genkicoll's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.6
- Helpful Votes:1,101
- Reviews Submitted:18
- First Review:November 11, 2011
- Most Recent Review:January 12, 2020
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Garret Ghostfighter was born with the gift of being able to see demons! Help him use his gift to defeat the evil Mephisto!
Overall rating
5
/
5
72 of 76 found this review helpful
Exorcist Deserved More Attention Than it Got
PostedDecember 17, 2011
genkicoll
fromOregon
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Brain Teaser, Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle, Strategy
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
I must say I'm a bit surprised that I didn't see more of a buzz when this was first released.
Exorcist is an interactive hidden object game with an interesting story and nice graphics. The voice overs are very well done, and I love the font (style of writing) they chose to use during the cut scenes.
The hidden objects are all story-appropriate, and some are devilishly hidden. Impossible? Not enough that I was totally frustrated. Definitely difficult to find sometimes, though. Find items on a list, occasionally by sketch (more than a silhouette, but not quite a picture of the item). Puzzles and interaction throughout.
This game isn't as straightforward as some IHOG's. You have to figure out what you're supposed to be doing sometimes, and I like that - makes you think. Once you get the hang of what the developers are trying to do, it gets easier and more intuitive.
Formulaic in that you skip between three scenes, then move on to a set of three new scenes. Movement is done via clicking on a picture of the location you wish to go to or by using the "footsteps" cursor.
Something different that makes you think, nice environmental combination of graphics and sound effects and eerie without being disturbing. A solid thumbs up from me. I purchased after the first chapter and enjoyed it all the way through to the end.
I recommend this game!
A kingdom’s future rests in the light of three beacons. Can they be lit in time? Will the shadows be cast into light?
Overall rating
5
/
5
63 of 100 found this review helpful
A Satisfying Continuation of the Story
PostedDecember 17, 2011
genkicoll
fromOregon
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Brain Teaser, Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle, Strategy
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
You start with the choice of difficulty level: Casual (with tutorial) or Experienced (without tutorial). I chose Experienced.
Options include Music, Sound Effects, Brightness (oh, YES!!), Full Screen, Aspect Ratio (stretch to fit the screen, where applicable) and Custom Cursor. There is also a Reset to Default button in case you want to change it back to the way it was when you opened the game.
The Extras button on the main menu will take you to the pages where you can buy the games (Drawn: The Painted Tower; Drawn: Dark Flight), the Credits and/or the Forums.
HINTS are "tiered" and refillable. Click for a hint, get a general idea of what you should be doing; click again and get more specific instructions. Basically, the hints walk you through what you need to know.
I like that the game's toolbar disappears unless you mouse-over it. It's so nice to be able to see all of the artwork and not have it cut off.
Dark Flight takes up right where The Painted Tower left off. I highly recommend playing the first Drawn game before you play Dark Flight, but the game creators have added enough story that you won't be totally perplexed if you didn't play Painted Tower first.
The Drawn games are story-driven adventures, so if you don't like stories in your games, these probably aren't for you.
The music, the gameplay, the voices... even the scenery is very similar. We visit some familiar locations, but from different angles - beautifully done, devs This was an absolute must-buy for me after only 10 minutes of the demo. It was enough for me to know that this game has the same high production values as the first Drawn game.
There is just one more thing I'd like to mention: When you exit the game, you are automatically taken into a video-preview of Dark Flight. It is beautifully done, majestic and thrilling... except that you will see it every time you exit the game. Or NOT! I thought I saw someone griping about this, but it's easily skipped - just hit the ESC key! My only gripe is that exiting the game also automatically takes you to the CE purchase page. A slight annoyance, but one I can easily live with.
I recommend this game!
Fashion Solitaire
Style models with trendy outfits in a cool fusion of solitaire and fashion design, provided by Lifetime Television.
Overall rating
5
/
5
267 of 411 found this review helpful
Fun for Card-lovers and Fashion-lovers Alike
PostedDecember 17, 2011
genkicoll
fromOregon
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Brain Teaser, Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle, Strategy
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
This is another addictive and relaxing card game, and whilst definitely shorter than Fairway or Faerie Solitaire, still worth buying in my opinion.
Don't let that comment mislead you, it's not played the same way - no numbers, only pieces of clothing. Dress the models according to their wishes (could be color, garment type like skirt or socks, pattern, etc), and meet a certain number of model wishes to progress to the next round. Meeting their requirements gives you extra $$, and it's fun trying to match them all, anyway.
Decks can be customized with your own creations, and you make your own creations by using the money you've earned.
There are eight styles you'll work with, from "Night on the Town" to "Back to School" to "Pure Elegance". You'll play six rounds per style, selecting your favorite from each round for style-fashion show.
I recommend giving it a try if you like card games, or even if you're a fashion-lover. :)
I recommend this game!
The Brooks family boarded the Neptune hoping for a relaxing family vacation, but what they got was an incredible adventure!
Overall rating
3
/
5
114 of 135 found this review helpful
Very Well-done Game, But Something That Threw Me Off...
PostedDecember 17, 2011
genkicoll
fromOregon
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Brain Teaser, Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Puzzle, Strategy
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Nightmare on the Pacific yesterday. Whilst there are no ghosts, creepy crawlies or macabre of any kind, I would still deem this a D&E game for the horrifying reality of the situation you find yourself in.
And yet, it's the reality of the game that threw me off. If you're going to give us a horrifying real-life story, make it friggin' realistic! Because I was focused on the reality, physics and logic kept butting in to make me say, "What the h3ll?!"
Beautiful graphics, a definite sense of urgency, fairly good voice acting, but c'mon! Some of the tasks they require you to do are absolutely ridiculous, reminiscent of Curse of the Opera when you have to pour gasoline on a fire.
There is a ton of back-and-forth to the game, which I usually enjoy, but in this game it was tedious because you had to retrace your steps over and over again.
I got it for a good price, and it was worth playing, but I wish they had made the tasks and situations a bit more believable. The lack of believablility greatly impacted my enjoyment of the game, and hence has lowered my initial scoring (from the demo) of the game from 5-stars to 3.
Save your sister from Bluebeard’s Castle in this incredible Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
8 of 10 found this review helpful
Before and After the UPDATE Makes a Difference!
PostedDecember 17, 2011
genkicoll
fromOregon
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Brain Teaser, Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Puzzle, Strategy
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
BEFORE UPDATE
I'm doing kind of a mini-review, rather than my usual long-winded info.
This is a game that is very well done, with beautiful graphics, a Drawn-like feel to it and interesting gameplay.
The problem is the loading screens. The initial load time is long - long enough that some people thought that there was something wrong with the game and never even saw it. There are also long load screens during gameplay. Every time you move to or from different areas of the game, you'll get the load screen.
I could usually deal with this with no problem. After all this is a beautiful game, but there is no journal, and I have to keep wandering around to try and jog my memory of where I need to do things. I love the wandering/adventure-esque portions of these games, usually, but with the delays during loading... It's gotten to where I just don't care enough to continue.
Two things would have made this a stellar game: First, a brightness control. The scenes are quite dark, and my screen simply can't be adjusted any brighter than it already is. Second is the loading screens, for the reasons mentioned above.
I think this is a very good game, and if you can get beyond the issues I've mentioned above, you might really enjoy it
AFTER UPDATE:
When I wrote the above, I did not know that there had been a developer update for the game. After deleting and redownloading the game, I found the following:
There is still a long load time when you initially start the game - longer than before - but there is no longer the constant load screens whilst trying to move about the castle. The scenes have also been lightened, which was my other complaint, so I'm very happy, and enjoying the game much more. Thank you, devs!
I recommend this game!
Explore a terrifying tale in Mystery Stories: Mountains of Madness! Find out what happened to an entire team of researchers!
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
Not Just the Same-old, Same-old. Very Good!
PostedDecember 17, 2011
genkicoll
fromOregon
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
I did not realize that this was the third in a series until I came to post my review!
With it's refreshingly-different graphics style, an interesting story and appropriately dramatic (but not overpowering) music, the game drew me in almost immediately.
Options include sliders for music and sound effects, plus custom cursor, the ability to switch back and forth between easy and expert mode, full-screen and a box to choose your screen resolution (ie. 1024x768, etc.) There is also the option to turn off the effects for those with slower computers
There is no random-click penalty.
The game starts out in the uninhabited tundra, cold and desolate in its beauty. It wasn't long before I realized that this game is very reminiscent of The Thing, with Kurt Russell - a movie I have long wished to be able to play as an IHOG or adventure game! :o Happy day for me, I got a combination of the two, IHOG and adventure! Don't let me mislead you - the game does not follow the storyline of The Thing, but it is reminiscent enough in [i]feeling[/] that I am a happy camper.
The gameplay itself is more adventure than HOG, also a plus. When you do have HOG scenes, you will end up keeping several items from the area, not just one item (as is the norm for most HOG's). You may have 30 items to find in one scene, but only eight items will be listed at any given time. This adds to the difficulty a bit, as randomly guessing what's on the list won't do you much good. Items will not just found via list, for you will also find them by picture. There are no pencils floating in the sky or ridiculously out-of-place items, and no teeny-tiny items to contend with. Also noteworthy of the HOG scenes is that items you've removed previously will not be present when you have to return!
Gameplay is intuitive, but in case you need help, you have three choices! First, there is an Advice button, which will give you a general hint. If you hit the Advice button a second time (in the same area), it will give you more specific advice. Then there's also a HINT button, which definitely helps if you can't find a missing object during the adventure portion, and of course during the hidden object scenes. The HINT button will also tell you which direction you need to go if you're confused. (LOVE it! Thank you for the tiered hints, devs!)
We have a journal, but it doesn't have a bunch of writing that you'll have to follow - it is more to remind you of where you've been and what you've done - images and scraps of information you may have gleaned. Once again, thumbs up to the devs, for there are no unsolicited hints in the journal!
The mini-games are perfectly in keeping with the game and the story, and have a SKIP button, if needed. Next to the skip button is a ?, which will give you the mini's instructions.
Every now and then we will change from one character's point of view to another's - something I've seen done only in a few games, previously. It happens automatically, and does not interrupt the flow of the game at all... it seems only natural the way they've done it.
There are achievements in this game, but they are more to track your progress than anything else. You don't have to work hard or even try to get the achievements - they come simply by playing the game like you normally would. Still, it was a nice thought.
I really do enjoy the artwork in this game - it's quite beautiful, and there are some multi-layered scrolling scenes that add real depth to the game. If you do not like scrolling scenes, you can disable them. Doing so will simply meld everything into one static scene that you can see all at once. I must mention that none of the HOG scenes scroll (a good thing for me!)
I believe I'm getting near to the end, and it's been a real pleasure. Definitely a solid game, I recommend it.
I recommend this game!
The legendary Crystal Skulls have been lost for centuries. Can Sandra Fleming retrieve the skulls from all over the world?
Overall rating
5
/
5
42 of 44 found this review helpful
A Game For Those Who Like to Think
PostedDecember 15, 2011
genkicoll
fromOregon
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Puzzle, Strategy
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
What a refreshing change from our usual fare - a game that doesn't hold your hand and actually makes you think.
This is an Adventure-HOG, with not a lot of HOG scenes thrown in. The graphics are just beautiful, in some places even breathtaking. There is a full-screen/windowed option, but no option to turn off the custom cursor.
The gameplay itself is deliciously challenging, but not to the point of being impossible or too frustrating to play. The HINT meter refills slowly, but you can also gain hints by collecting ancient coins. I always enjoy the extra challenge of finding extra items, though I did try not to use the hints
The story is straightforward - you go on an expedition to find the lost crystal skulls. I think that the fact that you find three skulls during the course of the game should say something for the credibility of the story. Don't get me wrong, the gameplay is beautifully done, but you will have to suspend disbelief in places in order to enjoy the game.
The chapters are nice and long, gameplay very enjoyable, graphics superb, music and voiceovers well done and story immersive (despite being a bit hard to believe).
Excellent game, I enjoyed every bit of it!
I recommend this game!
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age is in full swing in this decadent adventure. Bring this legendary American novel to life!
Overall rating
5
/
5
109 of 114 found this review helpful
Classic Adventures:The Great Gatsby Delivers
PostedNovember 11, 2011
genkicoll
fromOregon
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Let me preface this review by saying that I have never read The Great Gatsby, nor did I know any of the plot before playing.
Based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, this game is a period piece set in the 1920's. The developers did a very good job making sure that everything was era-appropriate, which helped to make the game more immersive.
You will gain trophies as you progress through the game for things like collecting 500 hidden items, finishing a game level without a hint, using a hint before you've found any objects on the scene (oh yes, there is a dunce cap ) The game is NOT timed, but you do have the option of collecting points, which can be used to "buy" items to customize your library. Any trophies you collect will also be displayed in your library.
This game is a straight HOG with a lot of story interspersed. Despite this, the game can be as immersive as you wish, for you can turn off the voiced (and visual) dialogue at any time. There are triggers during HOG scenes where text will appear at the top of the screen and voices of characters will begin. You may be 1/4 or 1/2 way through the scene before you hit the right item. It was jolting at first, but I soon became used to the sudden interruptions and actually looked forward to them so that I could learn more of the story.
You get points for each item you find, and if you "stagger" the items (find as many items on the screen as possible before you start clicking), you'll get a lot of bonus points. The fast-click bonus is a plus for me, as it gives me incentive to really use my memory to remember where everything is.
There are two optional "mini-games" embedded in the hidden object scenes:
- Find the Books - Find one book in each scene. Each book you find will give you bonus points and will be displayed on a bookshelf in your library.
- Find the Secret Word: Collect letters in the scene to spell out the secret word. When you click on a letter, it will go to a word box on the bottom right of the screen. Finding letters gets you extra points. When you think you know the word, you can try to guess it, and doing so (correctly) will get you even more bonus points. Also, if you can guess early, it will remove all of the letters from the scene and give you the points for those, as well.
- Find the Books - Find one book in each scene. Each book you find will give you bonus points and will be displayed on a bookshelf in your library.
- Find the Secret Word: Collect letters in the scene to spell out the secret word. When you click on a letter, it will go to a word box on the bottom right of the screen. Finding letters gets you extra points. When you think you know the word, you can try to guess it, and doing so (correctly) will get you even more bonus points. Also, if you can guess early, it will remove all of the letters from the scene and give you the points for those, as well.
The hidden objects start out pretty easy - especially the letters for the secret word. As you go forward through the game, however, items and letters get more and more cleverly hidden.
At times during gameplay, there are interactive cutscenes. There is narration and changing backgrounds to move the story along, but during these scenes, you have another optional "mini-game" to play: Find x-number of x-item during the scenes to get extra points. You can replay the "transition" scenes if you happened to miss any of the items, but this is also optional.
There are a few mini-games like replacing a flat tire on a car, locket puzzles, type-the-falling-words tasks, etc. There are quite a few of the typing tasks, but the SKIP button is immediately available for those who are not able to type fast.
Something I really liked about the game were the options. You have three sound bars you can adjust: SFX/Ambience (Clicking noise/background noises like birds chirping), Music and Voices.
Now we get to the good stuff: The graphics. The coloration, art style and overall visuals really helped set the tone for the era. Very appropriate. The thing I appreciated the most about the game is that the graphics aren't "static". The scenes are not simple frozen scenes in time. There are nuances of light that play about the scenes that are so beautifully and skillfully done that you don't really notice them unless you are paying attention. This is not the usual "beam of light through the window with dust motes" kind of movement, it's minute changes that bring the scenes to life without distracting the eye. My favorite effect was on the hydrangea bushes on the outside scenes.
Two more notes about graphics:
First, this game has implemented a type of moving hidden object scene I've never seen before. You have a car and typical hidden object scene in the foreground, with the street and some more objects to find passing by as you are driving. Fast clicking isn't needed, as you can see them coming.
Second, you will revisit scenes in this game... but the scenes never look the same. Not only do the hidden objects move around each time the scene loads, but there are daytime and nighttime views! The artists and developers really did a fantastic job keeping the scenes fresh and interesting.
The story progresses well, is interesting and complete, and yet still leaves questions that make you want to read the book.
I recommend this game!