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kadji-kun 09-27-2009 02:21 PM

Casual Game Mini-Reviews
 
Where to buy Casual Games?
My favorite place to get Casual Games is Big Fish. I've seen more premium content posted here than anywhere else. A good place to start looking.
http://www.bigfishgames.com/

Early on when I first started playing Casual Games, I used reflexive. They post games when they get them. The benefit of this site is the rating system. The downside is the fact that they rarely get premium games.
http://www.reflexive.com/

Is there a format to posting a review?
Yes and no. Follow the format of the first review posted. It should include a title, the category of game, the price, a minireview, and a link to where you can purchase it.

Table of Contents
Affair Bureau
Autumn's Treasures: The Jade Coin
Drawn: the Painted Tower
G.H.O.S.T Chronicles: Phantom of the Renaissance Faire
Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy


I wanted to start this up some time ago. Playing Casual Games can be an awkward experience. On one hand, you have some ground breaking adventures, and on the other hand you have sloppily made repetitive I Spy games.

What I want to offer here is the chance for those who play casual games a way to post a mini-review and a rating for a game they have recently played. This will allow those who don't want to purchase a casual game blindly. I hope the support from everyone can help educate future casual gamers, and hopefully help us save money.


Note about my reviews: I find myself playing only the casual games that keep my attention. There have been many casual games in which I got that were just horrendous! These, I could not complete and therefore I won't review. Hopefully those who do complete them, can post an honest review for them here.

kadji-kun 09-27-2009 02:33 PM

Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy $6.99 Hidden Object

Use your famous mystery-writing skills to help solve an ancient homicide and capture Edgar Allan Poe`s murderer! Follow your ghostly guides through Poe`s classic tales as you meet the different suspects in this dark and haunting Hidden Object game. Find inspiration for your next book as you collect clues, interview witnesses, and crack the centuries-old crime in Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy!

http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/6356/poe.gif

I was curious about this game when I first got it. I had an inkling that it was going to follow the same path as Mystery Legends: Sleepy Hollow, which had monotonous hidden object search on the same screen over and over throughout the game. Boy was I wrong. The game may follow the traditional find the object that matches the word, but the way they presented it made the whole experience less overwhelming and more adventurous. Every item shown on the list actually fits the location. No random meat cleaver laying in a 20's Salon. The only downside was objects that appeared in locations you wouldn't expect.

On top of the traditional hidden object game play, the game offers some adventure style interaction. From using tools on other objects, to simple puzzles solved through investigation.

Where the game shined was in the Story and Visuals department. How did Edgar Allen Poe die? Thats the question that could drive anyone to beat the game. It was riveting enough that I beat this game in one day. Well, with breaks here and there that is. Not only do you solve the mystery, but you also get to experience some of Poe's lesser known stories such as "the Golden Bug". To accompany the story was its visuals. From beautiful animations to beautifully rendering environments. Everything felt polished.

This game was well worth its traditional price, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in a wholesome story with some decent gameplay and beautiful visuals.

3.8/5

Buy Now

kadji-kun 09-27-2009 05:08 PM

Affair Bureau $6.99 Hidden Object

Use your Hidden Object skills to help Alex solve mysterious crimes as he begins his own Affair Bureau! After getting bored with following cheating spouses, tracking down lost jewelry, and finding stolen cars, Alex has decided to take on more serious crimes. Investigate freshly discovered crime scenes in this charming noir-like detective story. Find the clues to close the case and capture the crooks!

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/8972/affairs.gif

Affairs Bureau progresses like a modern Noir film. The visuals are nice, and the interface is quite unique. When you first play the game, you'll notice the traditional Hidden Object sidebar with a list of items to find and an inventory that plays no roll into the game play what so ever.

The items in each environment are well placed and easy to find. By easy, I mean logical. Sure, there may be an Boomerang on the side of a building, but majority of the objects are logically placed. Because of this, it made the game feel a bit more professional than most Hidden Object games.

The cons of this game lies in the story and the badly named objects. Some objects are named in such a way in which most people will not understand. For instance, you had to find a "Tin", but the object you had to click on was a spool wound up with wire. Story-wise, it was pretty good. Like most noir stories, it isn't hard to provoke curiosity in the viewer/player. The downside was the ending. So much was built up, and the game ended on one of the worst notes ever! Absolutely anti-climatic.

All in all, if you can get this game for less then $5, then it would be worth playing.

2.3/5

Buy Now

kadji-kun 09-27-2009 05:25 PM

Drawn: The Painted Tower $6.99 Hidden Object / Adventure

Enter the world of Drawn, the newest adventure from Big Fish Games Studios. Unravel the secrets of the Painted Tower while overcoming challenging puzzles on your quest to save Iris. A curse has locked each floor of the tower, and only the most creative adventurer can find a way through. Enter lush painted worlds and meet fantastic characters who will help you…and sometimes try to stop you, on your quest through the dream world of The Painted Tower.
Beware! Darkness approaches the tower. Can you save her in time?


http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/7746/drawn.gif

Where do I start? Drawn: The Painted Tower was one of the best Casual games I have ever had the pleasure of playing. Lets start of with visuals. Every scene, animation, character, object, and special effects were done beautifully. The environments had so much color and atmosphere. It really pulled you into this dark yet warm world. The real beauty is in its very own artistic style. Everything felt fantastical and unique.

The story itself may be quite simple and can leave much to be desired, but once you experience it, you'll immediately understand why it can be so captivating. Every moment of the game dragged you further and further into the story, giving you no room for boredom.

One thing you don't expect in a casual game is professional quality audio. From the whimsical and adventurous music that accompany each room and painting, to the intense sound effects that make you feel like you are watching an movie-quality animated graphic novel.

In the game play department, you will find the game quite easy. This is a pro and a con. The game is quite accessible, allowing for one of the more professional casual games. The downside lies in the puzzles. On one side, you have simple yet captivating mini-games. On the other side, you have tough yet complicated logic puzzles. Each balanced with a very short timer for the "Skip Puzzle" button.

If you are looking for a unique gaming experience, or an adventure unlike any other. This game offers so much to the casual and adventurous gamer. It is well worth the price and time.

4.6/5

Buy Now

kadji-kun 09-27-2009 09:37 PM

Autumn's Treasures: The Jade Coin $6.99 Hidden Object

Help Autumn find her grandfather’s treasures in this Hidden Object Adventure game! After receiving her inheritance, Autumn finds a mysterious journal page in Gramps`s antique store, and follows his clues across the globe to recover priceless antiques. Autumn`s Treasures contain ancient secrets, that only you can discover! Can you help Autumn recover the mysterious relics of her grandfather`s past?

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/8036/jade.gif

If you are a fan of the Samantha Swift series, then you'll definitely enjoy this new hidden object adventure. Like Swift, the game play relies on fighting pieces of an object to make a whole, which in turn will be used as a tool to unlock objects or to find other pieces. This type of game play in connection with fully voiced dialog, beautifully painted environments, and an intriguing story make a game you should definitely play.

Like Samantha Swift, this game involves a story about deceit, adventure, and ancient civilizations. Sort of like the Indiana Jones of Hidden Object games.

The downside of this beautiful game are the puzzles. They are way too easy. I find myself completing every puzzle in under 2 minutes, giving me time bonuses. On top of that, I had completed this game in under 3 hours.

Thankfully in my eyes, this game is still worth the purchase. It has everything a more than decent game should have. Add this too the list of casual gaming series to look out for.

4/5

Buy Now

kadji-kun 09-28-2009 12:59 PM

G.H.O.S.T Chronicles: Phantom of the Renaissance Faire $6.99 Hidden Object

G.H.O.S.T. Chronicles: Phantom of the Renaissance Faire finds you hot on the trail of a menacing and terrifying ghost. This vengeful ghost has damaged attractions, vandalized shops and has driven away the park patrons. Inspect the park and determine if this is indeed ghostly activity or just a cruel and disastrous hoax. It is up to you to find out who is behind the haunting at the Renaissance Faire in this exciting Hidden Object Adventure game.

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/2351/ghostu.gif

This game was a surprise. GHOST felt like the "Lost Crown" of Hidden Object games. Right from the beginning, they threw you into their own little HUB system, giving you limited access to a Renaissance Faire Park using a sort of 2d Panoramic view. As the game progresses, you unlock access to other areas of the park, either through completion of levels, or by finding a quest item.

There are three types of game play scenarios found in G.H.O.S.T. First being the traditional use of a tool to repair or find an object/quest item. Second is the Spectral Search. Here you must use the Spectral Meter to analyse the scene and find what items are missing in the real world. When you mouse over these items, they show up in the items list at the bottom of the screen. The last type is the traditional, Hidden Object Search. In order to get the item list, you must use Spectral Meter to find a hidden quest item. Still, these items have absolutely no connection with the story or gameplay. Just random, oblivious objects.

Graphics in GHOST resemble that of which you may be familiar with. The use of various photographs stitched together to make a unique environment, similar to 'the Lost Crown'. As I have stated in my own personal opinion of that very game, I am not fond of lazy photo mashing. With such unique premises, it is preferable that a little more effort is put into the polish of the game. I never found messy photo manipulations enjoyable. That aside, the environments themselves brought a sense of atmosphere that made the Lost Crown absolutely enjoyable.

In the story department, GHOST can be seen as a simple GHOST detective story. Like so many generic NOIR adventures, no matter what, we are always interested, even if we have seen it done over and over before. To progress the story, you can find newspaper clippings lying around, and animated 3d characters awaiting your help.

In the end, I found GHOST quite enjoyable. Just don't go into it thinking you are getting some epic ghost story.


3.4/5

Buy Now

kadji-kun 09-28-2009 03:52 PM

From here on out, I'll be following a different review scheme. Hopefully this will make reviewing these games a bit easier for me.

LexSleuther 10-11-2009 01:13 PM

Love these reviews, im a huge fan of HOGs, do you plan on reviewing some more?

kadji-kun 10-11-2009 09:03 PM

Absolutely, but I'm hitting a rough patch. Too many horrible HOG's! I'll smash through them and look for the next quality HOG.


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