GamerCouple's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.9
- Helpful Votes:216
- Reviews Submitted:24
- First Review:April 27, 2012
- Most Recent Review:September 6, 2014
- Featured reviews0
Overall rating
1
/
5
8 of 9 found this review helpful
This is not a HOG, but still would be vastly improved with a hint system.
PostedOctober 14, 2012
GamerCouple
fromthe living room
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Current Favorite:
The Palace Builder
(4)Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This seems at first glance like a standard puzzle/HO adventure game in which you take the role of someone solving a dire mystery--in this case, that of disappearing villagers and a possibly-metallic bad guy who rides around on a horse being mean.
I got through only three paces into the village before I totally ran out of ideas for how to handle the puzzles, and along with running out of ideas I ran out of patience. There's no hint button, no clues whatsoever where someone should go, what to do, nothing. Apparently, according to the smug-sounding help screen, hints are only available on the hidden-object screens, but I didn't run into any of those for the half hour I tried my best to play this game so I couldn't tell you if the hints they do provide are worthwhile.
This game was just not for me. I don't play puzzle/adventure games because I like being frustrated; I play them purely to get to the hidden-object screens because I've already worked through the HOGs that don't involve frustrating brainteasers and puzzles. If this game won't do me the courtesy of moving me through the puzzles with as little torment as possible, then I'm definitely not buying it.
Nice artwork, decent music, nice storyline, but I don't recommend this game at all to people who need a little assistance with their games, or to those who like HOGs, because out of every other thing one could say about this game, it is not a HOG.
I don't recommend this game.
When the ghost of the beautiful Diane de Poitiers appears in front of you, you are transported back in time in Amulet of Time: Shadow of la Rochelle!
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Excellent puzzle/adventure game with some hidden object stuff.
PostedOctober 7, 2012
GamerCouple
fromthe living room
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Large File, Strategy, Time Management
Current Favorite:
The Palace Builder
(4)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Though heavier on the puzzle/adventure end of games than the hidden-object end, this is a really fun game. The visuals are really excellent--some eerie cutscenes that do a good job of setting tone and a sense of urgency, gorgeously painted scenes and objects, and lovely Renaissance artwork. The music is also lovely. This isn't a 100% historical game, obviously, but it's a really nice change of pace and obviously the designers put a lot of work into evoking the feel of 16th-century France.
The storyline is a fairly standard one, but with a bit of a twist--instead of being the sister/wife/child/parent of a person in danger, you are a young modern woman who gets teleported back in time to help prevent an assassination. At nearly every turn you are frustrated and taunted by ghosts and mysteriously malevolent clowns. One thing I really liked about this game was the heroine's clearly palpable sense of aggravation that despite all the danger she's in and all the trouble she's going to, she has absolutely no stake whatsoever in what's going on. The storytelling was simply superb and kept me immersed and interested even though I don't normally play games this heavy on puzzle/adventures.
The HOGs are beautiful and easy enough, with thematic screens and few anachronisms or out-of-place stuff (for example, stuff in the kitchen is largely stuff I'd expect to find in a Renaissance kitchen). I was quite pleased by one touch that few HOGs bother with: in this game, as opposed to most HOGs, when you do return to a previous screen for more treasure-hunting, the screen is exactly as you left it. Most HOGs will re-load stuff into the screen, and I find that approach frustrating as it feels like my previous efforts were negated. It takes a bit more work to make screens thematic yet non-frustrating, and that this game took that effort speaks well of it.
The puzzles tended toward the intermediate to challenging, but the skip button populates pretty quickly so when one proved too frustrating, I could just get past it. I'm sort of an idiot when it comes to puzzle games, but the help button actually was pretty useful to help me navigate around. Overall recommend to those who like puzzle/adventure games and those who like more historical games. Those who are very new to HOGs or prefer straight HOG action might not like this as much, but try the demo! I did and was pleasantly surprised.
(A truly cute touch at the end involves the credits--many of the people who worked on the game show up dressed in costumes of the game's era! TOO cute.)
I recommend this game!
National Geographic ™ presents: Herod's Lost Tomb
Explore the wonders of the biblical King Herod`s lost tomb in this stunningly scenic Hidden Object Game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
12 of 13 found this review helpful
Very solid HOG game, but too short.
PostedOctober 7, 2012
GamerCouple
fromthe living room
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Strategy, Time Management
Current Favorite:
The Palace Builder
(4)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This is a different sort of HOG from a respected organization, National Geographic. Yes, it's got the cool music and everything. The storyline is quite straightforward--you're an archaeologist who is looking for clues to figure out where an ancient ruler is buried. The theory goes that the more screens you complete, the closer you get to the answer. There isn't much more to it than that and regrettably none of the gameplay really feels like it's moving you forward, backward, or any other direction really. You complete a screen, then pick which of a variety of other screens you'll finish. Finish a slew of them, and get a new slew of them. The audio's pretty good--it's not irritating at least--though the chime noise that plays when an object is successfully clicked got annoying very quickly. The video's not bad either, though the movies in the cutscenes reminded me (in a good way) of the documentaries teachers play to kids in public schools. The HOG screens themselves are photo-realistic type stuff for the most part, a nice and refreshing change from the stylized painting-style HOGs.
I would love to see BigFish put out more of these "realistic" games, but they really need to be longer. From an HOG perspective, this game's pretty solid. The pictures are intriguing and fairly well-detailed; hints accumulate about as often as they seem like they should and there aren't penalties for using hints, and there don't seem to be any penalties for mis-clicks which is nice as some of the objects are really vaguely defined on the screens (you can see the objects' silhouettes for "free" but that's not a lot of help sometimes). There are next to no mini-games, which is fine as I don't like them anyway; the ones that are there are thematic and not frustrating or weird.
Recommended for HOG players who don't like "puzzle adventure" games and for people who like more realistic/historical games. The game in total took me about 5 hours to complete (1 hour demo, plus 3-4 hours after purchase).
I recommend this game!
Dive to the bottom of the sea, collect hidden items to earn cash and create your very own dream aquarium! Get hooked!
Overall rating
5
/
5
9 of 10 found this review helpful
Really cute, relaxing HOG without all the puzzles.
PostedSeptember 30, 2012
GamerCouple
fromthe living room
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I don't like the puzzles and generally-dark storylines most of HOGs use. I vastly prefer fix-em-ups like this one. Similarly to Gardenscapes, Lagoona, and Dream Inn, this game has you searching for objects so you can afford to fix up one of three dream aquariums and realize your dream to become a top marine scientist. It's really cute. But as opposed to those other games, you can put arrange your acquisitions wherever you want and have pretty much as much as you can stuff into your aquarium. You can also select whatever fish you'd like to populate it, and whatever amenities you wish, and put all of them anywhere they'll fit. (And if you mouse over the fish, you'll find some swim away in terror, while some hover around the pointer, and some others just ignore your efforts. It's really cleverly done!)
The graphics are adorable (and some look like they were lifted directly out of Gardenscapes--so if you're really familiar with that game, you won't have too hard a time on this one) and the music is relaxing and easy on the ears. Though this game lacks the "helper objects" of Gardenscapes, it does have hints--animated little seahorses that swim to an object to find it for you. You won't need them much, though. The screens are generally easy to navigate and most objects are clear enough to see without needing to waste money on hints. Because of how customizable the aquariums are, too, I suspect this game will have outstanding replay value--you can pretty much improve it as much as you want and go back to any aquarium any time to play more on it to improve it or even totally change how it looks. For a casual game, the amount of thought that went into the reward-aquariums is just amazing.
It's so hard to find a HOG that is actually mostly hidden object finding! Heartily recommend this game for those who prefer HOGs that are actually, well, HOGs. Absolutely loving this game.
I recommend this game!
Help D’Artagnan and the Three Musketeers find the Queen’s diamonds and save the honor of France in this exciting Hidden Object game!
Overall rating
1
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
Nice concept, but horrible interface.
PostedSeptember 23, 2012
GamerCouple
fromthe living room
Skill Level:Intermediate
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I don't think I'm smart enough to play this game. I downloaded the trial and didn't even get as far as the first puzzle; I couldn't figure out how to get anywhere or do anything. I wanted to like this game very much and liked the general backstory and artwork in it, but the interface is hideously confusing and needlessly complicated. This is definitely not my first visit to the HOG rodeo, either. Will not be purchasing and do not recommend it to anybody but those who are really, really quick-witted and can forgive its interface.
I don't recommend this game.
The Palace Builder
Design and manage the construction of the most beautiful structures in the kingdom! Will you find fame and fortune?
Overall rating
5
/
5
16 of 17 found this review helpful
Absolutely adorable builder game.
PostedSeptember 20, 2012
GamerCouple
fromthe living room
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Strategy, Time Management
Current Favorite:
The Palace Builder
(4)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This isn't a typical time management game, since it gives the player an unrestricted, un-allocated play area and lets you build whatever you want wherever it'll fit. It does time each level, but it's not that hard to hit the levels' requirements within the timeframe--and of course you can always try again if you need to.
The storyline is about a brilliant female architect in the days of Versailles who is impersonating a boy. Obviously hilarity ensues, but along the way she designs some fabulous palaces for various wealthy nobles. It's very cute and carries the action along very nicely. She's also secretly designing her own dream home/palace.
Each level sets various goals--build 3 fountains, demolish thus-and-so-many buildings, etc. You hire workers and set them to tasks, buy materials for them, and get paydays every day (automatic pay, too, not the irritating run-and-get-it pay). It's not that new in that sense. But the classical music is gorgeous and lush, and the graphics are pretty cute and colorful, and the free building aspect is addicting.
There are no real mini-games except for a falling fruit game midway through that pushes your workers faster according to how much fruit you manage to catch from a tree. And though it's not super-hard to hit a goal, each level usually sets "stretch goals" that *are* actually not easy to hit that get you a "Royal Seal of Approval" that is what actually improves Gabrielle's dream palace.
There really aren't any time management games out there that look or act like this game. It's fun, the story is adorable, the characters are compelling, and the gameplay is unique, well-balanced, and engaging. If there are any criticisms of this game from me, it's just that the buildings aren't too differentiated and I'd really have liked roadbuilding and other SimCity-type stuff. But for a casual game, this one is stupendous in my opinion. It's also well worth the money in my opinion, since it has about 30 levels and replay value. Definitely recommend for people who prefer a more SimCity play experience than a typical Time Management offers.
I recommend this game!
Create the perfect garden! Comb the rooms of a mansion for hidden items and restore a once stunning garden to its former glory!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Gorgeous game. Wish it were longer.
PostedSeptember 20, 2012
GamerCouple
fromthe living room
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Strategy
Current Favorite:
The Palace Builder
(4)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This gorgeous little game is such a refreshing change from the morass of grimdark creepy horror-genre HOGs. It's just a sweet little fix-em-up builder in which the objects you find get sold toward fixing a dilapidated old garden. There are about a dozen different types of decorations/improvements, each with three variants of different colors/shapes. You get a set of four at a time and can improve the four in any order you like, and can improve individual elements at any point afterward if you change your mind later. You visit each room of your mansion in turn and find 20 objects in it for a rotating list of customers, five at a time, to afford these changes.
The house has about a dozen rooms which you visit and re-visit as time goes on, but nothing felt like a retread most of the time so it doesn't become a big game of "how well can you memorize this room's contents"--the makers of the game have mixed the objects up enough and ask for different enough things that every visit to the rooms is challenging. The objects are usually pretty straightforward and I didn't run into many situations where I didn't understand what an object was or feel tricked by an object's placement. The visuals are easy to get along with and the music/sound is easy on the ears and relaxing. No complaints with gameplay or audio/video.
Playrix knows how to do HOGs right. I didn't notice any irritating penalties for mis-clicking and if you wait too long the game is quite cheerful about pointing out the next object by making it sparkle or having the butler point out a helper object (there are a few of these--a camera that points out all the objects on your plate currently for example) you can use to move forward. There really aren't any mini-games or adventure elements to the storyline, which is fine by me as I dislike both in HOGs.
If anything, I do wish the game had been longer. I played the hour-long demo, then bought the game. Six hours later I was finished with it. It has decent replay value, but if I buy another of these, I'll wait for a sale. I recommend this game to those who are kind of new to HOGs like me, to those who prefer a more straightforward feel to their HOGs without the grim murkiness of horror/adventure/brainteasers, or yeah, kids.
I recommend this game!
Help the Queen save the city of Babylon!
Overall rating
2
/
5
14 of 16 found this review helpful
Luscious game, but oh so disappointing.
PostedSeptember 9, 2012
GamerCouple
fromthe living room
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Large File, Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The graphics and theme of this game are simply stellar. The music as well is unique and so enjoyable that I'd happily listen to it on a soundtrack. It's such a pity the rest of the game can't keep up with these pluses. The HOG parts are inscrutable--the hint button is all right but the game docks points for mis-clicking, and the problem is that a lot of stuff looks "almost" right so I lost a lot of points that way and got scared to click ANYTHING, only to find out via the hint button that no, actually that was what I needed to click. Otherwise the HOG are thematically appropriate; you won't find modern objects in the ancient-world paintings and rooms contain stuff you think they should.
The mini-games it uses are either mind-bogglingly dull, like one they use a lot where you must trace figures with your mouse, or else they are completely inscrutable, like the other constantly-abused one that demands you put gems in their correct place; I never did figure out how that worked and just skipped it every time. The gem mini-game alone would make me refuse to buy this game; apparently nobody playtested this game before it got released, or its completely useless hint function (a central gem that glows green when a gem is placed correctly--but doesn't tell you which gem that might be out of two that you're manipulating) would have become apparent. The mini-games could have been removed entirely and not only would they not impact game enjoyment negatively, their deletion would greatly increase it.
The storyline itself is fascinating and I suspect historically sound. I loved the cutscenes and admired the art at every opportunity; the Hanging Gardens themselves are lovingly and lushly recreated, as was the city. Alas, the game offers very little direction in the way of what route you're supposed to take, so what should be a captivating stroll through another world was maddening and aggravating.
When I saw the magnificent introduction to this game I really thought it was going to be one of my favorites. But I can't recommend it at all with such serious limitations, unless a player is in it purely for the visual and sound quality, of course.
I don't recommend this game.
Start building your very own amusement park in Dream Builder: Amusement Park! Grow the park by adding the coolest new rides, the yummiest concession stands and the most entertaining attractions.
Overall rating
5
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
Absolutely adorable! A Time Mgmt game minus the time limis.
PostedAugust 21, 2012
GamerCouple
fromthe living room
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Though I suspect this is targeted toward children, I absolutely adored it. I like Time Management games, but find myself frustrated with the limited time aspect of building on them. What I really like are games like the Sims 3 -- games that give you goals, but usually without a time limit so you're free to explore and have fun meeting that goal in the manner you think best. This is that game. It reminded me of some pleasant cross between the Sims and Zoo Tycoon 2.
The visuals are precious and strikingly original; the music is cute without getting irritating and does evoke a theme park feel. There's not really a storyline, but I didn't really care. In terms of mechanics, the game presents a "zoning" concept that is original I think to this type of game; the idea is that you group different kinds of attractions together to make "star zones" that increase profits. There are a dozen or so types of zones, and some may overlap slightly with the particular attractions they want. Further, attractions may have ratings like "dark" or "noisy"; grouping these too close to their opposites will make the attractions' appeal suffer. Different types of guests like different types of zones, obviously, and you can pay to market to particular types of guest to increase their presence in your park. To increase the attractions' value and make them more enjoyable, you can plant trees and flowers around them as well as group them appropriately. Guests that especially like one or another attraction generate "heart points" that can be used to open new admissions gates or research new attractions and zones.
The one thing I didn't care for especially was the idea of "research;" this whole mechanic seemed superfluous and interrupted the flow of gameplay considerably. But this was a small quibble; the days go by quickly, and it isn't too bad to wait considering none of the challenges I saw had a time limit.
The game presents a series of challenges which the player picks among; some challenges focus more on concessions, some on rides, some on making "zones." Most of these aren't that hard to get; the worst things that got in the way were wasting time researching new attractions and the sheer limitations of space available upon which to build. Time Management game lovers won't find Dream Builder exceptionally challenging, but I don't think it's aimed at them.
Overall this is a well-balanced game that will especially appeal to youngsters and those who are either very new at Time Management or who would prefer a more "Sims" feel to their simulators. Brilliantly done and I very much enjoyed playing it.
I recommend this game!
Help Captain Space Bunny explore space and find the planet where all bunnies came from in this exciting Time Management game.
Overall rating
2
/
5
32 of 34 found this review helpful
Strikingly homegrown effort.
PostedAugust 20, 2012
GamerCouple
fromthe living room
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Strategy, Time Management
Current Favorite:
The Palace Builder
(4)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I don't mind indie games--I like them a lot usually--but this is not a good example of the type. It's a time management game of the sort where you're trying to buy and sell properties and develop them to meet particular goals. Using a very hand-drawn (one might even say Magic Marker-inspired) art style, and playing a cute variant on the theme with "space bunnies," you proceed through levels as you ostensibly make your way to the goal of the game.
The art was very cute. Instead of workers you have little anthropomorphic bunnies that run out and do stuff for you. As houses are built they vanish down into hydraulic lifts and then come up them again fully built. The backgrounds are colorful and exceedingly fun to look at; their artist is very talented and clearly had a blast making this game's artwork, and the energy and fun they had is infectious.
The storyline was touchingly cute in concept but achingly poorly-realized in execution in the actual gameplay. There just was no leap from "make houses and buy/sell properties" to "yay we're going to Carrotin Beta!" I don't see how selling properties gets me to the goal at all. I also was put off by the constant grammatical errors in the text. I know this is a Canadian production, but they do speak English in Canada--it can't be that hard to get someone to proofread this stuff.
Worst of all, though, the gameplay was quite buggy. I didn't even get through the tutorial because at one point a house needed to be sold, but it glitched while selling and I couldn't get the "sell" option to show up no matter what I did. At that point, I lost patience with the game and quit out.
Overall, I don't see myself trying this game again. If the developers can get the storyline to sound more coherent, fix the bugs, and proofread the text, it'll be worth another go.
I don't recommend this game.