ChocPeng's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:2.7
- Helpful Votes:698
- Reviews Submitted:40
- First Review:December 31, 2011
- Most Recent Review:May 2, 2022
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Can you rescue a child with magical powers in time?
Overall rating
2
/
5
4 of 6 found this review helpful
Slowest. Game. Ever.
PostedNovember 20, 2021
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I admit; I played the original Drawn game so long ago that all I remember about it is that it was wonderful and I loved it. So, what happened?
In this game, there are many scenes from which to visit and revisit and then visit again, something which often bothers others but has never bothered me. Until now.
Every time I had to back out of a scene I had to sit and wait to leave it. Then, when I had to go to the next scene, I had to sit and wait to enter it. Wait, wait, wait. That is all you do in this game. Load times are unforgivable. Instinctively, I began to count ... move out of scene, 1, 2, 3, 4 ...18, 19, 20 ... 23, 24, 25 seconds. I hated it.
I am ashamed now to admit that I was always annoyed when I read reviews where people complained about slow load times. "Update your computer," I would scream at them in my head. With my tech background, I was certain the problem was their slow, outdated, under-equipped computers or their slow WiFi.
However, my new 16" MacBook Pro has two powerful processors and added high-end graphics, so I am certain my computer is not to blame, nor is my smoking connection speed. Apologies to all those people whose reviews I dismissed when they complained about slow load times. I have no excuse.
Back to the game, when there is action, it is tedious and boring. There is no challenge. I could have done it in my sleep.
This couldn't be the Drawn I loved. Either that or my expectations have grown throughout the years as games have become more complex.
A bad review would have never stopped me from buying this game, so I understand if people want to disregard my negative review. However, the slowness of this game was fatal and when there was action it did nothing to make the waiting worth it.
This game was a total bust for me. I was hoping for so much. I couldn't wait to play. I am so disappointed.
I don't recommend this game.
Explore an amazing amusement park and discover incredible mosaic puzzles along with a variety of fun mini games!
Overall rating
1
/
5
0 of 1 found this review helpful
Unworkable Puzzle, Broken Trust
PostedSeptember 26, 2021
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
For these games to be successful, there must be a trust between the developer and the user that all puzzles presented can be solved within the clues given. There have been times in the dozens of Fantasy Mosaics games I have purchased and completed that I thought I might have stumbled across one that couldn't, but I always figured out the solution. Sadly, I have come across the unworkable puzzle. Puzzle 11-5 is unworkable within the clues given. The unworkable puzzle is one that requires hints or prior mistakes that show you some of the solution to be able to solve it. This puzzle cannot be solved without hints, prior mistakes or guesswork. It cannot be solved based upon the logic from the numbers provided. The trust between Match Gems and users has been broken. I refuse to use any methods to complete a puzzle other than the clues provided that should be logically deduced. Anything else is not an honest completion of the puzzle. If you do not mind asking for hints, making guesses or relying on the reveals that come from mistakes, you will enjoy this game. If you are a purist like me who expects puzzles to be solvable using the numeric clues provided, you will be disappointed. Since I cannot move on in 11-5, I have no further use for this series. Please be assured that I am certain about the unworkability of 11-5. I have a mind for these types of puzzles and I have studied this one for hours. Up until now, this was a lovely game. Just be advised.
I don't recommend this game.
Solve a series of devious puzzles to escape Arcana manor and uncover the dark secrets of the mysterious magician once lived there.
Overall rating
2
/
5
7 of 10 found this review helpful
I Was Angry by the Time I Finished
PostedMarch 26, 2021
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Oh, yeah. I finished the game. I have this weird thing about finishing things I start even if they are absolutely ridiclous and I truly dislike them. And it was. Ridiculous. And I did. Truly dislike it.
It draws you in at first, especially for HOG haters like me who are always looking for a true adventure or puzzle game - so rare on this platform.
I didn't even mind the repetitiveness that seems to have bothered others.
What got me was the ridiculousness of the puzzles. Some present themselves with solutions that are absolutely impossible for you to have known based upon the clues given. I figured them out, but no thanks to the game.
The last fourth of the game was what was truly infuriating. It just got stupid. The story was stupid. By the end, the game is enraging in its attempt to escalate the ridiculous effort it's made from the beginning to establish some sort of frightening experience for you. "Turn back now or face certain doom..." kind of ridiculousness. Ummm..sure, I paid for the game but, hey, you have scared me so much I think I will stop playing now and run for cover. Exactly what did the developers think we were going to be frightened of...an arm jumping from our MacBook Pros to choke us?
The game's attempt at being frightening was embarrassingly ridiculous.
It gave some silly warning about the occult. Thankfully, I know very little about such things, so if it was occultish, it was lost on me. But, it really tried hard to BE occultish, which was, as you have probably guessed by now, SO ridiculous. It was so ridiculously done that it made me angry and I was screaming at the game well before I finished it.
But, sadly, finish it I did. And then I uninstalled and deleted it from my computer as fast as I could and THEN I ran for cover, lest I stumble upon another game by the same developer and start it and then be forced to finish it.
I think the take away from this review is how many times I have used some version of the word "ridiculous." That's all you really need to know.
I don't recommend this game.
Stop alien creepers by using strategy and race against the clock to remove obstacles, gather resources and complete thrilling quests!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 5 found this review helpful
What's Not to Love!
PostedMarch 2, 2021
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
If you see my previous reviews, you will see that I am not the most lenient reviewer. I expect developers to give their best before they release a game and call it perfect.
I believe the developers have done that with Rescue Team: Danger from Outer Space CE. This game is exactly like all the Rescue Team games that came before it.
I love the levels and how there is so much to do so quickly that you must keep moving without hesitation, which forces you to start to complete the levels by instinct. I consider that a job well done by the developers.
I don't see the "garish" colors that others have criticized this game for having. If a developer upgrades its colors and makes them more vivid, then I find that to be another job well done.
I was worried about getting to Level 18, given the difficulty another reviewer had with that level. It took me several tries to get through many levels, but I breezed right through Level 18 with lots of time left over, so I am confused as to how that level caused difficulties. It was one of the few levels I got through on the first try, and I am over 60 years old, also!
I would like to mention that if you are playing the game on Easy and you are having trouble getting three stars, you are not an "Expert" player. I am playing on Hard and I have yet to find a level I cannot achieve three stars, although as I said, I rarely get them on the first try.
A note of guidance: the in-game guide is handy to give you an idea of which direction you should go, but don't consider it the Bible of Rescue Team. Often, I found that building as the guide says to build did not bring me success, and straying from the guide a bit and building as I saw fit allowed me to complete the level with three stars. So, don't be afraid to use your own good instincts!
Also, it is easy to get Rescue Team burnout. I encourage you to complete a few levels at a time then take a break and attack the other levels the next day. It gives you something to look forward to and it keeps you from suffering from Rescue Team burnout.
Great game!
I recommend this game!
Rescue a young man's sister from the pirates in this fan-favorite time management adventure!
Overall rating
2
/
5
7 of 8 found this review helpful
Such a Disappointment
PostedFebruary 27, 2021
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
I have every Moai game ever made and all Collector's Editions when they were offered. When I popped back over after more than a year to see what BFG was up to, I was tickled to see another Moai game.
As a web developer, I can see very clearly what has happened here, but you don't have to be a developer to get it; only someone with a bit of insight. The developer clearly needed to get a game in the market for quick sales and Moai is a tried and true series, so a game was thrown together using scenery and characters that had already been created from previous games, making this a cheap project to put together and allowing it to go quickly to market. If you don't understand what I mean, think of it as simply cutting and pasting, which is exactly what it is.
I encourage you to read the review by "felucca of Central Florida." She has left an excellent review expressing much of what is wrong with this game. I couldn't agree with her more and thank her for her insightful review.
In VII, when you have to build something, it often automatically builds it to the highest level instead of requiring you to manage resources properly and build a step at a time, which is why the levels fly by. There is no requirement of your powers of deduction to determine the best strategy, something that the previous games had in spades and is what made them so popular.
As many have said, the process is very much decided for you, leaving no challenge to determine what to build and when to build it. In past Moai games, each level was long, requiring you to plan each move and time your movements perfectly, and it was rare that you didn't have to replay some levels until you got the building and the timing just right. That was the beauty of the game. VII requires no intelligence. Just follow the bouncing ball, as they say.
For those who wrote that they looked forward to the Collector's Edition coming out, I hate to tell them, but that isn't the way it works, unless BFG has changed its stripes since I left. The CE editions come out first, then a few days later the standard edition is released, so it's obvious there is no CE coming.
I finished this game in one sitting. They ought to be ashamed to charge for 60 short levels that were not at all challenging. The levels insulted my intelligence - and I'm not that smart! :-)
I don't recommend this game.
Can you escape your fate as a human experiment, or will you comply?
Overall rating
1
/
5
6 of 14 found this review helpful
What a gross game
PostedMay 5, 2017
ChocPeng
fromBe wary of moms who have more than 2000 reviews with a 4.5 average rating...
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I don't like it when people review games they've played for only a few minutes. I'm about to do just that, but this is the one instance when I think it is ok: when within the first three minutes blood is flying everywhere and my character starts stabbing something.
This didn't appear to be a horror game. My mistake. I don't care for the horror genre.
You may like this game. When my character pulled a knife after something disgusting grabbed her arm and started stabbing it to a lovely soundtrack of squishy, stabbing sounds, I said, "That's it for me. I'm outta here"! And I left.
I like games of intrigue with challenging puzzles.
This was not that.
I don't recommend this game.
The witches' dark legacy continues as Lynn becomes possessed!
Overall rating
1
/
5
2 of 6 found this review helpful
All These Stars? Are You Kidding Me?
PostedApril 6, 2017
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I've never liked it when people review games based upon only demo play. I've always thought you have to play the game through to truly know its merits.
I'm not only going to review a game based upon only demo play, but I'm doing it twice in one night, and one of those games I played for less than five minutes.
The first game I found to be completely ridiculous. In all my years and the hundreds and hundreds of games I've played as a BFG member, it was the worst ever. My review was scathing.
But why do I come here to review this game after playing for only a few minutes? I recognized it immediately.
I began play innocently. There was a book to read to start the game. You don't have to read it. But, perhaps this was a series and the book was to allow the uninitiated, like me, to catch up on the information so as to more thoroughly enjoy this game. The book was well done and I particularly loved the sound of the pages turning.
So, I clicked "Play," and suddenly, my eyes hit on something I'd seen only a few hours ago. Those colors. The horrible, unnatural colors. It's cool use color to create a certain ambiance, but you've got to balance those cartoonish, unpleasant colors with something real that hurt eyes so much.
Before I could gain control of the cursor, everything began to move to simulate shaking. Lines of lights on the walls flashed on and off, a partial armored knight's eyes began to flash red and its arms were flailing as it bent to and fro. Nothing in the scene remained still and it was all to try to convey the idea that something magical and sinister was happening. Along with the unnatural color, it was a total assault on the eyes and it was the silliest thing I'd seen in, well, hours.
The scene was so overdone and overwrought that there was no space on the screen that didn't have something in it. It would have been comical if it hadn't been so annoying...and familiar.
"No way," I thought. "It can't be." But it was.
I darted back to the BFG website and looked up the game I had reviewed only an hour earlier and made a note of the developer: EleFun. Then I found the name of the developer of the game I've just spent a few horrible minutes experiencing. Do I even need to tell you?
Note to self: until EleFun learns how to develop a proper game, stay away. I'm not suggesting you stay away from EleFun games. I'm simply telling you that after two miserable experiences tonight, I've learned my lesson.
It wasn't just that first scene. I move pretty quickly through games. This game simply looks, feels and plays like it was developed by a child. I'm not saying that to be catty. That was a serious statement.
My cursor changed to indicate action, so I clicked on the item. The action? Designs that are just rounded lines lit up or I found it to be nothing more than a "scary face." That's supposed to be scary?
I've probably played an EleFun game before and enjoyed it. But, I don't know where this developer is going with this stuff. I'm definitely not on board.
Of course I don't recommend this game, but as with all games you research, take a moment with the demo to see if it suits you.
I do have a recommendation for this game for the developer: consider returning to the pure adventure game. Look to the adventure games for your innovation! These wild colors and child-like scenes aren't the answer.
I don't recommend this game.
A great evil unlocks deep within Ravenhearst!
Overall rating
3
/
5
9 of 11 found this review helpful
These Are Sad Days for MCF
PostedJanuary 10, 2016
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
***REVIEW BASED UPON COMPLETION OF MAIN GAME AND BONUS GAME***
I've long had a love/like relationship with MCF. Some of the earlier MCF games were the standard by which I compared other games. Those times have long since passed.
Ravenhearst Unlocked should have been called Ravenhearst Uninspired. It is the same game you've been playing for years now on BFG.
There is nothing innovative about it, except it has at least three of those multi-level mini-games that are popping up everywhere that I absolutely love. Otherwise, this is your standard, right-off-the-assembly-line game.
The characters are... well, you know...some good, some bad, some you don't know if they are good or bad, some dead, some undead, some annoying, and then there is the unusually bright hero that is the character you are playing.
The music is...there.
The graphics make the whole game too dark. Hey, lighten up, guys!
The storyline is...ummm, was, probably written after all the games and HOGs were created so as to have something that seems to tie the whole thing together, which is why it is uninteresting and makes no sense in some areas.
The games are...the same ones you've been playing for years.
The HOGs are...the same ones you've been playing for years.
The achievements are...the same ones you've been trying to ... ummm ... achieve for years.
I played the main game and bonus game, but did not take advantage of any of the extras, like finding the souvenirs, etc. I simply could not finish this game fast enough so I could delete it.
Play at your own risk. I cannot recommend this game.
(By the way, how do we start a petition BEGGING the developer to stop releasing games under the MCF umbrella that are garbage and get back to only releasing MCF games that set standards for other games, like they used to do?)
I don't recommend this game.
The most magical night of the year is here...RIGHT NOW! Solve all of Santa's riddles and get 120 presents, rather than just 1!
Overall rating
2
/
5
6 of 8 found this review helpful
Where Are The Riddles?
PostedJanuary 1, 2015
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I have conquered rooms one and two, and I have yet to stumble across any of the "Christmas Riddles" this game's title promises.
You play a regular mosaic game (it is a mosaic game; it is nothing like a Sudoku game). However, due to the lack of contrast between active and inactive squares, it is almost impossible to determine a picture; in my experience, each puzzle appeared to be a random placement of active and inactive squares.
Above it says, "Solve all of Santa's riddles and get 120 presents..." What are the riddles? Are the mosaic games supposed to be riddles? In my world, a riddle is a word game, usually containing irony, that must be solved by logic.
I have loved all of the mosaic games I have played here at BFG and other locations. They are great fun. But this game is awful. It never even tells you what the picture was supposed to be. And, I didn't even realize these mosaic games WERE creating pictures until I came back here and looked at the screenshots and saw that they were pictures.
Others may have gotten further and found another aspect of this game not yet revealed after completion of 20 mosaic puzzles. If so, I stand corrected. I just don't think there is anything else here.
Oh, and as for needing hints, beginners probably need to rely on hints, but any player who is at least an intermediate player should be able to quickly begin to recognize the strategies that are required to complete these puzzles.
I'll admit – I'm not in favor of using hints at all. I believe they are a crutch that lazy people lean on instead of sticking it out on puzzles and taking the time to figure them out, even if that means leaving the puzzle until tomorrow and beginning again with fresh eyes. It is only by doing this that players can begin to progress to the intermediate and expert levels.
And finally, when I see someone who has "Expert" under his or her name and then talks about hints in games or how quickly it takes for them to engage, then it is clear that player is no expert.
Expert players don't use hints! If you are using hints, you aren't an expert.
All my best to my fellow fishies!
I don't recommend this game.
Can you defeat the mist and find your lost brother?
Overall rating
4
/
5
21 of 27 found this review helpful
Excellent Game
PostedMarch 31, 2014
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
• REVIEW BASED UPON COMPLETION OF GAME AND BONUS •
This game is like a few others coming out right now, in that it is trying hard to give the gamer more, and I appreciate that effort.
I enjoyed the mini-games. It's tough for an expert player to find mini-games to challenge him or her, but this game offered a few that took a bit to figure out. Well done, developer.
The graphics looked wonderful, of course. The games that don't have excellent graphics are becoming few and far between these days.
I'm not a big storyline enthusiast. I just want to play mini-games, so just write whatever it takes to get me to the next mini-game! Just kidding, of course. Seriously, I enjoyed this storyline even though, as I said, I'm not really into the stories. This one kept my interest, so once again, well done, developer.
I usually mute the music the second my game starts. This music was nice and melodious, so I didn't mute it, but kept it turned down low, which provided nice background music as I moved through the game.
Basically, the simplest way to put my feelings about this game is that it was a lot of fun. And, "a lot of fun" is really the most we can ask of developers, don't you think!
Oh, one last thing. These reviews are so helpful, so it behooves us to take care and be responsible when reviewing the games. For example, there is no way we can possibly offer nine or 10 paragraphs of complaints after only completing the demo version of any game. Just wanted to leave that little note with you.
I recommend this game!