AverageSizeFish's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:2.8
- Helpful Votes:2,910
- Reviews Submitted:173
- First Review:June 2, 2014
- Most Recent Review:May 1, 2017
- Featured reviews0
Status:
20 years ago a terrible accident destroyed most of Cyan City. Now, Monica returns to uncover the secrets of her childhood!
Overall rating
2
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
Not Sci-Fi & severely annoying voiceovers
PostedJuly 6, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
The opening scene of this game lures you into thinking it's going to be a science fiction story but, after the first cut-scene, abandons that avenue and veers off into the typical "person with magic heirloom seeking a relative" story.
Instead of some rational sci-fi inspired explanation for why this girl was spared when her mother's experiment destroyed the city you are told she was saved by a magic pendant. Instead of doing tasks that are remotely inspired by science fiction you are charged with the same old potion brewing, finding missing weapons for statues, and placing keys into slots that magically raise huge stone bridges found in every fantasy/detective/horror HOPA out there. This game is a fantasy game complete with magic items, potions made of berries that actually cure blindness, and inanimate objects that demand things in order to function.
If this wasn't disappointing enough the game is crippled by the most horrible voice-overs I've heard in any game I've ever played. Nails going over a chalkboard don't even begin to approach the cringe factor of the voice overs in this game. It wouldn't be so bad if you could skip them all or turn off the voice volume but you can't...there are obligatory ones that will continue playing even if you skip through the voice-over scene.
The HOS are fairly easy and not innovative even for 2012. The graphics are about average for 2012 and, lacking any story to make this game a must play, are insufficient to lure people away from newer games with better graphics IMO.
Overall, this was a complete disappointment. It's a game masquerading as sci-fi while delivering the same old magic/fantasy story about a girl trying to save her mom using a magic pendant.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you bring Maria back from a shadowy realm?
Overall rating
2
/
5
26 of 38 found this review helpful
Boring, confused, and not fun
PostedJuly 5, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
The art style used didn't appeal to me. The edges of objects seemed soft and lacking in definition making the appearance of things blend together. The soundtrack was ok and fit the theme.
The storyline is another of those "missing relative/detective called in to help" stories but with the addition of completely implausible scenarios that occur so frequently I lost track of what was going on almost immediately. Maybe people familiar with the series would have a better understanding of the plot but this was the first I've played and it left me clueless.
Your character has a magic machine that allows you to dispel evil barriers. Unfortunately, in order to use this you must perform a puzzle to match numbers it reveals. You do this by clicking a button on the left that adds some amount to the number your machine display shows, then clicking a button on the right to subtract some amount, and repeating this over and over until you match the number on the machine to the number it has revealed on the barrier. This rapidly became so tedious that when the machine's batteries went dead I felt a leap of joy.
What I don't understand is why, if this machine is so important to the character, he doesn't bring some extra batteries with him seeing as it loses battery charge after almost every use necessitating the theft of batteries from whatever location he's in at the time.
The puzzles were easy and nothing that isn't present in the last twenty such games I've played. The HOS were not real HOS in that not a single one required you to actually look for items in a scene. One type, which I particularly abhor, figured prominently. This is the kind where everything on the list is completely obscured by something else that must be shooed out of the way in order to see the, otherwise not visible, item of interest. For a HOPA game it had very few HOS.
There are morphing objects to find which all appeared laid over the top of some gigantic "mystical" monster face or similar identifying thing. This made them so easy to see that I can't even use the word "find" to describe the means you need to employ to click them. You identify them rather than find them. The same could be said of the collectible flowers which were so large they were immediately noticeable when you entered an area.
Overall this is a game based on an extremely overused plot with the addition of a relentless barrage of implausible situations, boring and non-intuitive tasks, and an annoying gadget you must use to progress through the game. The HOS and puzzles were not enjoyable or challenging and could not rescue this game from descending into poor fun factor territory for me.
I don't recommend this game.
Is Martha really a werewolf - or has she been wrongly accused?
Overall rating
1
/
5
152 of 257 found this review helpful
Leg hold traps for animals isn't game material
PostedJuly 4, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
This game includes depictions of wolves attacking and biting people. wolves having guns pointed at them, and leg hold traps being set out to catch them. There is dialogue where other people tell our character they have gone out and shot wolves.
I am strongly of the opinion that violence towards animals should not be considered "entertainment" suitable for a computer game. I am also strongly of the opinion that wolves have a hard enough time in this world without being maligned in the way this game maligns them.
On top of the distasteful and repellent storyline there are two ridiculous contrivances that made the game feel silly. The first is the character's magnifying glass that pops up whenever he meets someone. It would be one thing if you could decide for yourself when is the right time to use it but as it is it feels like a way for the developer to advance the story without allowing you to figure things out on your own. The second is the detective's "analyzer" which asks questions that you must answer as it identifies things for you. I'm fairly sure that if you answer incorrectly it will tell you the right answer rendering the whole exercise pointless.
Overall, this is a game with a horrible storyline that brought visions of wolves laying broken and bleeding with their legs caught in leg hold traps to my mind. I play games to have fun not to think of cruelty to animals. This game is not fun at all nor what I'm looking for when I sit down to spend some free time relaxing. For the storyline alone this game gets a one from me.
I don't recommend this game.
The expedition continues... Track down the fragments of King Solomon's crown and foil a madman's plot in this exciting follow-up to the bestselling series!
Overall rating
3
/
5
89 of 125 found this review helpful
Bland entry to the Hidden Expedition series
PostedJuly 3, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The visuals and sound are very good.
Navigating is, for the most part, smooth although a few of the interactive inventory objects seemed to require exact placement of one item over the other to interact. Without this exact placement it seems as if you just chose the wrong two things to combine.
The HOS were very simple, very few, and not incorporated into the storyline very well. I can't remember a single one that required you to find more than 8 or so items per scene and almost all items were clearly identifiable when first glancing at the scene. There is no real searching for things in these HOS. Some HOS had an "interactive" component that required moving something out of the way to find an item that was completely obscured but these were very easy to recognize.
The puzzles were equally simple. In one case you had the solution to the puzzle in your inventory before you even got to play the puzzle. In another you assemble a torn picture from six fragments. I would say I'd like to see more puzzles because there weren't many but, given that they were mind-numbingly easy, maybe it's better that they're also few in number.
The storyline, although not super-original, was somewhat interesting. Unfortunately, I don't think it's interesting enough to make up for the weak HOS and puzzles. People who like the adventure component of these games may find this game too easy for them as everything is pretty straightforward and predictable.
Even though I had game tips turned off I occasionally received messages in the bar at the top of the screen telling me what to do. I don't mind this too much personally but I've seen a lot of reviewers complain about this kind of issue so it's worth mentioning.
There are lots of collectibles which I liked. There are achievements which is fine but when you get one the notification flies out over the screen and was a little bothersome.
Overall, this game really doesn't stand out in any way especially compared to previous games in the series. For a HOPA game it is very lacking in the puzzles/HOS department and even the adventure component is pretty simple. People seeking any kind of challenge aren't going to find it here.
The storyline is not sufficiently interesting to overcome this problem for me and I feel pretty disappointed in this game. I own almost all the other Hidden Expedition games and had high hopes for this one. It just doesn't measure up though. It has none of the charm, humor, or challenge the others have. It's a rather bland game which doesn't justify the cost of a CE in my opinion.
I don't recommend this game.
As the daughter of a legendary chronicle keeper, powerful foes are working against you!
Overall rating
4
/
5
44 of 54 found this review helpful
Fun but not original or challenging
PostedJuly 2, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Graphics and sound are suitably attractive and fit the theme.
The storyline is familiar and, as it unfolds, offers no surprises.
The unique feature of the game is the character's glass medallion through which she is able to see things ordinarily unseen. I wish the developers had chosen to explain this unique feature without requiring you to go through a tutorial. Just a quick pop up explaining it once at the beginning would suffice. I don't want to have to do a whole tutorial just to learn about an unusual feature that could be explained in 10 seconds when all the rest of the game works the same as every other HOPA.
That said, I thought the glass medallion was a nice little twist that really adds fun factor to the game. It's also used as a device to deliver items to your inventory which allows the developer to give you things with minimal running around clicking everything in sight. As one who detests a lot of random clicking I appreciated this.
The demo says there are 16 HOS in the game which, IMO, is not enough. The HOS there are seemed pretty straightforward and never achieved even moderate difficulty. The puzzles were of typical types and were also fairly easy. In short, the game is not extraordinarily challenging.
Overall, this is a tough game to rate. It's more fun than it has a right to be based on a fairly well-worn storyline and the lack of challenge in the HOS/puzzles. It does have amusing moments, points where I laughed out loud actually, and the medallion thing is a fun twist. Based on fun factor I feel compelled to err on the positive side and give this game a four instead of the three it probably deserves for being unoriginal.
I recommend this game!
Save your sister from the grave! After receiving a troubling phone call from your brother-in-law, you’re off on an adventure!
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Really fun and visually pleasing
PostedJuly 1, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This is an older game but the graphics and sound have stood the test of time and work very well on my machine.
The storyline is not super-original but is managed well so that the game is suitably immersive.
Vogat Games rarely fails to deliver absolutely great HOS and this game has great HOS. There is obviously a lot of care put into their design. They're not only challenging but they're pleasing to look at and very fun to do. Many are accompanied by a peaceful atmospheric soundtrack that makes them relaxing to play. There is a nice amount of them...not too many and not too few.
The puzzles are not difficult and there is a good number of them. Not too many and not too few. Some are the kind where you just have to figure out what to do and some are a logic type. The ones where you figure out what to do are fun and have nice art design.
The adventure component is fairly well laid out so that you don't feel you're running from one end of the game to the other to pick up an obscure inventory item only to deposit it miles away in exchange for another. This is always a welcome change from the usual "adventure" game that involves mindless clicking back and forth.
Games like Gravely Silent make me sometimes feel that in the ensuing years many developers have lost their way. So many newer games just don't have the charm, challenge, and playability of this one.
I'm glad Big Fish offered it on a Daily Deal because I might not have found it otherwise. It's well worth the cost and just a really fun game.
I recommend this game!
After a suspicious accident, you find yourself stranded at a run-down motel. But you soon realize the area hides a terrifying secret...
Overall rating
3
/
5
49 of 65 found this review helpful
Could have been good
PostedJune 28, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The graphics and sound are good and fit the theme of the story. Using inventory items was at times not smooth because I had to have very precise placement of my cursor in just the right spot for things to work. Finding this sweet spot wasn't always easy and I spent some time clicking in frustration trying to locate it. It wasn't a deal-breaker but some extra work making inventory items function better would have been helpful.
The storyline is interesting, if unoriginal, and things start off well with your character doing reasonable, story-driven things. Then, out of the blue, the character cuts the tail off a live lizard for no apparent reason. You find out later why you "need" a lizard tail but I didn't like this for two reasons.
First, I have a really hard time with random cruelty to animals. and second I don't like it when odd things fly into my inventory without my character having some story-driven reason for having collected them. It's one thing for the character to pick up something obviously useful like a flashlight in anticipation of it coming in handy later. But collecting something like a lizard's tail should require some reason the character is aware of at the time they collect it IMO.
Ideally, the story should first clue me into knowing my character needs this odd thing and then I should be able to search it out or remember where I saw it previously. Otherwise it feels like all I need to do to manage the "adventure" part of the game is randomly click around while strange items fly into my inventory for no reason leaving common sense and the story behind.
There were a good amount of puzzles but they were mostly average in type and very easy to complete. There were not enough HOS and all were of the same interactive type. Interactive HOS are ok but I would like to see a little more variety. The HOS were all fairly easy to complete also.
Overall the beginning is fun and I was settling in to enjoy the game but things went downhill as the character's actions stopped being directed by the story. Games like this make me glad Big Fish allows you to try before you buy. It could have been good but fizzled out. The lizard tail incident makes me very tempted to give this game a 2 on principle. I'll err on the side of benefit of the doubt because the game seemed to me to be average otherwise.
I don't recommend this game.
Set out with Bella in search of her brother through the pages of well-known novels and true stories.
Overall rating
2
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Poorly put together
PostedJune 27, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
The graphics are not very good. The sound was ok but not impressive.
The storyline was non-existent. I had absolutely no idea why my character was looking for her brother to start with and why she was performing this search by diving into books. Right from the start you're plunged into a book but there is no explanation for why this is happening. There is quite a bit of cut-scene material involved with all this but it was uninteresting and uninformative.
The puzzles have glimmers on them that usually indicate a HOS in most games. I didn't care for this feature at all. The interface with some of the puzzles is very picky and difficult although the puzzles themselves are pretty average in type and level of challenge.
The HOS are very easy except for one last thing you need to find which isn't even visible until you click click click through the whole scene. Example, I finished the whole list in one HOS except for a caterpillar but then needed to click around to eventually stumble upon a gramophone cone that was obscuring it. I'm fine with having part of the item hidden...but the entire thing? Not so much.
There are collectible coins throughout and those were fun to find but that's about the only thing about this game I found enjoyable.
Overall this is a game featuring a confused storyline, mediocre graphics, a picky user-interface, and puzzles/HOS that weren't fun.
I don't recommend this game.
Long-forgotten memories bubble to the surface when the past invades the present in the Collector's Edition of Lake House: Children of Silence!
Overall rating
2
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Weak story and bad graphics
PostedJune 27, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The graphics in this game do not look professionally done. The bar that's supposed to show you what objects to look for in HOS is so faded and blurry I couldn't even see some of the items in it at all.
The HOS were of the interactive sort that don't even seem like a HOS at all...instead you find one object and it flies to your HOS inventory so you must use it in the HOS to get another object and so on. It feels like a miniature version of the whole game where all you do is find something, run somewhere, trade it for another inventory item, run somewhere else, trade it, and so on.
The storyline felt contrived and didn't really make much sense. For example, the main character receives a package mailed to him while sitting in a coffee shop. Most people receive mail at their home so this didn't make sense to me. He needed something sharp to open the package so he then must break the glass on a framed memento of the coffee shop's opening in order to get scissors from it.
I think that most people wouldn't think destroying property just to open a package right away is the right thing to do. It just felt silly to do that and didn't make sense.
I feel that there are so many games out there that are significantly better. This one seems like it was made by amateurs to me.
I don't recommend this game.
The history of Ravenhearst Manor is shrouded in mystery. Unlock the secrets within this episode of Mystery Case Files™.
Overall rating
5
/
5
13 of 17 found this review helpful
Among the best MCF games
PostedJune 27, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Although this is an older game the graphics looked fine on my machine. The music/sound effects are perfectly matched to the theme and create an ominous atmosphere.
Gameplay consists of HOS and puzzles. It's refreshing to play a HOP game for once instead of a HOPA...it's just pure fun with no running around performing silly tasks in order to move on. The HOS each take place in a room of the house and are filled with items whose juxtaposition creates an almost surreal picture that fits the theme of the game well. The puzzles are elaborate and fun to do.
Interspersed between HOS and puzzles you get pieces of a diary. As you read them a tragic story of love gone wrong unfolds. This story is carried on in later installments of the MCF series and it's interesting to see how the Ravenhearst tale got started.
Overall, this is a great game that has stood the test of time well. I think it's among the best of the MCF games.
I recommend this game!