetis wants Lynn's body to return to. Lynn is a good witch, married to Edward, a witch hunter. Edward is turned into a puppet and Lynn is captured and of course you jump right in to save them both!
The Imp - who used to be Lynn's dog and is now your helper - is back, and his animation is one of the cool things about this series. He needs a mask and breathing tube to dive into the water, but when he emerges, he grunts and shakes his head to get the water out of his ears. Climbing onto a broom to fly up to an object, he has to learn to balance and steer the broom. It's subtle, but funny.
Ther are 12 story-related achievements, plus 4 puzzles with 9 pieces each to collect, and 33 morping objects - one in each scene. The demo lets you finish one puzzle, and hear more history about the characters. The map marks activities, plus collectibles.
The HOGs are varied and special. There are the normal lists and silhouettes - with a twist - plus the zoom windows that require you to find all the parts of an object you need, like a train. You can play a Match game instead.
The mini-puzzles have multiple stages -- find all the objects to complete a figurine, make the doll, then play a game using the doll in a scenario. There is so much to do! I played the demo for 88 minutes and thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope you will too!
I recommend this game!