Dr_Q's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3
- Helpful Votes:149
- Reviews Submitted:60
- First Review:May 5, 2013
- Most Recent Review:August 5, 2013
- Featured reviews0
Love Story: The Beach Cottage
Overall rating
3
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Doesn't live up to its beginning
PostedAugust 5, 2013
Dr_Q
fromBaton Rouge, LA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The idea of a game that was not based on a stopping a psychotic killer really appealed to me. In particular, the concept of returning to a place from your childhood and reliving some of the memories.
Unfortunately, the story they chose to relive was sentimental in the extreme and completely unbelievable. Teen romance is bad enough, but these kids couldn't have been older than 12. I started skipping all of the cut scenes, because the dialogue was just painful.
Then it turned into a really tedious game of running back and forth to pick up one or two items, etc. The big reveal was hardly a surprise. Some people complain that the game is too short, but at this point, it felt never-ending to me, and I quit.
It's really too bad, because it had a great premise.
I don't recommend this game.
Haunted Legends: The Queen of Spades
Discover the secrets behind a magical deck of cards in Haunted Legends: Queen of Spades! Find The Countess and stop her curse!
Overall rating
3
/
5
Nothing special
PostedAugust 4, 2013
Dr_Q
fromBaton Rouge, LA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Played about half an hour, then got bored with all the running around and not really making any progress. There really is no rhyme or reason to where you need to go or what you do when you get there; needed items are found in the most unlikely places, several scenes removed from where they will be used. That means a lot of backtracking.
Also a bit put off already by gathering body parts; I don't even want to think of what I'm supposed to do with them later.
No hints, other than in HOSs; no map, even with all the backtracking. At the same time, too much hand-holding. "A windlass should go here." "Maybe I should use a hacksaw here."
Some items cannot be picked up until other actions are completed, even though they can be seen.
Even when an area is cleared, it will continue to sparkle.
Would I recommend it? Yeah, but not wholeheartedly.
I recommend this game!
Alchemist's Apprentice
Overall rating
3
/
5
25 of 29 found this review helpful
Fun, up to a point
PostedAugust 3, 2013
Dr_Q
fromBaton Rouge, LA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The first level was just what I was looking for -- a nice, relaxing, mindless match-3 game, with the additional bonus of a simple hidden object game every so often.
Nice graphics; storyline unnecessary but also unobtrusive.
However, at some point a timer was added, and that just destroyed it for me. I quit at level 2 stage 8; it's just boring, repeating the same board over and over because I've run out of time. I realize that it's not a whole lot different from moving on to the next one, but psychologically, I feel stuck.
I agree that the bonus game with the leprechaun is distracting and annoying.
If you like trying to beat the clock, then add at least one star.
I don't recommend this game.
Flux Family Secrets: The Ripple Effect
Fix the errors in time in this Hidden Object game! Explore historical sites and find misplaced objects scattered through time.
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Decent storyline doesn't compensate for boring play
PostedAugust 2, 2013
Dr_Q
fromBaton Rouge, LA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
It's a fragmented object game, not a hidden object game, so if you like FOGs, then go for it. Otherwise, give it a miss.
I don't recommend this game.
Empress of the Deep 2: Song of the Blue Whale
Help Anna find her way to the mystical floating cloud city, seek out the Children of Light and save them from the Evil Empress!
Overall rating
2
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Agree that it's probably better for kids
PostedJuly 31, 2013
Dr_Q
fromBaton Rouge, LA
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I have to admit up from that I only played about 10 minutes, but that was enough. I just can't get into a game that has me saving the "children in the sky from the evil empress." Particularly when it pretty much holds my hand throughout.
The one HOS I played was pathetically easy, and the one puzzle was so simple, I couldn't believe that I got it right.
The "Area Cleared" notice was particularly annoying. I should be allowed to waste my time looking around if I want to.
I don't recommend this game.
Dark Heritage: Guardians of Hope
Your favorite professor summons you to the island of Castle Rock. He wants you to find the philosopher's stone and save the world!
Overall rating
2
/
5
3 of 6 found this review helpful
Got bored and quit
PostedJuly 27, 2013
Dr_Q
fromBaton Rouge, LA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
For me, the game just dragged. There was no real logic to the sequences of actions. Mostly it was back and forth to pick up a piece, do something with it, go off and look for another piece.
I never felt I was making any real progress toward the goal, and what I was doing was dull and boring. Lots of exploring places to see what was needed. What was most disappointing was going to great lengths to open a chest, for example, only to be given a screwdriver. That's it? All that for a screwdriver?
There were no intermediary goals, as there are in the more successful games. This was just move from one scene to another, without any sense of having achieved anything.
The graphics were dark and grainy, making it difficult to see items to be picked up. There were not nearly enough HOSs for game categorized as HOS.
The puzzles and mini-games were average.
I don't recommend this game.
Haunted Manor: Lord of Mirrors
Help Stan Riddle escape the Haunted Manor! After being trapped by the Lord of Mirrors, Stan needs you to guide him to safety!
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Quickly becomes repetitive
PostedJuly 18, 2013
Dr_Q
fromBaton Rouge, LA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Having to clean the mirror every time in order to move forward just killed it for me.
There's not enough else in the game to keep me going. The storyline isn't all that gripping, and the games and puzzles are only mildly challenging.
There's no challenge in deciding what to do next, either. It's completely linear, even within the rooms. You have to work on one task at a time and complete it before the next is even available. The items you need aren't even in the scene.
Mystery Masterpiece: The Moonstone
A piece of jewelry, the Moonstone, has been stolen, and it`s up to you to track it down! Investigate the suspects to catch the crook.
Overall rating
3
/
5
9 of 12 found this review helpful
Average in every way
PostedJuly 18, 2013
Dr_Q
fromBaton Rouge, LA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
A good game for a beginner, but nothing to hold the interest of anyone who has played the newer games.
I wish they had an option of "Maybe" for recommendation. I'd recommend it for a beginner; also for those who want to play a game that doesn't involve the supernatural.
Runaway With The Circus
An endearing 1930s love story set around a traveling circus.
Overall rating
1
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
Great idea; extremely poor execution
PostedJuly 18, 2013
Dr_Q
fromBaton Rouge, LA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The opening screens promise an interesting and unusual game, one that breaks with the standard "break the curse/stop the madman" storyline.
The graphics are all in a 1930s style, and one reward for completing a level is a few minutes of a video of a circus from 1930 (or so they claim -- it appears genuine to me).
However, I quit after about 20 minutes and two levels.
The vocabulary issues are worse than I've ever seen. It asks for 4 bowler hats, but in reality, it's 1 bowler, a trilby, and a couple of fedoras.
The images are impossibly tiny and there is no zoom.
Instructions for the mini-games are incorrect. I was given a card-matching game; the instructions were for a "spot the difference." Obviously, I know how to play a matching game, but what about when it comes to a game that is not so obvious?
There are far too many better games to waste time struggling with this one.
I don't recommend this game.
Puppetshow: Return to Joyville
Travel back in time to help stop a terrible fire that started Felicia down her evil path in PuppetShow: Return to Joyville!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
They're really automatons, not puppets
PostedJuly 17, 2013
Dr_Q
fromBaton Rouge, LA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Brain Teaser, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Just had to get that out there.
Why only four stars? First, no map. That didn't matter until I got into the theater, and then I was constantly wandering around trying to find the room I needed. I know what it was, but couldn't remember how to get there.
Second, although I enjoyed the really quirky uses for many of the items, it was also quite frustrating trying to figure out what to use to achieve the goals.
Third, as the game progressed, it became less coherent. There was more just wandering around in hopes of figuring out what to do next, rather than knowing what the next step should be.
HOS were fine and not too many for an HOS game. Occasionally, there would be two or more items of the same name -- for instance, the list called for a "tube" and the scene included a tube of paint and a test tube.
Plot kept me interested.
The puzzles varied widely in difficulty -- or maybe it's just that I find some kinds of puzzles easier to solve than others.
I don't at all mind picking up items to use much later. It adds to the intrigue -- what in the world will I use that for? -- and the sense of achievement when I do use it -- aha! I have just the thing!
I recommend this game!