chasseur's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.9
- Helpful Votes:131
- Reviews Submitted:24
- First Review:December 23, 2011
- Most Recent Review:August 14, 2014
- Featured reviews0
Return to the De la Fer estate to help the count unravel the curse that has been passed down through his family!
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Wolfish Fun
PostedApril 18, 2012
chasseur
fromFair Oaks, CA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
*these comments are based on game completion in advanced mode*
Having read some of the comments from pro players I almost missed this little gem of a game.
It is very clever, sly and witty. . if you are paying attention
Imho Bane is compact but not necessarily a short story gaming experience. How long it takes to play depends on how long you simply want to stare at the screen looking around at everything. Yes, it is an easy play, if you want to power your way through to the conclusion. I am not always up for a game that takes hours to finish. Some times I want a game that doesn't aggravate my already fried brain cells.
My main aggravation was the music, much like other commentators. I turned the volume down. Another was the over-sized custom cursor, getting in my way while scanning scenes for POIs. Also some items in HO scenes were not quite correctly identified.
These issues did not overshadow Bane's fun factor. It is pure pleasure to play a game that does not take itself too seriously. For instance, some of the HOs "inside" the HO scenes were very much kid-like fun.
Fun is good. Wolfish fun is better!
I recommend this game!
Guide Kate Reed as she searches for the artifacts that can break the power of a cursed gem in House of 1,000 Doors: The Palm of Zoroaster!
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 6 found this review helpful
Stunningly Beautiful.. . and Intelligent!
PostedApril 12, 2012
chasseur
fromFair Oaks, CA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
*this review is based on finished game @ adv setting*
This edition of 1K Doors: "The Palm of Zoroaster" CE is incredibly beautiful and rich beyond any thing I have seen in a very long time.
This not a new story. . are there any new stories? This story is put together so well that it flows smoothly and effortlessly unfolding while enfolding the viewer. The "movie" clips are beautiful, the cut scenes are beautiful, the HO scenes are beautiful. The soundtrack is beautiful. The VO are a perfect match to the character portrayed.
This is a game, where the theme is fully explored through the eyes of different people, from different times, cultures, ethnic and spiritual backgrounds working to achieve a common goal. In its quiet way, it is also a tutorial concerning shared values of major import between all peoples.
This is one of those rare games that we all wish would come along more frequently.
I recommend this game!
The town of Deadwood is being terrorized by the ghost of a murderous outlaw! Break his curse and save the day!
Overall rating
4
/
5
Deadwood: Old Fashioned Fun
PostedMarch 31, 2012
chasseur
fromFair Oaks, CA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
While "Deadwood" may seem dated as it is almost pure HO, it is still a very handsome game. The scenes are rather spare, accurately reflecting the lack of ready cash of those that lived during the 1800's in the American West.
And yes, the story line is rather mawkish, but the fate of Billy is not at all sentimentalized. This is the reason I gave it the fourth star. It was truthful to the premise of the story,
It is an easy to play game, if you can play without hints or a map. The only hints available are in the HO scenes. As the game progresses those HO scenes become more complex, rather than over-crowded.
"Deadwood" is an HO game. It is not a puzzle game or an ADV game. If you do not care for the HO genre, then "Deadwood" is not your game. If you do not care for simple non-head wrangling puzzles, fold your cards and leave the table. Imho, there are times when puzzle-solving gets in the way of herding the storytelling along.
"Deadwood" delivers on its promise to being a good looking and solid HO game, dead on!
I recommend this game!
Stop the evil Vansig family before they point their vengeful wrath at your friend Christine in Nightfall Mysteries: Black Heart!
Overall rating
2
/
5
18 of 27 found this review helpful
Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen
PostedMarch 24, 2012
chasseur
fromFair Oaks, CA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Before writing this review I paged through the previous reviews. Reading those reviews help me identify just what is so aggravating and ultimately distasteful to people that play many games of this genre.
Its as if the developers let anyone and everyone work on this project. There is no overall sense of purpose or direction here. Its a little this, a little that, a dash of something else and other extraneous ingredients.
It is neither one thing or an other. It is a failure. It is also vaguely insulting to those who play these games. Did they believe no one would notice the lack of integrity in this production?
Where was the chef de cuisine while the other cooks were making hash out of his creation?
I would be deeply embarrassed if this "dish" came out of my kitchen.
I don't recommend this game.
Black Isle was supposedly abandoned after an earthquake but the truth is much more sinister! Join the Mystery Trackers and learn the truth!
Overall rating
3
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
Great Plot Twist Goes Missing in Action
PostedMarch 24, 2012
chasseur
fromFair Oaks, CA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I finally figured out when a SG comes in really handy. When I am so bored, that I cannot remember where I have been, what I have been doing, and what I am supposed to be doing next.
MT: BI is a redemption/ love story. It could have worked and should have, but it failed to inspire much empathy in me. It has all the bells and whistles available to produce a great game, but somewhere along the way, I became less and less engaged. I should have been tipped off by the beginning with its endless back and forth between The Cafe and The Shop.
Maybe as lovely as the graphics are, they did not entrance me in anyway. Maybe the music is wrong and became annoying. Maybe the puzzle execution felt stale and grew to be tiresome. This is three "maybe's" in a row. What I do know is that I began to feel sorry for Conrad. This MT Investigator kept making all sorts of stupid suppositions and killed The Theme.
I liked Elf. I liked Elf even better when he reappears in the bonus chapters wearing an official MTI "badge".
Maybe you will enjoy MT: BI. Maybe you won't. I think, maybe, it depends on what you think a good game is for you.
I don't recommend this game.
When Houdini’s promises of contact from beyond go unkept, his wife comes to you in a final plea to unravel his mysterious passing.
Overall rating
4
/
5
MM: Haunted Houdini Makes Magic
PostedMarch 22, 2012
chasseur
fromFair Oaks, CA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
As the third installment of this series "Haunted Houdini" is just as excellent as the previous offerings. If anything, the graphics are better, and the FX are tremendous fun.
This time around you get to do magic with the Master! That is worth the price of admission alone. There is a card trick in the opening chapters that will come in to play near the conclusion that is pretty nifty.
I liked the fact that hurry-scurry was kept to a minimum. There was no need to retrace steps, as the game itself propels you forward. There is a lot of history here and you get to visit it, from the trenches of WWI to Canada in the 1930's.
Houdini is rich with story that has to be read. If you skip the dialogue you will miss not only a lot of interesting facts about two men who continue to fascinate, you will miss out on the magic of "Haunted Houdini". There are no VOs, leaving the speaker's voice to one's imagination. This is a game that invites one in to a not quite imaginary world, it does not need VO's to be effective.
It is rather short but, I would prefer a good solid entertaining game, than a long ramble through another over-wrought "seek-find-save" from vampires, evil queens, or master evil magicians HOG.
One last note: "Haunted Houdini" is not gory. While it is spooky in a fun way, and contains surprises, it is not going to give anyone nightmares.
I recommend this game!
Guide Ethan Black as he attempts to rescue his bride-to-be from a terrifying menace known as the Faceless Ones!
Overall rating
5
/
5
8 of 8 found this review helpful
Finally, an Excellent Gaming Experience!
PostedMarch 19, 2012
chasseur
fromFair Oaks, CA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Though Dark Strokes is yet another "dark" story, it represents the best of what these morality tales can be. This game has TEXTURE, something that has been missing from so many recent games.
"Dark Strokes" is driven by an artist and the world he creates through his paintbrush. The watercolor renderings of his past are simply wonderful.
Dark Strokes is not padded with "collection notifications" or "achievement announcements" that interfere with cohesive game play. It is simple straightforward story telling.
The bonus chapters have a shivery quality, retracing the steps of how a man's despair led to a life he never dreamed of living.
If Alfred Hitchcock were to make a "causal game" today, this is the game he would produce.
I recommend this game!
The day famed mystery writer Adora Graves died the lights went out in Beacon. Cast light on the town or be stuck in the shadows!
Overall rating
3
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
No Resurrection Needed
PostedFebruary 26, 2012
chasseur
fromFair Oaks, CA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Initially, during the first two chapters of "Revenge of the Spirit", I believed this: Wow! I think I am going to a have good time playing this game,. Then came the issue w/ the push buttons. I had gotten ahead of the line of the game play, and I could not get my cursor to open the screen where it was located. Uh Oh! Imagine my surprise when it turned up in my inventory after clicking everywhere to no avail. This production is littered with similar frustrations.
It is also dark. I cannot count the times I had to stand up be able to see in the HO scenes, even though I had adjusted my computer to compensate. I hate that!
Then there is the inappropriate background voices of children laughing. This story has nothing to do with children, unless one counts the doctor's daughter. The voice overs do not match the moving mouths of the characters. I don't care for that either.
This long playing game belongs in the "Could Have Been" a contender category. It has a strong beginning, which involves breaking out of jail. Which is a nice change, It has some ingenious to-do tricks in the HO scenes. The puzzles are nothing unusual or difficult, such as teasing a mouse through a maze though having to do so 3 times was tiresome.
Over all, "Revenge of the Spirit" has a jerky trajectory. It fumbles around and seems to lurch from long stretches to things to do, between anything actually happening. At the end of the final chapter, I almost groaned with irritation at finding myself confronting the epilogue.
I can recommend this game if you enjoy reading, as there are clues in Your Log. I can recommend this game if you have lots of patience for tasking, while accomplishing nothing. I can also recommend this game if you have time to while away and don't mind being rather bored. This IS a good game for intermediate players as an excellent tutoring experience when played in Advanced Mode.
I recommend this game!
Use a mystical locket to explore a magical world and save a young girl in Otherworld: Spring of Shadows!
Overall rating
4
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
Otherworld CE: Redemption for Boom Zap Games
PostedFebruary 16, 2012
chasseur
fromFair Oaks, CA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
If you liked or loved Boom Zap's "Awakening" series you will be be over-the-top thrilled with "Otherworld: Spring of Shadows". It features all the good things that Boom Zap has perfected without the saccharine sweetness of "Awakening". This means that you see deceptively simple or lavish lush graphics, that were at the core of the success of the "Awakening" series.
This time out Boom Zap has gone for more adventure and lightened up on the sugar content. "Otherworld" is a much more robust and better constructed game. Though the plot line is actually quite lineal, somehow this factoid becomes moot. It does not FEEL lineal. It feels and plays much more like a fluid adventure game.
The HO scenes are tidy and for the most part very bright and clear. There is the usual assortment of the standard puzzles, but dressed in bright appealing colors. Some of the solutions required to use the inventory are quite ingenious and require out of the box thinking. I confess, that I was completely stumped when trying to figure out to do with the wind chimes in the "epilogue" of the CE.
There is an array of achievement awards to be had. I suggest that you take a look at them before you start playing so you will know what is available.
The music score is just fine, not too little nor too much drama, even in "climactic" scenes. The VOs are age appropriate and above standard.
It is the characters in Otherworld that makes this game a stand out. The "cast" is charming, you will be glad you got a chance to meet them. Because, chances are, you will get the chance to play with them again in Sequel Land.
I recommend this game!
End the Charleston Curse before it wipes out an entire family and save a young girl in Witches’ Legacy: The Charleston Curse!
Overall rating
3
/
5
2 of 7 found this review helpful
Cute Innovations fail to save Witches' Legacy CE
PostedFebruary 6, 2012
chasseur
fromFair Oaks, CA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File
Current Favorite:
Syberia
(55)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
I am all for "cuteness" as long as there is some "there, there", which in the end Witches' Legacy fails to deliver. "Witches' Legacy, being yet one more foray into the standard fare of cursed children needing rescue.
I am one who appreciates the effort that goes into hand drawn imagery. Thus, I was surprised to find myself unimpressed with rather ho-hum scenes. My fave scene was in the barn, of all places. This was because the cat looked, moved and ACTED like, well a real life cat. The scenery did not get interesting until the bonus game.
Someone please tell these developers to stop playing with their MOOG or any other of their digitizing musical toys. At the very least, all that painstaking work of hand-rendered scene design deserves a professionally produced score. The over dub of faint cries and cackling voices succeeded in taking a over melodramatic score into the realm of the inane.
The voice acting is ordinary with the exception of the Margaret Hamilton-ish Elisabeth. I fully expected her to finish her declarations with "My pretty!"
Witches' Legacy does indeed fully dish up freshly dressed cuteness. Cute child, cute imp, cute kid art and much more. Its too bad that cute cannot sustain interest.
The absolute basic flaw of "Witches' Legacy" is the failure of the developers to identify its intended audience. It is too dark for younger children with its themes of isolation, imprisonment and abandonment. It is not creepy enough to appeal to teens. It is too silly, tedious and predictable for experienced players. . At best, it is a mediocre fairy tale.
I can recommend this game to novice players because its ease of navigation, journal and hint system. It is also suitable for 'tweens. It IS short for a CE.
I recommend this game!