arnold1049's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.8
- Helpful Votes:4,545
- Reviews Submitted:555
- First Review:February 24, 2012
- Most Recent Review:December 24, 2024
- Featured reviews0
Status:
The Simmons family is at it again... and you're invited to join them on their cross-country camping adventure.
Overall rating
3
/
5
4 of 8 found this review helpful
AWESOME SCENES
PostedAugust 27, 2014
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
After a rough start where I had to go to the forum for help, this game finally evened out (at chapter 1.5) and I was able to play the rest of the game with no problems.
This game is definitely geared for beginning players and children. Nothing is very hard. There is way too much silly dialog; this moves more like a cartoon. The kids are always perfectly behaved and the father and mother never disagree. Get real.
What is great about this game is the beautiful pictures of various locations in the U.S. The graphics are so clear you can get lost in them. There was also a lot of information provided about the different locations.
I was extremely upset with the way the Grand Canyon was presented. This was the only location in the whole game where something negative was said about it. The Grand Canyon was called a "disappointing big hole" and no time was spent viewing its many wonders; after the first shot of the Canyon in the background, the rest of the time was spent in the gift shop. Since I live in AZ, this was especially repugnant.
This is a no-brainer game with lots of eye candy.
I don't recommend this game.
Help the Simmons Family in Family Vacation: California!
Overall rating
3
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
GOOD BEGINNER GAME
PostedAugust 26, 2014
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This game is very short and very easy. Lots of dialog that has to be read. Cartoonish characters. Would be a great game for a new player/child.
PuppetShow: Lightning Strikes Collector's Edition
The women of Paris are being turned into puppets! Can you find out who's pulling the strings?
Overall rating
3
/
5
3 of 5 found this review helpful
THE QUALITY CONTROL DEPARTMENT WAS OUT TO LUNCH
PostedAugust 24, 2014
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I played the entire game, plus the bonus chapter, under the casual mode.
This game has a lot going for it. There are a lot of things going on at the same time, like collecting piggy banks to obtain money to upgrade two landmarks and attaining achievements, about a third of which are unnamed and you don't know you are even working on one until you win it. There is also 3 choices for difficulty level, but a custom level would have been nice.
There is an interactive map, always a plus, but many times it did not show any active location. At this point, it was back to the hint button, which did work well as a navigational tool. There is a built-in strategy guide, also nice, but standard fare for CE games. I only had to refer to it a couple of times when I could not figure out how to start a puzzle, let alone solve it. The instructions for some of the puzzles left a lot to be desired.
I agree with some of the reviewers that in the casual mode there is way too much hand holding. The HOS were not very challenging and the puzzles ranged from really easy to being unsolvable without the strategy guide solution. It is ridiculous when it takes the strategy guide a half page to list the steps needed to solve a puzzle because there are so many choices and no logic to figuring out the sequence of those steps.
The achievements ranged from too easy (solve one HOS with no hints) to unattainable (find x objects in y seconds). As stated above, there were those unknown achievements that I did find kind of cute. One of them was clicking on the dog's paw 5 times.
The bonus chapter answered the questions that the main game left you with at the end. Without the bonus chapter, the reason for the woman to change into a puppet and become evil was never explained.
I think what really ruined this game for me was the lack of editing and quality control that became evident towards the end of the game, and particularly in the bonus chapter. This game must not have been programmed originally in English, and the translation was really sloppy, like using "new" when the right word was "knew". The sentence structure on some of the notes/letters made them extremely hard to understand. A good editor, if there was one, should have caught these things. The fact that these problems were more evident towards the end makes me think the development of the game was rushed.This lack of quality was very disappointing from a Big Fish exclusive game.
Strange Cases: The Tarot Card Mystery
FBI Agent Claire Ellery must follow the tarot cards left by an anonymous source to solve this sinister and bizarre case.
Overall rating
4
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
WHAT'S WITH THE FLASHING LIGHTS?
PostedAugust 22, 2014
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This game has a good storyline wrapped around lots and lots of HOS with a few puzzles thrown in. The HOS are about average; not too hard but with an item once in awhile that is more difficult. Sometimes the scenes were dark or the objects were tiny, which added some difficulty. There were all 3 types of lists; words, silhouettes, and parts of an item, which kept the game play from getting boring.
The puzzles are also fairly easy although it isn't always clear when you have to perform other steps prior to being able to solve the puzzle.
Movement through locations was fairly linear with little back and forth, hence no map is needed. The hint button works well in the HOS, but provides little help outside them. Inventory items are used quickly and their use is pretty obvious.
One of the most distracting aspects of this game was flashes of light in the HOS which served absolutely no purpose that I could tell other than hurting my eyes. These flashes were very annoying and almost made me give up on the game. They did nothing to highlight HO's and were so bright that they actually made it hard to see the HO's. Perhaps that was their purpose; to make the HOS harder. However, the stress on my eyes was substantial and left me with a bad headache.
This game will appeal more to HOG lovers than to adventure players. I am one of the former, so I liked this game. I'm hoping the others in the series will be as good.
I recommend this game!
Enter the abandoned hotel and find your missing twin!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
GREAT PREQUEL
PostedAugust 21, 2014
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The hanging ending of this game, including the bonus chapter, set up anticipation for the next game in the series. Although I think you could play the SE of this game and still be intrigued about the sequel, the bonus chapter really seemed essential to understand the storyline.
There were 33 achievements, including the bonus chapter. I missed 6, mostly having to do with not using any hints or skips throughout the game. This is hard for someone as impatient as me to accomplish. At some point, it just isn't worth my time to continue trying and I really don't like to cheat and go to the built-in strategy guide to get the solutions.
This game could really have used a map, even though there weren't a lot of different locations. There was still a lot of back and forth that weren't real obvious from the inventory items or other clues. The hint button worked excellently in this respect, telling where to go and what to do when you get there.
The HOS were average; not too easy but also not too hard. I think the game, particularly the bonus chapter which was pretty much all puzzles, could have used a few more.
I'm heading out to buy the next game.
I recommend this game!
Unravel medical mysteries in this dramatic Puzzle Adventure game! Save your patients in Elizabeth Find M.D. Season 2!
Overall rating
3
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
GOOD STORYLINE
PostedAugust 20, 2014
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I enjoyed the storyline and the interaction among the characters. However, the game play was fairly simplistic and repetitive.
There were 3 cases to solve but it was still a pretty short game. Really not much to recommend it, other than it is not dark and dreary. I liked the first game better.
I don't recommend this game.
Check in to the spooky Haunted Hotel and immerse yourself in a thrilling adventure!
Overall rating
2
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
LIKE READING A BOOK
PostedAugust 20, 2014
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This game consisted of reading 2 or 3 pages of dialog, then playing HOS. At various times, there would be puzzles to play to advance the "elevator"; these puzzles were repetitive and very easy.
The HOS increased in number and the number of items within each scene also increased as the game progressed. Yet often you would be finding the same item. The scenes were about average in difficulty; most items were easy to find with one or two a little harder. The HOS supposedly represented rooms in the hotel which the narrative explained.
This was a very disjointed game which required way too much reading of a story that had absolutely nothing to do with the subsequent HOS and puzzles. It was also fairly short. I thought it was a lead-in to the other Haunted Hotel games, but now I don't think so.
I don't recommend this game.
Track down one of the world’s most legendary serial killers in Mystery Murders: Jack the Ripper, an incredible Hidden Object game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
COMBINATION OF FACT AND FICTION
PostedAugust 17, 2014
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This game combined elements of both fact and fiction. Notes during the game provided actual facts about the murders and resulting investigation while game play contained fictionalized elements. I enjoyed reading the facts. And the graphics were awesome; realistically evoking the wet, dark atmosphere of London.
There are a lot of HOS in the game. Some of the scenes are repeated, but using different items to find. Most of the puzzles were fairly easy. There was one point in the game where I needed to refer to the walkthrough to figure out what to do and there were a couple of other points where I was almost ready to go to the walkthrough but finally figured it out. Mainly, it was an issue with combining inventory items to be used or finding an item outside the HOS that needed to be used.
The hint button was not very good outside the HOS. It would highlight an area, but not necessarily the next location that needed to be played.
Jack the Ripper is always a fascinating topic and this game does a good job of presenting it.
I recommend this game!
Stop Count Olaf's horrid reign with fire, snake bites, leeches, and other wieldy machinations in this game of deductive reasoning.
Overall rating
5
/
5
17 of 17 found this review helpful
DID YOU READ THE BOOKS?
PostedAugust 16, 2014
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
I did, and it made this game so much more enjoyable.
This is a deductive reasoning game where there are from a few to many rooms, each containing a selection of items such as villains, victims, motives, weapons, escapes and punishments. Using clues, you must eliminate items from each room until you have narrowed each room down to one item, which will then show who did what to whom, why, etc. There are 2 ways to play and 3 levels of difficulty for each way, so you have plenty of options. And because the board of rooms is randomly generated, this game can be played over and over again.
It is not as easy as it sounds, as you are allowed only one wrong click for each board. When there are 36 rooms to a board, with 10 or more items to a room, this can be hard, When you get to that many rooms, the items in the rooms are extremely tiny and I found that I had to be particularly careful with my pointer, as several times it would move just a bit and I would click on the wrong thing. Also, sometimes, if I left it stationary for too long, it would automatically click on whatever it was resting on. If you make more than one mistake, you have to start over again, but the board and the clues will be different each time.
The game contains a lot of hints as you are playing it to help you use the clues in the proper order to get the quickest solution. Although there is not a time limit to the boards, there is a target time for the board. I was never able to meet that target because the targets seemed unattainably low. I did finish one small board in 45 seconds, but the target time was 30 seconds. Sometimes I barely had time to review the clues before the target time was over. Not meeting the target time did reduce your score, though.
A very enjoyable game that I will play again and again.
I recommend this game!
Gather evidence, interview witnesses, recreate the crime and catch the killer!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
I LOVE MYSTERIES
PostedAugust 11, 2014
arnold1049
fromApache Junction, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This game deals with solving murders in a very realistic way. In fact, the cases are based on actual crimes. This may turn some people off, but the game gives you a warning at the very beginning about the subject matter, allowing you to stop playing if that is something that would upset you.
I read a lot of mysteries and it's always fun to try to figure out who did it before the end of the book. This game is the same way; you are presented with evidence and witness testimony and then have to guess the culprit. You are awarded badges, depending on how well you match the clues and how quickly you solve the crime. The badges range from zero (you have to keep your patrolman job) to 3 (chief inspector).
I turned off all the sound, so don't know if any of the sounds might have been too realistic. (I always turn off the sound on games.) The graphics were fuzzy, on purpose, I think, so there is no blood or other details to assault your sensibilities.
It is not a hard game, just a little change of pace and a way to see how good you are at deductive reasoning. I'm not going to give it a recommendation one way or the other, again, due to the subject matter. But I enjoyed it.
P.S. Big Fish, could we have a third choice about making recommendations? Maybe something like "undecided"?