Pilot1's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:2.8
- Helpful Votes:2,264
- Reviews Submitted:127
- First Review:October 22, 2015
- Most Recent Review:November 26, 2022
- Featured reviews0
Status:
The citizens of Bordeaux are outraged after eight monks are murdered.
Overall rating
2
/
5
86 of 103 found this review helpful
If this is an editors choice game, they must not have had much from which to choose!
PostedMarch 9, 2017
Pilot1
fromTaos, NM
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This game is touted as an editors choice "for its high standard of quality and amazingly positive reviews from our Game Club beta testers." Sorry, Big Fish, but you need to get some new editors, and you certainly need some new beta testers!
I have some of the Haunted Legends games going back to the early days when St Germain didn't even grunt. One or two were sufficiently interesting to play that I didn't find myself yawning or reaching for the exit button.
This latest offering is neither of 'high quality' nor worthy of 'amazingly positive' reviews.
The story has nothing new to offer. Another evil magician bent on wreaking revenge for a wrong done him. What that wrong is, well, I just don't know. The opening scenes show the villain about to be hanged, then taken from the gallows and sent to prison for 20 years. But the why of all this is not revealed to the player, at least not during the entirety of the demo game.
The graphics are the same old same old —a dim, murky medieval (Gothic?) village dominated by an immense church.
The pace of the dialog alone is so slow, and so dull, so inane, that I'm surprised I stayed awake long enough to finish the demo.
The items in the HO sequences are, with one or two exceptions, so easy to find that I finished in 30 seconds or less.
The puzzles were not much of a challenge even for me, and I'm not at all a big fan of puzzles.
It is time to put this series in the archives, and then seal the doors with one of those unbreakable magical amulets we see all too often.
As always, even for games I do not recommend, I suggest that you play the demo and decide for yourself if it's worth your time and money.
For me, it was worth neither.
I don't recommend this game.
Discover a lost Slavic legend, where love is greater than death!
Overall rating
2
/
5
11 of 20 found this review helpful
Pretty . . . cute . . . that sums it up.
PostedMarch 7, 2017
Pilot1
fromTaos, NM
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I'll leave the play-by-play to others, as usual, and just talk about the game.
The graphics are pretty, blurry in many places bit that may be the artists purpose. The sound is appropriate, but it is of such slow tempo that it makes the game drag.
Speaking of drag, that's what the play does.
Although I tagged this as recommended, as always, try before you buy. If you don't do that, here are a few caveats, apart from those obvious from my other comments —this is not a game for an experienced player of CG preference; nor is it a game for those who prefer high-tech action; nor is it a game for the easily bored.
It is graphically pretty, and the game overall is cute but, once again, try before you buy.
I recommend this game!
Can you rescue her from a mysterious monster in time?
Overall rating
2
/
5
33 of 42 found this review helpful
Been there, done that!
PostedMarch 3, 2017
Pilot1
fromTaos, NM
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
If the opening sequence of this game seems familiar to you, it should be! It is just so obviously a take on the reanimation scene in Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' novel. Nothing new at all —we've been there and done that in other games.
Then we find a locked van, a squirrel holding the key, and a handbag which you need a missing emblem for it to be unlocked.
I'm not going to offer a 'Spoiler Alert' because none should be needed —find the emblem, open the bag, get the nuts to feed the squirrel, take the van key.
Again, nothing new, been there and done that.
I could go on and on but, I'm sure, you've already got it that this is just another in the long line of disappointing games on offer from Big Fish this year.
On the (only) positive side, the graphics and sound are fairly well done.
I usually play a demo game up to its time limit, but not this one. Less than ten minutes in, I quit the game and hit the uninstall button.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you save reality from the Imaginary World?
Overall rating
4
/
5
37 of 42 found this review helpful
Not great, but worth your time.
PostedFebruary 26, 2017
Pilot1
fromTaos, NM
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
If you've read my reviews of other games you know I don't do a play-by-play description, and I'm not going to do it this time.
This is a quirky little game with a nice mix of the realistic and the fantastic.
The graphics aren't the sharpest I've ever seen. In fact, in some scenes, they're quite blurred but, perhaps, that was the developer's intent.
When I started playing the demo I thought, "Okay, another of the 'find the artifact and save the world' games." In a sense, that's what this is, but it's also a not-too-challenging fun little game to play.
The HO sequences are good, well, a few are just okay, but not too eye-straining.
The puzzles —and I'm not a big fan of puzzles— are engaging and not so difficult as to make you hit the solve button . . . well, not too often anyway.
If you're into high-tech, mind-bending, convoluted story line games, this is not for you. If you want to pass some time just having a little fun, get this one.
I recommend this game!
The mind is a powerful enemy in this gripping thriller!
Overall rating
2
/
5
17 of 26 found this review helpful
It could have been, but it wasn't.
PostedFebruary 25, 2017
Pilot1
fromTaos, NM
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The story line and game play have been described by others, there's no reason for my duplicating the effort except to make specific points.
This review is almost identical to that I wrote after playing the CE demo and, for the same reasons, my opinion has not changed.
The sound controls for this game are almost non-functional. To be able to hear the narrative, it was necessary for me to set the music at 3 or 4, ambient sounds around the halfway mark, effects sounds even lower, voice to maximum. Even then, the music and other volumes, excepting voice, crept up and down during game play.
The graphics are nothing special, or even enjoyable. Some may have seen them as sharp and clear, but to my eyes they were muddy, blurry in places, frequently indistinct.
Here are some of my particular dislikes, apart from those above: at the very beginning of the game you knock a semi-automatic pistol from the hand of a man who is a would-be suicide, the pistol fires when it strikes the ground —not a very likely occurrence— and the bullet hits the guy in thigh, blood spurts and, I suppose, one is to presume that it struck the femoral artery. Fortunately, the key is in the trunk lock of his car. In the trunk, a first aid kit. In the first aid kit are various items, but you are only able to take one.
Oh, in gratitude, he gives you a bloody-bladed knife. Goody, you're going to need this for reasons that will be of both an obvious and 'here we go again' use.
I do hope that you have very strong fingers, because you will need them to use a coin as a screwdriver!
This game is listed as of the 'hidden object' genre, but the all too many mini-games make a mockery of that designation.
Given the base story line, this could have been a very interesting and enjoyable games, but it wasn't!
I don't recommend this game.
Dark Parables: Requiem for the Forgotten Shadow Collector's Edition
A dark illness has befallen the townspeople of Anaben!
Overall rating
2
/
5
39 of 45 found this review helpful
Dig a big hole, drop this game in it!
PostedFebruary 24, 2017
Pilot1
fromTaos, NM
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Others have detailed the game play, no need for me to repeat that.
This Blue Tea/Eipix game is a great disappointment, most especially since it comes from a developer whose products are usually exemplary.
When one plays a game, of necessity, one must suspend reality. From the very beginning of this game you must not only suspend reality, you must grind it to dust . . . and then throw the dust away!
Have you ever ridden a horse? Without a bridle? Well, that's what you're doing as this game opens. Oh, wait, I forgot! You're also holding a tape player in one hand, a case file in the other.
But wait, there's more! Suddenly, there's a coach-and-pair in front of you. You're riding a horse, there's a horse-drawn carriage . . . where did that tape player come from?
And the graphics! Awful, awful, awful! Certainly not the crisp, realistic CGs for which Eipix is (was?) justifiably renowned. When done well, hand-drawn graphics can certainly be acceptable, if not always appealing. In this game they are muddy, blurred, an eye-aching distraction.
The voices are, I suppose, intended to be British. The big problem is that the accent and the pronunciation don't match.
This game is yet another bad offering in this year's long, and growing list of bad offerings. Waste neither your money nor your time with this one.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you save a group of students before it’s too late?
Overall rating
2
/
5
25 of 33 found this review helpful
Burn, baby, burn!
PostedFebruary 13, 2017
Pilot1
fromTaos, NM
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Another reviewer has written a detailed description of the game, so I won't re-invent that wheel.
Given that the developer, Vendel, has given us some good products in the past, this game is a particular disappointment.
The graphic quality, for the most part, is atrocious. With rare moments of clarity and sharpness, the graphics are dull, indistinct, and an eye-sore. Especially so, as noted by another reviewer, in the HO sequences.
The music, sound effects and voices are also not game enhancing. They are, in fact, of such poor quality as to be jarring and a distraction.
The story line is banal, worn out, and a repeat of so many other and much better games. There is nothing here that made me care about any of the characters.
Given all of the above, there is very little 'Fun Factor' in this game.
Even for games that I don't like, I usually recommend them with a caveat. This game doesn't even merit that courtesy.
I don't recommend this game.
Cure a deadly virus that causes patients to suffer endless nightmares!
Overall rating
3
/
5
6 of 12 found this review helpful
Do not resuscitate!
PostedFebruary 9, 2017
Pilot1
fromTaos, NM
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This review is based on less than 10 minutes of playing the CE demo.
Why less than 10 minutes? Well, I was so bore by then I just couldn't stand to go on even another minute.
I have read the other reviews, and some of the reviewers have my respect and trust, but this is not a game that merits such high praise, nor so many stars as they have assigned.
Okay, I'll admit I don't like hand-draw graphics —maybe I've been spoiled by playing too many Eipix games— and these are typical of the type; they are muddy and indistinct.
Lip sync is very poor. After the first one or two examples, I just couldn't look at a character's face while they were supposedly speaking.
The music is jarring, even at low volume. The ambient sound effects are too strident, even at low volume.
The story line was done much, much better in another game. If the name 'Howard the Coward' rings a bell, you'll know which game I mean.
The HO sequences were so easy that I completed each one in just a few seconds. The puzzles likewise presented little or no challenge.
Although I recommend this game it is with a few huge caveats. If you are an experienced gamer, this game is not for you. If you like crisp, CG graphics, this game is not for you. If you like challenging HOGs and puzzles, again, this game is not for you.
If you're buying it for a youngster, despite the built-in violent game warning, or if you're buying it a gift to introduce someone to this type of gaming, well, okay, go ahead, it's your money!
I recommend this game!
The enemy of your enemy is your friend, or are they?
Overall rating
3
/
5
25 of 39 found this review helpful
This raven is almost a turkey!
PostedJanuary 27, 2017
Pilot1
fromTaos, NM
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Although I own some of the earlier Edgar Allan Poe series games, I did not buy this one.
The graphics and music certainly create the Victorian Era ambiance.
I was not impressed with 'new and improved' Dupin. He looked seedy, worn, and in need of a bath and a shave.
The game play is a little slow but, I guess, that's sort of in keeping with the less hectic time in which the game is set.
The game has a useful interactive map, and that saves a lot of running around.
The HOGs and puzzles are nothing new, nor very challenging.
Most of the artifacts are congruent with the era, except for a dial phone but, okay, it's not that jarring.
Although I recommend this game, it's with reservations. Play the demo and decide for yourself.
I recommend this game!
The mind is a powerful enemy in this gripping thriller!
Overall rating
2
/
5
21 of 31 found this review helpful
It could have been, but it wasn't!
PostedJanuary 26, 2017
Pilot1
fromTaos, NM
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The story line and game play have been described by others, there's no reason for my duplicating the effort except to make specific points.
The sound controls for this game are almost non-functional. To be able to hear the narrative, it was necessary for me to set the music at 3 or 4, ambient sounds around the halfway mark, effects sounds even lower, voice to maximum. Even then, the music and other volumes, excepting voice, crept up and down during game play.
The graphics are nothing special, or even enjoyable. Some may have seen them as sharp and clear, but to my eyes they were muddy, blurry in places, frequently indistinct.
Here are some of my particular dislikes, apart from those above: at the very beginning of the game you knock a semi-automatic pistol from the hand of a man who is a would-be suicide, the pistol fires when it strikes the ground —not a very likely occurrence— and the bullet hits the guy in thigh, blood spurts and, I suppose, one is to presume that it struck the femoral artery. Fortunately, the key is in the trunk lock of his car. In the trunk, a first aid kit. In the first aid kit are various items, but you are only able to take one.
Oh, in gratitude, he gives you a bloody-bladed knife. Goody, you're going to need this for reasons that will be of both an obvious and 'here we go again' use.
I do hope that you have very strong fingers, because you will need them to use a coin as a screwdriver!
This game is listed as of the 'hidden object' genre, but the all too many mini-games make a mockery of that designation.
Given the base story line, this could have been a very interesting and enjoyable games, but it wasn't!
I don't recommend this game.