PeterJKH's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.6
- Helpful Votes:31
- Reviews Submitted:10
- First Review:July 1, 2012
- Most Recent Review:December 11, 2021
- Featured reviews0
PeterJKH's Review History
Can you stop a merciless arsonist from destroying San Francisco?
Overall rating
5
/
5
5 of 7 found this review helpful
Excellent game
PostedDecember 11, 2021
PeterJKH
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Prior to this game, I played the newest MCF release (Pendle Tower). Nice, but not in the same league of the MCF games I used to play, like 13th Skull, or Dire Grove.
This one, however, ticked all the boxes, way better than the latest MCF releases. Coherent storyline, lots of interaction, challenging puzzles, some were easy, others took some thinking, nice hidden object scenes, that fitted into the story.
The only thing that puzzled me was: this game seems to take place in the 1920's/1930's, so you start out with periode cars (the detective himself is driving one), and suddenly there are cars from the 50's and '60's around, like the police car that has some goodies in the trunk.
Also: having to connect wires by means of ducktape, or having to restore a step ladder by finding some planks and nails, gets a bit old. Also, it would be nice to have some locks/lamps/switches that are NOT broken, it adds to the reality, because it seems a bit odd that in every room and every house you enter, all the switches are broken, all the closet locks need some intricate amulet, and that keys to the garage are hidden in a squirrel's nest or buried in a flower pot two blocks away.
However, this game was top notch, long, good storyline, not too many inconsistencies, and it offered me many hours of gaming pleasure. I can recommend it.
I recommend this game!
Pendle Tower was once a lavish high-rise hotel, but a new renovation has awakened a long-dormant secret within its foreboding halls.
Overall rating
3
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
Nice game, nothing special
PostedDecember 2, 2021
PeterJKH
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I remember the times when we all were looking forward to the next MCF game. Because you knew it would be long, challanging, full of suspence, would have a good storyline and would keep you busy for a long time. Dire Grove, someone?
This game is certainly OK, but not up to MCF standards. It starts promising, with the usual message from the Queen. Supposedly you need to look into some strange happenings in an old crumbling mansion that a remote family member of the Queen would like to restore. So far, so good,
Than you arrive on site. Indeed, an old mansion, but surrounded by modern skyscrapers and nothing seems to be attractive enough for an even distant royal to move in to.
After some back and forth you enter the house, which suprisingly does not resemble a private mansion in the slightest. Hospital rooms, examination rooms, laboratories, etc. Obviously it has been used as (let's put it mildly) some sort of scientific facility for many years. So why on earth would any royal, also given the unattractive surroundings, want to move in there?
However, some scenes are not too bad and make you think of the real MCF deal. But only for a moment, because most of the game is pretty much cookie cutter, the sort you can have in many games today - and some of them are even better than this MCF one.
The game also is very short (in my opinion). I remember being busy with Dire Grove for days, this one I completed within 2 days, all together 4-5 hours.
The level with all the mirrors was an original twist, However, I kept having the feeling I had seen someting like that before. The same goes for that hospital/examining room, somehow I knew that I had seen a similar room with exactly the same layout in a previous game.
So, yes, I had some fun, but was it the real MCF experience. I am afraid not.
I recommend this game!
Arthurian legends are just stories, but sometimes fiction hides the truth.
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
Good story, good game
PostedJuly 6, 2021
PeterJKH
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I liked this game very much. The story was compelling and coherent, every step in the game had some logic to it. However, some of the tasks grew old: having to repair wires time after time (and thus having to find the tape to do so), bags that were suspended from out-of-reach places and then you would have to find a long stick to retrieve it... nice if that happens once, but that sort of things happened too often (i.e. the same problem with the same solution). And sometimes things did not make sense, as: why having to piece together a shovel at an excavation site, when multiple perfectly functional shovels are all over the place - you just can not pick them up. And why would somebody throw away a box of matches after having lit a lantern, and 5 minutes later you need matches again and you have to find them all over again.
But all in all, I enjoyed this game very much, liked the storyline, the places that needed to be explored, and the gameplay. Well done.
I recommend this game!
Paranormal State: Poison Spring
Thrills abound as the ghost-hunters from the hit A&E TV show "Paranormal State" race to solve terrifying Civil War hauntings.
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Enjoyed the game, but irritating at some points
PostedJuly 17, 2014
PeterJKH
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
First of all, I do not know the TV show on which this game is based, so I purely judge it as the game it is.
You are a new member of a team of paranormal investigators and you are investigating some paranormal events in a museum or memorial park.
However, the other members of the team are not really team players. In fact, they do not much, except from ordering you around. They themselves do not seem to investigate a lot, and are sitting/standing around idle mostly. Moreover, they do not treat you very kind. You fall through a floor into a basement, and instead of helping you (or at least asking if you are alright), they walk away and let you figure out yourself how to escape from this trap. And when you try to ask them something, they either ignore you, say something useless or even snap at you (do not bother us, we are having an interview right now!). Ouch! Welcome to the team..
So, it was not very clear to me why this team was there. In fact, you have to do all the investigating yourself
The voice-overs were well done, but the characters are not animated (they do not even move their lips when they speak) and that makes their presence even more obsolete. They really do not add much to the gameplay or the story.
The grapics are well done, clear and the colours are nice.
The HOS are list-based with some interactive finds in each list. They are not too challenging,although some of the interactions (where you have to use one or more other objects to find the object needed) can require some thought.
You get some equipment (EMF-meter, infrared camera, etc) which you have to use from time to time. I did not care much for them, they did not seem to add much to the gameplay en the one gizmo where you had to adjust the frequency, was very difficult to manipulate.
When combining objects (i.e. in an interactive HOS), the placement is very precise and you very often have to try several times to find the right spot to get it accepted.
There is a map in your journal, but it is no jump-map. There is one on a bulltin board in the park, which means that you always have to go there whenever you want to jump to another location.
The puzzles are fairly simple and straight forward. Nothing new there.
The storyline itself is interesting, but it could have been more original. It claims to be a paranormal story, but to be quite honest, there are many similarities to all the games that deal with old curses, lost amulets, magical objects that need to be found and assembled, magical ingredients that need to be found to perform the "last ritual", etc.
All in all it is a nice game to play, but for a next issue, more real paranormal suspence in stead of having to find magical staffs and amulets and having to burn magical herbs and stuff, would be an improvement.
Nevertheless, I look forward to the next episode!
Fright Collector's Edition
After a suspicious accident, you find yourself stranded at a run-down motel. But you soon realize the area hides a terrifying secret...
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Promising!
PostedJuly 14, 2014
PeterJKH
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
After A LOT of technical issues, I finally was able to play this game. And it did not disappoint.
I do not like games that involve magical kingdoms, evil sorcerers, malicious witches, broken amulets, etc. And haunted mansions, abandoned orphenages, dilapidated hospitals, etc. have grown old too by now.
So this game was right up my alley. And I sure hope that more games of this kind will follow.
The voice acting was really good, too bad that the synchronisation was awful. Lips were still moving long after the last sentence of spoken text.
The difficulty level was OK - it required some thinking, but not too much. I hate puzzles that have you torturing your brain for half an hour and thus taking you out of the flow of the story.
Nice interactive animation. The graphics are very well done.
The HOS fit very well into the storyline, no random junkpiles, they form a realistic part of the story.
However, the game is reasonably short, there are not many locations to explore, so there is a lot of back and forth between the same locations.
All in all, a very nice game, and if the developers manage to overcome the technical difficulties that plagued this release, I look forward to the next episode of "Fright".
Hope Lake
Visit a boarding school abandoned after a terrible accident. Unravel the mystery of the loss of its former students.
Overall rating
3
/
5
11 of 12 found this review helpful
Potentially good game, but too many flaws
PostedMay 25, 2014
PeterJKH
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This game could have been a very good one. The story (although nothing new) is OK, the graphics are not bad and the game has a good flow.
Unfortunately, the game does suffer from some (unnecessary) flaws.
First of all: the bad translations. That they mention that a cart needs a new cantor (isn't that someone who sings in church?) in stead of a new castor, can be a typo. But especially in the HOS those bad translations can drive you mad. They make you look for a key when they mean a wrench. The want you to find a beaker when they mean a bottle. Etc, Really, how much can it cost to have a professional translator on board when developing a game? Or to at least have your translations checked by one?
Further, the HOS contain multiples,i.e. you are asked to look for a fish - and there are four of them in the scene - so which one are you supposed to pick up?
The music is irritating at best. The same tune, played on a piano that desperately needs tuning, over and over and over again.
Going from one scene to another (e.g. going from one room to another) caused the game to stop for about 10 seconds. SO when entering the new location, it would take that amount of time before you could do anything (continue walking, exploring, etc.). Very irritating,
A lot of backtracking, which can not completely be avoided in games like this one, but what gets extra annoying when the game pauses at every following location you enter - you know you only have to cross the hallway in order to go to another room, but you have to wait the 10 seconds mentioned above after every step you take.
It is a pity that this game suffered from above mentioned problems, as it otherwise would have been a very nice game: good length (especially for a SE), nice storyline, good graphics (not the best I have ever seen, but certainly not the worst either) and all in all very entertaining.
Brink of Consciousness: The Lonely Hearts Murders Collector's Edition
Olivia has been kidnapped by the mysterious Lonely Hearts Killer who murders those suffering from a shattered love. Save her!
Overall rating
2
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
This is no game, this is a movie
PostedMay 25, 2014
PeterJKH
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
In this "game" you are helping a police inspector to find your missing daughter. So far, so good.
The police inspector however turns out to be an unpleasant person, who considers himself a fantastic detective, but in fact does not do any investigation - he leaves that entirely up to you, He tells you what to do/find/discover and walks off - and acts as if he has done all the sloothing himself!
But the main problem of this game is that the characters (and there are a lot of them) keep talking, and talking, and talking, and talking... Endless stretches of dialogue, and a lot of it totally irrelevant to the game. You can play for 5 or 10 minutes and than the talking starts again, going on for up to 10 minutes each time. Entire chapters are filled only with talking, with nothing to do for you, just sit and listen till they finally have finished talking. I did not feel like playing a game, it felt more like watching a (rather outdated) detective movie with some moments of gameplay thrown in once in a while.
The game is very easy.The HOS are pretty straight forward (the oldfashioned junkpiles) and the puzzles are nobrainers. In fact, they even do not deserve the name "puzzle".
And than, at the end, you do not even have the pleasure of ending the game yourself. No final puzzle to solve, no grand finale. The villain is killed by another character, and a police constable eliminates the further danger. You just stand there and watch.
The bonus chapter is just more of the same.
This had nothing to do with a game. This was a movie and a very boring one for that, with you fetching some keys and solving some "puzzles" from time to time. But most of the time, you will be passively looking at your screen, waiting till they are finally done talking. Not my cup of tea.
Grim Tales: Bloody Mary Collector's Edition
Save your niece from the evil presence haunting her school!
Overall rating
3
/
5
3 of 5 found this review helpful
Nothing special and annoying at times
PostedApril 27, 2014
PeterJKH
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I should have known when I bought this game... a cursed school, vanished children, an old mansion, where did I see this before?!
Let me start to say that I just wanted to have something to do on a grey Sunday afternoon and well, it was just that: something to keep me occupied.
The story is same old, same old (children that have vanished from a boarding school because of some bad entity that is housing there). The location? We have seen that before too: an old mansion. Nevertheless, I still thought this game could be fun: Elephant is one of my favourite developers.
It turned out to be mediocre.
The voice-overs are not too bad, but the characters are standing motionless in the room when they are talking, even their lips are not moving. And they sometimes stay in that room for a very long time, without moving, without any reason for them being there. I mean, when you are a frightened child (frightened because of all the things happening in the house), and you are only 10 steps away from the open front door, what would you do? Stay put in a room where all kinds of scary things are going on, or go outside and wait in the car? And if you were her aunt, what would you want her to do: stay around or leave the house as soon as possible?
As said, the location of the story is an old mansion, that has been converted into a school recently. So far, so good. But than you would expect it to look like a (modern) school and not like some Victorian hall that has been sitting empty for decades, full of broken old-fashioned furniture, storage rooms and attics full of junk and a kitchen that may have fitted some 19th century town house, but not a modern school.
Of course, each and every room, chest, cupboard, hatch, drawer, etc. is locked. Sometimes you just have to find a key, but most of them require some sort of amulet to unlock them. That in itself is not such a bore. But what really annoyed me, is that you always only find parts of amulets, so that it takes forever before you have all the parts you need together.
Backtracking: a LOT of it. An endless back and forth: pick up an item here, use it 5 rooms back to unlock something, go back again, unlock what you need to, find something that you needed 6 rooms before, etc. I do not mind a bit of backtracking, which can not be avoided in games like these, but in this game, it was pretty excessive and it grew old fairly quickly.
The storyline is nothing special, bit run-of-the-mill, seen it numerous times before. It is not extremely boring either, just not very interesting or different.
All in all: I have had some distraction, but it is not a game I would have minded missing. As long as you do not expect something special or something different, it is OK - but not more than that.
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
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Very nice game, some details are off
PostedApril 25, 2014
PeterJKH
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Overall I liked this game a lot. The storyline is interesting, graphics and sound/music are OK, minigames are challenging, but not overly difficult. The HOS were not really my cup of tea, I do not particularly like this kind of HOS,
What I liked a lot, is that certain objects (like a knife) stay in the inventory, so that you can use it again and again. I always hate it when you have to find a new knife whenever you need to cut something, because the knife you already had, is vanished, while it seems so much more logical that the detective (or other main character) would keep it for future use.
Another thing I liked is that the story plays in (nearly) the present day. Very refreshing after all Victorian mansions, 18th century entourages, people in old-fashioned clothes, etc.
However, some (minor) details were not quite right. For example: the year is 1955. So, how can there be a book about President J.F. Kennedy in the study?
Cars: 1955 is in the middle of the golden era of American automobiles. But nearly all the cars in the game seem to date from the 30s or early 40s - except for the pick-up truck near the lake, which is a 60s model (in 1955?!). What also seemed a little bit odd, is that the NY Police drove a vintage Jaguar - as far as I know, NY Police have never used English cars and most certainly no Jaguars.
But apart from those minor details (which did not bother me too much, as they were in itself not important for the gameplay), it is a very nice game and I am looking forward to more of the same.
I recommend this game!
Royal Detective: The Lord of Statues Collector's Edition
Save the besieged alpine village of Martlet and rescue its residents from the mysterious living statues in this exciting Hidden Object Adventure game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
Great game, but wait for the regular version
PostedJuly 1, 2012
PeterJKH
I liked this game very much. The graphics, the music, the voice-overs, they all were fantastic. The idea of "helpers" was fun, new and refreshing. The puzzles were OK, some were quite original, but not too hard, although some will take you some time. But I like that. The storyline is nice, but a lot of loose ends: what happened to the evil step mother, and to the father? Where did they end, and was the town really restored? Because in the bonus game, the town still seems to be derelict and deserted.
And that brings me to the only let-down: the bonus game. I buy CE's for the bonus game only; I do not care for wallpapers, music, cut-scenes or other stuff like that (does anyone in fact?). The bonus game has nothing to do with the main story, it does not tie any knots, it does not give more insight. But them main issue is: it is SHORT. Really short. I completed the bonus chapture in less than 30 minutes - maybe closer to 20 minutes. And I did not skip any puzzle.
So, if you, like me, buy CE's for the bonus game: skip this one, and wait for the regular version, as the CE really is not worth the extra money spent.
That said, Lord of the Statues is a great game that will give you some pleasant hours of gaming. And if you go for the SE, it will be well worthits money.
I recommend this game!