kateblue222's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.5
- Helpful Votes:3,417
- Reviews Submitted:179
- First Review:May 6, 2014
- Most Recent Review:July 28, 2024
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Shadow Wolf Mysteries: Tracks of Terror
Can werewolves be cured, or will one family's curse continue?
Overall rating
4
/
5
20 of 27 found this review helpful
CE or SE? Decent game with great special features. Do you like the game well enough to pay for the extras?
PostedAugust 14, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
If both the CE and SE are out and I have not bought a game yet, I want to know which to buy. That's what this review is for. It is based upon playing the first chapter of the CE.
I think that, if you like this game, the CE is worth it because the special features are excellent. I have no opinion about achievements and collectables because I mostly ignore them, but this game has them. There is an ability to play mini-games and HOS over, which I believe is necessary to a CE, so yay! And there’s a bonus game. The message in the menu when you click on "play" says there are “levels” "extras" and “secrets” after you finish the main game. Sounds interesting.
Here's a summary of what I said in my CE review about other features of the game:
There are six chapters, and it took me an hour to play the first chapter, so the game seems to be a pretty good length.
One tip: You can put the magnifier down if you right click. (The instructions do not say this.) You’ll know when you get there.
The art and graphics were ok, not beautiful, but they fit and added to the ambience. Ditto the music—just ok. What I liked about the sound was when there was no music. The outdoor nighttime sounds were great . . . until the son started to shoot the gun constantly. Then I had to turn the sound off. He finally stopped and I was glad, but then he asked me for more bullets! Argh!
There was a book where you found pictures of objects. Easy but really fun.
What I call the “procedural puzzles” were good, those things you have to solve to keep on going in the game.
Minigames were less fun for me. I will let you go read the CE review I wrote if you want details. Suffice it to say, I got stumped on one even with the strategy guide to help me, and I had a problem with another.
The story had inconsistencies that prevented me from really being able to immerse myself in the story. Details of what I thought are also in the CE review, but don't bother, just go with it!
The map is hard to decipher.
To sum up: The game is better than most, and worth playing. If you really like it, the CE might be for you. Otherwise, the SE is definitely worth it.
I recommend this game!
Isa's back to his old tricks, and now he's doing the bidding of an even greater foe.
Overall rating
4
/
5
9 of 12 found this review helpful
My impression? Eh.
PostedAugust 14, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Based on playing the demo, the game operates well, but it is a tired story about a princess being forced to marry a mean, evil man. The one HOS I found was an interesting kind of "matching" thing, but the mini games are "eh," and the art is "eh." Some of the the people are ugly in a creepy way instead of in an interesting way, plus the close ups of animated lip synching are kinda gross. The characters don't really add to the ambiance, for me. Instead, they are just distracting. And they talk, talk, talk. "Show, don't tell," that's the rule for writers, and I'm beginning to think it should be applied to game writers, too!
It's got good extra features, though, including replayable HOS and mini games. And the music is good. There are worse games out there.
I'm sure I will buy it with a free coupon or on a 2 for 1 sale. But I can tell it will be a game that I play when I don't have anything better to do. Three and a half stars, really.
I recommend this game!
Return to the House of 1,000 Doors to save mankind from annihilation!
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
CE or SE? The game is so good that the CE is worth it.
PostedAugust 9, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The SE version for Mac just came out. I already own the CE. I figure, if you are reading reviews when both the SE and CE are out, you are wanting to know which to buy.
I say, buy the CE because this game has good extras.
All of these House of 1000 Doors are excellent games, so what it boils down to is, do you like the game well enough that you will want to buy the bonus chapter, and do you like the mini games and HOS well enough to want to play them over? Also, there are the usual music and art extras. The art is beautiful and clear. The music is more mood sounds than it is music, so I am not sure I will really listen to it in its own. But it is perfect for the game.
Because this is an older game finally ported to the Mac, the HOS are not as creative as later games. They are just word lists etc. But the mini games are good.
I'm glad I bought the CE. Excellent game, and I will want to play the mini games again. So I say buy the SE if you are on a budget, otherwise, buy the CE.
Complete dangerous missions amid dazzling landscapes of prehistoric Earth and alien worlds. Can you complete these thrilling puzzles in order to return home?
Overall rating
5
/
5
37 of 42 found this review helpful
It lets you skip the HOS entirely!!!! Brilliant!!!!
PostedAugust 8, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I don't have to repeat what everyone is saying in the other 41 reviews because they have done it so much better than I can, though I do feel compelled to say that this is a great game that is very different and worth playing. Plus, I really like the way the game looks. I just wish I had been able to walk out on the balcony in that first scene and look at the view.
Here's the most important part, though. For gamers who are tired of HOS scenes . . . the greatest thing about this game is . . . It lets you skip the HOS scenes entirely!!!! Why didn't any other developer ever think of that? What a brilliant idea!!!!
I feel that there is always a push-pull relationship between the HOS gamers and the adventure gamers. The games are trying to serve the appetites of both groups. This solves the problem. Adventure gamers who like mini games can skip HOS just like HOS lovers have always been able to skip mini games. And people who mostly like wandering around and looking at the pretty scenery can skip both. (Of course, then you're not allowed to complain about the game being short!)
Just because these games seem to have grown out of the HOS genre doesn't mean that the HOSs shouldn't be skippable.
I'm thinking, "Why didn't I ever think of that!! Duh!!"
Kudos, developers. I'm waiting for more great stuff from you. You obviously think outside the box.
I recommend this game!
It's the end of the world... at least in Oakville.
Overall rating
5
/
5
41 of 46 found this review helpful
Buy the CE, or at least buy the SE. This game is so good you won't stop.
PostedAugust 7, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I already own the CE. I figure, If you are reading reviews when both the SE and CE are out, you are wanting to know which to buy.
I say, buy the CE because this game has an enormous number of extras, even more than most. Not only can you play the mini games and the HOS over, but you can play the match 3 games that you could have played instead of the HOS over. Plus, the mini games and HOS are fun enough that you will WANT to play them over. There’s a bonus chapter, There’s the usual music and art, plus achievements, collectables and a souvenir room. AND there’s a “Making of” video.
Now it is true, I haven’t seen all of these things because I am only about halfway throughout the game. (It continues its great quality and fun after the demo period . . . if anything, it gets better.) From the quality of this game and others by this developer, I know all the special features will be great.
That's why I say, buy the CE.
Some reasons why the game is so great:
GRAPHICS/ART The graphics are good, if a bit dark, and blue-green instead of gray, so not a depressing as gray would have been.
MUSIC The music is not so much music as mood-sounds, and very appropriate. I often turn music off, but not this time. The “music" was an integral part of the experience.
GAMES The mini games are fine but pretty simple. The hidden object games are progressive and unique, plus there are word-only hidden object scenes that pop up in small boxes occasionally. And all of the things that you have to do to progress through the world are fun to figure out, too.
GRAPHICS/ART The graphics are good, if a bit dark, and blue-green instead of gray, so not a depressing as gray would have been.
MUSIC The music is not so much music as mood-sounds, and very appropriate. I often turn music off, but not this time. The “music" was an integral part of the experience.
GAMES The mini games are fine but pretty simple. The hidden object games are progressive and unique, plus there are word-only hidden object scenes that pop up in small boxes occasionally. And all of the things that you have to do to progress through the world are fun to figure out, too.
All in all, excellent. So I say buy the SE if you are on a budget, otherwise, this is one that really warrants a CE purchase
I recommend this game!
Prepare yourself for a perilous journey across the world in order to save your niece from imminent danger.
Overall rating
4
/
5
82 of 99 found this review helpful
CE or SE? Semi-annoying gameplay and just OK puzzles/HOS say SE to me.
PostedAugust 2, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This review is based upon playing the first two chapters of the CE. I have not played more because I own other games that I like better.
If you are reading reviews when both the SE and CE are out, I figure you are wanting to know which to buy.
I already own the CE as part of a 2-for-1 sale. It includes a bonus chapter and the ability to play puzzles and HOS over, plus the usual art & music. You will have to decide it you like the game enough to continue with a bonus chapter and if you like the puzzles and HOS’s enough to play them over.
I think the SE would have been a better buy. Why?
Because the HOs are just typical lists and shapes, and because the mini games I have found (few) are just ok, the replayable feature is not worth that much to me. On the HO’s, there is a mahjong option, but I am “eh” about mahjong, Plus, I don’t even know if the mahjong part works in the replayable “Extras."
The best things in the game won’t be replayable as “Extras” because they occur in order to proceed through the game. Getting the plane working was especially satisfying, for example.
Also, as I progress, the beautiful artwork is either getting less beautiful, or maybe I am just tiring of it. And the music is just OK.
Most importantly, game play is more annoying than in many games because
1. object use is not always well thought out and
2. the hints are not always helpful.
1. object use is not always well thought out and
2. the hints are not always helpful.
Generic examples of problems with object use and hints:
1. You have two objects in inventory that could complete a task, but they won’t. You need a third one that you don’t have yet.
2. When you try to do something, it doesn’t always give you a hint about why. Instead, it just doesn’t work.
1. You have two objects in inventory that could complete a task, but they won’t. You need a third one that you don’t have yet.
2. When you try to do something, it doesn’t always give you a hint about why. Instead, it just doesn’t work.
So, you must play the demo and decide whether the CE or SE is better for you. I will be very happy to play this game on a rainy afternoon when I have time. It's worth playing. I just didn't really need to buy the CE.
Build and construct to your heart’s desire! Will your bridges be able to pass the stress test?
Overall rating
2
/
5
35 of 43 found this review helpful
Kinda boring, and hard to play
PostedAugust 1, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I felt sorry for this little game because it had no reviews. And now I am going to have to be mean.
The tutorial tells you many things, but it does not tell you how to release the line you are drawing. Sometimes, I'd click twice and the line I was drawing would stop and my cursor would be released. Then, other times, I'd click twice, and the lines surrounding my cursor would disappear. Or, most often, I'd click twice, and nothing would happen, it would just continue drawing lines. It did not seem to matter where I clicked. Clicking on the little round ends of the line sections maybe made the lines surrounding disappear, but not always.
After you built a bridge, you had to patiently wait for cars or trucks to drive over the bridges to test them. Boring.
After a few levels, I had fun dumping some trucks into a ravine. I knew they were gonna fall because the newly-constructed bridge was light green and wiggling. That was the coolest part of the game. Seven year old boys would love dumping the trucks in the ravine.
Really annoying music. Graphics cute and sort of fit the game.
There are awards and badges to be won. I did not continue playing long enough to learn about them.
Sorry, fellows, it's a no buy for me.
I don't recommend this game.
From the makers of the Rite of Passage series comes a ground-breaking new series that's as creepy as it gets.
Overall rating
4
/
5
36 of 51 found this review helpful
It’s a love/hate relationship between me and this game.
PostedAugust 1, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I don’t know how to rate this game or even whether I want to buy it. Sunnyglow wrote a great review about the game's features, and she has played more of the game than I have. So, instead, let me tell you why I have this ambivalence about the game.
PROs:
1 The story really sucked me in. I really, really, want to know what happens.
2 I guess I kind of liked the music. At least I didn’t turn it off. My recollection is, it was very repetitive and really could have made any game creepy, so I must rate it as pretty darn perfect. But I certainly won’t want to listen to it over again, which subtracts from the value of the Extra Features.
3 There’s some sort of puzzle after you complete the game. I don’t know what it is, but I want to find out.
4 I actually liked looking for the collectable little maze icons. Usually I don’t bother looking for the extras, but I liked these.
5 The way of starting you in the middle of the action with flashback memories that are sparked by things that happen as you go along was VERY cool.
6 One HOS (pigeons) I really liked, but the rest, not so much.
7 Peeking around corners and looking into rooms carefully—good idea. (And at least when you guess wrong, there’s no real “punishment” meted out by the game.)
8 Despite the website statement "Warning - Maze: Subject 360 is an intense psychological thriller intended for mature audiences,“ my heart has not pounded yet. This is good, as far as I am concerned.
1 The story really sucked me in. I really, really, want to know what happens.
2 I guess I kind of liked the music. At least I didn’t turn it off. My recollection is, it was very repetitive and really could have made any game creepy, so I must rate it as pretty darn perfect. But I certainly won’t want to listen to it over again, which subtracts from the value of the Extra Features.
3 There’s some sort of puzzle after you complete the game. I don’t know what it is, but I want to find out.
4 I actually liked looking for the collectable little maze icons. Usually I don’t bother looking for the extras, but I liked these.
5 The way of starting you in the middle of the action with flashback memories that are sparked by things that happen as you go along was VERY cool.
6 One HOS (pigeons) I really liked, but the rest, not so much.
7 Peeking around corners and looking into rooms carefully—good idea. (And at least when you guess wrong, there’s no real “punishment” meted out by the game.)
8 Despite the website statement "Warning - Maze: Subject 360 is an intense psychological thriller intended for mature audiences,“ my heart has not pounded yet. This is good, as far as I am concerned.
CON’s
1 It’s ugly. Yes, yes, I know, but it is! I like walking through games and looking at the pretty pictures. Sorry. Yes, the art is appropriate, I guess, but I don’t LIKE it.
2 The game thought I had 10 minutes left to play on the demo when I quit, but Game Manager only thought I had 2 minutes. So don’t use the in-game timer for a clock!
3 There’s no way to play the mini games again, apparently, only the HOS. Why? You should always be able to play both types over if you’re shelling out the money for a CE.
4 There’s a CLICK PENALTY in the HOS. Yes, it is hard to trip, but come on! Aren’t we past click penalties that cannot be turned off????
5 The second HOS I really hated, though I forecast that HOS lovers will probably love it. I could not see the objects well enough. And the names of the objects were not given. Instead, you were given clues to what the objects were (actually a cool idea if used in a different puzzle). It would have been hard enough to find them by their names, but with the riddle-like thing that was going on, I clicked the hint constantly. (This was when I found out that there's click penalty.)
6 I had to skip one scenario because it was timed and my time was running out. I was playing on the “custom” setting, with everything set as easy as possible, yet I was still gonna die unless I hit the skip button. There should be a way to turn off timers like this because I would have liked to have solved the problem. Because I didn’t know what the punishment would be when time ran out, I had to skip. (I can’t report if it would be better on the “Easy” setting. After playing the demo, I only had two minutes left, so there is no time for me to go back and see if I would have died on “Easy." Sorry.)
7 There’s a bunch of short movies integrated into the game, maybe just 10 seconds long each, but there’s a pause before they start, and then you can’t skip them. I found this annoying. (I’m not talking about the sepia flashbacks.)
8 A couple of logic problems and “wha???” things (there were more that two, actually) . . . (Caution, SPOILERS) There was a metal tube “plus” object. All you know is, there’s a metal tube. It looks like something screws into the end, maybe. No. Instead, all you have to do is click on it in the middle. How was I supposed to know that? Ditto the empty bullet casings. The game told me I didn’t need them, but then later on I did. Maybe I should have figured it out, but I had already been told that the spent casings weren’t for me!
1 It’s ugly. Yes, yes, I know, but it is! I like walking through games and looking at the pretty pictures. Sorry. Yes, the art is appropriate, I guess, but I don’t LIKE it.
2 The game thought I had 10 minutes left to play on the demo when I quit, but Game Manager only thought I had 2 minutes. So don’t use the in-game timer for a clock!
3 There’s no way to play the mini games again, apparently, only the HOS. Why? You should always be able to play both types over if you’re shelling out the money for a CE.
4 There’s a CLICK PENALTY in the HOS. Yes, it is hard to trip, but come on! Aren’t we past click penalties that cannot be turned off????
5 The second HOS I really hated, though I forecast that HOS lovers will probably love it. I could not see the objects well enough. And the names of the objects were not given. Instead, you were given clues to what the objects were (actually a cool idea if used in a different puzzle). It would have been hard enough to find them by their names, but with the riddle-like thing that was going on, I clicked the hint constantly. (This was when I found out that there's click penalty.)
6 I had to skip one scenario because it was timed and my time was running out. I was playing on the “custom” setting, with everything set as easy as possible, yet I was still gonna die unless I hit the skip button. There should be a way to turn off timers like this because I would have liked to have solved the problem. Because I didn’t know what the punishment would be when time ran out, I had to skip. (I can’t report if it would be better on the “Easy” setting. After playing the demo, I only had two minutes left, so there is no time for me to go back and see if I would have died on “Easy." Sorry.)
7 There’s a bunch of short movies integrated into the game, maybe just 10 seconds long each, but there’s a pause before they start, and then you can’t skip them. I found this annoying. (I’m not talking about the sepia flashbacks.)
8 A couple of logic problems and “wha???” things (there were more that two, actually) . . . (Caution, SPOILERS) There was a metal tube “plus” object. All you know is, there’s a metal tube. It looks like something screws into the end, maybe. No. Instead, all you have to do is click on it in the middle. How was I supposed to know that? Ditto the empty bullet casings. The game told me I didn’t need them, but then later on I did. Maybe I should have figured it out, but I had already been told that the spent casings weren’t for me!
So, anyway, I really want to know what happens to the heroine in this game. The story has totally sucked me in. And I guess I will just have to buy this game as a CE because of the features I like. But I am thinking about it first.
Hmm. In order to hand in this review, I must rate it with the number of stars it deserves. But I dunno! Eenie, Meanie, Miney, Moe . . .
I recommend this game!
Travel magical lands on a quest to rescue pets from their captor! Follow the villain’s trail by solving puzzles along the way.
Overall rating
1
/
5
6 of 7 found this review helpful
Too unforgiving!
PostedAugust 1, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
This game only allows two errors before you are out. That’s not enough.
I even have trouble with games where it's three strikes and you're out. Sometimes, on really big puzzles, I play in a window and take screenshots as I play because I can’t stand to start the whole thing over.
In fact, why DO these puzzles make you start over at all? They’d be more fun without that. Maybe they could punish you in some other way, like taking away earned hints until you use them all up and THEN make you start over. I always forget to use hints anyway because I wouldn't have clicked on that square if I didn't think it was right! So I lose with available hints all the time.
I’m gonna go play Arizona Rose and the Pirate’s Riddles, the best game of this genre. It’s also from Big Fish. Try it, instead.
I don't recommend this game.
The witches' dark legacy continues as Lynn becomes possessed!
Overall rating
5
/
5
29 of 32 found this review helpful
CE or SE, definitely buy one to the other. You will love this game.
PostedJuly 31, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
As I said when I reviewed the CE, this game pulled me right in and did not want to let me go.
This story is related to five previous games, but I have not played them, and it doesn’t seem to matter. At a museum opening, talented witch Lynn is snatched away, and her husband Edward is left to rescue her. Other reviewers describing the CE have have described the features of the game better than I can, so I won’t.
Usually, when I am reading reviews after the SE comes out, I am trying to decide whether to buy the CE or the SE.
I have not finished the CE though I bought it. It does not have replayable games and HOS which I think a CE should have. But it has something called “puzzle” in the “extras” menu, which I am looking forward to. Apparently, if you solve this puzzle, you get more gameplay. So I am not sure if this is a bonus chapter, or what. And then it has the usual wallpapers and soundtrack and so on.
The real reason I bought the CE is because I couldn’t wait to play the game more. You don’t have that problem, you can just buy the SE. So if you don’t want to pay the CE price, then you should definitely buy the SE. This is a great game.
I recommend this game!