zoomzoomZombie's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.5
- Helpful Votes:2,324
- Reviews Submitted:54
- First Review:November 28, 2011
- Most Recent Review:April 2, 2013
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Command an epic band of dwarven mercenaries in this richly detailed tower defense game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
63 of 66 found this review helpful
Review of Completed Game
PostedApril 2, 2013
zoomzoomZombie
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
300 Dwarves is a fantasy-themed tower defense game. The storyline has you playing the dwarves, who must defend the kingdom against the oncoming hordes of goblins, orcs, trolls, undead, demons, and even bugs. The goal is to defeat the enemy for glory and for gold.
The mechanic is simple. You place any one of five tower types in the available openings, in as strategic a spot as possible, to keep the enemy from passing. There are three reappearing power-up abilities as well to help achieve the goal. Each tower type and power-up can be upgraded up to four times using the gold earned from completing the levels. One nice feature is that you can reassign your upgrades, if you wish to change them before a particular level.
The music is terrific, and the artwork is very good. The flame effect is especially nice. I enjoyed the fantasy themed characters, and the variety of foes. The fullscreen mode is great, and there were no black bars, even on my 27-inch screen. The storyline was good, and the dwarves often say humorous things when you upgrade them. There is a fast-forward button to hasten the enemy's demise to the point where you have enough gold to upgrade your towers, or build new ones.
The game has twelve levels, which is a bit short, in my opinion, but there is a lot of replay value, as you might replay to either earn more gold by letting fewer enemies pass, or to try new strategies with different types of towers.
The downsides to the game, besides the slightly short length, are there are not too many instructions, and the game could benefit from more practice-type levels. It is also difficult early-on, if you are new to the tower-defense game genre. However, regarding the relative lack of instructions, the game is straightforward, and the descriptions are in the help section, under the pages for each enemy and tower. It just takes a bit of looking. Regarding the relative difficulty, each level can be played over and over until an effective strategy is found. My final criticism is that there are no achievement awards for the game, but that is true for a lot of games.
Overall, four stars because the game is fun, challenging, and has good replay value.
I recommend this game!
A classic Christmas tale tail, with a whole new twist! Help the Nutcracker rescue the princess from the evil Rat King!
Overall rating
5
/
5
61 of 69 found this review helpful
Whimsical, Magical, Holiday Fun!
PostedDecember 22, 2012
zoomzoomZombie
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Christmas Stories: The Nutcracker Game is another winner from Elephant Games. The story is a hidden-object adventure game that has you playing a detective and helping the Nutcracker reunite with his love, while defeating the evil Rat King.
The storyline, graphics and music are superb in this game. The scenes are a combination of Christmas decor, winter outdoors, and the requisite creepy places. The game gives you helpers, that you pick up on the way in the form of the Nutcracker and a cute little cat. The story and music are based on Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, which is a holiday favorite.
There are three modes of gameplay, casual, advanced and hardcore. The hidden object scenes have interactive play, and the games are engaging and fun. There is a map that lets you move from scene to scene without all that tedious backtracking.
The overall length and gameplay are very good. I bought the Collector's Edition, which comes with the strategy guide, collectible items to find throughout the game, achievements, the bonus game, wallpapers, music, concept art, and videos. The bonus game is absolutely not necessary to feel like you finished the main game.
If you haven't already purchased the Collector's Edition, I recommend you pick up the Standard Edition for sure. I just love this game. I really put me in that holiday mood.
I recommend this game!
Discover the fate of your exiled kingdom, save your people, and end the ancient evil that started it all!
Overall rating
5
/
5
42 of 55 found this review helpful
Terrific Sequel!
PostedSeptember 28, 2012
zoomzoomZombie
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I bought this game in the Collector's Edition version when it came out. It is extremely fun.
Awakening: The Skyward Castle is a hidden object/adventure game that takes you back into the story of Princess Sophia, and the obstacles she must overcome to return to her home and people.
I love this series of games. This game picks up right where the last one left off, in the storyline of Princess Sophia's journey back to her land. There are achievements, as in the earlier games. The artwork and music are quite beautiful, the games are fun, and the story is quite engaging. The hidden object scenes are interactive on this one, and are very enjoyable. The puzzles are entertaining, but not difficult.
I played on medium difficulty, and finished the main game (which is the SE version) in around 4 - 4 1/2 hours, which is lengthy for me. The game was quite fun, and I do recommend taking considering the Collector's Edition. I got over an hour of extra play on the bonus game in the Collector's Edition version. It is not needed, however, to finish the story, like some games. The standard edition of Awakening: The Skyward Castle is complete on its own.
I recommend this game!
Discover the Red Riding Hood Sisters and defeat the nefarious Wolf Queen!
Overall rating
5
/
5
130 of 154 found this review helpful
Been Waiting for This One!
PostedSeptember 20, 2012
zoomzoomZombie
fromUSA
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Dark Parables: The Red Riding Hood Sisters Collector's Edition is the fourth game in the Dark Parables series. The story places you as the detective whose job it is to help solve the problems in the particular fairy tale world. This time, you are helping the Red Riding Hood Sisters, a company of orphaned women who protect their land from the Mist Wolves and the evil Wolf Queen.
The game, like the others in the series, is a fragmented object adventure game. There are three difficulty settings - casual, normal, and hard. There are cursed morphing objects to find throughout the game, which speed up the hint button's recharging as you find more of them. There is a map that tells you where you need to complete a task.
The puzzles are interesting, but not particularly difficult. The voice acting, art, and music are all done well. The game is quite beautiful. There are pieces of the parables that you find along the way, which will fill in the back story of the various plot elements.
The bonus content includes the bonus game "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," as well as puzzles, music, wallpaper, concept art, and the strategy guide.
I am a huge fan of this series, and am very excited to be able to buy this today. I just finished the demo, and plan to purchase the game later today. It looks to be just as good as the previous games.
I recommend this game!
Investigate a military hospital that hosted a variety of terrifying experiments in The Agency of Anomalies: Mystic Hospital!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 8 found this review helpful
Fun, Creepy Game
PostedSeptember 14, 2012
zoomzoomZombie
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The Agency of Anomalies: Mystic Hospital is the first game of the Agency of Anomalies series. The game takes place in a run-down old military hospital that was used for bizarre experiments. Your job is to defeat the monsters that were made long ago at the hospital.
There are two difficulty settings to the game, regular and advanced. The hidden object scenes are interactive, and they vary between the usual kind, where you find objects, and the scenes where you have objects you need to put in place. The mini-puzzles were excellent in this game. Even old, familiar games seemed fresh. A few of them were more challenging than average.
I really liked the storyline of this game. It was entertaining, and had me wondering what was going to happen next. The cut scenes were very nice, and I'm usually impatient with those. The voice acting and music were done well, and not intrusive.
The graphic quality of the game was interesting. I liked the bleak setting. Sometimes the hidden object scenes could be difficult to find because of the graininess. Wandering around, I often overlooked an item I needed because it was harder to spot. Then again, I was playing on the advanced difficulty, so that's part of the "fun." I completed the game in just about three hours.
Overall it was a very good game. I bought the other two in the series and am looking forward to playing them.
I recommend this game!
Use all your skills to survive the scorching heat and unordinary conditions on this mysterious island and find your way back home.
Overall rating
4
/
5
28 of 28 found this review helpful
Eighty levels of fun!
PostedSeptember 13, 2012
zoomzoomZombie
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Youda Survivor is a time-management strategy game along the lines of the Farm Frenzy franchise. The story has you playing a castaway who is trying to survive, as well as help the natives against the pirates.
I thought the graphics were nice on this game, and the voice overs were done well. The gameplay is straight-forward. Click, build, upgrade, create products. The game has a twist, where you have to take potions to keep your energy up.
I liked that the game has eighty levels, which is well above the average for most time-management games. On the downside, it can be a click-fest at times. That's pretty typical of the genre, though. There are achievements, which are fun to earn.
Overall, I recommend it. You get a lot of gameplay for the money, and it's quite a bit of fun!
I recommend this game!
Avenue Flo
Mysterious events are threatening DinerTown`s biggest wedding in history! Help Flo explore the town and set things right!
Overall rating
5
/
5
Fun, Cartoon Adventure Game
PostedSeptember 10, 2012
zoomzoomZombie
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Avenue Flo is an adventure game from the makers of Diner Dash. It features all the characters we've come to know from the Dash games, but this game is nothing like the fast-paced time management franchise. The story has you playing Flo, who is helping her wedding planner roommate Quinn overcome the extreme troubles plaguing the wedding of Diner Town's tycoon's daughter.
I found Avenue Flo to be highly enjoyable. The cartoon graphics are very cute, the voice acting is great, and even the theme song is catchy. The storyline is engaging, and the characters are fun to interact with. I enjoyed the mini-games very much. Everything in the game is geared towards fixing the problems with the wedding.
The one flaw I would say the game has is that you have to find butterflies and bottles throughout the locations to move on, and they can be very easy to miss. But you are stuck until you find them all. When you've completed the game, six of the mini games are available to play in "activity mode." There are also medals to earn while playing.
I really like this game, and have played it around four times. If you're looking for something cute and fun, look no further.
I recommend this game!
Discover the fate of your exiled kingdom, save your people and end the ancient evil that started it all!
Overall rating
5
/
5
12 of 13 found this review helpful
Excellent Sequel! Worth Buying the CE!
PostedAugust 25, 2012
zoomzoomZombie
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Awakening: The Skyward Castle Collector's Edition is a hidden object/adventure game that takes you back into the story of Princess Sophia, and the obstacles she must overcome to return to her home and people.
Let me say, I love this series of games. This game picks up right where the last one left off. There are achievements, as in the earlier games. The artwork and music are beautiful, the games are fun, and the story is quite engaging. The hidden object scenes are interactive on this one, and are very enjoyable. The puzzles are entertaining, but not difficult. The bonus content was fun, and I would say, worth the expense of getting the CE if you really like this game. There is also a series of one of the mini-games included to play.
I played on medium difficulty, and finished the main game in around 4 - 4 1/2 hours, which is lengthy for me. The bonus episode I completed in just over an hour.
I recommend this game!
Stop the evil Vansig family before they point their vengeful wrath at your friend Christine in Nightfall Mysteries: Black Heart!
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
Great Game!
PostedMarch 16, 2012
zoomzoomZombie
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Nightfall Mysteries: Black Heart is an interactive hidden object adventure game, and the third installment in the Nightfall Mysteries series. The plot line brings you back in contact with Christine, Viggo, and the Vansig family. This time, the game is set at the Vansig family home.
Unlike the first two games in the series, this game has three difficulty settings. The graphics and style are more like the first game than the second game, more clear-looking and not cartoonish. The music and voice overs are nice. The hidden-object scenes have interactive items. The puzzles are interesting and challenging.
I really enjoyed this game, and think it is the best one in the series. The plot is consistent with the earlier story, and the gameplay is fun. The game took me over four hours to complete on the middle difficulty setting. Highly recommended!
I recommend this game!
Save the three worlds contained inside of a magical book in Azada: In Libro! Stop a dark magician from conquering Azada!
Overall rating
4
/
5
14 of 19 found this review helpful
Not the Azada of the Past, Has its Merits
PostedFebruary 27, 2012
zoomzoomZombie
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Time Management, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Azada: In Libro is an adventure/puzzle game that is supposed to the the third in the Azada series. Unfortunately, it is not made by the same developer as before, and everything has changed.
The game graphics are different, music, storyline, and gameplay are all different than the earlier Azadas. It really felt like a completely different game. Which is not a good thing from the point of view of wanting to play the next sequel.
On the other hand, if you weren't playing this hoping for a sequel to Azada that tied in nicely with the previous versions, it's a nice game. It's made by developer ERS, who many of us are well-familiar with for their extensive library of hidden-object games. This game has the nice hand-drawn graphics, nice (if choppy) music, and other features of an ERS game. What sets it apart from other ERS games, is that there are no hidden object scenes, and the puzzles seemed more varied, interesting, and challenging than in most of the ERS games I've played. (And that is no small number.)
There are three difficulty levels for the game. I played the advanced difficulty, and the game took me about three hours and fifteen minutes to complete. I have read reviews that stated the game isn't really "finished" unless you buy the Collector's Edition. I am sad about that, and sad that the game was not the Azada sequel I was looking for. Other than that, it's an enjoyable game, and I especially recommend it for people who don't want their adventuring slowed down by hidden object scenes.
I recommend this game!