JustTheFacts's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.9
- Helpful Votes:33,148
- Reviews Submitted:681
- First Review:December 7, 2011
- Most Recent Review:June 4, 2018
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Stop the villainous Visage from ruining Mardi Gras in Shattered Minds: Masquerade, an incredible Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!
Overall rating
5
/
5
24 of 25 found this review helpful
Based On The Trial - Great!
PostedDecember 13, 2011
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Haven't bought this yet, but will be buying the ordinary edition the minute it's released.
The HO scenes are gorgeous, the sound too, with interesting sound effects that add to the atmosphere.
I like the way the objects keep coming, so that some items not listed at first come up after you've found others. This adds interest to fairly easy HO scenes. Love the smashed glass effect when you use hint.
The story is easy enough to follow so far, and I actually like the bad guy - which is of course unusual.
Haven't found any flaws yet, so I'm looking forward to finishing the story...
I recommend this game!
Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles
Charles Baskerville is the latest victim of a centuries-old curse! Help Holmes break the curse before the next murder occurs!
Overall rating
5
/
5
57 of 64 found this review helpful
Just The Facts
PostedDecember 13, 2011
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
I won't rehash what all the others have said. This is an excellent, stylish game for the reasonably seasoned player who enjoys thinking as well as clicking. I particularly liked the way the story was portrayed, and remained interesting and clear throughout.
The artwork was great too - for more read the other reviews, or better still try it yourself!
I recommend this game!
Enter the legendary town of Sleepy Hollow, search for clues to uncover the mystery of the Headless Horseman once and for all.
Overall rating
4
/
5
49 of 55 found this review helpful
Classy HO For Fans of Pure HO
PostedDecember 13, 2011
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Game Style: Strictly HO with a few easy puzzles. I liked the cursor hover silhouettes, and it’s just as well, because the hints are limited and this is a very hard HO. Very. At least I found it so. Being able to finish the chapter with a couple of objects unfound is a good idea.
Artwork: Delightful for its time. Clean and crisp. I liked that there was little distortion in the HO scenes. The voice over is so creepy I jumped every time I heard it. The intro and map are pretty basic and don’t indicate just how good the HO scenes really are to watch.
Story: There is no real story here; this is not an adventure game. But it held together well, and focussing each chapter on a single suspect was a nice twist.
Replay: Only if I was in the mood for strictly HO.
Flaws: The limited hints make the game harder than many would like.
Tips: Skip between locations when you get stuck in one. It may be you don’t need those last two to continue.
I recommend this game!
You’ve been invited to the long abandoned Paris Opera House. Find the phantom and discover the torment of this tragic hero!
Overall rating
5
/
5
49 of 58 found this review helpful
Excellent Game New Take on Familiar Story
PostedDecember 13, 2011
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Game Style: Emphasis on adventure style of play. Both adventure and HO are more difficult than most. Thankfully, the other puzzles are less difficult whilst still being both challenging and original.
Artwork: Top of the range graphics, good use of audio and animations to create atmosphere.
Story: Variation on a familiar story, it unfolds in well-paced bite-sized chunks.
Hint Feature: Slow but useful if you use in conjunction with objectives.
Replay: You'll want to play again immediately. The HO and mini-games have random generation, there's a time score AND accuracy score, plus a bonus section that can only be accessed by a good time score.
Flaws: It's a complex puzzle from the word go, which might deter some. But definitely worth the effort of continuing.
Tips: Use your hints wisely!!!
Strange figures have taken over a small town in Hallowed Legends: Templar! Stop the Knights of the Templar!
Overall rating
4
/
5
65 of 80 found this review helpful
Love This Game, Quite A Challenge
PostedDecember 12, 2011
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
The hour trial is always a bit hard for me, and I use the hints often, while I get a handle on the game. Once I'm past the hump, I usually can avoid hints completely. Not so this one. I actually can't decide if it was too easy or too hard.
Hint was, if anything, too helpful, outside the HO scenes. Giving you - "go to x, use y tool, to get this item". While I needed more help than usual, this was too easy. In the HO scenes, it was as expected, but the scenes themselves have an interesting twist. You can use inventory items on objects to get the item on the list. This increases the difficulty on HO scenes that are otherwise pretty easy. And sometimes, you need an inventory item you haven't found yet! Took me a while to wise up to that.
The visuals and sound on this are absolutely gorgeous, and it has a feature I'm not familiar with, where you can replay from the diary any of the exciting video bits. That was fun.
I found the puzzles interesting and varied, but for me, too hard. I must admit though, I'm not that good with puzzles.
I enjoyed the story, which made sense, and had twists in it to keep you guessing, and ended in a believable fashion.
While I certainly recommend this one, I've advise you trial it first, to decide if the degree of difficulty suits you.
I recommend this game!
Search for clues, solve puzzles, and unlock new areas as you visit spooky locations, master mini-games and locate Hidden Objects!
Overall rating
5
/
5
113 of 122 found this review helpful
Well Crafted & Captivating Story
PostedDecember 12, 2011
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
I wasn't sure this would be my kind of game - I favour those with realistic graphics, rather than obviously drawn ones - but the visuals were definitely part of the fun.
From the title, I was a bit uncertain whether it was aimed at kids. Definitely not. This is very much an mature audiences game.
I did find it a little difficult at first to get into it, because I stumbled around blindly for a while but helpful hints sorted me out. Soon I was looking up and realising I'd forgotten to eat for hours. I didn't move from my pc until I'd finished the whole game.
What I think I liked most was the creepiness and the story. You just know some of the decisions made in the game are gonna turn out badly and there's almost an anxiety about how it is going to all work out.
I'll definitely be playing this one again, and again, and again...
I recommend this game!
Emma Roberts has been tasked with writing a story about an old haunted manor. Help her explore the McInroy Estate!
Overall rating
5
/
5
119 of 125 found this review helpful
Excellent Game Interesting Story
PostedDecember 11, 2011
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
I liked this game first of all for its ambiance. I enjoy hearing frogs ribbiting and water falling etc, where appropriate, and the music was apt.
The graphics were great, very clear, although I do get tired of everything always being so dirty and rusty in HO games, and this is guilty too. I liked the way a HO scene then became a regular scene once HO was done.
I also liked the way you couldn't go back to a scene once all action there was complete. This saves so much toing and froing when you're a bit lost. I didn't find the game too challenging, just the right amount of thinking and spotting required.
The story was interesting too, with some surprising twists. All in all, definitely a good buy.
I recommend this game!
After crashing your car in the middle of nowhere, you stumble upon a mysterious town with a shady background. Solve a dark mystery!
Overall rating
4
/
5
119 of 200 found this review helpful
Mixed Bag, Better Than Average
PostedDecember 11, 2011
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Game Style: Good balance of HO and puzzles, though I found the adventure part of the game frustrating at first.
Not enough scenes though, with too much repetition.
Not enough scenes though, with too much repetition.
New Ideas: The game is saved from being ‘just another HO’ with some radically different ideas. It is worth trying just for the chance to swap from HO to Match 3 mid-scene. Found this was particularly fun when stuck on that one last item, or just for a change of pace. A number of the puzzles were new to me too – and just the right degree of difficulty.
Levels of Play: This is always a great addition to any game, and Phantasmat offers 3 choices, with a good explanation of each level.
Artwork: Another way in which this game stands out is its atmosphere - creepy. Clever use of animation and sound combine to get you reaching for a warm coat and umbrella. The gloom and rain was inescapable, with nasty unexpected little shocks popping up. Eventually that started to wear thin, but even then, I felt more involved in the story because it was so oppressive. I wanted to get out of that cursed town too!!
Story: The story’s a potentially great one, but fell flat because it was too slow, and collapsed entirely at the ending (which was totally unconvincing).
Replay: The game has good replay value for many I think, with the different levels of difficulty, awards and scores, and the match 3 option. But the gloomy atmosphere won out with me, and I don’t know if I could face that environment too often.
I recommend this game!
Something unnatural is stalking you through an abandoned town! Escape by gathering useful items and solving clever puzzles!
Overall rating
2
/
5
35 of 41 found this review helpful
Very Disappointing For Vamp Fans
PostedDecember 11, 2011
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Very disappointing game. No story - three quarters in and I still haven't done anything except crash my bike and wander a deserted and ugly town fixing things. I've had no interaction with any vampires and haven't even noticed that I've been bitten.
There is too much returning to the same HO scene to recover the same objects. Loading between scenes is slow too. The other major negative this game has is that its HO scenes are basically static - there's little or no animation, which makes them feel flat.
On the plus side, the photo 'map' was a nice touch and I liked having the objects near the cursor highlighted in the list. Hints fill quickly and are useful.
In a nutshell, vampire fans will hate it, and its a very ho hum HO game.
On the plus side, the photo 'map' was a nice touch and I liked having the objects near the cursor highlighted in the list. Hints fill quickly and are useful.
In a nutshell, vampire fans will hate it, and its a very ho hum HO game.
I don't recommend this game.
Find an enormous treasure and go on the journey of your life with the legendary Treasure Hunters! Help Jack find riches!
Overall rating
1
/
5
26 of 32 found this review helpful
This is the 2nd worst game on Big Fish
PostedDecember 11, 2011
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this game is a dead loss. The production aspects are amateur, the design primitive, and the story - if you could call it that - moved way too slow. An obvious translation, the only thing I can imagine is that it came across better in its native tongue.
I lasted out the hour trial, struggling to find a point in its favour, before I deleted it.
I lasted out the hour trial, struggling to find a point in its favour, before I deleted it.
(The worst game is 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea)
I don't recommend this game.