HCC_314's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.1
- Helpful Votes:97
- Reviews Submitted:16
- First Review:May 1, 2014
- Most Recent Review:March 15, 2018
- Featured reviews0
9 Clues: The Ward
Discover the secrets that lie buried in the eerie, crooked halls of Mnemosyne Asylum!
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
Well-done detective story
PostedSeptember 24, 2014
HCC_314
fromMilwaukee, WI
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This was a fairly well done game. I wish it weren’t so dark, gloomy and depressing, but that was the story. The artwork got a little sketchy, but was generally very good, even the animation. The story and especially the Detective mode scenes were really good. The characters revealed themselves gradually, except for some patients who were nuts all the way through. Owen was a little…off. I don’t think that anyone who made it to the top of MI-6 would have had that sort of accent, nor would be speaking ungrammatically. Music was only ok. An electronic cacophony used to convey hallucinations/delusions was very unpleasant. The rest of the time, there was a repetitive piece that was so NOT 1950s. Most of the main game bits were consistent with the purported era, but not all.
Your character didn’t collect and carry unknown objects around for lengthy periods, though I appreciated her keeping the cattle prod around for more than one use. There were some serious anachronisms in the HOS, and one or two of the puzzles: a Rubik’s cube, plastic bottles and blister packs for pills, single tube stethoscopes, and modern phone numbers, to name a few. These weren’t game stoppers, but did break my concentration. Wish the designers had been more careful, but I guess it is easier to use images that have already been created than to find/adapt/create images that were period consistent.
The HOS themselves weren’t oppressive until the last part of the game, when they became, not only numerous, but repetitive. Most were well lit, but moderately cluttered, and 90% static/non-interactive. The hunt for the last 2-3 items got old. The Mahjong alternative was good way to avoid the frustration. I personally didn’t think there were enough puzzles. The puzzles were fun, and a few were interesting variations, but none were particularly difficult.
I’ll play this one again.
I recommend this game!
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
After crashing your car in the middle of nowhere, you stumble upon a mysterious town with a shady background. Solve a dark mystery!
Overall rating
3
/
5
22 of 22 found this review helpful
Never never again.
PostedSeptember 22, 2014
HCC_314
fromMilwaukee, WI
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I’m trolling for highly rated/reviewed games. I knew the game had been out for a while. But Phantasmat is one of the highest recommended PC download games on BF and other review sites that I haunt. So I took a chance. And I've had such mixed reactions, I had to submit this review in case there were other fishies like me.
Phantasmat has a good, if depressing story line, with a fine finish. This game was truly beautifully illustrated. There was a Film grain option that I couldn’t see made any difference...maybe on your monitor it would. You didn’t need film grain to see the splattering gore. Cutscenes were extremely numerous, but so well animated! They added to the story, not distracted from them, even the flat sketchy versions. It was a dark and rainy night...literally, you heard rain all the time. The music was a little repetitious, but matched the scenario. Snatches of Phantom of the Opera, I thought! IMNSHO, there were not enough puzzles…maybe 10 in the whole game. Puzzles had no instructions, but were easy enough to understand…except for one that I thought I would have to discover codes before solving. The developers provided a very specific SG, that you really don't need. Hints, if you need them, are also very specific. There were not that many locations, so the lack of any sort of a map was tedious, but isn't a stopper under normal circumstances.
But OMG!!! Hidden Object Heqq. Every time you went anywhere, there was a HOS. Each one repeated 2-3 times. Mostly were dark, and *terribly* artistic. You were often clicking on reflections and shadows that were visible only briefly. The HOS were pretty cluttered, and the scale of the items jumped around, which made things even harder. Sometimes the light was flickering and in one or two your field of vision kept shifting. A positive note: there really were no anachronistic items that can cause bobbles in your concentration. There was an alternative to the HOS: a Match 3. But that got twisty quickly, with chained items, maze-like construction, and combinations that exploded, wiping out any schemes I had to get the glowing eyes to the bottom (=items “found”). I *like* Match 3 games, but these got so tedious, I pulled the monitor to my face and did the danged HOS as much as possible.
There was an epilogue, that was actually a prequel…how the whole depressing mess started. I could not bear it, nor the bonus option to replay parts of the game.
I will never play this game again. Even with its artistic merit I do not recommend this game to anyone who does not adore dark depressing storylines and nonstop hard-to-see HOS. Three stars is a compromise rating.
I don't recommend this game.
Death and Betrayal in Romania: A Dana Knightstone Novel Collector's Edition
Can you escape from the grasp of a lovestruck ghost?
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Pretty good game with some boring features
PostedSeptember 12, 2014
HCC_314
fromMilwaukee, WI
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Broad strokes: a well-done mystery with a good balance of HOS and puzzles. The puzzles ranged from grade school easy to pretty hard. The illustrations were beautiful, and the animation was ok, if a trifle jerky in the way-back sequences. The music was also acceptable. The story was believable, once you accepted the premise that Dana can communicate with spirits and tear up property with impunity as long as no one sees her doing it. The player didn’t carry around completely unidentifiable junk for too long, and did keep a few critical items for more than one use. There was no glaring illogic. I noticed only a few anachronisms in the way-back scenes.
The game quickly evolves to a point in which the detective has several objectives/tasks/things to find. I was often at a loss as to my next step. The map was usually helpful. But help from Hints was non-specific. The Strategy Guide was next to useless, following the apparently new standard of not providing illustrated and detailed help. More than half of the HOS were lists: those were only occasionally interactive, and there were a fair number that had you hunting for dark objects in the shadows. I upped the gamma on my monitor almost as far as it will go. I had to skip a more than a few of the puzzles. A couple of those I might have been able to figure out, but I got really bored trying. One or two relied on logic or knowledge beyond my ken. There were a couple that I gave up on because I couldn’t see the details, like the danged dinner set.
Issues with the development team’s techniques were the source of my less than 5-star rating. The BoomZap team is not fond of close-ups. I suspect it spares them time coming up with smooth transitions and detailed graphics. You’re supposed to pick up the pieces of X or insert this item there, but often with no close view. Whatever. I have a fine IPS monitor, but I’m not playing full screen. These middle-aged eyes just could not see what they assumed I should be able to. I get frustrated then bored. Another (related) source of tedium: trying to place/use inventory items: The sweet spot for any object to be placed was often hard to locate. How many times did I drag the <medical device> to Cezar? I might as well have been playing a game from 2010 or earlier.
I’m weeding out the games I shall never play again. This is a keeper for me…for now. I’ll re-play it sometime when I’m dead relaxed and can spend hours playing full-screen.
I recommend this game!
Sea of Lies: Nemesis
A series of unexplained deaths baffle authorities, and you’re called in to investigate.
Overall rating
4
/
5
9 of 9 found this review helpful
I'll play this one again!
PostedSeptember 9, 2014
HCC_314
fromMilwaukee, WI
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Decent animation, and a good story. I really liked the semi-classical music. Like others, I question the possibility of a female detective in the obviously historical setting. But most of these games are fairy tales of one sort or the other, played by women like me who like a bit of non-reality. So this sort of slippage is ok. There was not much that was wildly anachronistic enough to cause attention bobbles. And you didn’t collect objects too far in advance.
The main puzzles were simple and not too many in number. There were HOS all over the place that were interactive to the extreme! I didn’t have to deal with eggs and nesting dolls, for a change. There was at least one mini-puzzle in each HOS. Silhouettes, take and use and little instruction, which worked for this game. The walkthroughs are no longer providing the circled screenshots they used to. I’m not fond of HOS, but in this game I got tired enough to play the Match 3 game only a few times. That was a good Match 3. I’d play that again! Most HOS were bright and not too cluttered. None were repeated.
I’ll play this game again!
I recommend this game!
New York Mysteries: Secrets of the Mafia Collector's Edition
Discover a story of mysterious kidnappings of both children and mafiosi.
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Advanced puzzle-meister's dream
PostedMay 10, 2014
HCC_314
fromMilwaukee, WI
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I've been replaying old games and decided I deserved a new one. This game was well-reviewed on this and other site. The story line is good…a little anachronistic, but I have no complaints about that. Our heroine's quests made sense. Graphics were good, and got too dark in only a few spots. The animation was not distracting, except for one scene where the ghost’s speech had little to do with lip movements. Noted the finicky pointer placement that others have in a couple of spots...It wasn’t too bad. I hate most HO scenes, but these were so cool! The objects made sense for what was needed in the story; and you have to find/use/assemble to get to the item of interest. The inventory never got too crazy; in one place there was a comment about not carrying around a barrel unless I needed it. Our heroine even kept a knife for more than one use (Seriously! If we’re going to be cutting, deconstructing equipment and making fire, you think our player characters would have a tool belt where knives, screwdrivers, hacksaws, and matches were permanent fixtures!).
The main draw for me: This was supposed to be a puzzle lover’s dream. I love puzzles! I like to keep working on a complex puzzle for a long while before I go to the Strategy Guide or a Walkthrough to see what moves/logic I was missing. I'd I did not realize how much I depended on being able to reset what I’ve done. In this game I remember only one mini-game/puzzle that had a Reset button. Even the Strategy Guide won’t help if you’ve already been working on a puzzle and are too far from the starting position. I was almost able to replicate the starting position for one puzzle, but must have gotten something wrong. After awhile, it wasn’t a matter of persistence; I didn’t care.
I don’t remember ever skipping so many puzzles. Even the cool HO scenes palled. I was so ready to be done I left one phantom object unfound in the very last scene. That was on the wonderful map, and I just rushed to the end. By the end of the Bonus Game I just wanted it to be over. It was a good to great game, but I'm feeling a little stupid right now.
I recommend this game!
Spirits of Mystery: Song of the Phoenix
Reunite the Dragon and Pheonix Kingdoms to stop the evil witch!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Still enjoyable after two years
PostedMay 1, 2014
HCC_314
fromMilwaukee, WI
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I've been replaying older games, stashing most in a "Never Again" folder. Those games have never-fixed technical glitches, OR they are heavy on HO scenes, and short on puzzles. I'm too irritated by that combination to appreciate music, storyline, or graphics. Song of the Phoenix will be one that I play and replay.
There are more puzzles than hidden object scenes, and many of the latter are find-the-object-and-use-it to keep finding more objects. The puppet show one was cute! Very few dark objects in a shadow, and only one or two scenes that I had to repeat. Didn't once find myself yearning for an alternative to the HO, like Mahjong. The puzzles are markedly different than the run of the mill today. (E.G.no stretchy ropes/knots to untangle). They range from easy to fairly challenging. The logic and directions were clear in almost every case, which is also not SOP. Things were missing that had to be located, but this wasn't so complex that I felt I had to take notes about what was still needed in each scene.
The graphic art was fine, though not photorealistic. I don't require that in a fairy tale. The sparse animation was ok..at least the lip movement matched the words. No pointless cut-scenes that add little to the story. Riveting storyline? Nope, but I haven't seen one of those for awhile. As I noted: it's a fairy tale. The ick/gore factor is quite low, as is the overall menace. Fine with me; some of the final battles in newer games have left me tachycardic. The music was repetitive, but pleasant enough for the fairly long playing time.
An interactive map? I've gotten used to those, but you really didn't need one. You don't trot from the last scenes to the first ones. Once the Hint Button has told you 2-3 times that there isn't anything to do here, you get it: you're done with this area.
Best of all, there was not one single technical glitch. I've been stopped dead in my tracks twice in two months by poorly developed/designed games. The game ran flawlessly and quickly on my elderly PC with its recently downgraded graphics card.
I recommend this game!