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:
Can you find and catch the notorious Sea Ripper?
Overall rating
3
/
5
6 of 10 found this review helpful
A well made game, but just OK, nothing special.
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
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Maybe we are beginning to expect too much of developers, but I found this game to be just OK. This review is based upon playing the demo only because I will not be buying it until I need a two for one on a sale. I just didn’t find it that interesting.
Sunnyglow has written a great review telling about all the features. So I am simply trying to express why this is not a great game. Because it should be, but it isn't.
Yes, it plays fine, and it is pretty, though I did not find myself going “Ooh." The music, though, I tired of, and eventually turned down.
The real problem—during my wanderings, I kept having to press the hint button repeatedly because I could not figure out what I was supposed to do, (though I was only reduced to using the guide once). That’s the main problem. I guess it just didn’t seem logical. And therefore, it was not the immersive experience of a truly great game.
The mini games seemed quite easy except for the last board of one of them.
The two HOS I found were mostly word lists of cluttered piles of objects. I am pretty darn tired of those. One word list puzzle had a preliminary HOS that was not a word list puzzle, and it was fun. But after finding six items, that part moves aside, and there is just the usual word list puzzle. That second puzzle was also annoying because some objects, ones that appeared to be places where you might search, were actually located so far down on the screen that clicking on them made you leave the puzzle. This bothered me because my ability to use my main HOS technique, click real fast everywhere until you find all the objects, kept bouncing me out of the puzzle. Annoying. (Sorry all you HOS lovers, but standard, non-interactive HOS are my least favorite part of these games.)
Other than that, the game works perfectly and all features are available. One feature I love is included—the ability to play the mini games over. So I am sure I will buy this CE when I need it for a two for one. But not for its own sake.
I’m not sure how to rate it. Now there’s a puzzle! Hmm. Three and a half, I guess. Recommend it? Yes or no? Hmm, ok, yes, I guess. Everything works well, but I found it boring.
I recommend this game!
Enjoy a card game and naval battle in Pirate’s Solitaire 3! Treasure Island awaits you!
Overall rating
2
/
5
20 of 23 found this review helpful
Could not get matches
PostedJuly 29, 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
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Although it has only been a week, I can't remember Pirate's Solitaire 2 well enough to really compare (and I had run the time out). But I could not get matches in Pirate Solitaire 3. I think there must not be enough cards turned up.
As with Pirate Solitaire 2, you match two cards, like two Kings, to remove them. I said it was "mildly amusing" in Pirate Solitaire 2, and I played until I ran the time out. But here, I could not get very many matches, so I quit after 25 minutes. It was no fun.
It kept telling me I had found special cards, but I never got any more mulligans or reshuffles and only one joker after I spent all the good cards I stored up during the tutorial.
Oh, yes, the music is as terrible as in the last game. Turn it off. And this time I didn't like the sound effects, either. Or maybe they are the same, but I was just annoyed by the inability to get matches so it made the sound effects seem worse.
I don't recommend this game.
Uncover why Lisa's uncle is hiding information about her father's disappearance and help her discover the truth.
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Feels old-style, but fun enough.
PostedJuly 29, 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
4
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
You are trying to discover a mystery about your father after your mother’s death. Your father has been presumed dead, but is he really? Your uncle James is not talking. There is a mysterious island involved.
The art is clear, though not stunning. The only problem I found with the art was James (I think it is James)--he was so creepy looking, I could barely look at him. Apparently, he was gray because he was supposed to be sick. But he looked like a zombie. I don’t know, the initial movie said he was found “today, lifeless on the shore.“ So maybe he IS a zombie.
The music is repetitive, more of a single riff than an actual song, but I liked it. I still wasn’t tired of it after an hour.
Don’t be confused by the second movie that starts with your mother’s funeral. It’s unclear why the mother had to die, or how she came to die on the same day that James was found “lifeless on the shore." She doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the story. Maybe she died just to get you there? The most confusing thing is that the minister at the funeral calls you "Mrs.” White. But you must be “Ms.” White as the text states because, according to the initial movie, your father and his brother James are named White. (This bugged me enough I had to go back and watch both movies again, which is why I’m harping on this.)
The movies don’t seem to be skippable. I am sure this will become annoying if I don’t just play the game straight through in one sitting. Also, transitions between scenes sometimes seem slow.
As to game play, it’s fine. What I call “procedural puzzles”—the things you have to manipulate to move around in the world—were fun. Mini games were OK. There was one mini-game, though, the piston puzzle, where I couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to do. Better instructions, please! I think that this might have been an “English as a second language” problem, but most of the game was clear enough.
The two HOS I ran across were plain word lists. They weren’t too cluttered, and you could see things pretty well. The second one I ran across allowed me to play cards instead, which I LOVED. (The first HOS might have allowed cards, too, but I didn’t notice. I only figured it out in the second HOS because there was a flashing thing in the lower left that happened to click on out of curiosity. Better instructions, please!)
One minor gripe. You come to a lock on a gate, and it is “heavy,” or some similar term. Now, at this point, you have a hammer, and you have lock picks, but neither will work on this “heavy” lock. You have to go find some other thing to get through it. I find such a scenario kind of annoying. But that’s just me.
The game works well, but there is nothing really special about it. I will be happy to play it sometime, but if you are on a limited budget, either time-wise, or monetarily, there are much more immersive and beautiful games out there. Try it though, it’s a good game so far. (This review is based upon playing the demo.) I understand these developers are new, and I am expecting great things!
I recommend this game!
Story driven rpg-adventure where guns and magic act together! Explore strange worlds, defeat monsters and complete quests.
Overall rating
3
/
5
31 of 41 found this review helpful
It might have been fun if I could have figured out what was going on . . .
PostedJuly 27, 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
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
You are a cop, and you are looking for your sister. Her apartment has been broken into, and she is missing. Somehow, you find a gun store. It turns out that, although you never knew it, she’s an instructor there, but the boss hasn’t seen her for days. Then suddenly, you are battling monsters. It was unclear to me whether the gun store guy lured and trapped you, or whether you ended up battling monsters to save your sister. There's no segue.
The battles are match-three battles. You earn items to protect you and make you stronger, but you can’t keep them, necessarily. For example, when I won a second amulet, I had to sell one of them because I didn’t have room for both. And I had no idea which one I should have kept.
After you win a match-three battle, in which your moves earn you points to hurt the monster you are fighting, you go to a screen, I guess a store, that summarizes your performance and gives you the item you earned. This is where I got the amulets. Apparently you can also buy items because there is money. I totally did not understand what the screen meant or what I should do.
When you return from this screen you are in a field with a bunch of hexagons. You are standing in one of the hexagons, and if you click on other hexagons you can sometimes move there, but some are blocked. The edges of the screen are covered with fog, so there are few hexagons actually available to you. One hexagon said, “You found something interesting,” but what? There was no explanation of what was found or what was interesting about it. And sometimes when you click on a hexagon, you get a new battle with another monster.
I have always wanted to play one of these “Magic”-type games, but I don’t understand how this game works well enough to buy it. Yes, I am a tyro at this type of game, so consider the source of this review.
But I looked for places where there might be instructions and didn’t find any. I am unsure what my long-term goals are or how to achieve them. I don’t know how I ended up fighting monsters in a mysterious foggy underworld (I guess it is an underworld) instead of standing in a gun store. I also have no idea if I am ever going to get answers about where (or who!) my sister really is and why she was working in this gun store, which is what I am really interested in.
Once I was fighting the monsters in the match-three games, there was no indication that I would ever return to the storyline. So I went back in to look for instructions and answers. It allowed me to start a second game, but the character in the second game was still “John D,” just like in the first game. Plus, it was annoying because I could not leave the game. I had to play two match-three games with the intervening screens before it would let me out. I was again magically in the catacombs of "the order” fighting monsters instead of to the basement of a gun store. And I still didn’t know why.
I don’t know whether I should recommend this game or not. Maybe I will buy it if I am going to run out of time to spend a free coupon someday. But only if I can read a description online of what the heck I’m supposed to do and why. I WOULD like to find out what happened to my sister.
I don't recommend this game.
Beyond the sky lies a thrilling adventure... and a deadly threat!
Overall rating
5
/
5
13 of 17 found this review helpful
This game made me lose track of time, which is the mark of a great game.
PostedJuly 27, 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
4
/
5
Well, I totally lost track of time and the demo ran out. This never happens to me. So I am unable to determine the answers to some of the questions I usually discuss in these reviews, where one of my goals is to discuss whether I think the CE is worth it or whether I will wait for the SE.
The problem here is not whether I will wait for the SE, but whether I can bear to wait for a sale to buy the CE. That’s how much fun I was having.
The art is unique and stunning. The music is good to great. There’s this interesting 50’s sounding rock song that has a chord progression no one would used in the 50’s, and it is so cool. I sure hope it’s an entire song. If it’s not, it should be. That song will probably make me buy the CE all by itself. (If it is not available after I buy the CE because of it, I won’t be happy. I cannot tell because the “extras” menu only said “play the game first” when I clicked on it before I started playing. HEY DEVELOPERS, don’t do this! You want to advertise all the great stuff we get for the higher price! Show us why to buy the CE!!)
From information on the BFG site, it appears that there is a bonus chapter, but not the ability to play HOS and mini games over. This is a feature that I think every CE game should have, and I don’t understand why this game doesn’t seem to have that feature. But inability to play these games over may be OK because “adventure” part of this game is what makes it so immersive, not the HOS or the mini games. In fact, the mini games and HOSs are the weakest part of the game.
This game’s sole flaw seems to be problems with mini game instructions. Even though I read them, they didn’t help much. On one, I just randomly clicked until I finally got it done. On another, I randomly clicked on things until I figured it out. On a third, there were three arrows to manipulate in order to get through three different mazes, (which was also unclear at first). Then, after I figured out to click on the arrows, I didn’t need all three arrows, only the first arrow, so why were there three? There was also a “memory” scene where you put something together, but it was unclear why you did it, and nothing came of it. Nonetheless, it was fun.
It would have been a more immersive experience if the game instructions had been better.
The two HOS’s I remember were 1) a boring word list type, and 2) a fun but easy “find bunch of the same object.” Not the best HOS puzzles given some of the newer types we have seen lately.
Oh, yeah, (SPOILER) the chain attaches to the water tower on the wrong side to make it fall on the burning barn. C’mon, guys, let’s be realistic!
Despite these points, I loved this game. I’ll guess I’ll be buying the CE even though I won’t be able to play the mini games and HOS’s over. <sigh> Too bad I have to wait for a sale, darn it!
I recommend this game!
Shrouded Tales: The Spellbound Land
Your magical powers have finally awakened. Now you have the strength to free your mother from the Shadow Realm!
Overall rating
5
/
5
21 of 22 found this review helpful
Important hint. Try right clicking! Also, great game, you should consider buying either the CE, or at least, the SE.
PostedJuly 26, 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
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I reviewed the CE just recently, and I my opinion has not changed. I know that if I am reading reviews where there is a CE and SE, I mostly want to know which to buy.
I believe that the CE for this game is a good value, and I bought it for the reasons explained in the CE review that I reproduce below. But I still think that this game is excellent, even in the SE version.
Here is most of what I wrote for the CE.
. . . I am mostly writing to alert players about something that was bugging me, but I figured it out.
At first, I did not like what seemed to be non-responsive objects. Usually in these games, when you try to use an object and it is not the right one, one and/or two things happen. Either the object floats back to the inventory area, or you get a message (and yes, I know, sometimes the messages seem aggravating or condescending) that you have done the wrong thing. This game does neither. And it seems that you have to carefully replace the item back in the inventory area or it is stuck to your cursor. I was going to gripe about it as detracting from the playability of the game.
But then, I thought of something. I went back in to the game (I’m glad I had left five minutes on the clock) and tried right clicking when I had an inventory item in my hand. Voila! It floated back down to the inventory area. Great system, but maybe they should have told me that in the tutorial? I was playing with the full tutorial on, and I don’t remember them saying that.
My opinion of the game during the demo:
I really like some of the music and really dislike some of the rest. The graphics are clear and the world is pretty, but not very detailed once you go through the portal, in particular. It’s like maybe another artist drew it. That’s not necessarily bad, though.
I am unsure about the story. It makes sense, but things don’t necessarily seem to be happening in the right order or at the right pace, or something. For example, at the beginning, I kept feeling as if I needed to LEAVE the bedroom and follow mom. She had seemed quite insistent that I needed to do something important, so why am I dawdling in the bedroom and messing with the fireplace? But it was obvious I had to do something there. Then, dad ( guess it was dad) left using the portal, but after that, apparently it turns out the portal malfunctioned. (I sure hope dad's ok!) At this point, I decided not to even try to make sense of the story, and it went better after that. Some semi-challenging actions are required, but I was able to figure them out without referring to the story.
The puzzles are great. One I ended up having to go to the guide for. That shows you, though, that it was an interesting puzzle. If I wasn’t, I would have just skipped it.
The HOS are different, also. Some require you to use inventory items to solve them. Fun. Much better than the average HOS.
The demo was so short and the game played pretty seamlessly. Therefore, although I got the map, I never needed it or looked at it. So I cannot give you any details about it.
I will get the CE for this game because there is a bonus and also the ability to replay mini games and HOS. There don’t seem to be collectibles or morphing objects or achievements, but that’s OK with me because I don’t care about those things, anyway. The game is entertaining, and there are enough useful features for me to buy the CE.
Give it a try.
I recommend this game!
A carnival is no laughing matter when a murderer strikes.
Overall rating
4
/
5
7 of 9 found this review helpful
OK game with sensible storyline and some good interactive HOS puzzles.
PostedJuly 25, 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
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This review is based upon the demo period only because I am not sure whether I am going to buy the CE. I will buy it if I need a second game in a two for one sale because it does have my required feature, the ability to play the HOS and mini games over. But otherwise, my main reaction is “eh."
Play is seamless. I had a lot of fun wandering around and playing the “procedural puzzles”--that’s what I call them--the ones that you have to solve in order to manipulate the world around you. But some actions were inscrutable. Scraping the floor where it looks pretty much like the rest of the floor to the point where a big chunk comes out and reveals an object underneath was one of them. Also, there were two places where I thought the magic box key could go, but I was wrong. It went in between those two places. I guess I should have just kept clicking, but I thought I had clicked enough. In this game, where you click to makes something work seems to be more precise than I like.
I used the hint a lot, and had to go to the guide twice. It is unusual for me use the guide. I ended up setting the hint at 15 seconds and just kept on clicking it. It was still fun, though. For all you expert players, this may be just the game for you.
The art was OK. It was clear and you could definitely see what you were looking for, but it was not that pretty or interesting. Some scenes were better than others. Bits of music were nice, but it could turn weirdly atonal or orchestrally overblown apparently without reason. It bugged me and I had to turn it off. Then I was left with the crowd noise, which got annoying after a while. So sound and art not that great.
I didn’t how to ask the characters questions, and did not feel I was in control of the questioning. I ended up hitting the hint to complete the questioning. I also thought using the forensics kit and writing down answers was kind of boring, but the second time, there was no writing, so it wasn’t quite as boing.
The two mini games I ran across did not have good enough instructions for me to complete them. I could not figure out the ring toss game even after reading the guide. I couldn’t figure out how to toss the rings, nor how to make the expected total of 10. On the second mini game it said to line things up. But after I hit skip I realized that I did not have to line them all up at once, it could be one after the other. Because mini games are usually my favorite part of these games, I was disappointed.
The HOS puzzles where actually quite fun, though. They had mini games inside them, or else you had repair the objects you found before you could collect them.
At least the story makes sense, unlike some recent offerings.
All in all, it’s an ok game. I'd rate it 3.5 stars if I could. It seems to have all the bells and whistles, including collectables and so on. So try the CE. Maybe it is for you.
I recommend this game!
There’s a secret in Queen Elizabeth’s court, and you must uncover it.
Overall rating
4
/
5
32 of 36 found this review helpful
To CE or not to CE, that is the question for Ms. Shakeston here!
PostedJuly 25, 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
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
It's 4 1/2 stars, really.
Reviews at the CE location and Pennmom's review here give features and describe the game far better than I can. I write to discuss whether to buy the CE or the SE, because when I am looking at reviews after the SE has come out, it usually means I am unsure which to buy. So I figure you might want to know that, too.
I did not buy the CE because the CE did not offer the opportunity to play the great HOS and mini games over again. That’s why I suggest the SE. I know I will miss the bonus chapter, but that is the only thing of all the extra features that I will miss. I do not understand why CE versions do not always allow replayable HOS and mini games. I notice that Pennmom favors the CE, though, so you will have to decide for yourself.
Otherwise, the art is pretty good, though I wouldn’t call it beautiful. It is clear and easy to see in order to play. The music is not memorable. I don’t remember it, though I noticed it was there. So at least that shows it is not obnoxious music.
The best part of this game--the puzzles and HOS, definitely. These are great puzzles. Not too hard, but fun. And these are great hidden object games. I don't really even like hidden object parts of theses games that much, I like the adventure and puzzle parts much better, but I loved these. They are progressive but the items are not necessarily random. They are more related to the story than most. Having the games more integrated into the story is always better. Remember Myst? The games WERE the story.
I don’t like the story. Here’s what I said in the CE review I wrote:
1) The story seems false to me. Too many things don't ring true. A very few examples are, the coach breaks a wheel and the coachman seems to believe it is serious, yet the coach continues to move forward at a rapid rate. Later, another episode with the coach results in the coachman riding off with the horse. What happened there? And though I agree the Francis Drake character is charming, I don't think that the relationship is one that would exist historically. Plus, why is the heroine, a "maid of honor?" Isn't that a wedding thing? Shouldn't it be "lady in waiting" instead?"
While these things may seem to be quibbles, the story here is pretty prominent and very wordy. It needs to not jar the player.
Upon playing the SE I note that the main character is a "maid of honor” in one place and a "lady in waiting” in another. Nonetheless, I still find the story jarring. For example, in the second scene, Ms. Shakeston turns aside from the ordered visit to the queen to perform a mundane task. The developers, if they felt they needed to insert a game or action at that point, should have thought up a reason to delay Ms. Shakeston from visiting the queen instead of letting her turn aside at a request from a lesser character. I mean, if the queen summoned you, wouldn’t you say that was the most important thing to do?
I’m buying the SE now. Have fun playing this one. It’s good except for the story.
I recommend this game!
Clean up the Clutter in this amazing Hidden Object game! Take on minigames and put everything in order again!
Overall rating
1
/
5
8 of 16 found this review helpful
More of an advertisement for this guy's self-help ideas than a game.
PostedJuly 25, 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
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Based on playing for less than 10 minutes. Writing this took much longer, particularly since my first draft was pretty snippy. I don't want to be snippy, I want to explain why this "game" fails so we get a better one the next time.
OK, so I’m not a hidden object person. Some I like and some I don't depending upon each individual hidden object scene. But I wanted to see if the advertised puzzles (as opposed to HOS) were any good. I never got that far.
The art is not properly drawn for the type of game it is. The piles of objects and the objects themselves need to have more of a 3D aspect to them. Instead of looking like objects, they look like pictures of objects, kind of like the stickers my little niece used to paste in her sticker books, very two dimensional. Ugly, really. (Sorry.) So you can't see the object so much as you are looking for the colors.
Because of the way the objects and piles look, the HOS are hard to play. I found myself squinting. I figure I would end up with a headache if I played too long.
I didn't even get all the way through the first HOS when the objects all floated away and I was advanced to the second HOS. I don't know why.
The game takes too long to load. By the time I got to where I was able to play, I was already annoyed by the antics of the objects in the introductory screens. Also, there's too much reading before the game starts.
It is timed (I hate that).
It seems silly because it's just simple matching, after which the objects fall to a conveyor belt and are whisked away. I mean, if you are an expert on reducing clutter, why don't you you demonstrate that expertise in the game? Why not throw away one of the matching objects you found, then arrange the remaining object on a shelf in the most efficient manner you can, and get points for that? As you add more objects to the shelf you could get points for doing it in accordance with the guy's theories on how to reduce clutter.
And I don’t get what the scrabble tiles are for because there are no instructions. All it does is tell you that you don't have to match them. And then they float to the top but they don't make words?
I also agree with other reviewers that the guy interrupts too much and detracts from the game. That's why I think this is more of an advertisement for him than a real game. There are too many self-aggrandizing screens and popups. If he wants to sell his ideas, he should make the game fun! Then we will come to him for self help advice. I’m sure we can find him on the net if he can make us want to!
I know it must be hard to find "A New Game Every Day." But, come on, BFG! Let's at least make sure it's a game and not just an advertisement.
I’m going to go play something else now.
I don't recommend this game.
Play the new Pirate Solitaire right on the shores of Britain! Outplay seasoned sea dogs and prove that you're the best of the best!
Overall rating
4
/
5
10 of 10 found this review helpful
A nice change
PostedJuly 22, 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
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I thought is was going to be just one more or those games where you play the next card numerically, like Fairway Blast. So I almost didn't bother.
But it is not. You match two cards, like two Kings, to remove them. Mildly amusing.
OK. so it's not rocket science. I see why one reviewer said it is not really solitaire, it is just matching. Still, I thought it was fun. Maybe I will get bored eventually, but I will buy it, or at least I will get it with a free coupon,
Oh, yes, the music is terrible. Turn it off.
I recommend this game!